#tbosbas spoilers

[danyllura]

The capitol callously watching and commentating on the hunger games as defenceless children are subjected to horror and death but standing up and gasping in horror at Reaper ripping down the flag. Reaper laying the bodies of the murdered children to rest and looking to the camera asking for acknowledgment of their suffering only to be cut off and for the only reaction of horror mustered from the capitol citizens coming from the news of the death of one of their own. The Hunger Games will never not successfully act as a horrifying mirror to the atrocities in our world.

[sihtriggyr]

Reaper Ash who apologised to each tribute personally for having to kill them; armed with a pitchfork and long knife, ready to engage- but in the end, never did.

Reaper Ash who was unable to make sense of the scene before him, the stabbed bodies of Tanner and particularly Lamina; who lifted Lamina up, carried her over to where Bobbin and Marcus lay, and arranged the three in a row on the ground. Reaper Ash who dragged Tanner beside Lamina; who spent the next hour collecting Dill and then Sol; who likely dragged Jessup's body over and lifted Wovey into his arms and laid them with the other tributes; who although gaunt and unsteady, teetered over to Teslee and Mizzen and did the same. Reaper Ash who only took notice of Lucy Gray when she dared to touch Treech's body then assumed the job of transporting Treech, placing him neatly with the rest.

Reaper Ash who lay Dill in the sun in her final moments; who watched Lucy Gray fill her pockets and let her go; who traded protection from the sun to Lamina for some bread and cheese; who when Lamina pointed out the pack, chose not to engage but, withdrew behind the barricades; who made no move to kill Lucy Gray when it came down to him and her as the final two tributes.

Reaper Ash who the only times we know of him hurting people were when he killed a peacekeeper and strangled Coriolanus Snow.

Reaper Ash who tied the piece of the flag he cut for Lamina around himself like a cape, spinning slowly, looking back over his shoulder to watch it fly out behind him; who ran, spreading his arms out as the flag streamed in the sunlight.

Reaper Ash who cut away swath after swath of the Panem flag to preserve what little dignity remained of him and his fallen, fellow tributes; who swatted away the flies then shielded their bodies and his.

Reaper Ash who said he'd make it up to the other tributes when he wins by taking revenge on the Capitol- but he didn't need to win to take revenge on the Capitol to make it up to them. Reaper did that by not participating; by giving his fellow tributes what respect that he could in their deaths- an act of rebellion against the Capitol and the games in itself and probably the reason why they began removing the bodies of the dead.

Reaper Ash who didn't let the games change him; who didn't let the games turn him into some kind of monster that he was not.

[charles-jpg]

you say i killed you, haunt me then! | coriolanus snow and lucy gray baird

1. lev st. valentine // 2. clarice lispector // 3. anne carson // 4. anne carson // 5. haruki murakami // 6. richard siken // 7. unknown // 8. t.b bliss // 9. brenna twohy

[daughter-of-sapph0]

Peeta is much closer to Lucy Gray, and Katniss is closer to Sejanus.

spoilers for The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

I've seen people compare Lucy Gray and Katniss, and while I do think they have strong similarities (such as being victor girls from 12, having a love for singing, and intentionally or not insighting a rebellion), there isn't that much in common between them beyond that. Lucy Gray loves attention and performance, while Katniss is camera shy and hates being put on display. Katniss has been hunting and killing for her family years, while Lucy Gray and her covey mainly relies on donations from patrons for food. and while they're both exceptionally kind and loving people, Lucy Gray with her way of saying the exact correct thing to manipulate crowds of people make her much more similar to Peeta.

Peeta has always know exactly what to say and do for crowds of people. the interviews with flickerman showed just how persuasive and emotional his words can be. although he isn't much of a singer, the way he works with people and is always shown to be kind and caring to everyone he meets is so much like Lucy Gray.

on the other hand, there's Sejanus, who was born and raised in 2 and moved to the capital. like Katniss, he hated the pomp and circumstance of the capital and absolutely despises the games. the way he enters the arena to be killed by the tributes as protest perfectly mirrors Katniss and the berries.

but the real connection between them both is the mockingjay. Sejanus, after moving to 12 with Snow, is shown to be connected to the jabberjays and by extension the mockingjays. in fact, Snow loathes the birds because of how much they represent Sejanus.

you can't tell me that when someone shows up for the games, incites rebellion and protests, and is called "The Mockingjay" that Snow doesn't immediately see Sejanus in her.

sorry for the long post. feel free to discuss your thoughts.

[typingwithmyhandstied]

Two times I have read a book where a boy is forced to shave off his pretty blonde hair and challenge his whole belief system and prejudices because of a girl he loves/"loves." But in one story the boy becomes worse than ever before and tries to destroy everything connected to that girl or like that girl while in the other the boy works to change it and protect the girl's people and his own at the same time. The second boy realizes that everyone should be able to change, and that this prejudice and violence is a taught thing. The first goes on to believe that humanity is inherently evil and cannot be changed just like him. This is proof that Coriolanus Snow was inherently evil to a certain extent but not all of humanity. In this essay, I will---

[waldensblog]

[zoeyslayter]

Yeah I wish that Snowbaird had been end game but have yall noticed that Snow is not a good person like...at all?

Like he would almost get it...almost to the point you're yelling at the book...and then his best friend is crying for his "ma."

Like nah Lucy Gray deserves better and I hope she ended up living her best life after all of that and didn't do what I personally think she did.

This was a villain origin story that didn't make me feel sorry for said villain in a way that made me understand why he did what he did for the greater good, because it wasn't for the greater good. I felt sorry that Snow lost his parents and lived in poverty after the war because no child deserves that. But we all saw what he became and saw that even without Lucy Gray he was almost there. Even with Lucy Gray he was still a Capitol puppet that grew up to become it's puppeteer.

So yeah Snowbaird is nice and all but it wasn't going to work. Not with the way Snow is and always was.

Props to Suzanne Collins for not trying to make us think the villain was "uwu misunderstood."

[paper-bag-boy]

someone's probably already mentioned this but the way Lucy Gray Baird sang "you ask for a reason I've got three and twenty" in Pure As The Driven Snow because Snow did all he could to save her in the arena so all the other 23 tributes died but her is just so AHHHHHHH

[number-1-media-consumer]

I just watched Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and like the other Hunger Games movies, there was a distinct lack of blood in a lot of the fight scenes. I think majority of it was to keep a PG13 rating, but I’ve also been thinking about how it plays into the story and themes of the books and I’m kinda here for it. Now I love a good overly bloody tv show or movie, but I think with a movie like TBOSBAS you expect the blood, so they remove it. When you’re thinking of a movie about children killing other children, you expect it to be gory, and you almost want it to be gory, but that’s the point. That’s why they don’t make it gory. The movie/book is about how to make the games more of a spectacle so you as the audience expect a violent spectacle. So when audiences are upset about a lack of realistic blood, you’re proving their point about people’s eagerness to exploit suffering and turn it into a spectacle. Honestly seeing the brutal scenes in the film without blood, makes them more impactful in a way, you are shocked by the violence and then there’s something off about it that sticks with you.

Or it’s just the rating, what do I know.

[topperscumslut]

put the main tbosbas trio in the incorrect quotes generator and wdym these aren’t just quotes from the book

[thehungergamesrenaissance]

screaming crying throwing up. I finally saw TBOSBAS over the weekend and I am so ready to watch it again to pick up more details.

I do have to say… the cinematography was absolutely gorgeous. As a photographer & graphic designer, the sun flares were 👨‍🍳 💋

ALSO, the music??? My jaw was on the ground when I heard the score!!!

Ugh, so so good. I am disappointed in some things being left out, however, I understand that it is a long book that had to be cut down a lot.

I’m happy about it!!

[danyllura]

I do wish the movie had implied Tigris at some point had been forced to sell her body during the war, because I think it’s one of the biggest indications of Snows true nature. Before she ever mentions/reveals anything, Coriolanus ponders over the idea of her having to trade herself for his shirt and immediately considers how much money she’d be worth, critiquing her looks but concluding “she had a sweetness, a vulnerability that invited abuse” showing how he views other as commodities. At that point he doesn’t know the truth behind his speculations, but when he does he’s not any kinder. And we as an audience obviously know what Coriolanus forces the later victors into as president. To me learning about Tigris, the forced prostitution the victors experience becomes a much bigger betrayal and indication of the depth of Snows lack of morality. Because Coriolanus is a narcissist, but based upon his classmates it is arguable many of his tendencies and prejudices are not solely reflective of his character but rather that of the Capitol. But one thing that is entirely Coriolanus, is his pride, his pride in his family/family name. Tigris has taken care of him for years, and in many instances she is the one who tethers him to reality. She’s gone above and beyond to help him hide their financial struggles and has repeated with him their mantra of “snow lands on top” since they were children. All her sacrifice and he later feels no way of abusing the victors as she was, letting her likely witness them subjected to it as well due to her proximity to him and the games. Cannibalism is discouraged/banned from the games due to the capitol finding it distatsful. And we know that Coriolanus witnessing Nero Price harvesting a maids leg for his family to eat deeply disturbs him and haunts him for years to come. I would find it unsurprising it is his personal history with the subject matter that leads to its discouragement. The capitol loves brutality, and it shows the “savageness” of the district people, if Snow could come up with ways to make the games more digestible at 18, im sure as an experienced gamemaker he could have discovered a way to utilize that as well. Yet he draws the line because of his own past discomfort. But Tigris’ trauma holds no weight to him. Despite what she likely was forced to having had done to help keep him alive, and the potential pain of her having to be exposed to witnessing that nature of work with unwilling children. Snows loyalty’s have always been to himself. Seeing Tigris’ fate, a struggling shop owner with barely any food, we know his sympathies lie only with himself. And even someone who has loved him at his worst, gave up anything and everything for him, and even posses the thing he values most- the last name Snow- she too is just another pawn in the game to him, disposable when she’s no longer useful.

[sihtriggyr]

One of the aspects of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2020) that didn't quite make it into the movie is the outrageously, over the top, hatred Coriolanus Snow holds towards Mockingjays and I think everyone deserves to see the one-sided beef Snow was having with them because when you see the extent to which he hated them (since he was 18!), it truly does just make it all the more funnier that the symbol of the rebellion that would bring about his downfall would be the Mockingjay. I could write so much more about how I think Suzanne Collins used Snow's unreasonable hatred towards Mockingjay's to demonstrate plainly to readers the type of person he was at his core but, I think I will leave it there for now... (2/2) - Part One.

[shesasurvivor]

(TBOSBAS slight spoilers)

Me when someone said “she’s a survivor” about Lucy Gray.

[white-weasel]

*sigh* is anybody else gonna write the AU where Sejanus Plinth lives and aids the rebellion 65 years later, or do I need to do it myself?

[typingwithmyhandstied]

Cold As You by Taylor Swift is the ultimate TBOSBAS song.