I have to agree with FD that the book starts out extremely broad. Like, Collins CLEARLY goes out of her way to give us ample descriptions of almost all the major aspects of District 12: Katniss, Gale, Prim, The Seam, the class divide, the Hob, Haymitch, Effie, the reaping, the Hunger Games. EVERYTHING in this chapter is pretty much exposition, with the exception of Gale suggesting that he and Katniss run off into the woods together. And I guess what sucks about that is that by giving SO MUCH exposition in the first chapter, you really neglect details. Like, I have almost no knowledge of Katniss' physical appearance, based on this chapter. District 12, I still can't picture in my mind even after reading this book twice before.
The end of the chapter though is when the book really starts to get good, and I appreciate that, because sometimes in novels like this, there's SO much exposition that goes on for far too long, and it really makes the opening a chore to read. But by having the book start off with a bang, having the conflict already ramped up to the highest level by having Katniss' sister, not Katniss herself, get picked for the reaping, that's a good plot element right there.
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Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.
Also I agree. I really don't care that much that I can't picture District 12, but I would like to be able to see Katniss in my mind. We never really get all that great a description of her. I mean, we know a few things, but not much.
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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
Of course, the odds have not been very dependable of late.
And in chapter two we have the first introduction of Peeta, the last major aspect of District 12 to be introduced. Ironically, even HE has more physical description at this point in the book, although after thinking about it, that kinda makes sense. Having tried writing some stuff before, I find it extremely difficult to write from a first-person perspective and still manage to give your narrator a solid physical description, because they just have no reason to start talking about themselves unless you want to look completely unrealistic and cliched. So yeah, it doesn't really ease the dislike of not knowing Katniss' appearance, but at least that's an explanation for why Peeta or some of the others have detailed descriptions and not Katniss.
The flashback is cute, and it's definitely foreshadowing...although I have to wonder how Katniss is THAT dense to not realize why Peeta gave her that bread. Seriously, if a guy does something nice for you out of the blue, at personal cost (in this case, getting the crap smacked out of him), he likes you. Katniss is too much of an HBIC to realize this though, so she instead hates him for making her owe him one. She's a very bizarre character like that...she's very strong-minded and physically adept...but at the same time, she has like, no common sense whatsoever. It's an interesting dichotomy.
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Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.
Lol I love that about Katniss. It's like, if you do something nice or say something nice to her she can't just take it. She always believes there's some ulterior motive. So boss.
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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 assuming he was telling the truth at the end of chapter 9 (still haven't read further) and so we know how he feels about her, but how would he have approached the game if he was along side her sister.
(I'm still not convinced Peeta isn't acting though. They had 1 interaction and it was 5 years ago. Showing pity one time =/= carrying a torch)
From: Inviso | #060 that...she's very strong-minded and physically adept...but at the same time, she has like, no common sense whatsoever. It's an interesting dichotomy.
Been pretty quiet because I don't want to spoil anything...but this is probably what I dislike most about Katniss...most of the time she is a pretty good character, but occasionally she is just SO DUMB. Maybe you'll see what I mean - or have already.
It's probably just a side effect of being the main character but it still bugs me.
-- You have no time to ponder such questions, as Link has just grabbed a Smash Ball. http://backloggery.com/herodeltiempo/sig.gif
From: HeroDelTiempo17 | #066 Been pretty quiet because I don't want to spoil anything...but this is probably what I dislike most about Katniss...most of the time she is a pretty good character, but occasionally she is just SO DUMB. Maybe you'll see what I mean - or have already.
It's probably just a side effect of being the main character but it still bugs me.
Would you say she's climbing in your window and snatching your people up?
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Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.
"You know what my mother said to me when she came to say good-bye, as if to cheer me up, she says maybe District Twelve will finally have a winner. Then I realized, she didn’t mean me, she meant you!"
~Stuff that happened~
7am, waking up with a nightmare Gotta be fresh, gotta take a weird shower
And with that out of the way it's time to gorge herself on breakfast again. Anyways it's time to start the training! Haymich gives them the option to be trained separately or together. Peeta already knows that Kat hunts for food and so with no 'special skill' to hide they opt to be trained together. So they take turns telling Haymich how awesome the other person is and now its down to business.
They have 3 days to spend in the training area. There are a bunch of trainers teaching various skills such as how to create a fire or make a shelter. There are also combat exercise trainers. Throughout these three days in training, as per instruction from their glorious drunken leader, Kat and Peeta do everything together.
After training it's time to show the "Gamemakers" what they are capable of so they can receive a score evaluating their combat readiness. (Gotta give those odds makers something to use when they start taking bets!) When it's Kat's turn they piss her immediately and so she shoots an arrow at(near) them instead then stalks away.
~Forceful's Thoughts~
Lot's of focus on large meals. I suppose it makes sense that coming from District 12 an abundance of food would be noteworthy enough to receive a lot of attention. But except shortly after her dad died Katniss has never gone hungry for a particular length of time; she saw to that personally. And I doubt, with her experience as a hunter she'll go hungry during the games as well. But I feel like there must be a reason that meals are getting so much 'screen time'...
From: CrimsonOcean | #031 It could possibly be a ploy to get them more sponsors as well. Like no one ever does this, and obviously the Capitol likes to see different things
My thoughts exactly. Everything so far has been done to make them stand out and nothing stands out more than a united front in a winner-take-all atmosphere. Still waiting to see exactly how sponsors are going to play into things.
It doesn't matter what happens. Whatever you see on the screen. You have to promise me you'll fight through it!
Man, this is a chapter filled with emotion as Katniss meets with people who want to wish her farewell. Her family and Gale are obvious choices to have show up, and it's interesting how they have different approaches to things. Katniss has to give her family the pep talk to keep her mother from losing it and letting them both die, while Gale is trying to give Katniss pointers in order to get her head in the game so she can be the champion she's destined to be. Meanwhile, the other two visitors are both far more interesting to be as they are to Katniss, given how she didn't expect either one to visit her. Madge makes SOME sense, since they're supposedly friends...but then you have Peeta's dad giving gifts to the girl who could potentially be her son's killer. Now, I didn't think about this either of the two times I read these books prior...but both of these interactions are far more interesting on a second or third read. I'll say no more about that.
Katniss would do well on Survivor because the girl is CONSTANTLY in game mode. She's keeping her emotions in check so that she doesn't appear weak on-camera, and yet believes that Peeta has been crying specifically to appear weak in order to avoid being seen as a threat. Seriously Katniss, sometimes crying is just crying. However, the best character in the series makes her first appearance (well, she's mentioned) in Katniss' delusional little strategy session. Give it up for Johanna "Lumbergoddess" Mason! *Sweet Georgia Brown plays* Dammit, that is NOT the right music! Who's been messing with my playlists?!
Anyway, we have some brief, boring exposition about mockingjays (I know it's the title of the third book, but I honestly don't care about the birds themselves). Effie's a hilarious character too, because she has absolutely no idea what she's doing half the time. She's another case of being very good at her job, but having absolutely no common sense. I love Katniss defying her with the whole table manners things. It makes me laugh. And of course, she hates being made fun of by the kids, so she just has to get the last word in with her "Oh, you think Haymitch is funny? Well he's gonna get you killed so NYEH!" line.
But moving on, we're semi-introduced to the major characters from other districts: Male 2, Female 5, Female 11, Male 10. I'll get into a discussion about Male 10 later on, but needless to say, I have a potential rant brewing about that.
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Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.
From: Inviso | #069 I'll get into a discussion about Male 10 later on, but needless to say, I have a potential rant brewing about that.
o_O interesting...
And Eiffel has become downright likable now. I positively despised her the first time she was mentioned. So I guess good job to her for making every effort to avoid obsolescence.
Good, good. I've got a few on backlog that I've been waiting to post and I'm sorta kinda trying to hold off reading any further ahead because I think it makes for better discussion if we're all in the same spot. Especially me and FD, reading through cold.
Right now going into chapter 11 I'm mostly really excited to meet more of the contestants.
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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
Man, Katniss is SO much like me when I play online Survivor games. I get SO paranoid and start trying to read every single person's emotions and why they would make a move that they're making. Her putting stock into Peeta washing Haymitch up after he puked and landed in his own puke as some sort of trick...that's a little bit crazy, and this girl is HARDCORE in game mode. She really needs to start putting on a shtick thought to entertain the hosts. I've personally tried the valley girl and the ignorant redneck...both of them were very difficult to maintain, so I gave up on them pretty quickly. I also pretended to be Charlie from LOST once, but that DEFINITELY didn't work out for me. But I disgress. The point is, Katniss is crazy-paranoid, and it amuses me, because I've seen this all before in myself, and she's totally self-sabotaging by playing the game this way.
Annnnd more flashbacks. I wonder if they're gonna reveal what Katniss' tattoo means, because that's clearly the nagging question in all the fans' minds. But it shows Katniss evolving from a weak little b**** into a badass huntress that would put the Goddess Diana herself to shame (or was it Minerva...I always get those two confused). But beyond that, and explaining her hatred for her mother, things get quiet until...Haymitch.
Haymitch is pretty awesome, and I love the fact that they cast Woody Harrellson as him in the movie, because that totally makes sense to me. But yeah, Katniss/Peeta double-teaming him and Haymitch punching Peeta the f*** out (well, not OUT, but punching Peeta nonetheless) is awesome, mostly because I feel like Peeta doesn't take enough punishment overall, given how much of a lameass he can be sometimes. But yeah, Haymitch suddenly going from drunk to master strategist in the course of two paragraphs is awesome. "Let the bruise show because it makes you look more awesome."
Also, plot twist: Peeta IS as devious and calculating as Katniss thinks. GASP.
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Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.
Ah, god-bless gratuitous nudity. Too bad the movie is PG-13, or we might get to see Jennifer Lawrence naked, which would be pretty sweet. Anyway, enter Cinna, one of my favorite characters overall. I love how he doesn't bulls***, not ever, and how he's actually a pretty nice guy. He's like, the one normal person in the entire Capital, and that includes Effie, who's somewhat insane. And of course, Katniss/Peeta are the starts of the whole intro, which is to be expected, what with the whole...being set on fire...thing, and the fact that they're holding hands like they're NOT being forced into a game where they have to kill each other. Katniss knows how to pander to the crowd just as good as Peeta, and she even sluts it up a little, by being a total tease to the crowd. And of course, the other tributes are hella-jealous, I would be too.
You know, it's weird...this is an important chapter, but I just don't feel like I have a lot to say. Aside from the whole intro with the fire capes, it's basically just par for the course thus far in the book.
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Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.
It seems to be a running theme with these chapters thus far that they all start off slow, usually involving a meal of some kind, and they only seem to improve after they're halfway through. Of course, Katniss recognizes an Avox girl and Effie is absolutely aghast. AGHAST I SAY! Meanwhile, Peeta is a f***ing wordsmith and is quick on his feet. REALLY quick on his feet as he even manages to give a little defiant "I hate the Capital!" comment, but covers it up as just being scared and wanting to go home to his family. Aside from that (the Avox girl seems to be the major event of this chapter), not a lot happens. Katniss has another Katback (Katniss flashback) and feels guilty and once again assumes the worst, that the Avox girl wants her dead. And once again, Peeta's father is brought into the mix as having discussed Katniss/Prim. Could Peeta be lying? Hmmmm. We'll find out...after the break.
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Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.
You can never tell what you'll find in the arena. Say it's actually a giant cake--
Gotta love Peeta and Katniss actively playing the "I'm not gonna win, YOU'RE gonna win" game, because it sets the tone of their relationship for the entire series. Funnier though is the fact that they each have established character traits: Peeta is a smooth-talker and very intelligent, Katniss is paranoid and "so dumb", so you have Peeta saying stuff like "Katniss can hit a rabbit through the eye! Katniss' tears could cure cancer if she ever cried!" while Katniss comes back with "Oh yeah, well, well you're strong!" And it wouldn't be so bad if Peeta was one-upping Katniss and she was fighting back nicely, but he's clearly outmatching her and just keeps pushing and pushing, even claiming that his own mother expected her to win over him. And once again, Peeta's feelings fly RIGHT over Katniss' head because again, she's "so dumb". So clueless.
And now we get our first real glimpse into the other tributes, specifically the Careers. Not a lot of detail yet, because the focus is still on Katniss/Peeta, but they're definitely setting up the good vs. evil aspect of the book with them. District 1: Luxury. District 2: Stone. District 4: Fishing. Now, I'll get into more detail on this later, but needless to say, I've never quite understand why one of these districts is part of the Career group, and why it was such an important detail to be included, given how utterly pointless that detail is in the overall series. But yeah, the Careers are the popular kids, all eating lunch together and calling the other kids fat (okay, probably the exact opposite, given the food situation in Panem, but still).
Anyway, Katniss is paranoid whereas Peeta is social. They're like the Stephen & J.T. of The Hunger Games (and I'm positive Stephen would appreciate being compared to a sixteen-year-old girl). "I think we have a shadow." Oh why, Peeta? BECAUSE SHE'S BLACK?! Ah yes, the introduction of Rue. I hated Rue at the start, just because I hate all little kids in fiction. I can't think of a single little kid I actually LIKE in fiction aside from Larsa Farinas Solidor, and Hitgirl. Everyone else just annoys me. So yeah, going into the second part of the book, I was dreading Rue turning into your typical "Oh, look how cute she is." character like Prim is.
And finally, Katniss proves herself to be a true badass with her performance during the judging portion of the competition. Honestly, if the judges we're impressed by her breaking a light and sending sparks flying, then they must've had WAY too much to drink that day watching the other twenty-three contestants. But still, shooting the apple out of a pig's mouth is pretty awesome, especially since she goes all defiant and leaves the room after without being told to. Like a bawss.
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Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.
Katniss is such a hot mess after her little bow & arrow incident. It's like, chillax chica. If they were gonna do something bad to you, they would NOT wait. But she cries and everyone thinks she's done for, although they cheer each other up by making light of the situation, and even Effie seems to enjoy herself once she removes that high-quality stick from her ass. But regardless of happiness and merriment, then Katniss pulls out the hidden immunity idol, smiles with one tooth missing, and tips her douchebag hat. Or that might be Russell Hantz. The point is, Katniss dominates the competition with a motherf***ing eleven out of twelve. She shocked the world and is in prime position to kick ass, take names AND chew gum.
Annnnd more Katbacks, this time with Gale. And her partnership with Gale probably would've helped her out more in the arena than Peeta does. The only difference is that Gale isn't exactly the strongest speaker, which would turn the J.T./Stephen relationship into more of a Sash/Brenda failationship. And of course, Katniss kinda loves Gale (just kinda), but it seems that it's an Oedipal thing, given how he's her hunting partner and took over when her dad died in the mine explosion. That's mostly my opinion, having taken two psychology classes before switching out of the education program.
And then, the last minute twist of the chapter. Peeta's still playing hard and playing to win, and Katniss is betrayed. Shocker!
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Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.
Inviso's Survivor references are making me so hot right now.
Chapter 8 Pages 103-113
“Guess they liked your temper,” he says. “They’ve got a show to put on. They need some players with some heat.”
Summary: Our little scrapper is having a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day at this point. She pretty much knows for a fact that she’s about to get her ass handed to her on a platter by the Capitol, and she’s got it on good authority that her quack mommy and little sis are also about to be vaporized for her insubordination in the Training Center with the Gamemakers. Needless to say she pretty much flips everyone off and manages to make it to her room before breaking down. That’s right Kat, never let them see you cry. Finally, Kat is coxed out of her misery by her overwhelming need to eat all the food, so she wanders out to the dining car. Peeta talks about throwing things, but no one really cares. All eyes are on Kat and wtf happened. After some reassurances from Effie, Haymitch, Peeta, and the stylists that they’re not going to lynch her in the street, Kat and the gang move to see the training scores the Gamemakers have given on TV. The range goes from 1-12. 1 being a pile of literal crap, 12 being a God among men. Peeta gets an 8, which he seems pleased with. I just laugh at him, because the little 12 year old from District 11 gets a 7. That’s right Peeta, you’re only slightly better than an 80 pound, 12 year old girl. How does that make you feel? Kat is sure she’s gonna get the lowest score of any of the contestants, but holy crap! What’s this?! An 11? ****. Just. Got. Real. Kat has some dreamy dreams about her girlfriend Gale and murdering rabbits, and finally we make it to breakfast. Kat and Peeta need to be coached for their on air interviews, but wait! A new development has occurred! Peeta has requested to be trained separately from Katniss. So much for the buddy system. I’m pretty sure this is only because he doesn’t want her to see how inadequate he truly is until she is forced to slit his throat.
Thoughts: Man the chapters in this book are short! I have to admit, the book had me going for a second. I wasn’t really sure how they’d play Kat’s defiance of the Gamemasters. I figured her score would probably either be really low like she was expecting, or really high. Guess they went with really high. Looking forward to the interviews, it’s nice to see Kat get outside her own head for a while. I also like how she never apologizes for what she does. And even when she thinks **** is about to go down, she’s really only worried about her family. I have to admit, she’s a bad ass so far.
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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
That was the first time I ever saw him smile. It transformed him from someone menacing to someone you wished you knew."
~Stuff that happened~
Now that Kat has convinced herself that she's doomed herself and her family through her insolence she decides to spend the final hours of her life...crying.
But everything it turns out everything will be all right after all! The first rule of the Judging Room? Do not talk about the Judging Room. And so with her vicious slaying of apples tightly under wraps she consents to eat yet another huge meal. So everyone has a friendly discussion and then they get the scores. The 'Career Tributes' all score high, but nobody touches Katniss and her almighty 11. Last thing to prepare for is the 'interview' portion. (Holy crap this really is a beauty pageant. Miss America doesn't have anything on the Hunger Games)
But, shocker! Peeta requests to be trained separately now.
~Forceful's Thoughts~
Kat's emotions are all over the place sometimes. I guess you can chalk it up to being in the middle of a traumatic experience but she went super-emo on us this chapter. It felt very out of character for me anyways. I mean she just SHOW at the ****ing GameMakers. She's a badass who doesn't take **** from anyone and she's going to cry for an hour straight?
I'm still waiting for the sponsors to show up because they get talked about so much, but whatever. She has the highest score which means she's got to end up with a state of the art bow and arrow set or something. Everything is just progressing towards the beginning of the game and I'm still not sure how she plans on playing it.
She promised Prim she was going to try and win, but that encompasses a lot. Does it means she's just going to defend herself as needed and live off the land or does it mean she is going to aggressively take someone out when the opportunity arises?
It seems like she could go either way naturally as long as she had an appropriate flashback on hand to justify the choice she makes. Onward to the interviews!
From: Inviso | #079 Meanwhile, Peeta is a f***ing wordsmith and is quick on his feet. REALLY quick on his feet
See this lends credit to the theory that Peeta is a cold and calculating machine with a super plan.
"Pretend to be romatically attached to the female from district 12" could just be one of his 'go to' plans in the event he gets selected. Everything could very conceivably be the result of manipulation.
Nice, this is what you like to see. Three chapter 8s right in a row.
Yeah, I thought the crying was definitely a little out of character for her. I would expect her to fret or brood about it, but run to her room crying? I guess it shows how the stress is getting to her. I wonder what the sponsors are going to do? Like what they're allowed to give their tributes and what not.
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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
We try me playing cocky, but I just don’t have the arrogance. Apparently, I’m too “vulnerable” for ferocity. I’m not witty. Funny. Sexy. Or mysterious. By the end of the session, I am no one at all.
Summary: It’s time to prepare for the interview process, and since Peeta has elected to be trained apart for Kat, he’s nowhere to be seen. The day begins with Effie Trinket coaching Kat in the art of walking in a long dress and high heels. In this, I can feel her pain. There is nothing less practical on this earth than high heels. Effie also teaches her how to be a proper lady; sitting up straight, eye contact, smiling, and all that. Clearly in no mood to play dress up, Kat stomps out of her training session with Effie, much more agitated for the ware. Next up is her actual content practice with Haymitch. Kat has to create some type of persona for herself, so people will remember her and want to sponsor her. I really hope they explain this whole sponsor thing in detail soon – they sure talk about it enough! Kat wants no part of this tired ass bull crap. She already has been through hell and back with the heels, now Haymitch wants her to give her life story to the people who are so pumped to see her dead. Well not this little coal miner, mister! She’s no good at any of the personas Haymitch throws at her, and finally just decides to say screw it and goes back to her room to wreck up the place. After throwing around some food and dishes and generally raging at intimate objects, little miss Avox comes in to see how her big strong lady fighter Katniss is getting on. Not very well it turns out. Kat finally gets a chance to apologize to the redheaded girl, and she responds by taking good care of Kat. They clean up the room and when Kat is finally calm and exhausted from the day’s proceedings she climbs into bed and shares a tender moment with her tongue-less (my God, that is sad…) redheaded girlfriend. The next day it’s Cinna’s turn to style her for the actual interview, which happens on a big stage in front of the Training Center. Cinna tells Kat to just be herself during the interview. The people already love her, so why try to be anything else? He tells her even if she can’t think of anyone else in the Capitol as a friend, to try and think of him as one. Kat trusts him and does as he says, and nails her interview like a lesbian nails wall studs. Good for you Kat! Peeta is up next, and he does fine. Apparently he’s funny or something. Then we get to the heart of the matter. He’s in love with Katniss. I knew this would happen. Sorry Peeta, Katniss is already juggling three girlfriends; she doesn’t have the time or the stamina for a fourth.
Thoughts: And that concludes Part I folks. Looks like we’re about a third of the way through the book, so I think it’s time for some serious character reactions:
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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
Katniss: I definitely like her. She can’t be anyone other than herself, and I respect that. I also like how her defiant nature ironically is what makes the people of the Capitol seem to like her so much. She spends a lot of time talking about how she hates the Capitol and everything it stands for, but there are some instances – like at the interview or on the chariot ride – that you can tell she’s just a 16 year old girl that wants to be liked and accepted and happy. I’m really looking forward to seeing how she’ll perform in the Games, and like I’ve said a couple of times, I hope she actually gets some kills. I’m sick of reading Battle Royale stories where the main character can’t stomach taking anyone out. Just doesn’t seem likely in a fight for your life. I’m also wondering if we’ll really get to know any of the other contestants once we’re in the arena, or if it’ll be strictly Kat and Peeta. And despite my write ups, no, I don’t actually think that Kat is a gay lady. I just like to think so.
Peeta: Despite how I harangue him in my re-caps, I don’t hate the guy or anything. He’s just made no real impression on me. It’s usually hard for me to like young male characters right off that bat. I generally need a lot of time to warm up to them. So for now, Peeta isn’t really impressing me. I’m not rooting for him, and I’m not rooting for him and Kat to get together. Nothing against the guy. I hope he does something in the near future that’s really bad ass or awesome and I can put him firmly in my “like” column.
Haymitch: Hmm… This chapter slightly changed my opinion of Haymitch. I think he has a lot easier time dealing with Peeta because Peeta is more like most of the other contestants they get for the Games. Katniss is completely different from anyone (at least that’s how she’s being billed) and I don’t think he knows exactly what to do with her yet. This, coupled with his already gruff personality, makes him come off as a little bit of a jerk. But I don’t think that’s really the case, I think he just seems some growing time.
Effie Trinket: Effie I think has been the character that has surprised me the most. I was fully expecting her to play the villain, or be similar to the man in charge in Battle Royale (if not a bit more kid friendly) but it seems she actually is there to help Katniss and Peeta. Get them prepared for what’s to come. This is one character I’m dying to see in the movie, because I think she could be huge comic relief in a very dry sense.
Cinna: Seems like a cool guy that genuinely wants to help Katniss win this thing – and not just for his own benefit. I won’t go so far as to say he’s playing a father figure, but I think in some small way he is. He wants Kat to look her best, do her best, and just be herself because he knows she’s special. He hasn’t gotten much face time yet, but I believe in his friendship with Kat.
The more I read, the more I’m nervous about how this movie will turn out. The trailers all look pretty good, but I feel like this story is very simple in its complexity, and I hope they don’t add a bunch of contrived bull**** to muck it up.
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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
Well there is this one girl. I've had a crush on her ever since I can remember. But I'm pretty sure she didn't know I was alive until the reaping.
Oh snap, now Katniss is all kinds of pissed off at Peeta. But I thought you didn't like him and wanted to stay as far away from him as possible, Katniss. Sounds like someone's a little jellos now, hmm? So immediately she overcompensates and goes into full-on tsundere mode. "It's...it's not like I like him or anything!" So it's finally time to prepare for the interviews and I think Peeta's pretty much got this, given how much of a smooth motherf***er he is. Meanwhile, you have Katniss Hantz who wouldn't know how to play da social game if it bit her on da ass. The game is flawed and Panem should get a say in who lives and who dies. *cough* Anyway, Katniss needs the pre time a lot more than Peeta does is what I'm saying, because she in no way excels at pandering to the cameras the way he does.
So with Effie, Katniss sucks because she's not girly enough for a dress and heels, and then with Haymitch she sucks because she doesn't have a personality beyond moody b****iness. Which is hilarious to me to find this fact just shoved in her face so strongly. List of things Katniss is not: humble, cocky, ferocious, witty, funny, sexy, mysterious. That's gotta sting, eh Katniss? So of course, as usual when something doesn't work for her (and again, I totally identify with Katniss here, because I HATE when I'm unable to do something right within one or two tries. It's so frustrating, she throws a fit and winds up injuring herself and having to be aided by the very girl who she feels guilty about leaving for dead. And so quickly, she finds comfort in someone she believed would kill her in her sleep just a few chapters ago.
And once again, Cinna is the clutch player of Katniss' team. Thus far I would say Cinna > Haymitch > Effie in terms of actually contributing to the "Let's not let Katniss die in the arena" movement. Hot dress, words of encouragement, and suddenly Katniss is re-energized and ready to kick some ass. Looking at the order of things, I do think it's a bit unfair for district 12 to be last in everything. For performing for the judges, that means that the judges are bored and less likely to care. For the interviews, it means the audience is already enamored with other contestants. They should really randomize things so different districts get the advantages every so often.
District 1 Girl...rowr. I loves me some green eyes on mah wimmenz. District 2 Boy once again getting screentime. District 5 Girl getting screentime. District 10 Boy getting screentime. Then Rue does the cute thing that makes me want to gag, and we meet the other District 11 tribute who's a goddamn terminator, if you look solely at his physical appearance. Thresh just don't give a f*** though as he gets to be rude and sullen while Katniss just doesn't have the charisma for it.
Then we come to Katniss, who does a decent job, but otherwise is just completely out of her element in terms of the competition she's going up against, socially. Basically she comes across as a dumb blonde, even though she's clearly a brunette, and even talking about Prim doesn't do her much good. But then, bombshell: Peeta is in love with Katniss. This, my dear friends, is called dramatic irony. Where the audience sees something plain as f***ing day, but the characters on-stage (Katniss, in this case) are f***ing clueless.
And with that, Part 1 is complete.
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Captain Tracy Mombaro and Agent Mirasuke Inhara: Two of the toughest, hottest furrs you'll ever meet.
"Just answer the questions and try not to let the audience see how openly you despise them.”"
~Stuff that happened~
Effie teaches Kat how to be a girl. It's a bit of a stretch I know, but she pulls it off. Kat and Effie are talking alone because Peeta is having his alone time with Haymich now that he has abandoned joint training.
After learning how to be a girl Haymich tries to come up with a good gimmick that will help Katniss earn sponsors during the interview portion, but nothing seems to stick. Eventually he ends with the quote I used which seems to fit perfectly.
And now it is time for the fire dress part 2. I am actually very interested to see how this turns out in the movie, it sounds amazing to behold. Cinna comes through in a huge way same as before and before she leaves for the interview he also gives her some advice that will likely undo all the bad teaching Haymich provided this time around. And so Katniss is the 23rd to get interviewed and thanks to the host she does what seems like a great job, the audience hangs on her every words. Last, but not least is Peeta and then he drops the bombshell that isn't very surprising at this point. He lets it be known that he is in love with the female tribute from his district. End scene.
~Forceful's Thoughts~
I agree that Cinna is a top tier helper. I thought his time of helping was over after the initial fire cape, but he's managed to come through in a bit way since then. Now I'm sad that he probably IS going to be out of the picture now, but he fulfilled his job perfectly.
As for the 'big reveal' at the end of the chapter (and the end of part 1) it was definitely not surprising, but it still has a big impact. I think the big impact comes from the fact that even though as a reader it's easy to see coming we know that Katniss did not see it coming at all. She's oblivious and there's no denying it. I still think that Peeta is probably playing at something, but it's clearly shocking to Katniss and so it serves its purpose as a 'Big Moment'.
It takes every ounce of willpower to not just finish this book without stopping, but I do think that serializing it together is much more fun. ^_^
That's what I like about Katniss. How she thinks she has a handle on everything that's going on, when in reality she is completely clueless more than half the time. She can't read the room at all.
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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
But it's not like she should be this socially inept. She had constant interaction with people and even an intimate friendship.
I mean she's cynical, but that's not all there is to it. It's like she's a special TYPE of cynical that manages to completely **** with her perception.
It really has me thrown because I'm trying to predict things based on how I'm interpreting them. "okay the author will probably pull the rug out from under us by revealing [plot twist]" but for some reason Katniss is already backwardly interpreting the situation and so it wouldn't be a plot twist at all anymore. It's kind of frustrating.
”You were about as romantic as dirt until he said he wanted you. Now they all do. You’re all they’re talking about.”
Summary: Wow. I have to admit, it was extremely hard to stop and write a re-cap after this chapter. We’re just now getting to the action! But before that, we get to see the fallout from Peeta’s big declaration of love at the interviews. Once safely back on their hotel floor, Katniss lets Peeta have it but good. She decides she might want to take out some of her competition a little early, and who better than baker boy? Kat smashes Peeta’s hands with fake flowers until they bleed, and Peeta takes it like the whipping boy he obviously is. This goes on a while until the whole gang gets back up to the 12th floor and stops her. It’s alright Kat, you’ll get your chance tomorrow, just bide your time until then. Peeta explains that it was his idea to proclaim his undying love for Katniss in front of the Capitol and really, the entire country. The team claims it was just a tactic to get the buzz going and get sponsors interested, but I think Peeta is really in love with Katniss. I mean, what kind of teen book would this be if he wasn’t? Katniss thinks this actually might be a pretty good plan, despite Peeta’s dick’s involvement, and feels slightly bad about trying to murder him right there in the hallway – but only slightly. So she decides to head off to bed. But lo’, she is still fawning over that redheaded Avox girl, and is disappointed that she doesn’t get one last chance to show her what she can really do with a bow and arrow (if you catch my drift). You buys think I’m imagining the sexual tension here, but she thinks about her constantly! It’s meant to be, I tell ya. Katniss can’t sleep through all of this sexual frustration, so she decides to slip up to the roof to get some fresh air. Peeta is there because of course he is. He tells Kat that he doesn’t want the government to have power over him, to turn him into something he’s not once he’s in the arena. Our heroine isn’t buying it though, unceremoniously informing him that the government already has power over him. That’s why he’s here and fit to go and die tomorrow. She gets fed up with his wishy-washy attitude, and decides to try and get some rest before the big, big, big day tomorrow. The not-so-star-crossed lovers from District 12 say their goodbyes to Haymitch and Effie, and go their separate ways with their respective stylists. Cinna stays with Kat in her Launch Room until zero hour, clips the gold mockingjay pin to her shirt, and holds her hand until she’s raised up into the arena. This was a pretty powerful section in my opinion, I could really empathize with the emotions going on. This book is simply written, and Katniss is very stoic, but I feel like when she does show emotion it’s really well done.
Thoughts: Finally! The Games are about to start, and I’m really excited. The book has been very good up to this point, but I’m ready for some action. I’m curious to see how Peeta will be handled, and I really want to see how Kat is going to cope with hunting people. Like I said before, I’m also excited to hopefully meet some new characters, and see how they interact socially with one another. Should be interesting! The fox-faced girl better watch out – clearly Kat has a thing for redheads.
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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