THE ETERNAL DEBATE...

...Which is:

Team Peeta vs. Team Gale?

Oh, you thought it would be something more substantial and serious? Well, TOO BAD for you! Hah! YA authors Heidi Kling and Josh Berk are hosting a Smoochies Award for the Best YA Kiss of 2009. Sound hot already, right? You should check it out, and nominate by February 13!

Anyway, tangential to that, I started reading other people's nominations, being as this is a topic that I am very curious about *shifty eyes*. I noticed that quite a number of people mentioned the Gale/Katniss kiss, which prompted me to post on Twitter:

lmao reading Smoochie nominations. Did Gale & Katniss even kiss? I forget: that's how uneventful it was to me.

Which, of course, promptly got me into some "trouble" with some tweeters. Jessica of Chick Lit Teens and I ended up going back and forth about this. To summarize, she's Team Gale, while I'm Team Peeta. BUT! We are both moderate in our positions, and can be swayed. (In fact, I'm more of a Team Katniss gal. I remember Heather Zundel asking on my "Best Romance" 2009 book list something along the lines of why I hadn't included Catching Fire on that list. To which my answer is: because it isn't ROMANCE. It's a dystopian novel and that's the best and main thing about it. Bah.)

For logic's (and sanity's) sake, I will compile a list of Team Gale vs. Team Peeta. Please note that I am trying to be as fair as possible to both sides. I quite enjoyed the thing that occurred on Chelsea the Page Flipper's blog a few months ago, during which lots of people weighed in one which team they were on. But... but... I like both! And here's why:

Oh yeah, WARNING: Don't read this if you haven't read the first two books, or if you don't care to know about my theories for what will happen in Book Three. Thx.

Why I Like Peeta

1. He's nice. Nice boys don't get enough credit in YA lit--or, really, life.
2. He's been sweet on Katniss for a long time; only class differences prevented them from getting to know one another. (Hey, it happened all the time in the nineteenth century. Just because Elizabeth Bennett ended up with Mr. Darcy doesn't mean it happened that way for every lower middle-class girl.)
3. He takes/puts up with things for Katniss' sake. Like being punished for the burnt bread. And going along with the Careers in Book One, for the eventual purpose of protecting Katniss.
4. Their history. Dude. They survived the Hunger Games together. Psych studies show that men and women find their preferred sex more attractive when their adrenaline is up. Even if you don't especially like a person, surviving the Hunger Games with him or her has got to count for something, right?

Why I Can't Rule Out Gale

1. He's hot. He's got the resourceful, dangerous, tough-and-wild-boy thing going on. Automatic train of thought: resourcefulness = hot. Life has been hard on him, but he's survived despite everything.
2. He'd make a great family man. He's already good at taking risks to protect his mother and sisters, and he takes care of Katniss and her family as well. I have no doubt he'd be good to Katniss if they end up together.
3. He's solid. Physically and tangibly. Even his presence on the page is soothing.
4. He's passionate about making a difference. I recently reread the first few pages of The Hunger Games for a meme that you will see probably later this week, and I realized that the seeds of his rebelliousness and determination to right the government's wrongs were already apparent. Unlike either Katniss or Peeta, Gale REALLY wants to do something about their dystopia.

Why It Might Not Be Peeta

1. Katniss is unsure about him. Even after all they've been through together, Katniss still can't sort out whether or not her feelings for him are real, or just a result of having to put on the show to convince the government. Stop stringing the guy along already, and let him find someone who will be good to him and recognize his worth.
2. The "Tragic Ending." Peeta survived two Hunger Games. That's two more than most people do. Don't quote me on this, but I think his luck might be running out... and I had a pretty good track record of predicting what was going to happen in Book Two. Plus, it would be, as Anne Shirley would put it, the "most tragical of tragic" endings. And thus it would be perfect in its bittersweetness. Here's the sweet guy whom we've gotten to know over the course of two/three books. Here's the guy who would do anything for Katniss. If an important character has to die in the last book, it'll most likely be him. It resolves the love triangle, and yet permanently ensues our sympathies for him.
3. He's too ideal for the real world. Peeta is actually in his element most in the Games; outside of the arena, we readers hardly ever see him as a fully functioning and capable character. That means that, while he'd make the sweetest and most perfect boyfriend for Katniss, it probably won't happen, because the object of Book 3 is to resolve all the conflicts that Katniss and her Mockingjay rebel crew have stirred up with the government. Peeta belongs to that government-constructed world of terror and killing, much like his idealness is a manifestation of our characters of the "dream guy." When the government topples, it makes sense that he, too, will fall.

Why Gale Annoys Me

1. He's selfish. How can one declare one's love for one's longtime best friend after the best friend goes through hell and back, and expect her to be the same person she was before everything happened? Things change. You must change with them. Gale has trouble remembering that a lot of times.
2. He's barely there. I know it's not his fault that most of the story takes place somewhere where he can't go. But honestly, the little on-page-time he's had so far has not done enough to recommend him to me. I need to see him actually do something substantial to prove how much he cares for Katniss, otherwise I'm not able to want her to be with him.
3. They're too similar. Katniss needs a sweet and constantly caring guy, because she's too bull-headed and independent to be able to be a good match for a guy with the same personality as her (believe me, I'd know).

Now you've heard my thoughts on the matter, and now you even--if you read it--know what I think might happen to this love triangle in Book 3. What else would you guys add to any of these lists? Is there anything that you disagree with me on? What do you think will happen in the final book? I'd love to hear!