Harlan Fowler

> But if you’ve gotten to this point, thank you. Thank you, for everything in fact. For a good portion of my life. This is the end of it. Thank you.
>
> Harlan in his letter to Mavis

**Harlan Fowler** was Mavis Vervain's best friend and the male tribute for the 68th Hunger Games. He appears as the main antagonist in Tribute, Part 1 as he volunteered alongside Mavis in the 68th Hunger Games, though he is revealed not to be. He was also friends with Araceli and Darien Filum though with awkward tension between the three of them.

## Biography

### Early life

Harlan lived with his father's family after his mother passed away a few days after he was born. His father despised him since he was never meant to be born in the first place, since his father already had a wife and child. Harlan was neglected as a child by his father, sometimes even being beaten by him for making small mistakes. Harlan grew up to despise his family, as his step-mother never acknowledged him and his older half-brother, Peter, never stepped in for his younger brother.

When Harlan was eleven, Peter was reaped for the 62nd Hunger Games, which devestated his mother and father but delighted Harlan. He watched with eagerness, hoping his brother wouldn't survive and come home from the Games. Eventually, Peter was killed by the female tribute of their district and Harlan was happy about this, unlike Mr. and Mrs. Aike.

One day, after the Games announced it's victor for that year, Harlan was on a walk, cheerful about his brother's death when Mavis accidentally bumped into him. She quickly apologized and continued to run off, which confused Harlan. He ran after her shortly before she sat in front of a demolished building, sobbing. He asked her why she was crying and she explained to him how her sister died in the Hunger Games. Affected by this, Harlan told her his brother also died. They bonded over this, starting their friendship.

Harlan's new friendship with Mavis delighted him as he was lonely. She introduced him to her two other friends, Araceli and Darien Filum, and all four became good friends. At this point in Harlan's family life, his father took his own life, not bearing with the loss of his son. However, Harlan didn't care for this.

A few years later, Harlan's feelings for Mavis eventually grow into something more. He confesses to her one day, but Mavis politely rejects him, not wanting to break the bond they already have. Mavis then doesn't talk to him for two weeks, not wanting to deal with the awkwardness between them. Harlan then bonds with Araceli over those two weeks and the pair end up together. But a month later, Harlan ends their relationship, knowing it has no effect with Mavis. Mavis then confronts him on the situation but Harlan dismisses it, not caring. They end up in an argument before Mavis calls off their friendship.

### 68th Hunger Games

Harlan is first seen when he volunteers as the male tribute before Nelle Sequor, the district's escort, announces the name of the selected slip. Mavis is shocked at this and so is Harlan. When he goes to the Justice Building to say his goodbyes, he thinks as to why he volunteers. Darien then enters to pay him a visit, and immediately Harlan apologizes to him about his sister and what he did to her. He then goes on about how he will protect Mavis, which doesn't buy Darien too quickly. He eventually caves in and makes Harlan swear he'll try. Harlan's stepmother never came to bid him goodbye.

Harlan and Mavis leave the district on a train to the Capitol, escorted by Nelle Sequor, along with his and Mavis's mentors Woof Casino and Cecelia Nebute. On the first night on the train, Harlan questions the acts of sponsors and what this means to help, hinting the fact that he is persistent to know what he needs to do in order for him to be noticed. He then comes to find out that his mentor is Woof while Mavis' Cecelia. After Nelle, Cecelia, and Woof bid the two goodnight, Harlan first tells Mavis goodnight. She awkwardly responds to him before leaving him in the compartment.

In the morning the train pulls in, Harlan attempts to talk to Mavis again, suggesting for her to try the strawberry jam with toast for breakfast after she arrives. Cecelia then proposes the question whether or not Mavis and Harlan would agreed to be trained together. Harlan doesn't mind, and neither does Mavis.

When Harlan arrives in the Capitol, he is fixed up by his prep team, led by his stylist Pierce. For the parade, he and Mavis are dressed in all black with a poncho covered in patches of designs, representing the textiles for their district. The Capitol receives them positively, competing with the District 2 tributes during the Opening Ceremonies.

### Death

When Harlan follows Mavis towards the woods, he notices another figure following her as well. When Mavis stops at a point, the figure turns out to be Sela.

### Legacy

Harlan's death allowed Mavis to face off Sela in the end, giving her the opportunity to be able to go home. With his death, it at first almost made Mavis want to give up but then fueled something in her that gave her strength to continue.

Mavis never really fully recover from Harlan's death, as she often felt guilty his death was her fault. When Darien volunteers for Mavis in the 75th Hunger Games, she immediately is reminded of Harlan's volunteering. Though as time passed, she would learn that his death wasn't entirely her fault and that he sacrificed himself for her to live, knowing that he wouldn't be happy alive.

## Physical description

Harlan is described as having dirty blond curls, dark brown eyes, and a lengthy structure. He is noted to be tall. Mavis continues to describe how she will always recognize Harlan, causing him to stand out among the crowd to her. She also describes him irresistible when he is dressed for his interview, also noting his natural handsomeness.

## Relationships

### Mavis Vervain

When he first met her, Harlan was very sympathetic to Mavis, as she was the first person he ever cared for. He even went out of his way to lie to say that he terribly missed his brother who died in the Games along with Mavis's sister. This was false, however they became best friends for a long time. They were close, and Harlan cared for Mavis more than anyone else in his life. When it was known that Darien was crushing on Mavis, Harlan teased him about it for a long time until Darien grew out of it. It was then did Harlan realize how special Mavis was to him and how he didn't want to lose her, especially to the games where Mavis had always had a tesserae. Though it took a wrong way when Harlan attempted to tell Mavis of his true feelings.

There became a drift between the two for a long time after Harlan had broken Araceli's heart. In that time, Harlan thought about how he messed things up. When Mavis volunteered for her sister, Harlan knew this as an opportunity to be there for her one more time. It was awkward for the two of them, considering they haven't spoken to each other in months. Yet, Harlan tried to be friendly with Mavis again, though he understood if she didn't reciprocate those feelings again. Before and during the Games, Harlan tried to get everyone to notice Mavis. This is show in his interview when he kept bringing Mavis into what him and Caesar were talking about. Another method he used to get Mavis popular was by the fact that he volunteered for Mavis, describing her as his little sister.

While in the games, Harlan looked for Mavis and feared every night that he would see her face in the sky, signaling her death. Eventually, Harlan found Mavis and continued the act they had been building up to. At this point, Harlan knew Mavis was faking everything. But he didn't break the act. When Mavis unsuccessfully tried to sneak away from Harlan, he wasn't too surprised by this. Then came the time where Harlan took a stab in the stomach for Mavis, letting him die in order for Mavis to face Sela.

Before going into the Games, Harlan had requested a piece of paper and pen from Cecelia. In the paper, he wrote Mavis a letter telling her about everything in case they didn't see each other in the arena. Harlan gave this and asked if she could give this to Mavis after she won. In a way, Harlan never stopped caring for Mavis even when she didn't care about him.

## Trivia

* 'Harlan' is a gender neutral name that means "dweller by the boundary wood" or army land. This name was given to people who lived near rocky lands.
	+ 'Fowler' also means "a hunter of wild birds" or a bird catcher.
* His favorite delicacy is toast with strawberry jam.
* When climbing, Harlan was the second fastest out of the four (Mavis, Harlan, Araceli, and Darien), since he learned from Mavis.
* Mavis indirectly mentions that Harlan's birthday is sometime in March.
* Harlan scored an eight in his private training session.
* Harlan survived for 17 days and placed 3rd.
* ISTP-A