scarletsinsblog

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Making Haymitch’s girl a Covey and by extension tying HIS story to Lucy Gray and Snow ‘too much’ (to the point of personal bias) had to be one of the potentially worst decisions SOTR has made

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as an fyi, I’m still pissed that people praise the less-than-mediocre fanservice that is SotR with such blind idolatry when Ballad is right there, patiently awaiting the recognition it never received for being a compelling and unique villain origin story.

I hope that one day people will stop feigning moral superiority for misunderstanding and misreading characters with such nuanced histories, as applies to both Haymitch and Coriolanus.

will never get over it.

like.

ever.

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If I had to sum up my thoughts on Sunrise in a single statement, I would say that it weakens the original trilogy, where Ballad strengthens it.

Ballad gives us so much information that we would never otherwise have known, about the characters we know from the trilogy as well as the world of Panem, both as it existed in Coriolanus’s time and in Katniss’s.

Rereading the original three Hunger Games novels after reading Ballad gives me a new perspective on the events that occur, the way characters act, and the forces that drive them.

Sunrise, meanwhile, actively retcons things that we know to be true from the trilogy, even seeming like it’s trying to gaslight the reader at times. Collins advertises it as being themed around propaganda and blindly believing what you are told, but there’s a massive difference between presenting a version of events that readers might not have considered while still staying consistent with canon….and blatantly trying to convince the reader that everything the trilogy told them was true is wrong.

Rereading the original trilogy after experiencing Sunrise does not make me feel like I’m exploring a new perspective of the story; It makes me feel like I’m rereading the source material of a particularly bad fanfiction.

I feel no connection between the Haymitch Abernathy of Sunrise on the Reaping and the Haymitch of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. They do not feel like two versions of the same man, one before his life was wrecked and another ruined by trauma; They feel like completely separate individuals, which isn’t helped by Sunrise Haymitch’s chronic lack of a personality.

Ultimately, Sunrise on the Reaping just doesn’t have the same impact as Ballad in terms of how good they are at being prequels.

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my anti sotr posts are getting a lot of interaction so i feel like saying more idk let a girl rant. i feel like prior to this book i would have said thg is one of the better fandom spaces. but omg this book has made me realise how bad it is.

“but we needed to know how haymitch met wiress and beetee and mags!!” i assumed through mentoring? i didn’t need to know the specifics. i have an imagination.

“but we learnt the revolution didn’t start with katniss!!” that’s literally explicit in the original books. we knew that already.

“but we needed to know why haymitch was a depressed alcoholic!!” oh silly me i thought it was because his mother & brother were murdered and then he had to mentor 26 tributes to their deaths??? idk i didn’t need it explained.

“but we needed to know it was all propaganda!!” i mean.. we are explicitly told there’s a shit load of propaganda in panem? we know some of katniss’s games are edited. haymitch does not have a more unique relationship to propaganda than katniss does in the original, so what was the point? it’s almost as if a character such as… idk… PLUTARCH would have been a more interesting perspective on the topic? or idk Beetee? or Effie even?

All i’ve learnt from this book is that a lot of the people who swear they have “critical thinking skills” actually would fall for actual propaganda bc they’ve completely taking this bad book at face value and calling it a masterpiece because they don’t know how to read between the lines.

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lucy gray

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I’ve seen many people compare Lenore Dove to Lucy Gray, which is entirely fair because she’s obviously a poorly-written attempt at a “callback” character. However, I want to draw attention to how alike she is with a different TBOSAS character who I couldn’t stand.

It’s Sejanus. She gave Sejanus the whole time, especially with the contrived “I’m a rebel and I do rebellious things” bullshit, meanwhile she didn’t actually do anything. She was stupid, naive, prone to making a scene, just as Sejanus was. In fact, I couldn’t even blame Coriolanus for his distasteful thoughts about Sejanus at times because he was real. Sejanus was bound to end up dead, as was Lenore Dove. They actively got people around them in trouble and didn’t really think twice about the consequences of their actions.

I remember laughing my ass off at all the fools calling Sejanus a “Katniss prototype” back when Ballad came out (more so with the film), thinking…huh?! They are not alike in the slightest. Katniss did not choose rebellion—it happened upon her and she made do with it. Sejanus was a kid with very little awareness of his privileges, determined to “make noise” where noise would only bring strife and die out, exactly as he did.

Here, with this narrative, I am further reminded of the comparisons between characters who have very little in common. Yes, obviously Lenore Dove is Covey and has ties to Lucy Gray, but that was done out of a determination to make as many connections between characters as possible. Lucy Gray is far smarter than Lenore Dove, more resourceful and admirable, which makes her an intriguing character and love interest. Lenore Dove has no personality outside of “oh she likes geese and tramping around District 12 in search of mischief.”

As for some transparency, I’ll admit that I’m struggling to continue considering myself a fan of this series if it means being lumped in with the sheer stupidity radiating off of the “target audience.” I don’t mean to sound harsh, as this has not always been the case with these books and fandom, but…something shifted with TBOSAS and I don’t think we will ever return to the days in which this fandom had riveting, cordial discussions. I mean…what could facilitate such when an abomination like SOTR has nothing to offer?

Oh, and while I’m here—Maysilee deserved better than what she got in this narrative. I think I speak for many when I say that we were all looking forward to hearing her story and finding out just who the Girl with the Mockingjay Pin is, only for Suzanne to write her as if she’s projecting some weird inner mean-girl disdain onto a character who has existed for years.

The female characters in this novel are done a great disservice and it’s crazy to witness knowing where this series started.

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and I don’t want to hear another word about how revolutionary this series is, or how groundbreaking the commentary is. Lionsgate sucks and Suzanne Collins has always had a large role in the production of the films—she cannot escape scot-free.

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sotr!Haymitch is literally the male version of that girl who makes everything about her boyfriend.

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I recently saw someone describe SOTR as a clash of tropes and BookTok-esque writing and I have never agreed more with a sentiment in my life.

Claim it wasn’t “fan service” all you want, but Collins dropped the ball with this book by writing it with the fans in mind rather than as a vital contribution to the series.

There’s a heavy-handed focus on a romance that we don’t even see happen—we are quite literally TOLD to like it and believe it, despite the plot-suspending intervals dedicated solely to this character who has no true weight in the events at play.

Moreover, the cringey ass one-liners? I hate using that term to describe literature, but seriously Suzanne—it seemed at times as though you had plucked the dialogue from some corny 80s film.

The literary references were extremely redundant and on-the-nose. With Ballad, we were provided the hint of the Wordsworth poem with Lucy Gray’s name. Here, it’s entirely impossible not to feel suffocated by Poe and consequently, Lenore Dove.

I went into this book with high expectations and left thinking much lesser of an author who I previously praised. I see so much flack for anyone who speaks their truth about these books, which I chalk up to the younger (and sometimes older, unfortunately) audiences regarding Suzanne as this savior authority, likening her to a god who does no wrong and deserves only worship.

On that note, the lack of descriptors for the characters in this book. Only Maysilee is established as a blonde with blue eyes…while the others? I don’t recall seeing a single physical trait besides muscular or skinny, frail, etc. Which then calls into question the choice to allude to cultures from Appalachia (and the other districts) but refuse to establish race. This felt rather cowardly, and I can’t help but think this was done to make casting “easier,” opening the door for them to choose white actors like with the original films.

The message was so abundantly clear, clean-cut and contrived that it rehashed themes from the other books which have already been gathered, mulled over. The other books did commentary with nuance and subtlety, making for a good read. SOTR does the opposite.

I won’t continue (though I could) because I know this won’t reach a large crowd. However, it’s important that we point these things out and CRITICIZE where critique is warranted, as no piece of literature is exempt from criticism. And, as far as The Hunger Games goes, this narrative is a disservice to not only the series itself, but fans with a knowledge and passion for the previous books.

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thank you to whoever wrote this

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instead of using AI to see your OTP kiss, let us use AO3 like god intended. amen

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Actors should not have to cater to fan spaces. It shouldn’t have to be said, but I’ll put it out there for those who need to hear it.

I am the biggest shipping fanatic there ever was (and yes, I absolutely love Saurondriel), but it’s important to know that when something becomes solely fandom, created and cultivated by fans, and thus not entirely aligning with canonical content, it is not always understood or appreciated by the actors portraying our favorite characters/pairings. And that’s OKAY!

I won’t disregard or dismiss the disappointment that this ideal may bring to some, as I have very much had to come to my own with it, too. It can feel like a gut punch to find out these actors don’t support or share the same thoughts about a particular pairing, but they are not inclined to do so!

Their job is acting, and oftentimes actors have very little to do with all else beyond that. They are also very heavily policed by companies to keep a sharp image for promotional purposes. So, they typically establish some set of boundaries with fans.

No, this does not mean they hate us, nor does it mean they shun all who ship their character with another. I can promise you they are not whispering in the writers’ ears out of spite, lol.

It’s necessary to remember it is we who have built these communities around personal canons and contexts, and fandom spaces may seem like a completely foreign concept to some actors. Especially newer actors.

Is it fun when they do interact and entertain our musings? Definitely, and I appreciate all the actors who make an effort of that. But, that is not the expectation, and we should not let that ruin the fun.

Don’t allow cast/actor outlooks to shape or sway your mind! For your own sake, but theirs as well.

This is our thing—not theirs.

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Hello dear author, sending you positive vibes! How's the Lucy Gray and Coryo in A Rose of Your Suffering doing? Sending them positive vibes too!

This is months old now, and I honestly have no good excuse for not answering sooner :/ but THANK YOU for the positive vibes! 🫂

Truth is, I got SUPER busy (as always seems to be the case), and my routine suddenly changed drastically! With that said, it’s been settling down again, and I am very close to finishing the next chapter!

I sincerely apologize to all my readers who have been waiting for what likely seems forever, but I meant it when I said I would never abandon this story! It means too much to me to give up on it, and my nearly thirty page document with the entirety of the story planned out has been mocking me every time I open my laptop 😆

I can say with certainty that the next chapter will be out sometime in the next week, potentially this weekend if I’m lucky!

Lucy Gray and Coryo are tense, but when are they not 🤣 I can’t wait to see what everyone has to say about their antics in this next installment!

LOVE YOU ALL! 💕

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don't need to be loved by you

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So how 'bout those trailers. OMG.

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“his girl. his.”

i will always side with evil toxic men with jealousy issues, sorry lol

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one of the comments under the snow white teaser