la douleur exquise

Hunger Games Fancast - Katniss Everdeen

You're a painter. You're a baker. You like to sleep with the windows open. You never take sugar in your tea. And you always double-knot your shoelaces.

with Courtney Eaton as Katniss Everdeen

Just finished reading the Hunger games trilogy.

that’s why i was immediately drawn into his dynamic with maysilee. it’s all happening in the present. he’s had these long held views about who she is and what she does — she’s the most stuck up girl in town, she flounces around in nice dresses and nail polish, nicknames him itchy itchy haymitchy, supposedly looks down on everyone else in town — but he soon learns there’s a lot more to her than he realised. his perceptions of her are challenged, and he comes to not only really respect her, but genuinely like her. they form a trusting bond despite their initial dislike/mistrust of each other. they have a mutual disgust of the capitol and you’re lying if you think they don’t find it admirable and attractive, that the other doesn’t back down in the face of adversity and stands up to anyone who disrespects them, which could and does often result in disastrous consequences (haymitch placing louella’s body directly in front of snow, maysilee slapping drusilla right back, haymitch actively trying to dismantle the arena, maysilee attacking the gamemakers who are trying to fix the berms etc). and yes, we hear that lenore has done some of this too back in 12, but again i feel less connected to it because it’s all tell and not show. maysilee and haymitch’s acts of defiance are shown, not told.

not just that, but they actually get along? their little chats in the training room, the way they joke around together a lot in the arena (miss donner! mr abernathy!), the way they look out for each other and care about each other. that’s a gOOD STORY. that dynamic is so engaging and fun to read, and ultimately so tragic when they have to split up, and he ends up losing the girl he swore he didn’t give a stuff about? and he holds her as she’s dying, pinky swearing to tear down the capitol brick by brick. like??? him seeing her twin sister back in district 12 and running to her, screaming her name?? only to realise… it’s not her. but her face will haunt him forever. LIKE. my HEART. none of his reminiscing of lenore or their two three-page scenes managed to hit as hard as these two.

even his interactions with effie??? like i was SEATEDDD. i loved how she was still kind, empathetic and respectful, despite being brainwashed. she was still a good person, who had been completely indoctrinated into a set of ideals by her government. but clearly had the empathy from the beginning to change perspectives as the story goes on. the way they come to trust each other. the ‘i’m not going to hurt you’ ‘i know’ like???? nothing about their relationship gave romance (yet), but their interactions were so damn lovely, and knowing she stuck by him all those years afterwards, just adds to the sweetness.