#i also thought that the government was making him do the hunger games in this murder maze lmao

[felixcosm]

If you've seen out of context spoilers for WOE.BEGONE (maybe before you caught up or before you started listening) what are some misconceptions you had/have about the plot?

[etfrin]

❝ꜱᴏᴜʟꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴄʀᴜꜱʜ❞ — chapter twenty-one | coriolanus snow

「ᴡᴀʀɴɪɴɢ:」 NSFW | canon typical violence, coriolanus snow, a lot of innocent people get murdered but there's no solid description! someone gets hanged as well | lmk if I forgot anything

「ᴘᴀɪʀɪɴɢ:」 young! Coriolanus Snow x fem! Reader

「ꜱᴜᴍᴍᴀʀʏ:」 coriolanus snow sees district thirteen getting what it deserves and finds himself with a goal

「ᴀ/ɴ:」 i should be studying... But here ya go! Make sure to give me feedback, we're nearing the end soon!

Beta read by the sweetheart @nowitsmissing

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It was extremely early in the morning when every single Peacekeeper was called into the Peacekeeper base. There was a TV, it was surprisingly a big screen. Definitely from the Capitol. You were standing beside Commander Hoff and behind you were several Capitol officials.

“Today, we make history. Today we'll end the rebellion from its root,” Commander Hoffs’ voice echoes onto the hall.

Coriolanus raises his eyebrows, unsure of what exactly is happening. The confusion is jarring. You looked stoic, your face devoid of any emotions. You never looked so beautiful to him. You looked like power. Fuck.

Coriolanus diverts his eyes before his thoughts turn inappropriate. He looks at the screen and watches it come alive. A familiar face shows up. Lucky Flickerman. The first-ever host of the 10th annual Hunger Games.

Coriolanus furrows his eyebrows before he begins to connect the dots. This has something to do with district thirteen. Ending rebellion from its root? How is that possible? Unless…

District thirteen still exists and the Capitol has fed him lies about it from the beginning. Coriolanus wanted to feel bitter but instead, he felt relief because it meant you were doing something about it. You wouldn't let it go. And this was a gift for him, he realized. District thirteen was what ruined his family and now you're eradicating its existence from the face of Panem.

You were extraordinary.

“Today, district thirteen will cease to exist,” you announced to everyone standing.

And then, Flickerman begins to talk,

“Citizens of Panem, today the Capitol will make history yet again. From the dark age, we have learned not to repeat our mistakes. There won't be a war in Panem ever again, and this is a step towards that,”

He continues,

“Months ago, there was reported activity near the area of district thirteen since then the government has worked tirelessly to find out the truth. It has been revealed that district thirteen exists,” Coriolanus hears multiple gasps, and even Flickerman stops talking for a moment to let the shock settle in.

The man then goes on,

“But those lives there are not blameless. They live with the blood of beloved Capitol citizens on their hands. They have rebellion in their hearts and hence keep themselves a secret. But no more! Because of a special mission approved by the President and esteemed officials' dedication to keeping the Capitol safe,”

“We'll be seeing from our own eyes how the Capitol keeps us safe. We'll see from our own eyes why the Hunger Games is needed. Thank you.”

Coriolanus looks away from the screen and turns his eyes towards you. You were already looking at him and when his eyes caught yours, you smirked.

This was the secret.

This was the mission.

He could only hope that everything goes your way. The screen comes alive in a different scene. People in military gear with weapons of all kinds. Coriolanus' eyes widened, the Capitol would be broadcasting the slaughter of the district in front of their very eyes.

Not much different from the Hunger Games.

Coriolanus wonders why they do that- why broadcast it when you can keep it hidden? This shows Capitol can sometimes overlook some mistakes too. They found out about District thirteen accidentally after all. This is a shame for all of Panem for letting them exist for so long.

But he also thinks that it will reinforce the idea of the Hunger Games. It will make everybody think that violence, the punishment are necessary, or else another district thirteen will pop up again. And history might repeat itself.

Snow looks at the screen and hears the gunshot and the screams. They were murdering indiscriminately but the camera made sure only the armed forces of district thirteen came into view. Most of the soldiers there had extremely pale skin and red eyes. The way they were holding the gun, they were shaking.

All these would be missed by the blind eyes such as of the Capitol citizens but he knew every Peacekeeper and district citizens could notice it. They were sick, extremely so. It was a massacre happening disguised as something else entirely.

There was no fight at all despite what the Capitol wanted to make it seem like. District Thirteen was weak and soon a lot of people were captured, and those people would be tried for treason. Those people would die as well. There was no doubt about that.

He wondered briefly about what would happen to the kids they captured as well. He slightly shook his head, he let those thoughts get out of his head. Not his problem.

“District thirteen is ours now,” you were looking at him as you said that.

Ours.

Coriolanus liked it.

Coryo gives you a split-second smile. The rest of the people present watching the screen go blank. This moment was shared just between the two of you. The mission was a success.

A few seconds later, Commander Hoff speaks,

“To accommodate this victory, several rebels that were caught in District Twelve will be executed at noon . Everyone has to be present. Dismissed.”

✧ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✦✧✦ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✧

At noon along with Sejanus, he was standing with his back facing the Hanging Tree. He looks through the faces of the people and tries to find you but fails. Maybe you were busy.

Coriolanus has another thought creep into his mind, but he doesn't let it settle. He was sure he would find you in your room when he got back.

He was stationed beside Sejanus. Every citizen present looked down, their shoulders hunched. Every instinct to fight leaves their body after seeing the latest horrors of the Capitol. It is how it should be.

Snow sees the rebels being dragged to their death. Commander Hoff speaks, loud and clear, “Watch all of you, this is what happens when you challenge the Capitols’ rule of law.”

“He's innocent!” A woman screams out, creating havoc in the crowd. “He's innocent!”

The rebel yells at her to run, and other people in the crowd try to make her stop speaking. The rebel was killed within a split second, his body now hanging. His screams are echoed by the mockingjays. It sends down a chill on his spine. His hatred for the bird increases.

Hoff commands the woman to be captured. Sejanus steps forward as if to stop them. Coriolanus holds him back, glad nobody noticed the moment of misconduct. “Don't,” he said, firmly. Sejanus has no choice but to listen.

✧ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✦✧✦ ▬▭▬ ▬▭▬ ✧

Later, he is called into Commander Hoff's office. He was slightly annoyed because he still hadn't seen you since morning. But to his surprise, you were in Hoffs' office along with someone else.

“You have visitors, Mr. Snow,” is what Hoff said before walking away.

“What's this about?” He questions immediately. He looks at you for reassurance. Which you give him immediately.

“I promise it's nothing bad, Coryo.”

The man in the black suit begins to speak,

“I am Richard Heavensbee. I am here as the representative of the government.”

Then the talk happens. Both you and Coriolanus stay silent as the man, Richard, begins to explain why Coriolanus is here right now. Apparently in district thirteen several nuclear weapons belonging to the Snow family were found. The weapons for which the Snow had lost their fortune.

The weapons will be under the government's control as no one in his family is qualified to have the sort of military power. Coriolanus was at the bottom, after all, he should be happy for not having the responsibility. But he wasn't.

He sucks it up because Richard informs them that Coriolanus will receive sufficient compensation for ‘selling’ the weapon back to the government. It was nothing more than a formality. A formality that probably wouldn't have been done if it wasn't for you.

It wasn't enough money to pay for all of his university semesters but it would certainly pay for some. Even with the bills Snow's family already had. Tigris and grandma’am could have some small luxury with this amount. Thinking of that, Coriolanus signs the paper without a fuss.

“Can't I go back to the Capitol?” Coriolanus can't help but ask.

His question is answered with a simple shake of his head. “Your punishment isn't forgiven, I am afraid. There's nothing we can currently do about it without the appropriate permissions.” After that, the man walks out of the room leaving you and Snow behind.

“What he means is that you need to impress Dr. Gaul. And you have to do it real quick, Coryo,” you look into his eyes, your expression more serious than he ever saw, “Because I will be leaving in a few days and I don't know when I can come back.”

With that, even you walked out of the room before Coriolanus could confront you. Coriolanus looks at the empty office of Commander Hoff. He could see himself here in ten years or so if he remains a mere peacekeeper.

That's a future that he can't allow to come true.

NEXT PART

[lqveharrington]

Silver Roses & Fallen Snow

5: The Winner’s Guilt (Series Masterlist)

summary: Your father makes another deal, and Coriolanus Snow wins the 10th Annual Hunger Games, but Dean Highbottom won’t let him feel too good about it… Especially when he knows his weakness.

pairing: young!coriolanus snow x fem!reader

includes: reader’s dad being a dick, major fluff at the beginning, allusions to sex, kissing, death, mentions of murder, yelling/screaming, mentions of cheating, mentions of heartbreak, italics are flashbacks, bold italics are Coriolanus’ thoughts

word count: 4.4k+

a/n: oopsies, sorry for the long wait 😔 ALSO THIS STORY IS NOT OVER YET, DONT WORRY

Waking up and hearing your father’s nonsense about the Hunger Games was not the best way to start your morning as a mentor. Especially when your tribute had just survived the blood bath by the skin of her teeth and an ally. You really did not want to stay home any longer, but your father insisted that you stay and listen to his thoughts about the games, asking about your own thoughts and strategies on how you were going to get the young twelve-year-old to win.

“Mhm.” You nod mindlessly, poking your food in boredom. You were grateful for the food made by your wonderful staff, but your father was just ruining it.

“Be glad your sickly tribute had an alliance with the other District Eleven tribute. She would have been dead otherwise.”

You hum again, sipping from the tea this time. It took at least ten minutes before he switched the topic, something that made you want to listen to his speech about the Hunger Games instead.

“How are you and that young Snow doing?”

The question was out of the blue, which meant it was attached to something much worse afterward.

“We’re doing as fine as it always is.” You meet his eyes, the weight of your rose charm suddenly becoming prominent. “Why?”

“Can’t I take interest in my daughter’s relationship with a boy who isn’t worth anything?” Your father raised his brow, an entitled chuckle following. You glare at him, gaining his attention back. “You know his songbird won’t win. She barely escaped. And she’s friends with the other tribute who got bitten in the neck. They won’t make it out even if they tried. Plus, I know he would do anything to win, even if it means breaking a few rules—”

You shake your head, “Is this going anywhere? Or are we going to keep talking about the games?”

“Ah, you take after your mother.” He smiles at the memory before switching back to his authoritative tone. “I was speaking with Porcius Creed about his eldest son—”

“Father—”

“---And if all else fails with young Mr. Snow, he would be delighted to have his son wed you.” He finishes, looking at your expression with amusement. “What?”

“I hate you.” You seeth and push away from the dining table, taking your coat and leaving the Lovett Manor.

Your father had been talking about setting you up with another one of your peers after the games. You didn’t expect him to already arrange something without knowing if Coriolanus was going to win or not. Sure, his chances were slim, but you had the hope that he would win, even if that meant your tribute couldn’t. And it was hell knowing that if he lost you were stuck with Festus for the rest of your life. He wasn’t as bad as the other prospects your father had brought up, but there were others more worthy of you than Festus.

Including Coriolanus Snow.

There were several times when you knew you wanted to marry Coriolanus. You could be separated from him for months and still want to marry him. It was something you believed that would never change.

Lovett Manor was filled with the most prestigious families of the Capitol. Your father had invited almost everyone he was business partners with and those in control of the government. He had left little invitations for you to give out as the majority of them were already well acquainted with you through the Academy. Luckily, you were able to sneak an invite to the Snows, having the power to veto your father’s own opinions.

After all, it was your eighteenth birthday.

However, you had zero say in how your party was supposed to go. Your father had planned everything and hired the best staff to make the house and ballroom presentable for your birthday. All you did was watch from the living room and pick out a dress from the dozens your stylist brought in.

And with all the families present in the grand ballroom, you thought it would be best to sneak away while the party was still hot and heavy, taking quick steps up to your room.

Entering your room, you swung open the balcony doors to reveal the vast garden looming over the backyard. You could still hear the muffled songs playing from the ballroom from below as you leaned against your balcony’s concrete railings.

It felt like only a few minutes before someone came knocking on your door, making you release a heavy sigh.

“Yes?” You ask, body still facing away from your room.

“I haven’t seen you all night, beautiful.” Coriolanus entered, watching your eyes light up as you whipped around.

You smiled and let him pull you into an embrace, wrapping your arms around his torso. You tilt your head up, meeting his eyes. “Hey.”

“Hi.” He held you by the hand and twirled you around, admiring your figure. “You look stunning.”

Truth be told, the dress and makeup were truly beautiful. You wore an off-shoulder, silk red gown that cascaded down to the ground, with ruby earrings dangling and shining from the moonlight. Your lips were painted a daring red, matching your complexion beautifully. Not to mention the necklace hanging around your neck, which was Coriolanus’ favorite jewelry you’ve ever owned. But really, he loved the way you looked all the time.

“You look so beautiful.” He breathed almost intimately, his blue eyes now focusing on yours.

You continued to smile brightly, taking note of his matching outfit. You wondered how much Tigris had to spend just so he could look proper at your party. The thought gnawed in your mind for a bit before you snapped back, coming up with a quick compliment to cover your silence. “You look quite handsome yourself.”

A new song started up in the ballroom. A slower song preferably for the couples and single men your father wanted you to dance with. Coriolanus tilts his head at the music, a playful glint in his eyes as you raise a brow in curiosity.

Coriolanus formally extends his hand out to you, “Would you like to dance, beautiful?”

You shake your head with a small smile, placing your hand on top of his. “Of course, Coryo.”

He kisses the top of your hand and pulls you into a graceful waltz. One hand was placed delicately on your waist while the other held your hand that wasn’t holding onto his shoulder. He guided you effortlessly across your balcony, matching the song’s pace. You two spoke about your day and brought up memories from the past. It was refreshing to talk to someone you genuinely wanted to talk to.

“Thank you for the flowers.” You mention, remembering the orchids that were sent up to your room earlier while you were getting ready, Coriolanus’ handwriting scrawled on a piece of paper attached to it. “I love them.”

“I have another gift, but that won’t come until later.” He winked as he spun you around, watching your face flush red as he caught you.

“I hate you.” You bite back a smile, your heart wanting nothing more than to kiss and marry the man in front of you. You promised yourself you could never actually hate him. You knew there would never be a chance where you could have the strongest emotion to hate him.

He let a small smirk slip through, “You love me.”

“Yeah, I do.” You reply with the softest voice.

Coriolanus dipped you as the song came to an end, holding onto you tightly. “Happy birthday, my love.”

You smiled widely at him, knowing that he was the only one who completely swept you off your feet.

He pressed a loving kiss to your lips as you wrapped your arms around his neck. It seemed like fireworks went off in your stomach as the actual fireworks went off in the night sky, signifying the end of your birthday party.

“And Happy Anniversary,” Coriolanus spoke when he parted your lips briefly, gazing into your eyes filled with adoration.

By the time you snapped out of your memories, you arrived at the Capitol’s Citadel. You were unaware of how long you were disassociated with the world around you until the horns honking behind you grew more aggressive and loud. As you left the car and entered the impending building, whispers were going around of another tribute’s death. Many suspected it was another one of Coral’s, but you knew the truth and didn’t dare say a word about it.

Soon enough, Lucretius Flickerman announced the death of the tribute.

“Wakey wakey, my Capitol friends! I’m Lucky Flickerman and welcome to day number two of the Tenth Annual Hunger Games.” He introduces himself to the camera once more. “Now while most of you were getting your beauty sleep last night, something scintillating occurred. Bobbin, from District Eight, slaughtered.”

The screen flashed to the boy’s frozen body, the buzzer indicating the official death.

You bit the inside of your cheek, resting your hands on the back of your seat. You glanced around the huge room, looking for a particular blond when Lysistrata and Festus came over to where you stood, supposedly finding someone new to rope into their conversation about the fallen tribute.

“We have a question for you.” Festus clasped his hands together and pointed toward you. You blinked for a second, hoping that he wasn’t going to bring up anything your father recently told you. “Why do you think they wouldn’t show us the death of the young boy?”

You shrug and slip into the mask of a Capitol student with no care after realizing Festus didn’t know what his own father roped him into. “Maybe they lost the footage.”

“How can they? They were live all night.” Lysistrata furrowed her brows, glancing up at the screen. “Something is off.”

“Maybe they’re building suspense, Lyssie.” You silently thank whoever was in charge of the program for changing the camera feed. “Who knows what could have happened. Maybe the death was just too brutal.”

Festus shook his head like your thought wasn’t something practical. “Obviously it was one of Coral’s. Everyone else we’ve talked to said that no one else has moved throughout the night except her and the rest of her pack.”

You zoned out from their conversation as they started to argue more about the young boy, picking at your nails. The sounds around you meshed into one while the Citadel filled with Academy and University students, along with families of the remaining mentors. With your distracted self, you hadn’t realized Coriolanus arrived and was well aware of your disassociation.

“Good morning, beautiful.” Coriolanus slipped an arm around your waist as he left a quick kiss on your cheek. He quickly noticed you being absent-minded, rubbing soft circles in your waist. “What’s wrong?”

You hummed, taking his hand and lacing them together. “A lot of stuff.”

“You can’t be vague.” He clicks his tongue and lets you mess with his fingers. “What happened?”

You tilt your head up and peck his lips. “I love you a lot, you know that, right?”

“I do.” He murmurs, looking between your eyes. “I love you more than you realize… What did your father say to you?”

You fight the urge to roll your eyes at the mention of your father, cursing your boyfriend’s quick judgment. “I’ll tell you later.”

“Fine.” He gave you another quick kiss, unbuttoning his blazer. “What are they talking about?” He titled his head to the duo to your right.

“Tribute’s death.” You loop a finger around your necklace for a bit and then move your hand over to Coriolanus’ left shoulder, gently massaging as he tenses. “Are you feeling any better?”

He shrugs, “Hoping for everything to end today.”

You give his shoulder one last squeeze, “You better sit down. Flickerman looks like he’s gonna murder Festus for standing around.”

“I’ll talk to you later.” Coriolanus removed his arm from you and placed a brief kiss on your lips. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” You reciprocate.

Truly, you found it strange that Coriolanus became more attentive and doting toward you recently. But who were you to complain about your boyfriend’s sudden increase in affection?

You took your seat as the screen flashed to Jessup and Lucy Gray down in the same spot from last time. You weren’t interested too badly until the male tribute moved to attack Lucy Gray. You weren’t expecting it, nor did everyone else watching as gasps emerged from the stands. Everyone was fixated on the screen as the camera switched to the main part of the arena, capturing the chase.

“Jessup, going for Lucy Gray.” Flickerman commentates, more gasps and murmurs coming from the stands inside the Citadel.

You shifted your gaze over to your right, watching Coriolanus converse with Lysistrata. You knew he was trying to talk his way into getting his tribute to survive, but you were silently hoping Jessup took out Lucy Gray. You weren’t one to wish death upon someone, but the little memory locked in a chest started to break open the more you thought about your father’s words. However, you knew Jessup was done for the second you caught Lysistrata giving in to Coriolanus’ efforts.

She sent a drone out with water, the glass smashing against the tribute’s chest which sent panic to course through his body. Everyone watched as he tried to balance, but he fell over the concrete ledge and promptly died, the buzzer indicating the time of death. You watched as your peer walked out of the room with a broken face, avoiding the eyes of her classmates.

Your eyes flickered back to the screen as you heard the crowd’s murmur increase in volume. Lucy Gray was surrounded by Coral and her group and it felt like she had lost the game as more donations started to roll in for the other tributes. There were positives and negatives to Lucy Gray’s life in the games. If Lucy Gray died now, you would be stuck with Festus. If she survived and won, you were sure you would be stuck with seeing red everywhere, even if you had Coriolanus to yourself.

And as if he heard your thoughts, Festus looked over at you and then to Coriolanus, watching both of your faces to find any change emotionally.

“Oh, look at this! The pack doing what they do best, packing it in!” Flickerman switches his gaze over to the mentors as he hears a computer switching keys. “Mr. Snow going for his community packages.”

You reach up for your necklace’s charm, watching as the horrid drones come pouring into the arena and smashing into the tributes. You were thankful that Dill was safe and away from the chaos that happened within a span of just a few minutes. If anything, you would rather have Dill stay hidden for the rest of the games and let everyone else fight for their lives.

“Hey! You can’t attack the tributes.” Vipsania stood from her seat, all heads turning toward her and then to Coriolanus.

“I’m just sending water.” Coriolanus shrugs, looking at you for a split second in amusement.

Honestly, you were on the verge of letting a small laugh out at his response. Of course, he used the drones to attack the tributes, but what they don’t know can’t hurt them, right?

Instead of looking back at the screen like the rest of your classmates did, you let your eyes train on Coriolanus. He was just so immersed in the live feed and you couldn’t help yourself. His tongue would slightly poke out and his eyebrows would furrow every couple seconds. It would have been cute if you weren’t mentoring the Hunger Games or if there wasn’t a buzzer just now.

When you said you were going to study with Coriolanus, you weren’t thinking that you were going to study for the next four hours after class ended. You studied for about thirty solid minutes before you started to lose focus.

You shifted your attention from the Latin textbook in your lap to the blond next to you. You smiled at the sight. He was focused on reading a passage in Latin that he didn’t realize his tongue was poking out with the scrunch of his nose and brows.

“Coryo.” You shifted from your spot on his bed, sitting up as he hummed. “Do you know you look like an angry kitten when you read?”

“Pardon?” He looked up at you, watching your eyes shine in delight.

“Well, you make a face that looks like an angry kitten whenever you focus on something…” You hide your face behind his shoulder, suppressing a short laugh. “Never mind.”

Coriolanus swore his heart skipped a beat at your laughter, falling deeper and deeper in love with you each day. “Beautiful, I won’t be compared to an angry kitten outside of this conversation.”

“Fine.” You bite back a smile as you peer up at him from your spot. “But I’ll be thinking about it whenever I see you do it. It’s cute.”

He felt the tips of his ear warm at your words, “It’s not cute.”

“It is.” You peck his cheek. “It so is. I’ll take a picture of it one day and print it for you.”

“Again, falling. Ending a tribute’s game.”

Your attention shifted back to the screen as Lucy Gray ran up into the fallen stands and into the air ducts. The second she locked herself in there, another buzzer went off moments later.

Coral killed one from her pack. Despite having an alliance together, she had zero hesitation to turn against someone to prove her worth and not let anyone get in her way.

“Seven tributes remain. Merciless Mizzen, cunning Coral, treacherous Treech. Dill, Reaper, of course, and the little ones. Little Wovey and Lucy Gray.”

You blew a small breath out, watching as Coral and her pack left to get Wovey. You felt bad for the poor girl, but you would rather have them after anyone else who wasn’t your own tribute. You shut your eyes for a moment, but you could sense something bad was about to happen with all the silence filling the room.

“And who do we have here? Ah, it’s ill Dill. Tuberculosis on legs.”

Your eyes immediately shoot open as you hear your tribute’s name being called. You wish she could have at least waited for Reaper to go with her out in the arena. She had no weapon, and it wasn’t practical to be in the Hunger Games without a weapon. You were just praying that no one would see her, hoping that she could get the water and go.

She looked around the arena before taking a sip from the water left by the pack. Dill placed it back down and coughed a fit, something that confused you. She was coughing a lot more than the other day. You creased your brows as she moved to lay down on the ground, continually coughing. You swore she was better before she entered the arena. And if she wasn’t, you gave her medicine to take during the games.

Coriolanus dropped his gaze down from the screen and glanced over to you, knowing the truth of what happened to the girl. He knew that your tribute already lost the games by drinking the water.

You watched as Reaper came running across the screen, shaking her awake before dread spread through your body as he flipped her over. He screamed, looking around the arena.

“No no no no no no.” You mumble, eyes glazed over. “How did that even—? No no no no no—“

The buzzer went off. Officially indicating the death of your tribute. You bit your tongue and left, not daring to look back at the screen where your tribute lay dead or meet your lover’s eyes which were burning into you.

You stepped out of the room and leaned against the wall, holding back sobs for the young girl. You promised yourself you would get Dill out, and you couldn’t even keep it. Mentoring the games increased your hatred for them, but the deaths of each tribute shot the hatred far past the point of return. You wiped stray tears that managed to get away from you, the tears darkening your red Academy uniform. You were about to head back to Lovett Manor when you heard someone clearing their throat beside you, making you freeze your movements. You saw Dean Highbottom waiting for you with what seemed like a videotape in his hand labeled: NIGHT 3, CAPITOL ZOO.

Fireworks went off in the early evening as Coriolanus entered one of the most important Capitol buildings. He was instructed that his tribute was waiting for him inside, but he still wanted to find you. You were not present when he won the Hunger Games and no one knew where you went.

Until now.

“Lucy Gray?” Coriolanus called out in the monumental room, the peacekeepers escorting him waiting by the front. “Lucy Gray?” He called one more time, voice echoing.

He slowly spun around looking at the table in front of him, the color draining from his face as he saw his father’s handkerchief and his mother’s compact. Albeit confused as to why a television was placed amongst them.

“Coriolanus.” Your own voice reverberated around the room, entering the room with your own pair of peacekeepers.

“Beautiful,” He loosened his tense shoulders, smiling at your presence. “Where were you? I—“

“I heard you won.” You frown, walking over to him. “Congratulations.”

He creased his brows at the way you carried yourself. It was different. “What’s wrong—“

“You cheated, Coriolanus.” You glance at the items laid across the table, tapping the videotape the dean gave you against your palm. “You know that’s against the rules.”

“Yes, but—“ Then he cut himself off as he noticed your puffy, bloodshot eyes. He knew were crying for a while if they had gotten to that state.

“You cheated.” You said again. This time, your voice trembled at the thought. “Was I ever going to know?”

Coriolanus kept quiet, waiting for you to continue. There was no way you knew about it… Right?

“Coriolanus, when?” You quickly wipe a falling tear, keeping your composure up.

“Never.” He spoke as he reached out to you. “But it was all for you! I don’t—“

You pull away from his touch, shoving the tape down onto the table. “Play the tape, Coriolanus.”

He sighed, taking the recording and putting it inside the slot, the television coming to life.

The video that was played was a recording from the Capitol Zoo. And according to the timestamp at the top, yesterday.

You couldn’t watch the screen even if you tried. You knew that if you did, there was no coming back from breaking down and sobbing for what seemed like the nth time today.

“Beautiful…” Coriolanus runs a hair through his hand, watching the tape. “That kiss with Lucy Gray meant nothing.”

Apparently watching it happen and hearing it coming from your lover’s mouth was entirely different because you snapped the second he mentioned those three words in one sentence.

“You kissed Lucy Gray, Coriolanus!” You yell, tears now free-falling from your face. His eyes widened at your tone, looking between your fiery eyes. “You kissed her so you could win! You manipulated the poor girl! You thought I wouldn’t find out about this? You gave her your mother’s compact filled with poison and it killed my tribute! It’s not—”

You took deep breaths, shutting your eyes as your heart slowly broke with each second passing he said nothing.

“Do you want to know why I was upset earlier, Coriolanus?” You quickly wipe a tear. “Because my father and Festus’ father agreed to let me wed Festus if you didn’t win. You won, but at what cost?”

He wanted to comfort you, but the second he touched you, it was all over. He knew that his touch would be unwelcome.

“You kissed Lucy Gray when you promised I was your top priority.” You disregarded the few tears that continued to pour out of your eyes. “You kissed her when you promised wherever we go, you stayed with me.” You bite your lip, looking down at the floor, almost whispering the next words. “You kissed Lucy Gray when we were together like I meant nothing to you.”

“Were?” Coriolanus questioned your use of the past tense to reference your relationship status. “What do you mean were?”

You flicker your eyes up to his, “As in we were together. Coriolanus, you cheated on me. And no, we can’t just fix this issue this time or forget about it. You could have come up with any other way of getting Lucy Gray to win, but you chose one that could hurt me…” You crease your brows at the inflection of your words. “And it did. You think you did the right thing, but choosing to kiss someone else to be with another is not how this works.”

“Beautiful…”

“I can’t.” You murmur, unclasping the necklace off of you and handing it over to him. “You can’t expect me to stay with you after you cheated on me. After you reassured me that you weren’t acting a certain way with Lucy Gray.”

He paled as the necklace fell into his palm, the weight of the silver burning his hand like the burden it was. “You know I never meant it like that. I wanted to win for you.”

“I know.” You gave him a bitter smile at the thought of your father’s deal, calming yourself from your earlier reactions.

Coriolanus wrapped his fingers around the hot necklace, watching you become more and more distant with him. “You know I love you, right?”

“I know.” You replied as the peacekeepers signaled for you to wrap it up. You let out a shaky breath as one last tear fell from your face, getting ready to leave before Highbottom came.

Coriolanus couldn’t help but wipe it off, causing you to frown at his cold touch. “Please.”

You take a hold of his hand, squeezing it. “Coriolanus… It’s not fair to myself.”

Before you could leave, Coriolanus pulled you into his arms, one hand holding your hip while the other held your back. He kissed the top of your head, “I’m sorry, beautiful.”

You choke back a sob that threatened to escape, bringing your hands to your mouth. You knew you had to leave, but it wasn’t like you could leave his embrace. It gave you comfort even if you didn’t want it from him. And he held you. After everything, you let him hold you tightly.

Everything was wrong. The wrong place at the wrong time. And the only thing that both you and Coriolanus felt as you left him was fallen snow melting on burning silver.

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[rosewine-5]

Eyes Never Lie: Part II

gif made by thorinsbeard

Coriolanus Snow x b!woc reader

(Contains spoilers for T. B . O. S. A. S.)

summary: Being friends with Coriolanus for a long time lets you what drives him to succeed and survive. You've also gained the insight to guess how he's feeling or what he's about to say just by the expression on his face. But only things that you could never decipher were the thoughts behind his eyes.

A.N: Part 2 is here!

word count: 5.4k

divider made by firefly-graphics

Turns out you were right. As soon as the both of you walked in, Dean Highbottom threatened to expel Coriolanus. They got into an exchange. “And then you, little miss. You’re not even in the competition, what were you doing there?” He asked, turning towards you. “Helping a friend, is it a crime?” You shot back, meeting his stare. That was when Senjaus jumped in, “They didn’t show those people anything they didn’t already know.”

“I don’t need your help, Sejanus.” Coriolanus whispered while you gave him a “thank you.” “That the tributes are human beings, just like us. That’s why nobody wants to watch the games—because people know, deep down, that winning a war ten years ago doesn’t justify starving people’s children, taking away their freedoms, their rights.” You could see Dean Highbottom roll his eyes while your mouth almost fell open. He’s never sounded this passionate before. Let alone so serious.

That was when an all too familiar voice interrupted the moment. “Snow and his rose fell down in the cage. It fell down in the cage but it landed….” She dragged out, looking between you and Coriolanus “On stage.” The both of you said in unison. “You’re good at Games. Maybe one day, you’ll be a Gamemaker like me.”

“If the games continue at all.” Dean Highbottom cut in. “Oh, they’ll continue. With performances like young Mr. Snow’s and my pupil’s in that zoo.” She said a smile that could only be described as sinister. “But I came here to ask your star mentor and my student a question: What are the hunger games for?”

You and Coriolanus shared a look but he spoke up first, “They’re to punish the districts for their uprising, to commemorate the end of the war-.” “Commemorate the dull, dull, dull.” She said, interrupting him and slightly poking fun at him.

“Punishment can take myriad forms. Why not drop bombs, cancel food shipments, stage executions?” Dr. Gaul then looked to you, “And you, my student, what are the hunger games for? Shit. After a moment, you sighed, “A reminder, a way of saying you should never undermine the strength of the capitol, as well as the power.” She nodded her head, a nod of approval.

“Why Games?” Sejanus chipped in. “Here we go.” you thought. “Shouldn’t we be asking ourselves whether or not they’re right in the first place?” Sejanus asked. “You have a problem with my games?” Dr Gaul asked, a small smirk growing on her face.

“Some of those kids were two years old when the war ended. The oldest of them were only eight. The Capitol is supposed to be everyone’s government now. It is supposed to protect all of us. I don’t see how making children fight each other to the death is protecting anyone.” Sejanus said.

That was when you drowned everyone out for a minute. Between the back and forth of Sejanus, Dr. Gaul’s crazy ass, High-as-a-kite Bottom staring all 3 of you down and Arachne side-eyeing you and Coriolanus, you were five seconds away from dropping out when Corio’s voice caught your attention.

“Maybe we should be viewing those tributes as human beings,” He said, looking at Dr. Gaul, “I mean, you saw those kids in the zoo, they just, they just wanted to get to know Lucy Gray.” He had a point. The children had a genuine interest in Lucy. “If she could interest a child, imagine what she could attract from the Capitol.” You thought.

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

He had a good point, as he usually did.

“Who will watch the Games if they care what happens to the tributes?” Dr. Gaul asked, a blank face on her face but an amused edge in her voice. “Everyone.” You said, chipping in, standing up and facing Dr. Gaul alongside Coriolanus. “If they thought the tribute they cared about had a chance of winning. People need someone to root for and someone to root against.” You said, giving a quick look to Corio to see if he wanted you to continue, which he did.

“We need them to invest. And if we bend a few Capitol laws, we could even have them place bets.” You avoided Sejanus’ stare as you took a breath before continuing, “I know Lucy Gray may not win in the arena, but if you give her a chance, I would bet the Plinth Prize that she can win people’s attention.” You said, giving a Quick Look to your classmates just as Dr. Gaul gave an approving look to the both of you. “I’d like you to write up a proposal of these thoughts tonight, Mr. Snow.” Dr Gaul said, giving him the stamp of approval.

“Wait. You mean you might use his ideas?” Clemensia asked. “If it’ll help the ratings, why not.” Dr. Gaul said, a smirk on her face. “Coriolanus and I are class partners, Dr. Gaul. We do all of our assignments together.” She said, standing up. “Way to make me feel loved, Clemmie.” You thought since you 3 worked together on multiple occasions. Dr. Gaul then let out one of her signature chuckles before looking between her, Corio, and one glance at you, “It’ll be an interesting test.” And then she left the room.

After class it was lunch, and you couldn’t leave the classroom fast enough. As you grabbed your tray, the thought of Lucy passed your mind. Do they even feed the tributes? You thought. Before anyone could see you, you wrapped your lunch in a napkin, grabbed an extra water bottle, and walked out of the academy, set for the zoo. You wove between other Capitol citizens as you approached the bars, you immediately spotted the color dress of Lucy and called out to her. Her head immediately turned and began to walk towards you, Jessup not too far behind her.

“What brings you here, again?” She asked as you uncovered the napkin and sat down. You passed it to her through the bar. “Lunch.” Lucy sat down and you saw another tribute stand behind her, “This here is Jessup Diggs.” You nodded to him, but he only stared blankly back. As she took the food, she handed some to Jessup, who soon walked away. You decided to not speak up about the bite on his neck as Lucy talked up before you had the chance to open your mouth.

“You know, you’re an odd one, curious even. Ya don’t have a tribute but here every day.” Lucy Gray said, taking a bite of the sandwich you gave her, making you hum. “We all have assignments, I just got one different from everyone else.” “Why you, may I ask?” She asked with a smile on her face, making you chuckle. “I’ll tell you later.” You joked, making her smirk.

“So, Calanthe, how’d you end up without a tribute?” She asked again, making your head snap up. “What’s you call me?” You asked, making her shrug. “Calanthe, that’s your name, ain’t it?” She asked, making you shake your head. “It’s just a nickname Coriolanus gave me one day.” Making her raise an eyebrow. “Hmmm.” She hummed, taking another bite.

“So, that song you sang, did you make it up on the spot, or did you have it memorized?” You asked, making her nod. “Back home I’m a performer in the Covey, it’s one of my favorites. Hell of a place too, singing ‘n dancing,” she said before looking up at you, “come and swing by, have a drink and a dance one day, sing your little heart out too.” You scoffed, rolling your eyes. “You play too?” You asked, her nodding in response. “I play the strings,” She joked, “What about you?” “I can play a bit of a tune.” You shrugged, “I guess I can carry a note as well.” “Anyone can sing, try it.”She said. “Not me. I’m not the best.” You said, shaking you head. “And sing a spell.” Lucy said, scooting closer to the bars and looking at you, a clear sign she wasn’t taking no for an answer.

So you put your water bottle down and started singing.

You come home late, fall on your cot.

You smell like something that money bought.

We don’t have cash, or so you say.

So where did you get it and how’d you pay?

Lucy then gave you a small clap, making you flip her the bird. “You know, you make the Capitol people look good.” “Oh, don’t think that.” You said, whispering the last part to her. “ right, you’re special.” Lucy said, looking at you. “Really, and what makes me so special,” You asked. “Hmmm, I’ll tell you later,” Lucy said, repeating the answer you said earlier, making the both of you laugh.

After a moment, you looked at Lucy, analyzing her. “You’re not like they say.” You said. This made her raise an eyebrow, “And what do they say about me, since they know everything?” Lucy asked, taking a drink from the water. “Some say you’re insane, others say you’re a wildcard, even a clown.”

You said, adding the snide remark Arachne made. “And what do you think I am?” She asked you. “I haven’t found out yet, you’re officially my second mystery person sweetheart.” You stated a playful grin on your face.

“Who took the number one spot from me?” Lucy asked looking at you for a brief moment before they wandered behind you, looking at Coriolanus approaching the both of you. “That guy.” You said, nodding to Corio. He came forward with his napkin of lunch and offered it to Lucy, who then offered half of it to Jessup. “I’m not hungry.” He said. “You think I can’t hear your stomach grumbling Jessup Diggs?” She asked, giving him a sharp look. As he took it and gave the both of you a long stare, he turned and walked away, letting Corio see the bite on his neck.

“What happened to his neck?” He asked, looking between you and Lucy. “A bat bite. The first night on the train, he didn’t sleep a wink the whole journey ’cause he was keeping the bats off me, so I would get some rest.” She answered, her words trailing off when all 3 of you turned to watch Arachne taunt her tribute with a drink. “One thing I learned in 12 is that hunger is a weapon. Your friend over there sure knows it.” She said, keeping her eyes on her. “She’s not my friend, she’s poison with perfect teeth.” Coriolanus said, making you snicker.

For a moment you looked around at the tributes, zoning out of their conversation. You learned this skill during the war, drowning out the sound of the outside world to stay inside the peaceful silence of your head. It’s how you stayed sane as a child. With the sound of bombs and the agonizing wails from the dying and tortured outside, your mother taught you how to drown out the noise. You were successful, most of the time. But sometimes the screams would cut themselves short, reason unbeknownst to you. Sometimes you used it when your parents would nag, or when Dean Highbottom got on your last nerve.

Somewhere in between drowning out the noise, someone grabbed your hand, snapping you out of your haze. “You’re doing it again,” Coriolanus whispered, looking up at you now. When the hell did they sit down? “Sorry.” You said, apologizing to both of them. “Your friend here was just telling me how he ate a whole jar of paste during the war.” Lucy said a small grin on her face. She then turned to the young tribute, Wovey.

“That little one. She’s so sweet. So young.

Something about her reminds me of my cousin Maude Ivory.” She said, a sorrowful tone in her voice, “I can’t stand to think of them without me like this.” She said, talking about her family. “I’m sorry.” Coriolanus whispered in response. For a moment, all three of you sat in silence before Lucy broke it. “You two seem like good people.” She said, looking between the two of you. “Sure would’ve been nice to meet under different circumstances.” She said, a smile visible on her face.

“One of your shows maybe.” You said, her nodding in response. “Yeah. We could have had a drink. A dance or two. Like we had all the time in the world.” She said, smiling at the two of you. At that moment, Arachne’s scream cut through the air, making your head snap to hers. Her tribute had her by the neck as she took the bottle, smashed it, and stabbed it into her neck. Without thinking you ran towards her while others recoiled and even ran. “Oh no, no, no, no.” You said to yourself, trying to stay calm.

As you pressed your hand to the wound on her neck, the blood slowly seeped through as she grabbed your shirt in vain, “It’s okay, it’s okay.” You whispered, trying to give her some comfort, before you yelled again, “Medic! Someone help her, please!” That was when Coriolanus ran beside you and also tried to help you. “Somebody help us, please!” Coriolanus yelled before you saw peacekeepers approaching. For a second you thought they were there to help Arachne, but instead, they aimed and fired at her tribute. You felt Coriolanus cover you as you covered Arachne.

You knew they were aiming at her tribute, when they fired you knew she was dead. As you kept your head ducked, you saw the blood from Arachne’s neck and her tributes mixed on the ground, almost making you puke at the sight.

The rest of the world seemed to fade away as your mind began to flood with the screams of Arachne, the screams from the war, it hit you light a freight train. And it wouldn’t stop. You finally looked at your hands to see nothing but red, deep red. If you didn’t know any better, your hands matched your uniform, your bloody hands.

You were suddenly pulled back, in a firm but gentle manner, but as you snapped out of your trance, you realized it was a peacekeeper. That was when the world exploded with more screams, this time of the people in the zoo. People screaming in horror, seeing a murder in front of their eyes. In between the chaos, you were able to see the medics carry Arachne away on a stretcher, and away from her crime scene. Suddenly, someone shook you, making you scream, taking you out of your shock.

A woman was looking at your hands, asking if the blood was yours. After she realized it wasn’t, she put a towel in your hand and walked away from you. That was when you finally got another look at your hands, the blood had dried in those few moments, now dark. The sound of Arachne’s final breath and the blood burbling came back to you, audible over the distant screams of the Capitol citizens.

Suddenly, a hand reached for your face and made you look up. You were met with the worried look of Coriolanus, and for the first time, you were able to open your mouth. “I couldn’t save her.” You whispered. “I know, I’m sorry.” He said, beginning to walk you down the main path out of the park. You threw one last look over your shoulder, finding Lucy looking down at the ground, and refusing to tear her eyes away.

The two of you are soon joined by Festus and Sejanus as all of you are ushered out of the zoo. Clemensia soon joined the party, giving you a soft look before waking beside you. Sejanus’ hand reached for yours, but you yanked it away, remembering you still had blood on it. As you all passed a water fountain, you froze. Not saying a word, you walked up to it, and let the water run over your hands, the red slowly pooling around the drain as you washed it away.

The scarlet stained the clear and clean water, now tainted by the blood of Arachne, slain by her starving tribute. At that moment another person joined you, Sejanus. He had the towel the woman gave you. Except his hands were clean, why was he here? He let the towel hit the water and brought it to your face, dabbing it to your left cheek. When he pulled the towel back, small dots of red were on the fabric. He then used the dry portion of the towel to dry your hands before leading you back to the group.

As they got close to Coriolanus’ residence, you turned to him, seeing him starting to tear up, and you held his hand. “Do you think Dr. Gaul will still want the proposal?” Clemensia asked, breaking the silence. “I doubt it.” You answered, her nodding in response. You saw the tears brimming her face, knowing she didn’t want to think about it tonight, especially with the death of Arachne. As the rest of them walked on, you walked Coriolanus up to the penthouse. You told Sejanus to tell your parents you were staying over for a while, and he understood.

Grandma’am jumped as soon as she saw the two of you, fretting and almost in a panic. You consoled her as you saw Coriolanus walk to the shower. As you finally let her go back to picking a dress for her funeral, you heard Coriolanus call your name. When you walked into his room, he was in one of his father’s robes, and writing the proposal. “I thought you weren’t gonna work on it, Clemensia isn’t here.” You said. “I just want to take my mind off of the mess today. You need to as well.” He said, holding your hand before kissing it, offering you a bit of comfort.

You then sat on his bed and sighed, holding your head in your hands. “Okay, I’ll do my best.” You said, taking a deep breath and looking at the ground. For the first 20 minutes, the both of you didn’t say a word, but you kept your eyes on the ceiling, having laid back on the bed, lounging. As you attempted to silence the memory of the blood bubbling from Arachne’s throat, her scream would cut through your memory. When you tried to shut that sound out, the smell of her blood on your hands came to your senses. It was a never-ending sparring match, and you were losing every round.

“You got any ideas you want to add to this?” He suddenly asked, not looking up from the paper. That freed you from your thoughts, and you looked towards him only for him to do the same action. It took a while for your mind to come up with several ideas to propose. After a minute or two, you spoke up, “Food and water for the tributes, they’re in there to fight to the death, but they don’t need to starve while they’re at it.” You said, remembering how Lucy ate her food earlier today. “Meanwhile people throw away most of their food in the Capitol.” You thought.

“I was thinking the same thing, but how?” He asked, turning completely towards you now. “Well peacekeepers won’t do it, even though they have guns the tributes could sneak up on them.” You said, making Coriolanus scoff at the thought. Then the idea struck in both of your minds, “Drones.” Your voices mixed, making you crack a smile and a laugh for the first time since you left the zoo. Coriolanus was looking at you, a soft look on his face and a smile to match it.

“What?” You asked, leaning on your arm to look back at him. “It’s nothing.” He said, the smile never leaving his face. “If it’s on your mind, it’s something to me.” You responded, urging him to answer your question. “This reminds me of our study sessions.” He said, his grin getting bigger at the memory. Over the next hour, you and Corio bounced ideas off of each other, something veering off-topic to debate if the idea would be too much of a hassle to add on such short notice. He then gave you the proposal to read over, being his final check before he was done.

“Looks perfect to me.” You said and then took a pencil, checking for spelling mistakes. “Welp, you missed dotting one I, other than that, you’re good.” You said, holding the paper down and correcting the mistake. When you turned around, you didn’t realize he had taken the robe off and stood at the door. “Can I walk you home?” He asked. You shook your head, “I’ll be fine, Coriolanus.” You said, sliding past him. He then held your arm before making you look up at him.

“Don’t lie to me.” He whispered in a firmer tone. “I’m walking you home, whether you like it or not.” Most of the walk was in silence, but you kept a firm hold on his hand, a silent comfort for the bout of you. As you got to your doorstep, you finally broke down completely. You leaned on the door and let the tears fall. You hit your hand on the wooden door several times, hard. “Damn you Arachne.” You sobbed, hitting your hand on the door once more.

Coriolanus hand then turned you away from the door and into his chest before wrapping around you. One of his hands held your head while the other rubbed your back. You heard him whisper words of comfort to you, but they sounded distant, the memory of her scream weakening the sound of his words. Only the sound of the door opening made you snap out of it. “Thank god you’re alright.” Your mother said, looking at the two of you. You felt Coriolanus kiss the top of your head before letting your mother hug you, looking over you.

You were led into the house while your father closed the door, sharing a look with Coriolanus before walking back to you. “Those damn animals, all of them.” He said in a pissed tone. “I’m just glad you and Coriolanus tried to help that poor girl.” Your mother said, caressing your head and your braids. What? Your head slowly raised to hers, “How did you know? Has word spread that fast?” You asked, looking to your mother and then your father. “They even showed some of the footage. You looked like a real hero, darling.” He said, nodding to the TV, catching the end of the segment.

While you did have a scared look on your face, you could see the serious look in your eyes, holding the wound while Coriolanus looked like he had next to no fear on his face at all. “A hero?” You said, scoffing at his choice of words. “Herod save people, Father. Arachne Crane is dead.” You said, moving out of your mother’s hands and going up to your room. As you showered, the water reminded you of the sound her blood made while bubbling out of her neck, your tears mixing with the water hitting your skin.

You barely got sleep that night, the endless nightmare of the zoo haunting you every time you got a minute of sleep. The next time you woke up, you stayed up, refusing to go back to sleep, no matter how exhausted you felt. You took the quickest shower of your life, made yourself eat breakfast, ignored the stares of your parents, and walked to school. You didn’t even try and wait for Corio, you just walked past his residence and straight to the academy.

When you got there, it didn’t get better. An assembly, and tried to stay in the back. “Calanthe.” Coriolanus whispered, finally finding you. “Hey.” You said in a hushed tone. “Why didn’t you walk with me today?” He asked, a worried look in his eyes. “Didn’t get much sleep, I decided to head out early today.” You answered, keeping your eyes on the podium. He nodded a look of understanding in his eyes. Before he could say anything else, a voice in the microphone interrupted him.

“Good morning, students.” A woman said one you recognized. Satyria Click, the communications professor. You heard her speaking, but your mind began to wander off, the lack of sleep making you drowsy. You leaned on Coriolanus's shoulder and he wrapped his arm around you, keeping you secure so you wouldn’t fall. You didn’t realize you had drifted off when he shook you, and your eyes snapped open. “Assembly’s over.” He whispered as you straightened up. After covering up a yawn, you offered him a thank you and stood up.

“Excuse me, Dr. Gaul is requesting your presence.” Someone in a lab uniform said, standing right beside Coriolanus. You gave his hand a brief squeeze before following the woman. You followed the woman into the lab but didn’t see Dr. Gaul. “Mysterious as always, making her presence known.” You thought.

“Yes, yes, yes. The innocent spring flower has tasted her first kiss of death.” Her voice spoke, echoing through the room. She then walked from behind the other portion of the lab and made an appearance. She had a blank look on her face. “While your classmates mentor their tributes, you will assist me here, learning everything I will teach you.” She said, holding her hands open. You slowly walked forward then followed her past her desk to a large cylinder of snakes.

“My newest batch of children.” She said, nodding at the colorful collage of snakes. You got closer, watching the snakes move and the color with them. “Pretty.” You commented before looking up at her and following her up the stairs. You then looked down at the open compartment of the cylinder and saw 3 pieces of paper. As you looked closer, you noticed it was the paper Coriolanus wrote up last night. “While I was reading the proposal Mr. Snow and Ms. Dovecote wrote, it slipped from my hands. Would you mind retrieving one of the papers for me?” She asked, an unrecognizable look on her face.

You slowly reached down, the snakes moving around your hand. Slowly you were able to get one of the pages in between your fingers just as one snake wrapped around your left arm. As you came up, he rested around your arm as you handed one of the papers to Dr. Gaul. She had a raised eyebrow and a smirk on her face, “Good job, little flower.” She said, taking the paper from you. The snake soon wrapped around your neck, and soon around your right arm, moving around your collarbone. “Call them in.” You heard Dr. Gaul say. You then lowered the snake back into the cylinder and tried to get the other papers out.

“Leave them, you’ve done enough for the moment.” She said her signature dark grin on her face. “Sweet little things, those snakes.” You said, closing the hatch back up. “Sweet and deadly.” She said, making you freeze. Deadly? She then turned away from you as you heard new sets of footprints come into the lab. “Mr. Snow, Ms. Dovecote, come and see my new babies.” She said and walked back towards you. You stayed still as they approached you, Coriolanus giving you a confused look, to which you shrugged.

“Is there a point to the color?” Clemensia asked. “There’s a point to everything, Ms. Dovecote, or to nothing at all. Which brings me neatly to your proposal: which one of you actually wrote it?” She asked, leaning her arm on the lid.

Oh shit, she knew.

You shared a brief look between the two of them, a longer look was given to Coriolanus, egging him on to talk. Before he had a chance to speak a full sentence, Clemensia spoke up, “I was inspired by Coriolanus yesterday, of course. His little betting idea. But the sponsorships and the gifts in the arena, those were all mine.” “You bitch” you thought to yourself, your mouth falling open at her lie. “Clemmie?” You softly spoke, looking at her. Dr. Gaul ignored you as she stopped twirling her hair and her raised arm fell.

“So it’s your sweaty handwriting on that page?” She asked, all while Clemmie only smiled at her. “Very impressive, Ms. Dovecote,” Dr. Gaul said, only for her tone to change, “Unfortunately, my assistant mistook it for trash this morning and lined the shelf of this very terrarium with it.” She said as she opened the hatch, letting them see the snakes. “So, please, Ms. Dovecote, retrieve it for us, won’t you? So we might all consider your inspired ideas.” Dr. Gaul asked, a playful tone on the edge of her voice.

She then reached down and picked up a snake, “Don’t worry, my little predators are perfectly docile with those they can trust.” She let the snake wrap around her hand as she continued to talk, “So if they’re used to your scent, if you’ve handled their food, for example, or if they’ve inhaled the sweat of your palm on a page, they’ll leave you alone.”

She then let her hand go towards your arm that was on the lid and let the snake wrap around your arm and hand before taking it back and lowering it into the terrarium. “A new scent, however,” she said, a dramatic tone in her voice as she sighed and turned to Clemensia, “you’d be on your own, little girl.” “Retrieve it.” She demanded, she said in a sharper voice. You all could see the scared look on her face as she slowly lowered her hand down into the terrarium. “Clemmie.” Coriolanus warned, trying to get her to stop. As her hand got lower, you knew the inevitable was coming, and soon it did.

Clemensia suddenly ripped her hand from the terrarium as she screamed, a snake at the end of her hand. “Clem!” You shouted as you tried to reach for her, Coriolanus doing the same, but Dr. Gaul stopped the both of you as she hit the floor, the snake slithering away. Her scream echoed around the room soon followed by her gasp for air, a new sound to haunt your thoughts being born in front of you.

“You asked about the colors, Ms. Dovecote?” She asked, looking down at her in disgust. “I want my enemies to see a rainbow of destruction engulfing the world.” She said as someone injected Clemmie with something as she was dragged away by peacekeepers. You didn’t realize you were following her before Dr. Gaul pulled you across her body, practically shoving you into Coriolanus. “I’m not above using spectacle to create a little terror. A strategy your classmates here articulated very well in their proposal.” She said, turning towards the both of you.

“They’re good, your suggestions. I’m going to recommend my team implement as many as possible tomorrow.” She said, looking between the two of you, but got no response. “What?” She asked. “Will she die?” Coriolanus asked, looking at her as he wrapped an arm around your stomach in a protective manner. “The pleasure in breaking ground in one’s research is one gets to find out.” She said in a nonchalant voice. Your eyes began to water, “Clemmie might die” you thought. “You better keep Ms. Dovecote’s fate between us. I don’t think her mother would be happy to learn how she caught this sudden… flu.” Dr. Gaul said, shrugging at the thought.

She then spoke up before either of you had a chance to protest, “Now run along, both of you. You have an arena to promote and it’s time for my milk and crackers.” She said, dismissing the both of you before turning away. Coriolanus led you out of the lab as you wiped your eyes. “I, I didn’t know about the snakes.” You said, your voice cracking. “I know, goddamnit.” He sighed, rubbing your side. “That's two,” You said, looking up at him, “That’s two friends we’ve lost in 24 hours.”

“We don’t know if she’ll die.” Coriolanus said, looking down into your eyes. “We don’t know if she’ll be alright either. Those aren’t garden snakes, Corio, they’re Gaul’s, they’re deadly!” You shouted, snapping at him. You then took a deep breath, “I’m sorry. I’m just getting tired of these games.” You said. “Which ones? Dr. Gaul’s or the hunger games?” He asked. “All of it.” You said, then turned your head to the lab and then back to him. “You go on back to class.” You said, squaring your shoulders and going towards the closest hospital, and he was close behind you. When you ran in, you were immediately met with the screams of Clemensia. You tried to see her, but the doctors wouldn’t let either of you see her.

You finally left when her parents arrived, running inside not even realizing you two were passing. You only had one more thought as Coriolanus took you in his arms once more: how many more friends would you lose to these games?

[justtogetthrough]

When Dr Gaul tells Snow she erased the 10th Hunger Games because it was a mistake to bring the students into it, all the ones who died make the Capitol look weak. But all those deaths will be for naught if the 10th games will have never existed after the fact, after so many children died. But not just the student-mentors’ deaths were for naught. The deaths of the 23 tributes (24?) too. Wasteful. None of those kids needed to die that year if it’s like the game never happened in the end. How tragic for their families. At least with the games replayed and on record, their lives continue to be known. All 24 tributes are just wiped off the face of history, starting the day after the games ended.

I wonder if Snow went home after that visit with Gaul and thought about this waste. He tells Katniss decades later he has no problem killing children, but he’s never wasteful. The subject of waste is material for a Gaul assignment if we’d had more glimpses of his internship with her. I feel like that was a “value” (for… death traps) he grew to give a lot of weight to. It shaped his moves. Kill, but not wastefully. And oh, 10th was such a waste. A waste of children AND a waste of feeling love, of connecting with someone, of hopes and dreams, of opening up to someone about private things, and letting him care about someone, feel enlivened by someone. All of that a waste.

What do you think happened from 11th onwards regarding mentors? It would have taken at least 50 games to get every district to have a victor to become mentor so did having mentors not roll out til 51? Did they have Capitol adults mentor victor-less districts, or even all the districts before then?

🏟️🔱🐍🐀🗡️⚰️

🌳🧊🏊🐦‍⬛🌷🎻

Also do you really think people in the Capitol just forgot about Lucy Gray by the next day? They loved her. That buzz wouldn’t die down unless the president threatens punishment on anyone who utters her name or something. The Capitol was captivated by her. Yeah you can make sure no one new sees her games or hears about her (sort of), but you can’t make her fans forget. Not without imminent threat at least.

Idk I forgot Snow became a gamemaker right away for the 11th and my mind is like a hamster wheel realizing how drastically the games will have changed starting immediately. Him coming home being like yeaaah not only are the games too depressing for people in the districts to watch, but they don’t have electricity or tv’s to watch them even if they wanted them to? And. In 10 years no one in the government and none of the stationed peacekeepers ever realized/reported the games had no reach in the districts and that this might be of interest to the Capitol.

But dutiful Snow gets sent out for only one month, with Dr Gaul having to know that he’d pursue this girl but that he would ruin it/have it blow up in his face and he’d definitely come back. And come back he does, with on the ground knowledge of what the games means to the districts (nothing) and why this is so (lack of engagement/interest). Did she ever ponder the risk that he’d choose his songbird instead? I mean she probably didn’t care if he got shot for deserting or treason or whatever so the risk was worth it to her, if he may come back with new ideas. And come back with ideas, he did. Horrible, insane ideas.

Does anyone else find it interesting Dr Gaul’s name sounds like “gall”. Because. The gall of that woman.

[julietasgf]

Hello, I'm just curious but do you hate the tbosas movie?

hello anon, thanks for the ask!! ^^

well, I wouldn't say I hate the movie, but I have complicated feelings towards it. I think that as a standalone piece of work, it's very solid and I had a lot of fun watching it. I also think that there are some interesting things that it adds; I enjoyed that it gave more personality to some tributes (like coral for example), the costume design was amazing as always and it was an overall enjoyable movie.

however.

I don't like it as an adaptation of the book and I personally think it fails as such. in my opinion, I feel like the movie tried too hard to make coriolanus a more sympathetic protagonist, and as a consequence, the political core and message of the book got lost. coriolanus' journey seemed to me more like some sort of corruption arc instead of the tale that was presented in the book of a young, power hungry and bigoted white boy that could've changed his thoughts, had every possible chance to change his thoughts, and still didn't. and ofc I know that unreliable narrators are hard to adapt, but I don't think that happened only because we as an audience didn't get to hear his disgusting thoughts, but also because the script chose to change some characters around him to make him seem better, in my opinion. and I'm not talking only about sejanus (which is the character that, imo, the script failed the most to adapt and frustrated me the most regarding the movie to the point I feel like book!sejanus and movie!sejanus are COMPLETELY different characters), I'm talking about clemensia and about lysistrata, I'm talking about some mentors like festus who are presented as straight up terrible people in the movie but are average bigoted teenagers in the book.

I also have some problems regarding some visual choices that end up being political in some way. for example, they went for a visual for the capitol that reminded me a lot of brutalism and some architecture choices that can easily remind some of the old ussr aesthetics (I watched the movie with my father and he made the point of how the visual of the capitol reminded him of it). I don't think it was an innocent choice to have a clearly vile government, that's clearly presented as wrong and cruel, to have that direct visual link, and it irks me even more considering that panem is meant to criticize the usa more than once. there are also some other choices that turns a very political book, published in 2020 in the year of an extremely tense moment for the usa, into an apolitical movie.

overall, I feel like these are most problems that comes with adaptating a political book into a maisntream type of media with a big company behind it. I wasn't surprised and neither disappointed, because these are things that already happened in the previous movies of the hunger games books (and even on a worse degree considering that the movies erased the poc-coding and the fact that peeta was disabled) :')

sorry if I talked too much, anon!!! and once again, most of these are solely based on my opinions and takes regarding the book

[piracytheorist]

Last night I came up with some ideas for a SxF Hunger Games au, but since I'll never write it, I'll just share some notes here. Feel free to be inspired by my ramblings 🤪

Hunger Games rules could be tweaked to fit this. I want it to be early enough so that Loid and Yor are 18 and 17 respectively and have memories of the war from before, but also late enough that it's justified by the HG chronology that the arena is specifically built for that year's games. Canonically Mags wins the 11th Hunger Games, but since it's an au I can use that year for this story. Anyway.

Before the start of the story, we get [redacted], who lived through the war as a kid, where he lost his family and everyone he knew. He grew up and lived for a few years in District 12, where his name started entering the Reaping pools once he turned twelve years old, but a little before he turned fifteen he tried to escape. He evaded the Capitol Peacekeepers but he was found by WISE recruiters. He was exceptionally capable, and they told him his abilities could help in their plan to overthrow the government and abolish the games. And so he joined them and started with his training.

In three years' time, right before he turned eighteen and the last time his name was to enter the Reaping pools, he was assigned the name Loid Forger and was placed in District 3.

He'd been given a concrete plan: he'd be reaped to the Hunger Games, spy on the Capitol in any way he could, then get into the arena and infiltrate the system by sabotaging the arena cameras. Although WISE suggested he should try to win, he was adamant in not stealing the winning (and thus, surviving) place from an innocent tribute, and he believed he'd have a better chance to be a spy if he wasn't universally known as a victor. So he decided to secretly bring a specific poison on his person in the games, which would slow his heartbeat enough, and with the help of fellow spies from within, make the gamemakers think he has died.

So Reaping day comes. Girls first, and the name heard through the megaphones is Yor Briar.

A thin seventeen-year-old girl walks out of the crowd, when suddenly a young voice is heard screaming "I volunteer!"

They all turn, Loid noticing that it's ten-year-old Yuri Briar, Yor's younger brother who is attempting to rescue her from that fate. Unfortunately, his pleas go unheard, since a boy can't volunteer for a girl (and vice versa) and he's also too young to participate.

Yor stumbles onto the stage, looking numb, and everyone thinks she's terrified and won't make it.

Little do they know she's been working as an assassin for about three years now, and is already planning on how to take her opponents in the games down. However, she refuses to kill innocents, and at that thought she realizes she may not be able to come back home.

She's not afraid of dying; she's afraid of all the innocents she won't be able to save.

Then the announcer moves to the boys' pool.

Little does anyone know that every single slip of paper in that pool writes Loid Forger.

Though tricky, it was crucial that he didn't volunteer, as at that point it might make him look suspicious. He had to play it as innocent as possible.

And as it goes, when his name is heard, he steps forward towards the stage and bursts out in (fake) tears. Begging, grabbing at Peacekeepers to allow him to stay home, etc.

Since he came in that district as an orphan, no one visits him during the last goodbyes, while Yuri makes Yor promise to come back home.

On their way to the Capitol, they are introduced to their mentor, Sylvia Sherwood. Of course Loid already knows her as his handler. But now she's pretending to be a Capitol official mentoring them for their games.

In truth, she was also from district 12, she and her daughter lived through the war only for her daughter to be reaped in the first Hunger Games at age twelve and be killed.

As they look through the other Tributes, they see a girl with pink hair called Anya, who barely looks twelve as her title card says.

(In truth, she was the result of human experimentation and can read minds, but in that timeline she escaped and the scientists who would remember about her were killed by the Capitol for different, political reasons, so there's no one searching for her. When she was picked up by an orphanage they put a wrong age on her paper, making her essentially almost two years older than she actually is)

Loid looks at the girl, then at Sylvia (he knows her backstory) and has a silent agreement that he'll do his best to protect the girl and maybe help her win. His plan for himself is to take the poison in secret, act like he was killed by it while his heart rate will drop to almost undetectable levels and then be revived once his body is recovered.

What he doesn't expect is to start bonding with Yor during their training. Yor keeps it neutral, telling the interviewers that she just wants to go back home to her brother, while Loid keeps quiet and even brings out a couple tears here and there, saying that he doubts he'll make it.

But in the meantime, and only to Loid, Yor talks about how she wanted to protect her brother, how he was the only one she had left and how wrong it is that the Games will make her choose between going back to her brother and killing innocent kids.

And all the while, Loid is touched and thinks that maybe he ought to protect her too.

Then the Games start. The arena is a bombed city, awakening bad memories for Loid, Yor, and the few other eighteen- and seventeen-year-olds as it reminds them of the war times. Bloodbath ensues, Yor grabs Anya (who doesn't protest at all) and runs, and Loid also runs and hides.

Yor keeps Anya safe, bringing her food and water, and Anya tells her they have to meet the boy from her district (cause she read his mind and knows about his plan with the poison, and believes that all three of them can get out together, as long as one of them wins).

Meanwhile, Loid approaches a camera, grabs it and, addressing the public, he begs to be sent home. He shows a typical, very desperate position as if he truly believes crying will make the Capitol take pity on him. Unbeknownst to anyone else but his fellow spies, as he does that he takes out a wire, and reconnects it through a special wire with a secret code in it, that will allow hijackers to enter the Capitol's electronics system. Yeah it sounds silly maybe if I bothered a bit more with world building I could find something better but that's all I got now XD

He does that a few more times, carefully avoiding other Tributes.

However, he later spots the Career pack closing in on the ruins that Anya and Yor are hiding in, and he abandons everything and risks his life trying to save them. The Careers throw grenades at the ruined building, and Loid kills half of them, but Yor manages to break through a wall with Anya safely in her arms.

Loid is injured, but as Yor believes what Anya says he did for them, she cares for his wounds and keeps watch as he gets some rest.

The next morning, when Yor leaves for supplies, Loid and Anya bond. Loid is amazed by how much Anya trusts him, how optimistic she is about all three of them making it out, despite that not being a possibility as far as she knows, and he sees her and remembers watching the footage from the games Sylvia's daughter participated - and died in. And he's once again conflicted about who he should let win.

The amount of poison he carried is enough for one person, but it's questionable if it will be enough for two. He considers that due to her young age and small built, maybe Anya needs a smaller dose, and in despair he "secretly" slips such a dose into her food. Not so secretly to Anya, though, who smiles at him as she eats the food, and as he misunderstands the reason behind her smile, he feels even more guilty for endangering her.

Maybe he could have talked to Yor. Maybe he could have given her the poison and allowed Anya to win. Maybe it's not he who deserves to walk away. Maybe, maybe, maybe...

Little does he know Anya knows everything and is trusting him.

He expects her to quickly fall to her "death", but she instead starts coughing blood and he realizes! Shit! She's too young! She hasn't been trained for poison resistance! What if she dies!

And so he holds her as she starts losing consciousness, and she smiles and says she's happy she met him.

And then her eyes close, with the typical cannon signalling a tribute's death being fired.

And then he cries. For real. Genuine tears run from his eyes as he sobs and holds her and says he's sorry.

And then the Careers run towards him. He realizes he doesn't have a lot of time, as Anya has to be revived within around fifteen minutes. He also needs to be away from her body so the hovercraft can recover her, but he can't leave her alone because someone might harm her and practically finish her off.

He picks her up and runs, avoiding arrows and spears and knives thrown his way.

Placing Anya on a safe spot on a roof, he runs down and fights the Careers, but he's tired and desperate to keep Anya safe and he gets injured, though he manages to kill all but one. That one is finished off by Yor, who throws a knife at his head as he tries to kill Loid.

Loid collapses from pain and exhaustion, desperate for Yor to be safe but also realizing that with the amount of injuries he sustained, he might not survive being revived.

Yor holds him, quickly bandages his wounds so he won't die from blood loss, but he's still in a very bad shape.

They watch as Anya is safely recovered by the hovercraft, and Yor starts crying. Loid resorts to dying, after all, not trusting himself after the lies he told and the heartbreak he caused. He only hopes Sylvia will take care of Anya. After all, he did all he was assigned to do. Him getting out was secondary. Though he regrets not being able to keep fighting to abolish the tyranny and the games, and that he'll never see Yor and Anya again.

Yor holds him. "Hold on," she tells him, as tears run from her eyes. "Stay with me."

"We're just kids," he tells her. He points to the environment around them. "We survived this war once just to be thrown into it again. It's unfair." He means it this time. It's not fake begging to go back, just to distract the security from what he was really doing. He really means it, letting all his pain and despair sound.

"Why did you save us?" Yor asks. "All this time you've been begging to go back but then you risked your life to protect us. You're dying because you did."

"Maybe I just realized who was the one worthy of continuing in this world." He means it. For all he knows he killed Anya. Only thing he can do now is make sure Yor goes back safely.

Yor hugs him, and he realizes he wants to kiss her, even as a goodbye. He doesn't push.

"Are you sure you want to be here?" he asks, carefully gathering the rest of the poison in his palm.

She doesn't reply, only holds him close.

She closes her eyes as she tries to compose herself, and he takes that opportunity to slip the poison into his mouth.

He collapses against her, and she holds him.

And then she sings.

She sings the same lullaby his mother used to sing to him, to calm him down during fearful nights of the war.

His fear melts into serenity. His eyes close and her voice starts fading away...

He doesn't hear the final cannon, nor the announcer saying "Ladies and gentlemen, let me present to you the victor of the [x] Hunger Games, Yor Briar from District 3!"

Yor cries. Loid's body is carried away and she is lifted into the hovercraft to be taken back and made into a beauty for the Capitol to fawn over.

WISE spies recover Anya and Loid in time, but due to his injuries it takes a few more hours for Loid to wake up. Once he does he breathes in deep, eyes stinging with tears from the pain in his body.

He breathes in deep, eyes opening to a dark room.

"Shhh," Sylvia says, trying to calm him down. "You're alright."

"He's awake!" Anya's booming voice is heard, and Loid nearly starts crying again.

He starts thinking about how panicked he was, how he worried he might have killed her, how he left Yor alone...

"It's okay," Anya says. "I'm okay, and we're all out of there and safe."

"Briar won the Games," Sylvia tells him.

As the van they're hiding in slowly takes them away from the Capitol and towards district 13, Anya reveals to him that she can read minds, and it's why she trusted both Yor and him from the start, and that she wants to help in their plan. Loid is horrified to pull such a small kid into their dangerous mission, and also a bit because of how she knows everything, but is relieved to learn that even though she knows the worst of him, she still trusts him.

It reminds him that it's kids like her he wants to protect. And he can keep fighting for that.

They then reach and hide in the hidden underground facilities of district 13 while they start planning the sabotage of the next year's Hunger Games.

While Yor gets the spotlight as the victor, she returns back to district 3 to an overjoyed Yuri. She's happy that she's back to her brother, and that with the money given to her as a victor they'll never grow hungry again, but is terrified of Yuri ever getting reaped.

Soon enough, a secretive letter arrives. It's from Loid, who tells her that both Anya and he are alive and safe, that she shouldn't worry nor lose hope, and that her brother's name will never enter the Reaping pools. He'll personally make sure of that.

---

So, yeah. That's all I got. It takes some tweaking here and there but because it feels like it's got most of a completed story's points I decided to share :D the dynamic between Loid and Anya as well as Yor and Anya would be more like older siblings with a younger one than parents with a child, which would turn a little weird once Loid and Yor become a couple, but mostly for them cause Anya doesn't give a damn. She's happy they're all together.

[hungergamesheadcanons]

a new hunger games book has been announced !! about haymitch's games <3

I'm so sorry for the delay in responding!

I have indeed heard the news, and let me tell y'all I am incredibly excited!

I could really see this book going one of three ways (yes I know that's not the saying but roll with me here): way number 1 being Haymitch, 2 being Plutarch, and 3 being another Capitolite. Let me explain (below the cut in case people don't want my theories):

I have taken this excerpt from Wikipedia BC fuck it:

Collins was inspired by Scottish philosopher David Hume, specifically his ideas of implicit submission and "the easiness with which the many are governed by the few", which is comparable to her inspirations for The Hunger Games trilogy, namely Greek and Roman mythology.[5] Questions surrounding the use of propaganda and the power of media narratives also inspired Collins to explore the concept of what is ‘Real or not real?’ in the upcoming novel.[6]

So, this is how I see it going.

Way Number 1: Haymitch

Obviously Haymitch is a well established character, however we see Haymitch at his absolute worst. In the original trilogy, Haymitch is a broken man who lost his family, friends and every tribute he ever mentored. Haymitch is a remarkable representation of 'the many' - and is a stark reminder of the damage 'the few' can do. Couple that with the fact that Haymitch was heavily punished for doing things differently from the Capitol, and we could look at Haymitch perspective as 'the example'. We could follow from his games, watch him lose his family and friends, and then watch the horror of being a mentor. Watch other victors falling into submission after seeing the tragedy that is Haymitch. Watch Haymitch lose his hope, and it would probably have a sad ending, but we know he would gain it back again when a certain Miss Everdeen volunteers for her little sister.

Way Number 2: Plutarch

I'm not 100% on the whole Plutarch one, but I think the timelines could work out. This is definitely a more literal interpretation - Plutarch is, indeed, one of 'the few' who ends up assisting in controlling 'the many'. However, here is also a parallel to TBOSAS, which is a Capitolite finding the Games. Only difference being, while Coriolanus threw himself whole heartedly into them, Plutarch dedicated himself to dismantling them. We could have the whole behind the scenes of the revolution, maybe watching it start. Maybe he's a small gamemaker for the Quarter Quell, maybe he has a crush on one of the tributes, and that makes him realise the true horror. It could even be Maysilee Donner if SC really wants to make a load of links, and he could be thankful to Haymitch for helping her as much as he could. It could be interesting.

Way 3 - A Random Capitolite

While I don't really think SC will go this route, the fact remains that we don't know what the majority of the Capitol feels about the Games at this period in time. I can't predict where this route would go, only that I'm sure whoever it is will be in a position of power and probably have connections to some of the other previously named characters. I can't really see this route being taken, but it is food for thought.

[babbletaels]

I know a lot of fans wanted it, I didn't really see a need for it at all, but if Collins wants to write about haymitchs games then I'm sure it will be good in any case.

What I really don't want is for fans assumptions to be true. Like I don't think snow killed haymitchs entire family and his grilfriend because he found the force field lmao I think that's kinda stupid? It must be explained in a better way like maybe they already had a winner set up because the games aren't actually real and then haymitch got in the way of that and that made them do it but that also seems stupid? Like most dictators and corrupt governments aren't dumb and do evil stuff just no reason like that, cause it haymitch were to tell anyone that the capitol killed his family for literally no reason (you know he has friends outside of 12 after the game??) then wouldn't that make people hate the capitol more? I'm one hundred percent sure that something else happened, like haymitch felt untouchable after the games and tried to deny the capitol what they wanted from him as a victor, whatever that may be, just an example could be maybe it was a finnick situation and they wanted to sell him and he refused because he has a girlfriend so they killed his girlfriend? Like even something that simple makes more sense. You don't have to take the bare minimum of information given to you and try to piece it together from that if the conclusion makes no sense.

Anyway another thought I have. I can't find any info that says it's actually confirmed that the book will be about haymitch, and the title is kinda throwing me off a bit.

Because like.. Okay you can excuse it by saying "sunrise on the [DAY OF THE] reaping" but like... hmmm.. to me it really sounds like sunrise ON the reaping. The reaping is the ceremony, not the day, right? Is there a district that has the reaping that early? Does the capitol have the sunrise that early? Idk. Is it really confirmed to be about haymitch? And further more, is it really confirmed to have the games in it? I feel like there's not a lot to tell about haymtichs games because we already know everything that happened in it, and I myself would love a book where the games aren't the focus.

"BUT ITS A HUNGER GAMES BOOK, ITS NOT THE HUNGER GAMES IF THERE ARE NO GAMES" quote from a person I overhesrd when leaving the movie theater after watching mockingjay part one. Hello? Did you forget the part where it's not called the hunger games: haymitchs story? I think it would be really nice to see a story without the games in it

Edit: ALSO NO WE SHOULD NOT HAVE WOODY AS 16 YEAR OLD HAYMITCH PLEASE LET US HAVE A NEW ACTOR and NO WE SHOULD NOT HAVE TOM BLYTH AS HAYMITCH OH MY GOD

Edit AGAIN: Pleeeaaassseee give haymitch black hair like he's supposed to have

[metanarrates]

i havent read the books in ages and i never even watched all the movies, but my take on the hunger games as a Phenomenon is that having it spawn so many empty, vapid copycats (like divergent) retroactively made it come across as a lot deeper than it actually ever was.

i do like it and the message its meant to convey, and if nothing else i do think it manages to make that message come across just fine (even if its not particularly explored or nuanced), its just that the writing in the books isnt particularly exceptional. iirc its fairly dry and surface level, and it lets itself get too easily distracted by the romance despite katniss explicitly being supposed to not be someone who gives a shit about any of that. i think i was especially annoyed by that in the third book, but that might also just be because i never particularly liked peeta and having so much of it be about katniss' angst over him felt kinda grating.

all in all, definitely a ya book, definitely more interesting than most other things in its genre that came out during that period of time, definitely not the masterpiece it's sometimes talked up to be

I have a worse opinion of it than you, since I just don't think its messaging even is all that consistent most of the time, but yeah I agree with everything else. people remember it as deeper because it at least tried to have things to say. upon examination, it's just... not all that good. interesting to examine, sure, and once I finish reading the books I'm going to be looking at its cultural phenomenon because that's also fascinating, but the actual quality of the books is not great.

i think what's really knocking me on my ass about this series is that it keeps using an awful lot of very Genre Fiction stuff that is conceptually not all that serious, and then keeps asking me to look at it as a serious work with educational and political merit. i read an interview recently where suzanne collins discussed "writing about war in a way that is accessible to teens," which just feels absurdly jarring in the context of a series where a core premise is that an evil government needs a pair of teenagers to pretend they're in love in order to quell revolutionary stirrings. I'm not saying that ridiculous genre elements and serious topics can't be blended well (I fucking LOVE a lot of stuff that does that) but you can't have what is fundamentally treated as a romance novel plot serve as fuel for a serious story about actual war. there's not even a well-thought out metaphor to make it stick. it just asks me to take it seriously and I can't because it's hilarious.

[hypertimesstuff]

Was thinking more of my Hunger Games AU!! I'm thinking of making a few changes :)

uhh theres technically. kind of. hunger games spoilers but like this whole au will be full of spoilers lmao. Warning that there is a Lot of text below the cut, but I wld love if you guys read it since I've thought a lot abt it

District 2, I've finally decided, will be New York. New York and California in the present day are the most powerful states. I wanted to show that, with California being District 1 (previously established), and District 2 as New York. So, he and California are the two most powerful districts.

Because the districts are in totally different locations than where they used to be as states, the states chosen to be districts are chosen because they, as states, exhibit behaviors that make them favorable to be a specific district. Or, there are specific circumstances or situations that cause them to be favorable as a certain district.

The 11 states chosen to be districts, even before the disasters that caused Panem to exist, slowly, slowly changed into how they are in Panem. For example--New York slowly becomes more warm blooded, since he goes from, not only the east to the west, but the north to the south. Heights and builds also change, eye colors change, etc etc. personalities slowly change as well. When the disasters happen, it sets everything in stone. They are like this now. Theres no going back. When the disasters happen, they don't remember the names of who they used to be, and have vague, practically nonexistent memories of who they were. It's a reset.

Gov and DC are gone. completely gone. Replaced by the entities of the Capitol and Panem, they have no attachments to the districts (but they DO choose favorites).

District 13 won't be Florida !! he'll be district 4, fishing. Multiple reasons--1. He's known for, y'know, the ocean, the beach, the water, etc. 2. District 4 is a career district, a district favored by the capitol. I think its a lil bit ironic how Florida goes from,, y'know, how Florida is, bothering the government, to being a favorite of the government. And, lastly: Louisiana, whose Florida's best friend, who I imagine goes fishing and hunting with Florida, no longer exists. District 4 doesn't even remember him. I think it'd be fun to also make it hurt that way, that Florida's best friend will never join him in fishing again. So Florida gets to be the fishing district !! :] (I hope you appreciate my evil)

Regarding district 13: They're a new entity all together. They're a woman (she/they). All of the events that occur to District 13 have occurred in this AU as well. District 13 has always only been District 13. This, even from the start, causes distance between them and the other districts. Sure, the other districts all can't remember who they used to be, but there's still,,, a feeling, that District 13 is not like them. The other districts remember her, from before their rebellion and before they were forced underground, but they don't talk about them. Ever. They think she’s dead.

So. Nevada is mainly federal land right? I've seen some headcanons here and there that Nevada is, to some degree, controlled by Gov. I personally don't use the headcanon, but I'm using the concept behind it: that the government is able to control Nevada because he's mostly federal land. I'm applying this to District 2 (who was, as mentioned above, previously New York). District 2 is the district of masonry and defense. It's where the peacekeepers are stationed in. I'm imagining, because of that, District 2 is the one most under Panem's control.

All of the Districts have powers !! Reason being? The other states disappearing leaves magic behind, manifesting in the districts as abilities that suit the specific district. Sure, all of the people you love and care about are dead (or you can't remember them. Though, then again, you can't even remember yourself, so does it matter), but hey, you have powers now!

So, combining the last two ideas together. District 2's ability is to summon weapons out of thin air, kind of creating themselves. (Rise of the TMNT spoilers since his powers were inspoed by this, but think Donatello's ninpo, basically). As you can imagine, Panem and the Capitol pretty much completely controlling a living arsenal of weapons is. Not great !

District 5, the power and electricity district, is Ohio. Because he's one of the states that produces the most electricity in the country. Thats. It really.

District 6, the transportation district, is Illinois. Chicago is the busiest rail hub in the US (which I just now learned !!) so,, it seemed fitting for him to be the transportation district.

District 7, the lumber district, is Oregon. Oregon is a pretty foresty place, AND they produce the most lumber in the country. So. Lumber district now.

District 8, the textile district, is North Carolina. Another thing I just now searched and learned is that they make the most textiles in the country. Therefore, they're the textile district.

District 9, the grain district, is North Dakota. Once more, I just learned that North Dakota produces the most grain in the US. So, wow, they get to be the grain district, shocking!!

Previously, I chose district 11 (agriculture) to be Texas. I'm changing it. He's now district 10 (coincidentally the district number right beneath district 11), because Texas produces the most livestock in the country.

District 11, the agriculture district, is Iowa. Yes, California is the number one agricultural state, but Iowa is the second, and California is already district 1. So Iowa gets to be the agriculture district.

District 12, the coal district, is Wyoming !! I do in fact have multiple reasons for this one. Wyoming produces the most coal in the country. Additionally, Wyoming is often, as frequently seen, forgotten by the others and even Gov. District 12 is also, like Wyoming, forgotten and dismissed. So! Now they get to be District 12.

District 3, the electronics district, is Nevada. I chose this one for Nevada because, for one, Nevada with Las Vegas seems to fit the electronics idea of it the best--I would've chosen New York for this, but alas, he's district 2 already. Also !! I thought abt it rn and !! It also makes sense because district 3 is between two districts heavily favored by the capitol (district 2 and district 4). And yet. He himself is not a career district. So, SO close to being a favorite, but he's not. (passes you a "this reminds me of California and Nevada's relationship" card).

District 2, District 1, and District 4 are the Capitol's (and Panem's, in extension) favorites. They're treated the best.

District 1 and District 2 are very, very close. They never leave each others side, unless the Capitol or Panem needs them. (cough cough. California and New York, as completely new people, are still soulmates throughout it all. The love persists even when they and everything else around them changes.)

District list: District 1 (California), District 2 (New York), District 3 (Nevada), District 4 (Florida), District 5 (Ohio), District 6 (Illinois), District 7 (Oregon), District 8 (North Carolina), District 9 (North Dakota), District 10 (Texas), District 11 (Iowa), District 12 (Wyoming).

You may--or may not idk--have noticed that there is multiple states of each region now as districts. This was on purpose. Guess which region is the exception. :] <—the face of evil

I had ! a lot of ideas ! Please do enjoy and share your thoughts bc this AU is rotting my brain. If you have any questions, I would also love to answer. I have put so much effort into this. god

(psst. I'm also going to hopefully write a lil thing with New York--specifically, where the Changes start to become noticeable)

[literaturewithliz]

KOTLC CHARACTERS AS AUTHORS (human AU)

Sophie is a fiction author. I feel like she was that kid who read to escape real life, so now she’s providing that escapism. She wrote a couple standalone books in the beginning of her career, but those never got much of a response. Then she wrote a six book long series that got more popular with each release. She’s won multiple awards for that series and has gotten multiple offers to get it adapted to the big screen but she’s terrified it’ll turn out like it did for Rick Riordan the first time he tried that.

Keefe writes romance. Idk why, I just get the vibe from him. Anyways, think The Fault in Our Stars or The Hating Game. He’s extremely popular in the reading community, and you know who he is even if you’ve never read one of his books. He’s the author that makes you cry at 3 AM.

Fitz writes realistic fiction. Like, the realistic fiction that targets middle grade. There is not one school library in the UK that doesn’t have at least two books he’s written. I feel like he sets up a lot of meet and greets around the UK and US because his favorite part of his career is meeting the kids he’s inspired. He didn’t go to college for creative writing. He went to med school and got a doctorate because Alden said he wanted Fitz to become a successful doctor. Shortly after actually being a doctor, he realized how much he hated it and started writing during the night to escape his life.

Biana writes books about fashion. I feel like she’s a fashion designer and her social media blew up with a bunch of questions from followers, so she decided to write a couple of books explaining all of her personal techniques and skills she’s learned at college. People who create dresses and outfits for celebrities have read at least ONE of her books.

Tam is a poet. He’s written so many award winning poems that you’ve probably read a poem of his without realizing it. He writes depressing poems, mostly. Think Emily Dickinson. Every once in a while he’ll write really happy poems inspired by his sister or lover. He’s the poet who wrote the poem your middle school teacher had your class do an analysis on and you actually understood what he was talking about.

Linh writes mental health books. She’s gotten her PhD in psychology and feels bad that she can’t reach everyone with mental health issues, so she tries her best by writing a book. Eventually, that goes viral and she’s written a couple more books about mental health. I feel like she eventually got the courage to write about her and Tam’s childhood and the mental abuse her parents subjected her and Tam to. That helps a bunch of kids in their situation keep going.

Dex writes dystopian fiction. Think The Hunger Games or Matched. Really well-thought out plots that make you question your government system. He’s gotten a lot of his books adapted to movies and has made a lot of money off of his work. However, he also has a job being a hacker for the FBI, so there’s that. He’s really stressed but can’t make himself stop doing either of the jobs because he loves what he does.

Part 2?

[mayo-advance]

2 AM ramble about the Hunger Games and the fandom

*It should be noted before reading this that I am not an english major. No research went into this beforehand. I am just a girl whos read some books. Also this could be entirely wrong, I didnt have time to word it pretty*

The Hunger Games is a unique series. It is considered a young adult dystopian novel, but it stands apart from other notable books in the genre for one reason. It has real anger behind it. The thing that makes good dystopian literature good is usually held to how accurately it critiques the world around it. Dystopian - although this isn’t the exact translation - roughly means “no good bad place”, and the most popular books of the genre exemplify that.

Every year, over and over, people re-discover thar our world is very much like that of George Orwells 1984. Some claim Orwell must have been a “prophet” to write such a book. But the truth is that he wasn’t predicting the future at all. Orwell was simply writing a dark reflection of his own time. He identified certain traits in the world and he magnified them in his story until the reader could see why they were a problem, and why it would be strange to live in such circumstances. Similar patterns are present in Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451. These patterns also exist in the Hunger Games.

Other books in the YA Dystopian genre lack this inspiration. Instead they are written for the sole purpose of telling a story, which is why they fail. The point of dystopian is to make critique. Without the critique, many of the books could be passed off as sci-fi, with the new developments in tech. The books need the bleak reflection of our present to really drive the worldbuilding.

So, with all that in mind, the Hunger Games is in a weird spot. Its a YA Dystopian, which serves a purpose of girlbosses with dubious love interest fighting a faceless government and other ripoffs of such (I do acknowledge there are other good YA Dystopians, ive only ever read Divergent). But at the same time the Hunger Games has the grit that many of the more classic dystopians have. You don’t see anybody thirsting over Winston from 1984, and you don’t ever see any true analysis of the meaning behind Divergent. But the Hunger Games gives us both.

This in and of itself isn’t that big of an issue, except fans often try to take the YA part and seperate it from the Dystopian part. This goes as far back as the “Team Peeta” vs “Team Gale” debate that sparked when the book released. Although there is no issue with enjoying petty little fandom dramas - I have also indulged in such things - these arguments became the focus, overlooking any genuine meaning behind the story. 

I understand, this is fandom culture after all, not every piece of media can be put under the microscope all the time and many fans have put fantastic thought into the actual meaning behind the book. But with the release of the new movie - The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - the fandom has become more open to the general public, and these issues have worsened.

To start, the obvious. All the tik tok girlies thirsting over Coriolanus Snow. I even saw one go as far as to call Lucy Grey the “villain” of the story, because she hurt poor baby Coryo. This is actually ironic. I remember when the book was announced many fans, including myself, were afraid that Collins was going to try to make Snow sympathetic. Instead, she gave us another amazing book and gave us more insight on the worldbuilding, and Snow as a character. Sure,  his parents died, but the book shows again and again how he isn’t the victim. It shows how selfish he is and how all of his actions are geared towards improving his image and moving up in the world (I could go into heavy detail about his relationship with Lucy but thats for another time). And so here we were with a good book that didn’t make him a sob story villain. 

And then the movie came out. And despite the fact that the movie did fantastic with showing how unsympathetic this man is, somehow, some way… are sympathizing with him.

The obvious reason is because they find him attractive. This is the same old tune as when the Dhamer show with Evan Peters came out on Netflix and they were thirsting over him too. However many of these girlies (gender neutral) are using their attraction to him to justify that hes not a bad person. And theres a lot of them.  I don’t really have more notes on this topic its just baffling that the minute a tall white boy is on screen all comprehension of good and evil goes out the window.

The next problem with the people and the movie are all the people calling for more movies. “I want to see Finnick in the games!” or “I want to see Haymitch in the games!!!”. Congratulations, the capitol would love you. This also confuses me seeing as the original series does an amazing job at showing that the capitols complicity and enthusiasm for the games is part of the problem. And the new movie even goes further as to show if the people don’t watch, there are no games. And yet fans are calling for more movies, not with the purpose of adding more worldbuilding or adding more layers of meaning to the already existing story, but because they want to fulfill their fandom needs of wanting more content.

This is my biggest issue and the whole reason i’m writing this actually. The Hunger Games is being treated more for the YA side of things than the Dystopian side of things. Fans want to see more, not wanting any meaning, but just wanting content.

The third thing I’ve noticed is again from tik tok, all of the girlies (again gender neutral) doing “Hunger Games” themed makeup looks.

There two notable kinds. Theres the “x district” themed makeup, and theres a chronology type makeup where they show themselves at the reaping all the way through the victors parade. Both raise issues. The district makeup looks always, ALWAYS glamorize the district which is strange and ironic considering we never see the districts not starving and dying and suffering… I understand makeup is supposed to look good but, maybe don’t romanticize the districts..?

The chronology makeup is also bad for the sole reason that it ALWAYS shows the artist as the victor. It’s another way of romanticizing the games in a way, showing how gorgeous you’d look after you’ve won. Ignoring the kids you killed and the trauma you’ve endured. The whole makeup stuff is insensitive

Anyways yeah im tired theres my thoughts. It just is so weird and disheartening because this story has something to say. The reason we even got a new book is because Collins had more to say. And instead of focusing on all of the complex worldly issues that were masterfully written into the books, we are not just acting like a fandom, but we are acting like the damn capitol.

[toomuchracket]

assuming you have read/seen the hunger games but if u havent delete this ask for spoilers!! 🤍🤍

just finished rereading the whole thg series and am now rewatching all the movies and i had a thought of making d word matty whos never seen them before watch the films with you <3 and bc of the age gap youre like you dont get it this was literally a crucial part of my development as a person. and hes kinda like yea ok whatever lets just watch the movies babe but by the time peetas taken by the capitol hes weeping lmfao

oh ho ho you are CORRECT to assume i've read and seen the hunger games... i was That Girl who had a mockingjay pin on her school blazer when she was 12 (despite consistently handing my homework in on time. i was not leading revolutions against authority lol). quite excited for songbirds and snakes i must say!! but yeah, i imagine you'd be like "matty we are MARATHONING these i need to watch them again" and he thinks it's adorable how excited you are but also he's like "why do you like these films so much, babe? like what is it about them that makes you want to watch four in one night lol". and i think you go off on a, well, him-style tangential discussion about how it was really your first insight into dystopian fiction and it's a critique of corrupt governments and exploitation and injustice and power imbalance and also of mass media and doing grotesque things in the name of entertainment, all the while encouraging young people to be self-sufficient and strong but still passionate and kind and loving, functioning as a warning not to blindly trust those in power and to stand up for what's right even if nobody else will. and when you finish talking, matty's looking at you the same way he looked when caveh started coughing after ripping the bong in that vid (but like slightly more smiley lol) and he's like "... alright let's watch". and you watch his reactions out of the corner of your eye as the film progresses: he doesn't say much at the start (he's like "oh shit lenny kravitz" when he sees cinna) but by the time rue dies he's teary, and at the end of the first film he's like "i see why you enjoy these now. second one, let's go". he's far more engrossed with this one - turns to you at the quarter quell like "they have to do it again? hunger games all-stars? fucksake" - and like audibly reacting to plot points. like, when the peacekeepers get cinna he's like "what the fuck!", and he yells when johanna cuts the tracker out of katniss's arm; like you said, though, the worst bit for him is when it's revealed that they didn't get peeta out and the capitol got him, like he fully weeps at the tv about it and refuses to watch any more that night because he's too sad lol (but then a cry and a cup of tea later he's like "i'm fine. get it cued, baby" lmao) <3

[katnissdoesnotfollowback]

In your opinion, please rate thg movie series with 1-5 scale.

(1 = I hate it, 3=neutral, 5 = I love it.)

1.The Hunger Games :

Things that you like :

Things that you don't like :

2.Cathing Fire :

Things that you like :

Things that you don't like :

3.Mockingjay

Movie 1 :

Movie 2 :

Things that you like :

Things that you don't like :

Thank you 😊

@curiousnonny

So let me preface my ratings here by saying that I really think these books are already so well edited in terms of necessary content that making a movie version of any of them is a mistake. Maybe I'm biased and greedy, but I honestly feel like 99% of the scenes in the books play a crucial role in either plot, character, or theme development and removing them waters down the story too much, in my opinion. I would much rather have seen a series version on screen than a movie. Not to mention, Collins made her name as a writer in television, and you can SEE IT in how she writes her novels. It's structured like a TV series so it should've been shot like a TV series. Anyways. So my rankings are gonna be... kinda low for the movies. Sorry not sorry.

But also... my thoughts on this are fresh. My youngest was supposed to read The Hunger Games with his 6th grade class. The teacher sent home a form requesting parents' permission to do so. I signed it gladly and sent it back, but apparently there were a lot of parents who sent it back with complaints instead of approval. Enough that the class read the first Percy Jackson book instead. I'm fine with that too, lol, especially since my kiddo really liked it and is now on book five of that series. I've been trying to reread along with him and will hopefully be catching up to him this week, lol.

After his teacher switched books for the class reading, he and I decided we'd read THG books together once he's done with PJO, but then, my oldest skipped a field trip he really didn't wanna go on and wound up staying at school and watching... The Hunger Games and part of Catching Fire. He came home with QUESTIONS, which immediately sparked a "Hey, not fair!" from the youngest and prompted a movie marathon. We made it through all four movies back in March, and I'm still not forgiven for not warning him about Finnick btw...

Okay enough story time. *cracks knuckles*

The Hunger Games

Ranking: 2/5

Things I don't like: Ugh where to start? The removal of Madge and therefore the significance of Katniss's mockingjay pin as a symbol of wealth and power bestowed by the Capitol only to be flipped on its head and turned into a symbol of rebellion. Also, the implications of removing Madge in terms of how they tried to make Katniss into STRONG BADASS WO-MAN while dulling some of her softer edges and dependencies on other people. See also: leaving out the gift of bread from D11 to Katniss.

The dialogue is shit. Sorry, those are my thoughts. You already had really good dialogue in the book why change that? Also, the gutting of the dialogue results in the gutting of both Katniss and Peeta as characters. The first movie turns them into The Watson character, i.e. the character whose purpose it is to ask questions so that the audience can learn about the setting/plot/other characters/whatever. The first movie made Katniss and Peeta look naive and dumb about the Games and the very world they inhabit, which makes no sense for their characters. I get it. It's a storytelling technique to quicken up the process of world building and make up for the fact that we don't get to be in Katniss's head where she tells us what we need to know about her world. BUT their characters suffer for it. Katniss and Peeta are sixteen. Anyone who has interacted with a teenager knows that at that age, we usually have #OPINIONS on things, so in the books, both already have developing opinions about the Games because they are by necessity and by exposure aware of how the Games and the government essentially work. They've lived in this world long enough. They've started to develop opinions and world views, and they act accordingly. The first movie loses this completely from the books.

Do not get me started on the dialogue in the cave scenes we will be here until the next century if we go there.

Buttercup. Christ how hard is it to cast a yellow/orange cat?!?!?! Not that difficult. And granted, this is a minor detail in terms of symbols but at the same time... it's a minor detail. The fact that they didn't even bother showed a lack of caring about the details. Also see: Rock Peeta.

The stakes of almost everything are lowered, from the bread scene (we don't realize until MJ2 that she's literally starving and knocking on death's door in that scene) to the berry scene (and here it's Peeta knocking on death's door and Katniss is desperate to save him, enough to put POISON BERRIES IN HER MOUTH and risk her own life too)... the movie lacks the desperation for both of those crucial parts.

Peeta's leg Peeta's leg Peeta's motherfreaking amputated leg!!!!!!

Things I liked: The sound and sound editing. It's such a small thing, and I have a story to go with this okay? When I saw it in theaters, I disliked a lot of things, but one of them was something I could not put my fingers on. It bugged me for weeks until the movie came out on DVD (yes, I'm old and also saw it at the veeeeeeery end of its theater run where I live... like it was a $5 special...). Anyways. Mr. Kdnfb is an electrical engineer by education and is suuuuuper picky about our sound system in our house. So when I watched it at home, the Thing clicked in my brain. The SOUND. It had been Waaaaaay Off in a way that was awful in that theater for some reason. And once I watched it at home, there was just something about the way they did the sound that made a lot of what I had hated become less of A Thing to me. The more I've watched it, the more I've realized the sound and sound editing was excellent, and I put this as things I liked because my story goes to show how such a tiny thing can really screw up a movie.

Catching Fire

Ranking: 3.5/5 (Omg I'm gonna get barbecued for this one.)

Things I didn't like: See my caveat at the top. Okay, so. One of my biggest problems is just how much got cut to adapt this one to screen. Sooooo many scenes. Finnick "hanging" himself in training, "someone else can get the stupid goat knocked up," all the hullabaloo about the wedding is talked about but that doesn't happen in the movies, the setup for the existence of D13, the plant book and Peeta caring for an injured Katniss, training like Careers, scaring Peeta with the medicine, Katniss really starting to come around to the idea of a rebellion even before the Quell announcement, "Poor Finnick. Is this the first time you haven't been pretty?" Just so much cut for the sake of time and results in the story feeling rushed and sloppy ugh.

While the cast and crew for this one did a much better job adapting the dialogue to the screen, there are still a few crucial bits of dialogue that make me itch with hives. The post jabberjay scene and the death of the morphling mainly. Good lord. You finally let movie!Peeta be as eloquent and convincing as book!Peeta in D11, why not give him the space to do it in the arena, too?

Things I do like: The casting. Hear me out. After the first movie, I was still not entirely sold on Jennifer, Josh, and Liam for the roles they were playing. Really, the only main characters who live through the first movie that I was happy and 100% on board with with were Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, and Stanley Tucci. Catching Fire is where I accepted Josh's portrayal of Peeta a little bit more, mainly because of the process of film making and what they put forth with CF showed me that he could nail the part if only they'd give him the dialogue and choose the cuts that best showed what he could do. I have no idea what sort of dialogue they were given or how much free reign they were allowed to improvise, but I do know that they will shoot a scene multiple times with multiple different delivery styles and slightly different dialogue. Which means that the actors really don't get a say on which version of their performance makes the final cut. But when the dialogue was spot on in the final version, I felt like Josh pulled off Peeta very well. I also think the way they shot CF allowed Jennifer Lawrence to put forth a better overall performance as well, although I'm still not in love with her as Katniss.

But really it's the Quell Victors/Tributes that I loved about CF. I went in unsure and came out convinced. My caveat here is that I tend to think of the movies as their own thing. The movie versions of the characters are their own iteration and I try really hard not to let them bleed into how I see or think of the characters in the books. That doesn't always happen, but I do try.

Okay this one is kinda not the fault of the first movie, but the increased budget for CF is apparent in several of the things that I liked, namely the costumes, the staging, the special effects. Much better all around.

Mockingjay Part 1

Ranking: 3/5

Things I did not like: Gale. MJ1 finishes off the complete removal of any depth Gale had as a character, a process that started with him rage rushing Head Peacekeeper Thread in CF and culminates here with him condemning Peete's words as a TORTURED PRISONER OF WAR rather than him not only intuiting what's probably happening, but explaining it to Katniss, then trying to protect Katniss from it, like he does in the books. The reason why book!Gale is so much more compelling to me than movie!Gale is because Gale's anger and fire and indignation has REASONING behind it in the book. It is chillingly easy to see the lines his reasoning could possibly take. As in... I've worked in weapons development and I have worked with real people who think like book!Gale or Beetee. Whereas movie!Gale is basically just RAWR!!! fury.

The rescue scene. I could write an entire essay on what's wrong with this, but it all boils down to they tried to shorten it by overlapping the video of the rescue with Finnick talking. Which makes zero military sense btw why the freak would you broadcast helmet video of your team going in on a stealth mission and risk someone intercepting it or noting the presence of an encrypted signal and figuring out what was going on holy hell you would NOT. You'd be freaking SILENT and just waiting to find out!!!!!!! And yes yes, but we need to see it. Okay, but you've already shown scenes with Snow and Seneca talking, Seneca and Haymitch talking, Snow and Plutarch talking, Snow and his granddaughter!!!! cuts from D11 and so much more that Katniss would not have seen, so play this like that. You can still show the audience but clearly keep Katniss and everyone back in D13 in the dark. The way it's shot is nonsensical and also pretty much waters down the horror of what Finnick went through and the impact of his words.

And while we're on this topic, they somehow used that overlapping and ridiculous video feed to try and shorten the scene, but wound up making it interminably and unbelievably long with the layers upon layers upon LAYERS of rooms the rescue squad has to go through and also the Skype Call of Inanity. The whole debacle is so freaking long that I no longer feel tense by the time it's finally over. It's so obvious that the Capitol is letting them take back Peeta, Annie, and Johanna because of how long a stealth mission (which should be almost too fast to process) takes that it becomes stupid for D13 to not suspect something. There's no desperation or high stakes for me with this scene because it's too long and too messy, makes no sense tactically and basically just erases all the emotional depth and pacing of what's in the books ugh. Seriously. You could've spent that time on the torture of the prep team or some of the Boggs and Katniss or Katniss and Finnick content we miss out on. Delly. Gale's siblings. Literally anything that you cut out. Rant over.

"He's gonna kill Peeta".... um no actually it's that Snow won't kill Peeta but keep dangling him in front of you, Katniss...

Things I did like: The sets. District 13 is... perfect. Sterile and drab and utilitarian. Zero luxury or any real sense that humans live there. There are zero personal touches in any of the spaces. No connections to art or joy or life.

Effie. I really wish we'd still gotten the prep team in D13, because it's an avenue through which we see how brutal and lacking in compassion D13 really is, but if it's Effie there with her for the movies, then Elizabeth Banks did a stellar job with what she was given to do. I do wish they'd allowed Finnick to keep his line: "They'll either want to kiss you, kill you, or be you." And if not that, then don't freaking cut the "Why, do you find this distracting?" scene. But overall, Effie in D13 works for me in terms of the movie universe.

Mockingjay Part 2

Ranking: 2.5/5

Things I didn't like: Facepalm worthy wigs and dye jobs. Dude. You are the final chapter of a big budget blockbuster franchise. I understand that the dye jobs have taken their toll and wigs may be just more practical for the actors at this stage, but DO BETTER with the money you have.

Just how much of Johanna they cut out of this part and what that does to Katniss's development.

The ending. It's so lackluster in so many ways. One of the things that I loved about the theme of the ending is how it shows that with the right kind of care, a life can be lived and be worthwhile even after the worst kinds of trauma. We get this through the sheer beauty of Katniss's final words in both the final chapter and the epilogue. To me, the movie ending felt just... blah. And I get that maybe they were aiming for a sense of calm and peace, but instead it came off as blah, we're broken and just going through the motions. Which makes sense right after the war ends, but not as the ending continues into the "Real" scene or the epilogue.

Mahershala Ali is highly underutilized in this movie. Let the man play the freaking part. He's already good with what you let him do. Let him unleash the acting chops and make Boggs sing as a character. And part of this has to do with what they cut from the film, like him carrying Katniss to the hovercraft in D8 and her vomiting on him. Same with Julianne Moore. Coin was not nearly cold or controlling enough nor did she convincingly clash with Katniss enough leading up to Peeta showing up in the Capitol.

The omission of the heartbreaking silence Katniss puts herself into and how they turned the sadness of the final breaking of her friendship with Gale into "Goodbye Gale." Ugh. I laugh at it, but it's not a good change. Like we can't allow a Strong Wo-Man Character to be sad or hurt about this, why not????

Burn. Scars. Burn. Scars. Burn. Scars. BURN! SCAAAAARRRRRRRSSSSSS!!!!!

Things I did like: The music. Odd pick I know, but even though the ending is not well done for me, I almost always start bawling the second Katniss starts singing the meadow lullaby as the credits roll. And that's just one weird instance of me liking the music for this film.

How they brought the hijacking to life. I can't even explain why this works so well, but it does. My only wish is that they'd given more time for the Real/Not Real game to develop on film and included more of Peeta's dialogue that shows both the struggle and him regaining parts of himself -- the cafeteria scene, his words to Pollux and Tigris for example.

And there you have it, @curiousnonny. My super long answer to your question. ;)

[jbk405]

I re-read the Hunger Games trilogy last week. I'd read it before a few years ago, but I'd honestly forgotten a bunch of how it differed from the movies.

What struck me the most on this re-read was how angry Katniss is throughout Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Absolutely filled with bile directed at almost everybody, including herself. I remembered that she was angry, of course, (Who wouldn't be angry?) but I'd somehow lost the feeling that it permeates every single word on every single page.

This was something that definitely didn't translate from page to screen when they made the movies. That sheer rage that she feels on a constant basis. Rage born of pain, and sadness, and hopelessness, and guilt. So much guilt.

So much guilt that there are times that I'd say she actually hates herself and her allies/friends more than the Capitol. It's not a rational or logical hatred, but that makes it burn all the brighter sometimes.

I also find myself turning over in my mind the final question of "Who killed Prim?" Because I'm not 100% convinced that it was Coin. It certainly may have been her, in fact I'll lay 2:1 odds that it was her (or at least somebody working in her administration), but it's far from certain.

The fact that Snow denied doing it himself means absolutely nothing. He has lied to Katniss repeatedly, including after saying he won't lie to her. He's also lied to the populace in general. He's a villain. I distrust villains on general principle. I wouldn't put it past him to do it purely out of spite against the rebels or specifically to stir up doubt in the new government. The defense "How would it benefit me?" is no defense at all, because I can come up with a dozen hypotheticals for how this would benefit him.

It's also possible that nobody in authority on any side did it. Maybe these are deserters from the Capitol who stole a hovercraft and think they're really delivering food, not knowing that these parachutes have been rigged with bombs. Maybe they're a splinter of rebels who lost family in the Games, saw a bunch of Capitol children grouped together, and decided to take out a personal revenge with no idea that rebel medics were close enough to get caught in the secondary blast.

I'm still leaning towards the idea that Coin did it, especially since Prim being there at all requires strings to have been pulled, but even that isn't proof. Coin may have sent Prim into action purely for propaganda purposes after they thought Katniss died the day before, "Look at how even the little sister of our Great Hero does her part!". Nobody seemed to expect the Rebels to penetrate this deeply into the Capitol this quickly, and Prim's medics may have been doing the same kind of photo shoots Squad 451 was doing and then been swept up in events.