Glimmer of Hope: Cato's Story
is a The Hunger Games fanfic concerning Cato's relationship with Glimmer before the events of the books.
Tropes that appear in this fanfic:
- Adaptational Context Change: Cato begging Clove to stay with him when she is killed at the Feast is changed around; here, he promised his friend Thor (Clove's boyfriend) that he would keep Clove safe.
- Adaptation Expansion: The fanfic goes in depth regarding life in District 2, life in training for the Games, and life as a Peacekeeper.
- Adaptational Protagonist: Cato, who was The Heavy for the first book, is the central character.
- Adaptational Relationship Overhaul: The main premise is that Cato and Glimmer, who were mainly teased in the film, had a steady relationship before the Games.
- Arranged Marriage: In District 2, victorious Tributes will marry the next victor from their District of the opposite gender. For example, Cato's father won his Hunger Games, and his mother won the year after.
- Battle Couple: Cato and Glimmer are sparring partners and fight side-by-side until Glimmer's death.
- Berserk Button: Glimmer's appears to be older men, likely due to the Dirty Old Man trope. When Darius says that he knows retiring Peacekeepers who would like a younger wife, Glimmer gives him a Death Glare and snarls "I would rather die in the Arena than have an old man touch me".
- Child Soldiers:
- Cato's mother was raised to be a Peacekeeper before deciding to drop out and join the Tribute schools.
- Alongside the District 1 and 2 Tribute schools, Cato and Glimmer's twin sons will be raised as Peacekeepers.
- Combat Pragmatist: Glimmer is of two varieties: She'll use anything as a weapon, and she fights dirty.
- Cool Big Bro: Ajax for Cato. He serves as Cato's mentor for the 74th Hunger Games, which also makes him a Big Brother Mentor.
- Dark Action Girl: Glimmer and Clove. Clove is more specialized with her knives while Glimmer is a Jack of All Trades.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Glimmer's mother is a prostitute, her father abandoned them, and she's already killed someone (in her case it was a pimp) by the time she showed up at the Tribute Academy.
- Den of Iniquity: District 2 has a place known as the Vicehood, where prostitutes live. Glimmer hails from there.
- Disappeared Dad: Glimmer never knew her father. Late in the story, it's revealed that he's a Peacekeeper.
- Doomed by Canon: The story cuts off just before the Feast, but the narration all but states Cato and Clove's fates.
- Drugs Are Bad: Severus forced Ajax to take unknown drugs, heavily implied to be steroids. As a result, his genitals have shrunk, making consummating his marriage rather... difficult.
- Equal-Opportunity Evil: It was apparently Marvel's idea to recruit the District 3 boy and Peeta to the career pack, the former based on his familiarity with the mines and the latter as a possible lure to find Katniss.
- Evil Counterpart: The story really plays up Cato as an evil version of Peeta. Strong guys with blond hair? Check. Naive about their world but can push the right buttons with the gamemakers? Check. Fall in love with a girl from the wrong side of the tracks? Check.
- The Family That Slays Together:
- Cato is related to 23 Hunger Games Victors; to name a few, his grandfather Marcus was the first Victor from District 2, both his parents Severus and Livia won, and so did his brother Ajax. Even his sister-in-law Drizella won her Hunger Games.
- Clove has three Victors in her family, including her father.
- Family Theme Naming: Cato's family has names from Ancient Grome patterned throughout: his father is Severus, his mother Livia, brother Ajax, and grandfather Marcus. His twin sons with Glimmer are named Crixus and Castus.
- Famous Ancestor: Cato's grandfather Marcus was the first District 2 champion.
- Girly Bruiser: Glimmer definitely and implied with Drizella; despite her fine tastes she was still tough enough to win a Hunger Games of her own.
- It Was a Gift: The ring with the retractable poisoned spike mentioned in the first book was a gift to Glimmer from Cato's mother.
- Law of Inverse Fertility: Cato's brother Ajax has had trouble having children, thanks to drugs he took on their father's orders while training for the Games. It's one of the factors in his wife leaving him and why Ajax persuades their father to let Glimmer carry her child to term; it's the only opportunity Severus and Livia will have to be grandparents.
- Named by the Adaptation: Cato's parents; his father is named Severus and his mother Livia.
- Noodle Incident: When Clove had dinner at Cato's house a year before, she discharged a steak knife. It's never explained how.
- Obnoxious In-Laws: Cato and his sister-in-law Drizella don't exactly get along, what with Drizella's more "refined" tastes and catering to the newest Capitol fashions.
- Odd Name Out: Cato's friend Thor is the only District 2 male who doesn't have a name from Ancient Grome.
- Oh, Crap!: Cato has an epic one when he learns that Glimmer was reaped. The next chapter opens with him screaming that he'll get off the platform at the wrong time on purpose and get blown to bits.
- Old Man Marrying a Child: Peacekeepers aren't allowed to marry unless they finish their tour of duty, which could take decades. This applies both ways as Cato's mother left and joined the Tribute academy because she wanted to marry someone who was around her age and have a family while she was still young.
- One-Hit Polykill: Cato's father killed two Tributes at once to win his Hunger Games. It's apparently a go-to topic for Change the Uncomfortable Subject.
- Original Character:
- Cato's brother Ajax and his wife Drizella.
- Cato's friend Thor, who is Clove's boyfriend.
- Refuge in Audacity: Cato's astonished at how Glimmer was able to give their children names of gladiators who rebelled against Rome.
- Related in the Adaptation: Remember the Peacekeeper stationed in District 12 named Darius? He's a cousin of Cato here.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Cato intended to take Glimmer and their baby and get as far away as he could from Panem once he won his Hunger Games. And then he learns Glimmer was reaped.
- Short Range Guy, Long Range Guy: Discussed. Marvel is a very good Javelin Thrower, Cato could dismantle him with a sword. In a Combat Breakdown where they'd be down to Good Old Fisticuffs however, the two are evenly matched.
- Slave to PR: Anyone working with the Games. Cato quickly learns that saying that an action will cause trouble with the Games will make anyone back down.
- Star-Crossed Lovers: Glimmer and Cato. When the rule about two Champions from the same district is announced, Cato muses sadly that neither of them could be saved by that announcement.
- Stress Vomit: Chapter 11 opens with Cato vomiting the night after the Cornucopia bloodbath.
- Super Breeding Program: District 2 is obsessed with making better Tributes, often by having Victors from their district marry each other.Severus: We would have preferred Clove. Her line is strong, three Champions including her father, and no markers for genetic defects. But, [Glimmer]? She's from the gutter. Her whore mother probably doesn't even know who her father was.
- Teen Pregnancy: Glimmer becomes pregnant with Cato's child at 16. She bears twin sons just before the Reaping.
- Underestimating Badassery: Cato doesn't see the girl from District 12 (Katniss) as a threat; he doesn't even think she can read. Similarly, he miscalculates Thresh's ability to survive on his own, believing that he'd starve to death in days rather than live off the wheat field.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Cato has no idea about how different the world outside of District 2 is.
