#song is pure as the driven snow from the ballad of songbirds and snakes

[lost-technology]

There Was Only One Bed

Ace Trigun Week Prompt 4: Non-Sexual Intimacy Wolfwood has a nightmare. Vash grounds him. Asexual Vashwood.

There Was Only One Bed Between the two of them, they were down to their pocket-change.  They got the worst room in an old inn – just above a bar that was noisy for all hours of the night.  Too exhausted to protest, they trudged up creaking stairs and frightened some skittering, winged sandworm larvae when they opened the door.  The Punisher was immediately set up against a wall and Vash’s duffle bag immediately was dropped to the floor.  There was only one bed.  “You take it, Spikey,” Wolfwood offered.  “You’re nursin’ a wound.” “You got shot up worse!” Vash protested.  “We both know that you can’t take more of your weird glow-soup! I’ll set up in the corner. I’ll be fine.”  The two had a silent argument for several minutes until Vash won the staring-contest.  Wolfwood dropped into the bed.  Vash propped himself up against his bag.  The latter had just begun to snooze when he was awakened by noises of distress.  Once he came to his senses, he saw Wolfwood thrashing.  The man was moaning and then outright screaming, but not waking up.  “Wolfwood!” Vash yelped as he was immediately at the bed, trying to shake his companion awake.  The priest’s eyes snapped open.  “Gah! Ha! Ah!” he gasped.  “I was…” “It was a nightmare.  Whatever it was, it’s gone now,” Vash assured him.  Nicholas D. Wolfwood took stock of his surroundings.  He looked at one of his hands.  It was big.  He was an adult with weapon-calloused fingers.  He was not little and helpless, strapped down with leather, full of needles and pain.  Vash climbed into the bed and hugged him, sitting with him upright.  “What are you doin’ Spikey?” Wolfwood spat.  Instead of answering, Vash began singing.  “Everyone’s born as clean as a whistle, as fresh as a daisy and not a bit crazy…” “What is IN that pea-brained spiky head of yours?!” Vash hugged him a little tighter.  “I am trying to ground you.  Make you feel safe.  It’s what my mother used to do for me whenever I had a nightmare.” “I’m not some little brat!” “This world it’s dark, this world it’s scary, I’ve taken some hits, so no wonder I’m wary…” In spite of himself, Wolfwood began to calm down.  He took a few deep breaths.  “Where’d you hear that song, anyway?” “It’s from an old story,” Vash explained.  “It’s kind of embarrassing, actually.  It’s a song that a girl sings about a guy, all about how she can trust him.  She later learns that he murdered his best friend and at that moment cannot trust or love him anymore.  It’s pretty tragic.  Still a nice song, though.  It just came to me.”  Wolfwood clenched his teeth behind his lips. Well, this was uncomfortable.  Vash continued with the song, anyway.  The priest had only known the snow that was constantly referenced in it from old storybooks.  He wasn’t pure, even if Spiky might think so.  This was a strange mix of aggravating and relaxing, but he was too dead-tired not to give in to the latter.  “Everyone thinks they know all about me.  They slap me with labels and spit out their fables…” Well, that much was true.  The innocent man that he was leading to slaughter was a far cry from the ferocious outlaw that the world thought him to be. It was strange, this moment.  They might as well as have been close as lovers, breathing against one another, one of them singing a bizarre song of love and betrayal.  They were sharing a bed.  Wolfwood wanted nothing more than to regain his bearings, to know safety.  Vash wanted nothing more than to comfort him.  They knew enough about each other to not care too much about other’s labels and their fables.  Here they could stay.  “I think I’ll be okay now,” he said hastily.  “Like you said, it was just a nightmare.  It can’t hurt me.” Vash leaned up against him, providing a bulwark of comfort.  “I won’t let them hurt you anymore.” “Just get some sleep, Spikey.” 

[venomousgirl17]

Hats off to the folks who wrote Lucy Gray Baird’s songs for the movie cause all of them are absolute bangers

[bluebellhairpin]

I am not going to lie to you anymore, this girl is obsessed with a few of the songs from the new hunger games. More like ballard of my heart the way I'm belting out half that album.

[wh0reforcoriolanussnow]

Pure as the Driven Snow || Tom Blyth x Singer!reader

Summary: You surprise Tom as you sing Pure as the Driven Snow at a concert that he watches.

Warnings: none :)

Wc: 678

Tom Blyth x singer!reader au masterlist

Divider by @pommecita

You’ve had the idea for quite a while now after watching the new Hunger Games with Tom. Rachel even thought it was a great idea as you practiced the song with her without Tom knowing.

You were at a concert in London, Tom slightly to the side of the crowd as he watches you like the supportive boyfriend he is. The crowd screamed the second you stepped on stage as you performed your songs with them, Tom singing along as he takes videos and photos of you.

Just as everyone thought the concert was going to end, Tom included, you speak up. “I have a little surprise for everyone,” You smile as you hear cheers, “I’m going to sing one final song,” You say as you grab your guitar.

You look directly at Tom as you start playing the tunes to the song as the crowd erupts in screams, immediately recognising the tune you were playing. Tom stood there stunned.

“Everyone’s born as clean as a whistle,” You sing into the mic as you close your eyes, really feeling the music. Tom’s eyes never left you. He watched with a smile during the entirety of the song as he couldn’t help but feel like the luckiest man in the world.

“I’ve taken some hits, so no wonder I’m wary, It’s why, I need you,” You direct your gaze at Tom who looks at you with so much love in his eyes. Fans catch the interactions between the two lovers as they record it and take photos, going absolutely crazy. “You’re as pure as the driven snow,”

Tom takes a moment to feel his cheeks, they were hot as he smiles like a silly man at you. He had no idea that you were going to sing this at all. “This world goes blind when children are dying, I turn into dust but you never stop trying,”

You were an incredibly talented singer, everyone knew that. Your voice was perfection, perfect for this song as if it was made for you to sing. Your singing entranced everyone in the crowd, including Tom. “It’s why, I love you,” You once again direct your entire body towards Tom. “you’re as pure as the driven snow,”

You couldn’t help but slightly let out a laugh as you sing when Tom blows kisses at you. Fans caught this on camera as they screamed, finding the two of you so wholesome. The moment you finish the song, Tom wastes no time on running up on stage and sweeping you up from your feet, you giggle in pure bliss.

“I loved it,” He says in your ear over the loudness of the crowd. “I love you,” You take either side of his face in your hands as you stare at each other before he kisses you deeply. You almost got carried away until you remembered you had a crowd of hundreds watching the both of you.

~

“Tom, everyone knows how your girlfriend, Y/n Abrams sang one of the songs from the movie, Pure as the Driven Snow was it? At her latest concert, can you tell us a little more about it?” Tom rubs his jawline as a smile makes it to his face, the memory of you singing that song to him still fresh on his mind.

“Yes uh well first of all, caught me by surprise that’s for sure,” He chuckles. “I’m a lucky man, she made me fall even more in love with her if that is even possible,” He admits as the interviewer smiles at him.

“Made you fall in love with me even more?” Was the first thing you say when Tom picks up the call. You hear silence on the other end before you hear his laugh, making you smile. “It’s true what I said darling,” Tom huskily says as you play with the ring he gave you on your finger.

“When are you coming back home, I miss you,” Tom could hear the pout through your voice as he chuckles. “On my way home right now, sweetheart.”

[romerona]

🗣️🔊 This world goes blind. When children are dying.

I turn to dust, but you never stop trying

It's why I Love you—

You're pure as the driven snow 🗣️🔊🔊🔊🔊🔊

WHAT THE FŪCK ARE THEY LACING THIS SONGS WITH OMFG?????? MISS RACHEL PLEASE ????

[teamstewy]

i was tagged by @pattydia thank youuu 🧸💖

tagging @javier-pena @caleblandrybones @cruelfeast @backwardswalks @macbethwitches @thenewgothicromance @bredforloyalty @justsomeguycore @girljeremystrong @gallnerkyle (sorry if you’ve already done this mwah)

[bellsmess]

I've got the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes sountrack stuck in my head and I whenever I hear Pure as the Driven Snow I think about Coriolanus' and Lucy Gray's relationship deteriorating

The song is all about how innocence was stripped off of Lucy Gray, and yet how she tries to find beauty and goodness in the world around her, even in Coriolanus. Movie-only fans won't know that the song mentions The Coven having to turn ice into water during the winter because it froze over, and how Lucy Gray wanted to include Coryo in daily activities such as milking goats to get butter. That after Coriolanus went after her with a gun, he was bitter that just the day earlier he was "pure as the driven snow", but that trust evaporated because he wasn't honest with her.

What always kills me is the line, "You asked for a reason, I've got three and twenty for why I trust you". It was so hard for Lucy Gray to trust anybody, it was harder to her to trust than to love, and yet she trusted Coriolanus. (Coriolanus, of all people.) She believed that they would escape together, make a life for each other in the North. She trusted him, and then figured out that he was responsible for the death of his supposed best friend. She escaped to save herself from someone who she was sure loved her.

Another thing that kills me is the line "The world goes blind when children are dying". When I was reading The Hunger Games series as a kid, I felt deeply for each one of the tributes. 23 kids killed of for entertainment purposes? Back then, it felt surreal. I didn't have the evidence of everyone turning their eyes away from the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. I didn't see dying people every day on the screen of my phone, and I didn't see people voting 'no' to a ceasefire. When Lucy Gray sings those words, she means kids dying in the Hunger Games, but I saw innocent Palestinians.

The song also comments on our moralty and how it's our choice to follow it. "Everyone's born as clean as a whistle, as fresh as a daisy and not a bit crazy. Staying that was is a hard row for hoeing. As rough as a briar, like walking through fire."

Suzanne just never misses with her commentary.

[kermitthesog]

IVE LISTENED TO THE ‘THE BALLAD OF SONGBIRDS AND SNAKES’ SOUNDTRACK ON REPEAT AHHH

It’s so gooddd why aren’t more people talking about it? MY WISH IS THAT THEY USE THE STUDIO VERSION OF ‘the old therebefore’ BC IT IS SO GOOD I DONT WANT TO HEAR CORYO’S VOICE SAYING, “Dr. Gaul, she won” blah blah blah shut your fine mouth I’m trying to listen 🤨

the songs specifically that ATE are, ‘The Old Therebefore,’ ‘Nothing You Can Take From Me,’ ‘The Hanging Tree (Rachel Zegler),’ and ‘Pure As The Driven Snow.’

A bonus is ‘Can’t Catch Me Now,’ but I was more talking about songs from the movie.

I LOVE THE COVEY ❤️❤️❤️🫶

[everlarkedalways]

✺THG Series Exploration: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes ✺

The Hanging Tree has a different meaning as we expand into the Hunger Games universe. The rich history of the Seam, District 12 and the Everdeens cones to light as we learn and experience more of this world.

Post all things The Hanging Tree today.

[after-witch]

What's your ultimate self indulgent smiling man fantasy?

'Nonners. I love this question, thank you for it, I am totally here for any indulgence of my smiling man obsession.

I don't have a singular ultimate fantasy as I cycle through very similar ones regularly enough, so let me be very very self-indulgent and go into all of them.

Behind a read more because it might be a lot.

So my smiling man daydream fantasies tend to have a few distinct categories.

Folksy/grounded -- where whoever I'm imagining myself to be has made a bargain with the smiling man, similar to the bargain than Jonathan Webster made ,and very often they're in historical settings. Sometimes it's people making a bargain for something earnest, like wanting to have children or paying off some massive debt they can't see a way out of or wanting to get out of being married off to someone (usually these tie into the issues of being a historical woman--wanting to escape a fate); sometimes it's more greedy and selfish, like someone wanting to be a famous artist but wanting that instant magic fix to be famous.

These always end with the character in question being taken behind the mist and used up, after the smiling man is ready to take them.

Servant - where whoever I'm imagining myself to be makes a bargain with the smiling man but becomes his servant in the 'sunshine world' as part of the deal. Usually these characters tend to be desperate but yearning for something that isn't a necessity, like fame--quite often they want to be stage performers because then I can daydream with my music playing and have it be relevant, lol.

Sometimes the servant character falls in love/gets engaged and the smiling man gets mad about it because the character belongs to him, and they didn't even think about that before trying to promise themselves to someone else. He doesn't view it in a "I love them" way, just, "Uhhh you're my belonging, I own you, what makes you think you can just up and devote your soul to someone?"

For supreme self indulgence with this daydream, I turn to "All I Ask Of You" from Phantom of the Opera, where the character and her fiance write a song where my character is alluding to their servitude to the smiling man and all the horror that entails ("All I want is freedom/ a world with no more night/And you, always beside me/To hold me and to hide me") while the fiance is probably just thinking they have lots of personal problems.

And of course, the smiling man gets wind of this song, and is not very impressed and will be having A Talk with the character.

These don't really have endings, they sometimes spin off into other vaguely musical moments, often with "Pure as the Driven Snow" from the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (the official Rachel Zegler version of the song, anyway).

Adults with supernatural or smiling man adjacent histories for these Daydreams, it involves a character who has a background with the smiling man in some way or who has a traumatic event that connects them to supernatural or otherworldly things.

Sometimes it's a character who encountered the smiling man and made a bargain as a child, and now they're an adult and he's coming to collect. I often have him show up looking like someone else and fucking with them, because he finds it entertaining.

Sometimes it's someone who saw a ghost or was involved in another supernatural entities shenanigans (sometimes I decide the Other Mother from Coraline was involved, or a creature like her) but as an adult they have the misfortunate to come across the smiling man, who overhears their history and decides they'd make a great way to help keep the doorway to the other side of the mist open.

One in particular I always return to is someone who returns as an adult to this summer camp style experience where the kids lodge in this large building that used to be an old mansion but was refurbished into a summer camp spot with offices, dorm rooms, etc.

As a kid, they were haunted here by this creepy lady ghost who wanted to take them and have them be their "daughter" (because their own daughter died due to their negligence). And when they come back as an adult to be a counselor or chaperone... well, they end up coming back the summer that the smiling man happens to be there looking for new souls to collect.

And the lady ghost offers to help trap all the kids at the camp if he just makes sure she gets to keep the returned character forever and ever.

Folklore - I would say this is probably the most self indulgent of them. In this type of Daydream, the character is someone who is really into folklore beliefs, believing in old traditions like house spirits and witchcraft, who leaves out buttermilk for a house spirit that lives in the wood shed and makes protective bundles every year to hang up around the house that will ward off bad spirits. Who goes into the woods to gather herbs.

For this, I usually imagine the character was taught by their grandmother or something like that. A grandmother who taught them about fairies in the woods, who told them to sweep out bad energy with a broom during changing of the seasons, and who (to steal from Addie LaRue) said to never ask things of any spirit who comes after dark.

And they often have a sibling who doesn't believe in the things the grandma told them and who teases the character about it. Like, the character smacks the sibling's hand because they try to take baked goods that they're going to leave in the forest as an offering, or they try to use buttermilk being collected for the house spirit to make pancakes. And their sibling is just like, 'Ohhh boy, here we go again."

It's lighthearted teasing from the sibling. Mostly just because that allows the smiling man to overhear what the character believes in and have it feel organic.

All of this usually leads to the smiling man deciding that this character could be an interesting way to keep the door(s) to the other side of the mist open. Sometimes I have the smiling man encounter the house spirit, who threatens him to leave the character alone, as she's the only one who still feeds him and believes in him.

(The character does usually have a niece or nephew that she teaches these things too, so trying to keep her grandmother's traditions alive.)

I never really have concrete endings for these types of saydreams as they kind of go back and forth depending on my mood. Sometimes I have the smiling man encounter the character in the woods and nothing much happens, other times he tries to make a bargain and she is smart enough to realize that it's a bad idea.

Often they have conversations about things that she believes in, because he's always interested in people who still believe in the old things that have been overridden by technology and science.

[joons]

can’t stop thinking about ballad of songbirds and snakes. His face every time he watched her sing, Chelsea!! 😭 also you’re right flickerman was hilarious.

"As a rule, she mystified him."

I love them so much because they are sort of curiously enchanted by each other and projecting their own hopes on each other - Coryo wants a normal-ass life, he doesn't want to have to make all these hard decisions, but something in her prompts him out of himself and makes him believe he can be someone heroic and good for her. He only ever gets like ... halfway there, but he trying! He got the spirit sometimes! (Also in the book Flickerman has a pet parrot I dearly miss.)

Dragged my copy of the shelf so you can understand this freak's range! (I think you haven't read the prequel, right? If you have, ignore me.)

When he first hears her sing in District 12:

"Coriolanus couldn't take his eyes off Lucy Gray's face, lit up like he'd never seen it before. That's her when she's happy, he thought. She's beautiful! Beautiful in a way anyone could see, not just him. That could be a problem. Jealousy pricked his heart.

On bluegrass:

"the five Covey seemed to turn in on themselves, swaying and building complicated harmonies with their voices. Coriolanus didn't care for it; the sound unsettled him. He sat through at least three songs of this kind before he realized it reminded him of the mockingjays."

Appalachians: BARKIN' and HOWLIN' and WHISTLIN'

Snow: Oh, I'm in danger.

Also, in the movie, if I'm remembering right, she sings "Pure as the Driven Snow" right before the fight with Billy Taupe and Mayfair pops off and he kills someone. But in the BOOK, she sings this a day or two later, basically confirming to him that she still completely trusts him.

"... she would be there, knowing he was still a genuinely good person. Not a monster who'd cheated or betrayed his friend, but someone who'd really tried to be noble in impossible circumstances. Someone who had risked everything to save her in the Games. Someone who'd risked it all again to save her from Mayfair. ... That's why I Trust you-- You're pure as the driven snow. The mention of trust. Before need, before love, came trust. The thing she valued most. And he, Coriolanus Snow, was the one she trusted."

ALSO.

You have got to hold yourself together, he told himself. The Games can't last much longer.

Him yelling at Sejanus to get it together, but he's constantly telling himself that and believing there's an escape and an end to all this when - there - isn't!

The people scream!

[linkles-art-blog]

Today on “Cherish crossover artworks that literally no one asked for expected and AUs I will probably never write”, I would like to present y’all with this artwork based on The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which has had me in a very powerful death grip ever since I saw it in theaters with my father on November 30th.

I may or may not be reading the entire book series now thanks to a new friend’s kind uploading of photos of their copy. Help.

Anyway, because I can’t get away from the constant pain and angst that torments me on the daily, I decided to make this cute little drawing of Paul as young Coriolanus Snow and poet Arthur as Lucy (or Lucien, I guess, given the genderbend) Gray Baird.

(If you understand the significance of me choosing Lucien as the genderbend name for this in the context of these two, I love hate you. 💖)

Do not repost this artwork anywhere without my explicit permission or claim it as your own. See F.A.Q.s for details.

Songs I listened to while drawing this:

My Cherish Playlist (the public and currently only partial version of which you can listen to here.)

At All Costs — Chris Pine and Ariana DeBose

Nothing You Can Take From Me (Boot-Stompin’ Version) — Rachel Zegler and the Covey Band

The Ballad of Lucy Gray Baird — Rachel Zegler

The Old Therebefore/Singing at Snakes — Rachel Zegler

Pure as the Driven Snow — Rachel Zegler

[waywardangel-wilds]

This song is so darn good. Fuck you snow for being who you are. I’m just gonna pretend this is about zelink 😆

[wh0reforcoriolanussnow]

Billy and his songbird || Billy the kid x singer!reader

Summary: Billy is captivated to say the least when he watches you perform on stage.

Warnings: none that I can think of

Wc: 983

A/n: crap summary but I've always wanted to do a crossover between tbosas and btk lol. this was so fun to make, ALSO nothing you can take from me has to be one of the top three songs on the soundtrack along with pure as the driven snow and the ballad of lucy gray baird. I SAID WHAT I SAID.

Divider by @pommecita

The sun hung low on the western horizon, casting long shadows across the dusty streets of the small frontier town. The swinging doors of the saloon creaked as a lone figure stepped inside, his silhouette framed by the fading light.

The murmurs and laughter of the patrons hushed for a moment as they turned their attention to the newcomer. The dimly lit room flickered with the warm glow of oil lamps, and the air was thick with the scent of whiskey and cigar smoke.

The stranger, a tall and lean figure wearing a wide-brimmed hat pulled low over his eyes, scanned the room before his gaze settled on you. A slow grin crept across his face as recognition sparked in his eyes.

You were unaware of Billy’s gaze with your back turned to the crowd as you tuned your guitar ready for your performance for the night.

Billy looked around, his eyes scanning the room until they locked onto a familiar face: Jesse Evans. The two had esse crossed paths many times before, sometimes as allies and sometimes as adversaries, but tonight, it seemed like old times.

“Billy!” Jesse called out, a wide grin spreading across his face. “Well, I’ll be damned. Thought you were avoiding us. Billy smirked and tipped his hat as he approached Jesse and the others at a table near the corner that had a good view of the stage. “Just needed a bit of a break, Jesse. Couldn’t resist the allure of Sante Fe and the atmosphere ‘round here.”

Jesse slaps Billy’s back, “Well, you came on a good day, kid. Y/n’s singing tonight.“ He cocks his head to you on the stage as Billy’s eyes roam your figure. “Jesse leaned in toward Billy. “You know, we used to get mighty excited whenever we heard she was performing. She’s got a voice that can make even the toughest outlaw shed a tear.”

Billy raised an eyebrow, his interest piqued. “Is that right? Well, I reckon I’ll have to hear it for myself.”

Jesse smirks at his friend as Billy catches on to his smirk with a roll of his eyes. “How’s everyone’s night goin’?” You speak in the mic as the saloon erupts in loudness, a few cheers, whistles and the sound of hands hitting tables, showcasing their feelings.

You chuckle, “Good, good, that’s what I like to hear,” a mischievous glint flashed across Billy’s eyes as he hears Jesse chuckles beside him, a playful nudge to his stomach.

“Oh! Is that bottle there for me?” Your eyes widen the slightest as you see one of the locals walk over to you with a flask in hand. “Of course, doll,” Cal grins up at you as the crowd loudens. “Oh, come on, ya’ll. You know I gave up drinking when I was 12,” You playfully wink.

The crowd erupted in laughter and amusement at your customary banter. Billy found himself captivated by your charm. “It’s to clear my piles, ya’ll. To clear my pipes” You assure them jokingly, throwing the flask back to the crowd with a grin.

You turn your head to give a sign to your band to start the song you prepared. The crowd hushed, waiting for the music to start, “You can’t take my past,” your bandmates start off, “you can’t take my history,” the crowd was silent in awe as they listen to the melodic voices that filled the space.

“You could take my pa,” “but his name’s a mystery.” You take a step forward to the mic, “Nothin’ you can take from me was ever worth keeping” your eyes flutter shut as you hear a few whoops from the crowd.

“Oh, nothing you can take,” your eyes open and Billy swore he saw them sparkle, “was ever worth keeping,” the corner of your mouth tips up to form a small smirk as the upbeat song comes to life causing an eruption of cheers from the patrons.

You wore a huge smile on your face as your fingers skilfully strum your guitar. “C’mon!” You encourage the already hyped up crowd full of cowboys and cowgirls; your boot tapping on the wooden stage as they clap along, already boosting your adrenaline.

“Can’t take my charm. Can’t take my humour. Can’t take my wealth, cause it’s just a rumour.” The way you effortlessly and gracefully twirled around the stage, your voice and stage presence mesmerising and commanding everyone’s attention—Billy was truly and utterly enchanted—you, the enchanter.

“Nothing you can take was ever worth keeping. No, nothing you can take was ever worth keeping,” Billy couldn’t help but feel his head lightly bopping to the beat, his eyes looking around to see everyone else just as captivated by your presence.

You were having the time of your life, like always whenever you sang, your heart pumping with adrenaline, “Thinkin’ your so fine. Thinkin’ you could have mine.”

Billy couldn’t help but be enchanted by your performance. He leaned against the wall, a half-smile playing on his lips as he watched you sing. Jesse and his gang, too, were caught up in the infectious energy of the moment. It seemed like everyone in the saloon, regardless of their affiliations, was having a great time.

“Thinkin’ you’re in control. Thinkin’ you’ll change me, maybe rearrange me, think again if that’s your goal.” Your eyes roam around the practically full saloon before you lock eyes with none other than Billy the Kid in the corner.

You saw him a few hours prior from a distance, but that was it. Now, his blue irises were staring straight at you, his lips lightly upturned as his finger taps along to the beat of the music, your fingers still dancing over your guitar strings, not missing a beat.

You both stared at each for what seemed liked hours but was merely a few seconds; and, for those few seconds, something unspoken passed between you.

A playful smile made it to your lips before you tore your eyes away from Billy’s. “Can’t take my sass. Can’t take my talkin’,” Billy’s watches your figure as you move across the stage, leaning forward to the crowd, “you can kiss my ass, then keep on walkin’,”

An amused expression flashed over Billy’s face, “She’s good isn’t she, Billy?” Jesse shouts over the loud music as Billy chuckles, nodding his head. “She’s somethin’ alright. A songbird.” Jesse snorts at him, “a songbird, huh?” he echoes as Billy’s eyes fall back onto the stage that you controlled.

“Nothin’ you can take from me is worth dirt.” Your eyes lock with one another, “take it ‘cause I’d give it free, it won’t hurt.” Your eyebrow lightly cocks at his direction as Billy’s lips parted. It seemed as if it was only the two of you in the saloon, everyone fading in the background.

The crowd falls into a hush, sensing the end of the song, “Nothin’ you can take was ever worth keepin’. No, nothin’ you can take was ever worth keepin’.” The upbeat tempo once again affiliated the saloon as the pleasantly surprised patrons clapped, danced, and tapped along to the catchy beat of the song.

When the song reached its crescendo, you finished with a flourish, your fingers dancing over the guitar strings. Everyone in the saloon cheered and whistled, and you couldn’t help but bow, acknowledging the appreciation.

“Ya’ll have a good night, thank you!” You exclaim into the mic before turning around and packing up your equipment. “We’re havin’ a drink, join us?” Annie, your bandmate comes up to you, placing her hand on your shoulder.

You smile up at her, “Thanks, Annie. I’ll come join you guys later.” As you stand back up, you lock eyes with Jesse Evans. You were well acquainted with the man, the two of you hanging out whenever you were free. He was sat a table with Billy, his gang the next table over.

He beckoned you with a smile as you reciprocate it, signalling to him that you’d be there in a sec. “Hey, sweetheart,” Cal drawled, obviously drunk as he had a cigarette in between his lips.

“Hey there, Cal. Enjoying yourself?” You politely smile at him as her offers to hold your hand as you descend the stage stairs—although you were quite capable of walking down yourself.

“Wanna join me for a drink, eh?” “Uh-“ “-what do ya say?” Your eyes lock with Billy’s who was staring you down. “Thank you for the offer, Cal. But I’m gonna have to decline,” You quickly say as your feet quickly moved away, leaving him there.

“Popular, ain’t ya?” Jesse chuckles, moving the seat back beside him for you. “Mind sharin’ a drink with us?” He pats the seat as your eyes flicker between him and Billy. You returned the smile, taking a seat between Billy and Jesse “I’m a busy girl but I’ll make time for ya. Always a pleasure to share good company,” you playfully wink at Jesse as you hear Billy softly chuckle.

“Lovely to finally meet you, Mr. Bonney,” You extend your hand out gracefully as he looks down at it before looking back at you with a smile. “Please, the pleasure is all mine.”

The conversation flowed as freely as the whiskey, and soon, the saloon was filled with the sounds of camaraderie. You found yourself in the middle of it all, laughing at Jesse's stories, clinking glasses with the gang, and sharing glances with Billy that spoke volumes.

"It was Billy's first time here watching your perform y'know," Jesse pipes up, his glass of whisky close to his lips before he throws his head back as you look at Billy who was already looking at you. "What'd you think 'bout my performance Billy?"

Billy pretends to ponder, rubbing his jaw as you giggle. "What can I say, darlin'? You were great out there. I couldn't keep my eyes off of you," he admits as you grin at his bluntness.

As the evening drew to a close, Jesse stood and stretched. "Well, Billy, it's been a pleasure catchin' up with you. But we've got a long ride ahead of us tomorrow."

Billy nodded, his gaze lingering on you. "I reckon it's time for me to hit the trail as well. But before I go, there's somethin' I've been meanin' to ask." You looked at him, curiosity in your eyes. "Ask away."

Billy hesitated for a moment before speaking. "Would you mind if I walked you home? It's not every day a man gets to meet a singer as talented as you." You smiled, touched by the slightly expected request, you nodded with a gracious smile. "I'd be delighted, Billy."

As you and Billy stepped out into the cool night air, the distant sounds of the bustling saloon faded, leaving only the soft murmur of the wind and the occasional creak of a swinging sign. The moon cast a gentle glow on the empty streets as the two of you walked side by side.

"Quite a night, wouldn't you say?" Billy remarked, his tone a mix of charm and genuine admiration. You hummed. "Never thought I'd find myself walking home with an infamous outlaw." You smirked as Billy reciprocated it, "Life's full of surprises, darlin'," he tips his hat.

[marta-bee]

I've recently reread The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and just saw the movie version, and I've been rolling over a question in my mind. Even the question is chock full of spoilers, so let's put even it under a cut.

Namely: does it matter whether Snow really killed Lucy Baird?

If you don't know (and as I said: major spoilers here ....), TBOSAS is a Hunger Games prequel about Snow's schoolboy experiences mentoring Lucy through the Hunger Games. He cheats to insure her survival and gets punished by being conscripted into the military and sent to District Twelve.

Once there, he and Lucy are suspected of shooting the mayor's daughter (Snow rightly, though it's arguably a kind of self-defense; Lucy is innocent but suspected because of her past) and decide to flee Panem entirely and live in the wilderness outside District Twelve. While fleeing they discover the gun used, meaning Snow at least can safely return to District Twelve once he's destroyed it - if he can trust Lucy to keep his secret.

All of which leads to my basic question. Snow, increasingly paranoid, shoots at Lucy with the same gun he used to kill the mayor's daughter. It's ambiguously written and very unclear what Snow actually sees and does and what he's imagining. Certainly Snow didn't find her body (he looked) or any other concrete evidence she actually died. She just sort of disappeared, and a lot of fan forums have discussions on what actually happened in there, if she was murdered by Snow or not.

I'm all for fan discussions, but for me the real question is, would it matter if she had? If she survived she certainly didn't return to Twelve (at least by the novel's end), and the most likely future other than her death is a solitary life lived in exile. Assuming she doesn't somehow find other exiles, would it actually matter if she went on to live decades more but separated from everyone?

I'm enough of a solitary soul, I think I could be quite content living on my own. But Lucy's a storyteller by nature, and that requires an audience, never mind an ensemble to sing the story along side. I wonder how meaningful a life could be if she didn't have anyone to share it with. Snow says he looks forward to getting away from people so the world can't twist him into hurting them. Lucy doesn't think people are so bad. She seems to really regret leaving her family behind, and in the books at least doesn't think she would have been able to force herself to leave Twelve if Snow wasn't going with her.

Again, though, it's not clearcut. She's not driven by actual love the way Katniss is with Prim, and her fight is to survive so she can live on and grow her own character and experiences, not to get back to her home or family or whatever else. In probably her clearest statement of what a well-lived life means for her, she says she's willing to die only "When I'm pure like a dove / When I've learned how to love / Right here in the old there before." You can't learn how to love without another person to love, I guess, but you could paint this as more a drive for self-actualization and developing into a better, more complete person. For moral progress, for lack of a better word: she wants to complete the song that is how we change and what we change into. And while most of us like community, that can be done on our lonesome.

Still. I have to imagine this complete an exile would be a kind of living death for someone like Lucy. Of course I much prefer to think of her living for decades after the book, even if the birds and the wind are her only companions. I'm just not sure for how long she'd agree.

[reneeub]

I can understand why they had to cut most of the songs from the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes movie but that doesn't mean that I forgive them...

Also the fact that they merged the 'as pure as the driven snow' scene with the one when Snow kills Mayfair afwhahsgs... I know they couldn't add his internal monologue to the movie (they could if they weren't cowards I'm the only person on this planet who likes voiceover monologues in movies sorry) but making him seem like he doesn't care at all about Lucy Gray's love confession and straight up walking out while she sings a song for him??? Brutal. That was his loverboy era he believed he loved her so much he was ready to leave his life behind!! And movie!Coryo just smiles at the snow reference and is like hmm enough girls for tonight gotta check what my bf is doing rn