ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ
❝𝐓𝐑𝐈𝐕𝐈𝐀.❞
a little overview of most thought processes I had while writing some scenes/subplots. also etymology for names and whatnot!
this goes without saying, but spoilers for ACT I, ACT II, AND ACT III! proceed with caution! <3
➥ 𝙉𝘼𝙈𝙀𝙎.
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𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘊𝘈𝘗𝘐𝘛𝘖𝘓.
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JUNIA IASO BEAUMONT
➤ JUNIA: "born in the sixth month" (a reference to her and Cas' birthdays being in June) ; "youth"
➤ IASO: from the Greek goddess of recuperation from illness (a hint to the Beaumont family's importance in Panem's medical world)
➤ BEAUMONT: from French, literally meaning "beautiful mountain". Where does Snow fall? On mountains. (foreshadowing her triumph over Snow. admittedly, I only realized this when I was writing ACT III.)
CASTIEL ANTEROS BEAUMONT
➤ CASTIEL: "shield of God" (foreshadowing his protective nature of June and his loved ones)
➤ ANTEROS: in Greek mythology, Anteros is the god of requited love, and also the punisher of those who scorn love and the advances of others, or the avenger of unrequited love
if you combine the two, his entire fate is foreshadowed. the protector of June and her love (Treech), in this case
MAXIMUS ASCLEPIUS BEAUMONT
➤ MAXIMUS: literally "the greatest". a little reference to him being their parents' favorite
➤ ASCLEPIUS: god of medicine in ancient Greek religion and mythology (again, hinting at the Beaumont family's ties to medicine)
ALARIC BEAUMONT
➤ ALARIC: literally "everyone's ruler" (hinting at his role as the patriarch in the family)
ADEENA BEAUMONT
➤ ADEENA: "noble" ; "gentle" (which she is technically not anymore since the war took that from her. in an early outline of the story, however, she helped June and Cas with the antivenom and gave it to her daughter out of free will! so I suppose the name was more accurate there)
GALEN BEAUMONT
➤ GALEN: "calm" ; "healer" ; "peaceful". In Greek history, Galen was a well-known physician, philosopher, and surgeon in the Roman Empire. (June's grandfather! again, medical ties. you know the drill at this point)
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𝘋𝘐𝘚𝘛𝘙𝘐𝘊𝘛 𝘚𝘌𝘝𝘌𝘕.
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TREECH CATALPA
➤ TREECH: Suzanne chose it, not me. I think it's a cute name
➤ CATALPA: "a deciduous tree that grows in warm areas of North America and Asia and produces large leaves, white flowers, and wood that is often used to make furniture" (Trees=D7. also slight hint towards his future as a wood carver, although this wasn't intentional)
ROSCOE CATALPA
➤ ROSCOE: "deer wood" (I don't need to explain this one)
DAISY CATALPA
➤ DAISY: like the flower! it symbolizes many things like purity, innocence, new beginnings, joy and cheerfulness. it suits her very well, I love that woman
BIRDIE CATALPA
➤ BIRDIE: "bird, bird-like; Bright; famous. quick, delicate, and a nimble go-getter". everything describes her so well!! she's my favorite of Treech's siblings
FLINT CATALPA
➤ FLINT: "flint stone" ; "stream". I headcanon him and his family living down the road near the stream close to the remaining family's house
IVY CATALPA
➤ IVY: "climbing evergreen plant" (the plant symbolism is strong with that family)
TREECH'S OTHER SIBLINGS
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EXTENDED FAMILY
➤ OAKLEY: "meadow of oak trees"
➤ BUCK: "male deer" ; "goat" ; "stag"
➤ RANGER: "forest guardian"
➤ ALDER: reference to the alder tree
➤ CHERRY: Treech's niece, Flint's daughter. from the cherry tree
➤ DAWN: "the first appearance of light" ; "daybreak". Flint's wife and Cherry's mother
➤ WADE: "to go" ; "to ford". originally used as a surname for people who lived near a river or stream. Birdie's fiancé (now husband). he lived near the lake before he married her
OTHERS.
➤ RACHIS: In plants, a rachis is the main axis of a compound structure. It can be the main stem of a compound leaf, such as in Acacia or ferns, or the main, flower-bearing portion of an inflorescence above a supporting peduncle
(remember that Lamina's name comes from the leaf blade. Rachis, her big brother, is the stem and she's the leaf that was plucked off... I'm making myself sad just thinking about it)
➤ THYME: apothecary. his name is a reference to the herb
➤ LYDIA: "beautiful one" ; "noble one". Birdie's co-worker
➤ RIFF: from "guitar riff". Reed's father, the man that traded June's earring for the sketchbook and pencils. Reed's father. former Lumberjive
➤ REED: a reed (also known as "lamella") is a thin strip of material that vibrates to produce a sound on an instrument. Lumberjive, Riff's son
➤ LYRA: "lyre", hinting at her beloved instrument. the girl that confirmed June's pearls are real. Lumberjive
➥ 𝙎𝙔𝙈𝘽𝙊𝙇𝙄𝙎𝙈.
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𝘑𝘌𝘞𝘌𝘓𝘙𝘠.
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THE RING & THE NECKLACE
➤ THE RING: her mother's engagement ring, adorned with a heavy emerald. June is often described as running her fingers along the stone in an attempt to comfort herself, particularly throughout ACT I.
The first time they're at the zoo and June is in the monkey cage, Treech slips it off her finger, demanding he'll only give it back in an exchange for food. It's a bit of a stretch, but the ring symbolizes June's attachment to her family and him slipping it off can be seen as him "pushing" her in the direction of freedom. He gives it back, but what's done is done.
➤ THE NECKLACE: the Beaumont family's most prized heirloom. once belonging to June's grandmother, it was passed on to her the morning of Arachne's funeral. unlike most of her family, June loved her grandmother deeply and her death during the rebel bombings scarred her deeply
Her giving the necklace to Treech is one of her biggest signs of trust (and, to an extent, love), and what once comforted her (her grandmother's presence, though only metaphorically) she passes on to him, hoping it will help him out just the same.
And, on top of that, her returning it to her mother symbolizes her final detachment from her parents.
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𝘚𝘊𝘌𝘕𝘛𝘚.
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My favorite symbolism in Drapetomonia! We start off in the first chapter with June's monologue describing her mother's sweet perfume as suffocating. This is a first hint at her feeling trapped in the family (and in the Capitol)
Throughout the story, the scent of lavender plays a bigger role. Not only is the flower a symbol of the Beaumont family, it's also used to represent purity, devotion, and grace, but also the process of healing.
That aside, lavender is credited for its calming scent. It's one of June's sources of comfort and Treech remarks multiple times that it reminds him of home as well.
I've often put an emphasis on the way they find comfort in inhaling each other's scent, both in the Capitol and in D7.
And, as a contrast to the prologue, one of the last actions described is June breathing in and finally feeling the freedom she has longed for since the beginning of the story.
➥ 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙍𝙔𝙇𝙄𝙉𝙀𝙎.
(scrapped and otherwise)
➤ CASTIEL'S FATE: Some of you already know this, but he was supposed to die at multiple points in the story. I thought it would provide some realism as I felt like not everyone can make it out of the Capitol unscathed. But I changed my mind (I was also threatened. looking at you, gc) and gave him the happy ending he deserves.
He was supposed to live in an early story outline but stay in the Capitol. Then, I briefly contemplated killing him off during the arena bombing, but I knew it would leave June too weak to have the plot progress, so I decided against it. Lastly, I wanted him to die off-screen and fall victim to Dr. Gaul's snakes, but I couldn't get myself to write it.
So he might have a bit of plot armor, but it doesn't matter. I'm happy with this ending for him.
➤ THE BEAUMONTS AND THE CATALPAS: my favorite butterfly effect in the story!!!
June's grandpa stops shipping medicine to the districts during the war ➥ Treech's grandmother dies ➥ Treech's father kills June's grandpa ➥ June's father manipulates the mentoring assignment so one of his children has to care for someone from Seven (in hopes of making them see how terrible they are) ➥ Treech is put into June's care ➥ Treech survives the Games ➥ June (and Cas!) leave their family for the people they're supposed to hate and go to Seven ➥ June's mom kills Dr. Gaul, Coriolanus and many others by messing with the muttations of the 11th Hunger Games ➥ the Games are abolished
Maybe we should all give Roscoe a big kiss or a hug. Sparing all of Panem and saving so many children all because he killed a single man.
➤ CORIOLANUS' FATE: I struggled with this for a long time, I'll admit. I always wanted a good ending (Treech dying was never even an option), but Coriolanus strikes me as someone very... vengeful. In her letter to him, June left him a huge amount of the Plinth Prize since she knew he was desperate for the money. It was a bribe, more or less, since she previously offered him the money for Treech's survival. She hoped it would make him leave them be if he had the money.
So, I sent him off to Eight. Far from Seven, but I mainly chose it as this was where he was supposed to go before he bribed the lady at the recruitment center in the movie. Without Lucy Gray waiting for him in Twelve (as he believed), there was no reason for him to go there.
I'm not sure what he did in Eight to be sent back to the Capitol after just a year, but he ended up in Dr. Gaul's care anyway. And then he died in the incident at the lab, sparing Panem from a lot of suffering in the long run.
Poor Tigris. But this is for the better.
➤ BEAUMONT FAMILY: They were largely inspired by edits from the Black family from Harry Potter. It's the same weird blood money aesthetic they've got going on that suits the Capitol so well.
➤ TREECH'S FATE: like I said, he was always supposed to live. But in the very draft that inspired this entire story, the very first scene I wrote that ended up being scrapped, was him under the snake venom's effects after the Games. He still received the antivenom, but it was too weak and while he survived, he was meant to be bedridden for a while.
Also, the entire ACT III was different. June's cheating was supposed to be discovered and she was meant to flee from the Capitol with Treech. They went to District 9 and hid there (because Sheaf told Cas all about it). But I scrapped it because... well, I just felt like it. I fell in love with D7 while writing this story, and I don't regret changing things.
I will add more if more comes to mind! But as of now, that is all!!!<33