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homebehindarchive-blog · 6 years ago

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I think the Hunger Games series sits in a similar literary position to The Lord of the Rings, as a piece of literature (by a Catholic author) that sparked a whole new subgenre and then gets blamed for flaws that exist in the copycat books and aren’t actually part of the original.

Like, despite what parodies might say, Katniss is nowhere near the stereotypical “unqualified teenager chosen to lead a rebellion for no good reason”. The entire point is that she’s not leading the rebellion. She’s a traumatized teenager who has emotional reactions to the horrors in her society, and is constantly being reined in by more experienced adults who have to tell her, “No, this is not how you fight the government, you are going to get people killed.” She’s not the upstart teenager showing the brainless adults what to do–she’s a teenager being manipulated by smarter and more experienced adults. She has no power in the rebellion except as a useful piece of propaganda, and the entire trilogy is her straining against that role. It’s much more realistic and far more nuanced than anyone who dismisses it as “stereotypical YA dystopian” gives it credit for.

And the misconceptions don’t end there. The Hunger Games has no “stereotypical YA love triangle”–yes, there are two potential love interests, but the romance is so not the point. There’s a war going on! Katniss has more important things to worry about than boys! The romance was never about her choosing between two hot boys–it’s about choosing between two diametrically opposed worldviews. Will she choose anger and war, or compassion and peace? Of course a trilogy filled with the horrors of war ends with her marriage to the peace-loving Peeta. Unlike some of the YA dystopian copycats, the romance here is part of the message, not just something to pacify readers who expect “hot love triangles” in their YA.

The worldbuilding in the Hunger Games trilogy is simplistic and not realistic, but unlike some of her imitators, Collins does this because she has something to say, not because she’s cobbling together a grim and gritty dystopia that’s “similar to the Hunger Games”. The worldbuilding has an allegorical function, kept simple so we can see beyond it to what Collins is really saying–and it’s nothing so comforting as “we need to fight the evil people who are ruining society”. The Capitol’s not just the powerful, greedy bad guys–the Capitol is us, First World America, living in luxury while we ignore the problems of the rest of the world, and thinking of other nations largely in terms of what resources we can get from them. This simplistic world is a sparsely set stage that lets us explore the larger themes about exploitation and war and the horrors people will commit for the sake of their bread and circuses, meant to make us think deeper about what separates a hero from a villain.

There’s a reason these books became a literary phenomenon. There’s a reason that dozens upon dozens of authors attempted to imitate them. But these imitators can’t capture that same genius, largely because they’re trying to imitate the trappings of another book, and failing to capture the larger and more meaningful message underneath. Make a copy of a copy of a copy, and you’ll wind up with something far removed from the original masterpiece. But we shouldn’t make the mistake of blaming those flaws on the original work.

#OOC #(if you heard the sound of brakes screeching it was probably my brain seeing this post)

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homebehindarchive-blog · 6 years ago

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* 𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒 𝐁𝐄𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐒 𝐋𝐘𝐑𝐈𝐂 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒 .

SUCKER .

‘ we go together better than birds of a feather , you and me . ’

‘ i’m feelin’ heat in december when you’re around me . ’

‘ i follow you throw the dark . ’

‘ i can’t get enough . ’

‘ i’m a sucker for you . ’

‘ you say the word and i’ll go anywhere blindly . ’

‘ i know you and you know everything about me . ’

‘ you’re making the typical me break my typical rules . ’

COOL .

‘ dammit , i’m feeling so cool . ’

‘ i’m feeling high like a late night summer of last year . ’

‘ standing there with a red dress on ya , a killer queen . ’

‘ is it me or am i just having a good year ? ’

‘ lately i’ve been feelin’ so cool . ’

‘ now that we’ve made it , how complicated was last year ? ’

‘ when i grow up , i wanna be just like me . ’

ONLY HUMAN .

‘ i don’t want this night to end . ’

‘ it’s closing time , so leave with me again . ’

‘ let’s find a place where happiness begins . ’

‘ hurts when i’m leaving you . ’

‘ it’s only human , you know that it’s real . ’

‘ why would you fight or try to deny the way that you feel ? ’

‘ only getting up to close the blinds . ’

‘ leaving now just don’t feel right . ’

‘ let’s do it one more time . ’

I BELIEVE .

‘ i’m here to stay through the good and the bad times . ’

‘ you send me to space . ’

‘ you’re mine . ’

‘ you show me something i can’t live without . ’

‘ when you hold me , it’s like heaven coming down . ’

‘ now that i got you close , i’m alright . ’

‘ i’m glad that you found me . ’

‘ doesn’t matter anymore now i got you here with me . ’

‘ nothing matters any longer now i got you here with me . ’

USED TO BE .

‘ you used to be the one i love . ’

‘ i’m the only one you know that’ll listen . ’

‘ lately i don’t even know you . ’

‘ oh my god . baby , if it’s what you want … ’

‘ i just wanna see you happy . ’

‘ i don’t lie even though you’re not mine . ’

‘ we had love , now it don’t matter . ’

‘ you just thought you could do better , so do better . ’

‘ so tired of chasing all your demons . ’

‘ little late if you ask me , but you know i’ll come around if you ask me . ’

EVERY SINGLE TIME .

‘ call me up and say you’re needin’ my love . ’

‘ now you’re leaving like you never even needed my love . ’

‘ so much you left between us , but you don’t ever think about us . ’

‘ why do i want you even though you make it hard and i don’t want to ? ’

‘ now i’m out here catching feelings like i want you , but all you ever do is look away . ’

‘ every single time i keep on coming back to you . ’

‘ you’re always on my mind , doesn’t matter what i do . ’

‘ if loving you’s a crime then i won’t keep my love locked down for you . ’

‘ there’s too much water under this bridge to go down like this . ’

‘ i never thought that we’d come this far to fuck it all up and end like this . ’

DON’T THROW IT AWAY .

‘ see if it helps , give it a week . ’

‘ i bet no one gets you like me . ’

‘ i know you think you’re better off without me now . ’

‘ we can work this out . ’

‘ don’t throw it away this time , just take a little time to think . ’

‘ don’t throw it away , it’s fine . ’

‘ it’s fine , just don’t forget to think of me . ’

‘ just don’t forget to think of me . ’

‘ your mind is messin’ with your head again . ’

‘ instead of walking away we should give it a break till we love the same . ’

‘ don’t save the words till it’s too late . ’

‘ i know it hurts and that’s okay . ’

‘ if it’s too much to open up then give it time . ’

‘ let’s sleep on it tonight . ’

LOVE HER .

‘ drive me crazy , make me mental , no other buttons you can push . ’

‘ one second you’re miss sentimental then you’re afraid you’ve said too much . ’

‘ opposites attract and we’re living proof of this , but i keep on coming back . ’

‘ no matter the fight i know you’re always right . ’

‘ they say love can hurt , but seeing you smile can get me every time . ’

‘ i put my selfish ways in boxes and shipped ‘em back to where they came . ’

‘ we will never let it get close to being toxic . ’

‘ i promise i’ll never walk away . ’

‘ gotta learn to let the small things go and know it’s always far from perfect . ’

‘ i know that we can get emotional , but the hardest parts are always worth it . ’

HAPPY WHEN I’M SAD .

‘ crying over old loves even though they’re over . ’

‘ they think i’m happy . ’

‘ they think i’m happy when i’m sad . ’

‘ can’t look how we made it . ’

‘ looking like i’ll never be lonely again . ’

‘ i see me in the mirror , nothing ever changes . ’

‘ never gonna stop , never gonna calm down . ’

‘ i put on a smile , don’t need a face lift . why can’t i when everybody fakes it ? ’

‘ they think i’m happy like they know exactly how i feel . ’

TRUST .

‘ i don’t trust myself when i’m around you . ’

‘ lately , i don’t think i even know me . ’

‘ every time you come around , i’m like the old me . ’

‘ take me back to when you were my only . ’

‘ we were thicker than thieves , like a pod , two peas . ’

‘ all at once , it’s like i’m being someone else . ’

‘ you’re all i want but i know you’re bad for my health . ’

‘ i know that i’m better off without you but i know that i could never live without you . ’

‘ thinking about my lips upon your mouth got me weak . ’

STRANGERS .

‘ i came here looking for another excuse . ’

‘ every step back pulls me right back to you . ’

‘ what we feel started way before we ever touched . ’

‘ you found me right before i’d given up . ’

‘ it’s no surprise we ain’t strangers . ’

‘ must be from a different life . ’

‘ you got a heart that i know i can miss . ’

‘ hold me like that and pull me right back again . ’

HESITATE .

‘ i’ll kiss the tears right off your face . ’

‘ i won’t get scared . that’s the old me . ’

‘ time only heals if we work through it now . ’

‘ i promise we’ll figure this out . ’

‘ i will take your pain and put it on my heart . ’

‘ i won’t hesitate , just tell me where to start . ’

‘ you saved me once and now i’ll save you too . ’

‘ i won’t hesitate for you . ’

‘ don’t you ever say goodbye . ’

‘ if i could only read your mind then i could map out all the ways to make it right . ’

‘ pull me close and i’ll hold you tight . ’

‘ don’t be scared ‘cause i’m on your side . ’

‘ know there’s nothing i wouldn’t do for you . ’

ROLLERCOASTER .

‘ we weren’t just a phase . ’

‘ we weren’t just pretend . ’

‘ i remember low lows and high highs . ’

‘ it was fun when we were young and now we’re older . ’

‘ we were up and down and barely made it over , but i’d go back and ride that rollercoaster . ’

‘ those days that are the worst , they seem to glow now . ’

‘ faith led me to the clouds . ’

‘ now everything has changed , we found better days . ’

COMEBACK .

‘ come back to me , i’ll come back to you . ’

‘ you know the place that i go running to . ’

‘ i get scared when you’re scared , but what else can i do ? ’

‘ wherever you are right now , know somehow i’ll be on the way like a bat out of hell . ’

‘ if you stay then i won’t let you down . ’

‘ if you’re lost on the way then i’m lost too . ’

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homebehindarchive-blog · 6 years ago

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this is an ugly mobile post but no matter what else happens tonight I’m so happy for anais mitchell that I’m /weeping/ like I have been listening to the concept album since it came out, basically, and I can’t even imagine all of the WORK that she has put into this beautiful musical at every single stage, and now she gets to see it win Tony after Tony and I’m a MESS

#(pippa watches the Tonys)#(ok listen I only came for Hadestown)#(and I am mostly not disappointed)#(they got cheated out of best book though ngl)#(TBD)

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homebehindarchive-blog · 6 years ago

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ah yes……that “it’s time to archive and restart” feeling…..once again…..

#(unfortunately this might actually be a thing that's happening)#(idk what's making me feel so off about this blog rn but)#(i think it's mostly because my tags are a mess)

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homebehindarchive-blog · 6 years ago

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⨳ — SEND 💖 TO HOLD MY MUSE’S HAND;

#memes

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homebehindarchive-blog · 6 years ago

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Hey writers! Everyone has their own style and yours is great. Some people’s writing is lush and descriptive and emotional, others are sparse and sleek and powerful, and others still are fast-paced and immediate and visceral. They all have their merits. No style is better than another. It’s all fine.

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homebehindarchive-blog · 6 years ago

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ok wait actually i feel like i should clarify that madge never meant to make katniss the mockingjay, that was never part of any plan. no one could have possibly known that that would happen. the pin was supposed to be its own symbol/message. whether katniss lived or died, it would send the message it needed to. (madge always hoped that katniss lived, she had full faith that she could win if anyone from twelve could, but she also knew the chances weren’t great. and maybe there was a part of her that thought, even if katniss died, the message that the pin sent would make her death just a little less meaningless.

and when katnss is made into this great symbol of the rebellion, when she’s used to further those goals, madge is plagued by guilt - - - -whether she should be or not. she feels like she’s the one who set this on her friend’s shoulders by pinning that little piece of gold to her dress at the very beginning

#madge undersee: general #madge undersee: headcanon

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homebehindarchive-blog · 6 years ago

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idk guys, i wrote a whole long headcanon post about a pretty dramatic headcanon idea i had that involves the mayor + madge more deeply in the plot to incite rebellion in the districts (and maybe i’ll find it + reblog it someday), and like….honestly, i still kind of stand by that as a viable semi-canon theory, but EVEN IF YOU DON’T believe in that (which…it’s pretty darn Dramatic, i wouldn’t blame you) there’s SOMETHING going on with that mockingjay pin from the start? and i think it’s more supposed to be a symbol to the leaders of the rebellion plot in the capitol/other districts that 12 seems ready to rebel, because:

madge really wants katniss to wear the pin. she REALLY wants katniss to wear the pin. she PINS THE PIN ON KATNISS HERSELF.

this despite the fact that the madge we see earlier was pretty composed/wearing the pin herself

her urgency surprises even katniss.

this pin hasn’t been around since maysilee, it’s not like madge is just handing this thing off to tributes for no reason

if she wanted to give katniss something as just a harmless token, you’d think….she wouldn’t….give her….a mockingjay

and don’t even throw the “they’re just songbirds, right?” line at me, you can’t take the things madge says like that at face value. katniss, who knows her arguably well at this point, thinks the “i want to look nice if i go to the capitol” line was meant to mess with gale, i doubt the songbird question is any different.

there’s arguably something different in district 12 at this point, even katniss notices it. the we-do-not-condone silence and the salute are NOT protocol for sending off tributes, even (i would argue) rare volunteers.

there have probably been symbols of the district approaching readiness for a rebellion for Y E A R S that katniss just hasn’t noticed because she’s um…too busy keeping her family alive/surviving in the seam. i really, really don’t blame her for not noticing things like that. but the mayor? the mayor’s daughter? i’m sure they’ve noticed. i’m sure they have connections. and im sure there’s more to this pin than meets the eye. in fact, i’d say it’s probably safe to say that madge’s family - - at least on the donner side - - has been involved in rebellion plots this whole time. the mockingjay isn’t exactly a common or even an unremarkable symbol, even if katniss doesn’t recognize it right away. it’s not supposed to exist, so symbolizing it at all is itself a small act of rebellion.

but enough of my jabber (lol GET IT) , here’s the section just for reference & so you can draw your own conclusions:

“My next guest is also unexpected. Madge walks straight to me. She is not weepy or evasive, instead there’s an urgency about her tone that surprises me. “They let you wear one thing in the arena. One thing to remind you of home. Will you wear this?” She holds out the circular gold pin that was on her dress earlier. I hadn’t paid much attention to it before, but now I see it’s a small bird in flight.

“Your pin?” I say. Wearing a token from my district is about the last thing on my mind.

“Here, I’ll put it on your dress, alright?” Madge doesn’t wait for an answer, she just leans in and fixes the bird to my dress. “Promise me you’ll wear it into the arena, Katniss?” she asks. “Promise?”

- Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games, Chapter 3

#madge undersee: general #madge undersee: headcanon #(lol look am i probably looking too deeply into this scene? i am)#(is it a weird scene though? yes)#(like if suzanne didnt have Reasons for this then what was she DOING)

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