The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes (2023) + Tweets

I love the irony of an author making a cautionary tale like "don't you think it's fucked up when society do thing" and then society goes anf just proves their point

Like when Nabokov wrote a book about how a criminal used flowery language to romanticize his crime trying to justify the monstrosity he committed then society went like actually a younger girl being loved so much by an older men is both hot and aesthetic pleasing

Or how Susanne Collins wrote about the horrors of making a spectacle of the murder of children and how Hollywood exploits the young only for people online to be begging for her to write more books about the children getting slaughtered

It's so tragic and so telling I just love it

Love love love the implication that Lucy Gray came back to haunt Coriolanus Snow in his last years of life, through her mockingjays, her songs, and her District, particularly Peeta.

I also can’t get out of my head the idea of an 80 something year old Snow absolutely haunted by the fact that every time Katniss Everdeen opens her mouth, Sejanus’ voice comes out.

having read tbosas right before going to see the movie i feel like i’m upset at key parts being left out which made the movie feel so rushed, i think this would have been a great opportunity to split the book into two parts…

the treatment of the tributes, the days that passed that showed how close lucy gray and coriolanus got and ma plinth’s character were some of the most important parts that were left out and could have added so much more depth to the film. and sure i get why they changed so much of what happened in the arena because it was described so graphically in the book and because it was a lot more boring since there were long periods of nothing but i really feel like they could have made the construction of the area better because the scene where coriolanus had to save sejanus was so downplayed. and there’s also all the little details from the end like the fact that the tenth hunger games was erased from the vault is HUGE in my opinion because it shows that they were willing to do everything to make sure something “uncontrollable” couldn’t happen again, and how snow was practically living off the plinths like it makes sense that it was left out of the movie because that relationship was practically nonexistent but i think it could have been huge to keep it in to show how snow lands on top…

but what i can’t lie about is that the actors did an absolutely incredible job with these character! viola, tom and rachel are so so talented! i would definitely go see the movie first then read the book because so many details about the way snow’s mind works helps bring the movie to a completely new level!!

it was not on wheat...

stop diagnosing people with neurological conditions on their posts. were you people raised in a barn.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes was an excellent movie adaptation plot wise. It also solidified to me 2 reasons why Snow knew Katniss was such a threat beyond the basics and they were that

He recognized Haymitch as a mentor rewarding romantic behavior within the arena with sponsored gifts because a) it was his idea and b) before the drone system was perfected he saw how mentors themselves could technically follow rules while influencing the games and

He noticed how much sympathy and connection the Capitol citizens could form with the Tributes from all the nurses crying at Lucy Gray’s “last performance” to his entire class chanting to get her out of the arena which forced someone as influential as Dr. Gaul to listen

Snow’s not an idiot he knows Katniss herself held very little power at least at the beginning. But he instantly recognized how her story could be marketed and used to turn both District and Capitol citizens against him especially by people like Haymitch or Coin who knew what they were doing

another idea that i take immense issue with in the hunger games community is that “peeta played the games better than katniss did” - essentially saying that he knew how to play the capitol and the audience but katniss didn’t.

there is a number of evidence to counter this. the first point the people who believe this like to make is that “peeta came up with the love concept”, and while this is true it’s only true to an extent. peeta did come up with the idea of telling the audience that he loved katniss, to gain their sympathy and favour for sponsorships, but not the ploy that happens in the games where katniss falls greatly in love with him too - in the audience’s eyes. we know this because and the end of the first book, peeta and katniss have a conversation where peeta seems to realise, to quote president snow in catching fire “the extent of her indifference” to him (though of course she’s not indifferent, just not fully in love with him at this point).

there’s also the moment post the 74th hunger games, when katniss and haymitch are secretly discussing how to justify the berry incident and haymitch tells her that “her only defence can be she was so madly in love she wasn’t responsible for her actions.” katniss responds asking if he had told peeta of the situation, to which haymitch says, “don’t have to. he’s already there” (thg, pgs. 417-418). what this explains to us is that peeta doesn’t actually need instruction on ‘the love ploy’ as he is actually in love with her. this is also backed up by the fact katniss was instructed with the sponsor items in the game wheres peeta isnt.

in terms of how katniss played the capitol and the audience, there’s great evidence to her proficiency in it, too. foremost is of course the berry incident, which she came up with knowing its meaning and its danger. it is an act done in anger at the captiol, at their murder of innocent children, at their manipulation to get the two people in the arena closest to eachother emotionally to be the last to standing, to have the greatest possible ending regardless of how it felt for the tributes. katniss realises “yes, they have to have a victor” (thg, pg. 402) so she makes them have two or none.

not to mention, throughout the entire 74th hunger games, katniss is constantly thinking of how the audience will view her actions. when peeta passes with the career pack, she “needs to look one step ahead of the game” despite the fact she is confused and angry, so she “gives [the cameras] a knowing smile” and thinks “there, let them figure out what that means”. (thg, pg. 191)

there’s also the moment where she calls out peeta’s name when she finds out they could both win together, the entirety of their time in the cave, the kissing and almost their whole relationship was a great con to get them both home, and was lead by peeta’s love, yes, but also katniss’ ability to play the capitol’s hearts.

there’s so much more i can discuss about the first and the other books bc i’ve mainly talked about book 1 but this is getting super long LOL. my point is not that peeta couldn’t play the games, or that katniss was better than him at it because i dont believe either of those things. it’s that i want people to stop acting like peeta was the greater voice of the revolution, was better at playing an audience and speaking. he certainly was excellent at it, especially in catching fire when he is aware of his need to act for the capitol (after the district 11 shooting and through to the end of the quarter quell), but katniss was too. that’s all!! sorry for the essay.

“what radicalized you?” bitch what made you a stupid asshole?

i think something people miss when watching fleabag is that we're not really supposed to like fleabag all that much and yeah sure shes relatable cause shes flawed and shes human and youre not obligated to defend her actions

she hurt people around her constantly and she realizes that