Finnick Odair's Story: Dark Secrets (The Hunger Games Fanfiction)

A Chat With The Author!

Hello, everybody! Thank you so much for getting this far - you must have been really dedicated to read to the end of the book. I hope you enjoyed it, and your votes and comments mean the entire world to me.

So, this is the end and I apologise greatly if it came as a bit of a shock. The end chapter is written a little clumsily, but I wanted to be done with the story as early as possible. 2015 needs to be a year of focussing on my studies, and this is too distracting (as much as I love it!)

This is my first fan-fiction, and I don't particularly intend to write any more. I like them, but I'm writing my own story (stay tuned!). I decided to write about my favourite character from The Hunger Games, Finnick Odair. As soon as I read Catching Fire, years and years ago, I knew he would end up being one of my all-time favourite book characters.

I know Finnick is only a supporting character, but his story isn't told in enough detail for my liking! People think he's shallow and only there for eye-candy, but, cliché as it is, he's so much more than that. I wanted to try and delve into his world and find out what made him the way he is when we first meet him in Catching Fire.

My story is by no means perfect, and I'm sure people have different opinions on how things should have happened (please comment and let me know, I would love to discuss ideas with you!), but this is what I imagined happening when he won the Games and was dragged into a world of secrets, lies and falling in love. I'm glad it's over, because I didn't want to write about Finnick's death - but I wanted to end with the wedding, which was beautiful. I hate writing things like their reunion and wedding because it feels as if I don't do them justice.

In this additional chapter, I'm going to be discussing the book in chronological order, and talking about things I liked, changed, or would do differently next time. Enjoy, comment your views and remember to vote!

So, the story began with Finnick winning the Games. It was considerably easier to write from Finnick's point of view when he was a teenager - considering I'm seventeen and female, it's pretty difficult to get into the brain of a twenty four year old man! He was so overwhelmed at first, with the fame and money and luxury - but soon became used to it! It's not arrogant or evil or conceited, it's very typically adolescent to get hooked on a life of sex, parties and alcohol. Finnick still struggled with guilt, nightmares, a mild form of post traumatic stress disorder, alcoholism, promiscuity - a little too much for a teenager to deal with!

I changed the story slightly, in that Annie came only a year or two after Finnick's Games. According to Suzanne Collins, they were five years apart in competing but I wanted to move the story along quickly. At first, Annie was just a fleeting crush - he wanted to have her just so he could prove to himself and others that he could have any girl he wanted. He was never expecting her to fall in love with him, and vice versa!

One of my favourite characters to write about is Johanna Mason. She's so powerful and fierce, yet she understands Finnick's guilt and shame perfectly. Her defence mechanism is sarcasm and wit, of which she has plenty! It's rare for her to show any kind of emotion, which is why any chapter where she was vulnerable was difficult to write. I wish I could write more about Johanna!

Interestingly, the film adaptions hinted to Johanna being in love with Finnick - something which I never considered when reading Catching Fire. I thought I'd play on that when writing this fanfic, but I want to clear up that she was never in love with him. Finnick was always very attracted to Johanna, but she didn't know what to think of him at first. They became friends, but nothing more.

They kissed once in this book, when Johanna was drunk in District 4, but nothing more. Even when Finnick was completely apart from Annie for five years, he never slept with Johanna. It wasn't because of Annie, considering he slept with a lot of other women, it was more to protect both himself and Johanna. I think Finnick and Johanna could have very easily fallen in love if they had both let themselves - but they're better as friends. I think their relationship would have been too clashing and argumentative. They're way too similar! They would have been fiery, wild and passionate - whilst simultaneously ruining one another and tearing themselves apart. Besides, who doesn't love Annie and Finnick (Odesta?)?

In the arena, Annie developed post traumatic stress disorder and very mild schizophrenia (hallucinations). She was deemed unfit to do a victory tour, and was eventually sent back to District 4, to the dismay of Finnick. He pined her loss greatly, and turned to alcohol to numb the pain. He was forced into prostitution by Snow, which didn't particularly help anything.

One of my favourite sections of the story was when Johanna and Finnick planned to escape the Capitol. I think it was such a childish thing to do, which reflects them both perfectly at that point. They were naïve and hopeful enough to believe that their plan would work. This chapter also demonstrated their immense physical strength (the swimming), which was interesting to write about. Finnick and Johanna are some of the best warriors in Panem, both with crazy amounts of muscle and stamina. They're both so powerful - I love it!

I'm sorry for making Finnick and Annie have sex for the first time in the kitchen. I know it's not very romantic, I'm terribly sorry! But life isn't always perfect, and they were only teenagers. Lust wins over location.

Anyway, I thought the chapters whilst Johanna and Finnick were staying in District 4 were some of the best ones - and my heart broke when the Capitol caught them and banned Finnick from leaving the Capitol ever again.

What were your favourite moments in the story? Comment them here.

I decided not to write about the Quarter Quell in detail because it's been done so many times before and I didn't want to bore anyone. After the Quell, Finnick goes to District 13 only to find that Annie has been taken by the Capitol along with his best friend, Johanna.

He didn't even realise it himself, but he was beginning to get very ill whilst in 13. His nightmares came back, he had panic attacks and couldn't sleep. Even when Annie came back, he was getting worse and worse. They show this in Mockingjay by having Finnick unable to let go of Annie's hand, and constantly tying and untying a piece of rope. Being with Annie didn't make him better, but it made her (almost) better. She seemed to have been made stronger by her torture in the Capitol, and roles were reversed when Annie ended up comforting Finnick during a panic attack.

I would say his sickness is caused by years of ups and downs - and he never truly got over his first Games. The years in between those and the Quell were packed to the brim with heartbreak, alcoholism, tragedy, violence. He was arguably improving when he was allowed to return to 4 and live with Annie. Then, thanks to Katniss and Peeta, the Quell was announced. It gave Finnick what he had been craving for years - revolutionary change.

However, the Quell just affected him more. He was confident and cocky and charming - but it wasn't enough to keep him numb when he killed another person. This time, he had a motive. Keep Katniss alive in time for the revolution.

He's still the same Finnick Odair - his charm is natural even if it seems otherwise. He'll always be handsome and funny and irresistible, but he'll never be the same person he was before the Quell.

His wedding with Annie was beautiful, yet at the same time a heartbreaking scene. He promised her that nothing would tear them apart again... but when he goes to the Capitol to fight, little does he know that he'll never meet his unborn child or see his wife again.

I hate how Collins killed off Finnick, but at the same time - it had to be done! Revolutions are bloody and unthinkable - it's impossible for there to be no casualties whatsoever! Especially considering Katniss, Peeta and Gale all survived. I think she killed him to show that revolutions do kill people, and people die fighting for what they believe in - it's sadly a part of life.

So, I've written a bit too much here and got a bit emotional - I've been writing the story for over a year which seems a bit ridiculous! Anyway, I really really reaaaaally do hope you've enjoyed it.

Any requests for additional chapters (different points of view, after Finnick's death, Christmas specials, previous chapters in more detail etc.) just comment here.

Loads and loads and loads of love - make 2015 an amazing one!

Em (princesswifi) xxxx