In the eighteenth chapter of Catching Fire, seriously? How do I even summarize what just happened? Just read the review.
Good lord. Now I know why you guys said you blew through this book in one setting. Reading this one chapter at a time? Simply unbearable.
The uprising has now been made public. TO EVERYONE. And it’s because of Cinna that this is happening. I AM SO EXCITED. THIS IS ME RIGHT NOW.
I am completely in awe of this story right now.
Caesar gestures for Cinna to rise. He does, and makes a small, gracious bow. And suddenly I am so afraid for him. What has he done? Something terribly dangerous. An act of rebellion in itself. And he’s done it for me. I remember his words…
“Don’t worry. I always channel my emotions into my work. That way I don’t hurt anyone but myself.â€
…and I’m afraid he has hurt himself beyond repair. The significance of my fiery transformation will not be lost on President Snow.
Seriously, saying TEAM CINNA doesn’t do him justice. He has consistently acted in her best interest, ignoring his own. This might be the most extreme example of that. Bless him forever.
But I was never, ever prepared for what Peeta does next.
Peeta pauses for a long moment, as if deciding something. He looks out at the spellbound audience, then at the floor, then finally up at Caesar. “Caesar, do you think all our friends here can keep a secret?â€
WHAT?????
“I feel quite certain of it,†says Caesar.
“We’re already married,†says Peeta quietly. The crowd reacts in astonishment, and I have to bury my face in the folds of my skirt so they can’t see my confusion. Where on earth is he going with this?
Peeta weaves a story to Caesar about how he married Katniss in a traditional ceremony (referenced in the previous chapter) because they simply couldn’t wait. And then the Quell was announced and their marriage suddenly became all the more tragic. It’s genius on Peeta’s part, to enhance the sheer horror of what’s happening.
“I’m not glad,†says Peeta. “I wish we had waited until the whole thing was done officially.â€
This takes even Caesar aback. “Surely even a brief time is better than no time?â€
“Maybe I’d think that, too, Caesar,†says Peeta bitterly, “if it weren’t for the baby.â€
WWWWWWWHHHHHHHAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Peeta, you have brought it. You have now won all the things and I seriously need to develop the technology to give fictional characters high fives. This is beautiful.
As the bomb explodes, it sends accusations of injustice and barbarism and cruelty flying out in every direction. Even the most Capitol-loving, Games-hungry, bloodthirsty person out there can’t ignore, at least for the moment, how horrific the whole thing is.
I am pregnant.
Peeta, you are genius. This is your finest moment. Can the Capitol actual go forward with the idea of killing a pregnant mother? Are they that depraved?
Sure, they might actually be, and Peeta’s bluff might be pointless, but I’m sure he knew this. Because the affect that matters most is the fact that everyone else who hears this has now reacted in a way that now virtually begs for a rebellion.
The audience has now gone wild, essentially, reacting so chaotically to the news Peeta just shared with the country that Caesar cannot even keep them remotely under control. As the din in the room continues to overpower everything else, one of the most surprising things yet occurs:
And then it happens. Up and down the row, the victors begin to join hands. Some right away, like the morphlings, or Wiress and Beetee. Others unsure but caught up in the demands of those around them, like Brutus and Enobaria. By the time the anthem plays its final strains, all twenty-four of us stand in one unbroken line in what must be the first public show of unity among the districts since the Dark Days. You can see the realization of this as the screens begin to pop into blackness. It’s too late, though. In the confusion they didn’t cut us off in time. Everyone has seen.
HOW. HOW CAN THE GAMES EVEN GO ON AT THIS POINT. The victors have just given the entirety of Panem a symbol, an image of unification, something they’ve been denied for longer than anyone can remember.
The chaos continues as the lights go out on stage and Katpee rush out of the theater and board an elevator alone.
The moment we step off the elevator, Peeta grips my shoulders. “There isn’t much time, so tell me. Is there anything I have to apologize for?”
“Nothing,†I say. It was a big leap to take without my okay, but I’m just glad I didn’t know, didn’t have time to second guess him, to let any guilt over Gale detract from how I really feel about what Peeta did. Which is empowered.
RIGHT??? Oh man, I know this is going to work against them in the future, but just ALLOW ME THESE MOMENTS OF HAPPINESS.
We wait for the others to return, but when the elevator opens, only Haymitch appears. “It’s madness out there. Everyone’s been sent home and they’ve canceled the recap of the interviews on television.â€
Peeta and I hurry to the window and try to make sense of the commotion far below us on the streets. “What are they saying?†Peeta asks. “Are they asking the president to stop the Games?â€
“I don’t think they know themselves what to ask. The whole situation is unprecedented. Even the idea of opposing the Capitol’s agenda is a source of confusion for the people here,†says Haymitch. “But there’s no way Snow would cancel the Games. You know that, right?â€
I don’t know. Given what’s happened, I actually entertained the thought. I still sort of am. I think it would be pretty surprising if something happened to derail the Games.
Of course, that doesn’t seem like it’s going to happen at this point. They realize they aren’t going to see Effie again, so they ask Haymitch to thank her, to really thank her for what she did for them. It’s even harder to say goodbye to Haymitch, who they’ll be seeing for the last time as well. I’m worried that the Capitol will do something to Haymitch if the Games go ahead as planned. Would they murder Katpee’s mentor just to make things more difficult?
We cross the room, but in the doorway, Haymitch’s voice stops us. “Katniss, when you’re in the arena,†he begins. Then he pauses. He’s scowling in a way that makes me sure I’ve already disappointed him.
“What?†I ask defensively.
“You just remember who the enemy is,†Haymitch tells me.
Thinking about this a second time, I feel like this sheds a lot of light on Haymitch’s insistence on Katpee making allies. I don’t think he’s disappointed in her yet; maybe he believes that if there was one person who could inspire the other tributes to revolt in the arena, it’s Katniss. So he’s merely reminding her: her competitors are not her enemy. The Capitol is.
After an awful night of sleep, they awake and it’s apparent the Games are going forward as planned. Peeta and Katniss are separated and Cinna begins to work his calming magic. I respect him so much for how dedicated he is towards making Katniss feel comfortable. He sits with her in the Hovercraft until they reach the Launch Room at the arena, where he begins the process of dressing her and doing her hair.
We sit, as we did last year, holding hands until the voice tells me to prepare for the launch. He walks me over to the circular metal plate and zips up the neck of my jumpsuit securely. “Remember, girl on fire,†he says,†I’m still betting on you.†He kisses my forehead and steps back as the glass cylinder slides down around me.
Even reading this a second time for the review, my heart gets heavy with dread. The plate doesn’t rise immediately, as it usually does. In a moment of panic, Katniss looks to Cinna for answers he doesn’t have.
Suddenly the door behind him bursts open and three Peacekeepers spring into the room. Two pin Cinna’s arms behind him and cuff him while the third hits him in the temple with such force he’s knocked to his knees. But they keep hitting him with metal-studded gloves, opening gashes on his face and body. I’m screaming my head off, banging on the unyielding glass, trying to reach him. The Peacekeepers ignore me completely as they drag Cinna’s limp body from the room. All that’s left are the smears of blood on the floor.
I can’t. You can’t do that to Cinna. Oh god, they’re going to kill him for what he did, aren’t they? Oh jesus christ, this is so horrible. CIIIIIINNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAA!!!!
Sickened and terrified, I feel the plate begin to rise. I’m still leaning against the glass when the breeze catches my hair and I force myself to straighten up. Just in time, too, because the glass is retreating and I’m standing free in the arena.
Something seems to be wrong with my vision. The ground is too bright and shiny and keeps undulating. I squint down at my feet and see that my metal plate is surrounded by blue waves that lap up over my boots. Slowly I raise my eyes and take in the water spreading out in every direction.
I can only form one clear thought.
This is no place for a girl on fire.
THE ARENA IS FUCKING WATER?????? Oh god up in heaven, this is simply un-preparable.
I can’t handle this. The Games are happening, Cinna’s likely dead, and the arena is water-based.
Collins: 4 billion, All The Rest of Us: 0.
I'm pretty sure I let out an audible "nooo!!" at work when I read what happened to Cinna 🙁
I did exactly the same thing. Massive dramatic gasp, and everything…
Yes!!
I NEVER saw the whole Cinna dying thing coming … I think that shocked me more than anything else.
I know! I mean, we were prepared for death- but only after we got into the arena! It was so shocking!
It's just a fucking horrible image! And it's CINNA. Why would you do that to CINNA, Suzanne Collins? WHY DO YOU HATE US SO?
And she doesn't even kill him right in front of us and by us I mean Katniss. She forces us and by us I mean Katniss to spend every single subsequent page clutching to the slim hope that he's still alive. It's almost more cruel, the not knowing.
CINNNAAAAAA
And there's no way Katniss can find out what happened to him while she's in the arena, and I bet the Capitol knows that and deliberately did it right before she went in. What an awful thing to do.
I'm still holding out for Cinna Backstory, though. COLLINS LOVES THEM FLASHBACKS AFTER ALL.
Me too! Although I think actually if they were going to kill him they would have just done it immediately, like the whistling guy in D11. I think the fact they bothered too cuff him actually bodes (relatively?) well.
I dunno, its not like he has a lot of plausible deniability, and anything that happens is going to be awful but I kinda think he'll survive.
And the water?! So I guess they're still going to have to GTFO the launch-pads, but then what? Is this water deep, are they gonna have to swim? Can Peeta swim?! Is there even land?! Are there beasites?! How in water will there be a cornucopia?
Agghh 1 chapter a day is torture!
I did the same thing. On the tube. I got a lot of funny looks.
Peeta, you are genius. This is your finest moment. Can the Capitol actual go forward with the idea of killing a pregnant mother? Are they that depraved?
Sure, they might actually be, and Peeta’s bluff might be pointless, but I’m sure he knew this. Because the affect that matters most is the fact that everyone else who hears this has now reacted in a way that now virtually begs for a rebellion.
I KNOW, RIGHT? OMG. PEETA. I WILL LOVE HIM FOREVER AND EVER. He's starting a rebellion and making the Capitol people who are supposedly so in love with Katpee's love story start to question the Capitol by bluffing about the marriage and the baby. He's making them face who they are. It's brilliant. He's waging a war with words and not guns and I love him for it forever.
And you just KNOW that Snow planned Cinna's arrest/beating to take place exactly as Katniss was still in the room, but trapped and powerless in her glass cylinder. You just know he gets off of making other people feel stripped of agency and power. I mean, that's what the entire Capitol system is based on.
THIS CHAPTER IS SO AMAZING. IT BLOWS MY MIND EVERY TIME.
Can I be team PLEASE LET MY BELOVED CHARACTERS LIVE! (sorry for shouting but the emotions are running high)
Cinna, tears forever! My heart is preparing for his death and really I hope it is at least relatively quick. And now I just hope some of these other awesome characters make it through. I am worried about Peeta too because he reeks of death to me with his characterization and the actions he has taken.
Tears forever!!!!
FUCK YOU SNOW!! My girl Katniss is going to humiliate and destroy you for this!!! %+”-)%&*”!!!
Oh I love how Snow beat up Cinna in front of Katniss to unhinge her. I just can’t with this.
This is my least favorite chapter of the entire book. Cinna is my favorite and I love him so much omg.
I love the hand holding of the victors. One of my favorite parts of the whole series. Katniss is the one that starts it off by holding Chaff's hand/stump, so maybe she is the one that could start a rebellion in the arena.
Also when Katniss is thinking after the pregnancy announcement "Isn't is the thing I dreaded most about the wedding, about the future – the loss of my children to the Games? And it could be true now, couldn't it?" Made me double take because at first I thought she was implying that she actually could be pregnant.
Yeah. There was a moment there where I was thinking about my complaints from the last book and the lack of acknowledgement that there's a step or two between 'falling in love' and 'having a baby,' and wondering if Katniss really doesn't have any clue where babies come from.
WHAT? WHAT? NOOO CIIIINNNNAAA!!!!!!
brb going to sit in a corner dejectedly
Peeta was beyond fabulous in this chapter. Loving me some Peeta! Clever with just the right touch to effect everyone listening!
CIIIIIIINNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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OMG OMG the second pic. Dawson-crying forever.
Ten years later, he is still crying!
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Bwaha. He is the greatest sport for Van Der Week.
i am flipping my shit right now because i don't remember what happens next!
for the love of all that is good & holy, can you please do another chapter review today?!?!
CIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Oh, snap! Peeta went there. What an amazing thing for him to do. As if the Quell wasn't bad enough and already cause for rebellion, WELL FORGET THAT BECAUSE THE CAPITOL IS KILLING PREGNANT MOTHERS OMG THEY ARE EVIL FOREVER BECAUSE KILLING CHILDREN WASN'T ENOUGH BEFORE WHAT THE HELL WHAT THE HELL (/mass pandemonium in the Capitol). Poor Capitol citizens. They don't know what just hit them! Peeta, I love you forever (since it doesn't look like Cinna's going to make it to forever. Oh, but neither is Peeta. FUCK THIS).
Also, the Victors holding hands is one of my favorite images, ever. BAMFs, all of them.
Katniss! I can't even deal with what just happened (CINNA!) but pull yourself together before you get killed!
All hell, it has just broken loose (can you tell? Plus I'm pretty sure a sign of that is my inability to form coherent, intelligent thoughts to describe it, heh). Collins, jeez. All of this is so fucking evil. Just like President Snow. Who is going down, by the way, the bastard.
Cinna. *sniffle* DDD:
I love how killing 12-year-olds is okay, but a pregnant person gives them pause. I mean, I get it, but it's kind of absurd when you realize they've been watching children kill each other for years.
Meh, those kids were probably starving away in some district somewhere anyway. Starvation is so boring. If they're going to die regardless, why not watch them kill each other instead?!? Much more exciting!
But Katniss's baby! They ~know~ this baby! They were rooting for its mother (after she managed not to be killed by, you know, those other starving children) AND father! Plus, it probably wouldn't have starved because it would have lived in the Victors' Village in a life of comparative luxury!
Ugh.
CINNNAAAA!!!<img src="http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/thefbm42/nooooooooo.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"><img src="http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/thefbm42/rageeee.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"><img src="http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/thefbm42/sad.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket"><img src="http://i1086.photobucket.com/albums/j449/thefbm42/crynoo.gif" border="0" alt="Photobucket">
lol. A+ gifspam
Oh god please not the Stitch crying in the rain gif! TEARS FOREVER
Same thing I thought, because my lil' boston terrier looks just like him. It always makes me think of my dog crying, and I fall apart.
WHY CAN'T WE HAVE NICE THINGS, COLLINS?!
I knooow!!!!! =( =( =( =(
And now I'm remembering Sirius dying. And poor Stitch is crying in the rain. And Emma's hair.
BRB CRYING FOR ALL OF THE SAD THINGS EVER.
where was the last gif from?
It's from this interview http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWpMvQCuE_Y
oh thank you!! I especially like "I've got weird older man crushes" =D
Aww, Stitch, ILU 🙁
What's that last gif? Her hair changes!
AMAZING GIFSPAM
Thank you!!
ME TOO BB ME TOO.
HE WAS THEIR FRAAAAAAAAAND.
[/terrible person]
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I say, Blackadder! Who will design my frilly pantaloons now!?
WHAT IS THIS FROM. I see it everywhere I MUST KNOW
It's Hugh Laurie in Blackadder
I actually yelled a string of curses and nonsense mixed with whimpering at my screen at this point. It's just NONONONO COLLINS WHYYYY? CIIINNAAA!!!
I love the parallel between the interviews, first Katniss twirling (of course the second time with much more meaning) and then Peeta dropping a bomb. This time though, he isn't just trying to save Katniss, he has rebellion in his mind too. It's amazing, and damn I love Peeta.
And the arena? OMG I don't even know if I could process that after what happened to Cinna.
FUCK SNOW
I has all the hate for the Crapitol!
FUCK SNOW
Considering the storms rolling through the US right now, this takes on a hilarious new meaning out of context.
Ahahahaha I read "FUCK SNOW" and thought you were referring to the fact that I have 14in of snow on the ground right now and it's still a blizzard.
But then I wondered how that was relevant to this chapter.
And then I felt like an idiot.
HAHAHA sorry, but there's a radiant sun and almost unbearable heat where I live! Southern Hemisphere, no snow, definitely no blizzards ever.
hey, some of the southern hemisphere gets blizzards! Just… not where most of the people live.
Yeah, I meant the part of the hemisphere where I live. Clearly I suck at making myself understood. 😉
We get some wicked mad floods though, apparently.
(No I don't presume you're also Aussie, just showing some hemispheric solidarity).
No, I'm in Uruguay, South America, but Brazil seems to be having that flooding problem too. Guess we're screwed up everywhere.
When I read this part, I had the impression that they actually killed Cinna in front of Katniss. Beating him over and over with metal studded gloves? Dragging his limp body from the room? And the timing, to throw Katniss off at the most crucial moment of the games. ::shudder::
I was shocked yesterday at where the last chapter ended. I remember the interviews happening all at once, because that's how I read it. I couldn't wait for this review and Peeta's pregnancy bomb (that sounds bad…I don't mean for it to sound bad). He is such a complete BAMF, and uses his talents very, very well.
When Peeta was all "if it weren't for the baby," I honestly threw the book down and threw my hand in the air. After that, I was just like WHATEVER. BRING IT COLLINS.
And then Cinna happened. And I wanted her to cease bringing it.
PRETTY PLZ STOP BRINGING IT COLLINS
<img src='http://chzgifs.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/nowantp1.gif' title="NO WANT Gif – NO WANT" alt="NO WANT Gif – NO WANT" />see more Gifs
She thought about leaving it at home, but she didn't want to get there and then realize she needed it and have to go back and get it, so yeah, she brought it.
At least Katniss knows how to swim, riiight?? I wonder how many tributes DON'T know how to swim. What about Peeta? He can't swim can he? This arena shall be troublesome.
Probably a lot. I bet the ones from 11 can't swim, since it's probably landlocked. But the ones from 4…
HOSHIT IT'S THE WATER TEMPLE. SO MAYBE THEIR SUITS ARE ACTUALLY MADE BY ZORAS AND CAN MAKE THEM BREATH UNDERWATER SOMEHOW. drowning would be boring.
Best game ever. Even though I constantly want to strangle Ruto. I totally ship Link/Malon.
Aaaaaand, now I'm going to go get Ocarina on my wii…. Blast.
Good to see I wasn't the only one wondering if Katniss could swim but then I remembered her story about swimming in the lake as a kid so I guess she hasn't forgotten yet. Does that mean there are no mines around to blow their faces off should they step off the plate before 60 seconds? And you have to wonder how much of an advantage Finnick's got right now. Shoot, I'm sure even Mags will turn into a synchronized swimmer once she's got the buoyancy of an ocean helping her out.
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CINNNAAA
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THIS NEEDS TO BE USED AGAIN
http://nooooooooooooooo.com/
IT IS ENTIRELY APPLICABLE AND NECESSARY.
And now I envision President Snow as Palpatine. Thanks.=D
I always did.
DO NOT WAAAAAAAANT!
I'm pretty sure we need this here:
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LOL. AVPM!HARRY. I love him so much. This gif has come in so useful so many times.
President Snow, that bastard… I'm gonna find him, I'm gonna throw everything I know at him. I'm talking lumos, alohamora, jelly legs jinx, everything. I'M IN A RAGE!!! THIS IS THE MADDEST I'VE EVER BEEN!!!
"I AM IN A RAGE".
I am too, Darren. I AM TOO.
Edit: Remember last chapter when I said that Snow better not even touch Cinna? Well he did, and now he's officially on my shit list.*hateful glare*
Yeah, that *sniffs* that helps a little… :'(
Oh man. This totally didn't show up when I was posting my comment, so there are now 2 of these on here. However, given what just happened to Cinna, I think it's safe to say it's perfectly acceptable y/y/y?
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i can almost hear him o_o
I'm afraid to mention anything for fear of accidentally spoiling you, but I just finished reading Mockingjay, and the amount of irony contained in this blog is staggering. I won't say what; I won't say when, but things happen. And you know that they will. And you will still not be prepared. In fact, "you are not prepared" is no longer an adequate sentiment to describe this book anymore.
You were not prepared; you haven't been prepared; you aren't prepared; you aren't being prepared; you will not be prepared. Your unpreparedness is such that it transcends past, present, and future and becomes an eldrich horror all its own.
You said "eldrich", we must be twinsies of the Astral Plane.
All of the above – exactly!
I have just finished Mockingjay as well – and I'm not prepared for Mark reading this even!
YES YES YES.
I almost wanna laugh at how unprepared Mark (and all the others here that haven't read the book) are for what is to be unleashed on them in Mockingjay.
I have finished the series also and I laugh at how unprepared everyone is.
Muhahaha…
Ummm. I think they just did kill Cinna. It's not spelled out, but beating him repeatedly across the head with metal batons? He's a goner.
Brb, crying forever.
Eh, unless they want to use their ~super speshul~ Capitol technology to keep him alive. For torturing purposes because that's what these people seem to enjoy.
NO, FORGET I EVER SAID THAT. PLEASE JUST KILL HIM RIGHT AWAY. PLEASE.
0.O Oh that is so f*cked up! (And they would totally do it, those evil bastards) .
But I personally decree that Cinna died instantly and is sitting in heaven designing awesome costumes and making rude gestures at President Snow.
His first creation is a jacket with "FUCK SNOW" embroidered all over it and little buttons in the shape of raised middle fingers.
But of course!
First thing i thought of when you mention the keeping alive thing was that episode of SG-1 where Jack is getting tortured by Ba'al.
No I'm just going to be in denial….:(
Pop culture head injuries are not like RL head injuries. In TV and movies and such you can get bonked on the head repeatedly, hard enough to stay unconscious for hours, and come out of it with no long-term damage.
But yes, if he got smacked with metal batons repeatedly IRL he would at the very least be suffering serious brain damage.
In all honesty the only thing that stopped me from actually screaming aloud when I read about Cinna was the fact that I was on a crowded train at the time. I was SO UPSET. (Okay, I'm still SO UPSET.) I had to put the book down and listen to funny podcasts for an hour before I was prepared to pick it back up, which probably makes me sound really lame, but, CINNAAAAAAA NOOOOO.
I so enjoyed the idea of Cinna sticking it to Snow and Peeta hamming it up on stage that I just knew something terrible was going to happen. Poor Cinna. And doing it just as Katniss was going into the arena? Fucked up.
But extremely well calculated. Killing her friend in front of her, right before sending her to an arena that appears to be designed specifically to 'extinguish the girl on fire'. You know that Snow is watching this somewhere over steepled hands and saying "Just as planned" in a creepy serene voice.
What Peeta did was genius! I was so shocked when I first read that, that at first I thought it was true.
The hand holding of the victors was such a great moment for me. Everyone finally got to see the districts working as one against the capitol.
CCCCCCCCCCCIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!
What happened to Cinna was beyond HORRIBLE!!! How could do they do that to Cinna!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm pretty sure I cried when I read this part.
Mark, ever since I found out about your love for Cinna, I have been waiting to see your reaction to this chapter. Every time you would say Team Cinna I'd think about this particular chapter and think, "He is so UNPREPARED!" (you're still not prepared by the way)
no words can express how i feel for cinna. *tear*
peeta was absolutely, positively, brilliantly fabulous in this chapter.
team cinna.
team peeta.
team katniss.
team katpee.
team haymitch.
gosh why are there so many good characters??
"gosh why are there so many good characters??"
So Collins can make our lives utterly tragic, of course.
"gosh why are there so many good characters??"
It looks like the comment I posted didn't make it, so I apologise if this pops up again later. Obviously she writes so many good characters because she is DETERMINED to break our hearts!
I was going to say something along those lines! :p
I totally agree, when Peeta dropped that bomb, I have never wanted to high-five someone (fictional or otherwise) more. Ever.
And I think this calls for a second review today, just saying…
Yes, but that second review should be Infinite Jest. I've been waiting two days for that one. Hint hint, Mark.
Not to pressure you or anything. Take all the time you need to relax and maintain your mental health.
But tell me your thoughts on Infinite Jest, too!
Okay, that's it, down with the Crapitol!!!
Oh man, when I read this chapter I seriously regretted buying this book to read along, Mark. I was crying like I was ten years old watching "The Lion King". Serious Simba moment, except weeping for Cinna.
I only wanted ONE Nice Thing, and Collins took him! Phooey on the Crapitol, I say it again!
Oh, Hey Mark, when you do to develop the technology to give fictional characters high fives please give me call so I can use it and punch Snow in the face kthxbye.
Fuck. Siriusly. CIIIIIINNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WHYYYYYYYYYY??!?!?!?!??!?!? The fact that they beat Cinna (whyyyyy?!?!?!?!?) right in front of her is even more awful because it's Darius all over again. This are two people that have gotten hurt (or even dead, OMG NOOOOOOO 🙁 ) because of her, because they have wanted to help her or because they have been nice to her. FUCK YOU SNOW. Peeta is a genius. Team Peeta forever. And Team the other Victors too, they are representing the rebellion and making it more real for everyone, and they will be BAMF forever. So for the Capitol, Kat is pregnant, and I didn't see that one coming. Again, PEETA YOU ARE AWESOME PLEASE NEVER CHANGE.
And now I will preceed to cry on a corner for my Cinna. BRB.
can i just say that mark figures everything out/ understands things like 10 billion chapters before i do?
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One of my favorite things that Collins keeps doing is reminding us that Peeta is just really freaking amazing at improvising. This, the goat man story, the random epicness of PAINTING himself as a last defense. Awesome.
In other news, CIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I may or may not have started crying when I read that the first time…even if I was in the middle of an English class…
the "im pregnant" sentence was at the top of the page for me, and my mom looked over to see what i was reading, and she probably thought it was some gossip girl high school drama instead of murderfest 5000
Can the Capitol actual go forward with the idea of killing a pregnant mother? Are they that depraved?
Based on what we know so far? I'm going to go with YES, ABSOLUTELY.
Also, OH GOD, CINNA, CRYING FOREVER D:
And they are probably going to love doing it too. Murderous assholes.
Anyone else want to shove roses down Snow's puffy maw?
I love you Cinna!
This chapter inspired my first Hunger Games related dream. I was a tribute and we were all hanging out in the water. We befriended a giant crustacean creature (about the size of a raft) and he was letting the old people sit on him so they wouldn't drown. The rest of us were diving down to the underwater Cornucopia to retrieve explosives, hopefully nuclear weapons (yeah, I don't know— dreams != logic). Our plan was to escape the arena and bomb the Capitol to death. I actually overslept an hour this morning, because when my alarm went off I was like "No, not enough explosives yet! Must kill Capitol!" and I turned it off D:.
Anyhow, I think the mental image of them all holding hands is my favorite part of this series so far. And while Peeta's story was fantastic, it was kind of sad, too. It's clear that he does not expect for either of them to live through this, or he wouldn't make it such an easily disprovable lie. That story was designed to start a rebellion after their death :(.
As far as Team Cinna goes, I'm going to unrealistically pretend that he is totally alright because he was rescued by rebels after he got beat up ;_;. I can't accept him being dead yet.
Lastly, Capitol government sucks at spin. The only way they could salvage this is by making sure the tributes kill each other. Instead, they make an arena that appears (at first glance, I admit) to encourage teamwork, and where all the deaths will likely be at the Capitol's hands. If my wild assumptions based on half a sentence of description are correct, then any action they take against each other will only hurry along their own eventual death by drowning.
I just want to clarify that I have not read past this chapter, so none of this is spoilery. I have no idea if there is an underwater cornucopia with nuclear weapons, or if they are about to befriend a giant crustacean. 😀
Dang, you had my hopes up!
Who knew this was going to turn into the Little Mermaid?
<img src=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_H2Nyr9b9m8A/RzpMC-D32uI/AAAAAAAAECg/l7i-f4xvb8o/s1600-h/sebastian.gif>
That will make it all better.
His name is Clarence, and he is a giant sea horse, so no worries, that wasn't a spoiler. 😀
good arena or BEST arena?
I always thought the fact that the games continued showed that it was not a quarter quell written 75 years ago but that Snow did come up with the idea of using past victors just to kill Katniss and thus kill the revolution. If it was just a convenient quarter quell theme, snow could look good by canceling the games after the public freak out that was the interviews, but if it was his plan all along and he is dead set on killing Katniss, the games have to go on
*holds a candle in the air for Cinna*
BRB, CRYING FOREVER.
crazy right? I have to admit, if I didn't like the way this story was going (and I have always loved this story from the beginning) Collins would have won me over with this chapter only. SO much happened, Peeta's confession, the districts united and then poor, poor Cinna!
This was one of those "close book, crawl under covers, cry" moments ….
I know it's been posted earlier, but it needs to happen again. NOOOOOOOOOO
CINNAAAAAA!!!! :'( Stop hurting him!!!
Going to try to stem my anguish so I can form some coherent thoughts about this chapter. ::deep breath:: Okay. I thought it was so tragic that Haymitch could only stand to give Katpee a brief hug each. It's so sweet and absolutely heartbreaking. They all may argue constantly but they are truly family and they are saying goodbye. Oh, no, more tears are coming.
Snap out of it, Stella, there must be something you liked. Yes! The Chain of Victors! Loved that bit. It reminded me so much of the Baltic Chain where about 2 million people held hands across the three Baltic states (it must have felt weird to be the people at the end). I'm not crazy about this Peeta bomb, I preferred the one from THG, but I love what it leads to. I also appreciate the comparisons we can make about Peeta from THG and Peeta from CF. In THG, he showed off his heavy lifting skills and tried to keep the girl he'd been crushing on for most of his life alive. It's cute, sweet, noble. But this Peeta…he is pissed about this Quell. In his session, he forced the Gamemakers to see what they did and during his interview, he made the Capitol citizens want change. He has become a big picture guy and it looks good on him. It shows how good with words he is that the Capitol citizens started freaking out about a pregnant Katniss, but Cecelia, the mother of 3, gets no real reaction that we can see.
I just posted the instant no button too! It's way too perfect!
And I totally agree with what you say about Peeta. He's probably thinking "Dammit, I tried my best to save this girl and now I've got to do it again?" Damn right he's pissed! It definitely shows another side of him, I don't think you can call him "just a nice guy" anymore.
Cinna deserves all the instant no-s and the Harry in a rage-s and the various characters/animals in the rain-s he can get! He is that awesome!
And it's not like Katniss is going to make it easy for him to save her. She didn't last time, even when her last wish wasn't to keep him alive. And you're right. Peeta's still a nice guy, but he's so much more. The Quell is changing him, or at least bringing out another side of him that was rather dormant before now. We saw the immature side, the angry side, the driven side, and now we see the manipulative side. I think sometimes the goodness in Peeta is so obvious that readers don't realize how much more there is to him than "the boy with the bread who loves Katniss."
The interesting thing about the reaction to Katniss being pregnant in comparison to Cecilia with her three children, is how much it reminded me of those anti abortion activists. The ones that would be willing to kill a doctor, or let a woman die in childbirth, rather than allow abortion, because somehow an unborn child is so much more important than a person who's already alive.
It's those kind of people who would try and guilt a person into keeping a child, that they know the parent wouldn't be able to feed. Yet, once the child is actually born, they stop caring about it, or what happens to it.
In the Capitol;, these same people now crying outrage over an unborn child, are probably the same ones who pretty much partied and ate cornflakes while watching a twelve year old little girl getting murdered on their screens..
Exactly. On both accounts. The total hypocrisy and disregard for human life whenever it doesn't involve some unborn baby just kills me.
On a side note, do you think they have pregnancy tests in the districts? That just seems weird to me…. Why would they?
OK. First of all – High Five for the Lonley Island gif at the end!! I kept picturing the part where you hit Cinna being killed and just screaming "Wait? What?!?! WHAT?!?! NOOOOO NOOOOOOOOOO!" Cause you were such a big fan, but let's face it – we all were. I don't think anyone that has ever read the series has not like cinna.
I have to give it to you… Reading these books chapter by chapter — but guess what the story is not over for you yet… but it is for us. Most of us have read the entire series. I read the first two books in a weekend. Then I decided to wait a couple of weeks before starting Mockingjay….just cause I wanted…to leave the story open. I didn't know what happened yet. The story for me is over (though I thouroughl enjoy re-reading these with you — and Infinite Jest should be here today!! (i had to order it offline))You, on the other hand, get to stretch this experience and the excitement of this over a few months… because of your restrain you get to exprience this story alot longer than the rest of us. I think That. Is. Awesome.
For CINNA. ILY.
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DUMBLEDORE! :'( *huddles in a corner, crying*
I'm Team Katniss and Peeta Fuck Some Shit Up >:(
I agree. Team Katniss and Peeta Fuck Some Shit Up FTW!
Just when you think things can't get more fucked up, Collins laughs at you.
B-but, how are they going to keep up the whole 'I'm pregnant' thing in the arena? How far along is Katniss supposed to be? What if she gets slashed in the stomach, some of the horrible wounds she got last time would be enough to cause a miscarriage :S DOES NOT COMPUTE.
silly, Katniss IS pregnant. :O
[no she's not, and you'll see.]
and why is my rep -31p all of a sudden?
Well, clearly the act is that she's only a month or two pregnant, and it would be perfectly normal for her to not show at all for a good 4 months. It would be easy to fake a miscarriage if she got a bloody wound. So fucked up, though. Seriously. I'm sure she's seen women have miscarriages before…
Maybe Peeta's hoping for that? I don't know… there's a few ways they could get out of it
she could "miscarry"
she could die
she could actually get pregnant
they could say it was all a lie
Or she could keep on faking being pregnant and then pretend that someone else's baby was hers after a few months. Because that has worked every time it's ever been used in tv/movies. 😉
I think Peeta figures they're going to die in the arena so it won't much matter.
I don't think Peeta was really worried about getting that far ahead. It's easy enough to fake that they lost the baby. I never felt like he was trying to stop the Games from happening (he knows Snow would never cancel them), I just felt like he was doing what he had to to 1) ensure lots of sponsors for Katniss and 2) piss everyone off and spread the uprising.
I just…I can’t even…
*drops from exhaustion*
How smart is peeta? Seriously. I know gale can make traps and hunt and all but he has got nothing on peeta’s brains. That mother knows how to drop a bomb. Also love the comparison with the first interview when katniss beats him up for saying he liked her. Now its like, she’s pregnant. Nbd. Just a white lie to start the rebellion
Peeta's not smarter, he's a different kind of smart. Gale has street smarts (forest smarts?). Peeta's good with words and understanding people.
I don't want to undermine your point. Peeta is certainly brilliant. But he could no more catch rabbits and barter on the black market than Gale could do what he does. Calling one smarter isn't fair because they have different areas of expertise that simply aren't comparable
I am curious as to why Johanna and Finnick were so determined to get in the same elevator as Katpee.
Especially since these are both Victors that Katniss doesn't particularly care for and I am sure the can tell
Back to the excitement of the games, and to feeling bad that I am looking forward to the games.
So Johanna could strip in front of them again? I mean, she's been clothed for two whole chapters now.
Hmm…I didn't read it as Johanna and Finnick being so desperate to join Katniss and Peeta, but rather the Peacekeepers being desperate to prevent them from joining Katniss and Peeta.
RIP Cinna =(
I'll fucking miss you.
:'(
The water. FOR REAL. I don't know why it never crossed my mind as a possibility before, but somehow I never thought for even a second that it could be that way. And then it was, and I felt the preparedness crumble under my feet like the edge of a cliff hanging over the Chasm of Great and Terrible Unpreparedness.
If you had the willpower to stop reading after that, even for a second, then I am in official awe until the end of time.
Jesus Fucking Christ. My prediction that something would happen to Cinna was absolutely right…and I didn't even feel remotely triumphant. This is horrible, guys. YOU CAN'T TAKE AWAY MY CINNA NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!1!1!!1!
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Fuck everything. Somehow, Mark, SOMEHOW…you are still unprepared.
However, I have to hand it to Peeta on his brilliant move.
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;_________________;
CINNAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
BAAAAAAAAW
THE ARENA IS FUCKING WATER?????? Oh god up in heaven, this is simply un-preparable.
I KNOW RIGHT?!?! WHAT IF YOU CAN'T SWIM? WHAT IF THERE ARE SHARKS? WHAT IF THERE ARE SHRIEKING EELS???
THIS IS WHAT I THOUGHT. HOW IS THIS FUCKWITTERY EVEN POSSIBLE?!?!
Also, wouldn't the tributes from the fishing district have a massive advantage here?
Oh jeez, what if there is NO LAND? And if it's salt water, what will they drink???
I have to say, I was kind of bored at the prospect of another games in another arena, but this has just blown all my expectations out of the water. No pun intended. 😛
Also, LOL shrieking eels. 😀
I guess they don't have to worry about the land mines this time, at least?
UNLESS THERE ARE DEPTH CHARGES.
Bahhahahaha shrieking eels!!!
Finnick is going to swim the hell out of that arena. All the other tributes should just give up now. He's going to swim by with clothes on, to shock them and then stab them with a trident.
Ladies and gentlemen, we are gathered here today to celebrate our love for the wondrous, phantasmagorical, fantastamazing Cinna. He was the sultan of silk, the prestidigitator of plaid, the conquistador or cotton. He was always there for us, to make us feel special and pretty, even when we were going to our death in an arena of doom. His genius eclipsed other creators, and his loyalty can never be faulted. So join me in raising a glass to Cinna, the man who set Panem on fire.
Honestly though, I cried when I read this part, it completely obliterated the rest of the chapter in my mind, and I've been dreading Mark getting to it since then. And every time someone said Team Cinna, of which I am a card carrying member, I cried a little more inside because I knew what was coming. It's also totally not fair to Mark, and he seems to do this often, first with Sirius, then Lupin, and OH I AM GOING TO CRY FOREVER!
Oh. Oh. This is the saddest thing ever.
SIRIUS. LUPIN. CINNA. THEY ARE ALL ALIVE IN THE DENIAL LAND WHICH I'M A HAPPY RESIDENT OF. AND THEY HAVE FRED WITH THEM TOO AND GEORGE'S EAR. AND ALL OF THE UNICORNS AND RAINBOWS IN THE UNIVERS LIVE THERE TOO. WHAT.
Love the guts Cinna had eve if it got him in trouble.
Sadly, the idea of Katniss carrying a child didn’t make the the government feel for her. Once they want to get rid of someone seems like they will do anything to them
And I'm back! Again! Due to a random blizzard monday I've had enough free time to catch up with you guys in CF, so I'm making my triumphant return to snarking the hell out of this series.
– “'Feathers,' says Caesar. 'You're like a bird.'” I'm sorry but that is a dumb line. No matter how flabbergasted Mr. Flickerman is, he shouldn't sound that dumbfounded. What's next? “Hair,” Peeta says “You're like a mammal.”
– “ 'Cinna, I think you better take a bow!'” You know, BEFORE the government has you silently killed for treason.
– “'Caesar, do you think all our friends here can keep a secret?'” Oh fuck. I don't know what Peeta has planned, but something tells me Haymitch will be putting every ABC store in the capitol out of business tonight.
– Peeta, have fun getting verbally abused after this. Actually, just to be safe, let's have all vases removed from Floor 12. 😀
– “'…if it weren't for the baby.'” If I knew how to post images, I would be posting every single applause gif and jpg I could fit into this post.
– “As the bomb explodes, it sends accusations of injustice and barbarism and cruelty flying out in every direction.” Collins I hate to tell you this but you are not good with analogies so please stop using them immediately or I will be forced to YELL ANGRILY OVER THE INTERNET AT YOU.
– “Up and down the row, the victors begin to join hands.” …and then begin a rousing chorus of Kumbaya. It is beautiful.
– “Are they asking the president to stop the Games?” Wishful thinking my boy.
– “'…tell her we send our love.'” D'awwwwwwww
– “'You just remember who the enemy is,'” *APPLAUSE*
– “Do we sleep?” Was I asleep? Had I slept?
– This is a silly, silly uniform
– I would once again press the ridiculous, awkward, and all around terribleness of the “girl on fire slogan” again, but I've by now resigned myself to just letting Collins have her fun.
– Oh shit. I figured this was happen off screen! Guess the capitol wanted to give Katniss more emotional baggage before this was over. (Also, I totally called it.)
– Told you it was a stupid slogan. (Why yes, I am contradictory, why do you ask?)
Overall, I liked this chapter, the unity shown between the Victors was something I wasn't expecting, and I'm glad to see that whether this was President Slushie's plan or not, it's royally screwing the Capitol with bad press. Also, Peeta's bomb drop was pretty spectacular and I sort of had a flashback to “The Crucible” with accused witches pleading for a stay of executions by claiming they were pregnant. Sorry Cinna, but I taking on tyrannic regimes like that usually ends up with your blood outside your body. Still, I hope you live because you're one of the few characters who's never annoyed me! Looking forward to the Quell now, especially with it apparently taking place in water world.
Grade: “B”
ps. If anyone here ever needs to build some energy or suspense while reading/watching something, just start playing this song in the background: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cg0VWxVqAmM
For the life of me I cannot understand why people are voting this comment down. I laughed so hard while reading your comments. Especially this— “'Feathers,' says Caesar. 'You're like a bird.'” I'm sorry but that is a dumb line. No matter how flabbergasted Mr. Flickerman is, he shouldn't sound that dumbfounded. What's next? “Hair,” Peeta says “You're like a mammal.”
I think I got down-voted because I was so non-chalant about what happened to Cinna. Don't get me wrong, it's a terrible thing for Kat to have to experience, let along that wonderful man himself, but I just have a hard time getting really upset over stuff in fiction unless it pisses me off.
I don't know why it is upsetting me today, but I'm just growing increasingly tired of people downvoting posts when they express an opinion or don't follow some sort of fangirl formula. When a gif that the commenter did not create get +75 and a thoughtful response gets -13, the whole voting system gets on my nerves.
/rant over
I totally agree. I hate down-voting.
I think people also don't like people actually having criticisms of the book… which pisses me off. Downvote a comment if it's offensive or spoilery, not if you don't agree with the opinion stated.
Snark should never, ever be downvoted. Snark is what makes reading these reviews/comments fun. It can't be all TEAM WHOEVER or ALSDKGHAL;DKSHGAL;SKDGHALSDKJF or YOU ARE NOT EVER FUCKING PREPARED all the time!
I've also noticed lately that it looks like someone consistently goes through and downvotes every comment. Um, what?
Aw, and I was just about ready to STEAL your commenting format! Welcome back! Again!
Your flashback seems similar to one I just had about "Cheers." Woody's debate against the city counsel incumbent wasn't going so well––until his wife announces that they're having a baby! It's great to see that some plot devices never die! 😉
I think President Slushie is a fantastic name. Even better than your others, President Sleet or Freezerburn or whatever they were.
Okay, first of all, that whole baby thing was exactly like in Chicago when Roxy lies about the baby. AMIRITE?
BUT THEN TEARS FOR FUCKING EVER!!
<img src="http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/uu315/elle_ela/skins%20gif/th24ycq4z.gif" border="0" alt="skins cook Pictures, Images and Photos"/>
WHAT
<img src="http://i881.photobucket.com/albums/ac11/sophie0hp/GIF/sad1.gif" border="0" alt="sad Tony from Skins Pictures, Images and Photos"/>
WHAT
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WHAT THE FUCKKKKK
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I AM LEGIT GOING TO RIP YOUR PERKY LITTLE BOOBS OFF SNOW!
<img src="http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m274/bekkiglittz/GIFs/Skins/3fe99c7e.gif" border="0" alt="Michelle, Skins GIF Pictures, Images and Photos"/>
Snow=Umbridge! We all knew that and thanks for Postin!
Yay, more Skins gifs! Seriously, I think that every major character on that show has cried at least once. I haven't actually seen Chicago, so I can't comment on that. Also, I'm afraid that Snow doesn't have boobs to rip off. That is unless the most epic plot twist ever is coming.
Excellent Skins gifs! The one of Effy, oh lord.
Also: Michelle would never, never fuck a horse.
I KNOW RIGHT?!
T_T
CINNA!!! :'(
And making Katniss watch that just before the games begin – what an awful awful thing to do to her, meaning she's completely unprepared right from the off.
Oh God, if they do anything to hurt Haymitch…I will be INCONSOLABLE.
I have to say, Collins is really good at making me care about not very important characters, because right now I'm even fearing for the safety of Effie and the prep team. I mean, the prep team worked with Cinna right?? And what about Portia, Peeta's stylist?
IS NO ONE SAFE COLLINS???
I love the display of unity among the victors. It's like they're saying "you want to put us all back in the arena? Fine, but we're doing it on our own terms!" Since the Capitol citizens think of the victors as celebrities they obviously hold a great influence over them. The citizens of the Capitol seemed to finally realize how injust the whole system of the Games is, at least this year. And maybe the victors' show of unity is just enough to incite a rebellion within the Capitol.
And Cinna 🙁 He is always so selfless, trying to keep Katniss calm, doing his best to help her win, and he gets this?? And Katniss has to witness this right before she goes into the arena? Way to try unhinge her as the Games are beginning. Now all she's going to be thinking about is if Cinna is alive. Awful 🙁
i didn't fully understand katniss' obsession with sacrificing herself so peeta could live until now. but as long as she's alive, the people she loves can be hurt just to mess with her. if she dies, especially saving someone she loves, they can't hurt anyone just for the sake of unhinging her anymore (O HAI HP PARALLEL). i don't know why it took so long to make sense, but what happend to cinna (NOOOOOOO!!!!!!) finally made it clear.
I wonder to what extent everyone believes this whole 'baby' thing? Because although the Capitol public just lap it up, I can't imagine for a minute that Snow etc would buy it. And the people in the Districts too…they seem more canny than that.
I don't know, the story of them already being married was tragic and believable, but saying Katniss is also now conveniently pregnant as well seems to stretch it a little for me. Sort of like a woman in jail deliberately getting pregnant to get off the death sentance?
Maybe Peeta doesn't care, since he was just trying to play the crowd at the time and gather sympathy but I don't really see this con working out in the long run.
What interests me though, is whether this will have any effect on how Katniss is treated in the arena?
Sorry for posting yet another comment, but I just had to get out some random thoughts after dealing with the initial shock of Cinna. 🙁
She could technically be pregnant in the eyes of the citizens and they have no reason not to believe her.
I don't remember them ever mentioning that they there's any kind of contraception available in the Districts. I kind of assumed useful stuff like that was not readily available except in the Capitol. Also, everyone probably already knows from rumors that Katniss and Peeta having been sleeping together for a year (though WE know they were actually sleeping).
I could see Snow having suspicions about it, but it seems like a really believable story to me.
Katniss had only one sister, Prim, and her mom came from a middle class background. Gale's mom came from the Seam and had more kids. I'm guessing contraception is available the same way it is in the modern US – legal and accessible except for when you're poor. And we've seen how the poor fare in this world.
I'm guessing the fact that Mrs Everdeen is a healer and her husband had a rather large knowledge of plants did help in regards to birth control.
Victors'll think it's total BS, they were playing the crowd too. And remember, she sorta-kinda tipped off Finnick? "Everyone seems to know my secrets before I know them myself"
It's not a huge stretch to guess how Cinna got caught up in this apparent rebellion, given how he's so unlike everyone else in the Capitol. We don't really know much about Portia, but I'm really curious how she became involved enough to go along with his plans — unless she just thought they were gorgeous designs and didn't guess the intention behind them.
I'm sure Portia's on to Cinna. She would never be just the innocent, boring woman.
Argh, I hated this part so much! Cinna seriously is one of the best characters EVER. To have him knocked out like that, all bloody and most likely dead, it's SO UNFAIR.
God this chapter….
The scene where the victors join hands is probably my favorite part of this whole book, yet the immediacy and brutality of Cinna being beaten and dragged off is one of the most devastating things I can imagine. The emotional dichotomy is severely unnerving, I was literally shaking when I read this the first time.
The tributes after the interview:
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Cinna!!! 🙁
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fantastic gifs
Spike crying!!! This scene makes me cry so much!!!!
That tends to be the moment in 'The Gift' when I start crying, just seeing Spike break down like that gets me every single time.
"Bugger this."
Wow, I am seriously watching Once More With Feeling at this very instance! That is hilarious! And also Buffy rocks forever!
See, Mark, from the moment you announced you'd be reading this series, I've been wondering, "How in the hell is he going to read this series one chapter at a time!?" and it's because of moments like this. I remember you kind of laughing at THG saying, "After HP, I can handle this!"
I mean, I love me some HP but…yeah…nothing can prepare you. NOTHING.
Collins is a merciless writer and I really respect and love that about her. I mean, it makes me die inside to read about characters I love so deeply being horribly tortured, terrorized, beaten, killed, and otherwise damaged, but she really makes you feel when you're reading, and that's powerful.
Collins has also taught me that anytime something beautiful and inspiring and/or badass happens, I should become terrified of the inevitable and daunting ramifications, because apparently, life is filled with tragedy, and it likes to strike right after you start feeling like you can handle it.
After reading the amazing interviews, the Mockingjay dress, and the big reveal – after the uniting of the victors – I thought I could handle whatever Collins threw at me next. Then she bludgeoned Cinna while we were trapped in a glass tube watching and put Katniss on a metal plate in the middle of a bunch of water. Why are we foolish enough to ever think we are prepared? It still gets to me and I already knew this was coming D:
I am ~here for you~, Mark. We all are – and trust me, you're going to need it.
I think I found my niche
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Le Peacekeepers!
I love it!
I like the first one a lot. Second one's still to painful to be funny…
Peeta? This is for you.
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AND CINNNAAAAAAAA sob sob sob
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Wow, I completely forgot about that wedding + pregnancy twist!
Cinnaaaaaa.:(
These rainbow drawings are really making me happy, haha. I didn't realize there was a horrified one to match the completely in awe look.
I forgot about that too! I think that Cinna being beaten to a pulp kind of eclipsed that 🙁
I was listening to this as an audiobook, and I was at work when this part happened, and it was SO HARD not to yell and/or cry when they beat Cinna like that. It was also hard not to cheer at the victors and their interviews, but it was MUCH MUCH HARDER when Cinna was dragged out. Augh.
With all the love you've been showing Cinna lately, I was waiting for you to get to this part. I didn't even want to comment on your unpreparedness for fear of accidentally letting something slip. It's just horrible. EFF EWE, CAPITAL.
I JUST
I CAN'T
THIS BOOK
CINNA
PEETA
AMAZING
FIERCE
I REALLY JUST CANNOT EVEN
ALSO
MARK
YOU ARE JUST NOT EVEN PREPARED
YOU
ARE
NOT
PREPARED.
TEAM CINNA FOREVER AND BEYOND.
Only one other thing to say:
SHIT CAN ONLY GET REALER.
When this chapter ended, I had to put the book down for once and rest before going on because of all the Real Shit. Peeta and the victors being awesome, and then Cinna at the end (SOBBING FOREVER) and the reveal that the arena is entirely/mostly water….I just couldn't handle it.
Also, when the movie comes out they need to make a plush of Cinna so I can hug it. Or something, because I needed hugs after that. 🙁
To be honest, my immediate thought on the pregnancy bluff was that President Snow would just offer to cancel the Games if Katniss is really pregnant. Then she'd have to submit to a pregnancy test (because if she doesn't, it'll be suspicious, and it's not like she'd really have a choice, anyway); the test would come out negative, and Katniss would still be forced to compete.
That way President Snow would look like a (sort of) merciful leader, and the rebellious Katniss and Peeta would be blasted by the media as liars who'll say anything to save their own skins, demoralizing the revolution (though I'm guessing there'd be some second-guessing about whether the pregnancy test was faked) and ensuring that they have far fewer sponsors and therefore much less chance of survival. Two (maybe three?) birds, one stone.
And why have these people still not learned that live video feeds are not their friends???
Apparently, I need to work as a PR person for an evil corporation or something.
You are much better at evil than Snow is. It's seriously frustrating that our face of ultimate evil in these books is a moustache-twirling sadist rather than someone who appears to have an actual plan.
And why have these people still not learned that live video feeds are not their friends???
They haven't been exposed to Janet Jackson's nipple.
BEST COMMENT EVER UPVOTE A MILLION TIMES
Seriously. I know I've said it before, but Snow is an incompent bully. He'd rather bludgeon his problem than confront it in a logical, productive way. I suppose it's a testament to the power of violence or the vapidity of the Capitol that he's been in power for at least 25 years.
Dumbass needs to review The Prince, because you're not supposed to be feared to the point of hatred.
Oh my god, YOU EVIL SO AWESOMELY. I'm guessing Snow doesn't care about his position (um, why? Does he have a more competent person ready to take over once he gets out of power?), he just wants Katniss dead ASAP? She's seventeen. You're pathetic, Snow (but you also creep me out for some reason).
You should totally work for Snow. :p
But that's kinda what I thought when reading it…unlike the wedding, which is symbolic anyway, the pregnancy seems to be a very easy lie to disprove and it would make both Katniss and Peeta look like manipulative asshats to the Capitol public if they found out it was all just a strategy.
They'd get the same sort of backlash that would happen if they found out the whole 'love story' in the first book was a strategy – only this one has a fairly easy test to validate it or not.
But who knows, maybe they really don't have that technology anymore? Or maybe there just wasn't time before the games started to sort out the PR disaster. 😀
<img src="%3 <a href="http://Ehttp://www.gifninja.com/Workspace/8707b170-bdff-45aa-b71b-68044fb3ae97/output.gif">” target=”_blank”>Ehttp://www.gifninja.com/Workspace/8707b170-bdff-45aa-b71b-68044fb3ae97/output.gif">
http://www.gifninja.com/Workspace/8707b170-bdff-4…
<img src="http://www.gifninja.com/Workspace/8707b170-bdff-45aa-b71b-68044fb3ae97/output.gif">
trying again…
So, I literally laughed and shouted "Oh no he didn't!" when Peeta said Katpiss was pregnant. I am glad no one else was in the room because they probably would have thought I was insane.
Serously, this is A+ trolling done by the victors here.
<img src="http://i1039.photobucket.com/albums/a475/alliekovacs/voa.gif">
Hey Capital:
<img src="http://cdn2.knowyourmeme.com/i/000/061/954/original/Kobe-U-Mad.jpg">
Though Cinna will be a trolling god, even if he got banhammered by the Capitol.
<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v615/DWinter/Trolling.jpg">
That gif…..BRILLIANT.
Oh man, this scene with the glass tube is the perfect example of how you can shock the reader by playing with routine. I'd been giving Collins a hard time for repeating the plot, but she caught me off guard with Cinna's punishment––even AFTER I had figured it would happen sometime! I mean, I had been expecting him to be in his room at The Capitol, raising a half-filled glass of Cognac to the Peacekeepers as they smashed his door in––not like this!
I don't know if this is the end for you, Cinna, but expressing creativity in the face of opposition is something I will always respect.
an arena made of water? I think this game is going to be very short.
I guess people didn't appreciate me being first?
Or was it the thing I said about the gallows?
Because I'm seriously confused.
And I'd apologise if I knew what I said was so offensive. -_-
I just.. I am sooo excited to see the cinnamagraphy on this book when it gets adapted. You are soooo not prepared.. but I will say that my I was eep!-ing this whole entire chapter! Well later I gotta help my friend with a cross-dressing stalker
Exactly. This chapter was so much of a bombshell! Collins equals genius, truly.
Oh no. Oh my. I have been dreading the day you would get to this scene.
All the tears for Cinna :(((
This chapter, oh lord THIS CHAPTER.
I cried for Cinna, and I'm crying again as I read your review…. *sob*
WAIT I JUST REALIZED SOMETHING.
Collins used to write for TV, right?
Well I just figured out WHAT she wrote for TV.
INFOMERCIALS.
She is the QUEEN of "But wait, there's MORE!" Just when you think you've got a handle on the deal, she throws an extra hairbrush at you. Only instead of hairbrushes, we get HORRIBLE SURPRISES in these books. "Yeah, we've got tributes being sent back to the Games, we've got Katniss' awesome dress, we've got the tributes uniting in front of the country… BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Order now and we'll beat Cinna to death for FREE!"
I feel the need to create a million dummy accounts just so I can upvote this more.
STOP MAKING ME LAUGH AT HORRIBLE THINGS!!
*goes back to Loling forever*
I feel like all subsequent HORRIBLE SURPRISES need to be referred to as hairbrushes.
Oddly enough, she wrote little kid shows. You know the show "Little Bear"? Yah, that's hers.
It's kinda scary, I used to watch that when I was little…
That's what she WANTS you to think. So that you don't expect the hairbrushes. I'm on to her, though.
So aside from this comment being made of PURE WIN, the first thing I thought of when you said "throws an extra hairbrush at you" is:
"You hit the Lord of Titans in the eye with a blue plastic hairbrush."
STRANGE TANGENT IS STRANGE.
Actually, all this talk of hairbrushes is making me think "Oh wherrrrre is my hairbrush?"
Oh where oh where no hair no fair no hair oh where no fair oh wherrrrrrrre….. is my hairbrush?
VEGGIETALES FOR THE WIN ALWAYS!
PERCY JACKSON, HIGH FIVE.
Mark needs to review the Percy Jackson books.
I don't know about scandal, but Peeta was probably counting on the secret wedding coming off as more romantic and tragic than a couple of teenagers having an accident.
Not that Snow wouldn't have retaliated anyway, but I gave a serious side-eye to Caesar when he called Cinna out for the mockingjay dress…on live television. WHOSE SIDE ARE YOU ON FLICKERMAN.
Hm, interesting. I SHALL PONDER THIS
The arena can't be all water. I mean the platforms did not take an incredibly long time to get to the surface so they can't be deep underthe ocean someplace. And if the arena is like the last one there has to be a spot for all the crazy fireball guns. you cant have anything like that in a flat ocean. unless there are bouys or something like at a pokrmon match.
Also, first comment ever!
But can't you imagine how much fun the Gamemakers would have with an all-water arena? Tidal waves! Tsunamis! Typhoons! Wait, are those the same thing? I just like T-words.
I think Peeta was trying to keep up the idea of Katniss being innocent (or whatever he called her a couple of chapters ago) so he said they were married. Or maybe he didn't want her to beat him up again. :S
I can't figure out sex in Panem. I don't think the Capitol has any problem with it, since it seems like everyone knows what Finnick's… talent is. Maybe it's different in the districts?
my guess – oppressed districts with little food = absolutely no access to birth control.
Yes, and Katniss's feeling that she couldn't get married ever because she refused to have children backs up the idea that birth control is not something they have access too. Plus, taking away family planning from the districts is just another way of stripping them of their agency.
I knew it, at the end of the last chapter. I fucking knew it. That's why I read this book like a shot.
Peeta, FUCKING PEETA, how are you so brilliant?! I swear, he is too good for Katniss.
I've been waiting for this chapter because I know you are so Team Cinna. After Rue, you think we would learn not to get attached to characters from this series, but I loved Cinna and– Oh Mark, you are just not prepared. Even after you read the last chapter of Mockingjay you will not be prepared. And I think that's what makes this series so great.
I got my swim trunks
And my flippie-floppies
I'm killing tributes, you in Panem
Straight killing Mockies*
*The name I just made up for the rebels and their mockingjay crackers so I could rhyme this motherfucking thing.
Hey, random question, but who do you think should play Cinna in the films? Cillian Murphy was suggested somewhere, but he kind of creeps me out a little. So I don't know, any thoughts?
some fan favorites are mathew goode and hugh dancy. i think either would do very well.
Oooh, I like those options!
Oh, Hugh Dancy, you say? I find myself approving of this option!
Matthew Goode
<img src="http://hewholaughs.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/pzjtav0pulqvvlxwh0iytq46o1_400.jpg">
Hugh Dancy
<img src="http://www.parade.com/images/-v2/celebrity/slideshows/hugh-dancy/hugh-dancy-01.jpg">
These shots scream Cinna to me, hehe.
I could totally stand behind that second guy as Cinna.
thank you so much for the pics, I wouldn't have had a clue how either of those guys looked like without this.
Jake Gyllenhaal. Haters to the left.
I saw someone suggest Zachary Levi, which would never have occurred to me but would be great!
*headtilt*
Nnh. Not really seein' it. He's gorgeous, and he could do the warm and open demeanor perfectly, but there's an understated elegance to Cinna that I don't think he could pull off.
It has to be Hugh Dancy
For some reason I keep picturing Elijah Wood in my head. Mostly cause of his eyes. I feel like Cinna needs some intense eyes.
[youtube fXDo8kSMUFE http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fXDo8kSMUFE youtube]
Even Dean is crying over Cinna
SO! Yesterday when I imed you all "WHY DIDN'T YOU FREAK OUT OVER THE BABY?!" I forgot that it was in this chapter that he says it
The only appropriate response to this chapter:
OH GOD OH GOD WHAT THE HELL OH GOD!!
I gotta say, I was really proud of myself because I actually predicted Peeta saying Katniss was pregnant. It was an idea I had about halfway through the interviews that I convinced myself would never happen…and then it DID, and it was AWESOME. XD
Peeta = Roxie Hart
GIF PARTY.
My reaction to this chapter:
<img src="http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x374/eeshannon/Gifs/hermionecry.gif?t=1294872865">
<img src="http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x374/eeshannon/Gifs/pikachu.gif?t=1294873083">
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<img src="http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x374/eeshannon/Gifs/hermionecrying.gif?t=1294873292">
And this is what I want to do to Snow:
<img src="http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x374/eeshannon/Gifs/punch.gif?t=1294872925">
<img src="http://i1178.photobucket.com/albums/x374/eeshannon/Gifs/ryan.gif?t=1294872930">
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