this got long
So, I saw there was a new Blu-Ray rip of The Hunger Games two days ago and thought, "I might as well watch it, since I keep failing on trying to read the books." And so I watched it. And then I read all three books. And the best way I can describe it is "Cristen Overreacts to Everything About Peeta Mellark's Existence, a Tale in Three Acts." And other stuff, but that's what's sticking out right now.
Okay, so I'm still in book hangover, because I finished Mockingjay like ten minutes ago. But I'm trying to organize this.
Peeta
I cannot accurately describe how much I love Peeta. Like, I can see how the constant pining and endless devotion could get annoying, but he's just so honest and he tries so hard, and he's verbal and cunning, and you don't usually get those traits in male romantic leads without people commenting about how soft they are, and I love him. This is probably influenced by the fact that I watched the movie first and Josh Hutcherson plays him as the woobiest woobie ever, which isn't even really my thing, but he was just so charming and effective. I was like, "he's gonna die, isn't he? I love him too much, he's going to die."
So Mockingjay was a little harrowing for me. I couldn't even get all, "Yay, Peeta! Gale, go die in a fire," at the end because they've all been so damaged.
Katniss
So I've written previously about how much I love girl characters who fully embody traditional boy roles (the bad boy, the scarred leader, etc.) and do it without anyone commenting. I think Katniss is perfect in that way. She's awkward and petty and concerned with her own safety, and a good person, but being good is the least important thing about her. She's a pawn and a weapon and she knows it, which is also intriguing to me, because it emphasizes that she's a kid, and that there's so much that's fucked up about how that society treats their children (beyond the whole kill each other in an arena thing.)
I just love that she has real flaws, and messes that other people have to clean up, and she's still a hero, and she's damaged and that's okay. And this series is giving me all sorts of run-on sentences, so I'll stop there.
The Love Triangle
There was a moment in Mockingjay, when Peeta and Gale were talking, where I was just like, "they're going to have a hard time representing this in the movie without the audience calling Katniss a slut." Which makes me angry, because that's not the issue at all (and should never be the issue), and that nuance is going to go over the heads of most people. One of the things that made me actually like this love triangle, besides the fact that it wasn't brooding mysterious guy vs. nice guy friend, was that Katniss had every reason to have no idea who to pick, and to resist the problem of picking altogether. It should be the least of her worries, because Katniss is in survival mode from the start, and her decisions have to be based on what's going to keep her both alive and sane. And none of the characters ended up as a symbolic prize received for being a good person or winning, which is really rare, especially in action stories.
Also, polyamory solves a multitude of problems. Look into that, YA writers.
Really, Suzanne Collins?
At one point in the middle of Mockingjay I was like, "Why can't they just go back to simpler times, like when they were slaughtering other children for the amusement of strangers?"
Also, I shouldn't have waited so long to get in on a fandom that allows me to call myself a Peeniss shipper.
Okay, so I'm still in book hangover, because I finished Mockingjay like ten minutes ago. But I'm trying to organize this.
Peeta
I cannot accurately describe how much I love Peeta. Like, I can see how the constant pining and endless devotion could get annoying, but he's just so honest and he tries so hard, and he's verbal and cunning, and you don't usually get those traits in male romantic leads without people commenting about how soft they are, and I love him. This is probably influenced by the fact that I watched the movie first and Josh Hutcherson plays him as the woobiest woobie ever, which isn't even really my thing, but he was just so charming and effective. I was like, "he's gonna die, isn't he? I love him too much, he's going to die."
So Mockingjay was a little harrowing for me. I couldn't even get all, "Yay, Peeta! Gale, go die in a fire," at the end because they've all been so damaged.
Katniss
So I've written previously about how much I love girl characters who fully embody traditional boy roles (the bad boy, the scarred leader, etc.) and do it without anyone commenting. I think Katniss is perfect in that way. She's awkward and petty and concerned with her own safety, and a good person, but being good is the least important thing about her. She's a pawn and a weapon and she knows it, which is also intriguing to me, because it emphasizes that she's a kid, and that there's so much that's fucked up about how that society treats their children (beyond the whole kill each other in an arena thing.)
I just love that she has real flaws, and messes that other people have to clean up, and she's still a hero, and she's damaged and that's okay. And this series is giving me all sorts of run-on sentences, so I'll stop there.
The Love Triangle
There was a moment in Mockingjay, when Peeta and Gale were talking, where I was just like, "they're going to have a hard time representing this in the movie without the audience calling Katniss a slut." Which makes me angry, because that's not the issue at all (and should never be the issue), and that nuance is going to go over the heads of most people. One of the things that made me actually like this love triangle, besides the fact that it wasn't brooding mysterious guy vs. nice guy friend, was that Katniss had every reason to have no idea who to pick, and to resist the problem of picking altogether. It should be the least of her worries, because Katniss is in survival mode from the start, and her decisions have to be based on what's going to keep her both alive and sane. And none of the characters ended up as a symbolic prize received for being a good person or winning, which is really rare, especially in action stories.
Also, polyamory solves a multitude of problems. Look into that, YA writers.
Really, Suzanne Collins?
At one point in the middle of Mockingjay I was like, "Why can't they just go back to simpler times, like when they were slaughtering other children for the amusement of strangers?"
Also, I shouldn't have waited so long to get in on a fandom that allows me to call myself a Peeniss shipper.