Board 8 > The Hunger Games: A triple read through topic! SPOILERS [crim] [inviso] [FD]

(+) Yeah! (+)

I mean, they didn't have like, axes or chainsaws or anything >_>
Plus I don't think Katniss would have just sat up there while they were cutting down the tree. Also it was huge, like 80+ feet if I remember right.

Also this did not go as planned tonight! But I will have book 1 done by friday if it's the last thing I do.

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http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

I'm soooo tired... must keep reading. I've made it to chapter 18 since I started yesterday afternoon, not too shabby considering that I tried reading the book three times before and only ever made it to page 10.

I've enjoyed reading these write-ups, keep it up folks!

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Part 2, Chapter 14:

Even if it means a little extra food for my family, the idea of Peeta being crowned victor is unbearable.

And now we're introduced to tracker jackers, which is an extremely dirty name for killer bees. And Katniss has a plan: to use the tracker jackers to just absolutely ruin the Careers' day. She ALMOST gets it done in one straight shot, but unfortunately doesn't manage to get the branch chopped all the way before her time runs out. But it's not all bad. Despite the agony of her burns, Haymitch finally helps her out by giving her some motherf***in' lotion. In a perfect world, she wouldn't be burned, and we could watch her and Glimmer taking turns rubbing lotion on one another, but alas, this is not a perfect world. Speaking of Glimmer, of COURSE she's the guard of the group that winds up falling asleep. Seriously, Glimmer is so hilariously failtastic that I'm developing a new appreciation for her in this read-through.

Then we get to the warning of Rue, which leads to my quote for this chapter. MAN Katniss is bitter as hell, and she holds one HELLUVA grudge. "I'd rather my family starve than let Peeta live." Ice f***ing cold. And a bit psychopathic. Anyway, Rue turns out to be pretty badass with her parkour, and honestly, I'm reminded of Vanessa Lee Chester in The Lost World, that scene where she was doing gymnastics and then kicked a raptor through a window. That's what I picture Rue being capable of. Kicking raptors through windows. Katniss returns to her slices, but oh no! The tracker jackers are awake! And one of them stings Katniss! She is SO screwed.

lol j/k, the plan works as perfect as it was going to; she cuts through the branch and just sends a swarm of deadly, pissed off killer bees onto the biggest competition in the entire game. If only she'd managed to take out the ENTIRE career pack in one fell swoop, that could've been a complete game-changer (although with them all dead, I'd think Thresh moves into the best position to win). But nope, only Glimmer and District 4 girl (the most underdeveloped character still alive at this point) die, and honestly, I'm gonna miss Glimmer and her hilarious incompetence. As a tribute (u c wut i did thar?) to her, I shall post this awesome fanart:



Also, this is what I assume her reaction was to the attack:



The one positive to Glimmer's death is that now Katniss has a bow, and she can start kicking ass and subsequently taking names. Of course, she needs to fight through her poison-induced insanity first, but still, she's definitely moving up in the world, having trimmed the Careers from 5+1 to 3+1, even if the two victims WERE the most useless two. But then...PEETA TO THE RESCUE! Peeta ain't about to let his girl go down that easily ('cept on him, y'know?) He gets her out of there just in time for Katniss to go all Scarecrow and lose her friggin' mind. But yeah, Peeta's a much more complex character than the reader or Katniss realizes.

--
Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.

Glimmer.
So terrible yet so awesome.

--
http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

Part 2, Chapter 15:

You know, they're not the only ones who can form alliances.

This update is the "FD, where the heck are you?" Edition.

You know, this chapter starts EXTREMELY slow, following how awesome chapter 14 was. Like, I know it fits the narrative, but still. Going from "Holy s*** Katniss killed two Careers AND got a bow & arrows" to "Katniss wakes up from a delirious state and kinda wanders around getting food and water" is such a total momentum killer. But then Rue shows up and suddenly it's DAWWWWW central, especially because honestly, Rue is so much better of a little sister than whiny-ass Prim. Seriously, Rue and Katniss are very same-minded in surviving and all that good stuff, and then they even share healing balms with one another, which is so adorable. P.S., I REALLY hope they do a good job with the scene where they team up in the movie, because A. I know that Rue's actress is adorable from her interviews, and B. I know that the image of Rue peeking out from behind a tree is just adorable in the book, so I have high hopes for that.

But now that Katniss actually gets to converse with other tributes, we finally get some world-building. Granted, it's only about District 11, and how terrible of a place it is. Seriously, public whipping, killing a mentally challenged kid for hiding a pair of night vision goggles...how the hell they manage to have a place MORE bleak and unpleasant to live in than District 12 is absolutely beyond me. But yeah, now we have a power-team of Katniss/Rue 2012, and really, it's as good as you're gonna get in the game without teaming up with someone who's probably unsafe to leave alive (The Careers). And once again, Katniss has a plan...an awesome plan with the sole purpose of f***ing over the Careers. Which, of course, is always a plus. But yeah, Katniss has gone from bottom of the totem pole to the Dark Horse contender to win it all. She's like Peih-Gee from China, which is always a good person to be.

--
Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.

Also, great job by all of you. Keep up the awesome recaps. I the entire book on Saturday for the first time and enjoyed it. When I read a book I enjoy, I don't have the patience to wait and talk about it. I am compelled to read the entire thing as quickly as possible. I might post my thoughts once you guys finish.

--
"A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad." -Shigeru Miyamoto
!\Urgent report from Landroll Admin Center! (I need help.)

Thoughts:
Man. I would love so many things.
Crimson’s Hunger Games Wish List:
-A map of the 12 Districts + Capitol
-A map of the arena
* It would be sooooo helpful with envisioning proximity and character interactions
-More characterization for each of the tributes
-Cut-aways to the Capitol showing:
* Betting
* Sponsors
* Reactions of the people to events in game
-Especially the reactions in District 12 (to keep it Katniss oriented)

What’s on your wish list? Anything?

And Rue! No! I mean, I suppose I saw this coming. The game can only have one survivor but, like this? Although, I guess Rue isn’t gone yet. Maybe there’s still time. She actually is a pretty awesome character, considering how young she is =/

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http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

Chapter 17
Pages 222-232

Absolutely, positively, I am live on every screen in Panem. “No blood trails,” I tell myself, and manage to pull my hood up over my head…

Summary:
Poor Katniss gets the wind knocked out of her from the impact of the explosion. Crap, not good. Every time I think she’s back at full strength she gets knocked down. But she gets up again. You aint never gonna keep her down!
Except apparently you can, because Katniss’ equilibrium is totally shot after that explosion. She tries to get up but the world is a spinnin’ and she comes crashing back to earth. She takes stock of her situation and realizes she’s bleeding from her left ear – double not good. Plus the Careers obviously heard that massive explosion and are running back to their camp. Triple not good. Kat’s all but ready to throw in the towel and let Cato kill her; but wait! Imagining poor Madge back in District 12 having to watch her lover brutally murdered spurs Katniss on with great passion! Or, it could have been Prim. I don’t know. Either way. It takes all of Katniss’ great and mighty lesbian strength, but she manages to pull herself into her hiding spot just as the Careers fling themselves through the trees. Close call!
Cato is so full of RAGE that he’s ripping out his hair and beating the ground, and Katniss pretty much just laughs in his face. Or she would be if she wasn’t metaphorically pissing her pants with fear. Y’know, since Cato just snapped the District 3 boy’s neck with his bare hands. Now gimpy is the last man standing with no name.
The Careers assume that whoever blew up the supplies has also been blown up themselves, and any remains have been taken away by a hovercraft by now, so they elect not to start searching the woods around their camp. Silly Careers, this gives Katniss the perfect opportunity to grab a hold of her **** and settle in for the night. Unfortunately, the explosion earlier has caused our heroine to go – hopefully temporarily – deaf. Uh oh, Katniss’ beast master senses are on the fritz, I don’t like the look of this.
But Kat isn’t backing down, and challenges Cato in her head. Going so far as to say that the 74th Hunger Games have really now just begun. Ooooh, burn!
Kat is now freezing as she gave Rue her sleeping bag (ever the older sister), but luckily the next morning someone comes along to warm her up. It’s Foxface and she’s dancing again, happy the Careers got what was coming to them. Kat considers revealing herself to Foxy, but ultimately decides that the end result would be a knife in the back. Obviously that's a metaphor and there's a deeper meaning behind it. I'll let your mind wander with that one. Foxface takes off and Katniss is left to slink away, back to the spot she and Rue decided to meet at after the fireworks. Unfortunately, Rue is nowhere to be found, so Katniss busies herself with eating and washing the blood out of her clothes while she waits. Being the courageous young half deaf hunter that she is, Katniss decides to go find out just what the heck is taking Rue so long.
As if on cue, Katniss hears the mockingjays signing Rue’s four note tune. Letting her know she’s alright. Katniss thinks she’s close, so she sings back. Knowing Rue must be somewhere in the area.
And then!
…and then…
There’s a lot of screaming out of names, and not in a good way. Rue is trapped; caught in a mesh net. Katniss runs into the clearing, reaches out to Rue, it’s fine – she’s gonna save her.
Right? She’s gonna save her isn’t she?
And then Rue is stabbed hard by a spear.

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http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

Crimson, I will answer your wish-list for having a great read-through so far.

-A map of the 12 Districts + Capitol
This could be very helpful. I always envisioned District 7 being in that Montana/Canada area and District 1 being near the West, but that's all.

-A map of the arena
It's really difficult to tell where everything is in the arena, so like the map of Panem, this would really help our perspective. But it's like getting to see a Minecraft map before starting.

* It would be sooooo helpful with envisioning proximity and character interactions
Seeing as the other tributes were as important as test dummies (what does District 5 do?), there's no reason not to make the other characters more interesting. Though Katniss probably doesn't give a crap about any of these tributes, though.

Also, proximity is wierd in the Games, as with other tributes, though through the eyes of Katniss I'm certain that I could barely tell. Needs improvement though.

-Cut-aways to the Capitol showing betting, sponsors and reactions; ESPECIALLY District 12
Now that I think of it, I don't know why reactions weren't put there in the first place. I wanted to see District 1 brood over Glimmer's failality.

And there's one thing I'd add to this, which would possibly be a view through other tribute's eyes. In a miniseries, this would work very well, but having a good feel for what each district is like would keep me interested in the characters more. We barely know much about certain districts of which I'd like to know a little more about than what's given.

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WTH Duke; just, WTH

I would kill for a book that featured all of the tributes from the start of the games to each of their deaths, although I do realize half those chapters would be like a paragraph. "I ran towards the orange backpack nearby, wrestled with some girl for it, then I died." If she were feeling ambitious, the author could include all the preparation stuff for every character, although that might be asking for too much. One thing that bugged me about the book was that since it was only following Katniss the reader misses a lot of the action. I want to know what happens everywhere, dammit! Also, some of the other tributes would make for interesting main characters.

--
"A delayed game is eventually good, but a rushed game is forever bad." -Shigeru Miyamoto
!\Urgent report from Landroll Admin Center! (I need help.)

Part 2, Chapter 16:

When we find her, I kill her in my own way, and no one interferes.

Okay, first thing I have to say is that while I appreciate Katniss' plan, and I do appreciate it since, given the circumstances of the Career pack consisting solely of Cato, District 1 Boy, and District 2 Girl, it's an effective plan of destroying supplies and forcing the Careers into a situation where they're incapable of surviving on their own...I have to question the overall thought process. Yes, Districts 1 and 2 are kept fat and happy by the Capitol, so destroying THEIR supplies makes sense. But...District 4 is part of the Career pack...and I'm pretty sure that District 4 would be the ideal district, given how they have to work hard (Fishing) and could probably survive off the land somewhat. So when Katniss talks about how "every year the Careers don't protect their food, someone else wins", I'm thinking...did District 4 just f*** up royally that year too (granted, they certainly failed THIS year).

Anyway, Katniss and Rue are sleeping together, which would be much much better if Rue was actually sixteen instead of twelve, because then I could picture Crimson spooning GenSaga. But they're recapping who's still alive after hearing a cannon and they get ALMOST everyone (missing Foxface). Now I get that it's realistic to forget people sometimes. But still, how the hell do you remember District 3 Boy over Foxface? You haven't seen him (or at least noticed him) EVER? Granted, Rue remembers him from spying on the Careers (and this is the first we're hearing about him being involved with them), but still, he's easily the most superfluous character at this point, whereas Foxface has at least gotten SOME development.

Anyway, the Katniss/Rue dream team continues to be awesome, having their sisterly bond that is far better than Prim (I feel I don't say this enough, but Prim sucks. They bond over having to hustle to feed their families, since apparently their siblings are incompetent (seriously, die in a fire, Prim). But the mockingjay pin makes its triumphant return as the very reason why Rue trusts Katniss in the first place. And they hug before Katniss sets off to put her plan in motion, despite the fact that Katniss has NO f***ing clue what she's gonna do...and that hug makes Katniss realize that she cares more for Rue than she does for her horrible, horrible little sister.

Anyway, Katniss spies on the Careers and the author makes a point of illustrating just how unimportant and forgettable District 3 Boy really is, even in his physical appearance. But suddenly, Rue does her part and reveals that Cato REALLY doesn't seem to like Katniss. Honestly, I think they would have great hate-sex, but this topic isn't for my dreams or fantasies, so let's just move on. Foxface makes her first appearance since the games began and gymnastics (I'm using it as a verb, shut up) the s*** out of the booby-trapped ground in front of the Cornucopia. And this is where District 3 Boy suddenly becomes a lot more interesting, because he's smart enough to booby-trap things in the first place.

Katniss comes up with a plan on the fly (really, it seems like she's not putting too much effort into the actual PLANNING phase of her plans), and decides she's just gonna blow the whole place right the f*** up. Which really, good for her. Until she gets caught in the blast (see, planning in advance is beneficial to your health, kids), and blacks out (honestly, I feel like she blacks out like, every other chapter. Get your s*** together, Katniss!)

--
Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.

Just got to Part 3. Breezing through the pages. I almost wish it were longer! Oh well. At least the movie comes out soon.

--
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Thoughts:
Very, very sad.
I enjoy how Katniss has enough respect for Rue to not treat her like she has no idea what’s happening. I can’t help but think that if it were Prim instead of Rue, everything would have gone down much differently. Katniss knows Rue is a fighter, and treats her as such, giving her the most dignified and heartfelt send off she can manage given the circumstances. Even thought Katniss and Rue’s relationship was short lived I feel like it was powerful – probably the most well done relationship in the book so far. They’re able to meet on common ground (providing for their families, being a protector, hardships of living in depressed districts) and bond over those things very quickly. Yes, there’s still the big sister/little sister dynamic, but I think that just makes them both stronger as oppose to being a hindrance (as it seems with Prim).

I was hoping there’d be some sort of deus ex machina and Rue would somehow make it out at the end. But, just like Katniss’ mother being neglectful, I think Rue had to die for Katniss to grow. It’s not clear how yet, but I’m sure there’s a reason. Maybe she becomes more resolved in her hate for the Capitol and the government?

Also, they had better get this scene right in the movie. Everything else, I’m giving them plenty of leeway, but they need to nail this. It’s imitative in my opinion.

And that concludes Part II my friends!
We’re in the home stretch now. What I think I’m going to do is wait for the movie to come out, watch/review that, and then move on to books 2 and 3. I still want to be in the world/mind set of book 1 when I see the movie.
Also I might do a format change for the next two books. I’ll probably start doing updates that include two or three chapters instead of every chapter. They’re pretty short, and it gets too difficult to put the action down after every single time =]
But I haven’t decided for sure.

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http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

Chapter 18
Pages 233-244

There’s no point in comforting words, in telling her she’ll be all right. She’s no fool.

Summary:
Katniss is in no mood for your horsing around today Marvel, no mood!
The boy from District 1 gets straight up shot through the neck with one of Katniss’ arrows of righteous justice before he can even pull his spear out of Rue’s stomach. He’s got the guts to pull the arrow out (which I could absolutely not do), but this is apparently the wrong move because he pretty much drowns in his own blood right there. ^5 Katniss! This is what I’ve been after! So glad you nailed that sucker. But at what cost?

Katniss gathers Rue up onto her lap and tells her she vaporized all of the Career’s supplies, and Rue tells Kat she’s got to win. Katniss knows there’s nothing she can do about the wound, it’s definitely fatal. And then something magical happens. Rue asks Kat to sing to her.
Now. Everyone. Well all know Katniss, and if there’s one thing our ultra paranoid little hunter doesn’t do, it’s got to be sing. But Kat summons the spirit of her dead father and manages to work up a little lullaby for Rue, the mockingjays joining in at the end. Then a cannon fires, and our little stalker is gone.

Wanting to give the Capitol the biggest middle finger she can possibly muster, Kat decides to gather some wildflowers and decorate Rue before the hovercraft is able to take her away – knowing that they’ll have to show the body on TV as it exits the arena. I’m thinking a tribute showing that kind of kindness to another tribute is pretty much unheard of, and possibly even frowned upon. She says one final goodbye, and as she walks away is greeted by a young mockingjay singing Rue’s four note tune; a nice little sentiment. Katniss is reasonably ****ed off and looking for a fight, but the only thing she gets is a small loaf of bread from Haymitch.

Wtf Haymitch? But then she recalls a conversation she had with Peeta about bread (Hey, Peeta bread! Just made this connection. I mean, it's spelled different but still.) and how each District makes it differently. She notices that this bread is from District 11, Rue’s District. She thanks the people of District 11 for the gift. This is the first time a gift has been given to a tribute from a different District. First Kat thinks “Hey, maybe they’re just saying thanks for taking care of their girl.” But then kicking into full on crazy-Kat mode she wonders if they just don’t like their debts to go unpaid (like her). Can’t anyone ever just do something nice for you Katniss?! Apparently not unless their name is redheaded Avox girl.
Either way, I thought it was pretty touching.

Katniss organizes and cooks and eats and is now starting to believe that she can actually win this thing – since she’s the main character and all. All signs are pointing to berserker mode Kat when suddenly we get the lamest announcement ever: If both tributes from a single district are the last two standing, they both win. Crap. Everyone knows what this means, right?
Peeta.

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http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

From: CrimsonOcean | #163
(Hey, Peeta bread! Just made this connection. I mean, it's spelled different but still.)

....Oh god damn it.

And oh man, Part 3. So much stuff still to come!

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.....

It’s imitative in my opinion.

...imperative.
I always type up my updates in Word. Must have auto corrected >__>

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http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

On the last chapter now... I'm gonna need to get Catching Fire soon.

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http://tinyurl.com/7rseben

Ah, Part III.
I've got a lot of work to do on this tomorrow...

In the mean time, what would your strategy be in the arena? For me, the only way I'm making it through the first day is if I can form an alliance. Honestly, I'd be working the alliance angle before I even left the Training Center. Probably round up all the misfits and try to get them to band together.

--
http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

Tag.

I remember FD telling me about this.

I can't wait for you guys to finish because I love discussing the similarities between Katniss/Bella.

P.S Bella is better.

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Realo won gold at the Sex Olympics with a BROKEN FRIGGIN NECK.-Voltch

I would have said to hell with it and tried to grab a nice weapon at the outset. The rest could be scavenged from the dead

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We are thought, and reality, and concept, and the unimaginable

I haven't read nor plan to read Twilight. Same goes for the movies. So that discussion might be a little one sided >__>
At least with me.

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http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

Finished THG today and started Catching Fire. I'm pretty curious to see where the second book goes!

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Yeah, I finished THG today too. Fun read.

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http://tinyurl.com/7rseben

1.Katniss burying Rue is the best monent in the entire series. As I was reading the first book, much like you, I kept wondering what the rest of the world was thinking. These people are deliberately kept separated to prevent any kind if unison and the youth from each district are trained to kill each other once a year.

And here's district 12 burying a girl from district 11; the two poorest districts---at least they're made to seem that way---the districts whose teenagers are too busy working to feed themselves to train, showing each other true kindness. When district 11 sent bread I think I teared up some because you know how much it cost them.

2.I also love Katniss' reactions to everything. Female lead characters always have a way of over thinking everything and Katniss takes it to the extreme. But can you blame her? After years of being the father figure, years of watching her female role model disappoint her, Katniss distrusts any act of kindness.

Katniss is like Fiona from Shameless. Her best laid plans are always fail because it allows her messed up brain to play a role. It's only when she does something spontaneous that her actions become memorable.

3.I'm glad everyone is as confused with Peeta as I was. What dd you guys think when they announced 2 tributes would survive if they were from the same district?

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Realo won gold at the Sex Olympics with a BROKEN FRIGGIN NECK.-Voltch

Part III: The Victor
Chapter 19
Pages 247-261

”Remember, we’re madly in love, so it’s all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it.”
I jerk my head back but end up laughing. “Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.”

Summary:
Katniss screams out Peeta’s name in a fit of anger and frustration. She’s pretty much saddled with the guy now, there’s no way she could go back to District 12 if she didn’t team up with and protect him. Plus now she’s got to uphold her end of that abhorrent (yet effective) star-crossed lovers gambit. And Peeta must still be playing that card, why else would there be a rule change? Katniss wonders if anyone else heard her scream of anguish, maybe Foxface will come over and “play,” but no.

She remains alone and safe high up in her tree where she thinks about the Careers and calls them fatties yet again. The only other tributes that can benefit from this new rule are the ones from District 2. Katniss goes to sleep and the next morning she sets out to find that dead weight Peeta, trying desperately to remember anything… anything at all… he said that could help her out. Whenever Peeta talks everything seems to go all Charlie Brown adult speak for Katniss. Don’t worry Kat, at least being deaf in one ear will help you to further drown out Peeta if you ever find him.

Katniss thinks maybe Peeta might be smart enough to walk in the water so as not to leave any tracks, and he is still injured from when Cato laid the smack down… It’s a long shot but it’s all she’s got to go on at the moment, so she follows the river downstream. Katniss curses how unpredictable Peeta is. I think she means unpredictable in the same way Leela would say Fry is unpredictable – ie. you never know what stupid thing they’re going to do next.
Katniss walks awhile until her beast master senses kick in and she spots blood smeared on a rock. “Welp,” she thinks, and climes up to investigate. She’s just about to leave when she hears someone call her sweetheart.
I imagine Katniss’ reaction to a guy calling her sweetheart would be something like this:

Anyway. It’s Peeta. Because of course it’s Peeta. And Peeta’s got mad camouflage skills. But in reality he probably just collapsed and hasn’t moved in like a week and stuff just started to grow all over him. Katniss makes fun of Peeta for decorating cakes like a woman and Peeta comes on to Kat by comparing himself to frosting. Neither is amused so it’s time to inspect Peeta’s dirty, gaping, puss-filled wounds – since he’s now Kat’s responsibility and all. Peeta cries and Katniss’ remedy for this is to roll him like a log into the stream. Kat gives her new inconveniencing pet a bath and treats some of his minor cuts and burns, along with four tracker jacker stings.

Now it’s time to check out that gash Cato made on Peeta’s upper leg. Kat carefully and begrudgingly takes Peeta’s pants off. Surprise, surprise nudity makes Katniss exceedingly uncomfortable. At least male nudity does *nudge nudge*. Kat uses the tracker jacker leaves Rue gave her to draw out the infection, but she’s no medic, and if there’s anything Kat hates more than penis, it’s puss. After awhile they’re able to move a little ways downstream to a relatively well protected cave. Some talking about Peeta dying happens and the possibility gets Katniss a little hot and bothered, so they kiss. Expectantly, Katniss does not care for it. “That avox girl with no tongue is a much better kisser than you,” laments Katniss. “And Foxface, well let’s just say I call her foxy for a reason.”

Then Haymitch sends them some soup.

--
http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

Thoughts:
The thought of kissing a boy drives Katniss into a fit of spiteful laughter; I couldn’t have written it better myself!
The change in rules seems pretty fishy to me. Either there’s major protest going on in the Capitol over the lovers having to kill each other (doubtful) or this is some kind of ploy by the Gamemakers. We’ll see how long it lasts.
And I’ve been saying this entire time that I want to see Katniss as unleashed as possible, now we’ve got useless gimpy Peeta to take care of. Ugh. It’s not that I don’t like Peeta really, it’s that I do like Katniss. This chapter feels pretty intermediate to me, like it’s a segue into the next portion of the story. Makes sense I guess, since it’s the first chapter in Part III.

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http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

Chapter 20
Pages 262-277

Something between a sigh an a huff of exasperation leaves my mouth. A happy story? This will require a lot more effort than the soup.

Summary:
I guess it’s Peeta’s mission in life to make things as hard for Katniss as possible, because even something as simple as “Dude, eat this soup so you don’t starve to death,” takes an hour before he’ll comply. Once Peeta thankfully drifts off to sleep Kat goes about noming on her own meal of groosling and delicious, delicious roots. Then probably one of the most depressing lines in the book thus far:
“I automatically look around for a good tree to nest in before I realize that’s over.”
Kat resigns herself to the ground because she knows there’s no way in hell she can lug that big sack of rocks named Peeta up into a tree. Katniss keeps watch with her night vision goggles and the next morning she and Peeta have a conversation about Cato and Clove. Yes, we finally, officially know Girl 2’s name. I’ve been using it because it’s all over stuff for the movie, but it’s nice to be officially introduced. Apparently the pair from District 2 like to hunt at night.

And we’re now down to 6: Cato, Clove, Foxface, Thresh, Peeta, and Katniss.
Wonder who the next to drop will be? At least everyone left has a name!

Katniss tries to get Peeta to eat again, and he counters with trying to get her to sleep. There’s some super awkward flirting from Katniss, trying to keep up the ruse for the audience, and she finally agrees to get a couple hours of shut eye. Peeta lets Katniss sleep for longer than agreed since there’s nothing going on anyway, and then he compliments her on her looks – to anyone else this would be a nice gesture, but to Katniss it’s practically a declaration of war. Instead of pummeling him into the ground like she wants to, Katniss busies herself with re-dressing Peeta’s leg wound. But uh-oh, there’s a problem!

Blood poisoning. There’s no way even the great and nurturing natural born white mage Katniss can fix that. Peeta needs meds from the Capitol, and relatively fast. Something good does come out of this though, we get to learn a little more about gifts from sponsors. As the game winds on gifts get more and more expensive, so what gets you a full meal on day one would only get you a cracker on day 12. Interesting. Peeta also notices the blood poisoning, and to his credit he doesn’t start wailing like a wounded hippo. Kat’s just like “Oh well, guess you’ll just have to not die until I win.”

Kat heads outside to make some stew and think about her competition, wondering if they’re stalking her at this very moment. But no attack comes, and she meets Peeta back in the cave. Peeta asks Kat to tell him a happy story, and Katniss is pretty much just like “what the actual f***?” but since they’re supposedly in love she’s got to comply. She tells him the story of how Prim got her goat, Lady (as I type that I can’t help but think of how stella got her groove back). It’s a cute little thing about Kat and Gale shooting a deer in the woods – deer are scarce in the area – and Kat using her portion of the money they get from selling it to buy a injured, decrepit goat from a herder down the street.

We finally see Katniss paying her mom a little respect, saying she and Prim worked magic with the goat. Healing it and caring for it. Peeta compares Katniss to them, trying to keep him alive, but Katniss is like “Psh, yeah right. If it were solely up to me I’d have dumped you in the river already and left you there.” Peeta says he’ll pay her back for her trouble. Yeah, I don’t see that happening. Just then a trumpet sounds and there’s another announcement about a “feast” happening tomorrow morning.

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http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

The Gamemakers sometimes set up “feasts” like this one to entice the tributes to come together. There’s something all of them desperately need at the feast, and in Katniss’ case it’s the medicine for Peeta. Peeta protests but Kat simply knocks him out with some cheap local District 12 sleep syrup Haymitch sends her for just this purpose. Wouldn’t it be funny if Peeta’s crazy mother was the one to send it?

Katniss gets her one last dig for the evening in, asking Peeta who can’t lie now, b****?
Atta girl, always play to the cameras.

Thoughts:
Man, watching Katniss try and be flirty with Peeta is seriously painful. It’s so un-natural for her character. I really can’t imagine anything will happen in at least the rest of book one that will make me think they should be together. I mean, she and Gale at least make a little sense. The only reason Peeta is even in the running is because he already likes her. But I honestly like Kat and Gale better as really good friends who look out for each other.
This whole team Peeta/team Gale thing is really stupid. I mean, there are hints of romance in each case, but that’s really not what the books are about. I think people are just making them out to be that way because they want them to be like Twilight in that sense. Of course, I don’t know what’s going to happen in the future, but right now that’s my stance on the whole thing.

The more we can get away from the romance and keep to the Games/politics/government/District issues the better.

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http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

I think your Peeta bias made the chapter intermediate.

This chapter felt very important to me. Katniss once again worrying about the people back home even though she swears Gale and Prim are the only ones who matter.

This chapter is where the whole tough girl facade died for me. I disliked Katniss up until this chapter.

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Realo won gold at the Sex Olympics with a BROKEN FRIGGIN NECK.-Voltch

Uh oh, I wonder if I'll start to DISlike her >__>

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http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

nah.

i'm sure you'll continue to like her. I'll come back to this point after you're finished because I'm quite wary of spoiling what really is a fantastic read.

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Realo won gold at the Sex Olympics with a BROKEN FRIGGIN NECK.-Voltch

Umm...IDK about this part. I had a mixed reaction to it, though the twist at the end is pretty bizzare if you ask me.

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WTH Duke; just, WTH

Part 2, Chapter 17:

"'Let the Seventy-fourth Hunger Games begin, Cato,' I think. 'Let them begin for real.'"

So Katniss blew the Careers' whole operation sky-high, and now her equilibrium is all screwed up because one of her eardrums blew out. Things are not looking good for our heroine...but she still manages to get to safety before the Careers return and realize what has happened. Fun fact: huge explosions around the halfway point in the game? Must be quite common, if you get what I'm referencing. But yeah, Cato kills the most worthless character left at this point (although we still don't know yet who was killed earlier in the day, aside from the fact that it's not Katniss/Rue/Cato/2 Girl/1 Boy/Foxface, which leaves 10 Boy/Peeta/Thresh as possibilities. Given that it was an off-screen kill and two of the three unknowns have names...I think you can make an educated guess as to who is dead. >_>

Lo and behold, District 10 Boy IS killed, which leads me to my rant. Over half the tributes are ignored by Collins in her writing. Half. And that's fine, because most of them are killed early and are what can be considered cannon fodder. Fine. But the characters we're aware of are the Career pack, specifically Cato/Glimmer/2 Girl, Foxface, Rue/Thresh, Katniss/Peeta and District 10 Boy. Collins CLEARLY puts enough effort into the story to give us some semblance of characterization for District 10 Boy, who I shall refer to as Gimpy from this point on. Gimpy gets mentioned as shy and reserved and having a bad leg, so you would ASSUME that he would be somewhat more important to the overall story than other characters.

But no...he gets less focus than District 3 Boy, District 8 Girl, arguably District 9 Boy...and honestly, he makes it to the final 10 with a gimpy leg. Yet he's killed off-screen? That just annoys me from the perspective of someone who feels like he should've gotten SOME content of some kind. Honestly, I feel like Collins had plans to include him as a bigger character, which she easily could done. Like, have Katniss as the leader of the Misfits Alliance with Gimpy, Rue, and hell, throw Peeta in there too. I don't know how else to describe it. Like, it just bothers me that we're given info about this character than none of the other nameless tributes receive, and yet he winds up being a complete afterthought.

Anyway, the Careers go hunting and we once again get some survival stuff with Katniss, but then...the return of Foxface! Honestly, I just picture her standing in the bombed-out wreckage, pointing at it and laughing, because that's just such a comical image to have. The fact that, in the midst of death, she's able to laugh about the misfortune of the spoiled Careers...it makes me happy. But anyway, more survival for Katniss, which all kinda blends together for me at this point. But then...

RUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUE! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

--
Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.

Part 2, Chapter 18:

"Here is the place where I love you."

And within one sentence of the chapter, District 1 Boy is dead by Katniss' hand, which technically ups her total kill count to three, having eliminated three of the five Careers to survive the initial battle. Sad for him that he doesn't even get a name when he was killed by the main character, but then again, he just stabbed Rue with a spear, so f*** that guy. And now we come to the most emotional moment in the book thus far. Once again, f*** Prim and f*** Katniss for confusing Rue with Prim. Rue is far superior and Katniss needs to recognize that. But yeah, Katniss sings a lullaby to the sister she never had as Rue dies in her arms, and you have to picture that this is the first moment where Katniss isn't cocky. She isn't panicked. She isn't being a b**** just because. This is the first time we see her weak, and I don't mean physically, because she has taken more of a beating thus far than Rhianna. I mean emotionally.

But then she's right back in game mode. After all, she has a 1-in-6 shot at winning the whole game, and really, it's 1-in-5 since Peeta's not really a threat to her at this point. Hell, I'd say that in terms of overall odds of winning at this point in the book, it'd be:

1. Thresh (Not tied down by alliances or district loyalty.)
2. District 2 Girl (Has her head in the game, unlike Cato.)
3. Cato (Still physically fine compared to the bottom 3.)
4. Katniss (This high by virtue of being better in combat than Foxface/Peeta.)
5. Foxface (Not injured to the point of death, at least if Cato is to be believed.)
6. Peeta (lolpeeta)

But anyway, Katniss leaves the spear in Rue just to get it out of the Arena...but I have to say that if she REALLY wanted to do something like that...she should've removed it and stabbed District 1 Boy's corpse. Just get some of that pent up rage and aggression out of the way. But she's got a bunch of supplies now, both from Rue and from D1B (can't wait until I can actually use his name, goddamn spoilers).

Then this chapter continues to show Katniss' vulnerable side (which is a good thing) as she gives Rue a funeral. It's a really touching moment, and it shows just how close these two have gotten in so short a period of time. The District 12 salute is cute, but I feel like it's not something you can do for real, because it'd look like you're heiling Hitler. Seriously, I'd tried to do it, but I always feel awkward and racist afterwards. It makes me uncomfortable.

And apparently District 11 is just as awesome as Rue, because they totally help Katniss out now that Rue's dead. So sweet of them, and so sweet of Katniss to thank them on live television. And then more boring survival stuff...but interspersed with that is an assessment of the remaining competition, somewhat, which is always interesting. Interpersonal stuff always intrigues me more than survival on Survivor too. Thresh/Foxface/Peeta vs. the Careers. Also, don't sell yourself short, Katniss, Glimmer and D4G totally count for you. You should be proud to have killed them. It's what makes you badass, compared to Peeta, who has only KINDA killed one person thus far, and even them, it was off-screen and not a guarantee.

And what a way to end the second section, just like they did with the first section, with something to once again make Katniss' heart skip a beat. That she and Peeta can both survive if they can manage to become the last two standing. Or I guess Cato and his partner could do the same, which honestly, I could totally see them having sex after that announcement, just because it wouldn't f***ing matter at that point, and there's gotta be some kind of connection between the two as fellow District 2 competitors still alive together. If so, good for you guys. Hope you wore protection.

--
Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.

Also, for the end of Part 2, a ranking of the remaining characters:

6. Thresh (We haven't really gotten anything from him as a character other than him being big and strong and not caring about the Careers.)
5. District 2 Girl (She can throw knives, but aside from that, we haven't gotten anything truly awesome out of her yet.)
4. Cato (Guy is goddamn insane and is the clear antagonist of the book, but again, not all that great because being a roid-raging jerk.)
3. Foxface (She's had some fun moments, and she's actively playing under-the-radar as opposed to being ignored, so I can respect that.)
2. Peeta (I like the kid. I like how complex he is and how we have no idea what's really going through his head.)
1. Katniss (Katniss is the star and everyone else is just a planet caught in her orbit.)

--
Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.

Good write ups Inviso! I like your writing style.

Couple of thoughts to promote discussion for a great topic:

1.Inviso, why dont you like Prim? She's sweet and innocent and kind. It makes me sad that Rue is so efficeintly prepared for this event. 12 year old girls shouldn't be that way. Neither should 16 year old girls but that's a different story altogether.

2. Crimson, you and every girl I know who has read these books always picks Gale as the most suitable for Katniss. Could you explain why you believe it to be so?

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Realo won gold at the Sex Olympics with a BROKEN FRIGGIN NECK.-Voltch

I'm really enjoying the books. I'm struck by how ... not very good the actual writing is. Like, the structure, the story-telling and the vocabulary is bad - kind of like Harry Potter. But I'm still hooked.

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Digi
I plan on being more spontaneous in the future.

I cannot fathom why people like those books. I know Twilight fans aren't really into things like vocabulary, good writing, character development, intelligence or making sense, but Hunger Games is literally a direct ripoff of The Most Dangerous Game and The Lottery, dumbed down for 5 year-olds.

Then I explain what those latter two stories are today to a friend and she claims The Hunger Games did those ideas first. Every time I think people can get no dumber, they do.

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"I'll attract the enemy with my *human* call.... I'M SO WASTED, I'M SO WASTED!!"

Should have posted that on this account.

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•.,¸¸,.•´¯`•.,¸¸,.•´¯`•.,¸¸,.~*ST*~.,¸¸,.•´¯`•.,¸¸,.•´¯`•.,¸¸,.•
We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us.

but Hunger Games is literally a direct ripoff of The Most Dangerous Game and The Lottery, dumbed down for 5 year-olds.

You know that humans fighting for the death for other's entertainment goes way back in time to, like, the B.C.'s, right? There's some real history behind these books.

I fit in the target audience of 10-16 year olds, granted, but it's definitely not, "unfathomable" to like The Hunger Games. Actually, I used to HATE it, but it grew on me.

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WTH Duke; just, WTH

From: TheConductorSix | #186

2. Crimson, you and every girl I know who has read these books always picks Gale as the most suitable for Katniss. Could you explain why you believe it to be so?

Well, you know I don't have knowledge beyond the first book, but I still want to preface my response with that.
Honestly, I don't like Katniss with either Gale or Peeta, I like Katniss as a lone wolf. If I had to choose, like, gun to my head, I'd pick Gale for her though. Her relationship with Gale is happy and easy, she doesn't have to try with Gale. Gale already does all the things Katniss likes. Yeah Peeta is kind hearted and gave her hope when she was young, but that's not enough. When she's around him she's constantly uncomfortable, he's got no idea how to hunt or take care of himself as shown by the past two chapters...
I don't know. I mean, under normal circumstances maybe Katniss would fall in love with Peeta. But Katniss' life is anything but normal. It's not that Peeta is a bad guy or would be bad for Katniss, in fact he might be really good for her. Get her out of her paranoid, dark little world, but honestly in the end I just don't think he's right for her. And why does he like her, by the way? I mean, he doesn't even know her. Not that he can't be attracted to her, but they've never talked previous to this. Yeah they shared a nice little moment, but that's it.

From: UItimaterializer | #188
I cannot fathom why people like those books. I know Twilight fans aren't really into things like vocabulary, good writing, character development, intelligence or making sense, but Hunger Games is literally a direct ripoff of The Most Dangerous Game and The Lottery, dumbed down for 5 year-olds.

Then I explain what those latter two stories are today to a friend and she claims The Hunger Games did those ideas first. Every time I think people can get no dumber, they do.

I agree the writing isn't super fancy and the narrative could use a little improvement, but that doesn't make them bad books or it a bad story. Something doesn't have to be complex to be enjoyed. I mean, I read TMDG in ninth grade and that's immediately what I thought of when I learned of the premise for THG. That and Battle Royale.
They use to tell us in architecture school not to kill yourself trying to invent something new, because there's nothing new to invent. Maybe that's a bleak outlook, but I find that it's more and more true - for me at least.

Also, Ulti, while I respect your opinion I'd appreciate it if you didn't come into this topic to blatantly bash THG when you don't really have anything constructive to say. And just out of curiosity, why compare THG fans to Twilight fans? Also, why do you have friends that are do dumb?

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http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

I liked the book, but a major problem with it was that a lot of it seemed rushed. Characters just drop like flies with minimal development. Which I guess makes sense if you're viewing it all from Kat's perspective, but still

--
We are thought, and reality, and concept, and the unimaginable

From: UItimaterializer | #188
but Hunger Games is literally a direct ripoff of The Most Dangerous Game and The Lottery, dumbed down for 5 year-olds.

haven't read the hunger games, but are you seriously implying that the lottery,a banal, simplistic story forced down the throats of anyone who ever has a sub-standard english teacher in high school/jr. high, isn't a dumbed down piece of rubbish even the most mentally deficient of five year-olds could wrap their head around

--
"Oh God, maplejet's trying to be cool again. I'll call the ambulance." - Wylvane
[NO BARKLEY NO PEACE]

Isn't the fact that Gale is simple and easy and Peeta is a challenge and makes her uncomfortable the reason why Peeta is a better choice?

We all can agree that the girl is legitimately messed up from not having a dad and having to be the leader of her household. That's not a good thing the way she reacts to every little
compliment.


Digi: nothing irks me more than when people compare pop teen novels to Harry potter. Rowling got better and brighter which each book. Book 7 spends 100s of pages with 3 characters we've spent 1000s of pages with doing nothing but talking and managed to be incredibly riveting. Book 6 killed off a massive character fearlessly. Book 5 Takes one of the darkest turns a teen series could possibly take. Etc.

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Realo won gold at the Sex Olympics with a BROKEN FRIGGIN NECK.-Voltch

In response to Crim's post: They'd have to be that dumb to be Ulti's friends. Zing!

Ha, just kidding... I don't even know the guy. The writing isn't that strong, but who ever claimed it was? Or original (Besides Ulti's grossly uninformed friend, of course)? I'm not particularly passionate about the series but I'm definitely willing to defend them as entertaining and having the potential to be thought provoking for the YA crowd.

Also, talking about how many dumb/mindless people there are who aren't capable of liking quality things then being unable to fathom why the so-called "dumbed-down and mindless" Hunger Games series is so well liked is not a logical thought progression.

Also, shame on whoever compared THG to Harry Potter.

I'm on Chapter 4 of Catching Fire, I think I may end up being weird and liking this book better than the first.

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http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/228-movies-video-and-dvd/58949084

From: TheConductorSix | #194
Isn't the fact that Gale is simple and easy and Peeta is a challenge and makes her uncomfortable the reason why Peeta is a better choice?

Not if I was Katniss he wouldn't be!
Then again.
If I was Katniss I'd have way more teams to choose from than just Peeta/Gale.
Team Avox, Team Foxface, Team Madge... Hell maybe even Team Clove. We'd have mind blowing angry sex I bet =]

Lol wallmasterz.
There's no way I would lump THG in with Harry Potter. Or Twilight for that matter. Other than being aimed at teens they really don't have anything in common. And honestly I really don't think THG is going to be as big as either of those franchises. I mean, I think it's going to be big and do very well, but I don't think anything could touch HP and it's really not the same as Twilight. It's not all about love and sexy young guys (that's an element, but not the focus) so I just don't think it'll have quite that massive of a following. Glad I'm getting into it now rather than later though.
Not like Harry Potter.
Which I still have yet to read >__>
I've seen all the movies, but I feel like it's just not the same.

Can you imagine a Hunger Games theme park though? I feel like that would be the most fun ever.

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http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

I appreciate you correcting that typo. It's been driving me crazy.

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http://img.imgcake.com/crimjpgpe.jpg Mo' buildings mo' problems
ocean kinda grew on me like a flesh eating ...fungus. -BIGPUN9999

You haven't read Harry Potter? Oh my! The books are much better than the movies, it's a shame you already know the story though. I'd definitely suggest reading through the books once you finish The Hunger Games trilogy. I was actually planning to read through the series myself, for the first time since Book 7 came out. Readthrough topic potential... could be interesting!

I've been starting to read at like 12:30 because it's the only time I can and reading until about 2:30. Then waking up at 11. This is not a routine or healthy sleep schedule as far as I'm concerned, haha.

Time to start Chapter 6 of Catching Fire!

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http://www.gamefaqs.com/boards/228-movies-video-and-dvd/58949084