#suzanne holds the mirror

[librarycard]

"labor of love," d.w.m.

[suzanne-holds-the-mirror]

moodboard of some of the bizarre religious & AI microcult ads tumblr feeds me daily

[viscountessevie]

I need everyone speculating it's gonna be Haymitch's POV to chill out; when has Suzanne Marie Collins EVER given us exactly what we wanted??

No, she holds up a mirror to our current society at hand and really makes us think and based on this except:

I think this theory by @vasilissadragomir becomes more and more plausible and I hope we really get a new take and fresh point of view of this specific Game with a Haymitch cameo!

[juicycoutureheaux]

Fixer Upper: An AU Sheriff!Leon Kennedy x Reader Fic

Chapter1 Chapter2 Chapter3

Hey y’all!! I’m back again! I’d like to thank all those who left such nice things to say about the other chapters. This story is going to be a bit longer than anticipated, but that just means more details and drama (oooh!) lol. Again there are some TW, in this chapter. (Mention of suicide). I’d like to think @alewesker & @angelscoda for all their encouragement! You both are amazing and keep me motivated! If you haven’t checked out their blogs you totally should!

You learn that the sharp dressed, curt man that greeted you and Suzanne was none other than Buckley Richards, who worked as a private stylist to Jackie Bouvier Kennedy and Lily Pulitzer.

He was a force in the dressing room, ordering his assistants to grab different fabric swatches of all different colors and textures; comparing them to your skin to see what shade best suited you.

He didn’t hold back his facial expressions either, especially when something was less than flattering.

“No, No!” he would exclaim, commanding the whole studio’s attention. “She is not a winter, she is a summer! I do not want to see those colors again!”

You felt totally detached from your body, it felt like they were dressing up a doll and you despised it. You began to dread your future, because you knew it was going to be filled with nothing but superficial moments and people.

The studio assistants picked you apart, scrubbing your face, your fingernails, just about every bit of your body.

By the end of the 8 hour session, you had been taught how to apply your makeup in “the right way,” the correct way to style your long hair and how to dress for every occasion.

When you looked in the mirror, you were dressed in a prim, but stylish outfit; your hair was pinned behind your ears revealing your now “acceptable” face; your already long dark eyelashes were enhanced by mascara, cheeks now rosy with the help of some light rouge, and your nails were now shined.

It felt as if a stranger was looking back at you. You never saw a problem or cared about your looks before today. Mama and daddy always told you that you didn’t need makeup or a fancy haircut; but, according to Buckley and Miss Suzanne, they were dead wrong.

“Finally, underneath it all, a beautiful girl!” Buckley exclaimed, grabbing you by the arm and leading you to your future mother in law.

“Y/n, you look absolutely stunning!” Suzanne squealed. “You are going to be the perfect wife for my boy! The public will just love you when you make your debut at the party!”

You just smiled a polite, but forced smile. They didn’t seem to notice. The heaviness in your stomach started to creep its way up into your throat; it was starting to consume you.

You were following behind Buckley and Suzanne all the way back to the town car, where the chauffeur was putting away all the shopping in the spacious trunk.

You said your goodbyes to Buckley and thanked him for his hard work.

“Suzanne, you’ve always had the best taste, Y/N is quite the catch.” With that he hugged Suzanne one last time and returned to the boutique.

As he was leaving, Suzanne turned to you. “We’ve invested A LOT into you my dear, I hope that you keep that in mind when Patrick gets into his *way.” She said, pointedly annunciating the last words.

“Just know that it's a part of marriage that we all go through, but think of all the benefits of being married to a man like Patrick! You’ll never be bored ever again!”

“You’re right,” you thought to yourself, “I’ll never be bored because I'll be busy chasing my husband all over the city.”

You decided to keep that thought to yourself.

The chauffeur opened the door open for you and Miss Suzanne. Miss Suzanne got in effortlessly and gracefully. Your head felt like it weighed like 1,000 pounds, and it must have shown. As you made your way into the car the Chauffeur lifted your chin up by his two fingers.

“Chin up madam, you’re going to be the wife of a very important man.”

You looked up sadly and settled in the backseat of the car, praying for silence on the way home.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXxxx

You arrived home at just about dusk. The cicadas were buzzing as the oranges and reds of the sunset stretched out lazily over the horizon.

You thought what it must be like to be a part of the colors of the horizon. You knew the hues were caused by scattering the different light rays; but even then you wondered if there was something sentient behind those sunsets.

If there were, did they know how beautiful and admired they were by those on Earth, or did they look down upon your kind in envy like you looked up at them right now? You wanted to be free, emancipated from your situation, you wanted to be as vast and colorful as the rays in the sky.

Miss Suzanne insisted her chauffeur take your bags in for you as it wasn’t lady like for you to bring in your own shopping. She followed you in with a good sized gift bag; you immediately knew who it was for.

You could tell your mother was waiting excitedly by the door, by how quick she answered. She ushered you all into the foyer.

“Thank you for letting me borrow your daughter for the day, she is just the sweetest thing. I had to bring you something back for my appreciation.” Suzanne said to your mother holding up the large bag from the boutique.

You looked on miserably as your mother pulled out an expensive cocktail dress and an even more expensive looking pair of shoes.

“Suzanne, I don’t know what to say!” Your mother stuttered.

“You don’t have to say anything darling! This is my thank you for letting me have your daughter. I want you two to look your best at the engagement party.”

Your mother had her back turned to you when she and Suzanne shared a friendly embrace. Suzanne winked at you and you acknowledged it as a warning. She had your mama wrapped around her finger and you would be foolish to back out of your engagement to Patrick.

Your mother said her goodbyes and you received a peck on the cheek from Suzanne.

You watched the fancy town car roll away down the dirt road as your mother was showing off her new cocktail dress and shoes to the rest of the family.

“Suzanne is just the sweetest isn’t she, Y/N? You are so lucky you have such a generous woman as your mother in law.”

“Future mother in law.” You corrected her bitterly.

“Oh Y/N don’t be so sour. You have what other girls would kill for. You have to see your blessing!”

“I’m sorry Mama, you’re right.” you said obediently. You were getting used to resigning over your power, maybe it would be easier with time.

You ran up the stairs and into the restroom. You began to take off your makeup with the cold cream you knew your mama had in the cabinet. The mascara and lipstick now melted in a way that contorted your face so much that you looked like a ghoul. You scrubbed until your eyelashes felt soft and your skin was dry.

Your face may have been red and raw, but at least you looked like yourself, or your old self.

You stayed in your small room, hearing the bustling sounds of the house beneath you. Your mother was talking excitedly to Mary-Anne, as daddy and Hank were discussing sports. You wondered if Patrick and his family even interacted with each other at all.

What would they talk about? You came to the realization that you and Patrick had nothing in common at all. When you would go out together and ride in his car, all he talked about was himself. You were so enthralled with the fact that someone like him would even talk to you, that you ignored the fact he was so shallow.

You started to shake, you felt yourself detach from your body. You had to get out of the house, you had to leave. You didn’t know where to go, you had completely sold your life for the happiness of others. You couldn’t run away, they would find you and it would be an embarrassment, more shame.

The only way out you could think of was the unthinkable. If you passed away in an accident, sure your family would miss you, but they wouldn’t have to worry about you. They would just have to worry about putting fresh flowers on your grave or telling Hank & Mary-Anne’s baby about you and how you would almost* marry the most important man in town. To your niece or nephew you would live on as a princess in a fairytale; but fairytales weren’t real and you wouldn’t have a happy ending.

Patrick and his mother could find another, more qualified girl to fix his image, someone that grew up in the right family, who knew all the right etiquette and had all the right clothes.

You had convinced yourself, it was the perfect plan and maybe you would find yourself in the sunset looking back down on the earth, where you longed to be.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

There was a fresh dew on the vegetation growing along the path, that brushed up against your bare legs as your bicycle made its way through the tall grass. You were riding as fast as you could, the crickets and frogs making their presence known by their various chirps.

You could see the lake just ahead, you wanted to take one last final obstructed look at the stars before you would join them. You had daddy’s sleeping pills he had been taking since he came home from the war and a bottle of whiskey that he thought no one else knew about. It was wrong taking them from him, but it was the only peaceful way you thought of going.

“It would be like falling asleep,” you had convinced yourself. “I’ll drink the whiskey till I’m drunk and throw the bottle into the water. They’ll just think I went for a swim and drowned.”

You parked your bicycle against the tree, and sat upon the soft grass at the embankment overlooking the deep blue void. As you sat closer to the shore, the wind had started picking you up, like it was a friend, drawing you closer.

The moon was the only source of light out in the wilderness and its brightness called to you, mockingly as if she longed for you to join her out in the vast nothingness, where you could be free.

You waited for an untraceable amount of time, the night was clear, the air was cool and you felt like you were finally where you needed to be. You had begun drinking, the bitter taste of the liquor was unfamiliar and stung your throat. You drink until you become unsteady and sleepy, the breeze feels like it is moving through you, like strings attached to a puppet.

You felt ready enough to unscrew the lid from the pill bottle and empty its contents into your mouth. You were fiddling with the lid for what felt like years when you were spooked by bright lights creeping up behind you. You froze in a stupor as you heard a car door open and shut, followed by heavy footsteps.

You made out the silhouette of a man in the darkness, he didn’t seem to notice you as he walked closer to the edge of the embankment. You saw him bring his fingers to push his hair back behind his face as he let out a sigh and lit a cigarette.

You were focusing on the orange ember of the end of the cigarette and didn’t realize the man had spotted you.

“Y/N?” The familiar voice spoke to you, softly.

You looked up through watery eyes and met the sharp blues of Leon’s.

You couldn’t find the words to speak as he moved closer to you. He found a place next to you and sat down.

“What are you doing out here?” His voice is gentle, just above a whisper.

You couldn’t speak, you just let the tears flow. Your body was still languid and you felt like all your energy was flowing out with your tears.

Leon wrapped an arm around you and you let him, you didn’t realize how cold you were until you felt the warmth from his body on yours.

He smelled of aftershave and tobacco, you leaned in closer to take in all of him.

You started to calm down after being in the embrace for a while, the liquid heat in your belly from the whiskey became soothing after a while.

Leon laid you down so your head was laid on his lap, your long hair was spread out over his legs; the moment was intimate and comforting. You had never felt this kind of comfort before. You were thinking of just drifting off to sleep in his embrace, but he began to speak.

“It's not worth it, Y/N.” he mumbled.

You looked up at him, your eyes meeting.

“What?”

“These pills, the alcohol, I know what you came to do.”

You shifted uncomfortably, and turned your head away from him. He began stroking your hair again.

“I had an older sister,” he said, softer.

You looked up and acknowledged that you were listening.

“She was caring, she was vibrant, she was smart,” he paused. “It’s a memory now.”

You raised yourself so your torsos were intertwined, making comfortable eye contact.

“What happened to her, Leon?”

“She married someone that didn’t respect her, someone that wanted to own her, treat her like property. It started off small like the altercation you had with your fiance.” Adding emphasis to the word “altercation.”

“He was just awful to her, would cheat on her, come home drunk. After a while, she finally made a plan to leave him because she had had enough. The night before she was to leave he found out and killed her.” Leon was stoic and she could see the tenseness in his jaw.

“He would have rather snuffed out her light than see her be happy, he took my only living family away. The pain was unbearable, I wanted him to suffer.”

You reached out to caress his face; he surprised you by holding your hand to his face. You wanted to kiss him, to take his pain away.

“I decided the best way to get revenge was to prevent what happened to her, to anyone else.”

“Leon, I’m sorry, I don’t know what to say.”

He took his hand away from yours, and wiped the tears from his eyes.

“Patrick is trouble, Y/N. I know you know, otherwise you wouldn’t be out here doing something so stupid.” He raised his voice, he was angry, but it sounded like there was hurt in his voice.

Your cheeks turned red from embarrassment, his words stung.

“I didn’t know what else to do, Leon! I feel so trapped, you think I want this kind of life?” You were sobbing. You were full of despair and anguish; you had been holding it in for a long time.

“I know you don’t,” he lowered his voice again and began to rub your back gently. “I know you really don’t want to die either.”

“What am I going to do?” It was a rhetorical question.

“You’re not marrying that asshole.”

“Leon, I wish it were that easy! My mother, she’s over the moon! They’ve already spent so much money on me, I could never repay them in my wildest dreams.”

“They’re manipulating you into staying! Will your mother’s feelings matter when he’s beating the shit out of you? Or when he cheats every night and leaves you alone with your children? When he makes a complete fool out of you in public? Is that really what you want?”

You just began to cry, the sobs escaping from your mouth with so much force, they sounded like choking hiccups.

Leon pulled you closer and let you cry into his shoulder.

“I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have been so rough with you, Y/N.”

You gripped his shirt and looked up at him, face red and eyes bloodshot.

“I needed that reality check. It's true, I just don’t know if I'm brave enough to leave.”

“I’m going to help you.”

You looked at him surprised. “Leon, why would you help me?”

“Because, Y/n, you’re innocent in all this. You deserve better and you deserve to be happy,”

You smiled an effortless smile. You laid your hand down on top of his. Your heart was beating out of your chest; You no longer felt helpless, this new sensation, you couldn’t quite place it.

He cupped your head behind your ear, his fingers holding your hair out of your face.

“You’re beautiful when you smile.”

You blushed and tried to turn your face away; instead, Leon moved in closer,keeping you in place. You searched his baby blues, for a hint of what he was thinking. He didn’t keep you waiting long before he moved his face closer and enveloped you in an intoxicating kiss.

It was sweet, not like the wanton kiss Patrick had given you before; this was full of fervor. The feeling of his lips meeting yours was akin to actual sparks. The current of electricity reverberated through your body, as you wrapped your arms around his neck instinctively, closing the space between your bodies.

Leon, without breaking the two of you apart, gently laid you down again on the soft grass. He had moved from your lips to the nape of your neck, the feeling causing you to feel a fire in your belly as he caressed your sides.

You had never experienced pleasure like this before, never in your wildest dreams would you have thought a man like Leon would be attracted to you in that way.

You began to panic, you were kissing a man that wasn’t your fiancé, and you were scared. You enjoyed it too much, if Leon had wanted to take it further you would have let him. He was making you feel too good; your mother had always warned you that things that felt too good to be true, were.

“Leon, please, I can’t do this.”

His body went stiff and moved off you immediately.

“Y/N, I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me, I’m so sorry, I feel awful.”

“Leon, don’t.” You said gently cradling his face in your hands, your thumb stroking his cheek. “I want you so bad; but I've been promised to Patrick.” You could tell by the wounded look on his face your words pained him.

“It’s obvious you’re too good for him, even though he treats you cruelly.” You flinched at his words, he was right.

“What are we going to do?” You whispered, still holding on to him

He pushed the loose strands of hair behind your ear.

“I know for a fact the Armstrongs are doing shady business dealings, how do you think he got funding for his political campaign this year?”

You thought about it for a second. You knew they came from family money and they lived in a small town, but it really never occurred to you that their dealings could be illegal.

“So you want to blackmail Patrick? That’s your idea?” You said incredulously.

“You should know I didn’t come out here to just work as the Sheriff of a small town. I’m here because I AM investigating The Armstrongs and their associates.”

“Why are you telling me this? I’m engaged to one of the family members.” You were shaking now, was everyone just going to pull the rug from under you? You pulled away from him.

“I know, because you don’t want this. I know for a fact if you had any other choice, you would take it.”

You stare at him, annoyed, but he was right. No wonder he was sent down here.

“Are you using me to get information then? I’m not okay with that, Leon.”

“Of course not!” He looked like the thought hadn’t even crossed his mind. “I figured you were an innocent bystander in all of this.”

Your shoulders relaxed, you realized you had accused him of something horrible.

“Leon, I’m sorry, I just didn’t know what to think, I’ve just pulled every which way and I just want to be told the truth.”

“Y/n, I promise, I wouldn’t lie to you to hurt you.”

“That’s all I ask.”

The two of you shared a chaste kiss, and he drove you back to the long driveway of the farm.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to drive you up to the house?” Leon had his right hand over your headrest.

“The lights and noise from the car would probably wake up my family. I don’t think I’d ever be allowed out of the house again if they saw I snuck out and you drove me home.”

“Good point.”

You both said your goodbyes and you walked slowly up the dirt road to the house.

You stopped in your tracks when you saw your daddy sitting on the steps of the house and he had his eyes locked on you.

You swallowed hard and decided to face the music. You walked right up to him.

“There she is, prancing in like I wouldn’t notice she snuck out. Where the hell have you been?”

“I had to get out of the house daddy, I’m sorry it felt like I was suffocating, I’m scared.” You said and sat down next to him.

You loved your daddy, he was always there for you. It felt like recently with this Patrick mess your relationship was suffering.

Your daddy’s face softened up and he put his arm around you.

“My magnolia, I know you’re going through a lot, it’s killing me. I wish your mother wasn’t pushing you so hard.” He held you close. You felt like a little girl, safe in your father’s arms, he hadn’t called you Magnolia in a long time. It was his nickname for you since you were little.

You remembered when the boys first started to bully you at school and your daddy would hug you while you cried. He would comfort you and the next day when the boys would start again, he’d stand at the school bus stop with his shotgun and point at them.

They never messed with his “magnolia” again after that.

You wish daddy could make the Armstrongs go away. She just wanted to work her little job, maybe meet someone on her own. Leon, she wouldn’t mind dating him, he was everything an actual gentleman should be.

“Do you think you could talk to mama? I don’t think I want to marry Patrick, daddy.” You said weakly.

“I’ll try magnolia.” He said. “We should head in before Mama wakes up and yells at the both of us.”

You exchanged a hug and went back into the farmhouse feeling better off.

[7upslut]

at least once a week I think about the marketing for the hunger games as they were coming out. like imagine being Suzanne Collins and seeing that your books were being marketed as an epic love story/love triangle. or that there were quite literally makeup lines inspired by the capital.

she wrote a story about how violence (physical and psychological) inflicted by political bodies effects and scars every part of a society. and how in that society media will fight to distract from the pain and suffering that those political bodies cause. and then quite literally the media in our world focused on a love triangle that didn't even matter (because Gale was never a goddamn option and for majority of the story katniss was not in love with peeta). covergirl released a "capital beauty"collection that consisted of 12 looks. THE LOOKS WERE LITERALLY BASED OFF THE INDUSTRIES OF EACH DISTRICT LIKE THEY WERE IN THE BOOKS AND MOVIES WHEN THE TRIBUTES WERE BEING PARADED AROUND!!! absolutely wild to me. it sucks but ultimately Suzanne Collins point got proved.

she is probably one of my favorite authors simply because of her ability to write how war, trauma, and violence affects people, specifically young people. not only does she demonstrate her phenomenal skills and understanding in the hunger games but also in the gregor the overlander series. she does it in different ways but in both I find it to be very effective.

in gregor, at the end of the series, he stands in front of a mirror and he looks at himself. he sees scars and he thinks about things that he won't be able to do anymore without getting asked questions. like going to the doctors or wearing shorts or going swimming with his friends. he mourns a normalcy that he did not and will not ever have. even though his life isn't consumed by war and battle anymore it will never be the same and there will always be a part of him in that.

I think the end of the hunger games is very similar to that. katniss talks about the terror that she felt when she first got pregnant. during her games she mentions that victor's children tend to be drawn more often than not and how she would never want that. even after the war, when she is relatively safe and her children are not at risk of going into the games, they hold on to her. she will never have a day where she's not afraid or affected by her past even if she is now safe and living a good life.

[serpent-of-hope]

May the Love Triangle Be Ever in Your Favour

The Hunger Games is trending (for some unknowable reason) and as my favourite YA series, let’s honour that with a long rant about the series’ infamous love triangle

SPOILER WARNING: Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

IMO, one of the greatest triumphs of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is her masterful ability to make basic political science concepts and political theory not only palatable to a general youth audience but also making them entertaining.

Considering this, I want to take a deep dive into an aspect of the series that is less commonly viewed through a political lens: the love triangle.

One ugly reality of the Hunger Games is that our media ended up mirroring that of the Capitol in the promotion of the books and films. When the films first came out, I remember all sorts of merchandise available -  makeup, Mockingjay jewelry, tote bags, and my local bookstore had these massive cardboard cutouts of the characters with the captions "Team Peeta" or "Team Gale". The marketing teams followed the Capitol's playbook to a tee, centralizing the romance and showmanship over this story the core themes of inequality, poverty, and the abuse of power. 

So let’s do it, let’s reclaim the love triangle from the Capitol.

In my analysis, I see the "love triangle" as acting as a metaphor for Katniss's own struggle to determine her worldview and ideology within the context of the greater inter-district conflict she was forced into. I read Katniss as starting the trilogy favouring Gale. By extension, she favours his state-level utilitarian and militaristic ideologies emphasize individual security and power using no-holds-barred methods. Within the arena, Katniss is introduced to wider Panem, the concept of revolution, and Peeta with his personal ideology that advocates for individual agency towards collective action. His choices, as the boy with the bread and repeatedly acting to protect Katniss, also reveal an ideology that presumes it is the responsibility of individuals and states to protect and support others in their sphere in as pacifist a movement as possible with the end goal of collective welfare.

Through Catching Fire, Katniss is in the thick of the "Love Triangle," but she is also in the thick of determining how she will respond to the revolution: to run away, to play along and ensure personal security, or to become the Mockingjay and use her individual agency to incite collective action for the betterment wider society. By the third book, she sees both Gale and Peeta's ideologies in action and lands on her own ideology, becoming the Mockingjay and using violence sparingly to topple not one but two dictatorial regimes. Her new ideology most closely aligns with the things she learns from Peeta through the series, hence him being her final choice for love interest by the end of Mockingjay. From this view, the inclusion of the "Love Triangle" serves less as teenage-heartthrob fodder and more as a metaphor that allows a young audience to better conceptualize a shifting worldview in a conflict setting. 

This is not a brilliant new theory. I have seen similar ideas floating around online that address this theory. But I want to dive a little deeper into how we can conceptualize this theory using terminology from political science, connecting Peeta and Gale to Realism and Liberalism, the critical ideologies of International Relations.

First up is Gale and his connections to Realism. In the field of International Relations, Realism refers to a style of foreign affairs management that prioritizes the survival and self-help of the state over idealistic ideology or morals. This model encourages countries to prioritize their own self-interests by limitlessly amassing economic and military power under the assumption that all other states are also steadily accumulating their own power. In relations with other countries, a state using a Realist model of International Relations will take any and all appropriate steps to ensure their own security with little, if any, consideration for the morals or ethics of the action. This model effectively sets out that there are different moral codes for individuals within a country versus how a country should treat other nations, with the latter permitting any means of violence in the pursuit of the greater good. The sovereignty of an individual state is emphasized, with alliances only being considered in the case that a nation is too weak to be secure by its own power alone. In this context, security refers to the ability of the country to maintain its own nationhood and internal control by exercising its political, economic, and militaristic power. This model presumes that each individual state must act in the spirit of "self-help," looking only to their own internal ability to provide security or opportunity. Most notably, this model of international relations has been most predominant in unilateral political systems, such as a system in which the Capitol is the dominating political, economic, and militaristic force with no identified contenders.

I believe the model of realism offers a clear parallel to Gale's ideology throughout the series and Katniss's political ideology at the outset of The Hunger Games. At the beginning of the series, we find ourselves in a unilateral system. Both Katniss and Gale hunt because they believe that there is no higher power capable of helping them, meaning that they must rely solely on their own self-help to ensure their family's security and welfare. Their plans for defying the Capitol focus on their own safety and are within their personal power, such as running away. When we finally see Gale in full combat mode in Mockingjay, we see that his day-to-day ethics do not apply in battle and that he is willing to use all means necessary to secure his side's power. These methods include trapping civilians in The Nut and potentially being responsible for the trap that leads to Prim's death. 

 As a foil to Gale, we have Peeta, who models the ideology of Liberalism. Within the study of International Relations, Liberalism refers to a model of foreign affairs that views all citizens of all nations as deserving of fundamental rights and the expression of their own individualistic agency within the higher systems. It sees global power politics as an alterable construct in which war is caused by undemocratic regimes and a failure to balance power in the system. This model emphasizes collective over personal security, though there are disputes by proponents of liberalism regarding whether states have a responsibility to protect other nations from corrupt regimes within their borders or a responsibility to non-intervention in sovereign affairs.

The model of Liberalism is clearly demonstrated by Peeta throughout the series and by Katniss at the end of Mockingjay. Peeta recognizes the undemocratic processes that have lead to the Hunger Games. His primary objectives within the Games are to maintain some semblance of his own ethical code and to cooperate with other players for their collective security. Outside of the Games, we see him repeatedly work to support those in his sphere of influence, such as accepting personal punishment to give Katniss bread or donating some of his funds to Thresh and Rue. By Mockingjay, Peeta calls for a ceasefire and works for the most peaceful possible solution to the war. What Gale is to realism, Peeta is to Liberalism.

Throughout the series, Katniss's ideology shifts in the same breaths as we see her romantic affiliations shift. She starts the series with Gale and with an emphasis on her personal security. In the Games, her affections swing to Peeta, and with it, she finds herself seeking ways to maintain her ethical code in war and to work together with other players for their survival. In Catching Fire, we see her interest turn back to Gale as she works primarily for the security of her and her family. When she decides that joining with other Districts in a revolution is possible, we also see her love for Peeta flourish. In Mockingjay, we see her swing back to Gale momentarily as she launches attacks on the Capitol. Then, after firmly rejecting Gale and his plans for the Nut in favour of a less violent, direct approach, we see her align most closely with Peeta and his ideology through to the end of the book, where she topples two undemocratic systems to help ensure power is evenly balanced throughout the Districts. If we look closely at The Hunger Games, where every element of the book is perfectly designed to introduce YA readers to the fundamentals of Political Science, I have to believe this applies to the "Love Triangle," too.

Anyways, If you are interested in a complete analysis of the entire series, The Girl Who Was on Fire: Your Favorite Authors on Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games Trilogy edited by Leah Wilson, is a must-read as it addresses the deeper political, fashion, entertainment, and mental health themes of the Hunger Games.

[sisterdivinium]

what do you think suzanne was like in her youth? she says she doesn't see herself as modern, but what do you think that means to her?

Those are interesting questions! As they require a little more imagination than I usually apply to my posts here, I'll ponder them one by one, even if they're interconnected. This will be long, of course, because it's about 💕❤️ Suzanne ❤️💕 my beloved.

1) On Suzanne's character in youth

The first solid clue we're given about what Suzanne used to be like comes from the conversation she holds with Duretti on Crimson, of course:

As much as Mother Superion ends by radically dissociating herself from Crimson in the similarity established by the cardinal, adding that the younger nun is "possibly sociopathic", she makes no effort to refute the adjectives of "aggressive" and "undisciplined" as applied to herself. She must, then, in some level recognise these traits as her own.

When we are treated to the flashback she has with Shannon in season two, confirmation on both characteristics is clear: a determined halo-bearing Suzanne eschews "Christian compassion" in slaughtering a gang of men without pity and without any real backup plan should her charging head-first into battle yield less than desirable results. She is aggressive and undisciplined, quite evidently.

Here is a little problem, though, because discipline is indispensable to obedience — and obedience is, of course, amongst the vows taken by those who enter monastic life.

This could nudge us towards seeing a certain rebelliousness in young Suzanne. Fitting in and taking orders from someone else might have been a challenge for her, as it always is for prideful people, even when those "superiors" have their respect.

Her tempestuousness seems, to me, to have manifested in another physical manner as well. Regardless of my own tiny sin of "headcanoning" her as a lesbian, there's the other side to this competent swordswoman — not the one in the heat of battle, getting up close to her enemies in order to slash them down, but in the proximity shared with her sisters, her body language and closeness to them.

Season one shows us a detached, distant Mother Superion who almost never directly touches the other women. In season two's flashback, however, our Warrior Nun Suzanne strokes Shannon's cheek before whatever halo trick she pulls in pressing down on Shannon's chest. There's an easy familiarity there, a confidence in breaching Shannon's personal space — an intimacy as well as the conviction to assert it. Whether this type of gesture was exclusive to Shannon or dispensed on the other nuns as well matters not so much as the fact that it happened and how it contrasts with the Mother Superion we know of the first season. I'd guess that young Suzanne wasn't all that keen on repressing the ways by which her body, then still wholly able, interacted with those of her sisters. Opening up to touch as she does throughout season two, slowly as it might be, might not be a novelty as much as a "coming home" for her, regaining some of her lost confidence in her very ability to love other women — or express it, rather. It wouldn't be far-fetched to assume that the guilt she felt for being a sinner encompassed more than just the grief of killing a mother...

Liberal closeness to other nuns alongside a lack of discipline mustn't have garnered her a great many favours in her time with the Church... So I suppose her combat skills, her sharp focus, and her devotion to the cause must have spoken louder than her blatant (cardinal sin of) pride when she rose to the position of halo-bearer.

And maybe, just maybe, the fact that there was someone to vouch for her played a part in it as well.

Mary had a mentor and a protector in father Vincent and I suspect something of their relationship might be mirrored in how young Suzanne might have sought guidance in an ambitious, younger father Francesco. They "go back many years", Vincent tries to sway a reticent Mother Superion by claiming Duretti used "her history" against her... It's possible that a young Suzanne, like Mary, would have depended on a man of the cloth to secure her place within the OCS even as her very personality at times clashed with the demands of the institution. Men who, for one reason or another, could help direct these young and ferocious women's energies towards a specific goal, give them a purpose. Needless to say both Suzanne and Mary seem to stay on board for the same reason, even if as Mother Superion Suzanne might have later repressed it: their sisters.

For all of Suzanne's cockiness, she does quite obviously do it all for them.

So to sum up my vision of young Suzanne and move on: I see her as a brash, somewhat rebellious girl in need of a cause through which to channel her passions and a speciality to prove herself to others (given how she is already so sure of her own value). As far as faith goes, she appears to have deposited it mostly in herself, which would account for a greater degree of godly devotion after losing the halo in order to expiate her sins. She's in this (always has been, even despite later shame and fear and concealment) for the women, most of all.

2) On what "modernity" might mean to Suzanne

In order to assess what modernity is, it's necessary to define the term it's contrasted with as well — we need to think of what tradition could mean for her.

And this is... Difficult. "The Church" isn't an easy way out; Duretti is part of the Church, a constant in her life, a guide... Yet Suzanne's words about needing "a more modern approach to the job" are very reminiscent of something Duretti himself had said back in that same season one scene:

There's a bit of a paradox here if we try to see things through her eyes.

Her need for "modernity" arises from another exchange with this same man. But can we say Duretti truly embodies tradition when here is a religious person who has no qualms about setting sister warriors to kill a girl who accidentally has the halo? (Well, perhaps so, given how the Catholic church is stained with terrible actions...) Suzanne might not know about the torture chamber in the Vatican, but she did help save Ava in the catacombs from the OCS rejects under his orders. She is perfectly aware of how violent he can be.

Perhaps that is in itself a part of her wanting to break out; we can't ignore the fact that the above screen captures show us his line of dialogue ending while we see a take of Beatrice offering a hand to Crimson — showing her the opposite of the ruthlessness Duretti and Crimson carry.

It's also peculiar how she mentions modernity while inside a library or archive, the very home of history and tradition. Are these the "old teachings"? This unending amount of precepts all around, gathered with the passing ages?

We wouldn't do well to argue that the blood-soaked books recounting the past or the violent strategies of Duretti are necessarily what trouble her seeing as she is still a warrior currently at war; Suzanne isn't exactly a pacifist.

However, the phone call that originates the "modern" comment is a failed attempt on her part to get Duretti to act, to take a first and definite step against Adriel — to enter the fray, as young Suzanne probably would have already.

He beckons her to "have faith in God" — and perhaps that is the issue, the "old teaching" she feels insufficient and which, examining her (possible) past as in the first part of this very long answer, was never enough for her to begin with. Heeding the words of men, believing in God... And what does that amount to shortly after they hang up? She couldn't predict the future, but she saw something wrong with the method — and the intuition proved right.

I can't tell precisely what her "modernity" entails since I cannot pinpoint "tradition" either; they seem a bit intertwined. It's tempting to say Jillian fills the role of providing the "newness" through her technology, but it isn't as if Mother Superion were a luddite: she's using a smartphone and a computer just fine, if perhaps not as modernly as Camila and her TikTok. She is not an "outdated" person. We could assume that this "modern approach" has less to do with the instruments and more with perspective, with priorities, guiding principles... On a superficial level, it's about coming out from under Duretti's wing — from Church structure's shadow, from the patriarch's rule, from following someone else's lead.

And that, funnily enough, assuming this post is in any way correct in its hypothesising, would lead us right back to our rebel from youth, if hopefully with more wisdom to guide her steps this time around.

Season three would have allowed us to see Suzanne be without the anchor of Duretti (as season two could have let us see Mary away from Vincent) and maybe elucidate the matter... But, as it is, I think this is as much as I can surmise with what we've been given!

[vonnegutcunt]

there are heros in the seaweed there are children in the morning they are leaning out for love and they will lean that way forever. while suzanne holds the mirror btw

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Painting 'Christ of St. John of the Cross" by Salvidor Dali

* * * *

People love Cohens “Halleluiah”, but pound for pound I’ll take “Suzanne”, especially, the last two stanzas… "Suzanne takes you down to her place near the river You can hear the boats go by, you can spend the night beside her And you know that she's half-crazy but that's why you want to be there And she feeds you tea and oranges that come all the way from China And just when you mean to tell her that you have no love to give her Then she gets you on her wavelength And she lets the river answer that you've always been her lover And you want to travel with her, and you want to travel blind And then you know that she will trust you For you've touched her perfect body with your mind "Jesus was a sailor When He walked upon the water And He spent a long time watching From His lonely wooden tower And when He knew for certain Only drowning men could see Him He said,"All men will be sailors then Until the sea shall free them" But He, Himself was broken Long before the sky would open Forsaken, almost human He sank beneath your wisdom like a stone And you want to travel with him You want to travel blind And you know he will find you For he's touched your perfect body with his mind Suzanne takes your hand now And she leads you to the river She is wearing rags and feathers From Salvation Army counters And the sun pours down like honey On our, our lady of the harbor She shows you where to look Among the garbage and the flowers There are heroes in the seaweed There are children in the morning They are leaning out for love And they will lean that way forever While Suzanne holds the mirror And you want to travel with her You want to travel blind And you know she'll find you For she's touched your perfect body with her mind"

[Thanks to my blogging friend Steve Renfro]

[mllebabushkat]

☀️ Warrior Nun S2E4 🌙

stressing!!!!!!!!!!!1111

NO when I asked for more bea cam interaction it wasn’t like this TAT

oh ava dear 🥺

^recurring face cos my children are in danger

uhhhh taraskS 👀

angry woman yelling VINCENTTTTT counter: 2

spider bea 😂😂😂

DEUS EX MIGUEL

"i'm god's vengeance" FINE he might be growing on me

people who have offered vital "i can help you stop him" info to ava this season counter: 2

HOLY SHIT THQT FOG JUMPSCARE

also wait wait wait miguel THE OTHER SIDE??

ava: casual badass phasing

me: that's my girl <3

on today's episode of team super cam:

LeVANTAR

cam + spanish = heart eyes :D

car chase????? in MY warrior nun? more likely than you THINK

yasmine bbyyyyy ahahahaha she is adapting well bless her heart

“thank you god” BAM EROTIC PASTRIES VAN

quick detour-

raya's blood? WHO

lilith is such a bad liar imo surely she's hiding smth right,...

did i mention yasmine bby aww

MOTHER SUPERION NONCHALANTLY MUNCHING A DICK HAHAHAHAGAHAHGDHDJDALALDJF

she is the moment i love her so much

obligatory VINCENT EL BASTARDO

the whole time superion was taking him out back i was like pls pls pls kill him,, for shannon,, 😭 pls

kudos for the editing to make it seem like it was his last moments!

but,..,, I GUESS i understand it is not in her nature to do so :///

let it be known i'm not happy abt this decision he's just gonna come back to wreak more havoc

uh also "suzanne" omg???

(btw love the shot of the delicious red lighting from the van *kisses the crew*)

poor jilian her business bitchboy is a backstabbing bastard what a surprise

back to the main show :)

beatrice + spanish = heart eyes motherfucker

i love!!!!! the multilingual roots!! of this show! so much !!!

oh darling beatrice 🥺

hallucination!ava bellowing "i know what you are!" no 😭

her greatest fear being ava exposing her sexuality and hating/mocking her for it nooOOOO

also her fbc guard takedown?

that's gameplay straight out of a hitman level LMAO

OH NO DEMON BAPTISM

not to mention ava's finally met her match in punch-first-tell-my-friends-about-the-plan-later in miguel hahahah-

so uhhh he's already possessed by a blue demon? divinium demon? isn't that a tarask? confusion????

all i know is that was a full on angels vs demons lookin ass spectacle

TEAM FIGHT TEAM fIGHT TEAM FIGHT

YESSSSSSSSSASASSS THE HYPE

"you should look in the mirror mate" please he's so british 😂😂😂

hold on lemme pause right there-

CULT DRUMS (from the priest preaching scene) fade to end in time with the team ko body thud, beat of silence, HYPE SONG ([Shock Out] for reference) TO THE ONE AND ONLY BEA ENTERING

i'm such a slut for satisfying ost/sound design

ugh and 10/10 fight + camera choreo *even more kisses for the crew*

avatrice reunion!!!1 the way they lurched into that hug it looked like they were abt to kiss-

ahhhh their hands 😍 and bea's eye contact 😍

bea: "let go"

ava: "hang on"

(their synchronicity in battle, their willingness to embrace each other's values, all that mutual growth and understanding in so few words-)

hold on HOLD ON i need a moment please

anyway YES HALO POWERS GO GIRLIE

unfortunately necessary interlude:

what the hell is going on with lilith???

adriel gives a weakass "you’re my destiny" speech, fires off a cheapass parlour trick?

and that's enough??? to change her mind?????? tf-

ok back to our regularly scheduled avatrice

so now there's a tarask and it's fighting the demons? more confusion

AVA FLYING?????????

terrible news: ava paralysed without halo confirmed 😭😭😭

[Darkest Hour] ost slapsssssssssss

sandwiching the episode with this song? 2 steps forward 1 step back vibe loving it

ANYWAY

next ep let's gooooooo

[onceuponastarryeye]

books read in twenty-twenty-four

hour zero - agatha christie (5/5)

if you could see the sun - ann liang (4/5)

his last bow - arthur conan doyle (4/5)

labor and monopoly capital: the degradation of work in the twentieth century - harry braverman (4/5)

the count of monte cristo (adapted text) - alexandre dumas (3.5/5)

before we say goodbye (btcgc #4) - toshikazu kawaguchi (5/5)

contagion - robin cook (2.5/5)

beach read - emily henry (4.5/5) (rr)

death by drowning and other stories - agatha christie (5/5)

little fires everywhere - celeste ng (4.75/5)

mrs. dalloway - virginia woolf (3.5/5) (rr)

five little pigs - agatha christie (4/5)

cinema e memória - milene de cássia silveira gusmão; paulo henrique alcântara; euclides santos mendes (3.5/5)

rouge - mona awad (3.75/5)

first love - ivan turguêniev (4/5)

the moving finger - agatha christie (3.5/5)

the memory police - yoko ogawa (5/5)

entre flechas e sapatos de cristal: fadas madrinhas s.a - kézia garcia (4.5/5)

the hunger games (thg #1) - suzanne collins (5/5) (rr)

the next girl - karla kovach (3/5)

the invisible man - h. g. wells (3.5/5)

death comes at the end - agatha christie (4/5)

welcome to the hyunam-dong bookstore - hwang bo-reum (4/5)

teias mortais - bel rodrigues, felipe castilho, jim anotsu, luisa geisler, samir machado de machado (5/5)

catching fire (thg #2) - suzanne collins (5/5) (rr)

introdução à filosofia de bergson - paulo césar rodrigues (4/5)

the very secret society of irregular witches - sangu mandanna (4.5/5)

the hollow - agatha christie (3.5/5)

hold tight - harlan coben (2.75/5)

the atlas complex (tas #3) - olivie blake (3/5)

todas as minhas libelulas (memórias dos pardes #1) - gabrielli casseta (5/5)

uma aprendizagem ou o livro dos prazeres - clarice lispector (5/5)

mockingjay (thg #3) - suzanne collins (5/5) (rr)

seis doses de culpa - luther alt (4/5)

the labours of hercules - agatha christie (4/5)

emily wilde's encyclopedia of faeries - heather fawcett (4/5)

a man lay dead - ngaio marsh (4/5)

manual de cortej para princesas desencantadas - alien, maina, lyra, gabi, raquel & dulci (5/5)

taken at the flood - agatha christie (4/5)

capitalismo de plataformas - nick srnicek (4/5)

the reapperance of rachel price - holly jackson (4/5)

funny story - emily henry (4.25/5)

normal people - sally rooney (5/5) (rr)

18 brumário - karl marx (3.25/5)

extraordinary stories - edgar allan poe (4.25/5)

roteiro perfeito - vi carvalho (4/5)

they came to baghdad - agatha christie (4/5)

the familiar - leigh bardugo (4/5)

cidades pequenas não guardam seguredos - kézia garcia (5/5)

método científico: uma abordagem ontológica - ivo tonet (3.5/5)

the starless sea - erin morgenstern (5/5)

jantar secreto - raphael montes (3.75/5)

mrs. mcginty's dead - agatha christie (4/5)

atenciosamente, seu primeiro amor - tatielle katluryn (3.5/5)

the poverty of theory -edward thompson (2/5/5)

penance - eliza clarke (4/5)

the time machine - h. g. wells (3.75/5)

they do it with mirrors - agatha christie (4/5)

nothing more to tell - karen mcmanus (3.75/5)

persuasion - jane austen (5/5) (rr)

a sound of thunder - ray bradbury (4/5)

the chalk man - c.j. tudor (3.75/5)

after the funeral - agatha christie (3.5/5)

a hundred years of solitude - gabriel garcia marquez (4/5)

ariel - sylvia plath (3.75/5)

i'm the girl - courtney summers (3/5)

a pocket full of rye - agatha christie (4/5)

the piano (creepers series) - edgar j. hyde (3.75/5)

natural beauty - ling ling huang (3.5/5)

northanger abbey - jane austen (5/5) (rr)

uma estrada de histórias - rúbia albuquerque (3/5)

o amor é como a lua - vi carvalho (4/5)

into the drowning deep (rolling in the deep #1) - mira grant (5/5)

destination unknown - agatha christie (4/5)

gentilmente, amor - gabrielli casseta, kell carvalho, vi carvalho, maina mattos (4/5)

whose body? - dorothy l. sayers (3.75/5)

o ardil da flexibilidade - sadi dal rosso (3.5/5)

hickory, dickory, dock - agatha christie (3/5)

joyland - stephen king (4/5)

a detetive ruby johnson e o mistério da mesa 44 - noemi de paula (2.5/5)

the secret history - donna tartt (5/5) (rr)

rolling in the deep (rolling in the deep #0.5) - mira grant (3.75/5)

4:50 from paddington - agatha christie (4.5/5)

a mulher na sociedade de classes: mito e realidade - heleith saffioti (4.25/5)

[sabakelar]

The Birds and the Bechdel Test

I write novels that focus on female characters. Several years into my writing career, I came across the Bechdel Test. For those who have not heard of this, it is a bare-bones measure of how women are portrayed in film. Developed in 1985, it asks simply if there are two named female characters who talk to each other about something other than men. The test was developed, I believe, out of a sense of frustration regarding how women were portrayed in the majority of films of the era. Often, there was only one woman character, who was the love interest for the male protagonist. This woman was reactionary and passive, leaving the movie dependent on the male characters for action and assertive direction. Additionally, when there was more than one woman in movies from this time (1970s through 1990s) it seemed that they spoke only to men or, if speaking to other women, only spoke about men. https://youtu.be/Meq3CyuKOjM One of the theories I espouse, as a popular culture historian, is that films like this were created in response to feminism’s challenge of the patriarchy and gender roles that rose with the Women’s Liberation Movement and Women’s Rights. The timeline for Women’s Rights in the United States is long, but in the 1970s, it seemed to make real headway with the passage of Title IX regarding sex-discrimination in education, the upholding of Women's right to health care via Roe v. Wade in 1973, and 1975 being declared the "Year of the Woman." The 1980s saw the first female Supreme Court Justice, the first woman to be nominated by the Democrat Party, and a number of other "Firsts." Another “Year of the Woman” was also declared in 1992. Since its popularization, the Bechdel test has also been used to analyze other forms of media, including books and television shows. However, as has been noted by other scholars and film critics, the Bechdel test is not a measure of feminism or film quality. Some of the best movies ever made fail the test. Importantly, films that would be considered pro-female may also fail the test, simply because the badass protagonist winning hearts and minds while freeing the country is the only female character in the credits. This understanding is important as the Bechdel test is meant to show generalizations in popular culture, which in turn holds up a mirror before us and helps us to understand the human condition. The concern is that if women are usually portrayed as only interested in talking about men, for example, then women who have grander ideas or no interest in men, are silenced--either by society or through self-censorship. As a writer who creates strong female characters who happen to be surrounded by male characters, I’ve always felt that it would be hard for my novels to pass the Bechdel test. Yet, I understand now that whether a piece of media passes the test or not is less relevant than how the women are portrayed throughout the piece. The website BechdelTest.com, has a substantial list of movies dating as far back as the beginning of film that have been rated as passing or not passing by users. One film listed, The Birds, directed by Alfred Hitchcock from 1963, caught my eye as it’s been recently added to Netflix. I was interested in this film partly because I’m a huge Hitchcock fan and partly because I noticed that most of the characters listed in the credits were played by women, including Jessica Tandy and Suzanne Pleshette. Originally from a story written by Daphne Du Maurier, the movie takes place in a coastal town that is under attack by flocks of birds. While The Birds does pass the Bechdel Test, I wanted to explore the deeper themes involved and the portrayal of the characters throughout the film. As noted previously, passing the test does not necessarily denote feminism. Comments on the BechdelTest.com website, imply that the characters have some deeper conversations. However, snippets of dialogue and summaries of scenes cannot do a film justice. Therefore, I treated myself to watching the film instead of writing. #notwriting :p What I discovered were women still being objectified despite passing the test. The main female character, Melanie Daniels, played by Tippi Hedren, is inquisitive and assertive, yet many of her actions are motivated by gaining the attention of the main male character, Mitch Brenner (Rod Taylor). These machinations do lead to Daniels having a variety of conversations with other female characters about birds, schools, vacation plans, and Mitch Brenner. From the beginning of the movie, Daniels' willfulness and outspoken qualities are celebrated. However, it is also important for the audience to understand that she is beautiful and available, despite these qualities. The opening scene with Daniels has a young boy wolf-whistle at her, to which she smiles, startled, but encouraging nonetheless.  Later scenes show that Daniels is confident and capable. She drives her own car, and knows how to use an outboard motor on a boat--even docking it and disembarking in high heels and fur. Later, she rescues children from bird attacks on several occasions. Yet, at the end of the movie, she is stunned into shocked silence and practically catatonic. As a strong woman, she must step aside in order for the male character to shine at the end of the film. 

Other instances of women being dismissed or frowned upon for their assertiveness can also be found in the film. For example, when an older lady, a scientist and ornithologist played by Ethel Griffies, tries to explain that birds could not be attacking, the men in the scene are dismissive of her knowledge. While she is wrong, and birds are attacking, it is difficult to imagine the same attitude being directed at a male ornithologist. Finally, Annie Hayworth (Suzanne Pleshette), the local school teacher and Daniels' potential rival for Brenner’s affection, is another strong female character who is portrayed as assertive and competent throughout the film. Yet, she also must step away, giving her life to save a child from a bird attack, in order to allow the strong male character to save the day. Overall, as with other films, the Bechdel test is merely a barometer, and although The Birds passes the test, it remains a film of the 1960s with strong men who save the day and strong women who must step aside. For creators like myself who wish to highlight strong, capable, female characters then, it isn’t whether a piece passes the Bechdel test, but how much depth and agency we give our characters and what they then do with it. If they are strong, do they remain strong? Or, do their powers dwindle in order for someone else to shine? If they can save the day at the beginning of the story, can they also save the day at the end? Read the full article

[liroyalty]

While her dress was getting pressed, her nails were being carefully coated, by her lady-in-waiting Mary, in a clear polish to assure the protection of the fresh design put on them. The reflection of Suzanne's face in her dresser mirror stared back at her, her frown was solid under her face mask, & it was unfitting for a princess, even less so on her birthday.

"... Mary."

"Yes, your highness?"

"What's the noise on your family, lately?"

"Vivien & Amalia came home shaking in the afternoon, they were quite upset, & mother was unfathomably angry after they spared the details of why." Mary relayed the information to Sue with a blank tone, one that spoke of her unsurprise by the situation. "I heard she stormed her way back to the palace, demanding a word with the king.

"A word with the king? I heard nothing of such a word." Meaning, if Duchess Margaret did get a word with King John, & Sue heard nothing of it, then it was obvious who her father sided with. And it should come as no surprise, the Bexley duchy wasn't exactly in a good light. All they had going for them was their numerous political marriage tools(aka Margaret's children), & their heavy purses; the only good branches in that family always break off as soon as they can. One of those good branches sat steadily beside the night princess.

"Odds of them trying to show up despite being uninvited?"

"High. You know quite well they dislike being left out of parties."

"Then I am glad I put Reginaldus at the door."

"Sir Reginaldus..." That's a name everyone has become quite familiar with, most especially Mary. Not merely because he is the largest member of Noire, which had gained quite the reputation of it's own, but for the display he put on a few months ago, by which Mary herself was witness too. The large knight took the grand liberty of removing the very drunk Azur Duke from the Amaryllis Isles, Jean-Bruno Jacquemoud, from Princess Suzanne & Lady Mary's presence after many failed attempts to 'woo' his way into their bedchambers. The results were him being tossed from the front doors of Front Palace, into the large ornate fountain at the center of Front Garden... it was quite a throw, & without any damages being done to the fountain somehow.

Thankfully, nothing came of the event, as the Golden Court agreed the Azur Duke's behavior was unacceptable. Mary still remembers how effortless the hulking knight made the throw look... it's made her question if perhaps the man was holding back.

"If they somehow sneak by him, Baskerville has free pickings." From the far corner of the room, Baskerville's head picked up from the large round bed he slept on, hearing his name. He seemed about as excited at today as his master. A surprise to no one, not even Mary, as she closed the bottle of clear nail polish tightly, before standing & fetching a cloth, carefully wiping the face mask off of Sue's face.

"You are not putting all that makeup on me, by the way." Once the face mask was off, she knew makeup, hairstyling & dressing would happen right away. Foundation, contour, blush, all these different eyeshadows & lip stuff... urg...

"I'm... I'm not?"

"Dear Ying no. You know I hate the feeling of so much makeup, besides, I do not need it. I'm a natural beauty, I could walk out there bare faced & still be one of the five most gorgeous people in the room." Taking a inhale, she pointed at a plate of eyeshadow & a single tub of lip oil. "This & some eyeliner, this is all I need for the sake of matching my outfit."

Well, it is as the princess wants, & she already putting up with something she doesn't want. "Of course, your highness. Is there a specific way you would like your hair today as well?"

[arthdoesart]

"Hopefully, the Districts have the sense to be sympathetic with Miss Goldcross' situation," Paylor did not want to think of a few others (maybe even more) gaining the sickening courage to take revenge now that the situation between them and the Capitol has been reversed. She still definitely considered it, though. 

The image of the scoreboard made them experience the awful sense of deja vu, reminding them of the former betting system that the Capitols would often hold before the games. President Paylor scowled towards the glaring percentage of 39 with at least eighty-eighty thousand people voting against Sara Goldcross’ odds in spite of everything she had to endure on live television. Seeing which District voted the most for her potential mutilation, she wasn’t entirely surprised by it.

It didn’t mean she can’t be livid.

“I need to make an announcement to the two former Career Districts that they need to score a little higher at least,” Paylor turned to her Secretary of Communications, who at a glance, also mirrored a portion of her own seething and quiet judgment. “Do you think you can sneak a message to them? Preferably something that isn’t noticeable, something that wouldn’t take the attention of these hijackers away…in case that they might decide to take it out on the children.” 

“Might is not a word I would use to describe them,” Plutarch almost jeered based on his surging anger. “They would most likely hurt them unannounced if they’re able to catch up with what we’re doing.” 

“You think they’ll care if they knew we’re influencing the Districts’ decisions?” 

Paylor was quiet over the lingering darkness that shrouded his face. 

“They mutilated Yarwood for getting a low score, even though that was our mistake for not providing a passcode on time. They had the Goldcross girl go through a specific type of punishment relating to the shadiness of Onyx Obsidian in the past. I honestly doubt that they wouldn't do something like that if things come to it, ” Plutarch recited calculatedly like a new programmed robot. Paylor stared at him in confusion for a while, mutely probing him for an explanation with her eyes. 

Chapter 4 of Royale Capitol Games is out now :)

The Royale Capitol Games (32443 words) by PinkMuseSundays Chapters: 4/? Fandom: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes - Suzanne Collins Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Alma Coin/Plutarch Heavensbee, Haymitch Abernathy/Effie Trinket, Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark, Annie Cresta/Finnick Odair (mentioned), Katniss Everdeen & Peeta Mellark, Katniss & Primrose Everdeen (mention), Haymitch Abernathy & Plutarch Heavensbee, Caesar Flickerman & Plutarch Heavensbee, Fulvia Cardew & Plutarch Heavensbee, Alma Coin & Plutarch Heavensbee Characters: Plutarch Heavensbee, Alma Coin, Haymitch Abernathy, Katniss Everdeen, Peeta Mellark, Effie Trinket, Beetee Latier, President Paylor, Johanna Mason, Annie Cresta, Annie Cresta and Finnick Odair's Son, Finnick Odair (mentioned), Enobaria (Hunger Games), Caesar Flickerman, Coriolanus Snow, Coriolanus Snow's Granddaughter, Fulvia Cardew, Gale Hawthorne, Original Characters Additional Tags: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Thriller, Mystery, Kidnapping, Romance, Drama & Romance, Quarter Quell (Hunger Games), Fourth Quarter Quell, Inspired by Black Mirror (TV), Hunger Games-Typical Death/Violence, 76th Hunger Games, Alternate Universe, Child Death, The Capitol (Hunger Games), Capitol Hunger Games, Suffering!Heavenscoin, Funny!Hayffie, Veteran!Everlark, Canon-Typical Violence, Hunger Games Victors, Victors as a Family (Hunger Games), Plutarch and Haymitch bromatism, Plutarch "I'm so stressed out" Heavensbee, Alma "This is what I fucking deserve" Coin, Caesar "That's how you put on a show" Flickerman, Symbolic Hunger Games Series: Part 4 of The odds came with blood and peppermints Summary: "To remind the Capitol that their nefarious deeds will never be forgotten, twenty-four children are reaped from their families to participate in a Battle Royale. Unlike its predecessor, the tributes are chosen at random despite their age, sex, and societal status." The voice chuckled over the last line, as if disbelieving any of the kids from the Capitol were beyond poorer than the high middle-class citizens. "…of course, tributes who refuse to participate within the rules of the game will have their shock collars activated. Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the first ever Royale Capitol Games, with it also being the Fourth Quarter Quell from the discontinued series of the Hunger Games." The announcer laughs, unaware of the sheer number of Capitol parents that have fainted from the live announcement. They were giddy for a while at having to recite the dreaded line, along with a sickening twist added by the end. "And may the odds ever grant you their favors."   Pairings; Heavenscoin with a side of Hayffie & Everlark.

[murderballadeer]

8 12 39 !! :)

suzanne - leonard cohen

there are heroes in the seaweed there are children in the morning they are leaning out for love and they will lean that way forever while suzanne holds the mirror

winter lady - leonard cohen

traveling lady stay awhile until the night is over i'm just a station on your way i know i'm not your lover

for the sake of the song - townes van zandt

maybe she just has to sing for the sake of the song and who do i think that i am to decide that she's wrong