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thesweetnessofspring · 4 months

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What blows my mind on rereading the books is how attracted to Peeta Katniss is. I hadn’t read them for years so I did think of them as a typical wholesome relationship with a nice guy that never dives into the attraction parts. But now I see the constant flirting that happens, the hunger and need to be close, the description of his body and face, the whole beach scene. And Peeta is super respectful for all of the books but Suzanne didn’t make it seem like a lot of nice guys are written where they wouldn’t dare show any attraction. Peeta in the cave is sneaking in kisses and post games he mentions them being alone together. They’re RIDICULOUSLY into each other . And I appreciate that they found the balance of a nice couple being horny for each other, it always feels like most media at the time portrayed sexual need as something that can only happen with bad boys.

They are into each other at EVERY SINGLE LEVEL it is ridiculous. As a fandom grandma, I remember when people were fancasting Peeta back in the day and one of the more popular choices (though he was 🤢 for many reasons) was Alex Pettyfer. I think a lot of people pictured Peeta super hot (as opposed to what he really is, which is boy-next-door-cute) in part because Katniss's details and descriptions of him are soooo layered with her attraction. Like yes, Katniss, please go on more about his big strong arms and the sunlight in his hair and his blue eyes. 😂 We don't get Peeta's POV but it's obvious he's smitten by her physically as well, saying the flames suit her and that to him she's "perfect."

And Peeta!! That boy could be such a heartbreaker if he wanted to! He flirts with Katniss so effortlessly and in general is really good around people, but he never gives her cause to be jealous (by my reading of the book he doesn't with Johanna in the elevator, even though the movie interpreted that part differently). And oh my, does Katniss crave his touches! Even from book one she's giving him genuine gestures of affection and delighted in what he gives to her. I think because kissing is more intimate she has a harder time feeling the "hunger" when they only ever kiss in front of the camera. I've said it before and I'll say it again, if Katniss ever had a chance to really kiss Peeta without cameras around she would have made up her mind about the boys a lot sooner.

Non, it is so, so, SO important to me that Katniss and Peeta have that real sexual chemistry you talk about and why the movies are so disappointing in this aspect. I think that relationships between adults in shows and movies have offered more that are "healthy, in love, and hot for each other" recently, but we hardly ever see it for teenagers! The "nice guy" is usually kinda awkward or there isn't a lot of chemistry, and all of the sexual tension comes from the "bad boy." There isn't really a bad boy equivalent in THG, but Peeta still fills in a sort of "good guy" role in the love triangle and the fact that Gale can get jealous and pushy but Katniss is still like 😑 with him, but 🥰 around Peeta is sooooooooooooo important. Like yes, teach those young people that healthy conflict resolution is hot!! Teach them that safety and gentleness is a turn-on!! YES YES YES!!!

#everlark #anon ask

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gurindeen · 5 months

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Rant time!

I have just finished watching Catching Fire after rereading the Catching Fire book and???? WHERE IS PEETA. Where is Peeta the whole time in this movie? He just kind of sits there with quizzical looks on his face. I get it, it’s a long story to condense into 2h26min, but. Peeta is such a central character in this book. I’m upset.

I may be overfangirling this but if I didn’t know the story I guess I’d be really confused as to why Katniss wanted Peeta to be the one who lives so badly. I just feel like he wasn’t given much depth in the CF movie. Which is weird considering I think the movies did a pretty good job with that in THG. Peeta is so brilliant, kind and present this entire book.

On top of that, Katniss and Peeta don’t really seem to share what is going on, or even support each other that much. Aside from the scene where Peeta’s heart stops, which is very good, they feel distant. When they talk on the beach, it feels off. Why do you even need him, movie!Katniss? You look like coworkers or something. Weird. Where is everlark understanding and leaning on each other so much that Katniss wouldn’t risk Peeta removing his goddamn makeup in his own room because they might lock him away from her for the night? You know what I mean?

And what’s with Katniss kissing Gale before the reaping, while he’s fully awake and well? That is substantially different from kissing him when he was passed out and wishing him to not remember it the day after. (not me whining because evethorne got this and we didn't get the picnic scene)

What irks me the most about all of this is: why? I’m pretty sure it was of knowledge when the movie was made that Peeta mattered quite a lot to the story and to Katniss - because if he didn’t, if he was just some cute teammate with a crush on her, who she gives only one and a half fuck about - none of it would have happened. No berries, no defiance, no Snow using Peeta to hurt the Mockingjay and deeply as he could. No reason to have hope, no dandelion. No revolution!

With Peeta, I feel like this movie stripped him down to ill assorted bit of the love triangle. Which is not only annoying, but downright Capitol level of treating love as marketing. And stupid, because, as I hinted above, the books where already fully out, right? Before rewatching CF, I was just talking to a friend who hasn't read the books and she said - oh, I didn't think Katniss actually liked Peeta, thought it was just the shared trauma. Yes. That's what it looked like in this movie. And not because they were trying to not focus on love, because they've amped the love triangle thing up. So I don't get it. Why do you always have to take a nice character and treat them like less just because they’re nice? (Ron Weasley I'm talking about you) Tell me, am I exaggerating? Do I just love Peeta too much?

#peeta mellark #catching fire #catching fire movie #everlark #rant

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charlunday · 8 months

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The people have spoken!!

It is officially time for me (✨️charlunday✨️) to open up commissions!

This is my first time doing them online, so I'll need to get my bearings, but hopefully, you're willing to work with me. I will be using Venmo (and maybe PayPal). I think to start, as not to overwhelm myself, I'm going to open up three slots. First come, first serve! (I still reserve the right to say no to anything I'm uncomfortable with)

For my in person commissions, I pay myself at a rate of $20/hour. To give you a general idea of what that might look like, here you go!

The piece above is one of my larger ones, taking about 5 hours. Something with this level of detail would run you about $100.

On the flip side, you have something like this:

This took me only 2.5 hours, so something in this realm would be more along the lines of $50.

But we can go even smaller from there! With something like this:

The above, my friends, is a doodle. This took only a little over an hour, meaning you could get yourself a doodle for $20! Just $20! What a steal. And if that's still out of your budget,

You could get a sketch for as little as $10. The possibilities are endless!

(Also, I will do things other than THG! These are just my best examples at the moment. Check my bio for other stuff I'm into!)

Even if you can't commission me, I want to thank every person who has ever left kind words on my posts! I read each and every one of them (and sometimes reread them). I love you all, and I love making art for us to enjoy together. ❤️ If you enjoy my art, please reblog to boost!

#i should really start an art tag #im so nervous #but also excited!#this is a new journey for me!#the hunger games #peeta mellark #katniss everdeen #everlark

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thgfanfictionlibrary · 2 months

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Active Authors Masterlist (10)

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 /

***Active (on this blog) is defined as a blog/writer who has updated within the past year. Inactive (on this blog) is defined as a blog/writer that has not been updated at all in the past year+. On THG Writing Hiatus (on this blog) is a blog/writer who has updated within the past year but has not posted a fanfic in the fandom in the past year BUT they may return to writing in the future. Lists will be updated as needed based on activity. ***

Created: February 10th, 2024

Last Checked:-----

atleastmymomlikesme-ao3, ff.net, tumblr

Popular Fic: Respect the Grayest Pile (For the Departed Creature’s sake) Summary: Against his better judgment, Haymitch has accepted responsibility for both a revolution and two teenagers who will surely be the death of him. Probably sooner rather than later. Just his luck that the only way to save them both involves landing himself back in the arena. Catching Fire AU

ellizablue-ao3, ff.net, tumblr

Popular Fic: Where Soul Meets A Body Summary: "Sometimes I think they reaped you because they knew I would love you." Annie and Finnick's full story, starting with Annie's Reaping and ending after Mockingjay. Annie's POV. Canon.

LastLeaf :: ao3, ffnet, tumblr

Popular Fic: Beyond the Fence-Divorced with a failing business, Peeta Mellark doesn't think he can sink any lower. Until he finds himself attracted to his neighbor's 20 year-old niece.

Littlefroid-ao3, tumblr

Popular Fic: The old familiar sting Summary: Maureen Trevi won the 49th Annual Hunger Games, and has now been a victor for 11 years. Dealing with her own demons for a decade now, alongside her victor duties. Now that the 60th Hunger Games is here and she is forced to be mentor for this year's game. However for the first time she actually get a tribute that think he has a chance to survive the games. Trying to write a backstory to the two Morphlings in Catching Fire because I needed to know more about them when I reread the series.

Meadowlark27 :: ao3, tumblr

Popular fic: The Meek Shall Inherit the Eldest Everdeen-The boys all wanted Katniss at the slag heap. But Peeta Mellark just wanted Katniss.

morgswrites/booklover2019-ao3, wattpad

Popular Fic: Blooming in the Spring Summary: I am empty and want nothing more than to drown it all out--all of the fear, the guilt. The guilt. There is so much of it, all the time. Guilt for those I've killed. For those who I could not save. They haunt me every second of every day, always there, always in the back of my mind clawing their way forward. Today, it is Finnick. Yesterday, Cinna. The day before that, Castor. Prim. Always Prim. ~ In the months following the fall of the Panem's Capitol, Katniss Everdeen is continuing to fight a battle-this time against herself. After surviving two Hunger Games and leading a revolution, losing countless loved ones along the way, Katniss is forced to learn how to live on with her trauma and how to navigate a new life with the boy that saved her life.

Pookieh :: ao3, ffnet, tumblr

Popular Fic: First Impressions-Her whole life, Katniss Everdeen had been raised to believe her only goal in life was to find a suitable husband and marry. Upon meeting the standoffish Peeta Mellark, she could not be more put off by the notion of marriage. However, unbeknownst to her, there is a reason behind Peeta's demeanor, if only she chose to look beyond her biased first impression. Hunger Games/Pride & Prejudice cross-over.

rarepairheathen :: ao3, tumblr

Popular Fic: Positive-In AU Panem after Katniss winner of the 74th reality TV show “The Hunger Games” she finds herself in a world of trouble.

sakurakyouko-ao3, tumblr, main blog

Popular Fic: As Long As I'm Burning Summary: Johanna Mason-centric, canon-compliant fic, spanning from the 71st Hunger Games all the way through to the end of Mockingjay. Mostly gen; the romance is a feature, but not the central focus

winryofresembool :: ao3, tumblr

Popular Fic: Cheese Buns and Garlic Cakes-Peeta finally gets a chance to talk with his childhood crush when she shows up at his door to sell some ingredients for his pastries.

#authors #active authors masterlist #active authors #everlark fanfiction #thg fanfiction #everlark #masterlist #thg

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buggiebite · 2 months

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What's your favorite character from all across THG trilogy & TBOSAS?

Why do you like this character?

Favorite quote or moment from them?

Please state one (or more) thing which you don't like from them.

Thank you 😊

@curiousthg

I pray this isn’t basic, but Peeta and Lucy Gray!

Starting with THG: Peeta is such a complex character who I just adore. He wants nothing more than to be himself, even if it kills him. Willing to do anything to make others happy, but also not afraid to do the right thing. Then going through the journey of being himself after he is hijacked and learning that he’s someone completely different. Gets me every time. I just really align myself with Peeta.

TBOSAS: I read the book when it came out… so 2020. And being honest, it really went over my head at the time. I need to reread it. So based off the movie and my little recollection of the book, Lucy Gray. She’s a wildcard. Very connected to the natural world around her. That Covey way of life is so addicting. But, needless to say, I need to reread the book and maybe I will have a different answer. It’s been 4 years!

Quote: Movie and/or book

Peeta - definitely, “I don’t want them to change me in there. Turn me into some kind of monster that I’m not” / "If I'm gonna die, I wanna still be me”. I’m a sucker for things like this, being who you are, because that’s all you can be.

Lucy Gray - “People aren’t so bad. It's what the world does to them. Like what they do in the arena. I think there is a natural goodness born into us all.” Gagged me. I’m a personal believer in the whole: people aren’t born bad they become that way or choose to be.

One or more things I do not like about them:

Peeta - he doesn’t hold his life for value! Saying his family or anyone back home didn’t need him. Not his fault tho, I feel like his childhood trauma made him believe that..and rejection/confusion from his crush of eleven years. Also, some people say his life revolved around Katniss. I think people think this because all we see is Katniss’ side of the story. It’s her narrative. But I’m not Suzanne so 🤷🏻‍♀️

Lucy Gray - I don’t really think I can give an accurate answer to this. Given I am so uneducated on the TBOSAS lore and part of the fandom. Don’t get me wrong, I know about it, just not enough as I know the THG side. Reiterating: I need to reread TBOSAS! Then maybe I can give a better reply. But as for right now, I’d say her sporadicalness. It’s both my favorite and my least favorite thing about her. As of right now!

Thanks for the ask! -buggiebite

#ask #buggiebite #tbosas #the hunger games #thg #Peeta Mellark #lucy gray baird

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lunar-beauty · 1 year

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reread thg triology and i can’t stop thinking about the parallels between stancy and everlark

let’s start with the obvious: both ships involve a love triangle with a boy who’s in love with a girl who has feelings for them but also has unresolved feelings for another guy

stancy and everlark are both the first ships in the love triangles to get romantic scenes (everlark’s was kind of an act but still)

both nancy and katniss are unsure at first of how genuine steve and peeta’s feelings for them are. nancy cause she knows about the many flings steve’s had in the past and katniss cause her and peeta are in the middle of a battle for their lives where anything, including feelings, can be used as a weapon

both steve and peeta begin to doubt that nancy and katniss really have feelings for them. steve after nancy drunkenly called their relationship bullshit and peeta after he realizes that katniss had been going along with and initiating the romantic moments between them partially as a strategy to win the games

when nancy and katniss are confronted about their feelings directly, they both struggled to answer. nancy blamed barb’s death on her relationship with steve and became conflicted and unsure about her feelings for him & katniss did what she had to do to survive the games and while she did care about peeta and felt something towards him, she was unsure about her exact feelings for him at that point

both ships ended up spending time apart before they are pushed to work together again by the same force/reason that initially pushed them apart. stancy was pushed apart by the events of the upside down and a death caused by it and that’s what brought them back together in s4 & everlark was pushed apart by events that occurred at the games and the victory tour for the games brought them back together

nancy and katniss are more reserved about their feelings while steve and peeta are more open about their feelings

steve going back into the byers house to fight the demogorgon to protect nancy is similar to how peeta voluntarily went back into the games to try to protect katniss

both steve and peeta put the girls they love over themselves and pushed them to be with someone else. steve encouraged nancy to go with jonathan & peeta told katniss that she needed to be the one survived the games and pushed her to think about her family and gale, and katniss realized that by bringing up gale, peeta was letting her know that it was okay if she wanted to be with him

nancy and katniss fight using guns and arrows which are long distance weapons. the boys on the other hand tend to prefer fighting in a closer range. steve with his bat and peeta, while he doesn’t fight much, is said repeatedly to be better at physical combat

steve and peeta both played sports in high school. steve was on the basketball and swim team while peeta did wrestling

both steve and peeta dreamt of a life and a family with their love interests and shared this dream with them

while nancy and katniss had complicated feelings about marriage and starting a family of their own. nancy didn’t want to have a loveless marriage like her parents and katniss didn’t think she could afford the type of love that lead to having a family considering the world she lived in

#stranger things #steve harrington #nancy wheeler #stancy #the hunger games #thg #everlark #stancy x everlark #my posts #posts: st

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toomuchracket · 10 months

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assuming you have read/seen the hunger games but if u havent delete this ask for spoilers!! 🤍🤍

just finished rereading the whole thg series and am now rewatching all the movies and i had a thought of making d word matty whos never seen them before watch the films with you <3 and bc of the age gap youre like you dont get it this was literally a crucial part of my development as a person. and hes kinda like yea ok whatever lets just watch the movies babe but by the time peetas taken by the capitol hes weeping lmfao

oh ho ho you are CORRECT to assume i've read and seen the hunger games... i was That Girl who had a mockingjay pin on her school blazer when she was 12 (despite consistently handing my homework in on time. i was not leading revolutions against authority lol). quite excited for songbirds and snakes i must say!! but yeah, i imagine you'd be like "matty we are MARATHONING these i need to watch them again" and he thinks it's adorable how excited you are but also he's like "why do you like these films so much, babe? like what is it about them that makes you want to watch four in one night lol". and i think you go off on a, well, him-style tangential discussion about how it was really your first insight into dystopian fiction and it's a critique of corrupt governments and exploitation and injustice and power imbalance and also of mass media and doing grotesque things in the name of entertainment, all the while encouraging young people to be self-sufficient and strong but still passionate and kind and loving, functioning as a warning not to blindly trust those in power and to stand up for what's right even if nobody else will. and when you finish talking, matty's looking at you the same way he looked when caveh started coughing after ripping the bong in that vid (but like slightly more smiley lol) and he's like "... alright let's watch". and you watch his reactions out of the corner of your eye as the film progresses: he doesn't say much at the start (he's like "oh shit lenny kravitz" when he sees cinna) but by the time rue dies he's teary, and at the end of the first film he's like "i see why you enjoy these now. second one, let's go". he's far more engrossed with this one - turns to you at the quarter quell like "they have to do it again? hunger games all-stars? fucksake" - and like audibly reacting to plot points. like, when the peacekeepers get cinna he's like "what the fuck!", and he yells when johanna cuts the tracker out of katniss's arm; like you said, though, the worst bit for him is when it's revealed that they didn't get peeta out and the capitol got him, like he fully weeps at the tv about it and refuses to watch any more that night because he's too sad lol (but then a cry and a cup of tea later he's like "i'm fine. get it cued, baby" lmao) <3

#can u tell i was obsessed lol #mads answers asks #matty asks #fluff asks #d word matty

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fictionaltrvlr · 6 months

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What's your opinion of President Snow as a character in THG trilogy? Was he a great villain?

* Spoiler for TBOSAS *

After reading the novel, what's your opinion about Coriolanus Snow 'transformation' in the end?

Was it his nature or the way he was nurtured that led him to become the character we know?

Thank you :)

@curiousnonny

Thank you for the ask, I love talking about this series!! (Sorry this took me a while, it got way too long and confusing and I had to I break it up, so hopefully this makes sense 😆)

Trilogy

Since the trilogy is Katniss’ first-person account and we don’t see much of Snow, I didn’t really think about him that much. He is definitely a good villain, evil and terrifying.

For me, Snow was just this big imposing embodiment of evil in the trilogy. I didn’t take in a lot of his personality or care about his story. Rereading it now, I find him much more interesting.

The recurring theme of roses in the original trilogy was definitely one of my favourite things about Snow as a villain; the physiological terror of the genetically engineered scent and how that was weaponized was just horrible in the best way.

So I don’t think he was a boring villain by any means, I just didn’t humanise him at all.

Prequel

I love this book so much! I think it was the perfect choice for a prequel.

I know a lot of people want Haymitch, Finnick, and Joana’s Games. And while I do really like those characters and want to know more about them, I think it would kind of go against the message of the books. It would just be Games for Games sake, and wouldn’t really serve any purpose narratively.

Snow’s origin story, on the other hand, added so much for me! It furthers the messages.

The nature vs nurture debate can be kind of confusing for me; I can never seem to pick one over the other. I guess I agree with Lucy Gray, that we are all born with the choice and ability to choose our own path, and it’s our responsibility to stay on the right side.

I think we can be inclined one way or another, and that our experiences affect us, but ultimately we are moulded by our own choices. So I apply that to Snow as well.

Watching his transformation at the end was very interesting. It was both expected and made sense, while also feeling a bit abrupt. I was getting a little confused as I neared the end and had fewer and fewer pages left and Snow wasn’t just absolutely and completely revolting yet.

He was awful, yes, in the ways he spoke about people, his casual disregard for the lives of people from the Districts, his jealousy and ownership of Lucy Gray, the criticism of her and Tigris’ choices and what they had to do to survive. But he really crossed a lot of lines in those last few chapters.

I think Dean Highbottom and Dr Gaul shaped him, for sure. He was treated unfairly, and that angered him. The Capitol also taught him that he was intrinsically more valuable than people in the Districts and that the Snow legacy was important.

I find this paragraph interesting because it gives insight into how he thinks and how he sees himself. This is in twelve when he is having a conversation with Sejanus about Dr Gaul:

“I don't know," said Coriolanus. "It's like ... you know how she's always torturing that rabbit or melting the flesh off something?" “Like she enjoys it?" asked Sejanus. "Exactly. I think that's how she thinks we all are. Natural-born killers, Inherently violent," Coriolanus said. "The Hunger Games are a reminder of what monsters we are and how we need the Capitol to keep us from chaos." "So, not only is the world a brutal place, but people enjoy its brutality? Like the essay on everything we loved about the war" said Sejanus.

It reminds me of Mockingjay when he’s talking about the bombs that took out Prim, and he says that he’s not wasteful. I think he has himself convinced that he doesn’t enjoy pain and death, but that he uses them strategically and that somehow that makes him a better person than the teachers of his childhood.

Ultimately, Snow hungered for power and felt he was owed it, so he would take any path necessary to achieve it. He was heavily influenced by his upbringing and finally chose to follow that path as far as it can take him.

In short, I thought the prequel was done really well and fits perfectly with the trilogy. It helped me to understand Snow better and make him a more three dimensional character.

#i hope this was what you were looking for! thank you for the ask!!#tbosas spoilers #the ballad of songbirds and snakes #the hunger games #coriolanus snow #asks and replies #tbosbas #thg #curiousnonny #thoughts on things

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katnissdoesnotfollowback · 11 months

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In your opinion, please rate thg movie series with 1-5 scale.

(1 = I hate it, 3=neutral, 5 = I love it.)

1.The Hunger Games :

Things that you like :

Things that you don't like :

2.Cathing Fire :

Things that you like :

Things that you don't like :

3.Mockingjay

Movie 1 :

Movie 2 :

Things that you like :

Things that you don't like :

Thank you 😊

@curiousnonny

So let me preface my ratings here by saying that I really think these books are already so well edited in terms of necessary content that making a movie version of any of them is a mistake. Maybe I'm biased and greedy, but I honestly feel like 99% of the scenes in the books play a crucial role in either plot, character, or theme development and removing them waters down the story too much, in my opinion. I would much rather have seen a series version on screen than a movie. Not to mention, Collins made her name as a writer in television, and you can SEE IT in how she writes her novels. It's structured like a TV series so it should've been shot like a TV series. Anyways. So my rankings are gonna be... kinda low for the movies. Sorry not sorry.

But also... my thoughts on this are fresh. My youngest was supposed to read The Hunger Games with his 6th grade class. The teacher sent home a form requesting parents' permission to do so. I signed it gladly and sent it back, but apparently there were a lot of parents who sent it back with complaints instead of approval. Enough that the class read the first Percy Jackson book instead. I'm fine with that too, lol, especially since my kiddo really liked it and is now on book five of that series. I've been trying to reread along with him and will hopefully be catching up to him this week, lol.

After his teacher switched books for the class reading, he and I decided we'd read THG books together once he's done with PJO, but then, my oldest skipped a field trip he really didn't wanna go on and wound up staying at school and watching... The Hunger Games and part of Catching Fire. He came home with QUESTIONS, which immediately sparked a "Hey, not fair!" from the youngest and prompted a movie marathon. We made it through all four movies back in March, and I'm still not forgiven for not warning him about Finnick btw...

Okay enough story time. *cracks knuckles*

The Hunger Games

Ranking: 2/5

Things I don't like: Ugh where to start? The removal of Madge and therefore the significance of Katniss's mockingjay pin as a symbol of wealth and power bestowed by the Capitol only to be flipped on its head and turned into a symbol of rebellion. Also, the implications of removing Madge in terms of how they tried to make Katniss into STRONG BADASS WO-MAN while dulling some of her softer edges and dependencies on other people. See also: leaving out the gift of bread from D11 to Katniss.

The dialogue is shit. Sorry, those are my thoughts. You already had really good dialogue in the book why change that? Also, the gutting of the dialogue results in the gutting of both Katniss and Peeta as characters. The first movie turns them into The Watson character, i.e. the character whose purpose it is to ask questions so that the audience can learn about the setting/plot/other characters/whatever. The first movie made Katniss and Peeta look naive and dumb about the Games and the very world they inhabit, which makes no sense for their characters. I get it. It's a storytelling technique to quicken up the process of world building and make up for the fact that we don't get to be in Katniss's head where she tells us what we need to know about her world. BUT their characters suffer for it. Katniss and Peeta are sixteen. Anyone who has interacted with a teenager knows that at that age, we usually have #OPINIONS on things, so in the books, both already have developing opinions about the Games because they are by necessity and by exposure aware of how the Games and the government essentially work. They've lived in this world long enough. They've started to develop opinions and world views, and they act accordingly. The first movie loses this completely from the books.

Do not get me started on the dialogue in the cave scenes we will be here until the next century if we go there.

Buttercup. Christ how hard is it to cast a yellow/orange cat?!?!?! Not that difficult. And granted, this is a minor detail in terms of symbols but at the same time... it's a minor detail. The fact that they didn't even bother showed a lack of caring about the details. Also see: Rock Peeta.

The stakes of almost everything are lowered, from the bread scene (we don't realize until MJ2 that she's literally starving and knocking on death's door in that scene) to the berry scene (and here it's Peeta knocking on death's door and Katniss is desperate to save him, enough to put POISON BERRIES IN HER MOUTH and risk her own life too)... the movie lacks the desperation for both of those crucial parts.

Peeta's leg Peeta's leg Peeta's motherfreaking amputated leg!!!!!!

Things I liked: The sound and sound editing. It's such a small thing, and I have a story to go with this okay? When I saw it in theaters, I disliked a lot of things, but one of them was something I could not put my fingers on. It bugged me for weeks until the movie came out on DVD (yes, I'm old and also saw it at the veeeeeeery end of its theater run where I live... like it was a $5 special...). Anyways. Mr. Kdnfb is an electrical engineer by education and is suuuuuper picky about our sound system in our house. So when I watched it at home, the Thing clicked in my brain. The SOUND. It had been Waaaaaay Off in a way that was awful in that theater for some reason. And once I watched it at home, there was just something about the way they did the sound that made a lot of what I had hated become less of A Thing to me. The more I've watched it, the more I've realized the sound and sound editing was excellent, and I put this as things I liked because my story goes to show how such a tiny thing can really screw up a movie.

Catching Fire

Ranking: 3.5/5 (Omg I'm gonna get barbecued for this one.)

Things I didn't like: See my caveat at the top. Okay, so. One of my biggest problems is just how much got cut to adapt this one to screen. Sooooo many scenes. Finnick "hanging" himself in training, "someone else can get the stupid goat knocked up," all the hullabaloo about the wedding is talked about but that doesn't happen in the movies, the setup for the existence of D13, the plant book and Peeta caring for an injured Katniss, training like Careers, scaring Peeta with the medicine, Katniss really starting to come around to the idea of a rebellion even before the Quell announcement, "Poor Finnick. Is this the first time you haven't been pretty?" Just so much cut for the sake of time and results in the story feeling rushed and sloppy ugh.

While the cast and crew for this one did a much better job adapting the dialogue to the screen, there are still a few crucial bits of dialogue that make me itch with hives. The post jabberjay scene and the death of the morphling mainly. Good lord. You finally let movie!Peeta be as eloquent and convincing as book!Peeta in D11, why not give him the space to do it in the arena, too?

Things I do like: The casting. Hear me out. After the first movie, I was still not entirely sold on Jennifer, Josh, and Liam for the roles they were playing. Really, the only main characters who live through the first movie that I was happy and 100% on board with with were Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, and Stanley Tucci. Catching Fire is where I accepted Josh's portrayal of Peeta a little bit more, mainly because of the process of film making and what they put forth with CF showed me that he could nail the part if only they'd give him the dialogue and choose the cuts that best showed what he could do. I have no idea what sort of dialogue they were given or how much free reign they were allowed to improvise, but I do know that they will shoot a scene multiple times with multiple different delivery styles and slightly different dialogue. Which means that the actors really don't get a say on which version of their performance makes the final cut. But when the dialogue was spot on in the final version, I felt like Josh pulled off Peeta very well. I also think the way they shot CF allowed Jennifer Lawrence to put forth a better overall performance as well, although I'm still not in love with her as Katniss.

But really it's the Quell Victors/Tributes that I loved about CF. I went in unsure and came out convinced. My caveat here is that I tend to think of the movies as their own thing. The movie versions of the characters are their own iteration and I try really hard not to let them bleed into how I see or think of the characters in the books. That doesn't always happen, but I do try.

Okay this one is kinda not the fault of the first movie, but the increased budget for CF is apparent in several of the things that I liked, namely the costumes, the staging, the special effects. Much better all around.

Mockingjay Part 1

Ranking: 3/5

Things I did not like: Gale. MJ1 finishes off the complete removal of any depth Gale had as a character, a process that started with him rage rushing Head Peacekeeper Thread in CF and culminates here with him condemning Peete's words as a TORTURED PRISONER OF WAR rather than him not only intuiting what's probably happening, but explaining it to Katniss, then trying to protect Katniss from it, like he does in the books. The reason why book!Gale is so much more compelling to me than movie!Gale is because Gale's anger and fire and indignation has REASONING behind it in the book. It is chillingly easy to see the lines his reasoning could possibly take. As in... I've worked in weapons development and I have worked with real people who think like book!Gale or Beetee. Whereas movie!Gale is basically just RAWR!!! fury.

The rescue scene. I could write an entire essay on what's wrong with this, but it all boils down to they tried to shorten it by overlapping the video of the rescue with Finnick talking. Which makes zero military sense btw why the freak would you broadcast helmet video of your team going in on a stealth mission and risk someone intercepting it or noting the presence of an encrypted signal and figuring out what was going on holy hell you would NOT. You'd be freaking SILENT and just waiting to find out!!!!!!! And yes yes, but we need to see it. Okay, but you've already shown scenes with Snow and Seneca talking, Seneca and Haymitch talking, Snow and Plutarch talking, Snow and his granddaughter!!!! cuts from D11 and so much more that Katniss would not have seen, so play this like that. You can still show the audience but clearly keep Katniss and everyone back in D13 in the dark. The way it's shot is nonsensical and also pretty much waters down the horror of what Finnick went through and the impact of his words.

And while we're on this topic, they somehow used that overlapping and ridiculous video feed to try and shorten the scene, but wound up making it interminably and unbelievably long with the layers upon layers upon LAYERS of rooms the rescue squad has to go through and also the Skype Call of Inanity. The whole debacle is so freaking long that I no longer feel tense by the time it's finally over. It's so obvious that the Capitol is letting them take back Peeta, Annie, and Johanna because of how long a stealth mission (which should be almost too fast to process) takes that it becomes stupid for D13 to not suspect something. There's no desperation or high stakes for me with this scene because it's too long and too messy, makes no sense tactically and basically just erases all the emotional depth and pacing of what's in the books ugh. Seriously. You could've spent that time on the torture of the prep team or some of the Boggs and Katniss or Katniss and Finnick content we miss out on. Delly. Gale's siblings. Literally anything that you cut out. Rant over.

"He's gonna kill Peeta".... um no actually it's that Snow won't kill Peeta but keep dangling him in front of you, Katniss...

Things I did like: The sets. District 13 is... perfect. Sterile and drab and utilitarian. Zero luxury or any real sense that humans live there. There are zero personal touches in any of the spaces. No connections to art or joy or life.

Effie. I really wish we'd still gotten the prep team in D13, because it's an avenue through which we see how brutal and lacking in compassion D13 really is, but if it's Effie there with her for the movies, then Elizabeth Banks did a stellar job with what she was given to do. I do wish they'd allowed Finnick to keep his line: "They'll either want to kiss you, kill you, or be you." And if not that, then don't freaking cut the "Why, do you find this distracting?" scene. But overall, Effie in D13 works for me in terms of the movie universe.

Mockingjay Part 2

Ranking: 2.5/5

Things I didn't like: Facepalm worthy wigs and dye jobs. Dude. You are the final chapter of a big budget blockbuster franchise. I understand that the dye jobs have taken their toll and wigs may be just more practical for the actors at this stage, but DO BETTER with the money you have.

Just how much of Johanna they cut out of this part and what that does to Katniss's development.

The ending. It's so lackluster in so many ways. One of the things that I loved about the theme of the ending is how it shows that with the right kind of care, a life can be lived and be worthwhile even after the worst kinds of trauma. We get this through the sheer beauty of Katniss's final words in both the final chapter and the epilogue. To me, the movie ending felt just... blah. And I get that maybe they were aiming for a sense of calm and peace, but instead it came off as blah, we're broken and just going through the motions. Which makes sense right after the war ends, but not as the ending continues into the "Real" scene or the epilogue.

Mahershala Ali is highly underutilized in this movie. Let the man play the freaking part. He's already good with what you let him do. Let him unleash the acting chops and make Boggs sing as a character. And part of this has to do with what they cut from the film, like him carrying Katniss to the hovercraft in D8 and her vomiting on him. Same with Julianne Moore. Coin was not nearly cold or controlling enough nor did she convincingly clash with Katniss enough leading up to Peeta showing up in the Capitol.

The omission of the heartbreaking silence Katniss puts herself into and how they turned the sadness of the final breaking of her friendship with Gale into "Goodbye Gale." Ugh. I laugh at it, but it's not a good change. Like we can't allow a Strong Wo-Man Character to be sad or hurt about this, why not????

Burn. Scars. Burn. Scars. Burn. Scars. BURN! SCAAAAARRRRRRRSSSSSS!!!!!

Things I did like: The music. Odd pick I know, but even though the ending is not well done for me, I almost always start bawling the second Katniss starts singing the meadow lullaby as the credits roll. And that's just one weird instance of me liking the music for this film.

How they brought the hijacking to life. I can't even explain why this works so well, but it does. My only wish is that they'd given more time for the Real/Not Real game to develop on film and included more of Peeta's dialogue that shows both the struggle and him regaining parts of himself -- the cafeteria scene, his words to Pollux and Tigris for example.

And there you have it, @curiousnonny. My super long answer to your question. ;)

#thg thoughts #curiousnonny #anonymous #look at that ask

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