#cannot take this Suzanne

[josielikesthg]

This scene hits so different after SOTR

Like of course he knows. He knows just what Snow will do to people who rebel against him. He knows the cost 😭

[blindbisexualgoose]

“Fuck Suzanne Collins” I say into the mic, there are tears in my eyes. The crowd is silent. Then I see her, way in the back. She opens a new document.

[fictionadventurer]

thoughts on Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games (2008) actually being a rip-off, or at the very least a semi rip-off, of Koushun Takami’s Battle Royale (1999) and therefore not truly deserving of being credited for creating a new sub genre

The accusation is complete and utter garbage, and after more than four years of tags, that's one of the takes I'm most tired of seeing. "Middle schoolers chosen to fight to the death on television as societal punishment for juvenile delinquency" is a completely different story than "post-apocalyptic society selects 12-to-18-year-old children to fight to the death on television as retribution for a war." These are completely different stories involving entirely different themes, and one is in no way a copy of the other just because they both happened to combine the idea of reality television with gladiator fights and star child characters.

Everything Suzanne Collins has cited as inspiration for her series--Greek myths, Roman history, an American map puzzle she had as a child, news coverage of war, reality television, her experience in the television industry, Enlightenment philosophy--accounts for everything that is included in her stories, and is much more likely to have served as inspiration for someone critiquing Western society than a cult classic Japanese novel and film would be. Unless Battle Royale is also a metaphorical exploration of Just War Theory--which it's not--there's zero reason to suspect any connection between it and The Hunger Games.

As far as "starting a new subgenre", I've already addressed this. The Hunger Games did not invent YA dystopia or even "televised fights to the death between children". The subgenre it started was "books that are similar to The Hunger Games". It started a publishing phenomenon of authors rushing to copy the very specific tropes and tone and style and atmosphere of this specific work, making a new subgenre--the same way that there were fantasies before The Lord of the Rings, but that series sparked a subgenre of epic fantasy involving elves and dwarves and quests.

The thing is that people writing in this new Hunger-Games-like subgenre only understood the surface trappings of The Hunger Games and didn't understand the deeper themes and message underneath. These are the type of people who think that The Hunger Games and Battle Royale are the same story, and that extremely superficial read of the series is why their takes are so vastly inferior.

[thebookishwitch]

Just finished The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and....

AHHHHHHHHHHHH

[summersunqueen]

rebloged for the hashtags :)

The Percy Jackson renaissance and The Hunger Games renaissance happening in the same year is something so special to me

[floworence]

I need to get this off my chest before I go INSANE.

"You are not immune to propaganda"

This is the main thought I have when people are talking about Effie.

Effie is a clear example of that and people are kinda missing the point.

Suzanne take time to establish that not all Capitol citizens are pure evil, even if they're not rebels. We see it in Katniss' stylists, the girl in the lemon coat, countless kids that died in that bombing, people who died at the hands of both Peacekeepers and rebels alike.

We see it in Effie.

Over the course of the series, Katniss learns that capitol citizens are humans, ones that were put under years upon years of propaganda, with no knowledge on how to behave differently.

The whole message of the series is "remember who the real enemy is". It's the higher powers oppressing people, not common people living privileged life. That is why Katniss shoots Coin, that is why Games, of any kind, had to stop.

Some people focus too much on Effie being typical capitolite, and miss the crucial element of what she is representing. She is a picture of a person who lived their whole life under propaganda and could only break away from it when faced with real facts that contradicted it. Katniss and Peeta being reaped again, shattered Effie's view on Games, making her see through the propaganda.

It doesn't make Effie evil to change only after that.

Sotr also established that Trinkets are an ostracized family, one that is least likely to rebel since they'd be the first ones to go. They need to keep being in the system to survive, they need to comply or they die.

The difference between propaganda in Captiol and Districts is simple.

Districts are confronted with harsh reality daily, Capitol isn't.

That's why propaganda in the Capitol is more effective and why it's harder to break away from it. We cannot judge those characters as if they have access to all the information we have, since it's simply not true.

Effie is a woman in a situation where it's hard to break from the hold of Capitol, from the information that's being fed to her, you have to remember that.

[sippingdaisies]

the thing about sotr that really hits home is the cyclical nature of violence and oppression. we see it with the parallels between haymitch and katniss of course, both the eldest children of coalminer fathers with rebel sympathies, both relying on illegal means to ensure their families' survival, both willing to give their lives to protect the people they love, both doomed to lose their beloved younger sibling at the hands of a tyrant.

but that's just the tip of the iceberg. sotr instils this message over and over again, showing us how many generations of people have suffered and continue to suffer on account of systemic violence that is built into every facet of panem's society. the games just happen to be the most overt representation of this cycle.

mags explicitly says that she never intended to survive her games - her first priority was to protect her district partner, a boy she couldn't save and then goes on to live the rest of her life trying to protect children that she cannot save, even the ones she brings home alive are beyond her protection.

beetee's son is reaped and he is forced to mentor him, knowing that he will die a terrible death, all as retaliation for conspiring to take down the capitol's communications system. meanwhile his wife is pregnant with another child, a child he might very well lose the same way as ampert, another child that could be taken by the games as a punishment.

but what struck me most was how clerk carmine and tam amber react to lenore dove's death:

"Then the uncles are there. Clerk Carmine ripping her from my arms, trying to restart her heart while he calls her name. Tam Amber standing stiffly over them, his head shaking as he mumbles, "Not again. Oh not again." - sotr, pg366

suzanne collins shows exactly how much has been taken from this family. they have been here before with a doomed girl's name on their lips and her blood on their hands. how many times did they call lucy gray's name into the woods, trying to find her, desperate to bring her home, even though snow had made sure that she never could? how long did they spend trying to restart maude ivory's heart when her labour went wrong and their district didn't have the expertise or the medicine to help her - a direct result of snow's determination to keep the outer districts impoverished and on the brink of starvation. and now lenore dove, the only covey child of her generation (that we know of) to carry on their naming tradition, this girl that they've raised with care and devotion has been taken from them - just as their music, their colour, their culture has been taken from them - as a punishment.

katniss is the end of this cycle - it's her actions both in the arena and as the mockingjay that finally ends the games and enables the people of panem to reshape their society - but what sotr does is show us how long this process actually takes, how it can take multiple generations to get to a point where change is possible, how many false starts, failures, and set backs we will face in the course of creating meaningful and lasting societal change.

[notsocooljess]

i cannot believe how passionately suzanne wrote haymitch in love this is simply confirmation that the original trilogy from peeta’s point of view would take away my will to live

[mirixmoya]

my initial first-read thoughts for SOTR PART II: THE RASCAL there will be MAJOR SPOILERS under the cut but pls enjoy :)

chapter 10;

fake louella is so interesting, i'm excited to see where this plot point goes

"and someone's definitely rapping at my chamber door." we are 2 for 2 on The Raven references that's wild

"what breaks a machine?" "time." and the machine in question is the Capitol itself suzanne u kinda ate w that.

chapter 11;

whatever u do don't think about haymitch and burdock sneaking into victors' village to admire the luxury of the houses only for haymitch (and burdock's daughter) to spend great portions of their lives trapped in those houses drowning in their luxury

beetee entrusting this complicated ass plan to a 16 year old is crazy work bro

maysilee trying not to giggle at haymitch's singing... her and effie would be best friends i fear

haymitch picking up the word aphorism from snow immediately and using it himself ohhhh my sweet clever boy :(

chapter 12;

ceasar flickerman mention thank u jesus

guys... guys i'm not even joking i read the words "big, big, big day" and i burst into tears #normal

chapter 13;

ITS REAL ITS REALLY HER HOLY FUC K

OLDER SISTER EFFIE CANON

ngl i did not think we would get an effie cameo. not even a little bit. i didn't even let myself hope for it in any small way. life is so fucking good rn

okay so effie is obviously a Little Older than we've all be writing her huh

"well, she's swallowed the capitol propaganda hook and took the line and sinker with it, but at least she's brought us some decent footwear." TEARS. TEARS IN MY EYES.

i cannot believe i have lived to see the day where we actually get canon haymitch pov perceiving effie this is crazy

The Trinkets being slightly socially disgraced... interesting.

"For a moment, they're just two girls on a mission to beautiful the world." WHAT DID I SAY. I KNEW THEY WOULD BE BESTIES.

HAYFFIE CRUMBS HAYFFIE CRUMBS

not him jumping to pick up her shit for her... in a world of boys he's a gentlemen

EFFIE THINKS HE'S BEAUTIFUL :((((

"the capitol citizens lose it and so do i, until i remember the joke's not just on panache. it's on all of us stupid, clawed district piglets. animals for their entertainment." haymitch gaining class consciousness in real time

"and you, darling?" okayyy abernathy charm

effie just hanging around in the background in making me inexplicably happy. i am smiling and giggling

not her tryna shoot her shot by putting the flower on his label okayyy miss Effie Subtlety Trinket

chapter 14;

"sometimes she cries because things are so beautiful and we keep messing them up. because the world doesn't have to be so terrifying. that's on people, not the world." felt that one in my chest my god...

"i love you like all-fire. that's for always." this food is so fucking good suzanne

effie and plutarch going this far back is... interesting. then why didn't u save her ass from prison during the 75th SIR?

"i hate needles" PLASTIC SURGERY PHOBIC EFFIE CANON!!!!

another The Raven reference... what is going on

chapter 15;

mags mother of millions

MORE HAYFFIE CRUMBS SUZANNE I OWE U MY LIFE

haymitch asking her to make sure the token gets back to lenore dove... effie laying a hand on his chest and promising to do her best... the interconnected web that is haydove / hayffie has never been more alive

effie being the last person he sees before going into the arena is kinda insanely romantic??? "locking my eyes on hers until things go black" ??? hello??

chapter 16;

"the games must end. here. now." and then he's gonna spend so many years watching them happen over and over and over again suzanne how dare u

"i don't want one of my last acts to be taking out an ally, especially a dove-coloured one." he loves lenore dove sm im crying fr

"fire is catching, she'd say" ... suzanne is doing comedy now

chapter 17;

"i can't keep one of them safe. why do they flock to me?" just thought about him having this mindset for the next 40 years and cried :(((

chapter 18;

"in a way, it's a comfort that a bunch of people i know have gone before me." my baby :( spoken too soon girl :(

haymitch trying to blow this shit up katniss&haymitch fatherdaughterism has never been more alive and well

ampert :( haymitch's closeness with a lot of the victors makes so much more sense now. like it's not JUST that they hang out during the in-between years but their lives are tied so closely together from the moment haymitch enters the games.

is the goose and the common song silly? yes. is it important to remember that the enclosure of common land is historically and inextricably linked to (1) the rise of private property, (2) increasingly powerful centralized states, (3) the economic dependence of the labouring poor on their lords of the land. suzanne u big history nerd

he's so hopeful :( he believes so hard :( it's sad to know that that's all slowly washed out of him :(

more slightly intelligent thoughts! even more rambly nothing thoughts! either way i hope u enjoyed :)

[haveihitanerve]

Slight?? Iffy SOTR spoilers?? Really just me fangirling over Effie with a few quotes

“Thank you Haymitch. That was very considerate, especially given your circumstances.” 

Nobody ever tell me that Effie Trinket does not KNOW. She is not an airhead at all.

I don't buy the fact that she swallows the propaganda. Maybe she did once. That stopped the day she met a sixteen year old boy who needed nice clothes in order to sell himself to a public who was going to watch him die in a few hours.

Effie Trinket is smart and calculating. She took Maysilee Donner's words and took them to heart even if she never personally knew the woman.

She used what she knew, even if it was no help to winning the Games inside the arena, to help the children earn sponsors to maybe survive another day.

"If you let them treat you like an animal, they will. So don't let them."

She teaches manners, posture, things that Capitol brats are born and raised on and teaches it to these District piglets because if they have manners then they stand a chance. Then they are not beasts, they are civilized people. The Capitol cannot claim to look at them and see savages, they must admit to certain humanity.

Effie Trinket is the echoes of Maysilee Donner, keeping her life and her legacy alive. She dresses up her tributes, makes them look good and presentable and refuses to let anyone make them seem ugly or hideous.

"Lets show them what true beauty looks like."

Effie Trinket might pretend the airhead mannerism, might fake her ditsyness and act as though she adores the Capitol and the Games and thinks they're good.

But she doesn't. Not really. She doesn't buy the propos. She watched the Games, watched Haymitch's, and likely saw much more than the Districts and other Capitol people. Plutarch could've showed her. She knows what's real and what the Capitol does to it. How they twist words and actions and card stack.

Effie knows goddamn it and Suzanne tried to show it repeatedly but people refuse to acknowledge it. She fights in the only way she can, and while it might not be enough, it might not be as open as Katniss or as bold as Haymitch, but its all she can do.

She admits that the Trinkets are minimally close to falling off the societal ladder. One misstep and she's done for. One misstep and Drusilla or whatever her name is takes her place and these children are turned into beasts again.

She cannot afford more vocal pushback, cannot afford to raise her voice, or these children lose her. She can't let that happen. She might not be the gamechanger. But with simple things like having them sit up straight and eat with a fork and knife instead of clawing at the food with their fingers, could be the deciding factor of getting sponsored or not.

Effie Trinket does not not know, and I will die on this hill. You can bury me on it. I have watched far too many strong female characters fall into the hands of fans who don't appreciate their worth because they care about outside appearances and silly things like manners.

Maysilee Donner only won your respect, only won Haymitch's respect because she fought and she killed and she got her hands dirty and was shown to have a strong backbone. Effie did not kill and she did not get her hands dirty but that does not mean she does not fight and does not have a steel backbone. Put some respect on ma girls name. Thank you. That is all.

[invisible-crowns]

“And I pray one prayer—I repeat it till my tongue stiffens—Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living; you said I killed you—haunt me, then! The murdered do haunt their murderers, I believe. I know that ghosts have wandered on earth. Be with me always—take any form—drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh, God! it is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!’”

-Wuthering Heights by Charlotte Brontë

“For weeks I wander through the trees, circle the lake, examine the soil under the apple trees, looking for any sign of her. Entreating the mockingjays for a clue to her whereabouts. Calling her name into the wind. The leaves turn scarlet and gold, crunching beneath my feet. ‘Lenore Dove! Lenore Dove!’ I cry, but she doesn’t reveal herself.”

“I lie on her grave and remain there as night falls, dawn breaks, and blackness descends again. I tell her everything and beg her to return to me, to wait for me, to forgive me for all the ways in which I have failed.”

-Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

[mrmanbat]

Hey you.

Do you have a strained relationship with your mom bc she pushed you too hard, hoping you’d get to live the life she never got it?

Who am I kidding—of course you do.

So does Cissie King-Jones; one of my all-time favourite— don’t get me wrong. But her mother is an icon who cannot be ignored.

Bonnie King was an Olympic level archer and “Miss Arrowette.” 

Bonnie had her own demanding mother; Millie. (We love generation trauma guys). Millie obsessed with turning Bonnie into the best archer in the world. She paid for the best equipment, the best training, the best of everything so that her daughter could be the best.

It was no one’s surprise when Bonnie won bronze at the Olympics and instead of a celebration, it ended in a massive blowout with her mother. Bonnie left home, estranged herself from her family, and eventually moved to Star City.

There Bonnie essentially becomes a fan girl of Green Arrow and Speedy. So what’s Bonnie to do but pick up a bow and create her own costume?

Bonnie, as much as I love her, was a shit hero which is why Green Arrow straight-up told her to stop playing at heroics or shes gonna get in over her head.

Now, Bonnie is not the kind of woman to let a man tell her what to do. But you know what does eventually stop her? Carpal tunnel syndrome.

And so Miss Arrowette retires, settles down, and eventually gives birth to a daughter: Suzanne “Cissie” King-Jones.

…

Then her husband dies from eating shellfish.

Bonnie— the completely stable woman that she is—takes the life insurance money and funnels it into launching her teenage daughter’s superhero career.

—

I really wanna do these beef character synopses  for underrated female characters—any requests?

Also while I got you here:

I love the thought that Olympic athletes have to wear American apparel during their entire stay including the airplane flight.

—

Worlds finest comics #133 — first appearance (I believe)

Secret Origins 80-Page Giant #1

Impulse #28

Young justice (1998)

[thesweetnessofspring]

Mutual you know I love you and respect your opinions but I just CANNOT get behind you hating on Katniss being related to the covey 😭 what did she do to you????❗️

Look I totally get not wanting everything to be interconnected and like "fate" and stuff because part of the value of THG is that there's no chosen one. So like I understand and appreciate and enjoy that reading of it

But I don't think Katniss being covey ruins that? I think it's more to show the same group of people being routinely oppressed over and over again. Not to mention 12 is a small district, so I guess it just doesn't bother me so much. But I'd love to hear more of your opinion

I don't like it because:

There are NO INDICATIONS of Katniss being Covey from the original trilogy. Maude Ivory and Katniss both being quick to learn new music was put in during TBOSAS, but other than the songs, there is no other definite evidence of the Covey even existing. And because Katniss seemingly knows nothing about the Covey, I genuinely hate the idea that a Covey-Mr. Everdeen never shared his culture with her, other than songs, which don't necessarily have to be limited to the Covey's culture anyway. And before anyone mentions the lake or woods, TBOSAS says other people went there too, Francis is the one who made the movie say only the Covey knew about it but that's not canon. There is a fiddle player from 12 in MJ, so if he were Covey, where are Mr. Everdeen's instruments? Where is a hint of a Covey name for Katniss or Prim (like maybe just a ballad or just a color, something inconspicuous but important)? I can accept a culture being snuffed out/going way underground in 12 without Katniss knowing about it and thus we only get the smallest clues about its existence, but I can't accept that her father was part of that culture and didn't share it with his kids or even leave any clear indication it was part of him. Especially when he works such a dangerous job and his death could mean all memory and knowledge of his people might disappear. And I mean, he was willing to sing The Hanging Tree so it's not like he wasn't willing to risk giving his children forbidden knowledge.

As you mentioned, the whole "fate" thing. Lucy Gray was rigged to be reaped, but Prim was random chance. It shows you can do everything "right" (i.e. not be made a target by the Capitol, not take out tessarae, be the youngest age with the least amount of slips) and random odds don't care. You can be reaped. I see Katniss being Covey making the "it was rigged for Prim to be reaped" theories happen all over again, like Snow knew and wanted to kill off the Everdeen line. Now, in TUC, Suzanne plays with the idea of if something is fate or our own choices, so I can see a similar theme play out in the background here if a reader chooses to explore it. Was there some kind of fate that Lucy Gray used to bring about Katniss and Peeta going into the Games together? But I don't like the idea of it being a bloodline thing. I'd rather it be from Katniss's merit, like Lucy Gray's ghost observed her in the woods and chose her to be the Mockingjay and knew that Peeta would be the one to get her there as he is Snow's foil.

A non-Covey Katniss still shows that the same people are oppressed over and over. D12 is as a whole, even the merchants, though they certainly benefit from certain privileges those in the Seam don't have. But Katniss, who is Seam, is incredibly oppressed as well, as have the generations before her. And again, saying that Prim being reaped and Katniss going into the Games shows that one group (the Covey) is a more oppressed group supports the "Prim's reaping was rigged" theory that is such bullshit.

I don't see anything being gained in terms of the themes. Katniss may be a "chosen one" in a sense, but she was a girl who loved her sister, and Rue, and Peeta, and got caught up in being the Mockingjay. Making her Covey turns her into a traditional "chosen one" and it just does not jive with the theme of THG or Katniss's character at all. If the Capitol is built on the same 15 families having power, then why would that be replicated in the rebellion with the Covey being the "chosen ones" to bring down Snow? As if because Lucy Gray was betrayed by Coriolanus, those of her people are the ones who must take him down as well. Not because Katniss and the districts have been oppressed and so it's something she feels bound to do as a duty to the people, as she realizes in MJ. Katniss was used by some of those powerful families, but she wasn't powerful in that way. Making her Covey gives her extra mythology that goes against this idea and makes her "special" even if she wasn't special until that Reaping Day.

The fact that the district is small is why I'm not bothered by Haymitch and Mrs. Everdeen having some kind of history (it's there in CF, so it is an original part of the story) or even if Mr. Everdeen makes an appearance! I'm from a big city but it's wild hearing how some of the older generations in my circle are connected and now that I'm an adult, knowing about the relationships and drama that happened to my older siblings' cohort (especially as their kids are now becoming teens and learning some of that history). Life does connect in interesting ways! My personal favorite theory is that Mr. Everdeen hung around the Covey and learned music from them (maybe Haymitch was even a little intimidated thinking Lenore Dove would prefer Mr. Everdeen to him?) but making Mr. Everdeen's connection a family connection (blood or adopted) really sinks the themes of the original and Katniss's role.

[holylulusworld]

Pick you up

Summary: Daddy comes to save the day.

Pairing: Biker!Ari Levinson x fem!Reader

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers

Warnings: angst, bitchy girls, heavy daddy kink, caregiver Ari, sexual harassment (not Ari), implied violence, hurt & comfort (kinda), fluff, comforting, protective Ari

Read the prequel here: Let you down

Pick you up masterlist

“Daddy, please come pick me up. They are all so mean to me,” you sniff on the phone. “I don’t want to stay here. I thought this is going to be fun, but it’s not.”

The girls from your workplace watch you on the phone. They roll their eyes and huff.

“She calls her daddy to pick her up. We were right. She’s not mature enough for our little club. I don’t know what a girl like her wants in New York.”

You hang up and sigh. The plan to spend the weekend with the people you’re working with went down the drain the moment they started to talk low about your outfit, your make-up (or rather the lack of it), and the fact that you don’t want to talk about yourself with people you barely know.

Ignoring your nagging colleagues, you walk out of the living room to grab your bag and jacket. You will wait outside for your daddy to pick you up.

You exhale sharply when one of them follows you outside. “You didn’t have to call your daddy. How old are you, twelve?”

“Just leave me alone,” you shoulder your bag and grab the door handle. “I’ll be waiting outside. I want nothing to do with you and the others.”

It doesn’t take more than ten minutes before you see his bike. Your heart flutters when your daddy brings the motorcycle to a complete stop. He plants both feet firmly on the ground, making you shiver as you stare at his long legs.

You wring your hands as he kicks the kickstand down with his left foot and leans the bike on it. 

“Fuck, daddy,” you press your thighs together, adding pressure to your tingling clit.

Ari swings his right foot over the motorcycle to get off it. He takes off his helmet and grins when his eyes land on you.

Eyes glued to Ari; you swallow thickly as he shakes his head to tame his mane.

“That’s…her … daddy?” Your colleagues gathered outside to get a look at your father. Or so they thought. They didn’t know you called your daddy, not your father. “He looks too young for being her father.”

“You are telling me!” Suzanne, the leader of the little group harassing you sneers. “That guy is not her father.”

“He’s so tall and handsome,” Caroline says. “No wonder she didn’t want to play with one of the guys. She’s got a hunk at home.”

“A daddy,” Suzanne grunts. “I knew something is off with that bitch.”

While your colleagues watch you and Ari, he worriedly calls your name.

“Y/N, what happened,” Ari asks, furrowing his brows as you run toward him to bury your face in his chest. “Baby kitten. Do I need to break bones or faces?”

“They wanted to play truth or dare, and spin the bottle,” you begin. “I agreed, because why not?”

“Okay.” Ari hums. “Go ahead. Daddy is here now.”

“Uh-I didn’t know there will be guys too, I swear.” You feel Ari stiffen. A deep rumble emits from his chest, and you know, someone is in trouble. You only hope it isn’t you. “I didn’t want to spin the bottle anymore because they changed the rules.”

“What rules? Tell me about it, princess,” you relax and take a deep breath. Ari always makes you feel safe and calm.

“They said we need to choose truth or dare. I chose dare, and suddenly the guys from the company were there too. They wanted to play too and Suzanne said I must kiss one of them.”

“I’ll kill them,” he growls. No one touches you but him. “No one forces my girl to kiss them.”

“I refused and chose truth instead. I said that I cannot kiss someone else because I got my boyfriend at home. They laughed, but agreed,” You sniffle. “They wanted me to tell them about the last time we had sex. I refused and they made fun of me. Calling me an uptight virgin.”

“It’s alright, I’m here now. Even if you were a virgin, it wouldn’t be a reason to make fun of you. They are awful people,” Ari softly speaks to you. You’re already worked up and he doesn’t want to risk you starting to hyperventilate. “No one is going to hurt you.”

“That’s not all.” You whimper now. “The game continued. The guys joined us. After a few rounds, the bottle landed on me. One of them chose dare and they…they wanted me to…”

“Baby, what happened?”

“They wanted me to ride one of the guys’ thighs. I told them that I got a boyfriend and won’t cheat on him. At first, I thought it was a joke. But they tried to push me onto that guy. I cried and grabbed my phone.”

“And then you called me,” Ari concludes as you slowly nod against him. “Good girl. You knew daddy always comes to your aid. Let me just kill them for you.”

“Please don’t leave me alone. Please,” you sniffle. “I don’t want to be alone with them ever again.”

“Princess, come with me.” Ari takes your bag out of your hands. He wraps one arm around your shoulders to guide you away from your colleague’s house and toward the street.

“Where are we going…?” you gasp as you see the whole club waiting for you and Ari.

You forgot that they wanted to go for a ride. Guilt washes over you. It was Ari’s day off and he wanted to spend it with his friends. Now you messed this up too.

Steve, the boss of the club gets off his bike. He nods at Ari as your boyfriend points at you. “Steve will take care of you for a moment. You like Steve right? He’s a good man and will protect you. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay,” you whimper.

“I’ve got her, Ari. Do what you must do,” Steve’s features soften when you watch Ari leave your side. “He’ll be right back, Y/N. Don’t worry. Ari was out of his mind when he heard you cry on the phone.”

“Maybe we should help him?” Bucky, another member of the club asks. He sneaked around the area and heard every word. “I wouldn’t mind roughing those douchebags up. Break a bone or two.”

“Buck, that’s Ari’s job,” Steve warns. “If he needs our help, we will help. Give him a moment…”

Meanwhile, at the house, Ari barks at the women harassing you. “My girl loves her job and won’t quit because of you. If you ever make her life harder or just look at her the wrong way, we all will pay you a visit.”

“We…we didn’t…” Suzanne stammers. She never got yelled at by a tall guy like Ari before and is close to wetting herself.

“I know what you did,” Ari snaps at her. “Who is the guy putting his hands on my girl? Who wanted to force her to ride his thigh?”

“Uh-it’s him!” The other men point at the man wanting you to ride him. “He said that he wants her before we started the game. We didn’t have anything to do with it. It was all Suzanne and him.”

“You—” Ari cracks his neck. “Well, then. Let me show you what happens when you harass a woman.”

“Ari. Daddy,” you run toward Ari the moment you see him. “What happened?” You look at his bloody knuckles. “You’re hurt.”

“Did you give it to them good?” Bucky smirks. “I can help. Let me break a few bones.”

“Buck, stop. I know you are antsy since your girl left, but we’ve got no time to start a fight,” Steve grunts. “Let’s bring Y/N home. She had a rough day.”

Ari carefully guides you toward his bikes. He softly speaks your name and caresses your back. “I’ll bring you home now, princess.”

After a short ride back home you are in Ari’s arms. He whispers soothing words and nuzzles his face in your neck.

You’re lying on a soft mattress, hidden under the pillowfort you and Ari built for days like these. Days in which the world gets too much for you.

“You’re safe with me, princess. Always.”

“I know,” you mumble sleepily. “My protector…”

Snippet: Care for you

>> Prequel

Tags in reblog.

[moattemptstoarticulate]

"We need more complex characters!" You guys couldn't even handle Gale Hawthorne.

This is going to be a controversial post and probably very long, but I am and have always been a Gale Hawthorne defender. Not necessarily an apologist but I am a firm believer that the amount of hate he receives through-out the series is largely unwarranted.

I do think this is partially due to the fact that a lot of people who read the books did so when they were too young to fully understand the message. It being marketed as a young adult uprising story, similar to other dystopian series released at the time meant that the critique of politics and war theory wasn’t something entirely comprehensible to the audience it was aimed at. This is partially why Gale versus Peeta is minimised to a simple love triangle when it holds so much more nuance than that. 

As I said, what a lot of people seem to do when we look at Peeta versus Gale is treat it entirely as a love triangle and minimise the nuance of the two characters and how they work against each other. Both are symbols of the two sides of war and in my opinion are meant to show Katniss a middle ground in her morals and what are the "justified" lengths someone is willing to take in order to achieve relative peace and freedom.

From the beginning of the trilogy we get an idea of the society that these characters live in which I believe is best shown through the tesserae system. Immediately it is apparent to the audience that district twelve is in extreme poverty with food being used as a manipulation tactic by the capitol. Gale, with his father dead and three younger siblings, is forced to have his name in the reaping forty-two times. This sets-up the world view that will shape these two characters and their paths for the rest of the books. They live in a system where you must pick between starving to death or increase your risk of dying in the arena. Gale is quick to condemn the capitol and suggest a way to rebel, saying he and Katniss should run away. Katniss at the beginning of the books has become complicit in a system she cannot change. She doesn’t think that voicing her anger will change anything and so she opts to stay quiet, this causes her to turn down Gale’s wishful request by pointing out the lack of practicality in his plan. Suzanne Collins, with this unsuspecting conversation, foreshadows Gale’s role in the books and in Katniss’ life.

Inherently Peeta serves as Katniss’ moral compass or conscience. There are a lot of subtle ways this dynamic is shown with Peeta. His hope, altruism and kindness shows Katniss one outlook on war and oppression during the course of the books. We see it first when he gives Katniss the bread from the bakery. A small but kind offer with no expectations which isn’t often seen in district twelve due to the society they function in. I also find it interesting that everyone Peeta kills through-out the books is either out of self-defense or mercy. He refuses to engage in violence as that’s what the Capitol wants. This mindset is persistent throughout the books. Peeta isn’t opposed to the revolution but he is firm in his stance that they should always do everything in their power to do the right thing and he believes that violence and sacrifice is not the right thing.

If we look at Peeta as Katniss’ conscience/moral compass, we can look at Gale as her sense of justice and rage. Gale, like Peeta, actually seems to be a very loving character, raising his family after his fathers death, Putting his name into the reaping a multitude of times in order to feed them and his love for Katniss (which he definitely had even if he didn’t do so in the best manner) The first real thing we learn about him past being Katniss' friend is that he is sacrificing his safety to feed his family. From the beginning we know Gale hates the Capitol and wants to rebel and after Katniss goes into the games he is forced to play along with Capitol propaganda, get brutally punished by Peacekeepers and watches district twelve get destroyed. His disdain is only amplified as the books go on and the tyranny of the Capitol persists. He believes that the ends always justify the means, even if it means extreme violence and sacrifice. He is incredibly angry and having not met anyone from the Capitol like Katniss and Peeta, struggles to humanise the casualties of the war.

Both of these outlooks are shown very clearly in the Mockingjay. Despite Peeta not agreeing with a violent rebellion, what I feel convinces Katniss to partake in it is when she sees Peeta on TV after being kidnapped by the Capitol. As I’ve established I feel Peeta is representing her conscience and what is considered the “right thing” to do. Katniss is convinced to join the rebellion in order to save her conscience, Peeta. Joining the rebellion, which Gale is a major part of, is the first time I think we see Suzanne Collins trying to convey that neither side is “right” and that to win a war there needs to be a middle ground.

Katniss is us as we watch both viewpoints and decide where we fall on this spectrum. We are shown the downsides of both ideologies. With Peeta getting hijacked and Gale getting dubbed the "Prim Reaper" by fans. As I’ve said Peeta isn’t un-political, but contrary to Gale he tries to rebel without violence but manipulation of the media. We see Peeta waving out the window of the train trying to charm Panem and again in the interview he plays along with Caesar's jokes. He aims to humanise himself and Katniss to Capitol citizens when he mentions the crush he has on her. He does so again when he says his infamous “if it wasn’t for the baby” line. Now I could give an in depth discussion on the commentary behind this line alone but not today. The main point I’m getting at is that Peeta knows how to play the media. We see that after this line, suddenly the Capitol citizens no longer agree with the Quarter Quell or the idea of the hunger games.

Peeta becomes a beloved figure because he does not blatantly voice his rebellion. It’s so subtle that the Capitol Citizens see him as complying to the regime with a joking smile as he discusses something as mundane as the smell of the showers. He talks about how the showers in the Capitol are much nicer. He is playing up to the idea that Capitol citizens believe, that they should feel lucky to be where they are and be treated so nicely. They are not aware, unlike Snow and the other tributes, that everything Peeta says in an act of subtle rebellion. He comes across as humble and charming and a little cheeky. In TBOSAS Snow comes up with ideas to get more people to watch the games. A quote directly from him explains why Peeta’s tactic works so well.

“If we need people to watch we should be letting them get closer to the tributes before the games. To make the stakes personal.”

Peeta never clearly insults or condemns the Capitol making it so no one can recognise his want for a revolution. He becomes personable and likable in order to plant the seeds in the minds of the viewers by being outwardly complicit yet lacing it with a message. When he says that he can never be with his crush because they’ve both gone into the arena together, it saddens the citizens who are rooting for him because even if he does win, his crush dies in the arena, and if he doesn’t he never gets to be with her to begin with. To the viewers it's a movie and you root for a character (much like it is to us as the audience) but in their world, their favourite tribute dying doesn’t hold weight in the same way it doesn’t hold weight to us because at the end of the day they are fictional characters. This perpetuates what we already know, that the Capitol citizens are so desensitised that the tributes aren't real lives or people. There is definitely a message behind this but this post is already ridiculously long so I’ll save that for another time.

We know that the citizens don’t react well to condemnation when Johanna and Beetee speak negatively upon the Quarter Quell and we hear the crowd getting angry. Peeta takes the same approach that garnered him sympathy and love in his first interview when mentioning his crush on Katniss. In "Catching Fire" he says  the line “We’ve been luckier than most. I’d have no regrets at all.” This is him once again playing humble and lovable and he makes sure never to blame or speak negatively about the Capitol or the Games themselves. When he says “if it weren’t for the baby.” it doesn’t come across as rebellious but as a genuine unfortunate coincidence. Peeta is an adored undercover Rebel who the media and Capitol Citizens trust to be loyal and well-meaning and also put on a good show

Whilst this tactic worked well in Catching Fire, with Capitol Citizens needing to be mollified, not because of someone speaking negatively about them but because they are genuinely enraged at the circumstances, it is used against him when he is hijacked and he is forced to ask for a Ceasefire in an interview with Snow. Because he is now seen as a trusted Capitol Darling who is known to perform well on TV, no one suspects that he might be saying these things under duress. Seeing this interview pushes Katniss to be the symbol of the revolution. Her symbolic conscience is having his own non-violent form of rebellion used against him and also getting tortured and in order to save him she realises that sometimes violence is necessary.

SOMETIMES being the key point and why Gale is there to show that the other side of the spectrum is not good either. I feel like a lot of people like to point out that Peeta also lived in district twelve and didn’t react in the same way that Gale did. I need to point out that whilst both of them grew up in poor conditions, Peeta lived in the Merchant’s village as the Baker’s son. This is not to say that he didn’t have a hard life. Katniss learns that they couldn’t afford most of the ingredients they baked with and lived off of stale left-overs but we can also infer that the family was never so poor that they were on the brink of starvation like Katniss and Gale have faced. (The way I’m speaking implies that I think the food conditions for anyone in twelve or the other districts were okay. They were not, I’m speaking relative to the world and characters in this conversation.) Gale, in order to put food on the table had to sacrifice his chance of safety from the arena and have his name in the reaping forty-two times and I think this gives an interesting differential between the two when we’re discussing why they took such different paths in their reaction and stance on the rebellion.

Gale believes that anything they have to do in order to take down the Capitol is necessary, even if that means sacrificing people along the way. He is one of the leading voices of the rebellion and chosen to be Katniss’ right hand when she agrees to become the symbol for it. He is the total extreme of the measures one is willing to take and we see Katniss struggle with this a lot. Suzanne Collins took Peeta out of Katniss’ life in the books as a way to explore Gale’s ideology more. With her conscience gone, it leaves Katniss to decide on her own what she deems just action in this fight. The longer Peeta is away the more violence we see Katniss use. When the rebellion goes to district eight, we see her fighting as the circumstance permits. The difference between Katniss and Gale is that Gale doesn’t see the Capitol citizens as people but as numbers to win the war. I honestly don’t think this is absolutely crazy for him to do. Gale, unlike Katniss and Peeta, has never met anyone from the Capitol, and hasn't had the opportunity to humanise them like they have. Given that the Capitol are the people who view the deaths of the children from the district as entertainment and who put them in that environment, I find it hard not to be sympathetic to his outlook. It is not to say it is the right outlook but one I think can be understood.

There's a point in the book where Katniss comes across a Capitol citizen and when she goes to speak in order to warn people of their arrival. Katniss shoots her through the heart. She does this to the woman because if she doesn’t, they will almost certainly be caught, tortured and killed. Before she does this she describes how the woman looks. She isn’t just a number to Katniss, she is a human who she has killed. This is one of the best examples of the middle ground of the book and poses a question. Was it morally justified for Katniss to kill this woman? Most of us would say yes given the alternative. This is Katniss straying towards Gale’s view where the ends justify the means but the description of her beforehand, the humanising, that’s Peeta pulling her back to the middle. Yes, the woman had to be killed in order to protect Katniss and the rebels but she also acknowledges that it was A PERSON she killed, not a just another tally mark in aid of ending the Capitol.

It’s now time to discuss what we’ve all been waiting for. Prim Reaper.

Now, this is one of those conversations that I don’t think I’ll win anyone over if you don’t already agree with it to begin with. I do not think that Gale is the person to blame for Prim’s death. He was definitely complicit in it with the creation of the bomb, but if that’s the reason everyone blames him for her death, why not blame Beetee too? I also think it's worthy to note that Gale did not authorise the attack that killed Prim. We learn that he didn’t even know it was a plan, and it places doubt on whether it was actually Gale’s technology that killed her in the first place. The reason Suzanne Collins killed Prim was to show, like with Peeta getting hijacked, that too much of one ideology will eventually result in failure. Killing Prim, a character we know, rather than a group of random healers, portrays this enough for both Katniss and us as the audience to entirely rule out Gale as a plausible option in both his war tactics and as a love interest. Prim’s death is when Katniss, through personal loss, realises that whilst violence is necessary, sacrifice to the extent that Gale views as sufficient is no longer justified but rage fuelled vengeance.

To me, blaming Gale for Prim’s death is like blaming the gun rather than the person who pulled the trigger. Gale is as much of a victim of the Capitol as anyone else in the books. He becomes a ruthless revolutionary not because he is a horrible bloodthirsty monster but because he is a teenager raised in a society where he’s always been forced to make sacrifices in order to keep himself and his family alive. If the Capitol and the games did not exist, Gale would never have been in an environment where he had to become so desensitised. Is he a good person? No, but is he a bad one? Definitely not. He is there to show how any extreme ultimately results in disaster, as is Peeta.

The scene where Katniss shoots Coin and leaves Snow to be mauled to death by the citizens is where this attitude is best shown. The suggestion of a game for the Capitol children is completely obscene to Katniss. She knows that Coin is extremely similar to Snow. One could say they’re two sides of the same coin…! She chooses to kill Coin in order to achieve peace. These are the two ideologies finally settling in the middle ground. Ending the cycle of violence to achieve peace with one final violent act. It’s hard to predict how the books would’ve concluded without Gale. Would Katniss have rebelled so publicly in catching fire were it not for Gale’s influence? Would she agree to be the Mockingjay? Would Peeta’s rescue mission be successful if Gale hadn’t been the first to volunteer for the team? Would Katniss have shot that citizen or let their location be given up and have it ultimately result in their death and torture? Would she have killed Coin or let the tyrannical cycle continue? Obviously I can’t answer any of these questions because we simply don’t know what the books or Katniss would look like without Gale’s presence because he is important. He is fundamental in the war efforts, whether his actions are ethical or not.

I think the final note I want to leave is what Katniss thinks the final time we see Gale in the trilogy. Katniss, right before she goes to kill Snow and ultimately decides to kill Coin, speaks to Gale in the aftermath of Prim’s death. He hands her the arrow she’s meant to use, which I think is symbolic, the final act of violence handed off to her by her sense of vengeance before they never see each other again. After he leaves she thinks. 

“I want to call him back and tell him that I was wrong. That I'll figure out a way to make peace with this. To remember the circumstances under which he created the bomb. Take into account my own inexcusable crimes. Dig up the truth about who dropped the parachutes. Prove it wasn’t the rebels. Forgive him. But since I can’t, I guess I’ll just have to deal with the pain.” 

Katniss can’t forgive him because it’s just too personal, but she understands why he did what he did, knows that he did what he felt he had to do in the situation he was dealt. Do you really think Suzanne Collins aimed to villainise Gale? I don’t think so. She is too complex a writer to make us hate a victim of oppression. Katniss’ thoughts after their final interaction doesn’t scream to me that she thinks Gale is a villain of the story. Just another victim who ultimately went too far in their attempt to reach their goal. The line “Remember who the real enemy is.” is so consistent through-out the series that it baffles me that people have decided they hate Gale more than Coin or Snow. Gale Hawthorne is by no means a perfect person, no one in this book is. But he is not a bad person either, he’s simply a boy who couldn't see the middle ground through his need for vengeance against an oppressive power.

All that being said I may have completely missed and I am entirely open to hearing opposing opinions of this discussion. These books are so complex and there is no way I could do an entire in depth analogy of Gale or Peeta or their environment. That being said I hop you enjoyed my attempt to articulate my thoughts on Gale

[lovecarollove]

post The Golden Raven thoughts. sorta spoilers (some big picture, social context thoughts)!!

Context about me: I genuinely enjoy reading new canon material. Maybe it’s my decade of dedication to the PJO world, but I never get tired of an author continuing to world build. I think right now of two-semi related thoughts.

One from an English class in high school: authors include every word for a reason. Authors are intentional about their words, sentences, and perspective. Some are craftier or more complex than others, but what they write matters.

Two: Suzanne Collins is known for only writing when she has something to say. The original hunger games was inspired during the Iraq War and TBoSaS has come out post-Covid, post-rise of the far right globally, and in the Tr*mp era. The return from hiatus by Suzanne really makes me think about why Nora broke from hiatus in the AFTG world now. IMO…she’s got something to say (beyond just the fandom love & her love for her books)

With that said…I really enjoyed TGR. It was dense, slow, and kept me guessing. The pacing felt very appropriate for the story being told. The mapping of the original story has been likened to a chess match (the game itself) with guns pointed under the table (mafia stuff) [there was another tumblr post that laid this out and I’ll tag it if I can find it]. The original trilogy was fast, matching the desperation of Neil as the narrator. With this trilogy, I can see the same intentionality of matching the pace and mood to the larger story being told.

Jean (&Jeremy) are healing. If you’ve gone through something, you know that it’s starts and stops, agonizingly and frustratingly slow, unexpectedly fast, full of setbacks, and eventually you’re in a better place without realizing it.

Of course, what Jean went through was literal child sl*very, torture, CSA/SA, and extortion. This is so so much bigger and darker than Jeremy’s elitist conservative family, dr*g addiction, sibling loss, and shattered self image/self-respect.

However, I think the foil between “normal” lives & problems and Jean + Ravens/Foxes is really compelling. I think it helps us grasp in a more tangible way the cruelty these kids suffered. Of course it is fiction and we can play around with it, makes jokes and memes, and make it our own. But. On a very real level this is trauma someone has experienced/is experiencing (albeit most certainly in a different way). It is depraved how Jean and the others have been treated. It is sickening to think that people seek to do that to others.

Moreover, this is partly why I find Jeremy’s family so interesting. For one: their cruelty isn’t physical or illegal in the way that Jean + the Foxes experienced. Instead, it’s structural and 100% real (whereas the Moriyama and mafia network is made up even if based on real organized crime). It’s something that won’t just end in a single confrontation, a single slip up, or a single card toppling the house down. That cruelty isn’t precarious and built upon secrecy, it’s embedded in society.

The racism, Islamophobia, xenophobia, homophobia, and elitism won’t just go away. I think Nora leaning into the fact this takes place during the War on Terror and rise of the Tea Party in America is very relevant. The general 2007-ness of it all is at times hilarious, and other times upsetting. 2008 was when California voted on Proposition 8, which banned gay marriage until it was overturned by the courts a few years later. With characters like Jeremy and Jean coming of age in that environment, its hard to think they don't have the same role models to look up to or legal protections (for now) like we do at this time. The anxiety about how their sexuality could affect their public percepion and prospects is super real. I think Coach Rhemann is a great example of this dilemma. His presence and relationship with Jean is something I absolutely loved and cannot wait to see more of.

Of course gay and trans people continued to exist and thrive, but life was still very shitty and dangerous for a lot of folks. However, Jeremy’s self-hate about that aspect of the tragedy surrounding his freshmen year banquet feels that much more poignant. The fact the floozies stick so closely together, yet aren’t afraid of being themselves makes me so sad and so proud.

I know this might be a sorta controversial opinion, but I totally see why Nora included all the slurs she did. I (a 23 y/o White woman from the South) have certainly not experienced the sheer vitriol behind these words these characters have. However, I have absolutely heard them used growing up in this community. I also know that the South isn’t the only place full of bigotry in the U.S.

And 100% yes, racism and homophobia cannot be boiled down to just slurs. But to ignore them and the fact they were so prevalent (and really only in the last decade have been pulled out of the mainstream) would be dishonest to the time period and social reality. It would be dishonest to the experiences Cat, Laila, and Jeremy had to endure. It’s easy to forget with time and growing up during the period I did that such hate was so common, so blatant. Bigotry is very banal and so easily brushed aside by complacent White folks. The big stuff and the little stuff both add up in the end.

This is sorta why I think the reactions from the characters are so varied or somewhat tempered in those moments. It’s almost certainly something they’ve been told before. It likely that between the pages and days, these are the words echoing around their brains before bed. The limitations on POV restrict that, aside from the fact Jean has a very skewed view of how society operates and Jeremy is an exceptionally avoidant narrator. It’s well established none of these characters have good relationships with the police because that institution isn’t looking out for them. They are the targets and suspects. Protecting their safety as much as they can is probably top of mind. Dismissivenss about the situation is one way to cope.

This systemic oppression is still out there waiting for these characters. Even if/when the mafia house of cards fall—the enduring world of structural racism, patriarchy, and xenophobia will still be there. Not to say these characters couldn’t or wouldn’t be beacons of progress and change, but that doesn’t mean it’ll be easy or never scary and dangerous.

Again—I cannot speak with anecdote of personal experience with regard to racism. However, I’ve got up close and personal knowledge of what is going on right now in the South following the 2024 election. People protect themselves in all sort of ways that’s hard to understand until you’re staring it down yourself. I do think our four Trojans, however, and some tough mfs.

All that being said, I really feel like Nora has tried very hard to offer this side of society to further build out a more complex AFTG universe. And it is ugly--especially because it's something we see and live in ourselves. This book has made me think a lot about how much can change in 16 years, and how little has as well. I really don’t think it’s a coincidence we are getting this trilogy at this moment in America.

I realize this is like…a lot more serious and big than most of the AFTG fandom-world usually is. And trust me when I say—I love love love the silly, fluffy, unserious parts as well!!! And our relationship to the author herself is unique and a gift. It’s something that makes our fandom special and tight knit.

I’ve also got so many positive and goo-ey thoughts about the book, but I might share them later because this is already So Long and So Serious. I cannot wait for the final installment of this trilogy.

(I’m also someone with few hills I’ll die on when it comes to literature, writing, and fandom. I simply love bringing the books out into a larger conversation and considering them that way).