Exactly: she can read Gale, she knows where they stand. I couldn't have said it better, although I'm a philologist.
And about this "star-crossed lovers" thing: why, on Earth, did Peeta do it?! I keep asking myself. What did he think he could achieve? Why was it necessary? Okay, I know what was tge result, but he coukdn't have known that they will be both allowed to live. So... I keep wondering.
Well, that was a bit off - topic. I am a;most dure she will lose Gale, I even have a theory how it will happen, but I don't think she'll end up with Peeta. I think she will remain alone in the end.

Your a Philologist? Wow. :)
That's a really good point. I know he 'says' he's in love with her, and I don't doubt that to an extent at least, but, like you said, as far as he knew only one person could survive, so there was no real way it could have worked out for the both of them. Well, before Katniss thought of suicide at least.
I know, I tend to talk and veer off topic a bit. I try not to though. Anyways, I have that feeling that she will end up alone but i'm hoping that she ends up with Gale. Maybe that's just the fangirl in me speaking, but I would rather she does end up all alone than with Peeta. Anything with him always comes across as fake, on her part at least and it never is with Gale so if she looses him, I, personally don't see her recovering from it to even consider being with Peeta.

Yes, I am sure that he loves her... to some extent. I've never argued that.But I think that his love is more like a burden for her. I absolutely agree with the last paragraph. I hope, I hope so much that she ends up with Gale. He's much more sincere, and he understands her, and... I just thought about that. I remember how somebody had said that "Peeta knew everything about her" - what she wore the first day at school, what song she sung then... okay, but, folks, these are not the really important things. He may have remembered these things, but Gale knows her for what she really is.

And, just to add - I fully agree with your last sentence. Ga;e's loss will destroy her.

That's exactly what I think. He's almost put pressure on her by saying that he loves her, it's obvious she doesn't feel the same about Peeta. That's also true, the things Peeta "Knows" about Katniss are trivial, I mean, he said so himself right? "I don't even know what your favourite colour is?" And she admits more than once that Gale knows her better than anyone, he gets her, completely.
I'm glad you agree on that. I just hope that they don't let her loose Gale and have her consoled by Peeta... that'd just be heartbreaking. And not in a good, squeal worthy, way.
Btw, all of this talk of the epic-ness that is Katniss/Gale I decided to change my motto to accommodate it. :)

And, in this train of thoughts, I think that such things like knowing what someone's favorite color is are don't exactly mean that you know this person. Okay, maybe Gale doesn't know what Katniss' favorite color is either, but he knows how she lives, knows her family, knows what is important for her. And you know that moment in "Catching Fire" when he said to her" "I lpve you", and she said: "I know". Did Peeta ever tell her - personally, i mean, not in front of the cameras and the whole country - tell her that he loved her? I am not being nasty, I just really can't remember.
And' yes, I am a bit angry at Katniss about her reaction when Gale told her that he loves her, and she simply said: "I know" but I can understand her... I almiost did the same once.

Actually, you have a point. I don't actually recall one time, off camera, that Peeta tells Katniss that he loves her. He does imply it, but he never tells her as such, properly.
I was quite miffed that she just said "I know" to Gales confession of love, but, I never expected her to, at that moment anyways, reciprocate that love. After everything with the games, the uprising, Peeta, she was just all confused, and I can relate to that. I wouldn't mind some more scenes between her and Gale, alone, though. Maybe, just maybe she can tell him that in the next book, that she loves him too. Again, I think that's just wishful thinking on my part, though.

Yes, I too wouldn't mind some more scenes between her and Gale alone in the next book but I don't think this will happen. Do you remember the end of Book 1, when she was thinking about her relationship with Peeta: "I want to tell him that he's not being fair. That we were strangers. That I did what it took to stay alive, to keep us both alive in the arena. That I can't explain how things are with Gale because I don't know myself. That it's no good loving me because I'm never going to get married anyway and he'd just end up hating me later instead of sooner. That if I do have feelings for him it doesn't matter because I'll never be able to afford the kind of love that leads to family, to children". So maybe she will really prefer to be alone, rather than with one of them. And I don't know why but I still have the very strong feeling that one of the three of them will be dead in the end.

I literally just finished reading catching fire today. And now I get the impression that one, if not more, of the main characters are going to end up dead in the next book. If one of the three of them had to die, I bet you can guess who I'd prefer it to be? Peeta. But I have this sinking feeling that if it comes down to it, Katniss will end up sacrificing herself for one of them. I honestly don't see it having a happy ending, but, I'm hoping, that maybe one of them will. I wonder what fan base is bigger though, Katniss and Gale or Katniss and Peeta? Because I for one, don't actually understand peoples obsession with Peeta.
Back to what you originally said, I would prefer she chose to be with neither of them than be with Peeta.

Sorry I didn't write sooner. I had a very difficult translation to do, and I've just finished it.
So, about "Catching Fire". I am absolutely certain that at least one main character will die in the end of Book 3. Yes, I know who you would prefer it to be... same here. But I don't think that Katniss will sacrifice herself for one of them - I don't think any of them will allow it. I'd rather think that Gale will die - either in the rebellion or while trying to save Peeta from the Capital.
I can't imagine Katniss ending up with Peeta, I really can't.

Peeta.Gale's rude.

I don't think that Gale is rude. He just says what he thinks.

People are drawn to Peeta because (in the book) he and katniss build a strong relationship. Gale i'm sure is a great guy, put peeta and katniss build a connection that we dont see as much between gale and her because she goes to the games so soon. I am team peeta. to be for gale is one thing, but to be against peeta is another entirely! the only reason one could be so against him and for someone else who is almost a stranger is only because we get close enough to peeta to see his flaws, unlike with gale who so far appears to be perfect.

i woudnt DIE if katniss and gale ended up together, but i would want to see more character work between them.

You guys are crazy. Katniss is in love with Peeta, not Gale. It's not that Gale isn't a great guy or anything, but that's just what happens when you grow up with a guy looking at him as a friend. Gale probably liked Katniss from the beginning. She feels obligated to be with Gale because she is his best friend when in reality she's liked Peeta since the incident with the bread. That's why she's noticed him. She didn't feel anything when kissing Gale but she did with Peeta. And I think Suzanne Collins is leading Gale into a relationship with Madge. They would have bounded over worrying over Katniss while she was in the games. Sorry if I repeat some stuff, I didn't read the entire thread just the first and last page.

Yeah, actually, I completely agree with what Silver just said. To me, Gale's connection with Katniss is more just like a best friend or brotherly connection. I can't see it to be any further than that. It's true that both have many things in common, but that just says friendship. When they did kiss, Katniss hadn't returned the feelings towards him. So that to me shows that she doesn't quite have the same feelings for him as he does for her.
Katniss and Peeta on the other hand, seem to have a stronger connection and seeem to be more compatible. I mean sure, Peeta doesn't know Katniss very well like Gale does, but Peeta has a different relationship with her. Peeta brings out the best in Katniss, something that Gale hasn't done (yet?). It's like Katniss just seems more relaxed and like herself when she's around him.

I completely agree! How many people do you know who are married who were best friends all their childhood?

Gale reminds me of my best friend. i consider him like a brother so i look for guys that aren't like him. Katniss and Gale are two much alike, it'd be like dating yourself. i agree that peeta brings out the best in Katniss. i think it's because they're so different that what peeta does wouldn't even occur to gale.

i am totally team peeta. i mean i like gale too and i guess it wud be okay if katniss fell for him but i think tht peeta has more heart for her and cares about her more. in both books peeta saves katniss on many occasions and is wats keeping her alive. i mean in the whole second book she promises to herself tht no matter wat she will keep peeta alive at no cost. if she didnt care about him why wud she be so hung up on keeping him alive? i also think tht gale doesnt even have enough guts to tell katniss tht he loves her before she goes into the arena where peeta admits it in front of like thousands of people. although i might end up changing my mind once the third book comes out.lol
but for now.....
TEAM PEETA!!!!!!!!!

im so pulled by the wholw situation in book one i was team Gale but book two im team peeta so im just as confused as her !!!

They are just too similar-Gale and Katniss. Peeta and Katniss really complete each other. Gale has her really confused since the 2nd book. (Trying not to spoil!) Everything will hopefully be resolved in the 3rd and I really hope Katniss ends up with Peeta.

I think gale should be with madge. they have that whole sorta banter thing going on and she showed she liked him when she brought him the meds. i'm wondering how much gale like katniss out of convenience. i mean it used to be that people would get married b/c they needed each other to survive, so maybe gale is worried she'll marry someone else and leave him all by himself

I think Gale is unsure of his true feelings for Katniss. He probably liked her just as a friend, but seeing her and Peeta "together" made him upset and he felt sorta betrayed. I think he wanted her just because he couldn't have her. Gale should be with Madge. I thought this would happen since book 1. They seem to fit.

I do not quite agree with that. He told her that he loved her - do you remember that? Well , her reaction was not what he expected but the fact remains that he confessed his love to her.

And... just a thought - sfter re-reading some passages for the 100th time. I keep comparing the way her relationship with Gale started, and the way one with Peeta did. Okay, Peeta gave her that bread. But then, she hadn't even talked to him since. And you see - she always feels obliged to him. For giving her that bread, for making up "the star-crossed lovers" story, for looking after her in the Games. How long do you think such a "relationship" could survive?
And then - her relationship with Gale. Okay, the way they met was not the most romantic one, I admit.But after that:

"In the woods waits the only person with whom I can be myself". And then, in Chapter 8 of THG: "Gale gave me a sense of security I'd lacked since my father's death".

"but he turned into so much more than a hunting partner. He became my confidante".And theni in the end of Book 2: "But Gale is not one to keep secrets from me". And before that- I think it was in Chapter 8 of "Catching Fire" - "Desperate yet no longer alone because we had found each other".

And besides that: They have "their place" where they meet, he has a cute nickname for her, she is his "Catnip". And remember -in "Catching Fire she even tried to protect him with her body. I am sure he would have done the same for her... but would she have done the same thing for Peeta... or can you imagine Peeta doing such a thing for her" I can't.

Man, Katniss could go either way. If she picks Gale, I'll be happy for her, and if she picks Peeta... well, then I'm gonna steal Gale away for myself. XD

Yea, but in book one when Peeta and her are talking to Haymitch about their skills they get into an argument over the stuff they can do and Katniss realizes that she had been watching him too. Of course she never spoke to him after that, she's a girl from the seam. Her parents being together was rare, that's why her grandparents basically abandoned her mother when her mom married her dad. I think Katniss has real feelings for Peeta and you can see that whenever she was talking to him in the games and she wanted the "curtain" to close. She wanted to kiss him, she just didn't want her family and the entire world to see. Would you want to make out with a guy while your mother, baby sister, and all your friends were watching?

If I don't steal him first...

Hands off! Gale is mine!

No fair! I want him too, lol!

Sorry I haven't been here in ages, iv'e had lots of school work, bleh.

I had lots of work too... but now I am here again.

Not fair? Life isn't fair.

So, it turns out that Gale supporters are gaining strength, huh?

not if he dies

Yes you're right. I hope Suzanne Collins will not "kill" him but I have the feeling that she might have already done that. You know, I've found that almost every time when I support a book or film character, something bad happens to them.

I don't think he'll die or at least I hope he won't. With all the death and destruction in their lives I hope they get a bit of a happy ending.

I hope he will not die... but I don't exclude the possibility.

Is Cinna dead?

I don't know. I hope not but I don't know he could have srvived what happened to him.

I don't know how he could have survived after what they did to him.

So, it turns out that Gale supporters are gaining strength, huh?
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I hope so! I think he'd have more supporters if his character was more developed and involved in the book more though. :)

I've found that almost every time when I support a book or film character, something bad happens to them
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That happens to me as well. :(

As for Cinna, I hope he isn't. He may have just been beaten and taken captive by the capitol... but I hope nothing else happened because he was such a nice character. ;)

So, we really have a lot of things in common. I hope, I really do hope that Gale will survive. As for Cinna, he was the only character of Katniss' prep team whom I liked. I really like him, and I hope he has just been taken captive. All the time I have been thinking about him as for someone whom I would like to know.

I know I loved Cinna. I hope she's not pulling a harry potter and killing him off the way J.K. Rowling killed mad eye moody.

I like Gale as a character, just not with Katniss.

Gale isn't fit for Katniss. YOU may want to marry him, but that doesn't mean he would be good for her.
------quote-------------
And you see - she always feels obliged to him. For giving her that bread, for making up "the star-crossed lovers" story, for looking after her in the Games. How long do you think such a "relationship" could survive?
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That is what a real relationship is! Reciprocating, looking after each other, etc. Do you think it was wrong of him to keep her alive? Wrong for her to feel a need to repay him? Repaying him meant so much to her because she loves him.

I think you might be wrong.I don't want or plan to marry anyone for now... like Katniss, I feel alright in my single state.
Okay, of course reciprocating and looking after each other are part of a relationship. But not in the way they are in the book. Do you think it's normal EVERY time when somebody does something for you, to feel that you are OBLIGED to them? Thankful - yes. Grateful - yes. But to feel every time when somebody does something for you that you should repay them - isn't that a kind of birden? Just my opinion.

if she really liked gale then why did she think it felt wrong when she was with him? she just doesn't feel that way. how many times did gale ask for her to runaway with him? and the whole time she was just looking at him as another brother to bring along. she placed him in the family category and peeta and haymitch in another

When did she feel wrong when she was with him? I can't remember that.

in book 2. it wasn't necessarily wrong, but i don't think it felt right to her, otherwise she would of stayed with him. i can't remember exactly how she described it.

But I've gots to say, I do think Katniss feels wrong loving him romantically too. To me, I guess it was actually the kissing scene, when Gale caught her by surprise. Reading that passage, to me, Katniss seems uncomfortable. Cause when you think about it, if she had liked it, wouldn't she have loosened up? She was stiff and tense when the kiss happened.
QUOTE:

"I think I made some sort of noise in the back of my throat, and I vaguely remember my fingers, curled tightly closed, resting on his chest."

Yea and when she kissed Peeta she said she could feel something in her stomach making her want more.

This is one of Katniss's descriptions from CF-
"The sensation inside me grows warmer and spreads out from my chest, down through my body, out along my arms and legs, to the tips of my being. Instead of satisfying me, the kisses have the opposite effect, of making my need greater. I thought I was something of an expert on hunger, but this is an entirely new kind."
*Yup, she is totally not in love with him.

I READ THE SECOND BOOK AND I SAY PEETA. HE IS WAY BETTER THEN GALE. PEETA REALLY CARES ABOUT HER AND THEY MAKE A GOOD COUPLE AND GALE WE DONT KNOW IF HE LIKES HER. AND SHE HAS TO END UP WITH PEETA TO MAKE THE CAPITOL BELIEVE SHE PLLED THE BERRIES OUT WAS OUT OF LOVE.

who is that quote for reeseluvshg?