#tbosasweek

[everlarkedalways]

Hello, my beautiful and intelligent humans! I’m finally ready to talk and maybe even reread this book. There’s so much to talk about, address and understand. I’m really excited! So, here we go.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes Deep Dive

Wednesday 6/3: Imagery. 

SC is a genius with words and she chooses specific images to convey a feeling or mood throughout all her books. She artfully describes food for us to understand the opulence or sparsity of one’s lifestyle. She attaches colors to characters to echo a theme. Post images that pertain to the book, literal and figurative. 

Thursday 6/4: Everlark

Controversial, interesting, frustrating, nostalgic. These are some of the emotions tied to to TBOSAS when Everlark references occur. Let’s talk about them. Is every bread a reference to Peeta? The bakery? The music. Create a post with your Everlark thoughts and observations.

Friday 6/5: Fancast

We all have a picture of who a young Snow looks like. What do all these characters look like to you? Create a post(s) with each character and what actor you think should portray him or her. Also take into consideration the age, the demeanor, the mannerisms of the character as well. 

Saturday 6/6: Hate

What do you hate about this book? Let’s get it out there and talk about it. If you already have a post addressing this, just tag me in it!

Sunday 6/7: Quotes

Create an image, art, an edit or highlight a specific quote of the series. Tell us why it’s impactful and important to the world of Panem or to you. You know I love a good quote.

Monday 6/8: Meta

There’s so much to understand in this world as we discover Panem and Snow in a new way. We all have different philosophies on how we should handle this book, but it’s undeniably part of the THG realm. Its places, characters, history and future all become a part of THG. So, let’s connect it. Let’s also bring up the issues and fascinations that are worth discussing.

Tuesday 6/9: Fanfic and fanart

Create prompts, fanfic and fanart that are all about TBOSAS. This should be fun!

Tag everything with #tbosasweek and I’ll queue it to post. I can’t wait to see what you come up with and hear from you!

[hgamesfan]

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Spoiler Free Thoughts!

You on the fence about reading a Hunger Games prequel?  Why couldn’t Suzanne Collins leave well enough alone?  Is this just a cash grab?  

Oh fellow tributes!  Fear not - Suzanne Collins has weaved a story that is not only brilliant, heart-breaking, infuriating, and shocking but also infuses even more weight and layers to her original trilogy that will leave you floored.  Understanding the origins of some of the key elements of the trilogy only adds to the stories’ poignancy.

Please read below for some of my thoughts on the characters.  I HATE spoilers so I will not be discussing key plot points but if you want to stay pure - just order this book and come back when you are done!

I am no great writer so I apologize in advance - I just wanted to share my love of the book.

Here’s a character run-down:

Coriolanus Snow:

This is not a redemption story.  What you get is a Coriolanus Snow that is a multi-dimensional character on the precipice of sealing his fate.  Here is a character that feels remorse, who loves, feels guilt and is conflicted by his actions, but you also see he is a selfish and self-serving young man.  Will his quest for self-preservation help lead those he loves to escape their own struggles or will his actions sink them all?  You see why Snow ends up so entranced and infuriated by Katniss Everdeen because now you understand the choices he made to became this tyrannical dictator and how the people in his life shaped who he became.

Lucy Gray Baird:

The original girl on fire.  What a spitfire!  Full of moxie and guts.  She feels the weight of her mortality and mourns for those left behind but she doesn’t give up. She charms and cajoles all the while singing her songs of sorrow and joy and love.  (OH MY GOD - THE SONGS!)  Lucy comes alive off the page and you fall in love with her too.  I picture her as a young Reba McEntire (she’s a country singer from the 80′s) - a down-to-earth-goddess who shoots straight but knows her fate rests on luck and the kindness of strangers.

Sejanus Plith:

Sejanus is probably my favorite character - the “rebel” that won’t go away quietly, the mentor full of compassion and empathy, the young man that wants to help but is trapped between two worlds.  You get angry at his impetuousness but admire his courage and his need to do what’s right.

Tigris Snow (I’m assuming her name is Snow):

Coriolanus’s cousin!  A young women dealt a harsh hand.  She tries valiantly to keep her family together and fed and safe.  And her utmost goal is to help her young orphaned cousin who she’s nurtured from childhood.  (Sound familiar no?)  How did this Tigris end up the Tigris in Mockingjay?!

I haven’t even touched on the baddies - Dr. Gaul - Nazi-level evil - and Dean Highbottom - Haymitch 1.0 without anyone to help.

I won’t say more about additional characters since it may spoil you.

If you are a Hunger Games fan - this book will not disappoint.  

Looking forward to all of your thoughts and thank you @everlarkedalways​ for organizing the deep dive!

Remember who the real enemy is!

Happy reading!

[flower-child2021]

Hi! This is for the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes weekly dive. (Even though it was for like last week.. I still wanna do it.)

Anyway this was for the first day: Imagery.

Part 1. Part 2. Part 3.

[javistg]

Sharing a pic of our books isn’t one of the prompts for #tbosasweek, but I know @everlarkedalways likes pretty pictures of the books we love. So this one’s for her. ❤️

[delicatebluebirdruins]

THG and TBOSAS

Hi! this is just a ramble you’ve been warned

I was not planning on rereading the series regardless of how I felt about Ballad and when I actually read Ballad... well I read it pretty quickly and after a few days I started rereading THG  (please read my thoughts on Ballad and my thoughts on THG I spent a lot of time fighting tumblr with them I lost the notes twice but managed to get them back and I took part in a meme for one and another I kind of overshared about something that happened when I was 11 yeah that thing I mentioned in my MJ post I was 11 at the time and so was she)

I just love the series and I am so glad I reread it now with Ballad knowledge partially in my head like it answered some questions and gave me more questions

I don’t think I mentioned in Ballad notes but some bits were a bit clunky, it broke my brain and I ended up channelling my inner Mr D from the Percy Jackson series in that I called Lucy Gray: Lucy Gray then Lila Baird then Layla Gray then Lara Jean then Lucky Gray

Also one of the bits in the book made me nope so much I put my kindle down and walked down the stairs and through the kitchen and into the garden saying “Nope, no, nopity nope” then entire time because hiss hiss nudge nudge I am not a really a fan of snakes and if you’re thinking I’m exaggerating my mum dad and sister will stand as witnesses

And I just got really confused during the last bit with Snow and Lucy

[arbyeatscheesebuns]

I don't really fancast but with Snow the actor has to have the kind of face that I can easily imagine someones fist connecting with repeatedly

Did you see what I put on @everlarkedalways ?

I put Rudy Pankow! Perfect age and looks like Donald Sutherland. Plus he gets repeatedly hit with fists on Outer Banks! Meets all your criteria!

[nighteyed]

It has been close to a week now since I have finished TBOSAS. It is not as vivid as I would like it to be, as I have cracked the spines of other books and have drunk deep from their pages.

However, here is an image that reminds me of one of the more intriguing characters in the book.

Volumnia Gual:

[everlarkedalways]

TBOSAS WEEK FANCAST!

So, I basically based the entire fancast on Outer Banks because that show is so fun and Rudy Pankow would be the best younger version to Donald Sutherland’s amazing Snow portrayal. 

Coriolanus Snow - Rudy Pankow

Lucy Gray Baird - Madelyn Cline 

Sejanus Plinth - Jonathan Daviss 

Tigris - Caroline Arapoglou

Billy Taupe - Chase Stokes

Clemensia - Madison Bailey

Dr. Gaul - Adina Porter

Maude Ivory - Anna Cathcart I went with Anna Cathcart for age although Maude Ivory is much younger. 

Can’t wait to see your guys’ fancasts! 

[everlarkedalways]

One song you love and one song you dislike from TBOAS

Hello, my lovely Rachel! I loooooved this song and I immediately thought while I was reading this, “SC is a genius and what will this song sound like?” I love it so much.

My heart’s stupid and that’s not maybe. Can’t blame Cupid, he’s just a baby. Shoot it, boot it, execute it, Still comes a crawling to you-hoo.

Heart’s gone funny, it won’t hear reason.  You’re like honey, you bring the bees in. Sting it, wring it, give a fling, it Still comes a-crawling to you.

I wish it mattered that You chose to smash it up. How come you shattered that Thing I love with?

Did you feel flattered that You could just trash it up? That’s why you battered that Thing I love with.

Trapped my ticker but haven’t freed it. People snicker at how you treat it. Snare it, tear it, strip it bare, it Still comes a-crawling to you-hoo.

Heart’s been jumping just like a rabbit. Blood keeps pumping but that’s just habit. Drain it, paint, I’m insane, it Still comes a-crawling to you.

Burn it, spurn it, don’t return it, Break it, bake it, overtake it, Wreck it, deck it, what the heck, it Still comes a-crawling to you.

What did I not like? Honestly, there wasn’t one I didn’t like. If I had to choose one. Maybe the Lucy song because it gave me the heebies jeebies. LOL But really, how BRILLIANT is Suzanne that she weaves so much lore and mystery into a song?! I just love her for that! It brings a whole new level of history to District 12 and to Katniss. Think about how Katniss’s dad would sing these mountain airs! It gives me all the feels!

What about you guys?

[flower-child2021]

Day 3 of TBOSASweek. Today’s topic is: Fancast!

(These are random characters that I knew I could cast after a day of thinking... )

Dean Highbottom: David Tennant or Jason Isaacs 

Dr. Gaul: Tilda Swinton [ She would do the role PERFECTLY. ]

Ma: Madhuri Dixit [Though I’ve never seen her act. She visually looks like how I envision Ma.]

Grandam: Judi Dench 

Sejanus Plinth: Karan Brar

Clemensia Dovecote: Paige Herd or Neelam Gill 

Tigris: IDK.. 

Lucy Grey: Honestly I hope they do an open-casting for her.. Mainly because there aren’t a lot of people that can sing and can pull off motherly, scared teen, “lover”, and light hearted singer. But also IF THEY CAST A WHITE GIRL IN THIS ROLE WE RIOT AT DAWN. (No shade to white girls but... Now is not the time. 

Coriolanus Snow: I feel like we all agree on one man: Cody Fern (we are all here for one white boy.) 

Strabo Plinth: Jason Isaacs (I have nothing to say for this one.)

Ok so I have some opinions on this casting or just the casting for this film. As much as I don’t want them to cast all white people (Because.. Really? Are you messing with me?) I do realize that a lot of people won’t read the books and because of that they won’t see the commentary on Nature vs. Nurture and other social arguments brought up in the book. And so when they go see the movie they will basically see some White Guy justify inhumane conditions forced upon people and then you have this POC girl “love/trust” him... It would just give them audience the wrong message.. 

But anyway that’s my two cents. (Sorry for the poor grammar.)

[everlarkedalways]

One love: the expansion of the world 😍 one hate: the entire plot LOL 😂

[flower-child2021]

Hi this is day 2 of the TBOSASweek and today’s topic is: Everlark.

TBH there isn’t much to say about this one, simply because I don’t think that any of the ‘ships’ presented in this book are parallel to any of the ships in THG. Though there are some things that Snow probably saw Katniss do in the Games that annoyed him to no end:

1. The burial of Rue calls back to what Sejanus did for Marcus.

2. Music: Lets be real here Snow hates music after Lucy Grey so Katniss must have him shitting his pants. ESPECIALLY since she uses the hanging tree as her rebel song. (It’s also funny to think about that because the song was lowkey meant for him butt 🤷🏾‍♀️)

3. Using Love as an excuse. Listen!! The reason why people excused him was because of his love for Lucy (??? That’s sus) but Katniss and Peeta do it in the Arena and people love it.

4. Snow reminds me of the quote from Once on This Island: Some girls you love, some you marry.

Anyway I hope you enjoyed this poorly written observation!! Comment what you think!!

[everlarkedalways]

One thing I loved was how Coriolanus Snow took care of Lucy Gray with feeding her to keep her alive and treated her almost human like. Instead of "animals in a zoo". Showed me snow does have a heart... The one thing I hated was Coriolanus betrayal to Sejanus Plinth... when he recorded him, sending Sejanus money back to Snows house and taking the Plinths for advantage...

Yes to this! I really love seeing duplicity in Snow. "Good guy," but often motivated by his selfish intentions which results in terrible choices and the character we see in THG.

[javistg]

Javis reads The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

We’ve made it all the way to part III. Woohoo!

Comments, and spoilers, under the cut.

Aks, replies and discussion are always welcome!

For previous chapters, click HERE.

This is one of my favourite chapters. Snow’s life is turned upside down and we see him desperately trying to regain his balance in this new world he doesn’t quite understand. 

“When do you leave?” asked Tigris. / “Tomorrow morning,” he said. / “When will you be back?” asked the grandma’am. / He couldn't bear to say twenty years. She would never last that long. If he saw her again it would be in the mausoleum.  

This little scene reminded me of the last time I saw my grandmother. I was moving away to another country and we both knew that that would probably be the last time we ever saw each other. It’s just a couple of lines, but I think SC captured it well, the stab of pain and helplessness when you know there’s no alternative. 

In the hall, Tigris offered him an old sun hat and a pair of sunglasses that had been her father’s. “For the trip.” / Coriolanus recognized a disguise when he saw it and gratefully put them on, tucking his curls up under the hat. 

Does this scene remind anyone of Mockingjay? Tigris helping the rebels with their costumes before sending them out into the crowded streets of the Capitol.

Sometimes he stared out the windows at the dead cities they passed, now abandoned to the elements, and wondered what the world had been like when they’d all been in their glory. Back when this had been North America, not Panem. It must have been fine. A land full of Capitols. Such a waste...   

We never learn much about what happened to the world we know.  In THG Katniss mentions disasters, droughts, storms, fires, and encroaching seas. Here, through Snow’s eyes this time, SC is reminding us that whatever we do today will have repercussion in the future. 

As I sit at home, after 80+ days in lockdown, I have to admit that the future looks pretty bleak.   

None of his bunkmates [...] made any mention of the Hunger Games. It turned out the enlisted only had access to one television in the rec room, and the reception proved so poor it was rarely on. [...] perhaps his celebrity had only extended to the Academy and a handful of unemployed in the Capitol who’d had time to follow the drama.

The Games are meant to be a lesson to the rebels and a reminder of the Capitol's superiority but, if the only people who watch them are in the Capitol, what's the point?

Smiley said the Peacekeepers hung out at an old coal warehouse called the Hob, where you could purchase homemade liquor and maybe buy yourself some company. 

Funny, I never imagined the Home being active at night. I only saw it as a place where people went to trade in their stuff and have bite. This version is a lot more interesting. 

[javistg]

Javis reads The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

Today I’m tagging @everlarkedalways​ because I know she’s always looking for quotes and meta. Lots of great things are happening on her blog! I’m really excited to see what people will come up with for #TBOSASweek.

Comments, and spoilers, under the cut.

Aks, replies and discussion are always welcome!

For previous chapters, click HERE.

He shifted his focus to the screen, where Lucy Gray continued to hum to her pets [...] Clouds rolled in, portending a storm and creating a dazzling sunset. The bad weather brought a quick nightfall, and he had not yet finished his pudding when Lucy Gray faded from view, and a deep rumble of thunder shook the arena. He hoped for lightning to provide some illumination, but the heavy downpour that followed made the night impenetrable. 

What an entrancing image. Lucy Gray humming and swaying with hundreds of brightly coloured snakes following her movements. 

I just love how SC mixes their two worlds with one simple statement. Lucy Gray is in the arena fighting for her life -- even if she has things somewhat under control at the moment -- while Snow enjoys a steak dinner followed by pudding. 

To top it all, his thoughts about the storm have more to do with the light it will provide than with the problems it may cause his tribute. Yeah, talk about love!

Teslee gave a satisfied smile and reeled in her drone, switching it off and giving it a loving hug.

Now we know what she was up to. Once again, District 3 comes up with a creative way to get rid of the competition. Too bad her satisfaction didn't last long. 

“Whoowee! The betting’s getting hot and heavy! Do not miss out on the fun!”

And Lucky strikes again! Wouldn't it be something if he ended up setting the whole building on fire?

She took a bottle from her pocket and dipped the neck into the puddle, collecting an inch or so of water. After swishing it around, Lucy Gray poured the water back into the puddle and made to refill the bottle when the incoming drones caught her attention. 

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how you poison a puddle.  

“She’s trying to figure out who's left int he Games,” Coriolanus said into the mic the Lepidus had pushed in his face. /  “Maybe we should put it up on the scoreboard,” joked Lepidus. / “I’m sure the tributes would find that helpful,” said Coriolanus. “Seriously, that's a good idea.”   

Such a small detail. but I think in this scenario it makes a huge difference. In earlier Games, where everything was pretty much resolved in an extended version of the bloodbath, keeping score of who was left might not have been important. In this new version it becomes essential.  

By midafternoon, the school had made fruit punch available, which gave a festive feel to the event.  

The event being... what exactly? A bunch of spectators eating and drinking as they wait for a boy -- or girl-- to die? Mm-hmm, very festive occasion indeed.

Half an hour passed before Lucy Gray climbed down from the stands and approached Reaper. She placed her fingers on his neck, checking his pulse. Satisfied, she closed his eyelids and tenderly arranged the flag over the tributes [...] Then she went over and sat against a pole to wait. 

That’s it. No blaring trumpets. No big announcement. No roaring crowds. The victor of the Tenth Hunger Games simply sat down and waited. Haymitch’s words seem even more relevant now. There are no victors, only survivors.  

Then the entire student body was directed to the dining hall, where cake and posca had been provided for a celebration. Coriolanus sat in a place of honour, receiving congratulations and downing more posca than was good for him. So what? Right now, he felt invincible.

Very nice, the celebration, the party, the joy. But, where is Lucy Gray while this is happening? Is she still out in the arena? Has she been sent back to the zoo? For someone who was fantasising about bringing her to live in the Capitol, Snow doesn’t seem too concerned about her whereabouts.  

Afterward, as agreed, Coriolanus headed directly to the Recruitment Centre, where he became Panem’s newest, if not shiniest, Peacekeeper.  

Loved this ending! Short, surprising, and even a bit funny. 

[everlarkedalways]

Tell me in an Ask!

One LOVE and one HATE about TBOSAS.