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The way that Coryo makes my stomach heave so many times in the first chapter alone.

The way that his Reaping Day experience involves his cousin working herself to the bone for him while Katniss spent hers providing for her family and sacrificing for her sister.

The way he thinks of his ill grandmother mostly as an embarrassment and spends more time worrying about how she affects their image than about her well-being.

The way he's literally starving and still obsesses over image and prestige and social position so that living in a crumbling penthouse is seen as preferable to a (gasp) lower-class existence.

The way every single social interaction is transactional and is calculated to maintain or improve his status.

The way he hears that Sejanus has to mentor a former friend and his only response is to sneer that Sejanus still thinks of himself as District.

The way that the first chapter of The Hunger Games ends with the announcement of Prim's name and the first chapter here ends with, "The District 12 girl belongs to Coriolanus Snow."

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snow saying “it’s the thing we love the most that destroy us” like katniss didnt just take the song that holds his fondest memories with the one girl he loved and turned it into the soundtrack of his downfall 😭😭 gurl

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love how what made me hate snow in the original thg trilogy was all the atrocities, but what made me hate him in tbosas was the fact that he doesn't get poetry and hates ghost stories, like what a fucking bonehead douchenozzle philistine jerk

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katniss associates crying with weakness. from the second that katniss volunteers for prim, she refuses to cry. even when prim won't let her go up on the reaping stage (thg, 23). even after seeing her family members for the last time (thg, 34). even when she leaves district twelve for the last time (thg, 40).

why? the cameras. 

in the first book, katniss is obsessed with appearing strong for the cameras. crying is not an option when there are cameras (thg, 34). even when peeta cries because he is showing his emotions, she assumes that it must be some strategy (thg, 40). because no one would so openly show their weakness in front of the audience, right? and although she can't produce tears, she only allows herself to cry the night on the train to the capitol because no one will see the redness on her face in the morning (thg, 54). even after the games, when peeta reveals his amputated leg, she hides her face in his shirt so the cameras don't see her cry (thg, 339).

so, anytime katniss does cry, it is always in private. like in her room after her training session with the gamemakers, sobbing because she feels like they are going to kill her and her family (thg, 103). or when haymitch and peeta take her to her room while katniss's mom reconstructs gale's whipped back (cf, 33). or prim and her mom comfort her after she finds out she is going back into the games (cf, 51). 

the only time that katniss cried in front of the cameras before the quell was when rue died. and even then, she was trying to stop the tears from falling (thg, 234). and when the tears did come, they were soft tears. slowly sliding down her cheeks (thg, 234). 

that is why the forcefield scene in catching fire was so insane. because all of the concern that first games katniss had for the camera and the sponsors melted away under the scorching pink sun of the quell. because the tears that she shed when peeta died were not the same as rue. she didn't have the opportunity to hold them in because they just appeared without her noticing (cf, 79). and these tears run down her face, building up momentum until she is sobbing uncontrollably (cf, 79). her sobs are racked with torment thinking about peeta's death, invoking choking sounds (cf, 79).

these are not the solemn tears she shed for rue (thg, 234). or like the ones that fell from finnick's face as he mourned mags (cf, 89). they are not the tears of tribute losing a partner. these are the tears of a human being who is momentarily broken at the possibility of their lover's death.

and maybe this wouldn't be strange that she cried. of course, she and peeta have gone through a lot of things together and losing him would be hard. but this is the same girl that literally refused to cry when clove was about to skin her alive on national television because she didn't want her sister to see (thg, 286). even in her last moments, katniss is always thinking about the cameras and the audience.

but after peeta's heart stops, she isn't thinking about her survival. or the cameras. or the other tributes in the arena hearing her sobs. all she can think about is the boy beside her. the one with a steady heartbeat she never thought she would hear again. the one whose arms are her only refuge from the realities of panem. the one whose death would leave her broken beyond repair.

note: i actually was digging myself into a hole about the forcefield scene and asked people on tumblr (here) and reddit (here) about their thoughts. the responses are really good and really helped me understand more of the significance of the scene and why finnick knew that katniss loved peeta then. please read!

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I'm very fond of how Everlark didn't fall in love with each other. Peeta walked with purpose toward the love he felt for her and just kept firmly, stubbornly, and diligently walking while holding his heart on full display in his arms regardless of how heavy it became with each step. While Katniss grew in love with him, from the small sprouts in her peripheral vision that at first she thought she had the privilege to ignore by turning her head the other way. But eventually, the roots housed themselves so intrinsically everywhere inside her being, that even if she willingly wanted to prune them, she wouldn't be able to scratch their surface. Falling is accidental, both were no accidents.

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Green and orange are Katniss and Peeta's favorite colors, and both shades are partially yellow. A color that can represent feelings and virtues akin to liquid sunlight, promising life. Their differences are complementary but it is the similarities that help glue what they have together. And those easily surface since the two are so intrinsically kind and compassionate. It's at the yellow, their yellow, where they blur into the other, that will always resonate.

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I need to take a moment and do a deep dive on the scene where Katniss sits with Gale after he's been whipped vs the scene where Katniss sits with Peeta as they work on the plant book.

Why these two scenes? These scenes in particular I feel like have a lot of similarities as far as Katniss' narration is concerned. They are both scenes where she is alone with either boy in an unrushed, natural environment where she is capable of really looking at them and noticing them both. and in both scenes she IS actively noticing them. it is important to note though, that the tone of these scenes are pretty different, since Gale's is right after he was whipped, and she's still reeling from her intense day. Even so, the plant book scene with Peeta takes place during a time where Katniss has more reason to be worried about her life/family than ever, so I feel like a direct comparison of these isn't too much of a stretch.

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The Gale text in question:

"I touch parts of him I have never had cause to touch before. His heavy, dark eyebrows, the curve of his cheek, the line of his nose, the hollow at the base of his neck. I trace the outline of stubble on his jaw and finally work my way to his lips. Soft and full, slightly chapped. His breath warms my chilled skin." (CF, 116)

The biggest thing to note is the detail in which she describes him. Katniss takes her time and touches Gale's face with her hand, taking in his features. and yet, most of the descriptions are very generic and could adequately be attributed to most anyone's face, including Peeta's. Even the lines where she takes a bit more notice 'his heavy, dark eyebrows', 'the outline of the stubble on his jaw' are pretty vague and don't give much detail into her REALLY noticing him. the most detailed part we get is the last line about his lips.

Let's keep all of that in mind while we contrast that to the lines any Everlark fan probably knows by heart - the eyelash scene:

"I also become a little fixated on his eyelashes, which ordinarily you don't notice much because they're so blond. But up close, in the sunlight slanting in from the window, they're a light golden color and so long I don't see how they keep from getting all tangled up when he blinks." (CF, 161)

In the time it took for her to describe Gale's entire face, she only managed to describe Peeta's eyelashes. the level of detail that she notices about Peeta goes far beyond what she sees about Gale, even in a moment where she's really taking the time to look at him. The description she gives about Gale's face really accentuates her feelings towards their relationship - practical, obvious, concise. Whereas the description for Peeta just highlights what shes been thinking about him all along - interesting, perplexing, alluring. It's clear from those paragraphs that she just doesn't see Gale in the same way that she sees Peeta.

These scenes can be analyzed all day, and I've been busy making notes on the way she describes both boys, to be compiled and analyzed once I've gone through all 3 books, but I feel like these two scenes alone give a very good look into Katniss' mind and what she really sees in each of her boys.

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More unoriginal Hunger Games thoughts but I'm lowkey turning into a bit of a hunger games account at this point...

Katniss and Peeta having kids at the end of Mockingjay was actually a good ending, even though some say it falls into the trope of "female MC has a baby at the end bc family is truly what fulfils her" or smth like that. Katniss spent her whole life not wanting children not because she didn't want to be a mother but because it was too dangerous to do so. She even mentions this when thinking about if she wins the games because even winning wouldn't protect her children from the Reaping. Her having children at the end symbolises the peace in Panem and the success of the rebellion since there are no more Hunger Games, she can have children and not worry about their safety for the rest of her life.

I think it also shows the peace of Panem outside the Hunger Games no longer being a thing and maybe also shows that she has dealt with the grief in her life. At the age of 11, Katniss was starving, trying to keep her and her sister together whilst her mother was mentally gone. She was essentially the parent and sole provider for YEARS, never really having the chance to properly grieve her father's death. Then she lost Prim, her sister that was also basically her first child whom she loved so much. I think once the war was done, she was finally able to grieve her father and Prim, and then finally move on to having kids of her own. I view it as if she had lost her first child and needed time before she could move on and have her 2nd, 3rd etc kid because she really did raise Prim from the age of 7.

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i think about this tweet a lot

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peeta and katniss having petty little arguments before the games and katniss stomping off and making sure he hears her slam the door like damn they really are 16 aren’t they?

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in her interviews, suzanne has made it clear that she wanted to create a narrative that remained true to what katniss knew. even if suzanne understood the underlying economic system that made panem tick, she would not get into it if it was something that katniss wouldn't know. and if we know anything about our beloved katniss, it is that she is veryyyy confused about what is actually going on. 

but it is important to understand this aspect of suzanne's narrative building because it makes it clear that if katniss does include something, it is because katniss is the one who notices it. 

so, that makes all the more powerful that katniss keeps subconsciously giving us updates on peeta's condition while he is in the star squad. when peeta is unconscious and homes heaves him over his shoulder (mj, 241). when finnick adjusts a mask over peeta's face (mj, 242). when jackson trains her gun on a cuffed and unconscious peeta (mj, 244). when he rests by her feet (mj, 256). when she moves to leave the tunnels and notices his figure huddled against the wall, desperately trying to not break down (mj, 267). when everyone else focuses on their own (valid) problems, she notices his wrists need attending to (mj, 274).  

and she notices when he is the only one not offering an opinion on her plan (thg, 277). and she notices when his eyes follow her and gale as they walk out of the room (thg, 286). 

she even notices the burn marks on his hands as she looks over the water in his glass (thg, 314). and when she returns to twelve, she specifically points out that his house has not been filled or prepared to be lived in (mj, 323). 

these are not just a coincidence. suzanne is not just saying 'oh, i haven't talked about peeta in a while… better put him in.' 

katniss is constantly noticing him. her eyes are always falling on him, no matter where he is (mj, 256). and unlike gale, who she seems to forget is there unless he is right in front of her, she is constantly thinking about peeta. 

why?

because she is always protecting him (mj, 258). because she cares about him more than even herself. because, despite snow's tampering, when katniss everdeen finds herself in love with someone, everything in her being gravitates to them.

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One thing that I think is so interesting/sad/sweet about katniss and peetas dynamic is the way that they’re both so deeply insecure/don’t feel like they deserve the other one but also love each other so much that it kind of overtakes that

Katniss spends most of the serious believing that peeta is way too good and pure for her/that he deserves someone way better than her. Peeta spends most of the series believing that she has way better options than him/almost accepting the fact that she’s ultimately gonna choose gale bc why would she choose him anyway

But despite all their insecurities, they both love each other *so much* that they still end up being inseparable and almost obliviously in love with each other anyway 🥺

Like despite neither one of them fully accepting the others love most of the time, they’re both looking each other like “this is my person and I’m gonna take care of them”

They’re really each others person when it comes down to it they’re so perfect for each other 🥹🥰

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I find it interesting that Peeta fell in love with the way Katniss was when she was doing things / around people she loved. (Her singing, the way she was with her dad and Prim, her compassion and empathy and protectiveness)

Meanwhile, Gale became infatuated with her while she was always in survival mode, and closing herself off to and angry at the world, and while she was able to be helpful to him. (Her hunting and trading and disdain for the Capitol)

I also find it interesting that once she started to become closed off, and she started merely surviving, Peeta's love didn't diminish.

But once she started showing signs of living again, Gale started to loose interest in the real her, and get annoyed when she wasn't the shell of a person she used to be.

Peeta fell in love with the life he saw in her, but he loved every aspect of her. Gale was just attracted to the survivor and had little interest in the rest.

Peeta saw the love in her. Gale only saw the anger.

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ALSO thinking about how the first sentence of the series is “When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold”, and the last sentence before the epilogue in Mockingjay has Katniss and Peeta in bed together idk there’s something there

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Random but at the end of Mockingjay when Katniss says she needs "the bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction", and that "only Peeta can give [her] that", she's specifically talking about Peeta as opposed to Other Guy.

Because, fun fact: rue, (evening) primrose, and dandelions are all yellow flowers. All three of the characters associated with them are explicitly linked with hope throughout the series.

Peeta is the obvious one. He's the one who gives her the bread at the beginning that not only physically feeds her in the moment, which in turn inspires her to remember that she is capable of survival, but its probably the first act of kindness remembers since her father has died. The book specifically shows how everyone has abandoned them and there's nowhere to turn. Nobody gives her hope until Peeta does, both as at the beginning of and the end of the story. In addition to making a good salad, dandelions are considered pioneer plants because after a land has been destroyed in some way they're the first ones to colonise it. Just like when Peeta comes back to 12 to help rebuild it.

Then, there's Prim. Prim frequently reminds Katniss that there's beauty in the world. She's the reason Katniss fights throughout the first Games, and you can see that she makes Katniss softer. In CF, she specifically mentions that Prim is one of the reasons she's supposed to keep fighting, because she wants a better world for her. And then in MJ, she feels that hope reignited when Prim says they're training her to be a doctor when she says "this is the sort of future a rebellion could bring". She wants Prim to be reborn into a different world where these things can happen, and she wants to fight to make that world a reality. Yes, evening primrose wilts quite quickly after it blooms (iirc), but it also blooms several times a year, so Katniss will always be reminded of her sister.

My personal favourite, however, is Rue. In the arena, Rue reminds Katniss of Prim, which brings out her protective nature, but also of herself, which is one of the reasons they relate to each other. Both are older sisters who are protective of their siblings. Katniss says it's a bad idea to ally with Rue but she does it anyway for these reasons. But I think the reason Rue represents hope for Katniss is because of how she protects her in the arena. She warns her about the tracker-jackers and draws the poison out of her body. When Peeta describes the Games, he says that the world around you and the people in it become your final reality. Katniss - and anyone else, for that matter - would not have expected a singular act of kindness from the moment they entered the Games. They know the time for kindness is over. I know Snow must have been screaming, crying and throwing up during the 74th because between Katniss volunteering, Peeta protecting her, then Rue protecting her, then Katniss singing to her, and then Peeta and Katniss protecting each other and refusing to live without the other, the rebellion was already starting. Rue could have left her to die, and didn't, which Katniss acknowledges. Instead, she saved her life and lost her own. This is the act of goodness that spurs her on in the Games, and together with Prim, in CF when she considers running away. In sleep, she sees Rue reborn in the same world as Prim, safe in dreams where nothing can hurt her. Dancing in the meadow. Katniss helps create that world for her children, where they play in a field of yellow flowers, likely including Rue. And while the meaning of the name Rue is significant because Katniss regrets not saving her, it's likely significant for Snow and the Gamemakers as well, who likely regret her entering the Games in the first place; the plant (not the flower; the Everlark babies are safe!) Rue is poisonous to the touch, and as soon as Rue enters the Games, it's the beginning of the end of Snow's Games. Rue poisoned the Games with hope! And helped make the Mockingjay.

So anyway, I do think Peeta gives Katniss the most hope for rebirth. They are in love, after all. But Rue and Prim definitely gave her that bright yellow, too.

(Apologies to Katniss because buttercups are also yellow 😂)

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I need to take a moment and do a deep dive on the scene where Katniss sits with Gale after he's been whipped vs the scene where Katniss sits with Peeta as they work on the plant book.

Why these two scenes? These scenes in particular I feel like have a lot of similarities as far as Katniss' narration is concerned. They are both scenes where she is alone with either boy in an unrushed, natural environment where she is capable of really looking at them and noticing them both. and in both scenes she IS actively noticing them. it is important to note though, that the tone of these scenes are pretty different, since Gale's is right after he was whipped, and she's still reeling from her intense day. Even so, the plant book scene with Peeta takes place during a time where Katniss has more reason to be worried about her life/family than ever, so I feel like a direct comparison of these isn't too much of a stretch.

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The Gale text in question:

"I touch parts of him I have never had cause to touch before. His heavy, dark eyebrows, the curve of his cheek, the line of his nose, the hollow at the base of his neck. I trace the outline of stubble on his jaw and finally work my way to his lips. Soft and full, slightly chapped. His breath warms my chilled skin." (CF, 116)

The biggest thing to note is the detail in which she describes him. Katniss takes her time and touches Gale's face with her hand, taking in his features. and yet, most of the descriptions are very generic and could adequately be attributed to most anyone's face, including Peeta's. Even the lines where she takes a bit more notice 'his heavy, dark eyebrows', 'the outline of the stubble on his jaw' are pretty vague and don't give much detail into her REALLY noticing him. the most detailed part we get is the last line about his lips.

Let's keep all of that in mind while we contrast that to the lines any Everlark fan probably knows by heart - the eyelash scene:

"I also become a little fixated on his eyelashes, which ordinarily you don't notice much because they're so blond. But up close, in the sunlight slanting in from the window, they're a light golden color and so long I don't see how they keep from getting all tangled up when he blinks." (CF, 161)

In the time it took for her to describe Gale's entire face, she only managed to describe Peeta's eyelashes. the level of detail that she notices about Peeta goes far beyond what she sees about Gale, even in a moment where she's really taking the time to look at him. The description she gives about Gale's face really accentuates her feelings towards their relationship - practical, obvious, concise. Whereas the description for Peeta just highlights what shes been thinking about him all along - interesting, perplexing, alluring. It's clear from those paragraphs that she just doesn't see Gale in the same way that she sees Peeta.

These scenes can be analyzed all day, and I've been busy making notes on the way she describes both boys, to be compiled and analyzed once I've gone through all 3 books, but I feel like these two scenes alone give a very good look into Katniss' mind and what she really sees in each of her boys.