#my poor baby tigris

[realmermaid333]

Tigris character analysis ramble LOL

I'm not sure if someone has already pointed this out or if this has been discussed before, but I was thinking how maybe Tigris turned herself into a tiger via body modifications, and chose to eat only raw meat to cope with past cannibalism and sexual trauma. We hear Coryo speak a lot about cannibalism in the Capitol during the war, and how much it disgusted him. I mean, the boy can't even look at Persephone Price without thinking about it. Part of me thinks maybe Tigris secretly took some meat off of the bodies in the street as well and ate it so Coryo could eat the lima beans and stuff that they got from Pluribus, and other food they scavenged.

I feel like she would have avoided having Coryo eat it, and would have instead wanted him to be able to eat normal food to "maintain his dignity". Though there is the scene where Tigris says he must be "too young to remember how bad things got" when he insisted that she never did anything disgraceful for survival. She did seem to hint that they all did disgraceful things- including Coryo. But Tigris would have thought poorly of herself for eating a human, and we know that being forced into cannibalism is very traumatizing. Maybe she thought of herself as a "beast" or a "monster" for it so she chose to turn herself into a tiger. And eating raw meat would fit into that persona. Maybe she did it as a form of self-punishment after she decided to be a tiger and succumb to being the beast she thought of herself as. Or maybe it was soothing for her to relive eating the meat in a more controlled way. Like with raw steak rather than human meat.

We know that her and Snow had a falling out, and there are many different factors that could have played into it. Like Snow sex trafficking victors, shaming her for her body modifications, or just him being generally cruel to others, etc. There is another theory I saw online that maybe Snow forced Tigris into the body mods to make her seem less "weak" or "easy to abuse" like how he'd described her early on in TBOSAS. We know that he could be very possessive of her, so I could see this being a possibility.

Though I think it is more likely that her body mods were her own doing, especially since eccentric body mods like hers were becoming more normalized in the Capitol. Like how Katniss's stylist, Octavia, had green skin in the first book and she changed the color of her skin somehow throughout the trilogy. But then again, we know that whatever happened between her and Snow was bad enough that she was pleased when Katniss said she was going to kill him.

But maybe Tigris also saw herself as "having a sweetness that welcomed abuse" so she thought making herself look "scary" would protect her from experiencing sexual abuse again, as it's somewhat implied in the books that Tigris had to turn to prostitution for food as a teen.

I also think Snow may have used Tigris's change in appearance as an excuse for firing her from her stylist position, when in all reality it was for other reasons, like her disagreeing with his actions. I like the theory that Tigris was Finnick's stylist. It would make sense that maybe Tigris would end up being a stylist in the games if she didn't have many other options, we know she was pretty against the Games so how she even got that job in the first place is something I am so curious about. Maybe she became numb to it, or hopeless and bitter. Maybe Snow offered her the position and expected her to take it. She could have done it to avoid further conflict with him because she still loved him. And maybe Tigris figured that she could at least bond with and comfort the children before they inevitably died in the Games. There are many possibilities.

But I could see her being Finnick's stylist, and maybe she really liked him and bonded with him. And when he won, she of course maintained that bond with him, and would have seen him on his Victory Tour and every time he was in the Capitol. Maybe he confided in her when he was being sex trafficked, or mentioned it nonchalantly, and that was when Tigris realized that Snow was doing this to literal children, and it wasn't just the older, adult victors choosing to go into sex work or something like Snow could have led her to believe.

This could have started a big fight between her and Snow and led to her being fired from the Games. This would especially make sense since she was a stylist long enough that Katniss remembered seeing her on tv, but also enough time passed that it took her a while to recognize her. Finnick won the 65th Games, so Katniss would have been seven the last time she saw Tigris on screen (assuming Tigris was fired before the 66th HGs) but it still wouldn't be hard for her to remember seeing a tiger lady.

[phoward89]

Series Masterlist

Chapter 5:

Coriolanus is at the PK Base in the communications center, sitting in one of the video phone booths. He's holding the receiver to his ear and watching the staticy small screen; waiting for Tigris to answer. He has so much to tell her. In fact, he's over the moon to tell her all about the love of his life: you. He's absolutely positive that she'll be happy for him.

When the static breaks and then clears slightly to show his cousin, he smiles like a madman. “Tigris, it's so good to see you!” Coriolanus exclaims, so much excitement in his baritone.

Tigris' gentle blue eyes widened slightly at her cousin's chipper demeanor. He was usually sullen during their sporatic calls. “Oh, Coryo, you look so much happier since the last time we talked. Did something happen?” The blonde girl asked, curious to know why her cousin was suddenly in a better mood.

“Yes.” Coryo nodded. Beaming, he blurted out, “I got a girl, Y/N, and she's just a perfect sweet darling.” His baby blues were sparkling with pride as he added in, “We’re serious, have our own place and when I pass the Elite Officer's Examine we’ll be able to leave 8.”

“Oh…” Tigris trailed off, her face full of shock. She wasn't expecting her cousin to be so serious with somebody so soon. Especially after he seemed so heartbroken about never being able to see Lucy Gray ever again.

Was Tigris wrong in her assumption that Coryo loved the songbird? If so, then she truly hopes that he's found love with you. But she also knows that her cousin has the genetics that can easily make him become like his father: General Crassus Snow.

Hearing him say that he's taking an Elite Officer's Exam makes her skin crawl. Tigris knows how cold the officers are in the various branches of Panem's military; she doesn't want her sweet cousin to be turned into a cold, heartless, hateful man to be used as a tool for the country.

A country that kills tweens and teens for entertainment disguised as punishment. Gosh, everything about Panem makes Tigris sick. And to think that her cousin, her sweet little Coryo who's a good person, could be used in a way to support the country's propaganda and skewed outlook bothers her. Makes her blood freeze up in her veins.

“Isn’t it great news, Tigris?” The platinum blonde peacekeeper asked, fishing for praises.

“Yes, yes it is, Coryo.” Tigris replied, her smile a bit too tight, too forced, and her voice a bit flat.

Coryo's face fell at his cousin's overly fake reply. “I thought you'd be happy for me Tigris.”

“I am happy for you, Coryo. I am.” Tigris weakly assured her cousin.

“I've found somebody that makes me happy, who needs me; makes me feel powerful, and I'm one step closer to getting us back home, to the Capitol. But, you don't sound as happy about it as you claim to be.”

“Coryo…” Tigris sighed, trying to find the right words to tell him about the hardships that have fallen upon their family within the last few weeks.

“Is Grandma’am around?” Asked the platinum peacekeeper. “I'm sure that she'd be happy to hear about my accomplishments.”

“Coryo, Grandma'am’s in hospice.” Tigris revealed, her tone sad as her face twitched with sorrow.

“Hospice! What do you mean she's in hospice? She was fine a month ago, what the hell did you do to her, Tigris?!”

“Me? Oh, Coriolanus, do you hear yourself right now?” The blonde aspiring fashionista snipped. Shaking her head, Tigris started to explain, “Grandma’am just shut down and started to wither away after we lost the penthouse-”

Coriolanus icy eyes popped out of his head. “Y-you lost the penthouse?! When were you going to tell me this, Tigris? Huh?”

“The back taxes were just too much to pay, so the penthouse was put on the market. But, Pluribus is letting me stay in the apartment above his club.”

“Okay, but what does any of this have to do with Grandma'am being admitted to hospice care?”

“Coryo, having to declare bankruptcy and sell the penthouse; letting all of the Capitol know that the Snow's are poor just broke her dear old heart.”

“She's dying from a broken heart? Really?” Coriolanus asked in disbelief.

“Yes.” Tigris nods. “The doctor said that Grandma’am lost the will to live; that it'll only be a short matter of time before she goes. And she's already in a catatonic state.”

“Are you still working for Fabricia Whatnot?” Coryo asked, his baritone colder than it had been mere minutes ago.

“Yes, I'm still working for her.” His cousin confirms with a nod.

“Good, because I won't be sending half of my pay to you anymore. The Grandma’am will be dead soon, due to her own pride and self induced delusions, and my money, honestly, is better suited taking care of my girl here in 8.” Coriolanus told Tigris in a chilly tone. One so chilly that it'd cause hell to freeze over.

“Coryo-” Tigris began, confusion all over her makeup slathered face, only to be cut off by Coriolanus’ icily steady voice saying, “I'm all my girl’s got, Tigris. I have to take care of her.” Looking at his cousin like he didn't even know her anymore, he remarked, “Unlike you, Y/N doesn't lie to me about how bad things are. At least she's honest, but you've had to have known for months about the past due back taxes on the penthouse and you never said a damn word to me about it.”

“Coryo…I didn't want you to worry about us. I was taking care of everything.”

“Time’s about up, Tigris.” The platinum peacekeeper announced, feeling betrayed and lied to by his cousin, who he viewed as more of a sister then a cousin.

“Coriolanus, you sound just like your father right now.” Tigris pointed out, her heart breaking at hearing the frostiness in his baritone and seeing cold deadness in his eyes.

“Well, I am his son. Perhaps I'll follow in his footsteps; rise to military greatness.” Private Snow told his cousin before saying a curt goodbye and hanging up on her.

It's getting close to the time that Coryo usually comes home from work and you're in the small kitchenette making dinner. It's nothing too fancy, just a simple stew. But your platinum peacekeeper never complained about what you made. He always ate his supper with a smile plastered on his face. In fact, he'd usually get seconds; pester you into eating another share too (he always said it was in order to build up your strength so you'll heal faster).

You're stirring the pot, making sure that nothing sticks to the bottom, whenever a faint knock appears at your door. You almost don't hear it over the sound of the radio, that's how light the knock is. Not wanting the stew you worked so hard on this afternoon to burn, you turn off the stove before going to answer the door.

“Ashlie, what're you doing here?” You asked your brother’s former girlfriend as she stood in front of you.

“Some of the girls at the factory are worried about you; I said I'd stop by and check up on you after my shift.” Ashlie answered as you heard the sound of Coryo's boots clambering up the building’s staircase.

Nodding, you simply said, “I'm fine.”

“Are you, Y/N?” Ashlie pressed.

Nice of her to worry about you now, but where was she before?

“There's been rumors that you've taken up with that blonde peacekeeper. That he's been living with you.” Ashlie all but hissed in a shameful tone.

“It's not a rumor.” You told her while noticing Coryo's tall denim clad frame appear at the top of the stairs, right down the hall.

“Look, Y/N, I'm sorry about not being around as often as I should, but if you need help gettin’ away from that peacekeeper I'm sure that Declan can help smuggle you out of the district.”

Smuggle you out where? You don't have any money and you're all alone. How are you going to survive hiding out in another district? Districts you're sure are just as bad if not worse than 8. The poor, lower end districts are all clumped together and, frankly, they seem to get worse and worse as you start going between them.

At least with Coryo your rent's paid, you've got enough food to eat, and you're not cold anymore. He’s decent company, when he's not in a condescending mood, and he seems to be devoted to you despite not knowing you that long. With Coryo you're comfortable for the first time in a long time. For once since moving to 8 you're not tempted to do a swan dive off the bridge into the toxic river surrounding the district.

You'll take your chances with your peacekeeper.

Shaking your head, as Coriolanus trudged down the hall, you told Ashlie, “I'm fine here with Coryo. He takes good care of me, so you don't need to worry.”

“And what happens when he gets bored of you; tosses you aside for another girl?” Ashlie asked as your boyfriend got closer. “Y/N, sweetheart, don't be a fool and trust him. He's a Peacekeeper for Christ’s sakes.” Berates your once sister. “One bred straight from the Capitol as I understand too.” The brunette spat out in disgust, right as your platinum peacekeeper appeared behind the girl that's slandering him.

“Darling, is this ratty whore bothering you?” Coryo coldly asked, his icy eyes narrowed at the girl blocking his way into the apartment, as he came to a stop right by the door.

His frosty timbre startles Ashlie; has her jumping out of her skin. Coryo's tone of voice doesn't bother you one bit. Why should it? His coldness isn't aimed at you.

“She was just leaving.” You assure your boyfriend, only to give Ashlie a look that reads ‘you need to go, now'.

“Well the girls at the factory are worried about you; hopefully you'll be able to return to work soon.” Ashlie remarked instead of leaving, like she should’ve done.

“She won't be returning to work at the factory.” Coryo bluntly announced, pushing himself by Ashlie and literally shoving you inside of the apartment. He blocked your view with his tall, sinewy frame while standing right in the doorway.

The platinum blonde's head lifted up in superiority. His glacier blue eyes bore into the former Seam girl with disdain as he explained, “As Y/N’s man, I take care of her and pride myself in treating her the way a proper Capitol born man treats his girl.” Gripping the door so hard that the wood began to splinter and crack, he barked out, “You're not needed around here. She's got me, so leave or else I'll bring you to base and turn you in as a rebel.”

Ashlie's Seam grey eyes widened in fear and horror at hearing Coriolanus’ words. With the rumors that she's heard about you being kept under lock and key by the platinum blonde peacekeeper, who by now everyone knew was sent from the Capitol; was a second generation military man, Ashlie was starting to worry about you. And when the girls that worked with you on the looms in the PK uniform factory’s weaving room started to express their worries to Ashlie, well she decided to pay you a visit.

Offer you some much needed support. A lifeline out of the predicament you're in.

But the brunette wasn't expecting you to turn down her help, to insist on staying with your oppressor. She also didn't think she'd be threatened by said oppressor, the pretty boy peacekeeper from hell itself. Ashlie feared for both her own safety and yours.

Maybe she should've came around more often, then maybe you wouldn't have become such easy prey for a peacekeeper with a cold hateful glint in his eyes.

“And the next time you show up to my house I'll have you hanged off the bridge’s trestle.” Coriolanus darkly promised, his face a mask showing no feelings, before slamming the door shut in Ashlie's face.

Coryo was quiet as he shed his coat, hanging it up on the hook near the door. “I made stew. I'll go dip it up.” You told him while he began to unlace his boots.

“It smells good, darling.” Coriolanus complimented, slipping out of his black boots, as you grabbed some bowls from the cabinet.

“You say that about everything I make.” You teased, portioning out the stew into a pair of bowls as Coryo pulled off his denim fatigue shirt.

Walking over to the table and laying his denim overshirt on the back of his chair, the platinum blonde simply said, “Because it's true.”

The atmosphere in the room wasn't heavy per say, but it wasn't light either. You felt like something happened today, something to put him in a sort of mood. And not a good one either. You really didn't want to stoke his mood into a roaring fire of unliveable sassy attitude, so you didn't say a teasing word back to him.

No, you just carried the bowls of stew over to the small table as Coryo took his seat at it. You couldn't help, but slip on a smile at the sight of your giant of a boyfriend dwarfing the sorry excuse for a kitchen table you had. Hell, the table looked more like a small school desk as he sat at it.

Silently, Coryo followed your every move with his icy eyes. He watched as you set the food on the table before fetching the bottle of milk from the fridge. Coryo knows how luxurious fresh milk is, so he's proud that he can buy it for you. He himself went without it for so many years in the Capitol.

The Snow family always seemed to go without; to struggle within the safe borders of the Capitol. Something that he was supposed to change. Coriolanus was supposed to dig his family out of poverty, but instead his family's been torn apart.

All because Tigris lied to him about how bad things really were.

Fuck!

He would've found a way to get her the money for the back taxes, to avoid a foreclosure on the Snow ancestral home, if she would've only told him that she couldn't pay.

How could Tigris, his own cousin, do that to Grandma’am; to him? And most of all to you.

You!

Who he promised to whisk away to the Capitol once he was able to. Now where are the both of you going to go when he gets clearance as an Elite Officer to return home: to the Capitol? He sure as hell can't bring you to the above club shoebox apartment Pluribus gave Tigris.

And to think that his Grandma’am's dying from a broken heart because her home was taken from her. Her beloved rooftop rose garden that was her joy is now withered if not destroyed by the highest bidder. To think that the old lady's in hospice, due to no will to live, all because Tigris couldn't be honest about the back taxes.

Damnit, fucking bitch should've worked a few corners to come up with the money. Anything to pay the past due taxes; keep the Snow family penthouse in the Snow family.

Where it belongs.

The sound of the milk glasses lightly clinking against the warped wooden table tore Coriolanus out of his thoughts. Watching you sit down next to him, he grabbed his spoon and told you, “Darling, let's promise not to lie to each other. Shall we?”

Oh boy, something definitely happened to him today. You didn't know what, but his remark about lying to each other tipped you off that he was lied to and he's upset about it.

Picking up your own spoon, you tell him, “I promise I won't lie to you, Coryo.”

“And I won't lie to you, Y/N. Which is why I have to tell you something very unsettling.”

Something very unsettling? What the hell did he do, shoot somebody during target practice? Murder somebody for a spot on the Elite Officer's Examine roster? Hell, the suspense is killing you.

Not literally, just figuratively.

“Today I talked to my cousin, Tigris, on the phone in the base’s communications center and I learned that things are worse than I thought they were back home: in the Capitol.” He revealed in between eating his stew.

Having a bad feeling, you asked, “What's wrong, Coryo?”

“The Snow penthouse has been seized and put into foreclosure for unpaid back taxes.” Coryo spat out, his eyes full of anger, as he held his spoon so hard that it was about to bend between his fingers.

His family home foreclosed due to back taxes. Oh boy… You weren't expecting to hear that. You can only imagine how high priced the taxes are in the Capitol considering how pricey things are in the districts. Capitol City, Panem is full of rich elites or wannabe rich elites, so…Yea…The price tag on things in the Gem of Panem, the Capitol, is surely higher than in the rest of the country.

“Tigris told me that everything was fine, but she lied.” Shaking his head, he tossed his spoon in his bowl, causing a loud clang to ring out. “I've been sending home money, assuming that Tigris was using it wisely, but now I don't even know what she did with it.” Reaching for his milk glass, he dryly added, “She didn't pay the taxes, that much I know.”

Reaching forward and placing your hand on top of his, you gave him an empathetic look. You felt for him, for his family. “Coryo, I'm sorry she lied; made you think everything’s ok when it isn't.”

Your boyfriend threads your fingers together, holding your hand, as he sips on his milk. He can't help, but feel lucky to have you. You're being so supportive and understanding about his family's fall from grace.

About him losing the Snow ancestral home. The home that he was supposed to take you to.

Placing his glass down after drinking from it, Coryo shook his head while gritting out, “And now Grandma’am's in hospice, dying of a broken heart, because she was forced out of her home.”

Poor Coryo…

To lose his home, his grandma, and to be lied to by his cousin.

“Seems like we've got more in common than what meets the eye.” You told him, letting him know that you sympathized with his situation.

“It seems we do, darling.” Coryo nodded. Picking his spoon up and scooping a portion of stew out of his bowl, he repeated, “It seems we do.”

You're washing the dishes whenever you feel a pair of strong arms wrap around your waist. Coryo's right behind you, hanging on you, but you don't pay him any mind. You just keep on washing the bowl in your hand with the sponge- a sponge that has seen better days.

Your boyfriend nuzzles his nose into your temple, inhaling your scent. Kissing your cheek, he swears, “I promise, once I'm an officer and get into a wealthy position I'll buy back our home. We'll live in it once again.”

“Don't make promises that you can't keep, Coryo.” You advised him, rinsing out the bowl and setting it aside on the makeshift drying rack (which was a cookie cooling rack resting on a dishtowel).

“I intend to keep that promise, baby.” He told you in between peppering kisses up and down your neck.

“Coryo, stop that. I still have dishes to do.” You sighed, trying and failing to wiggle out of his hold while starting on the second dirty bowl.

“One day when I become President and make you my First Lady you won't ever have to lift a finger to wash a dish ever again.” Coryo smoothly murmured, kissing the sweet spot right below your ear.

“To make me your First Lady you'll have to marry me, Mister President.” You sarcastically pointed out, rinsing soap suds and bubbles out of the bowl.

You're placing the bowl onto the drying rack whenever Coryo spins you around. Tipping your chin up, making your eyes lock onto his baby blues, he seriously tells you, “Once I get my officer’s stripes I'm going to marry you.”

The weight of his words comes crashing down on your head like an anvil in an old cartoon. “You really want to marry me?” You asked, not quite believing the situation to be real.

You're just some district girl that he got into trouble and felt pity for. Yes, he takes care of you, but making you his wife's a whole other story. That's a lifetime commitment considering divorce was abolished in the early years of Panem's creation- which was after the end of both WW3 and the 2nd Civil War, which coincided.

“Yes, baby.” The platinum blonde nodded. A wide smile spread across his face as he cemented his fate with the words of, “I'm going to marry you and give you the life that we both deserve as Snows once I get my officer's commission.”

“You know, people in the districts have different ceremonies then Capitolites do for marriages.” You informed him; knowing that you're going down a path you can't turn off of as you do. “Couples in 12 do a toasting by breaking bread at the hearth over a fire they stoke.”

“Too bad we don't have a fireplace.” Coriolanus seriously pouted.

Oh wow, he's serious about this marriage thing. Lucky you.

“Yes, too bad.” You half heartedly agreed with him. Resting your hands on his chest, you decided to explain what you learned about weddings in District 8. “I've heard that here in 8 most weddings are typically held on Tuesdays and Thursdays in November and December.”

Your boyfriend’s brow rose with interest. “December you say?”

“Yes.” You confirm as he strokes your cheek with his thumb. “The bride sews her own dress, which is typically blue or purple, and makes a large amount of food for the guests who stay for dinner and then a late supper. While family and friends are gathered at the house, the couple’s joined hands are bound by a strip of cloth; then they recite words or poetry to complete the ritual.”

“And this ritual’s binding in the eyes of District 8?” Coriolanus asked, holding your gaze with his icy eyes. Eyes that were filled with both trepidation and hope.

“It's binding in all of the districts. I'm not sure about the Capitol tho.”

Bringing his forehead to rest against yours, he simply said, “Mary me on Thursday. I'll bring Sejanus home with me and we'll do the 8 ceremony.”

Believing it impossible to marry so soon, you react with, “But that's in 2 days, Coryo. I'll barely have enough time to make a dress. Plus I have to cook food.”

Bringing his other hand up to your face, so he was cradling it between his large calloused hands, the platinum blonde told you, “I'll bring home some material for your dress tomorrow and the only guest you need to cook for is Sejanus. You don't need to cook up our entire pantry.” His lips ghosted over yours. “Let me take care of you; marry me, baby.”

If you say yes to this sudden spur of the moment wedding you'll be giving up your freedom. In the districts’ eyes you'll become Mrs. Snow, wife of a Peacekeeper. One who's certain he'll become an Elite Officer. Is that what you want?

Hell…

You honestly don't even know what you want. But you do know that you refuse to go cold and hungry ever again because you're alone and can barely get by.

So, for survival purposes, you give Coryo a smile and tell him, “I’ll marry you.”

Without warning, Coryo kisses you. His lips hungrily pressed against yours, as if he was a man starved and his only fulfillment came from your mouth. You moved your lips against his, which only caused him to deepen the kiss by slipping his tongue into your mouth. Your fingers twisted and dug into his white T-shirt as your tongues intimately danced while your lips clashed, pushing and pulling for purchase.

You let out a little breathless sigh as Coryo broke the kiss, pulling back slightly so the two of you could catch your breath.

Coryo's icy blue eyes were nearly black with lust as he looked into the windows of your soul. His large hands still cup your face as he confessed, “I’d love nothing more than to bring you to our bed and fuck you right now, but since we're to be married in 2 days I'll wait til the wedding night.”

“Oh, so you're going to make an honest woman out of me first before you corrupt me?” You asked, your tone a bit light and teasing.

What difference was a couple of days? It wasn't like you're from a rich aristocratic family that needs to see the sheets in the morning for proof of innocence lost and consummation.of marriage. You're a district girl, nobody in the districts care about purity til marriage, etc.

Besides, even before you agreed to marry him you knew you'd be fucking Coriolanus. He's your boyfriend, it comes with the territory. The only question was when.

Now you have your answer: this Thursday night- your district style wedding night.

Leaning his forehead against yours, Coryo steadfastly declared, “You can't corrupt someone who's willing to drink from the silver cup, my darling.”

Tags: @kuroosbby001 @purriteen @poppyflower-22 @meetmeatyourworst @whipwhoops @bxtchopolis @readingthingsonhere @savagenctzen @ryswritingrecord @erikasurfer @tulips2715 @universal-s1ut @thesmutconnoisseur @squidscottjeans @sudek4l @wearemadeofstardust0 @mashiromochi @gracieroxzy @belcalis9503 @shari-berri @aoi-targaryen @whiteoakoak @spear-bearing-bi-witch @gisellesprettylies @loverandqueenofdragons @qoopeeya @mfnqueen1 @permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88 @v-love @swiftieblyth @joyfulyouthlover @harvey-malfoy @tian-monique @chxrrybomb22 @marvel-hiddles-stark @xjinnix @devils-blackrose @zombicupcake3 @jacesvelaryons @tempt-ress

[lizzysbrain]

I need to know what happened to my poor baby Tigris how did she become what she is? I NEED ANSWERS

[catindabag]

Some extra “facts” and interesting weird info about a certain self proclaimed tiger lady house cat in my TBOSAS on Crack!AU.

One of my great THG buddies was asking about Tigris Snow and her weird cheese addiction. So I just had to write some things down before I write my next short take.

Tigris Snow is extremely addicted to cheese. She’s a certified cheese addict and “cheese thief” since the day she and her little cousin (Coryo) lost their marbles after the war ended.🧀

No one knows why, but little Tigris Snow claimed that the “cheese fairies” came to her in a dream one day and saved her and her little cousin from death and starvation.

Don’t worry. Crazy Coryo Snow doesn’t mind that his poor cousin is addicted to cheese and believes in some “mythical” cheese fairies. He has his own addictions (cabbages) and problems (Highbottom & Dr. Gaul) to worry about.

In truth, Coryo’s “mythical” cabbage deities and lima bean elves commanded him to ignore the “calling of the cheese” in order to stay pretty for his sugar daddy (Sejanus).

At least both of them inherited their family’s rare ability to bargain with wild animals. They can even converse with “sacred” rabid raccoons, poisonous snakes, and wild squirrels without getting attacked.

Meanwhile, the Creeds can talk to sewer rats and fat chinchillas for some reason.

And the Ravinstills have a rare ability to command an army of Bichon Frisé puppies to do their dirty jobs for them.

Sadly, Tigris was recently fired by Fabricia Whatnot for secretly stealing and eating expensive cheese cubes and cheddar chicken sandwiches all day.

She said that her cheese fairies made her do it. A food sacrifice must be made before the “hour of the owl” in order to satisfy the ancient cheese deities of the “Golden Arches” (McDonald’s) who once ruled Panem (America) even before it existed.

Moreover, our sweet tiger was actually sewing and hiding little cheese cubes inside some of the dresses on accident purpose without Fabricia noticing. Her co-workers didn’t even know about the cheese cubes until some unfortunate lady complained about the smell.😔

That’s why our dear Tigris Snow is currently unemployed and living her best happy-go-lucky “house cat” life in Corso.

But crazy unemployed Nero Price is her worst nightmare. He’s a self proclaimed werewolf who howls at the moon all night.

She’s a poor skinny cat and Price is a crazy werewolf who runs around the city (like a wild dog) looking for rabid raccoons and Peacekeepers to fight. So it’s better for the tiger to stay home with the Grandma’am.

At least her little cousin (Coryo) buys her the best cheese tarts and sugar sticks after school (using his rich sugar daddy’s money of course).

So yeah. Tigris Snow is now the NEET (not in education, employment or training) Cat Queen in this weird universe.

However, the Grandma’am doesn’t mind. She already has big plans with old Strabo Plinth to rule Panem from the shadows after Coryo marries into the Plinth family and their fortune.

And yes, our poor malnourish looking Cabbage Boy (Coryo) is actually the real breadwinner of the family.

Coryo marrying his long time sugar daddy boyfriend (Sejanus) was the best decision he and his family ever made.🥰

At least love-struck Sejanus Plinth was willing to pay for his poor sugar baby’s bills, rent, and groceries.

So after Coryo and Seji Pie got married and had their 24 (and more) babies, crazy cat auntie Tigris decided to finally settle down and became an official cheese merchant in Corso.

She (now) even has the time to talk to her mythical cheese fairy friends without being interrupted by evil Fabricia Whatnot.

She, along with Ma Plinth also like to spend old Strabo Plinth’s filthy money on the sweetest cheesecakes and weird looking clothing hangers every weekend.

Unfortunately, Ma Plinth is the only sane person who believes in Tigris Snow’s little cheese fairy friends.

Ma even joined Tigris Snow’s little secret organization called ✨The Cult of The Golden Arches✨. But to be fair, crazy Palmyra Monty and Festus Creed are the only other official members of her cult.

Too bad. Nobody could see those little cheese fairies except for Tigris and Coryo.

However, poor crazy Coryo likes to ignore his cousin’s mythical “beasts” because he claims that his cabbage deities and lima bean elves don’t want him to bow and worship some weird annoying creatures who divided the old world with their “Golden Arches” (McDonald’s).

Reject the cheese! Bow before the cabbage!

Yeah, I know. The poor Snow cousins are unashamedly crazy and delusional with their cheese fairies, ancient food deities, sacred animals, talking cabbages, and lima bean elves.😂

But don’t be sad. Our crazy cheese tiger is still into fashion and making clothes for her little cousin and his 24 (and more) gorgeous children with Sejanus.

But selling and eating cheese is her true passion and calling (in this life anyway).🧀

[kizzyedgelll]

Hi, everyone! Welcome to my 27th shoutout series! I've already explained it here, but this series consist of me praising content creators and showing my favorite creations every week month.

Under the cut are my favorite creations from april:

Barbie from Barbie (2023) gifset by @thejingshi

Adelaide Wilson from Us gifset by @vampirecorleone (horror tw)

Everything Everywhere All At Once gifset by @kizzys

Pedro Pascal design by @pedrorascal (check also fanna's redbubble store and ko.fi)

Lisa Frankenstein gifset by @chappelroans

Star Wars gifset by @deadpoets

Lady Rufous Hummingbird artwork by @seathernycolors

Ghibli + summer gifset by @bisexualsfromouterspace

Glee gifset by @cobbbvanth

Stranger Things gifset by @lucassinclaer

Beyoncé gifset by @allupinyourminds (flashing tw)

RWRB artwork by @tenjoura

Monster gifset by @shesnake

Poor Things gifset by @buffysummers (blood tw)

Peggy Carter from MCU gifset by @userpeggycarter

Various films gifset by @rosamndpike

Poor Things gifset by @firstapo (nsfw-ish)

EEAAO gifset by @maddiebuckley

Santana from Glee gifset by @michaun

Spirited Away x Howl's Moving Castle gifset by @divineandmajesticinone (blood tw)

Kim Possible artwork by @creatorping

Baby cow painting by @emimoopaints

Anastasia gifset by @luke-skywalkrs

Jujutsu Kaisen artwork by @sidekcks

PJO series gifset by @tigris-snows

The Bear graphic by @drrav3nb

Portrait of a Lady on Fire gifset by @binariesuns

[moreespressoformydepresso]

Wanted to comment under the fanfic but for some reason my account refuses to post the comment so it's copied from ao3

I am so glad we are getting the POV of the background tributes and the image of sheaf curled up into a little ball and panlo looking after her is so cute 🥺</p>

<p>I was so excited seeing a facet prespictive he's one of my favourite characters and him babysitting Is so cute I have been headcanoning that he is great with kids and him and the tributes standing up for dill is amazing she is just a harmless innocent sick little girl leave my baby alone<br />

And more Livia slander let's GOOOO<br />

And treech giving lamina all the food oh poor boy 😭 😭<br />

Once again I don't like babying snow but it's so entertaining seeing him embarrassed at showing Lucy gray he's home I am looking forward to her meeting tigris not so much to the grandma she better keep her venemous mouth shut for our rainbow songbird</p>

Amazing chapter as always 👍😊

There's been a lot of hateful bot comments so AO3's turned off guest comments multiple times, I guess it could be that? Idk but I can't think of anything else because I let everyone comment on my fics (I crave validation lol). Sheaf and Panlo need more love so while I struggle to characterize them distinctly I've decided to give them more love. Same with Facet. Idk if they came across well but I tried lmao. And I cannot resist writing about Treech and Lamina so they got thrown in there, which works because I made Facet very nice and very observant. Hence why he knows everyone's names and why he talks about Livia the way that he does. She'll warm up to him eventually, but for now I'm slandering the fuck out of her and honestly most of the mentors except for Sejanus. Sejanus is the only mentor who truly understands the horrors of the games, and even the nicest Capitol mentors have some pretty bad moral compasses when it comes to the districts to start with. Sejanus is the only one who doesn't have an arc to becoming a better person. His arc is understanding when it's time to let go of a relationship because the other person will drag him down into the depths if he doesn't.

Though, to be fair... I'm making Coryo a better person in this because it's a full fix-it. Dill and Felix will do most of the early heavy lifting (because he's the president's son like in the movie) but Coryo and Gaius will be more involved in some later happenings. Gaius strikes me as a person that tries to be good, comforting people in pain and making them laugh. However, his messed up view of the districts is blinding him when it comes to the tributes and the games. It's hard to laugh about someone's pain when they've been a better person that the people you consider "superior". Especially once you learn the horrific extent of their suffering. As for Coryo... I'm mixing the movie's general softening of his worst traits with the fact that this happens relatively early in the story. None of his worst conclusions have been drawn and since he'll never brutally murder Bobbin he'll never really start believing Gaul's theory. One thing I noticed is that he seems to think himself superior to district people because he overcame his struggles and he doesn't understand how much worse the districts have it. Nor does he understand that they don't have the opportunity to overcome their struggles like he does. That's why he looks at Lucy Gray strangely when she mentions not knowing there's multiple kinds of tea. It's a small thing, but it's pretty significant because of how it utterly shatters all of his excuses for why the districts deserve what's being done to them.

It shows that his situation isn't comparable to theirs. Because despite the poverty, he knows that there are multiple kinds of tea. He's seen them around him, he even managed to get some. It would be one thing if Lucy Gray wasn't able to afford any, but she doesn't even know they exist! The mere idea is so luxurious to her that she'd never even heard of it in the first place. And the items on the table are very mundane to him. Nothing to be marvelled at. Yet Lucy Gray is practically entranced by it because she could never afford it. While Coryo can't read her mind, he's not stupid. This isn't rocket science. And it rocks his world because it shows his assumptions about his own position in the world vs the districts is completely out of whack. So yeah, that'll build to at least a pseudo-redemption for him. I won't make this SnowBaird because I flat out don't ship it, but I do have plans for conflict and romance for Coryo. Specifically with Sejanus, because those two definitely had some undertones.

[hidden-poet]

Okay I had such a crazy busy week and I finally got to read chapter 5 of Commander Snow and WOW what a ROLLERCOASTER!!! Again, I really appreciate you making these super long 🙏 it’s seriously the best feeling reading your work!!! I honestly can’t get enough of it! Alrighty, let’s get into this masterpiece….

Is this girl really trying to get herself killed by selling the spare morphling bottles that Coryo gave her…? Even though we know he won’t. But girl… you are really asking for it 😂

“You freeze seeing Commander Snow, marching through the streets with the cavalry behind him.” - I just froze 🥵 just give him to meeee NOW!!! I NEED HIM 😫 - “That’s Snow’s girl.” - HELL YEAH I AM!

The way he just comes out of the crowd just to swallow her whole face, neck and collarbone 😂 and hooking her hands over his neck 🥹 ughhh needy little mamas boy bitch who just wants love and nurture from her 🩷 and him biting down on her neck 😫🥵 like I don’t care how bad it hurts just bite me and drain me like a vampire please and thank you! 

He really out here just sending for her now to be taken to the Compound 😂

I love it when Lucy Gray is brought up! The way Smiley made her sound like some sort of killer 😂 I'm like… no. Does Smiley have a death wish sharing all this with us? Boy do you not know what your Commander is capable of by now?

HE’S SUCH A NEEDY LITTLE WHORE MY GOD 😫 Laying his head on her lap and not that being enough for him to then force her hand over his chest 🥵😫

Her thinking Tigris is his girl back at the Capitol 😂 - “No, she’s my cousin. You’re my girl.” - THAT I AM DADDY 😈

Coryo not wanting to talk to her about Strabo Plinth because he KNOWS he’s responsible for Sejanus’s death and got that Plinth prize… 🤦‍♀️

HE'S TAKING US TO THE CAPITOL FOREVER!!! Poor girl is so scared that he’s taking her away from her home.

“He adjusts to a more menacing position; his fingers tightened on your face, his body stiffened into a hard stance over you and his eyes squinted down on you.” - I just love how he gets mad when we don’t comply… It's like a child throwing a tantrum in a way; which makes sense considering his severe undiagnosed mommy issues 😂 - “Do you honestly think you have a say in the matter?.” - No I don’t. Only you can control my life now 😫

Okay I could not stop laughing at the way he just kicked Miss Escot out and told her to fuck off 😂

“Say you’re sorry,” - GOSH he’s so petty… 😂 If I say no, can I suck his dick again? Unwilling of course…. UGHHH 😫 I just love how possessive he is with her by throwing out the moonshine because he doesn’t want her drinking and just casually cutting out people from her life because their a “bad influence” when really... he just wants her all to himself. I mean I ain’t complaining…. 😂

Not him cuffing her up and making her watch the executions… Sir, I am not an animal here? But at the same time…. meow 😈 -  “Watch me up there,” - Okay WHORE 😂 I just love how he has this constant need for attention and validation from her. Even in Chapter 2; when he grabs her jaw and tells her to tell him how much he is taking good care of her and to tell him how handsome he is… it is both so sad and pathetic where you can’t help but feel bad for him and sympathize with him… my poor baby boy 🥹🩷 he is doing NOTHING WRONG.

***ME GETTING HATING HIM***

Okay. FUCK HIM for killing that little boy. That was beyond CRUEL. That was sooooooo heartbreaking and traumatizing 😭 he’s terrible.

“I tried to send him to the Capitol as an Avox but Commander Bonza was determined to see him hang”. - YOU ARE IN CHARGE YOU PSYCHOPATH! His ego of not being shown as weak for his stupid presidential run. My god 🤦‍♀️

Now is this boy really looking for comfort from HER? After what you just made her watch? And by YOUR COMMAND! THE DELUSIONS…. - “He cried for his mother in the holding cell” - 😑😑😑 boy you really don’t need be saying all this to her right now…. - “They don’t hang children in the Capitol. You’ll never have to see it again.” - YET YOU STILL MADE HER WATCH THIS?

***BACK TO LOVING HIM AGAIN***

Coriolanus remembered crying for his mother on nights when the pain in his stomach from hunger was too much to bear. It felt almost therapeutic now to hear you cry for the boy. In a way, you were crying for Coriolanus too. - Okay I am again conflicted for this man 😂 MY POOR BABY JUST WANTS US TO FEEL THE PAIN HE WENT THROUGH AS A KID 🥹🩷 COME HERE I’LL GIVE HIM ALL THE COMFORT HE SO DESPERATELY NEEDS 😂

Again with the desperate need for her to stay with for the night 😫 - “No, no. I need you to stay.” - “You’re not leaving me.” - 🥵🥵🥵 is it getting hot in here? - “You’re telling me no? After everything I’ve done for you?” - Aside from terrorizing me and the people around me? 😈 Also not him threatening her to stay with him 😫😈

Holding her hand back to his apartment 😫 now this boy thinks we're a married couple now? Him wanting to share everything 🥹 he gets a kick out of her wearing his clothes….. OWNERSHIP 😈🥵 I couldn’t stop laughing at him just casually eating in the kitchen after what he had done 😂 and the grin he gives her as he chews like a little demon child 😂 

Masturbating to her in the shower? 🥵 I have to say I am shocked by his self control in the pussy department tbh 😂

HE LIKES TO BE THE LITTLE SPOON 😭🥹 the way he just tugged her wrist over himself and burying her hand under his cheek 🥹😂 She’s definitely getting used to him (unwillingly of course) 😂

I love how he just flattened the bed sheet for her when he got out of bed 😂 “Go back to sleep” - Yes, Daddy 🥵 And am I the maid now? Ironing his clothes and shining his shoes…? YES SIR 😈

Okay so now that he locked her in his apartment without her knowing he locked it in the first place…? Berlin Syndrome anybody? AND The damn Peacekeepers ignoring her 😂 they're like ‘yea no we can’t help you or your boyfriend will hang us’ - “What’s wrong?” “Hey, what happened?” - ???? 😑😑😑 ???? THE DELUSIONS OR HE’S JUST THAT SICK 😂

“She’s been with me. Who are you?” - Ooof 🥵 I’m sorry but Edmund and Coryos whole interaction at the house had me dead I can’t with them both 😂 - “Didn’t I see you next to my girl at the hanging?” - Yes. I am your girl 🥵 - “I don’t want him in the house if I am not here.” - Yes, daddy 😈 - “You seemed close with the maintenance man,” - Idk why this made me laugh so much 😂 - You think I am letting you stay here after finding a man lingering in your house?” - Don’t you just love a psychotic possessive man 😂

Man he really is impatient with her ‘moving in’ with him now 😂 how sweet of him to pack her undies tho 😂

Wow he really is isolating her now from everyone? Her boss, her mom and Edmund. My heart honestly broke for her mom when he was dragging her daughter away 😭🥹

FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!!!! HOLY SHIT THAT WAS INTENSE! Coryo is definitely going to kill Edmund. Without a doubt (and he doesn’t know about the kiss 😳... yet at least) - “Kill them and you kill me,” you threaten, “I swear, there is not a single thing you can do that would stop me.” - I mean obviously he can still kill Edmund without killing your mom...

I couldn’t stop laughing at the fact that his gasp waked her up too 😂and look at him scooping her up in his arms, holding her too tight like she’s a stuffed animal and smelling her 😂 She is his source of comfort 🥹🩷

I APOLOGIZE FOR THIS BEING REALLY LONG AND I'M JUST KICKING MY FEET IN EXCITEMENT FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER!!!!

p.s. I just realized I kept misspelling Mabel's name in my last reaction ask 😂 I went from Ma'bel' to Ma'ble' 😂

I was twirling my hair and kicking my feet reading this❤️🫡 I must have read it four times before responding. THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Commander snow part 5 and S.lands on top both will be out before the end of this week. Can’t wait to hear your thoughts! I love them, you are genuinely so funny.

Hope your week slows down a bit for you! Also don’t worry about Mabel vs Mable. I spell it both ways too 😭😂 potato- poTATo.

[julietasgf]

*I crawls into your inbox; crawling like a worm*

Guess who underestimated the homework his teachers would leave her before Easter?

It was me 😍 and I lived the great experience of sleeping 3 hours (I don't recommend it, don't be like me) but thank God Easter finally arrived. I don't know if this happen in Brazil but México is too catholic to exist and if you are a student you have 1 beautiful week off because Jesus did his thing Hehehehe

Fun fact about me. It took me years to realize that the USA bunnies and eggs were for Easter. Like my head couldn't comprehend that we celebrate in theory the same thing or something similar because here instead of chocolate eggs there is blood, destruction and rebirth and stuff like that hahaha

Well, I will stop rambling about that and I'd better start rambling about our eternal debates.

Every time Coriolanus saw Persephone I had to laugh. Im so sorry 😭😭😭😭, I understand that it was a really traumatic experience to see a man mutilate a body to commit anthropophagy and not only he did it, Baby Persefone also ate ate human flesh unknowingly (although that's the most tragic thing about it you know? it's implied that Nero Price resorted to such an extreme measure because he had a family to feed, and the man may be named Nero -you can deduce a lot of things from that-, but I can't help but want to give him a hug because no one deserves to have to live through such anguish, all to avoid Baby Perse dying of famine ahhhh) but I just can't help but laugh when the poor girl is just existing and Coriolanus is screaming in his head "she's going to eat me, she's going to eat me, she's going to eat me"

Like dude. Thats a teenager who lived through war and famine in her childhood, not Hannibal Lecter 😭😭😭😭😭

While we know very little about Persephone outside of that incident, she strikes me as a pretty sweet girl by Capitol standards. I don't recall us having a description where she had an overbearing attitude (like Juno, oh she lives in my head for free) or made dehumanizing comments concerning the tributes.

In fact she was quite sorry about Arachne's death, and even though Coryo was being a jerk to her, Persephone gave him a hug under the impression that he was one of those most affected by said event.

She sent food and water to Mizzen every time he asked for it and in abundance. She teamed up with Festus to put together a joint strategy for their tributes to have a better chance of getting out alive and when the drone mess happened she wanted to talk diplomatically with Dr. Gaul because they were hacked and what she sent to Mizzen didn't arrive (and later the boy died) 🥺

Also Persephone is one of those who asks about Coriolanus when he is sent to D12. And the thing is, yes, I think all the mentors have a lot of potential to explore but under the specific theme of "people from the academy who could have been friends with Sejanus", Persefone seems like a good choice to me.

Especially because they have a lot of similarities in their relationship with Coriolanus: he pretends to like Sejanus and Persephone when in reality he is terrified of both of them and has contempt for them.

Besides the fact that she is Coriolanus' neighbor offers a LOT OF POTENTIAL 🤭 does she even know or suspect the Snows situation?, does she know and get along with Tigris?, wouldn't you love a snowjanus fanfic where they secretly date but she is the only one who knows they are boyfriends because she has seen Sejanus there all the time? MY GIRL PERSE IS JUST WAITING TO BE NOTICED!!!!

Speaking of academy students I'M SO GLAD YOU SEE THE VIEW ON PUP 😭 It's a somewhat cruel hc because damn he's been to Sejanus' house, he's experienced first hand the kindness of the Plinth and yet he resents it. He resents it because his father forced him to spend time with the scum of the district, because he's met him and realized in a way that none of his other peers know how different and vulnerable Sejanus is. It's fucked up. Very fucked up.

🤣 On the contrary I think Strabo and Pliny could get along really well, which is terrible for the whole family but also a hc too much fun to pass up. Btw I think it would be realistic for Mr Harrington to meet Crassus. Pls get together from time to time to do hate hour club towards Crassus (they don't invite Casca because he is too stoned but if he was sober oh boi what they could have done and what Sejanus would have suffered from having THE DEAN be a bitchy about a dead men with his father LMAO...)

As I mentioned to Crassus and Casca I think this is the time to discuss it because BUDDIE I HAVE SO MUCH TO SAY. I love the very realistic aspect of absent or present parents, the past to say the least haunting and shaping the youth causing unintentionally events to repeat themselves - giving rise to very similar circumstances, continuing behaviors and ideologies (I wouldn't say History repeats itself because I'm a little historian in training and I get the pet peeve...)

IS VERY INTENSE.

The case of Coriolanus and Crassus is in my opinion one of the points that best reflects the discussion Suzanne mentioned wanting to explore with TBOSAS: nature vs. the environment. At what point does culture dictate nature and vice versa. Like Marina's song: Savages. Which is very deterministic in several aspects but I highlight this phrase:

Is it running in our blood? Is it running in our veins?

Is it running in our genes? Is it in our DNA?

Humans aren't gonna behave as we think we always should

Yeah, we can be bad as we can be good

Coriolanus did not know Crassus. And yet his influence over him is overwhelming. Which is quite striking when you consider that he knows NOTHING that tells him who his father really was, only the impression and roles that man played in other people's lives.

His grandmother told him of an exemplary son, a patriotic man, a Snow. Tigris spoke to him of a cold man, of someone full of hatred and terrifying. Casca spoke to him of the worst human being who ever walked the earth, of a traitor, cruel and wicked. And Strabo of someone who hated the people of the district and enigmatic.

All Coriolanus has are fragments and he has had to reconstruct his father from them.

That image is full of holes that Coriolanus had to actually fill in with himself. So while upbringing does influence character (the grandmother's role in Coriolanus' care, the woman who made Crassus, the Capitol itself and its ways), I think what ultimately determines his following in his father's footsteps is that he actually built him - his father - based on cultural and social aspects to which he had access so that being like him in such a similar way was something achievable.

I do not know if it is understood (and I think that the excess of homework made me lose my communication skills), but I mean that as Coriolanus does not really know who his father was, and can only try to define him through others who denounce him based on a social or cultural norm, to which he can aspire to pursue it is possible then that he can follow in his footsteps.

If Crassus were alive, if he were flesh and blood, capable of contradicting or affirming these denunciations on the basis of his coexistence with society, Coriolanus could not have been like him. He would have reacted to a living and unpredictable something because Crassus would be a flawless human.

And that mean something. Like Coriolanus idealizing his in a very strange way because she is dead, she is not a human anymore..., although all this argument is under the idea that your context shapes you. And we can't really ignore biology: Coriolanus bears a strong resemblance to Crassus physically. So how far do genetics go in determining character? When he was born blond and with blue eyes - the eyes of his father - was his fate sealed?

(As we know and you explained well when we discussed the choice of Coriolanus as protagonist: the final answer for Suzanne I think is a 50% - 50% and emphasizing that the important, the determining factor really lies in our own criteria and the choices we make and what each one of them implies and the responsibility we acquire of what socio-cultural ideas we decide to perpetuate).

Now my very personal opinion on Crassus and Casca.

While I like to slander the Snow's as much as anyone in this specific case I like to believe that there were no bad intentions because that makes it more fucked up lmao. I think Crassus genuinely liked Casca and actually believed he was doing his friend a favor since Casca mentions he was doing poorly in Dr. Gaul's class.

So think of it this way: Crassus knows his friend is in danger of missing class. They team up to do a paper in said class and on a night of drinking Casca is suddenly sharing a good idea, one that Dr. Gaul might specifically like!!!, it was his chance!!!!!

Crassus just needed to write a nice paper with what Casca his bestie already told him. "I'm sure Casca would thank me, I gave him the encouragement he needed to get his smart brain to think of something to avoid having a bad grade with dr. Gaul!!!!!" Yippee 😊

It's that horrible things happen because of good wills that to me is fascinating. Because Crassus had no way of knowing that they were going to go to war with the districts. Much less that the Capitol would win said war and that Dr. Gaul would implement the college project they did so they wouldn't lost grades

In what world would that happen?

I can tell you from experience but there is no more terrifying hotbed for atrocities than academia and its constant theorizing, hypothesizing, perhaps. People will say ABSOLUTELY WILD things as long as they view everything hypothetically.

Which is what Casca does. What Crassus sees and approves. And what Gaul implements because she knows best, how the world works. 

I think Casca / Crassus in any case is a parallel to Clemensia / Coriolanus because Coryo also didn't believe that doing Dr. Gaul's work and lying about Clemensia's participation in it was going to bring such fatal consequences for her. And if you notice all the mentors didn't believe that they were actually going to implement their ideas.

They were surprised that dr. Gaul told them it was a possibility: it was at that instant that they discovered that the idea could cross the mind's field and become real.

As an aside. I once saw on tiktok a very interesting question and it was exactly at what point Casca will have started to hate Crassus? We know they argued after that incident but Casca could not have condemned Crassus at that point for the reasons he later does (creating the hunger games).

Maybe he complained because he got him drunk!!!, because he didn't write the paper right!!!, or because he didn't need to be saved from losing a grade with Dr. Gaul!!! (And I can very well see Crassus getting upset because: "what is wrong with Casca?!!!!!! I helped him and this is how he repays ME? How ungrateful!) but not because he ruined his life and condemned the districts.

Nah. That came later. Maybe when the first games happened, a youthful bitterness turned into Casca eternal condemnation.

With this, I don't want to say that I am against Casca / Crassus and Sejanus / Coriolanus parallels. ON THE CONTRARY I LOVE THEM VERY MUCH!

In short, I can't help but wonder what Casca must have felt when he saw Sejanus blindly trusting a Snow. If he must have wanted to warn him or if every time he saw them together he thought of him and Crassus (the phrase "like a moth to the flame?," he projects himself). IT IS DELICIOUS AND CRUEL

A PART. See all the ideas we discussed about Sejanus' unfortunate fate if he had stayed in the Capitol?, most of them I got from Casca because I'm sure THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN SEJANUS IF HE HAD STAYED.

Casca mentions that he tried to stop the games JULI!!! HE TRIED! AND MANY TIMES. We don't know what those attempts consisted of but we know they failed and not only that but they blew it. That man had a big guilt eating him alive and somehow everyone let him be a drug addict in an academy full of sons of the elite? I'm telling you that happened because they wanted it to happen!

Someone gave him morphiling. Someone gave him access to a dosis everyday. Someone let him become an addict without ever helping him get sober. Someone let him "embarrass" himself in front of other people, especially children.

Someone did everything they could so that NO ONE WOULD TAKE CASCA SERIOUSLY, so that he would self-destruct *I roll on the floor in consparanoia*

Well I'm normal again. I'll just say that this infodump is kind of like spoilers for the wedding fic because those are my headcanons and you'll ultimately see them there...

About the fandom and the movies:

Really the tribute actors deserve a lot of appreciation because they did wonders AND GOD YES I AM OBSESSED BY HOW AMAZING THE MARCUS ACTOR WAS. THE GUY DIDN'T EVEN SPEAK ONCE TO SEJANUS BUT HIS EXPRESSIVITY????! ughhh yes yes yes you are so right about the angeeer, the tiredness HE EXPRESS

😭😭 As you are also right about how much small changes contribute greatly to the quit any politic aspect of the films. Because even if they are one page or one line details, they were put there to help better convey the big message and getting rid of them, makes the story lose its intentions and strength (especially the choice of cast we already saw with Rue's case, that can provoke strong reactions and questioning, Katniss being played by someone POC would have raised a worse stir but at the same time would have forced an interesting questioning).

In def I think the biggest flaws of THG movies were the choice of main cast (except Peeta althought with this I dont mean I hate the main cast. I believe they were infredible!!! 🥺 but ugh the big message really feel and come a lot lest), focusing on the love triangle (that was so dumb... The triangle ITS LITERALLY ALMOST NON EXISTING IN THE BOOKS) and getting rid of the more disruptive parts (NEVER SHUT UP ABOUT DISABLE PEETA). I'm not surprised that happened, in fact that approach is the one that allowed the books to be adapted to the big screen: because those aspects respond to the market and its tastes.

It's the way you ensure a profit, a business, and although as people have grown older they have begun to appreciate THG more for its denouncing content, the truth is that I'm sure many of us approached the franchise because it seemed on the surface to be something far away and impossible, that had little to do with reality.

Because many products today are like that. Made by and for consumption, just like that.

Which brings me to fandom BECAUSE I NEED TO STUDY THEM / STUDY US. WE ARE SUCH AN INTERESTING CASE

Because you will see these people growing up reading extremely political books while consuming apolitical movies and then you find them in tiktok repeating propaganda and prejudices that the original work criticizes and denounces (both: 1. within the text. Perfect example: this point of people not understanding what Coriolanus does not despise privilege nor wealth but Sejanus having it and coming from the district -btw I agree with you on that. You EXPLAIN SO WELL WHAT REALLY HAPPEN AND MEANS.

2. Outside the text. Again LO DE RUE when her cast was announced???? Its a very sad but perfect example).

The human mind is fascinating. This thing you keep saying about the "death of the media's understanding", is a symptom of a larger issue that ends up clearly impacting how fans will interpret and interact with the text and the film, and that combines with each individual's experiences to get a particular albeit fucked up compression on what THG-TBOSAS means 😭 *scream*

Now.

I think we're all set to forget the angst and focus on the beautiful fix everything Latam Au. It's like happy hour, the candy world where no one gets ripped away from everything they know and forced to deal with violent xenophobia or engage in a macabre game to the death against other children that if you win will FUCK YOU FOREVER <3

I LOVE THAT LGB AND CORAL CAN UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER SO INTIMATELY ON SUCH A DIFFICULT SUBJECT AND HELP EACH OTHER!!!! Raising children as an adult is hard enough but you being both a child, a young person? My god the angst and panic and conflict 🥺 (I can imagine at one point LGB confesses to Coral that she has no idea what she's doing and it's weird to say it out loud because everyone thinks LGB somehow handles it well and is so cheerful and is always helping everyone but at nightfall it's hard, almost impossible to keep pretending and you know I think having Coral looking out for Mizzen around could be so refreshing not only because she could understand EXACTLY WHAT LGB WAS GOING THROUGH, but because I think that while Coral may seem tough and be very self-sufficient to someone like LGB who is so observant and intelligent she could see her struggle to keep going a lot of times and it's kind of like in seeing herself in someone else?? kind of like knowing that this other person who is going through the same thing not only shares the experience but have the same problems in dealing with it and it's like a relief because then bc LGB don't feel anymore like there's something wrong with her or some secret trick that she don't know about? Ah again I'm missing the point?  I hope it's understood jsjsjsjsjs)

🤧💜 A part I love it because that implies Maude Ivory and Mizzen alliance, pls get them together to annoy Coriolanus and Billy Taupe (Coral probably shitalk about them so Mizzen is like "they are my enemies yes" and Maude Ivory confirms it and tells him she will help him in the attack because blackmailing Coriolanus and helping LGB to kick out BT is not enough LMAO) pd: JSJSKS IM SCREAMING BUT I APPROVE ALL ABOUT CORYO AND HIS LITTLE SISTER AND MAUDE IVORY. THEY ARE HIS DEMONS. HIS HELL

Btw I need LGB one day to write a nice song in Spanish to Coral ~

My contribution to the world is to make Strabo afraid of his wife asking for a divorce 🙏🙏🙏🙏 it will never be a bad day to bring it up and pls one year at the infamous Christmas fight Vesta threatens Strabo with divorce IN FRONT OF EVERYONE BECAUSE SHE WANTED A NICE DINNER WITH FAMILY NOT A BATTLE FIELD AND HE'S THE ADULT!!!!

(Although she probably scolded Sejanus too. RIP THE PLINTH BOYS THAT DAY)

What you added to the Snow family story is also canon I have said!!! (Although god we need to hug Mom Snow on this. She got the worst part and I would need to redo the research but I one saw something about a several economic crises in argentina caused migration in 80s / 90s, so while I need to check the years well, I propose that is the reason they leave Argentina and when they arrive Crassus as you say makes THE WORST DECISIONS AND RIP SNOWS FORTUNE)

I AGREED 💀 grandma was the one who manipulated little Snow into assimilating so brutally and I'm sure when Tigris and the others realized what baby Coryo was doing she feigned insanity over the matter:

"I don't know where he got those ideas from although it's not so bad for him to do that either..."

"GRANDMA!!!"

"🙄"

BTW I love the potential of Coriolanus fighting for attention. <3 AND OH YES. THAT'S WHY HE'S SO AMBITIOUS. I'm sure everyone paid attention to him ONLY when he won diplomas and stuff, so he became obsessed with that because he thought that was the way he was going to get that attention - love. Let's make it more tragic with Tigris being the only one who notices and tries to show him that he dont has to be exceptional for him to be loved? Which is more tragic considering what you say 😭

Because the cousins are still close. Tigris always felt pressured not only to meet the expectations of her own parents (I don't think they were strict or cold but the type support her and are proud? Which is not a bad thing but makes her afraid of disappointing them so bad) and her own dreams AND to be a role model for Coriolanus, her baby cousin who looks up to her and who she knows feels ignored by his mother and only has the evil and delusional grandmother putting bad ideas in his head.

But once Tigris is there it is TOO MUCH. She tries to push her limits but maybe she got really sick from stress and had to accept that she couldn't. And it was such a blow because she was supposed to make her parents proud, she would be the perfect, smart girl she wanted to be and even more so she would be the role. THE MODEL that Coriolanus WANTED TO BE? And now she is none of that anymore??? 🥺

I can see how she would be too scared of the idea that if Coriolanus finds out he would not only be disappointed but at the same time let's say he would no longer love her for "be a fake / " Bc she knows he was trying SO HARD to achieve the same sucess that she "had" (and then if you think about she finding out Coriolanus still lies to people about his damn origin).

Tho that fear would ultimately increase with him living with her because even if Coriolanus relieved a lot of her loneliness and discomfort, now is THERE. He can found it.

BTW TIGRIS AND CORYO DRINKING MATE TOGETHER THE FIRST DAY AMOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, THEY ARE ADORABLE they sure ate alfajores too 😭😭 💖💖

Little scene: A friend from Argentina told me that apparently if you say thank you while they give you mate is the same as saying you don't want it anymore so pls Sejanus visiting them and they give him mate and HE OBVIOUSLY IS GOING TO SAY THANKS WHEN THEY GIVE IT TO HIM AND CORIOLANUS TAKES IT AWAY IN HIS FACE AND LEAVES HIM VERY CONFUSED AND Tigris is like CORYO HE DOESN'T KNOW BRING THE MATEEEE XDDDD jsjsjsjsjs

About college and stuff being drama kids:

🤭💖💖 it makes me so happy and proud that you are more willing to take care of you over homework and these things, that tells me you will probably had so much good for your time in college, and oh buddy I understand the horror of buses to get around campus. It's a mess

And yes the good thing is that besides learning a lot, getting lost eventually becomes a fun story to tell others (I have such memorable stories jsjskwjw). I hope you have been doing well this week. Anything you want to tell me please do!!!! And I hope this coming week if you have classes everything goes well and you enjoy it 🤗

HSJSKSKSKSJS IT'S A HORROR TO BE A THEATER FAN AND NOT SPEAK ENGLISH. THE MANY TIMES I WATCHED VIDEOS OF DOUBTFUL ORIGIN AND THE WORST IMAGE QUALITY EVER but sacrifices had to be made if you wanted to enjoy the shows ah.

That's shocking news to me lmao bc I was always a Burr girl. Wait for it really altered my brain chemistry at 14 😭😭😭😭 and HIS SONGS WERE ALWAYS MY FAVORITE although Non stop and Hurricane have special places in my little heart.

CELL BLOCK TANGO DEF CHANGES LIVES I SWEAR 😳😳😳😳😳 AND YES YES THE FANTASMA IS STILL SO GOOD (stop me or I'll make an au of that too LMAO, although YOU'RE SO RIGHT ABOUT THE WICKED AU. WHAT IS THIS FEELING? IS THE ULTIMATE CORIOLANUS SONG. HE WILL DIE IN DENIAL RATHER THAN ACCEPT HE'S IN LOVE WITH SEJANUS AHHHHHHHHH).

I appreciate the recommendation <3

I really liked both versions and this lines stayed with me and I think they IS SO SEJANUS CODED:

"Fica na minha sombra, eu posso ser teu rastro"

🤡... About my new recommensation. Um. I actually got one last snowjanus song in Spanish this week although it's good know I'll be able to recommend the ones in English next time JSJSKSJSB

PLEASE PICTURE THIS: SNOWJANUS IN LATAM AU.

THE SONG IS:

Don - Miranda!

😈😈 I will see you soon Juli and yes you can call me Ika

IKAAAAAAA I'M SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU!!!! 😭

(and also omg I FEEL YOU, it's unreal bc here before the easter is when the teachers pass even MORE assignments than the normal, IT'S SO CRUEL- I hope you're able to rest this week!!! take care, srsly)

((and also, mexico and brazil are siblings regarding this, each catholic holiday I wake up and I'm like "graças a deus nasci na américa latina 🙏"))

LSKLSKLSKLSKLS gonna be honest with you: when I was a child, I watched usamerican movies and stuff, and I was like "my god, how dumb these kids are to think that a BUNNY will bring them chocolate EGGS???" because here we do have the chocolate, but we all know it's our parents who buy it 😭 and ofc there's also the gore element associated with easter (mini me was terrified of the jesus image covered in blood and suffering like that)

CORIOLANUS WAS SO MEAN TO HERRRRRR (in his thoughts, ofc, but STILL). but yes!!!! I was watching recently sociedad de la nieve, and what horrified me the most in the movie (and tbf, in every single media that talks abt cannibalism for survival) is how DESPERATE, how HUNGRY you must be to decided to eat another human. and I'm going to be very, very honest here: if crassus snow was around during the war (in the snow household, I mean), I don't doubt he would do the same, taking desperate measures to feed his family. and in nero price's case, it goes even far, because he did it not only to feed himself, he did it to feed his daughter. how hungry baby persefone probably was for him to decide doing this? but you're so right, it was so freaking funny exactly because of how ABSURD it isKLSKLSKLSKL

(and also, on a more serious tone and disregarding how funny coriolanus' delusions are, it's also worth saying it highlights how coriolanus lacks empathy even for people who are from the same social circle as him, but he isn't close to)

and absolutely yes!!! persephone seemed very sweet to me, and I absolutely agree with everything you said, I couldn't have put it better!! and particularly, I wonder if the whole thing abt what her father done spread through the capitol social circle. after all, rich people hang out together, they talk together, they go to afternoon teas and everything. this kind of gossip spread quickly. I wonder if the other kids from the academy knew, if they pretended to like her just like coriolanus, or if she was also isolated. ANYWAY.

(AND OMG I FORGOT SHE WAS HIS NEIGHBOUR THAT'S TRUEEEEEEE that's such a good idea for a fanfic!!!! imagine persephone being so quiet, she's that kind of person who doesn't talk much, but she's always observing and looking around... but coriolanus doesn't even think about worrying about her looking through the window, so he isn't so careful when he invites sejanus over. but persephone sees, she notices, and she starts noticing other things in school that make things make even more sense... and every single time coriolanus and sejanus are sitting together, she's there like 👀)

and you're so right, it's so cruel 😭 because there are plenty of rumors regarding the plinth family on the wealthy social circle on the capitol, but pup knows these aren't truth, because he went inside their house, he ate from their food, he knew ma plinth's kindness and he knew that sejanus was sweet (bc sejanus actually tried to bond with him, despite the awkwardness; he was happy that pup liked some stuff he liked too), and still, pup participated in the vicious bullying campaign, he even said some of the mean rumors were true (even though he knew they weren't, he knew very well)

this is even more fucked up than the stuff arachne does, for example, because arachne never set foot on the plinths' apartment. pup did. pup knew. and still he went and did it.

NAHHH JUST IMAGINE IT, strabo inviting pliny's family to their apartment. poor vesta is there suffering bc his wife CLEARLY doesn't like her, sejanus and pup are in an awkward silence... and pliny and strabo are there chatting and having fun shittalking about other rich people from the capitol lmaoooo (AND POOR SEJANUS BRO 😭 he wouldn't even be able to take casca highbottom, THE casca highbottom, seriously anymore bc he looks at that man and all he can see is the guy who drinks in his couch with his pa and called crassus snow a whiny little bitch)

(before we get into crassus and casca, I just wanted to say that it's SO cool you're going to be a historian!!! srsly, it was my dream course when I was a child)

YOU'RE SO RIGHT ABT SAVAGES BY MARINA!!!! not only it really describes this whole discussion, but it's also a very tbosas-coded song, tbh!!

and YES YES YESSSS YOU PUT IT PERFECTLY INTO WORDS!!!!! coriolanus idolizes crassus because, despite knowing what other people said about him, he never knew him (this also may be a reach, but what coriolanus thinks of crassus is what he thinks as the ideal man, the ideal dad, the ideal person, the person coriolanus aims to be, and even a bit of himself; and all of that is also a mix of everything he hear about crassus: everything, including the bad things, and in the end, coriolanus molded himself into what he thought of crassus snow, but without ever knowing him). you know that phrase, "never meet your heroes"? sometimes, it's not just because they're straight up assholes, it's because they're humans with flaws, and therefore, they can't be idolized. we can't create a perfect version of them in our heads (because that's what we do with people we don't know, we never talked to; we create versions of them in our heads, as if they're characters).

and that's what coriolanus does with his dead father.

(and yes!!! I've seen a BRILLIANT post earlier where the person made comparisons between lgb, coriolanus and sejanus and the three mains philosophers who mold the tbosas narrative; but even though there are three main philosophers, there are also plenty of other debates sprinkled there. and one of the debates I can see is the determinism. right before the start, when we know that the main character is coriolanus snow, we can bring ourselves to ask: is it a matter of fate, of genetics, of nature? or is it purely choice, a matter of society, a matter of envinroment? and the answer is both... even though we know what weighs the most.)

I REALLY like your interpretation of crassus and casca, and actually, it makes things even more tragic and horrible. that's what they say, isn't it? that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. and also, this is even much more interesting because in the end, it's a big butterfly effect. imagine if casca never got drunk that day. it was a small thing, a small action that ended up causing the most terrifying and horrible event in panem, an event that keeps going and going for more than 70 YEARS. we're talking about 1701 dead children (and I didn't count the 75th quarter quell). and all because of a night casca got drunk... and what possibly was what crassus thought to be a good action.

AND OH MY GODDDDDDDDD I DIDN'T THINK ABT IT!!!!!! AND IT!!! MAKES!!! SO!!! MUCH!!! SENSE!!! I'M SCREAMING

specially because when you think better abt it, coriolanus did almost the same to clemensia (he put her name on a horrific assignment for the games where he said the most horrific things, things SHE didn't completely agree on) because she was mourning over arachne. and he did it much before knowing about what crassus had done.

this maybe doesn't mean anything. but it maybe does. it's just interesting to think abt.

and about the question about when casca started hating crassus: this makes things even worse because... even if casca was mad at first bc of the assignment, let's suppose he didn't hate casca right away (which I think he didn't; why would he hate him like that bc of that? it doesn't make sense to me, at least). that means he probably mourned over his death.

and this also means he probably hated crassus when he was dead, when he couldn't even scream on his face about how much of a DICK and an ASSHOLE and a HORRIBLE human being he was.

I'm sick.

I LOVE THIS THOUGHT, even though it's SO tragic and cruel. imagine casca seeing sejanus and coriolanus pairing up for a school work, and he immediately separates them and makes sejanus do the work with someone else. coriolanus thinks that it's because casca hates him, but it's actually other thing. it's fear. not only fear for sejanus and his fate, but if the first time what happened were the hunger games... then what the hell will happen on the second time? what's as bad as the hunger games, or even worse, that coriolanus snow could do?

and omg you're a GENIUS, BECAUXE EXACTLYYYYYY. because even if casca got addicted by himself, even if it were his choices... nobody helped. nobody did a thing. and it was definitely a choice to let him teach at the academy in his state, without anyone doing anything. if a new generation sees that man, that stoned and addicted man who constantly embarass himself, saying stuff about how the games are bad and yada yada yada... who'll believe him? who'll take him seriously? the new generation would never give in to these ideas.

the casting for tbosas is amazing, all of the actors give their lives for these characters, but the TRIBUTES, ALL OF THEM DESERVE EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING, REALLY.

and yessssssss!!!! I'm not really against casting actors who are different from the book characters, unless we're talking about whitewashing. the thing is, if they kept the descriptions we're given in the book AT LEAST about the seam characters, it would've made a HUGE different in the storytelling. and I agree, I DEFINITELY don't hate the main cast, in the end, I think they did a great job (specially josh hutcherson, he was such a good choice for peeta), but it really weakned some of the messages from the book... and abt the love triangle, the thing is, this was not even the most evil thing of the hunger games marketing from that time 😭 I know it's a common thing that the movie needs to make money, and that capitalism is a bitch, but idk, it's so WEIRD seeing some of the stuff that were marketed around the release time of the movies, specially when we're talking abt a movie like the hunger games.

(there was one thing that REALLY marked me, that was when the marketing team did a line of nail polish, and each color was inspired by a district + the capitol, and the announce had ppl dressed with capitol-like clothes and wigs. and like, it's not rlly a big deal, it's just nail polish, but idk, I wouldn't mind if it was the characters' names or something.... but this always unsettled me so much, it rlly sounded like something the capitol would do, like, "buy the nail polish of your favorite district!!!")

oh and absolutely 😭 SPECIALLY people who did the reverse way, and by that, I mean reading/watching divergent first and THEN reading/watching the hunger games. don't get me wrong, I'm not a 100% divergent hater (even tho I do have my beef with it), but the dystopia in the book is much more of a background thing than a way to denounce stuff. what matters the most is the romance and the characters... where in the hunger games, it's exactly opposite.

and you're so right!!!! even the way ppl talk about watching, reading, listening to thing, it's SO UNSETTLING. they don't say "I watch a lot of fantasy", they say "I CONSUME a lot of fantasy". the popularization of the word "content creator", too. and all of these are easy things, things to watch and ready quickly to pass on the next.

(and this leads me to reflect that nowadays, I feel like fandoms last so much less than older fandoms... exactly because people will move on quickly to the next new thing. they won't take their time to appreciate, to talk about the characters, to make fun memes and read fun fanfics and analyze characters, no, not anymore. but this is just an impression I have, I may be wrong... who knows, right?)

OH THE HUNGER GAMES FANDOM IS REALLY SOMETHING ELSE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS.

like, I SWEAR TO GOD, I've seen people saying that snow isn't the true villain from the hunger games, GALE is. and I'm not a big fan of gale, don't get me wrong, definitely not my favorite character... but how the hell they read three books about a horrible oppressive society and then decide that the oppressed, desperate teenager is the villain, and not the terrible, cruel dictator??? GOD SEND THE FLOOD ALREADY, I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE. and this is not even the WORST take I've seen about this kind of stuff. and yessssss exactly 😭 the rue one, specifically, got me SO shocked, because it really showed how people read the book, but they don't really read the book, they consume it. it was not even a matter of interpretation, it was on the TEXT, and still, people's first instinct was to read the text in a shallow way to the point they completely IGNORED a character's description and imagined them as white.

and as you said, this is a larger issue, because we see this everywhere, in every media that tries to be more political and send a message, because people can't bring themselves to THINK, to ABSORB, to ANALYZE stuff. this all is really concerning, thinking about the future and how fandom culture is slowly changing into a tiktokfication of it (ppl get into a new fandom, enjoy it quickly, don't stop to really think about the takes and stuff, and then move to the next shiny thing; everything is too quick-paced).

I complained too much, sorry 😭 it's just that I think a lot abt these stuff, hopes it made sense the things I said

BUT LET'S GOOO, LATAM AU <3 the only way I can be happy as a tbosas fan lmao

LUCY GRAY AND CORAL, MY BELOVEDSSSSSS, it's even more special bc like, coral feels out of place in the neighbourhood because she can't really relate to the people there, and even though lucy gray LOVES her neighbourhood, she loves the people there, there's no one else she can talk about this, it's a different and very specific type of loneliness. AND YESSSSSSS, they're two sides of the same coin!!! lucy gray always seem cheerful and happy to everyone, while coral seems tough, as if nothing scares her, as if she can handle everything. where, actually, they're struggling; they were barely adults when they started raising literal CHILDREN, and they feel so lost, and so alone even though they try to keep the facade that everything is okay and fine. but at least they have each other <3 and again, with coral, lucy gray doesn't feel like she's messing everything up, because she sees, she knows coral struggles just like her, so it's not like there's something wrong with her, it's not like she's doing everything wrong. I love this concept so much <3

YESSSS MAUDE IVORY AND MIZZEN WOULD BE SUCH A CHAOTIC DUO, they would make billy taupe's life HELL, but now they have a new victim and it's coriolanus 😭 coriolanus can't BELIEVE he's being bullied by two children. it started only with lucy gray, but it didn't take long for mizzen to tag along lmaoooooo

(LGB WRITING A SONG IN SPANISH TO CORAL OH MY GOD YESSSSSSSS make it even cuter if lucy gray is rehearsing it and coral listens to her by accident. but the thing is: coral doesn't know spanish, so she has no idea what the song is saying, just that it's very beautiful. she asks lucy gray what it means, and lucy gray simply answers that it's about someone very special. coral thinks it's about coriolanus and she comes back home that night fuming, poor girl)

THIS IS TO FUNNY I'M SCREAMINGKLKSLSKLSKLKLS BUT MA PLINTH SOUNDED SO SERIOUS WHEN THREATNING HIM, HE DIDN'T EVEN DARE TO SAY ANYTHING THE REST OF THE DINNER. and of course sejanus got his share of her fury, boy almost cried in despair because he never saw his ma SO angry

(at least they had the dinner in peace that night tho)

((and they actually didn't fight for, like, 3 months, it was a record))

mama snow REALLY got the worst 💔 and yes!!!! in the 80s/90s, a lot of south american countries were going through the same horrible economic crisis, because most of them were finally getting rid of the violent dictatorships funded by the usa, and this affected deeply the economy of said countries (I don't know if the same phenomenon happened in argie, but in brazil, specifically, inflation got SO bad that the staff at stores had to walk around with little machines to change the price tags of stuff because the price would rise by THE HOUR. you would buy something that in the morning costed, idk, let's say 5 dollars; by the night, the SAME THING would be costing 10 dollars, and in five days, the SAME thing could be costing 20 dollars). it makes A LOT of sense for crassus to decide to leave around that time.

I JUST KNOW THAT WOMAN WOULD PRETEND SHE WASN'T DOING ANYTHING. she would be like "uhhh idk where little coryo got these ideas from, maybe it's from his school :/"

I'M IN SO MUCH PAIN RIGHT NOW 💔 tigris being the one who tells him how special he is, how he's such a smart boy and he's already enough the way he is, he doesn't need to study like this, or push himself so hard like this... and he would turn to her and be like "no, tigris, the only way I'm worthy is by being exceptional!!! I want to be just like you!! I want to work hard and go to college, just like you!!!" and even though she knows that his overachiever thoughts are not really healthy, her heart melts, because coriolanus admires her so much, he wants to be like her, so she feels on the obligation of being the role model he adores. but everything fails, and she feels like a huge failure, even though her parents say it's fine and she can take her time, what matter it's her health, even though she talked to mrs. plinth about it and she reassured tigris that tigris is young, she has so much time ahead. and still, she feels like a failure. she feels like she failed, like she failed coriolanus, and EVEN MORE now that he goes to live with her, and when he asks about her college, and he says about how he loved talking about how his cousin was amazing and was studying in new york with an incredible scholarship, she can't even bring herself to look into his eyes bc of how ashamed she feels.

I'M SO UNWELL. BRB, I'M GOING TO CRY ON A CORNER.

OMG coriolanus would lie and pretend he didn't miss eating alfajor, he would make a boring face like "meh", but HE MISSED IT OKAY, HE MISSED IT, IT TASTED LIKE HIS CHILDHOOD. he would NEVER admit it out loud, but tigris knows how to recognize his feelings and she's so happy <3

LSKSLSKLSKLKSLSKSLKLSKLS I'M SCREAMINGGGGGG 😭😭😭😭 now, coriolanus is like "he's in OUR house, OUR rules" and tigris is fighting with him bc LEAVE THE POOR BOY ALONE OH MY GOD, STOP BEING A DICK- and poor sejanus is just there, existing while the cousins bicker

tysmmmmmmm!!! 🥹 LSKSLSKLS the getting lost stories are always the best if we not consider the whole despair, it's really the definition of "we'll be all laughing of it at the future" 😭 thankfully this week have been good, despite very tiring, and thankfully this week I'll be FREE <3 but tysm for asking, and I really hope things are going good for you and your classes <3

AND YOU KNOW WHAT? THE IMAGE QUALITY IS NOT EVEN THE WORST, IT'S THE SOUND, because we ALREADY don't speak english 100%, and now w have to try to understand it with the sound ALL MESSED UP 😭😭😭😭 there were SO many times where I watched a video and the audio was so bad I couldn't understand SHIT, I was smiling and nodding all along pretending I was getting it, and when I saw someone from the fandom talking abt a line, I would get so confused

being an a.ham girlie unfortunately is the past I try to hideLSKSLKSLKLS but wait for it is SO good, when I heard it first it didn't affect me much, but listening to it after being older... IT HITS. IT HITS HARD. I AM THE ONE THING IN LIFE I CAN CONTROL, my GODDDDD. and hurricane got me HOOKED, I would listen to it over and over again.

PLEASE, MAKE A PHANTOM AU, I BEG YOU 🙏 (AND YESLSLSKSLSKLSKLS and also, there are so many other songs that could fit too!!! I was listening to popular in specific and imagining it and it got me cackling 😭)

I'm so happy you enjoyed the recs!!!! 🥹 AND YESSSSS THAT LINE IS SO SEJANUS CODED

I've listened to the song and all I could envision is: IT'S CORIOLANUS' POV OF THE LATAM AU. SRSLY, IT'S 100% CORIOLANUS' POV. I'M SCREAMINGGG

(and alsoLSKSLSKSL but I can't wait for the eng recs!!!)

(also, I wanted to recomment another song, hope it's okay: jão - idiota. LITERALLY SNOWJANUS. I won't even say much, it's just LITERALLY SNOWJANUS.)

take care ika!!! hope you're doing fine, see ya soon <3

EDIT: buddie I've just read your other ask with more calm, and OH MY GODDDDDDD I'M SHAKING!!!! THE WAY I LET OUT A LITTLE SCREAM!!!!! 😭😭😭😭😭 I holding myself back so hard now to not comment on it by just let me make you know that I'm SCREAMINGGG

[scandalouslamb]

the grandma'am for the ask game!!!

Ask Game

Omg, thanks, anon! Excited that someone wants to talk about Grandma'am!

My first impression

Snow has a Grandmother who sucks at singing apparently.

My impression now

Grandma'am, you and Volumnia would match each other's freak somehow. There's so much going on in your head. I want to know about your younger years. I want to know your thoughts as your world shattered around you.

Favorite thing about that character

The way she turned to the Capitol/patriotism as like her form of religion. That's so interesting. Singing the national anthem as pseudo-prayer <3

Least favorite thing

The way she just did not step up and forced Tigris into a parentified role and then she puts all her hopes on Coriolanus who most of the time seems to need reminding from Tigris to treat Grandma'am kindly.

I understand that some of what I like about her leads into this, but it just makes me sad when I think about it too hard. But that's the point!

Favorite line/scene

The daily recital hadn’t begun until that black day when the district rebels had surrounded the Capitol, cutting it off from supplies for the remaining two years of the war. “Remember, children,” she’d say, “we are but besieged — we have not surrendered!” Then she would warble the anthem out of the penthouse window as the bombs rained down. Her small act of defiance. (Ch. 1)

That's prayer, baby! And also very traumatizing for Coriolanus and Tigris to wake up to after the war as has been pointed out to me!

Favorite interaction that character has with another

Every meal, she’d rattle on about the Snows’ legendary grandeur, even when their fare consisted of watery bean soup and stale crackers. And to hear her tell it, it was a given that his future would be glorious. “When Coriolanus is president . . .” she often began. (Ch. 1)

Imagine growing up in this household... Poor Coriolanus and Tigris. Also this really did get me wondering about her relationship with the Snows in general. Like is she a Snow by birth? (my speculations)

A character that I wish that character would interact with more

Gaul and President Ravinstill— *gunshot*

Ahem. I'd love to see more of her and Tigris. Is there resentment and tension there? Just I would love to see under the hood of what's going on in their heads.

Another character from another fandom that reminds me of that character

Um... I don't know. The Witch of the Wastes specifically from the Howl's Moving Castle movie? I suppose.

A headcanon about that character

I just headcanoned that her name is Gloriam and that she is a Snow by birth (I think that the Capitol goes by absolute primogeniture. See link to above speculations).

She did know President Ravinstill and Gaul back in the day. She looked down on Volumnia for being slightly lower class. Max and Volumnia both thought she was too uptight then (and she actually got more uptight about being proper a little before, during, and after the war).

A song that reminds of that character

I'm going to be so real with you, anon. I spend at least 15 minutes staring at the song section of each of these. I am music illiterate. Screw it!

Gem of Panem! Final answer!

An unpopular opinion about that character

I think I'll just sit on my hands for this one. I don't want anyone misinterpreting me.

Favorite picture

I cannot pull up my copy of the tbosas movie for screenshots right now, but I liked that outfit she wears at the beginning (that is kind of hard to see rip the lighting) with all the pearls! Just all the pearls! Such opulence! Project the legendary grandeur of the house of Snow, Grandma'am.

[thesullengrrrl]

tbosas thoughts lol

it's been a while since i consumed anything related to the hunger games. i remember borrowing the books from the university library and enjoying them very much, especially the first one! at the time, i never thought a book could feel like a mini series unfolding before me. cliffhangers were the best parts in every chapter.

i wasn't really hyped with this because i was looking forward more on saltburn, poor things, wonka and the like (which would probably be released here next year). fast forward to last saturday and i met up with a friend to watch it. i have a vague idea on what the film is about (it's about coriolanus snow and lucy gray baird that's it lol) but i'm glad i went in semi-blindly. i didn't read the book!

the length. i saw the actual book and i'm surprised they didn't chop it into two parts like its predecessors (hp, breaking dawn, etc). i'm glad about that because franchises can be so blatantly cash grabs these days. it was divided into three parts which was a little surprising since i have not watching something like that in a YA film (let me know if there are other YA that has done this). was it written in three parts in the book as well? the film was almost 3 hours long and we were glued to our seats. no breaks!

the acting. it's my first time seeing rachel zegler act and miss ma'am ate it up. i even forgot why the internet was angry at her. that singing scene when she was reaped? EAT YOUR HEART OUT, CAPITOL! tbh her singing made me feel a little little cringe but heyyyyyyy what do i know? the internet says it's part of lucy's character (she's part of a band for pete's sake, self!) she sings well and i hope i can hear her more in the future.

it's obvious how viola davis is enjoying her role and love that for her!!

peter dinklage gave us dystopian dr. gregory house (compliment) (morphling, vicodin...) and that picture of him with the rubber chicken. work.

my white boy of the month, tom blyth. chef's kiss. that man ate up his blond wigs and buzzcut and i never thought i'll have a crush on a blond man again after matthew crawley. his performance as snow made me feel what god intended: make me feel safe then push me from that beam-- snow landing on top of me with (my) blood on his hands.

sejanus...well, first of all, why suzanne? why the name? janus could've been fine already. (what's with names ending with anus!) we love our human rights king! josh andres rivera's take on sejanus is a breath of fresh air in the middle of capitol's cruelty and nonchalance to it. the anger that he gave to the character would make you wish for a better future for panem's children.

lucky flickerman. jason schwartzman did not hear "cut!" he heard "cunt!" and he gave us that. "smile. that's why we have teeth" is an instant classic for me. i could watch an entire compilation of his scenes on youtube for a whole day and not get bored.

last but not the least, hunter schafer as tigris? i totally get now why tigris smiled at the idea of katniss killing snow in mockingjay. you fed the boy, you dress the boy, and he fires you? fuck off, snow! snow melts anyway!

the costumes. it has a mixture of the elements of turn of the century america. influences from the 30s-50s are evident to the costumes and i love it. very different from the costumes in the hunger games trilogy. it added to the sense of separation from the earlier films. why is dean highbottom dressed like a monk? that ombre lab gown and docs of dr gaul? looooove. it looks so comfy and chic. snow's academy uniform? he looks so uwu baby girl cherub you can't do anything wrong you are an angel you look so trustworthy uwu bb

i enjoyed the movie. i had fun! the battle sequences made us hide behind our hands because it was brutal! we swooned on snowbaird moments and we laughed and we screamed. i'm so glad i watched it with my friend whom i haven't seen in a long time.

to be honest, i wanted to savor the story and characters more. i would have preferred it to be a mini series. i like little moments from books to be on screen and i've read that the film missed some of it (understandable). i might pick up the book if i chance upon a paperback copy. i'd like to know more about snow's inner thoughts since it was not shown in the movies.

with theories, mine is this: lucy gray escaped and lived somewhere outside panem, if such place exists in this universe. maybe a south america counterpart lol. then she went back as an old woman and lived as greasy sae. lucy and coryo did love each other but only for a brief period of time. they both needed each other at the time. that bonds people. however, maybe they prioritized survival over their emotions. lucy wants to live freely with her music and nature and the covey. coriolanus wanted money, power, and glory. probably coryo didn't realize her long lasting effect on him until he was old lol. she haunted him until his death and...that's good. he deserved it.

thank you suzanne collins for writing this and thank you to the cast and crew who breathed this book to life.

ps. if i missed some context or whatnot in the story or the characters i'm sorry, i haven't read the book yet. :-)

[chinneths]

The Relativity of Wrong | By Isaac Asimov

I received a letter from a reader the other day. It was handwritten in crabbed penmanship so that it was very difficult to read. Nevertheless, I tried to make it out just in case it might prove to be important.

In the first sentence, he told me he was majoring in English Literature, but felt he needed to teach me science. (I sighed a bit, for I knew very few English Lit majors who are equipped to teach me science, but I am very aware of the vast state of my ignorance and I am prepared to learn as much as I can from anyone, however low on the social scale, so I read on.)

It seemed that in one of my innumerable essays, here and elsewhere, I had expressed a certain gladness at living in a century in which we finally got the basis of the Universe straight.

I didn’t go into detail in the matter, but what I meant was that we now know the basic rules governing the Universe, together with the gravitational interrelationships of its gross components, as shown in the theory of relativity worked out between 1905 and 1916. We also know the basic rules governing the subatomic particles and their interrelationships, since these are very neatly described by the quantum theory worked out between 1900 and 1930. What’s more, we have found that the galaxies and clusters of galaxies are the basic units of the physical Universe, as discovered between 1920 and 1930.

These are all twentieth-century discoveries, you see.

The young specialist in English Lit, having quoted me, went on to lecture me severely on the fact that in every century people have thought they understood the Universe at last, and in every century they were proven to be wrong. It follows that the one thing we can say about out modern “knowledge” is that it is wrong.

The young man then quoted with approval what Socrates had said on learning that the Delphic oracle had proclaimed him the wisest man in Greece. “If I am the wisest man,” said Socrates, “it is because I alone know that I know nothing.” The implication was that I was very foolish because I knew a great deal.

Alas, none of this was new to me. (There is very little that is new to me; I wish my corresponders would realize this.) This particular thesis was addressed to me a quarter of a century ago by John Campbell, who specialized in irritating me. He also told me that all theories are proven wrong in time.

My answer to him was, “John, when people thought the Earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the Earth was spherical, they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the Earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the Earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together.”

The basic trouble, you see, is that people think that “right” and “wrong” are absolute; that everything that isn’t perfectly and completely right is totally and equally wrong.

However, I don’t think that’s so. It seems to me that right and wrong are fuzzy concepts, and I will devote this essay to an explanation of why I think so.

First, let me dispose of Socrates because I am sick and tired of this pretense that knowing you know nothing is a mark of wisdom.

No one knows nothing. In a matter of days, babies learn to recognize their mothers.

Socrates would agree, of course, and explain that knowledge of trivia is not what he means. He means that in the great abstractions over which human beings debate, one should start without preconceived, unexamined notions, and that he alone knew this. (What an enormously arrogant claim!)

In his discussions of such matters as “What is justice?” or “What is virtue?” he took the attitude that he knew nothing and had to be instructed by others. (This is called “Socratic irony,” for Socrates knew very well that he knew a great deal more than the poor souls he was picking on.) By pretending ignorance, Socrates lured others into propounding their views on such abstractions. Socrates then, by a series of ignorant-sounding questions, forced the others into such a mélange of self-contradictions that they would finally break down and admit they didn’t know what they were talking about.

It is the mark of the marvelous toleration of the Athenians that they let this continue for decades and that it wasn’t till Socrates turned seventy that they broke down and forced him to drink poison.

Now where do we get the notion that “right” and “wrong” are absolutes? It seems to me that this arises in the early grades, when children who know very little are taught by teachers who know very little more.

Young children learn spelling and arithmetic, for instance, and here we tumble into apparent absolutes.

How do you spell “sugar?” Answer: s-u-g-a-r. That is right. Anything else is wrong.

How much is 2 + 2? The answer is 4. That is right. Anything else is wrong.

Having exact answers, and having absolute rights and wrongs, minimizes the necessity of thinking, and that pleases both students and teachers. For that reason, students and teachers alike prefer short-answer tests to essay tests; multiple-choice over blank short-answer tests; and true-false tests over multiple-choice.

But short-answer tests are, to my way of thinking, useless as a measure of the student’s understanding of a subject. They are merely a test of the efficiency of his ability to memorize.

You can see what I mean as soon as you admit that right and wrong are relative.

How do you spell “sugar?” Suppose Alice spells it p-q-z-z-f and Genevieve spells it s-h-u-g-e-r. Both are wrong, but is there any doubt that Alice is wronger than Genevieve? For that matter, I think it is possible to argue that Genevieve’s spelling is superior to the “right” one.

Or suppose you spell “sugar”: s-u-c-r-o-s-e, or C12H22O11. Strictly speaking, you are wrong each time, but you’re displaying a certain knowledge of the subject beyond conventional spelling.

Suppose then the test question was: how many different ways can you spell “sugar?” Justify each.

Naturally, the student would have to do a lot of thinking and, in the end, exhibit how much or how little he knows. The teacher would also have to do a lot of thinking in the attempt to evaluate how much or how little the student knows. Both, I imagine, would be outraged.

Again, how much is 2 + 2? Suppose Joseph says: 2 + 2 = purple, while Maxwell says: 2 + 2 = 17. Both are wrong but isn’t it fair to say that Joseph is wronger than Maxwell?

Suppose you said: 2 + 2 = an integer. You’d be right, wouldn’t you? Or suppose you said: 2 + 2 = an even integer. You’d be righter. Or suppose you said: 2 + 2 = 3.999. Wouldn’t you be nearly right?

If the teacher wants 4 for an answer and won’t distinguish between the various wrongs, doesn’t that set an unnecessary limit to understanding?

Suppose the question is, how much is 9 + 5?, and you answer 2. Will you not be excoriated and held up to ridicule, and will you not be told that 9 + 5 = 14?

If you were then told that 9 hours had pass since midnight and it was therefore 9 o'clock, and were asked what time it would be in 5 more hours, and you answered 14 o'clock on the grounds that 9 + 5 = 14, would you not be excoriated again, and told that it would be 2 o'clock? Apparently, in that case, 9 + 5 = 2 after all.

Or again suppose, Richard says: 2 + 2 = 11, and before the teacher can send him home with a note to his mother, he adds, “To the base 3, of course.” He’d be right.

Here’s another example. The teacher asks: “Who is the fortieth President of the United States?” and Barbara says, “There isn’t any, teacher.”

“Wrong!” says the teacher, “Ronald Reagan is the fortieth President of the United States.”

“Not at all,” says Barbara, “I have here a list of all the men who have served as President of the United States under the Constitution, from George Washington to Ronald Reagan, and there are only thirty-nine of them, so there is no fortieth President.”

“Ah,” says the teacher, “but Grover Cleveland served two nonconsecutive terms, one from 1885 to 1889, and the second from 1893 to 1897. He counts as both the twenty-second and twenty-fourth President. That is why Ronald Reagan is the thirty-ninth person to serve as President of the United States, and is, at the same time, the fortieth President of the United States.”

Isn’t that ridiculous? Why should a person be counted twice if his terms are nonconsecutive, and only once if he served two consecutive terms? Pure convention! Yet Barbara is marked wrong—just as wrong as if she had said that the fortieth President of the United States is Fidel Castro.

Therefore, when my friend the English Literature expert tells me that in every century scientists think they have worked out the Universe and are always wrong, what I want to know is how wrong are they? Are they always wrong to the same degree? Let’s take an example.

In the early days of civilization, the general feeling was that the Earth was flat.

This was not because people were stupid, or because they were intent on believing silly things. They felt it was flat on the basis of sound evidence. It was not just a matter of “That’s how it looks,” because the Earth does not look flat. It looks chaotically bumpy, with hills, valleys, ravines, cliffs, and so on.

Of course, there are plains where, over limited areas, the Earth’s surface does look fairly flat. One of those plains is in the Tigris-Euphrates area where the first historical civilization (one with writing) developed, that of the Sumerians.

Perhaps it was the appearance of the plain that may have persuaded the clever Sumerians to accept the generalization that the Earth was flat; that if you somehow evened out all the elevations and depressions, you would be left with flatness. Contributing to the notion may have been the fact that stretches of water (ponds and lakes) looked pretty flat on quiet days.

Another way of looking at it is to ask what is the “curvature” of Earth’s surface. Over a considerable length, how much does the surface deviate (on the average) from perfect flatness. The flat-Earth theory would make it seem that the surface doesn’t deviate from flatness at all, that its curvature is 0 to the mile.

Nowadays, of course, we are taught that the flat-Earth theory is wrong; that it is all wrong, terribly wrong, absolutely. But it isn’t. The curvature of the Earth is nearly 0 per mile, so that although the flat-Earth theory is wrong, it happens to be nearly right. That’s why the theory lasted so long.

There were reasons, to be sure, to find the flat-Earth theory unsatisfactory and, about 350 B.C., the Greek philosopher Aristotle summarized them. First, certain stars disappeared beyond the Southern Hemisphere as one traveled north, and beyond the Northern Hemisphere as one traveled south. Second, the Earth’s shadow on the Moon during a lunar eclipse was always the arc of a circle. Third, here on Earth itself, ships disappeared beyond the horizon hull-first in whatever direction they were traveling.

All three observations could not be reasonably explained if the Earth’s surface were flat, but could be explained by assuming the Earth to be a sphere.

What’s more, Aristotle believed that all solid matter tended to move toward a common center, and if solid matter did this, it would end up as a sphere. A given volume of matter is, on the average, closer to a common center if it is a sphere than if it is any other shape whatever.

About a century after Aristotle, the Greek philosopher Eratosthenes noted that the Sun cast a shadow of different lengths at different latitudes (all the shadows would be the same length if the Earth’s surface were flat). From the difference in shadow length, he calculated the size of the earthly sphere and it turned out to be 25,000 miles in circumference.

The curvature of such a sphere is about 0.000126 per mile, a quantity very close to 0 per mile as you can see, and one not easily measured by the techniques at the disposal of the ancients. The tiny difference between 0 and 0.000126 accounts for the fact that it took so long to pass from the flat Earth to the spherical Earth.

Mind you, even a tiny difference, such at that between 0 and 0.000126, can be extremely important. That difference mounts up. The Earth cannot be mapped over large areas with any accuracy at all if the difference isn’t taken into account and if the Earth isn’t considered a sphere rather than a flat surface. Long ocean voyages can’t be undertaken with any reasonable way of locating one’s own position in the ocean unless the Earth is considered spherical rather than flat.

Furthermore, the flat Earth presupposes the possibility of an infinite Earth, or of the existence of an “end” to the surface. The spherical Earth, however, postulates an Earth that is both endless and yet finite, and it is the latter postulate that is consistent with all later findings.

So although the flat-Earth theory is only slightly wrong and is a credit to its inventors, all things considered, it is wrong enough to be discarded in favor of the spherical-Earth theory.

And yet is the Earth a sphere?

No, it is not a sphere; not in the strict mathematical sense. A sphere has certain mathematical properties—for instance, all diameters (that is, all straight lines that pass from one point on its surface, through the center, to another point on its surface) have the same length.

That, however, is not true of the Earth. Various diameters of the Earth differ in length.

What gave people the notion the Earth wasn’t a true sphere? To begin with, the Sun and the Moon have outlines that are perfect circles within the limits of measurement in the early days of the telescope. This is consistent with the supposition that the Sun and Moon are perfectly spherical in shape.

However, when Jupiter and Saturn were observed by the first telescopic observers, it became quickly apparent that the outlines of those planets were not circles, but distinct ellipses. That meant that Jupiter and Saturn were not true spheres.

Isaac Newton, toward the end of the seventeenth century, showed that a massive body would form a sphere under the pull of gravitational forces (exactly as Aristotle had argued), but only if it were not rotating. If it were rotating, a centrifugal effect would be set up which would lift the body’s substance against gravity, and the effect would be greater the closer to the equator you progressed. The effect would also be greater the more rapidly a spherical object rotated and Jupiter and Saturn rotated very rapidly indeed.

The Earth rotated much more slowly than Jupiter or Saturn so the effect should be smaller, but it should still be there. Actual measurements of the curvature of the Earth were carried out in the eighteenth century and Newton was proved correct.

The Earth has an equatorial bulge, in other words. It is flattened at the poles. It is an “oblate spheroid” rather than a sphere. This means that the various diameters of the earth differ in length. The longest diameters are any of those that stretch from one point on the equator to an opposite point on the equator. The “equatorial diameter” is 12,755 kilometers (7,927 miles). The shortest diameter is from the North Pole to the South Pole and this “polar diameter” is 12,711 kilometers (7,900 miles).

The difference between the longest and shortest diameters is 44 kilometers (27 miles), and that means that the “oblateness” of the Earth (its departure from true sphericity) is 44/12,755, or 0.0034. This amounts to 1/3 of 1 percent.

To put it another way, on a flat surface, curvature is 0 per mile everywhere. On Earth’s spherical surface, curvature is 0.000126 per mile everywhere (or 8 inches per mile). On Earth’s oblate spheroidical surface, the curvature varies from 7.973 inches to the mile to 8.027 inches to the mile.

The correction in going from spherical to oblate spheroidal is much smaller than going from flat to spherical. Therefore, although the notion of the Earth as sphere is wrong, strictly speaking, it is not as wrong as the notion of the Earth as flat.

Even the oblate-spheroidal notion of the Earth is wrong, strictly speaking. In 1958, when the satellite Vanguard 1 was put into orbit about the Earth, it was able to measure the local gravitational pull of the Earth—and therefore its shape—with unprecedented precision. It turned out that the equatorial bulge south of the equator was slightly bulgier than the bulge north of the equator, and that the South Pole sea level was slightly nearer the center of the Earth than the North Pole sea level was.

There seemed no other way of describing this than by saying the Earth was pearshaped and at once many people decided that the Earth was nothing like a sphere but was shaped like a Bartlett pear dangling in space. Actually, the pearlike deviation from oblate-spheroid perfect was a matter of yards rather than miles and the adjustment of curvature was in the millionths of an inch per mile.

In short, my English Lit friend, living in a mental world of absolute rights and wrongs, may be imagining that because all theories are wrong, the Earth may be thought spherical now, but cubical next century, and a hollow icosahedron the next, and a doughnut shape the one after.

What actually happens is that once scientists get hold of a good concept they gradually refine and extend if with a greater and greater subtlety as their instruments of measurement improve. Theories are not so much wrong as incomplete.

This can be pointed out in many other cases than just the shape of the Earth. Even when a new theory seems to represent a revolution, it usually arises out of small refinements. If something more than a small refinement were needed, then the old theory would never have endured.

Copernicus switched from an Earth-centered planetary system to a Sun-centered one. In doing so, he switched from something that was obvious to something that was apparently ridiculous. However, it was a matter of finding better ways of calculating the motion of the planets in the sky and, eventually, the geocentric theory was just left behind. It was precisely because the old theory gave results that were fairly good by the measurement standards of the time that kept it in being so long.

Again, it is because the geological formations of the Earth change so slowly and the living things upon it evolve so slowly that it seemed reasonable at first to suppose that there was no change and that Earth and life always existed as they do today. If that were so, it would make no difference whether Earth and life were billions of years old or thousands. Thousands were easier to grasp.

But when careful observation showed that Earth and life were changing at a rate that was very tiny but not zero, then it became clear that Earth and life had to be very old. Modern geology came into being, and so did the notion of biological evolution.

If the rate of change were more rapid, geology and evolution would have reached their modern state in ancient times. It is only because the difference between the rate of change in a static Universe and the rate of change in an evolutionary one is that between zero and very nearly zero that the creationists can continue propagating their folly.

Again, how about the two great theories of the twentieth century; relativity and quantum mechanics?

Newton’s theories of motion and gravitation were very close to right, and they would have been absolutely right if only the speed of light were infinite. However, the speed of light is finite, and that had to be taken into account in Einstein’s relativistic equations, which were an extension and refinement of Newton’s equations.

You might say that the difference between infinite and finite is itself infinite, so why didn’t Newton’s equations fall to the ground at once? Let’s put it another way, and ask how long it takes light to travel over a distance of a meter.

If light traveled at infinite speed, it would take light 0 seconds to travel a meter. At the speed at which light actually travels, however, it takes it 0.0000000033 seconds. It is that difference between 0 and 0.0000000033 that Einstein corrected for.

Conceptually, the correction was as important as the correction of Earth’s curvature from 0 to 8 inches per mile was. Speeding subatomic particles wouldn’t behave the way they do without the correction, nor would particle accelerators work the way they do, nor nuclear bombs explode, nor the stars shine. Nevertheless, it was a tiny correction and it is no wonder that Newton, in his time, could not allow for it, since he was limited in his observations to speeds and distances over which the correction was insignificant.

Again, where the prequantum view of physics fell short was that it didn’t allow for the “graininess” of the Universe. All forms of energy had been thought to be continuous and to be capable of division into indefinitely smaller and smaller quantities.

This turned out to be not so. Energy comes in quanta, the size of which is dependent upon something called Planck’s constant. If Planck’s constant were equal to 0 erg-seconds, then energy would be continuous, and there would be no grain to the Universe. Planck’s constant, however, is equal to 0.000000000000000000000000066 erg-seconds. That is indeed a tiny deviation from zero, so tiny that ordinary questions of energy in everyday life need not concern themselves with it. When, however, you deal with subatomic particles, the graininess is sufficiently large, in comparison, to make it impossible to deal with them without taking quantum considerations into account.

Since the refinements in theory grow smaller and smaller, even quite ancient theories must have been sufficiently right to allow advances to be made; advances that were not wiped out by subsequent refinements.

The Greeks introduced the notion of latitude and longitude, for instance, and made reasonable maps of the Mediterranean basin even without taking sphericity into account, and we still use latitude and longitude today.

The Sumerians were probably the first to establish the principle that planetary movements in the sky exhibit regularity and can be predicted, and they proceeded to work out ways of doing so even though they assumed the Earth to be the center of the Universe. Their measurements have been enormously refined but the principle remains.

Newton’s theory of gravitation, while incomplete over vast distances and enormous speeds, is perfectly suitable for the Solar System. Halley’s Comet appears punctually as Newton’s theory of gravitation and laws of motion predict. All of rocketry is based on Newton, and Voyager II reached Uranus within a second of the predicted time. None of these things were outlawed by relativity.

In the nineteenth century, before quantum theory was dreamed of, the laws of thermodynamics were established, including the conservation of energy as first law, and the inevitable increase of entropy as the second law. Certain other conservation laws such as those of momentum, angular momentum, and electric charge were also established. So were Maxwell’s laws of electromagnetism. All remained firmly entrenched even after quantum theory came in.

Naturally, the theories we now have might be considered wrong in the simplistic sense of my English Lit correspondent, but in a much truer and subtler sense, they need only be considered incomplete.

For instance, quantum theory has produced something called “quantum weirdness” which brings into serious question the very nature of reality and which produces philosophical conundrums that physicists simply can’t seem to agree upon. It may be that we have reached a point where the human brain can no longer grasp matters, or it may be that quantum theory is incomplete and that once it is properly extended, all the “weirdness” will disappear.

Again, quantum theory and relativity seem to be independent of each other, so that while quantum theory makes it seem possible that three of the four known interactions can be combined into one mathematical system, gravitation—the realm of relativity—as yet seems intransigent.

If quantum theory and relativity can be combined, a true “unified field theory” may become possible.

If all this is done, however, it would be a still finer refinement that would affect the edges of the known—the nature of the big bang and the creation of the Universe, the properties at the center of black holes, some subtle points about the evolution of galaxies and supernovas, and so on.

Virtually all that we know today, however, would remain untouched and when I say I am glad that I live in a century when the Universe is essentially understood, I think I am justified.

[judeharoldvich]

thing #2 for the ask meme: thg of course

blorbo (favorite character, character I think about the most)

katnip 😔

scrunkly (my “baby”, character that gives me cuteness aggression, character that is So Shaped)

rue,,, </3

scrimblo bimblo (underrated/underappreciated fave)

if we're counting teebow. tigris. if not. madge

glup shitto (obscure fave, character that can appear in the background for 0.2 seconds and I won’t shut up about it for a week)

THOSE TWO PPL WHO KATNISS RUNS INTO IN THE FOREST IN CF AND ARE NEVER HEARD OF AGAIN??? HOW R THEY DOING

poor little meow meow (“problematic”/unpopular/controversial/otherwise pathetic fave)

finnick <3

horse plinko (character I would torment for fun, for whatever reason)

gale <3 im sorry baby i like to be mean about you for fun

eeby deeby (character I would send to superhell)

snow

[bookish-mind]

Reactions to The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

*spoilers ahead, proceed with caution*

Part 1: The Mentor

-“coryo” hell no do not give this monster an endearing nickname I forbid it !

-“A tendency toward obsession was hardwired into his brain and would likely be his undoing if he couldn’t learn to outsmart it.” Ok I see what u did there,, knowing that his obsession over the mockingjay will ultimately be his downfall...

-ok so he’s poor boohoo

-Sejanus is already a fave like how could I not like this guy

-Lucy Gray and her circus outfit and her performance and her snake..it’s all making sense

-she’s gonna be the key to turning the games into the spectacle that they are by the time they are introduced in THG right??

-and her snake! Snakes are poisonous ! do not tell me Snow gets his signature method of killing from this girl

-“The endless dance of hunger had defined his life” ... this is not allowed

-he’s charming he’s gorgeous he’s young he had a horrifying childhood he’s poor he’s hungry he’s an orphan he’s rebellious... rlly checking off all the boxes here

-most of the time he acts with the sole interest of benefitting himself but isn’t that what you have to do to survive in his world ?

-oh lord am I really defending this man... ?anyway.....

-Sejanus knows his tribute ?!??! That’s fucked up

-omg it’s the valley song !!

-“Sure would’ve been nice to meet you under different circumstances” they need to stop flirting I’m losing my mind

-oh Arachne just-

-“If the people who were supposed to protect you played so fast and loose with your life... then how did you survive? Not by trusting, them that was for sure” ...oh shit the paranoia is already setting in ?!

-Dr. Gaul is creepy af not gonna lie

-“You matter to me, Lucy Gray” shhhh I am not okay

-typical lighthearted moment cut off with “Then the world exploded” gets me every time

-Snow wakes up in the hospital with burns and stuff and goes “I am not alone. I’m not in the arena. I’m safe.” And the fact that this mirrors the multiple times Katniss wakes up and has to think similar reassuring thoughts.. mind blowing

-everyone is dying and the games haven’t even started what the fuck

-also I have not expressed how much I’m loving Tigris and their bond as cousins is so pure like what the heck happens ?!

-actually I already know, she’s gonna watch him turn into a freaking monster president that’s what happens

-“It’s just the kind of story that catches fire” sHUT UPPP

-where is Marcus ?!

-Oh god Clemmie and her hissing and twitching and peeling skin and flickering tongue and yellow eyes and scales... nightmare fuel

-ok I see I see bread was such a prevalent motif in THG and it’s circuses this time

-bread and circuses baby bread and circuses

-the games really are a trainwreck at this point it’s so crazy to see how much they develop by the time of THG

-I am once again asking where is Marcus ?!

-ofc I want Marcus to be free but I’m just uneasy bc I feel like he’s gonna go after Sejanus or somethin

-“The truth was, he owed her everything” goddamn it he’s gonna try to help her and she’s gonna die isn’t she ? That’s my guess at the moment

Stay tuned for part two !

[catindabag]

TBOSAS CRACK! TAKE: ✨AMNESIAC!CORYO SNOW✨

It’s that time of the year where my favorite buddies from the other side of the ocean text me nonstop about their weirdest TBOSAS/THG prompts. Lol. One of them even gave me a call yesterday to make a short crack!AU about our poor cabbage boy (Coryo Snow) accidentally getting ✨amnesia✨ after the Arena Explosion Incident (which is honestly an interesting idea to write and read).

However, because of that, my crack!fueled brain is currently stuck on the mental image of seeing an amnesiac Coryo Snow trying to navigate his old/new life in the Capitol without remembering anything, even the Dark Days and the Hunger Games. He might even become Himbo!Coryo or Soft!Coryo for all we know. Well, let’s just say that his original personality was deliberately thrown out and erased forever when he finally woke up in the Hospital.

But seriously, think about it. If Coryo had amnesia after the explosion, he wouldn’t be able to get Sejanus out of the Arena or save Lucy Gray from the snakey snakes because of his memory loss. He wouldn’t even be of use to Dr. Gaul, which will affect the future of the Hunger Games.

And honestly, I believe that the games would eventually die out in this AU because amnesiac Coryo is not fit to do anything “that” complex. So say goodbye to Snow’s political dreams and ambitions.

Lol. Coryo’s new hobbies will be cooking, gardening, and sewing whether he likes it or not because Tigris is now the head of the family.

Moreover, even if Lucy Gray won and Sejanus was still alive by this point, Highbottom can’t just send an amnesiac Coryo to District 12 because our cabbage boy technically didn’t cheat in this AU.

So hypothetically speaking, let’s say that Coryo won the Plinth Prize. He still wouldn’t be accepted in the University because of his current condition. So what’s his next step?

Option 1: Work in the fashion industry with Tigris in order to pay rent.

Option 2: Marry Sejanus Plinth and his money.

Option 3: Become the best gardener in all of Panem.

Option 4: Sue Highbottom and Dr. Gaul for the Arena Explosion and end the Hunger Games.

Option 5: Marry Plinth, end the Hunger Games, and live a vapid wealthy lifestyle while sipping tea with Festus, Felix, Clemmie, and Lizzie.

Either way, Sejanus is happy that amnesiac Coryo genuinely likes him now.😂

They be like:

Sejanus: Coryo, I’m so glad that you’re alive!

Coryo: Um- who are you again?

Sejanus: I’m your friend!

Coryo: My friend?

Sejanus: Since childhood.

Coryo: You’re my childhood friend?

Sejanus: And more~.😘

Coryo: What do you mean-

Sejanus: We’re together~.😍

Coryo: Together?!

Sejanus: That’s right, my love!

Coryo: My love?!

Sejanus: Yup! I’m your husband-

Tigris: Sejanus Plinth, what are you doing?

Sejanus: Tigris, hi-

Tigris: Are you bothering my poor baby cousin again?!

Sejanus: It’s not what it looks like! I swear-

Tigris: Get away from my poor baby cousin, Plinth!

Sejanus: Coryo’s mine now!

Tigris: He’s mine first!

Sejanus: He said yes!

Tigris: I never gave you my blessing!

Sejanus: Take my money!

Tigris: I’m calling the Peacekeepers!

Coryo: Ugh. My head hurts.😞

[ilguna]

Meliorism Talks

EUNOIA

the title is interesting

METANOIA

the dawn of time

metanoia is a boost for self esteem

slowburn teaser

when did they find out they were soulmates?

gale + rosecelli, friends?

how i came up with the last name

tanith is gone

rip tanith

their soulmate words

is rosecelli a dom or sub?

songs that give me vibes

who would finnick choose, gallows or rosecelli?

inspiration for prevaricate

one bed au

finding out the definition of prevaricate

liking how it’s going so far

reaction to the minefield

reaction to chapter 17 of metanoia

after i murdered hydri

relieved at prevaricate ending

loving the ending!

cute as HECK

happy with the metanoia ending

excited when i posted the moodboard

identifying with personality/moodboard

what would rosecelli study in college?

is rosecelli and gallows the game storyline?

canon name reveal

personality vs looks

what happened to rosecelli, happened to annie

how to pronounce rosecelli

aftermath

why did finnick get mad at rosecelli and not johanna?

i suggest an angsty AU

please don’t kill him

anon loves the idea

i am unrelenting

no, i will never let them be happy

cry my children

bargaining for a short story

photo album short story?

roscelli’s to-be axe

the axe fits rosecelli’s aesthetic

rosecelli would go feral

rosecelli is That Bitch

living through rosecelli

i suggest a metanoia prequel

rosecelli is AMAZING

metanoia prequel

rosecelli’s fancy weapons

random convo

pet names (or lack thereof)

rosecelli showers finnick in gifts

trident is iconic

a gift idea that rosecelli bought finnick

finnick talking to annie about living situations

finnick and rosecelli moving in together

annie staring at rosecelli in chapter eighteen

chaotic power couple

finnick leaving annie

rosecelli warned finnick

finnick breaking the news to annie

who’s annie’s soulmate?

might be true

poor annie

beginning of the hate fuck convo

spicy couple

would rosecelli shower finnick in sugar cubes?

what if finnick/rosecelli had fucked in district 13?

finnick would’ve been smug after the hate fuck

annie watched finnick flirt in the arena

flirting wasn’t obvious

what’s up with tigris?

what happened after rosecelli killed the peacekeeper?

what if finnick left like rosecelli wanted? - AU

would annie leave finnick for her soulmate? - AU

what would’ve happened in chapter fourteen

would finnick still get married in that case?

would rosecelli and gallows get along?

would finnick regret marrying annie anyway? - AU

who would win in a fight? rosecelli or annie?

finnick’s girl can whoop some ass

did finnick and rosecelli get along during rosecelli’s victory stop?

rosecelli’s favorite ice cream flavor?

zavian would get frozen yogurt

and peanut toppings

tanith and zavian being soulmates

and the immediate regret after

smh anon has grown attached

same anon

who would win in a fight? gallows or rosecelli?

content anon think she’s trying her best

didn’t rosecelli have male cousins? (fight idea cont.)

disappointing that everyone calls rosecelli a bitch

she’s not always like that

rosecelli would have to eat all the sugar cubes to piss finnick off

them fighting? i think u mean making out

fighting is their foreplay lmao

finnick would stick around even after death

the encounter in 13 is canon? no but i can make it be

only play fighting tho

nasty spat to make out session in front of panem

canon would be nice but annie...

breaks up w annie for that good puss puss

everyone watching back home like....

gallows/rosecelli crossover - AU

what about the other way around?

how rosecelli would react

gallows would pull a knife on rosecelli

what would she smell like?

definition of metanoia

who would they be?

something rosecelli would say

idea where rosecelli killed peeta and johanna - AU

liking that idea

rosecelli was unfazed

the worst time to find your soulmate ever

poly of rosecelli/gallows/finnick?

feminist icon!!

what if rosecelli and finnick had a baby?

reminds her of a brooklyn99 quote

roscelli not letting finnick help

them being parents!!!

beetee as godparent???

im loved <3

comprimising in choosing katniss?

rosecelli being poc friendly

FASHION SENSE

a sad ass idea

her star signs!!

explanation 1/3

explanation 2/3

explanation 3/3

her EXACT birthday

i am rosecelli

new au incoming

here it is - AU

more to it

even more to it

it sounds cool though

rosecelli slander

rosecelli keep 6ft away challenge

planet anon and i are rosecelli

his speech to her was cute af

he was dropped as a baby

krampus before santa

as she should

the motherly voice...

malefic - AU SHORT STORY

i expanded on it some ^

and a little more

its not her fault!!

they scared the shit outta each other

new idea for rewrite

rosecelli = new toy lmfao

baby talk is back, bless up

finnick’s self care trips 

omg the mfing godparents

what if rosecelli/gallows were tributes in the same games?

her internal diaogue lmao

AKRASIA

i suggest the idea

more off the idea

excitement about the title

short story idea - AU

another short story idea - AU

annie finds her soulmate post-metanoia

what if annie found her soulmate after metanoia? 

running into finnick/rosecelli 

don’t have to compete for annie 

ROM-COM 

finnick is the face of the rebellion 

i write out a blurb if rosecelli/finnick died together

plutarch getting them both out?

rosecelli is a handful but she’d be helpful

rosecelli begrudgingly accepting the fact she’s “mockingjay”

rosecelli would have to be shitfaced to do anything

finnick as the face also makes sense

trying to find a name for rosecelli’s rebellion title

how it would change rosecelli/finnicks relationship

more to the pretend relationship

re: pretend relationship and kissing

gale being nosy

the rebellion name?

annie having to watch her ex fuel the rebellion

what if rosecelli is tasked with protecting finnick? - AU AU

further explanation of above

a scenario in which rosecelli protects finnick

another funny one

rosecelli kills katniss/peeta to protect finnick (bodyguard)

reaction to that

rosecelli comforts finnick after mags

the thought of that is feel worthy

even more feels

song suggestion for rosecelli

rosecelli just wants to be loved

finnick is a literal puppy

finnick is the only annoying puppy she wants

them kissing the arena and then remembering the cameras

draco/roscelli and harry/finnick parallel

pyrrhic

only she is allowed to kill finnick

AU for Roscelli/Johanna being lovers

enemies to lovers with johanna? - AU

omg if they were soulmates - AU

sexual tension <3

finnick/rosecelli are otp BUT johanna and rosecelli--

the hate sex????

imagine johanna’s face when they speak to each other

[vonlipvig]

Ok, time for my thoughts on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, now that I’ve finished it! This is probably gonna be long, probably gonna be incoherent, so under a read more it goes!

Alright, overall? I had fun! I really enjoyed the book! I mean, I love the Hunger Games, I love the universe, and I’m always gonna be excited for more content, whatever it is. But I really did enjoy the book! It was interesting, engaging, and ok maybe it had it’s ups and downs, but it was a fun read, and it gives me a lot to think and talk about, so I consider that a win in my book.

I also didn’t have any expectations going into it, so I guess that helped, too. I honestly only found out this book was out by chance while I was reading the HG wiki (and kinda spoiled myself about the rebel bombing, I was like yo did I miss this in the books or movies, whaaa?), so I really didn’t have all that time to get my hopes up or anything. Do I want a Haymitch book? Yeah, for sure. But I think the idea of focusing on Snow was pretty interesting. I love a good villain backstory, getting to see the journey and the evolution (de-evolution?) of that character, seeing them slowly transform themselves into the version we all know and hate. So when I found out the book was out, I was sold!

Story

Going plot-wise, or story-wise first, I think the first two parts of the book were fun overall. It’s pretty cool we get to see a Capitol perspective, which we’ve never really had before (and to see the aftermath of the war, even there, that was pretty interesting). The whole school thing was cute, and felt kinda like, IDK, anime-ish, or something? Does that even make sense? But yeah, it was fun spotting all the ancestors of characters we know, it was cool to see the shaping of the Hunger Games we saw in the future, and although the stakes were high for Coriolanus, I felt it was more chill than the trilogy (I mean, duh, Katniss was fighting for her life). Not that it wasn’t exciting, cause it was--and a lot!--but it was a lot more relaxed, I think.

The Games itself were super fun, as always. The third part was unexpected, and it did slow the story a lot, I felt, though I guess it makes sense. It...did confuse me a bit, at times, like I felt I didn’t exactly know what Coriolanus was gonna do or think--Is that a flaw of the story? Or is it because he himself is conflicted and even lying to himself? I’ll leave it up to you--, but some all the things I thought were gonna happen happened, and I really enjoyed the ending.

Characters

This being Snow’s book, I definitely knew most of the characters were just gonna be pieces that make up his story. I also had the feeling that not many were gonna have a happy ending, and yEAH yeah I was right! While I wish that some had had a lot more depth and autonomy cough LUCY GRAY cough, this was Snow’s story, so it was what it was.

So, Coriolanus Snow, huh? For a while there, as I said, I really wasn’t sure where they were gonna take his character, and it really confused me. We know President Snow, and all the time we’re waiting for him to make the choices that man would make. Sometimes he does, then sometimes he doesn’t...and then comes around to it. Either it’s pretty “realistic”, or kinda confusingly written, but I wasn’t that disappointed, I’ll tell you this.

Regarding him being in love, I actually don’t think he was ever in love at all. Not that he didn’t believe he was, that’s the important part. In this book we see his inner thoughts, we see what he thinks about Lucy Gray, and I HOPE TO GOD that was never meant to be romantic, because it really, really wasn’t! It was possessive, and controlling, and isn’t that what Dr. Gaul taught him, after all? During the Games, as he thought to himself that wow, I really need Lucy Gray to win...because I care about her? Hmm, no, actually no, you’re after the prize. You’re telling yourself that you care about her, but I don’t think you do at all. It’s very cruel but also what I expected from him, so I did like that.

I got confused at first when he actually agreed to go away with Lucy Gray, but if we take into account that he really thought he was going to get hanged for treason, then I can see how he’d do that. That ending with both of them in the forest, turning into the Hunger Games in the blink of an eye, THAT was really exciting and intense. Him screaming Lucy Gray’s name while firing blindly, and being surrounded by the mockingjays...yeah, I needed that shit. That’s the good stuff.

His “friendship” with Sejanus...Oh, Sejanus. Oh, poor Sejanus. I get to have one of these per book, and Sejanus is BABY and I love him. Ok, with that out of the way, goddamn I knew this was gonna end this way and it still hurt.

Something that I thought was a bit silly, was that Coriolanus didn’t...consider that by recording Sejanus they’d...surely kill him? Like, that’s the first thing I thought of? But he was like OH THEY’D PUT HIM IN PRISON...dude, no. I think it could have been cool for him to at least think he’s ok with sending Sejanus to his death, and yeah maybe when he’s at the hanging have a bit of remorse or terror as the jabberjays echo Sejanus’ last words, but yeah, Idk. I still loved that we got that tragic ending. I was convinced it was gonna happen, and I’m happy it happened. Well, not happy, it’s gonna haunt me, but you get the feeling. 

As for other characters, I don’t know what to think about Dr. Gaul, tbh? She was weird, the whole applying Hobbesian philosophy to the HG was...like, I get it, but also...? IDK, it was confusing and strange and I’m not entirely sure that worked as an explanation (I don’t think you can put much of an explanation, really), but whatever. I did like Dean Highbottom in the end, I kinda digged him character and the way Coriolanus’ father betrayed him, it was pretty cool. Also, am I the only one who thought he had a one-sided crush on Coryo’s father? And Sejanus with Coryo, as well? I meAAAAN, how well would that work thematically, hmm!

Aaaaaand then, we have Lucy Gray. I...have some things to say about Lucy Gray. First is that I love her a lot and god, how I wish things could have been different. I loved her spirit, and her vulnerability, and her charm and wit and instinct to survive. But...god, Idk, I just think they really tied her to the male characters, and that kinda bothers me. Like, she needs Billy Taupe or she needs Coryo and Idk! They should have let her be more independent! That irked me a bit, not gonna lie. Obviously, as I said, this is still Coriolanus’ story, but it just rubbed me the wrong way. 

At first I thought, I don’t know, maybe when Coryo shows up in 12 she doesn’t actually want to see him, which makes him angry or jealous? I don’t have a problem with her being kinda in love (I mean, she went through a really traumatic experience, it’s understandable that she’d latch onto Coryo), but Idk, I felt a bit disappointed. 

I did love the ending, I’m afraid. It sucks, of course, but if he was to go on to become President Snow, then that was the only way it could have ended between them. I felt such rage when Coriolanus started sympathizing with Billy Taupe, when he knew he had to kill her. What a betrayal, although I always knew it was gonna be like that! It was so tragic, and I feel so sad for her. I’m glad her music lives on, and that in the end, she had her revenge.

And now, for the ONE THING I TRULY DON’T GET...WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED WITH TIGRIS!? I felt so cheated by that! They introduce her as Coryo’s cousin in the first chapter and you go OH SHIT SOMETHING BAD’S GONNA HAPPEN BETWEEN THEM...AND THEN NOTHING. Like, at the end of the story she hasn’t been betrayed! I mean, maybe it was a case of ooh you can iamgine what happened! maybe she found out about him betraying Sejanus or killing/wounding Lucy Graaaay, but like c’mon. They really baited me with that one, and it sucks.

So...I think that’s it! I had a lot of fun!