Once Upon A Red Flag

Once Upon a Red Flag is an AITA-style book podcast where we put fictional characters on trial.In this episode, we're judging Maysilee Donner from Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins' newest Hunger Games prequel.The question: AITA for refusing to lower my standards, even when stuck in a literal death match where everything should purely be about survival?Maysilee eats sandwiches with a knife and fork, collects gold jewellery, and has a reputation in District 12 for being a snob — but she also takes down three Careers with homemade poison darts and refuses to compromise who she is, even in the arena. Is Maysilee genuinely insufferable, or is District 12 just punishing her for being wealthy in the wrong ways?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Once Upon a Red Flag is an AITA-style book podcast where we put fictional characters on trial.In this episode, we're judging Plutarch Heavensbee from Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins' newest Hunger Games prequel.The question: AITA for exploiting trauma for television views, while secretly planning to overthrow the very thing I work for?Plutarch films Haymitch's grieving family for reaction shots, forces a birthday cake on a boy about to die, and builds his entire career on the Hunger Games — all while quietly feeding information to rebels. Is Plutarch playing a long, careful game for the right side, or just excusing his own cruelty with a rebellion he barely commits to?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Once Upon a Red Flag is an AITA-style book podcast where we put fictional characters on trial.In this episode, we're judging Beetee Latier from Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins' newest Hunger Games prequel.The question: AITA for recruiting a minor into my rebel plan?Beetee is a former victor forced to mentor his own son into the arena to die — and somewhere along the way, he pulls 16-year-old Haymitch into a plot to destroy the arena itself. Was Beetee exploiting a desperate, grieving teenager, or did Haymitch really come to him first? And how much of what followed was really Beetee's fault at all?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Once Upon a Red Flag is an AITA-style book podcast where we put fictional characters on trial.In this episode, we're judging Haymitch Abernathy from Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins' newest Hunger Games prequel.The question: AITA for trying to sabotage the arena and putting my family at risk by doing so?Haymitch survives the arena, but the Capitol makes sure he pays for it — his mother, his brother, and Lenore Dove all dead within weeks of his victory. Should Haymitch have seen this coming, or was there truly nothing he could have done differently to save the people he loved?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Once Upon a Red Flag is an AITA-style book podcast where we put fictional characters on trial.In this episode, we're judging Haymitch Abernathy from Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins' newest Hunger Games prequel.The question: AITA for trying to sabotage the arena and putting my family at risk by doing so?Haymitch teams up with Beetee's son Ampert to try and blow up the arena from the inside — a plan that gives Ampert a brutal death and doesn't even work. Was this rebellion worth the price, or did Haymitch's obsession with making a statement get other people killed for nothing?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Once Upon a Red Flag is an AITA-style book podcast where we put fictional characters on trial.In this episode, we're judging Haymitch Abernathy from Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins' newest Hunger Games prequel.The question: AITA for trying to sabotage the arena and putting my family at risk by doing so?Haymitch promised to protect Louella. Then a chariot crash and a mob of drunk Capitol citizens take her from him anyway — and Haymitch responds by laying her body at President Snow's feet. Was this Haymitch's first true act of rebellion, or a reckless move that draws exactly the kind of attention he can't afford?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Once Upon a Red Flag is an AITA-style book podcast where we put fictional characters on trial.In this bonus episode, we're breaking down every tribute from the Second Quarter Quell in Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins' newest Hunger Games prequel.With 48 tributes across 12 districts, keeping track of who's who is a challenge — so here's your cheat sheet. District colours, key deaths, and the tributes who actually matter to the rest of our Haymitch coverage. Which district's colour would you least want to be caught wearing in that arena?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Once Upon a Red Flag is an AITA-style book podcast where we put fictional characters on trial.In this episode, we're judging Haymitch Abernathy from Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins' newest Hunger Games prequel.The question: AITA for trying to sabotage the arena and putting my family at risk by doing so?It’s time to talk about our favourite Quarter Quell tribute: Haymitch. And before we get into the arena itself, we need to understand more about who he is - his family, his supposed rebel bloodline, and his girlfriend, who he can’t quite talk out of causing trouble.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Once Upon a Red Flag is an AITA-style book podcast where we put fictional characters on trial.In this episode, we’re judging Lenore Dove from Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins’ newest Hunger Games prequel.The question: AITA for getting my boyfriend shipped off to the Hunger Games?We all knew Haymitch’s girlfriend isn’t around in the original trilogy, but we didn’t know she was a rebel with zero self-preservation skills. And picking a fight with Peacekeepers on a Reaping Day, with the Capitol watching may be the stupidest thing she has ever done. Haymitch chose to intervene, sure, but without Lenore Dove’s actions, wouldn’t he have been safe from the arena? Is it all her fault?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Once Upon a Red Flag is an AITA-style book podcast where we put fictional characters on trial.In this episode, we’re judging Drusilla Sickle from Sunrise on the Reaping, Suzanne Collins’ newest Hunger Games prequel.The question: AITA for treating my tributes like the ‘district scum’ they are?Drusilla is such a big (and toxic) personality, with questionable fashion sense and, honestly, who lets the woman out of the house with a whip? With a distinct lack of empathy and willingness to threaten the lives of multiple people, is she one of the worst Capitol citizens we have ever come across?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

It is finally time to decide on our verdict for Dr. Gaul in Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. She is asking: AITA for proving that humans are naturally monsters? In this episode, we will be talking about the lasting impact she has on one particular Hunger Games monster, and whether the future President owes everything to his sick and twisted mentor. Just exactly how far do Gaul’s screwed up ideas affect the next 65 years of Panem?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’s Dr. Gaul has been busy during the 10th Hunger Games, doing all sorts of things I’m sure she would rather us not question. She’s back asking: AITA for proving that humans are naturally monsters, while she pits children against each other in a fight to death. We think she might be purposely ignoring some pretty important facts in this experiment of hers.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Our final A-Hole of Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is Dr. Gaul. She is asking: AITA for proving that humans are naturally monsters? We say this a lot, but this woman may be the most twisted character in the entirety of the Hunger Games franchise, even beating Future President Snow. She has a questionable history even before we get into the events of the 10th Hunger Games, and that is exactly where we will be starting out judgement.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

It’s time to decide if Sejanus Plinth is a walking red flag. We’re focusing on his actions in District 12, where it seems his impulsivity has finally caught up with him. Turns out Sejanus didn’t think about the consequences of signing up for the Peacekeepers , the reality of involving himself in a rebel plot and the truth about his friendship with Corio.Sejanus is asking: AITA for letting my morals put everyone else in danger? It’s time to decide exactly where Sejanus falls on our red flag scale, and exactly how exasperated we are by his naivety.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

So Sejanus Plinth finds himself in an active Hunger Games arena. No one can honestly think this is a good idea, but from the second he was given an tribute, was this always going to happen? Sejanus has the right (or wrong!) combination of opportunity and morality and it is all going downhill from here.Sejanus is asking: AITA for letting my morals put everyone else in danger? And this is the turning point from being the only good person in the room, to taking those good intentions too far.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Once again we are talking about Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Sejanus is here to ask: AITA for letting my morals put everyone else in danger? This is going to be complicated. We’ll be talking about Sejanus’s district background, his Capitol home, and asking who let this guy mentor a tribute in the 10th Hunger Games (though the more important question might be: why)?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Our final episode for Coriolanus Snow asking: AITA for treating life and love like a strategic investment? It’s time to decide on a verdict, but not before we talk about the string of bodies Corio leaves everywhere he goes. We think the scariest part is the way he justifies these killings to himself, and honestly, we are extremely grateful this guy is fictional.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Another episode in Snow’s twisted brain. He is asking: AITA for treating life and love like a strategic investment? It’s time to talk about what Lucy Gray actually means to Coriolanus Snow. From the worst possible tribute, to the woman he supposedly chases to District 12, let’s talk about what on earth is going on there. Something tells us it is not as straight forward as first love infatuation.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

We’re back in Snow’s head talking about his question: AITA for treating life and love like a strategic investment? This time we are specifically focusing on his actions as a mentor for the 10th Hunger Games. Coriolanus has his sights set on winning that scholarship prize, and he’ll be damned if he lets humanity and some scummy district kids stand in the way of that goal.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

With the main trilogy over, it’s time to dive into the prequels, and that means we need to tackle President Snow’s toxic backstory. And since we cannot do that in one episode, this A-hole is split over 4 parts.Coriolanus Snow is a bit more complex than your usual stuck-up, entitled, posh boy. He lived through a war, witnessed some atrocities, and then has to lie through his teeth to keep the life he is living. With a villain origin story like that, it was never going to go well. He is asking “AITA for treating life and love like a strategic investment?” With a question like that, no wonder it requires multiple parts!Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

The rebel alliance beat the Capitol, and Panem has a new leader. Katniss is finally free to work through her trauma, and make the right choice: Peeta. But it’s taken her a long time to get here. Katniss is asking: AITA for following my heart? We think she made the right choice, but that doesn’t mean we don’t need to dig into exactly how she got here, including our final conversations around Gale “Red Flag” Hawthorne.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

The Victors are back asking if they are right for voting to keep the Hunger Games going for one more year, featuring the Capitol children. And we are here to answer that question, and also the question of why on earth they were given this choice in the first place. They are asking: AITA for wanting revenge? And we think there is a huge difference between wanting revenge and enacting revenge.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Gale just went ahead and became an even bigger walking red flag. Nothing is stopping this man. He may have started out as District kid with a inclination to the rebellious, but the give the guy some power and it’s bound to go straight to his head. He is asking: AITA for making tough decisions during war? But we are not convinced any of these so-called “tough decisions” are all that hard for pig-headed Gale, who clearly isn’t open to any logical discussion.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

We are calling it as we see it in this episode. District 13’s President Coin may think she’s the best woman for the job, but there is A LOT she has been hiding beneath her perfectly controlled surface and we will not be letting her get away with it. She’s asking: AITA for trying to rule “properly”, but it seems that she has a very strict definition for the word.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

We’re back discussing more Hunger Games a-holes, and we are finally moving into the events in Mockingjay. Plutarch and Haymitch have been very busy behind the scenes up to now, but their work is not yet over, and once again, their work is a little bit toxic. They are asking: AITA for turning rebellion into a reality show, and boy, do we have some opinions.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

How well do we really know the words of Panem? In our final mid-season special, we’re playing a game of “Who Said It?” We’ve collected some iconic quotes from across the series to test our memories and our knowledge of Panem. Feel free to play along and see if you can beat our scores!Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Did Katniss Everdeen survive due to skill, or was it just the luck of the draw? On this episode, we are putting the Mockingjay through a little arena swap. She’s good at archery and foraging and is obviously mentally strong, but would this hold up in every brutal arena thought up throughout Panem’s history? From frozen wastes to scorched deserts, how many arenas would Katniss have survived?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

We’ve seen the rise of President Snow and witnessed first-hand the trauma Haymitch was put through, but so many other characters are shrouded in mystery. This episode we are brainstorming the prequels we think need to happen.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

The deep dive continues. In Part 2 of our mid-season special, we explore five more fan theories as we shift into the darker side of District 13. It may, indeed, be way worse than we all think. How many deaths is President Coin responsible for, and how much did Gale actually know?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

We’re diving into the wildest fan theories in Panem! In the first of our mid-season specials, we’re exploring five theories we have not discussed on the podcast before. We’re breaking down the evidence, looking for the red flags, and we ultimately decide if these theories are fabulous insights or just complete delusions.Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Katniss Everdeen is being forced to quell a revolution, survive another round of the Hunger Games and somehow still figure out who she wants to spend the rest of her life with. So, is it fair to call her an a-hole for her treatment of Gale and Peeta? In this episode, we are discussing the fine line between stringing someone along, and simply not having the emotional capacity to deal with a romantic dilemma on top of everything else. Does Katniss really deserve a red flag for this love triangle?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Gale Hawthorne may have a lot on his plate, looking after his family, but his entitlement to Katniss is raising some red flags. In this episode, we analyse his behaviour in Catching Fire, and ask if he is the a-hole for taking his anger over Peeta out on Katniss. Does his loyalty and friendship come with too many strings attached?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

One minute, all the Victors are holding hands in defiance against the Capitol, and the next they were fighting for their lives. On this episode, we explore what is potentially the most intense moral dilemma of the entire Hunger Games. Is it a red flag to choose your own survival over a rebellion that could save millions?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

When does the rebellion become a red flag? In this episode, we are putting Haymitch and Plutarch on trial for their underhanded tactics getting Katniss, their Mockingjay, from the Quarter Quell arena to District 13. It’s another tough question: is it ever okay to sacrifice your friends for the promise of a better future?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Is President Snow a monster, or is any of his logic sound? This week, we endure the rose stench of President Snow as he attempt to justify the 75th Hunger Games. We can already see exactly how this episode is going to go!In this episode:AITA for using fear and extreme control to stop a civil war before it starts?Why did Snow send Katniss on a mission she could never possibly achieve?Exactly what was going through his head when he announced the third Quarter Quell?Verdict: How can this man not see that HE is the problem?Full-length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts - @OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Was Cato a monster, or just a product of the Capitol? This week, we step into his shoes. We’re looking at the Career pipeline and whether being born into a system of violence makes you a red flag.In this episode:AITA for being a "violent nepo baby" and training my whole life for the Arena?What do the Career Districts actually get out becoming brutal killers?What do the Capitol get out of the existence of Careers?Is Cato the A-hole, or is he just another victim of the Capitol?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Youtube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

Haymitch Abernathy: misunderstood or just a liability? This week, we step into the perspective of District 12’s only living Victor, to decide exactly why this man is so often drunk in charge of minors.In this episode:AITA for being drunk in charge of two teenagers sent to their deaths?We break down Haymitch’s first impression and that iconic punch.Can we forgive his "red flag" behaviour given his history?Is Haymitch the A-hole, or is the system the real villain?Full length video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Follow us on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube Shorts - @OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

In this episode, we step into the arena from Katniss Everdeen’s perspective. Is it a "Red Flag" to manipulate someone's feelings if your life is on the line, or is Peeta Mellark the one to blame for the fallout?In this episode:Katniss asks if she’s the A-hole for the faking her feelings for Peeta.We question exactly how Katniss feels about Peeta.We attempt to answer, once and for all, if the need for survival can justify messing with someone else’s feelings.Full video episodes available on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Follow us on Instagram, TikTok and YouTube Shorts - @OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

This episode we are taking on The Hunger Games’ very own Peeta Mellark. A public confession of love after which he gets punched? Yikes! We deep dive into both sides of the story: Peeta vs. Katniss? For a long time she doesn’t believe his feelings are genuine, and we are out to prove her wrong!Full length video episodes available on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Youtube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

In this episode of Hunger Games A-holes, we break down the thoughts and feelings of our lovely Effie, sometimes fashionable, but always tone deaf. We dig into the little we actually know about our favourite wig-wearer, attempting to figure our exactly where her loyalties lie, and if deep down she’s hiding something.Full length video episodes available on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Onceuponaredflagpodcast/Find us on Instagram, TikTok, Youtube Shorts - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

In our first-ever episode, we break down The Hunger Games’ most controversial question: Is Katniss’s mother the a-hole for allowing her daughter to sacrifice herself? We explore how far back this pattern goes, years before Katniss volunteers at The Reaping, dive deep into characters’ decisions, and ultimately decide who is the biggest red flag: Katniss or her mother?Full-length video episodes available on YouTube -https://www.youtube.com/@OnceuponaredflagpodcastFind us on Instagram and TikTok - @ OnceUponARedFlagPodcast

BookTok meets Reddit! Join Katie and Rachel as they tear apart some of the most beloved book series and dig into the lives and choices of popular characters, ultimately asking the most important question: are they the a-hole?Full-length video episodes available on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@OnceuponaredflagpodcastFind us on Instagram and TikTok: @OnceUponARedFlagPodcast