the longer i sit with it, the more i think that the saddest (not without some tough fucking competition, obviously) realization about sotr to me is that almost all the tributes really, truly, did not treat the games like they had a chance.
in the original trilogy—and even in The Ballad—the tributes felt like they were genuinely scheming and training and vying to win. with every other games, it seemed like the kids held onto this hope that they would be The One to make it, the one to become victor, even if they didn’t always say it aloud. despite the odds, they clawed as close as they could to victory, even if it meant playing into the capitol’s game and sacrificing their honor or morality.
but in this one? they come into the training rooms expecting to die. even the careers, though they swagger about and act like hot shit, feel younger than the careers have ever felt to me before. they collectively seem more resigned and bitter than in past/future tributes. their motives were all so unified against the capitol in a way that was reminiscent of the 75th games—where half the tributes were already a part of an organized rebellion to begin with.
while the theme of ‘i want to choose how i die, i don’t want the capitol to use me’ is prevalent in every book, this quell felt especially grim and determined. i kept expecting suzanne collins to undermine the camaraderie she gave the Newcomers. i kept expecting someone to decide ‘fuck it, i’m going for it on my own and i’ll backstab whoever i need to to do it.’ i kept expecting betrayal and desperation and a true competition.
but no—like wyatt, knowing his odds and choosing to protect the weaker—like ampert, knowing he’s charming and smart enough to make a decent bid for victor, yet rebelling anyways—like maysilee, knowing she’s near powerless, but spitting in the capitol’s face anytime she can—like all the newcomers, knowing they hardly have a shot, but absolutely refusing to betray one another—
they remained steadfast in their hope to die dignified and honorable, to die fighting against the true enemy, and that makes it so much more heartbreaking.
The reveal of how Effie got involved with Haymitch, and by extension, District Twelve, is actually so funny. Like this poor woman helped her baby sister with her schoolwork ONE TIME and it spiraled into Effie literally getting accused of helping to start a revolution that eventually killed the president.
today's warm up: If it can't see you, it can't get you/The sale of eyemasks go up tenfold in small english town.
absolutely hilarious of Hollow Knight to answer the question "why are all the things I knock over back in perfect condition when I re-enter the room", a question that really doesn't need an answer because of how common it is in video games, with "there's a guild of bugs who are fixing things very very fast while you aren't looking"
Snow's influence in the gradual erasure of the Covey from District 12's culture. In TBOSAS, they're well-known as performers. In Sunrise on the Reaping, they no longer sing in public. Lenore has to cut a deal just to be able to play the piano. In Hunger Games, Katniss, a singer herself, doesn't mention the Covey once.
“A sister is someone you fight with and fight for.”
Hello hi twelve years old me would be so happy to know I’m twenty five and back into The Hunger Games. SOTR devoured me whole, I blacked out after finishing it and just woke up from it bon appetit.
Fuckhands Mcmike himself, according to @charminglyantiquated 🚪🚪🚪 TMA fanart of the spiral cause i don’t need to sleep at night
Just a reminder that we don’t know all the good things Katniss does/did for her community, because Katniss wouldn’t tell us unless it was relevant to what was going on.
In Catching fire, she doesn’t tell us that she’s being going around and bringing food to poor children in the seam until she needs to explain why she had a bag of food and why her mother wouldn’t find that odd.
In the first book, when she’s telling Peeta about the story of how she got Prims goat, she refuses to admit that this wasn’t a selfish move so she could get money out of that goat. (You could also argue that this is her refusing to be vulnerable in front of Peeta and all of Pamen though. I think it’s both, because she doesn’t even admit that she did this purely for her sister in her internal dialogue.)
And in Mockingjay, she never tells us that she’s the one that got Haymitch the goose eggs to help him heal after the games. All she says in the epilogue is that Haymitch raises geese when the liquor runs out. And we would never know otherwise if Haymitch didn’t mention that SHE was the one who got him the geese in sotr.
brb, running off to sea to seek my fortune! My crafts/art/miscellaneous hobbies are on my side blog, chlodobird-creations
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