In the twenty-second chapter of Mockingjay, we will never be the same again. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Mockingjay.
I was never, ever prepared for this.
The grace period has ended. Perhaps Snow had them digging through the night. As soon as the fire died down, anyway. They found Boggs’s remains, briefly reassured, and then, as the hours went by without further trophies, began to suspect. At some point, they realized that they had been tricked. And President Snow can’t tolerate being made to look like a fool. It doesn’t matter whether they tracked us to the second apartment or assumed we went directly underground. They know we are down here now and they’ve unleashed something, a pack of mutts probably, bent on finding me.
It’s very Hunger Games-esque, isn’t it? I’m reminded of chapter twenty-five of that first book, of the appearance of the mutts for the first time, and the terror they brought to the story. The parallel is eerie, and it continues to build as the events of this chapter unfold.
Katniss knows that something is coming after her, but she’s shocked (as was I) that Peeta himself was also saying her name. Was he programmed to do this, too?
I position my arrow to penetrate his brain. He’ll barely feel a thing. Suddenly, he’s sitting up, eyes wide in alarm, short of breath. “Katniss!†He whips his head toward me but doesn’t seem to notice my bow, the waiting arrow. “Katniss! Get out of here!â€
My first thought was that Peeta was always meant to do this, that perhaps Snow had intended to give Peeta back and wait for some specific moment to “activate†him so that he could attack Katniss. But then I realized that if this was the case, that moment had already happened out in the streets of the Capitol. So what was happening now? What was coming after them?
Katniss quickly surveys the team of people with her after she suggests splitting up so that these “mutts†don’t go after people who should have never been with her in the first place. I love that Collins didn’t just stick the whole Star Squad with each other, as adding the camera crew makes things more interesting. Well, it’s also a whole lot scarier, but I like this ragtag band of people a lot.
The quickly leave the room they are in as the hissing continues to get louder. What the hell hisses? I thought.
My mind wanders to the wolflike creatures in the first arena, the monkeys in the Quarter Quell, the monstrosities I’ve witnessed on television over the years, and I wonder what form these mutts will take. Whatever Snow thinks will scare me the most.
Well, they hiss. And in the past, Katniss has compared Snow to a snake. So…snakes? Snake mutts? That can whisper? Ugh, I don’t want to know, do I?
We’ve covered about three more blocks via an overflow pipe and a section of neglected train track when the screams begin. Thick, guttural. Bouncing off the tunnel walls.
“Avoxes,†says Peeta immediately. “That’s what Darius sounded like when they tortured him.â€
“The mutts must have found them,†says Cressida.
“So they’re not just after Katniss,†says Leeg 1.
Well, then I am glad they didn’t split up. It would have been pointless. It also speaks to the desperation of Snow at this point. He’s willing to kill absolutely everyone down below in order to get Katniss. Shit is fucked up, y’all. And still, Katniss, wrecked with guilt over the idea that she is sending more people to their death because of what she’s done and who she is, insists that they split up. I know it’s an irrational plan, but I’m glad she still cares.
Ugh.
The screams stop and the whispering is now closer than ever. And in a moment of panic, knowing they can’t head further down like they planned, Katniss directs everyone to put their masks on:
I’m the only one losing my stew because I’m the only one reacting to the odor. Drifting up from the stairwell. Cutting through the sewage. Roses.
Snow knew. He knew she’d react to this. Jesus christ, this is SO TERRIFYING.
Katniss immediately turns away from the stairway leading further down and stumbles into the Transfer, where the Capitol delivery trucks are supposed to be. Katniss goes after the first pod that’s supposed to be there, disabling it, and presses on as quick as she can, knowing that something called the MEAT GRINDER is actually underneath the street they are on and can be triggered by one wrong step. And that’s the moment I realized this was not going to end well. My god.
I whip back around, arrow poised for flight, but what can be done? Two of Gale’s arrows already lie useless beside the wide shaft of golden light that radiates from ceiling to floor. Inside, Messalla is as still as a statue, poised up on the ball of one foot, head tilted back, held captive by the beam. I can’t tell if he’s yelling, although his mouth is stretched wide. We watch, utterly helpless, as the flesh melts off his body like candle wax.
ARE YOU FUCKING SERIOUS????? OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can’t. I can’t. I cannot fucking believe that, COLLINS HOW DID YOU EVEN THINK OF THAT. Oh my god, Messalla is dead. Is this it? Is this when Collins is ready to lay out her final hand and show us that we were never in a billion goddamn years prepared for this?
In short, absolutely.
Because they then move on, forcing themselves to forget about Messalla (HOW COULD YOU EVER FORGET THAT?!?!?!), watching as a squad of Peacekeepers come rushing into the transfer, the infamous “Meat Grinder†separating them. To their advantage, the Star Squad is made up of the best shooters, so Katniss has a moment to feel better about the situation as she watches the Peacekeepers drop like flies. But then more arrive, out of the same tunnel they just came through. And nothing will ever compare to this.
They are white, four-limbed, about the size of a full-grown human, but that’s where the comparisons stop. Naked, with long reptilian tails, arched backs, and heads that jut forward. They swarm over the Peacekeepers, living and dead, clamp on to their necks with their mouths and rip off the helmeted heads. Apparently, having a Capitol pedigree is as useless here as it was in 13. It seems to take only seconds before the Peacekeepers are decapitated. The mutts fall to their bellies and skitter toward us on all fours.
If Kasper was reading this book along with me, I would have made this review an AIM chat. (I do miss those. They were fun.) And at this point, I would have keysmashed like I have never keysmashed before. It would have gone on for minutes, to an absurd level, just to make a point: I was utterly unprepared for this fucking book.
I can’t. I don’t even know what else to say. This is beyond just fucked up. It’s one of the most disturbing things ever.
Katniss, knowing that time is limited, shoots the street to activate the Meat Grinder, giving them (hopefully) some time to escape. She then frantically asks Pollux the easiest way aboveground, and that’s when this gets even worse. The only way to get aboveground? THROUGH THE CLAUSTROPHOBIC, TINY, SMELLY SEWER SYSTEM. Oh, and it’s not just normal sewage, as it’s clearly so toxic that SOME OF IT IS ACTUALLY ON FIRE. Yes, it’s an absurd scene, but I think Collins is acutely aware of how awful this is. She has just ramped up the terror to a level we have not seen in the entire series. If Messalla is dead, who else is she willing to kill off?
In an alcove at the far side, Pollux smacks a ladder with his hand and points up the shaft. This is it. Our way out.
A quick glance at our party tells me something’s off. “Wait! Where are Jackson and Leeg One?â€
“They stayed at the Grinder to hold the mutts back,†says Homes.
WHAT THE FUCK!!! NO. NO. NO. PLEASE DON’T DO THIS, COLLINS.
“Don’t waste their lives, Katniss. It’s too late for them. Look!â€
Homes nods to the pipe, where the mutts are slithering onto the ledge.
Oh my god. They’re dead. They have to be, if the mutts got by. Oh my god, what the fuck??? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON.
That’s when Gale sends an explosive arrow into the other side of the bridge, guaranteeing Jackson and Leeg One’s death.
For the first time, I get a good look at them. A mix of human and lizard and who knows what else. White, tight reptilian skin smeared with gore, clawed hands and feet, their faces a mess of conflicting features. Hissing, shrieking my name now, as their bodies contort in rage. Lashing out with tails and claws, taking huge chunks of one another or their own bodies with wide, lathered mouths, driven mad by their need to destroy me. My scent must be as evocative to them as theirs is to me. More so, because despite its toxicity, the mutts begin to throw themselves into the foul sewer.
My god, this is Collins’s most horrifying creation. Their ferocity is only made worse by the “perverse psychological twist†they carry: the scent of roses. Katniss freezes in terror, just as Snow meant for her to, and it takes someone yelling at her in order to get her to robotically climb the ladder to the surface. There’s no way they could hold off the mutts. They have to escape.
We reach a platform. Switch to a second ladder. Rungs slick with sweat and mildew. At the next platform, my head has cleared and the reality of what’s happened hits me. I begin frantically pulling people up off the ladder. Peeta. Cressida. That’s it.
WHAT. NO. NO. NO!!!!! NO THIS CANNOT BE. WHAT?!?!!?!?!
As Katniss tries to climb back down to see what happened, Gale shouts at her to go back to the next platform.
I’m back up, hauling him in, peering into the gloom for more. “No.†Gale turns my face to him and shakes his head. Uniform shredded. Gaping wound in the side of his neck.
I can’t. I can’t. There are tears in my eyes. This can’t be happening. Everyone except for these five are dead? NO. COLLINS CAN’T DO THAT! THAT’S TOO MANY! And then Katniss hears someone down below and swears to Gale that there’s a chance someone is still alive, which he denies. It’s only mutts.
Unable to accept it, I shine the light from Cressida’s gun down the shaft. Far below, I can just make out Finnick, struggling to hang on as three mutts tear at him. As one yanks back his head to take the death bite, something bizarre happens. It’s as if I’m Finnick, watching images of my life flash by. The mast of a boat, a silver parachute, Mags laughing, a pink sky, Beetee’s trident, Annie in her wedding dress, waves breaking over rocks. Then it’s over.
No fanfare. No epic goodbye. Just like that. Finnick is gone forever.
I will never be ok with this. Jesus christ, SOMEONE HOLD ME.
Katniss pulls out her Holo and repeats “nightlock†three times and drops it down into the platform, destroying the mutts and humans left, and then Pollux closes the cover and that’s it. Everyone’s gone. Just Pollux, Gale, Peeta, Cressida, and Katniss. That’s all that is left.
Understandably so, when Katniss tries to make everyone keep moving so they can hide, Peeta doesn’t move. He’s just seen what the mutts did to all of those people, and he fears that he is no better than they are, that the future will just repeat this moment over again, and Katniss will suffer yet again.
Hot, bitter hatred courses through me. Snow has won to much already today.
It’s a long shot, it’s suicide maybe, but I do the only thing I can think of. I lean in and kiss Peeta full on the mouth. His whole body starts shuddering, but I keep my lips pressed to his until I have to come up for air. My hands slide up his wrists to clasp his. “Don’t let him take you from me.â€
Is this the most frightening kiss of all time? It’s touching, yes, but after everything that has just happened, it fills me with terror.
His pupils contract to pinpoints, dilate again rapidly, and then return to something resembling normalcy. “Always,†he murmurs.
Distracting, but did anyone else think of Snape when Peeta said this? SNAPE’S “ALWAYS†IS BETTER. But this is still a HUGE moment in the book.
Katniss asks Pollux how much further the street is and he gestures that it’s the next level up.
I climb the last ladder and push open the lid to someone’s utility room. I’m rising to my feet when a woman throws open the door. She wears a bright turquoise silk robe embroidered with exotic birds. Her magenta hair’s fluffed up like a cloud and decorated with gilded butterflies. Grease from the half-eaten sausage she’s holding smears her lipstick. The expression on her face says she recognizes me. She opens her mouth to call for help.
Without hesitation, I shoot her through the heart.
I can’t. I am not even over Finnick’s and Jackson’s and Leeg One’s and Messalla’s and Castor’s deaths (HALF OF THEM WERE KILLED IN ONE FUCKING CHAPTER) and Katniss just murdered someone. Do we know this woman? WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON.
Ugh, please picspam me with Finnick so I can wallow in my sad.
FINNICK.
It's like Collins painted the entire wedding scene for the sole purpose of creating false hope in our hearts only to CRUSH IT INTO TINY PIECES AND BURN IT IN ALL THE FIRES.
Very much like that opening scene from UP.
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Feel that hope? That feeling that someday, somehow, no matter what, you're going to be happy and everything's going to be okay?
CRUSH CRUSH CRUSH BURN BURN BURN
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Nothing will ever be happy again 🙁 HE WAS NEVER GOING TO LET GO OF ANNIE'S HAND DANGIT.
At least they had a long and happy life together in Up. Finnick and Annie had, what, a month? So many tears.
Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
I just watched that movie last night…it always makes me cry =[
D:
(I watched this for the first time, knowing only that it was a Pixar film and would therefore be a lot of fun, about a week after I'd had a miscarriage. DO NOT DO THAT.)
I watched it with a friend who's mother had just died about 3-4 days earlier. I was like, I wanted to see The Hangover, DAMN IT!
Damn you, Pixar!!
THANK YOU I AM CRYING AT WORK NOW AND TRYING TO HIDE IT
THAT MAKES TWO OF US.
UGH. There are not enough tears for Finnick. And Annie, oh Annie!!!
OH MY GOD SADDEST COMMENT EVER.
This is the one that kills me, though:
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a;skldadklsf;askldjdfjksasdf GOD FUCKING DAMN IT
Ugh… Up is so sad I can't even look at the posted scenes. *hides eyes and cries*
Up gifs are just not fucking fair, man.
Then again, neither is Finnick's death. CRYING EVEN HARDER NOW. PROBABLY FOREVER.
FUCK EVERYTHING. I HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL AND I'M CRYING.
TWO OF THE SADDEST THINGS EVER IN TOO LITTLE TIME ;A;
D: I haven't seen Up yet. Hopefully I forget this before I see it.
Oh my god I cried for about half an hour before i could start reading again when Finnick died. HE WAS NEVER GOING TO LET GO OF ANNIE'S HAND!! WHY COULDNT COLLINS JUST LET HIM STAY IN D13 AND BE HAPPY!!??? lKDJSf;lkSdf he was so gorgeous and funny and charming and so in love!! and when he finally saved annie and got married and was happy, HE FUCKING DIED!!! I cannot get over this.
No fanfare. No epic goodbye. Just like that. Finnick is gone forever.
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NOT OKAY! Was anyone else reading this part so fast that they completely missed the fact that Finnick had died until Katniss listed the survivors at the end of the chapter? I was just stunned and confused, had to flip back…ARGH! IT'S LIKE FRED'S DEATH ALL OVER AGAIN. Ugh. And it makes me wonder who has it worse: Annie or George. I feel awful for the characters who are left behind.
So, yeah, saddest most destructive chapter yet!
Yes. I had to read that part like three times to be sure that the tears in my eyes weren't playing tricks on my eyesight. And the worst part is that we know for sure that he's dead. NO HOPE LEFT. And he and Annie had just a few months of happiness, and he dies in such a horrific way, DAMMIT IT'S JUST TOO SAD!
There's not even a body to take back. Fuck everything.
Yup. I read the list of survivors and I was thinking, "Collins, you forgot Finnick. Really, be more careful." Then I flipped back, reread the section and broke down in tears.
There were a lot of sections of this book I had to re-read because I skipped through the death scenes so fast that I missed all the casualties.
I have to respect Collins for the way she wrote his death though. Not an epic death scene, but one in the middle of battle, that validates the deaths of all those lesser known mebers of the Star Squad as well.
Oh, yeah, I'm okay with it in retrospect because people don't always have clear, epic death scenes, and it would cheapen all of the other team-member's deaths if he was the only one who got special attention; they would just be disposable side characters, not soldiers who are equal in the face of death. It just surprised me when I first read it. I'd love to talk about this more, but I want to hold off on my overall thoughts until Mark finishes!
I was thinking the same thing, that it was like Fred's death all over again. Why did she have to kill off Finnick. 🙁
I DID THE SAME THING. I went through this section so fast, just to get to the end of it, because I couldn't handle it, then I was reading the people that were left, and was like, "wait, something's off, here" and then I went back and WTF HOW COULD SHE KILL OFF FINNICK this is the worst chapter in the entire series and I hate everything.
I also thought it was like Fred all over again. :'(
YES
I wasn't even reading at that point, I was just scanning as fast as I could and picking up plot related words from page to page and then suddenly Finnick wasn't there and SDFKLSDJFLKSDFJSDLKFJ SUZANNE COLLINS WHY DID YOU KILL OFF MY TWO FAVORITE CHARACTERS YOU DIDN'T EVEN GIVE CINNA A GOOD SEND-OFF.
there are no words.
…
🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁
The first time I listened to this book I missed it. I spent about fifteen minutes going "where the fuck is Finnick?" and then I rewound it and … yeah. When I finally got my hands on a written copy I re-read and re-read that part to make absolutely sure I did not miss anything, and I hadn't, and I was so very much bawling.
I think the whole universe will be a bleeding wreck by the time everyone finishes this book.
Collins, you took my heart in your hand and then you do this:
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WHY COLLINS? WHY?
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Last one by Ni14
This chapter was the only part in the trilogy where I physically cried. I couldn't take it anymore. I loved Finnick so much, and now he's gone, just like that.
Messalla, whose death I find to be one of the most disturbing I've ever read
Jackson, who continued to support Katniss even after she could have turned around
Leeg 1, whose father really will have lost both his daughters in such a short time
Homes, who made Katniss keep moving
Castor, who worked so hard to buy a position for his brother above ground
And Finnick, oh god, Finnick, the sexy, loyal, brave man who had such a short time with Annie
RIP
Astral plane hand holding and hugging available now.
My God this chapter was hard to read. They were dropping like flies and I just kept thinking, "that's enough, that's enough. Surely no one else will die." And then someone else died. Finnick's death especially gutted me. It was cruel and heartless and he had JUST gotten his happiness. Ugh. Collin's is cruel.
Also, when Messalla's skin was melting like wax, I kept picturing the scene at the end of Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. I hate that scene.
Shut your eyes, caito! Don't look at it, no matter what happens!
I thought of melting Nazis, too! But I think that scene is sort of silly, so it cheapened Messalla's death for me.
It is silly. But there are some movies that I saw young enough that I look straight past the horrible special effects and ridiculous set-ups into the terrified mind of five year old me. These things will always scare me, no matter how many times I see them. But I do know exactly how long to close my eyes for in that scene.
Same for me. I saw that movie when I was too young to see that it wasn't realistic, and instead was just horrified. It haunted me for a long time.
Aww, that's sad and kind of adorable. I was a cynical little kid, so I don't have any scarring moments like that. Unless you count an irrational hatred of Julia Roberts because I hate her Tinkerbell…
It makes me wonder how or if they'll get away with this in the movie, though. It's pretty horrifying and aimed at a tween audience. Senor Spielbergo can get away with a lot of gore, but does Lionsgate have that kind of clout? You might be able to watch Mockingjay with less squickiness than reading it.
SOBBING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HALLWAY OH GOD. We are never prepared. Collins, your mind is a messed up place and I love you for it.
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Nothing we love is safe.
OH GOD, THAT LAST ONE.
CAPSLOCK SADNESS IS ESPECIALLY SAD FOR BOO. ;_;
OH GOD WHY.
THE SADS. YOU HAS BROUGHT IT.
(OMG Sirius, and Rose, And DT, and *Boo, and pathetic!Draco, and Dean, BRB Dying of sad) *Poo? where did I got that from!??
Ooooohhhhhmygod Boo!
OH MY GOD WASHDJKFHLASDHJKLDFSAFLSDF
WHYYYYYY D= D=
ALL THE SADS, THEY ARE HERE :'(
The Dean gif and the last one, they kill me =(
That about sums it up.
Sob.
! What is that DT gif from?
best gifs ever
FINNNCKK!!!!!!!!
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Thanks for making me laugh at the end there. 🙂 Wait, is there a sad smiley gif?
🙁
I meant more sad and smiling. Crying through tears. :') doesn't look quite right
Yeah, I don't think there's one. There should be.
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OH GOD, FINNICK. This… this… this would make a good "FFFUUUUUUUU" gif.
*the avoxes die*
No Collins, don't you dare.
* Messalla dies*
Collins, Collins stop this.
*Jackson and Leeg One*
fghCOLLINS, KILLING IS WRONG-
*Finnick dies*
FFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU *sobbing forever*
HOW ARE THEY GOING TO TELL ANNIE. HOW ARE THEY GOING TO TELL JOHANNA. I MEAN, WHO DID NOT LOVE FINNICK, AT LEAST THEY DON'T NEED TO TELL BOGGS.
BECAUSE BOGGS IS DEAD TOO.
AAAAAAAAAUGHNONONOGODDAMNITCOLLINSYOU'REONLYSUPPOSEDTOKILLPEOPLEINTHELASTCHAPTER AAAAAAAAAAAUGHNOOOOOOOO
Finnick …. Annie!!!! **tears**
WHY WOULD YOU KILL FINNICK!?!?!??! WHAT IS THIS FUCKERY!!!?!?!?!?! AND THE OTHERS!??!?! DID THEY REALLY NEEDED TO DIE?!?!? REALLY?!?!?!
OMG OMG OMG OMG FINNICK FINNICK FINNICK IS GONE WHYYYYYYYYYYY HE WAS HAPPY! HE HAD ANNIE AND NOW HE'S GONE. MY GOD THIS IS LIKE FRED AND TONKS AND LUPIN ALL OVER AGAIN, THEY WERE HAPPY AND THEN THEY WERE GONE. I DON'T THINK I CAN CAPSLOCK ENOUGH DISTRESS.
FINNICK NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
And now I will proceed to spam you with all of the sad gifs I could find. In another comment. 'Cuz I like spreading the sad.
The protests in Libya is parallel to this book. A dictator who refuses to stand down, who'll fight to the death. Just makes these reviews even more terrifying.
RIP to all those who died for freedom in Libya, Finnick, Leeg 1, Messalla, Jackson 🙁
PS. Where is Kasper anyways?
I was starting to see this parallel too, as Ghafadi continues to kill the people of Libya while he loses more and more ground and support. It's terrifying to know that this scenario(minus mutts) is exactly what can and does happen in our own time in our own world.
We probably have the capability for mutt-like things. Most countries are against genetic experimentation on humans, but the tech exists and could be used in some weird ways.
/animal biotech major
Another thing that never really comes up (does it?) is how the mutts (the ones with human parts, &c.) feel about themselves, and how miserable they are. I mean, if they have human parts, they might have some human feelings.
Thats what I thought right away too 🙁
THE SAD GIFS. I HAS THEM.
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I saw DT and was like "GODDAMNIT THAT'S NOT FAIR, TOO SAD, ;A;" but then the second to last… pfffffthehehehehehehe.
OH GOD THAT DOCTOR WHO EPISODE I SOBBED SO HARD. AND YET THIS CHAPTER MADE ME SOD EVEN HARDER
im pretty sure stitch crying is the saddest gif ever. ever.
NONONONONONONNONONONONONONOONONONONOONONONONONO!!!!!!!!!!!! FINNICK!!!!!!!
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I WAS NOT PREPARED FOR FINNICK'S DEATH. I loved him. I loved his friendship with Katniss. WHY DID COLLINS TAKE THAT AWAY FROM US?
And oh God. Everything in this chapter is horrifying. Messela's death. The Mutts. The Meat Grinder.
But gah. That kiss between Katniss and Peeta. It's so heartbreaking. In the last half hour (or however long they were running from the mutts) Katniss lost so many people and that's what finally makes her determined not to lose Peeta too. So she does the only thing she can do to try and bring him back to her, she kisses him. But this isn't like the fairytales. A kiss isn't going to be magical cure. He is still in a constant battle against the tracker jacker venom.
And I love that Katniss brought back the "Stay with me" line from Catching Fire and that there is still enough of Peeta left that he can reply "Always" and regain control over himself. OTP FOREVER. IDGAF. I love them.
This book. I can start to see why people don't like the series. Sure, it's well-written (for the most part) with some deep themes and whatnot, but It's just… all the sadfaces forever for all time. I can't even.
On another note: HOW IS THIS MOVIE GOING TO BE PG-13!? friggin' SNAKE THINGS DECAPITATE PEOPLE WITH THEIR FANGS! FLESH-MELTING MACHINES! WHATEVER THE HELL THE MEAT GRINDER IS SUPPOSED TO DO! FLAMING TOXIC SEWAGE!
Plus, I expect a good chunk of the blooper reel to be Katniss'actress flubbing the line where she says "nightlock" three times. Seriously, try it.
SNAKE THINGS DECAPITATE PEOPLE WITH THEIR FANGS!
Stick them in sparkly bubbles so it's more comical than scary? Say what you want about Finnick's death, but at least he wasn't taken out in a fishbowl!
Harry Potter is in everything.
… that is freaking impossible to say three times quickly. whaa
Oh and like other people said, I missed Finnick's death the first time around just because I was reading so fast. This is a chapter where I think the first person narration really works. Collins uses Katnisses voice to create an atmosphere of confusion and chaos, and I think that's pretty brilliant.
Hi Mark!
You were not prepared. 🙂
This is the first time I've commented on your blog here. I picked up the Hunger Games trilogy and blew through it last week and loved all of it (I can't imagine the unbearable wait between books as they were published! I'm so glad I could read all of them at once!!) and then, of course, I came online to see what other people have been saying about them.
The fanfic being written is pretty good, actually. A lot of it has been written with us fellow fans in mind, not just rabid shippers (I'm on the KatPee ship btw, always have been. Gale is nice but I just fell in love with Peeta when they were in that cave back in the first book). And then, I started reading about the upcoming movie and that's pretty exciting too.
Then, somehow, I found your blog. And I stayed up until 4:30am the other night reading your blog, chapter by chapter, all the way through HG and CF. I couldn't stay up any longer, so yesterday I started reading your posts about Mockingjay. I could never do what you are doing, going through one day at a time. By the time we hit MJ, I knew that basically anybody was fair game for Collins. Just look at this chapter, good lord! For me, getting through was the most important thing. I didn't know who was going to live or die, or what gruesome deaths might have awaited them, but I just needed to know. I needed to get to the end. So just hang in there!!!! You're only a few chapters from the end of the book!!!!! 😀
And hello to all my fellow commentators and the hilarious-ness of the gifs. The gifs, omg, the gifs. Can't wait to see everyone's reactions to poor Mark reading this chapter. Truly, we were never prepared. 🙂
– O.
Welcome! There is no place in the verse better that Mark Verbs. Check out Mark Watches too, so we can fully convert you to the wonderful world of Mark!
Then, go back and read Mark Reads Harry Potter (google it, it's on a different site) and then you'll be all caught up! (Mark Reads Twilight is also hilarious, and involves much keymashing raeg)
Once you have read all of Mark's posts, you will be irrevocably a part of our community forever. Your membership card is in the mail (with your Hogwarts acceptance letter). From now on, you must always be true to the Mark Verbs community and forever keep the Spoiler Policy close to your heart.
😀
Seriously though, welcome! It's a lot of fun here. High fives to everyone!
There's a link on the right for Harry Potter and Twilight, under Categories 😉
Haha, I love this, I've never heard anyone call this Mark Verbs before. Perfect.
MARK VERBS. That's my new name for his conglomeration of sites. Thank you.
To be honest, I can't take credit, because I'm fairly sure someone else coined the phrase back during HP. But I'm still waiting for Mark to sell T-Shirts.
"Mark Reads – Where Shit Gets Real" then "You are so unprepared" on the back. Or something like that. 😀
Welcome! You arrived on one of the saddest chapters around, as you see. I barely remember reading this, I was in a daze, crying and sleep-deprived and I didn't leave that mood for a few days. It's one of my favourite books because of how much it affected me.
If you plan to stick around, get an account: you'll get to edit comments (and delete them if you write a spoiler by mistake) and receive answers to your email account (sometimes it's hard to find a thread and it's easier to answer with the link there).
really? you've found good Hunger Games fanfic?
alright, admittedly, I know there are some, most of it to be found as far away from ff.net as possible.
But considering the pile of crap that about 99% of Hunger Games fanfic consists of… I'd really like some links to these actually good fics
Yeah, run as far away from FFnet as possible. There are some amazing writers on livejournal and AoOO, though! There's a ton of Finnick, Annie, Haymitch, and Cinna backstory fics that are just stunning. This Cinna one is probably my favorite: http://archiveofourown.org/works/34541
(If anyone is interesting in seeing more, I'll gladly go digging through my bookmarks!).
One of my favorites is just a brief one-shot from the POV of a teenage girl from the Capital (which sounds like a set-up for a Mary Sue but trust me, it isn't). Seeing the way the Capital citizens react to the games is horrifying–particularly in its familiarity (they treat it similarly to the way we view American Idol, if I recall)–and the insights about privilege are excellent. Like this: "They tell us all the time how hard life in the Districts is, how much the people suffer, but I don't think I'd mind so much if I could have a body like Katniss's.
Link!: http://archiveofourown.org/works/32083
The fuck, did I seriously just spell "Capitol" "Capital" not once, but twice? Ugh, SORRY! Midterms, man. Midterms.
spanish 🙂 If that's the subject you were studying for then you passed :p
It takes FOREVER to find decent fanfic on ff.net.
You find a good concept and then the writing is bad or something.
I did find one that's pretty good, for now.
The writing gets better as you go along and you can actually see the progress in writing and the concrit is put to good use. I like it so far. Better than all the weird Katpee smut hahah
eeep it didn't work
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6000268/1/Welcome_to_…
ugh i don't know how to that link thing so here
I wish I could even find Katpee smut. Unfortunately most of the stuff at ff.net is SOYT crap filled and focused solely on Mary Sues, and little more than a repeat of the Hunger Games in the first book.
RIP Finnick 🙁 <3
Also, if they make this into a movie, it's going to be a horror film… there's no other way to include all of THAT and it NOT be one…
Agreed.
Better hide yo' kids. Hide yo' wife. And hide yo' husband, too. Cause they be meltin', shootin', meat grindin' and decapitatin' everybody round here.
OMG . . . that was the most epic thing of all time. I know we're supposed to be all serious and stuff but, I'm sorry, I just busted out laughing.
Can I give you a hug?
*smooch* 😉
I think that Finnick would have wanted us to smile after such a ridiculous chapter. If for no other reason than for Annie's sake.
Finnick will survive. We’ll see him again after the war is over
What the fuck is this chapter. I think my brain exploded. I can’t.
Everyone’s dead. Katniss killed an innocent person. Five more chapters. I can’t.
Finnnnick…
Why do my favorite characters always die? Cinna, Boggs, Finnick… Fred, Snape, Lupin…
As for the wedding scene… characters who get married during the story always have horrible endings. Oh god poor Annie… 🙁
And, uh, yeah, the first time I read about these mutts I was properly horrified. But rereading their descriptions? They look kinda funny… like… man crocs? how is that a scary image? (unless you're in the foul sewers of doom and everything is going to hell and they're ripping off heads and everyone's dying and NO everything's just freaking awful!) I mean… if I actually pause to visualize them, as if I were the person creating them, I just have to imagine that there was some sense of 'what the hell, we can make whatever we want – it'll scare the shit out of her no matter what it is – so let's make something ridiculous and funny-looking!'
…which it may be too soon to laugh at this for those who haven't read the book a dozen and a half times. 🙁 I was eager to see your reaction to this chapter, Mark, but at the same time I was dreading it, because here comes the point where everything just flipping sucks and sucks and sucks and, it's like, whatever innocent hopes you were clinging to as a reader the Collins might show SOME mercy, somehow, are completely dashed forever.
I picture them almost more like slimy fetal man crocs without croc faces, more like snake faces.
I am so sad at Finnick's death (and the others) that its hard to come up with coherent statements about this chapter. I'm starting to worry that the repetition of the Hanging Tree song indicates that Collins is going to kill off EVERYONE.
This is so messed up. ;_;
I had the same reaction when I realized it was "THAT" chapter as I did when I got to the Harry Potter reviews where one of Mark's favorite characters died. I didn't want to 1) relive all the sad and 2) witness Mark living the sad for the first time.
If I could remember how to post pictures- I would post all the sadness I could. Cried, cried, cried for poor Finnick! This death killed me. <3 <3 Finnick <3 <3
Am I the only one who kinds the psychological effects of the smell of the roses (on Katniss) to be so creepily cool? Here she is facing horrifying threat after horrifying threat- yet the smell of roses makes her immobile! Love this image!
Love that Katniss kissed Peeta to try to keep him "with" her. So touching in a distraught filled chapter.
I also love the Katniss's kiss to Peeta made him remember "always"
I agree, her aversion to the scent is a fantastic detail! I had an ex-boyfriend who threatened to kill me, and was driving up and down my street at all hours. Before I threatened him with a restraining order, I started having nausea and migraines if I passed men wearing his cologne on the street. :/
:/ is right! 🙁 🙁
Um yeah this is terrible, the absolute worst, but hey look at this? This made me laugh really hard. . . .
[youtube -GqPupmPLqc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-GqPupmPLqc youtube]
Then again I'm not sure if you can feel happy after this chapter.
Between this and "Doesn't he own a shirt" I nearly fell off the couch in laughter.
That was hilarious. The Twilight one too. DOESN'T HE OWN A SHIRT?
I was crying with laughter through this entire segment. I only wish i could give this ALL THE UPVOTES.
Hahaha, yes, both this and "doesn't he own a shirt" made me laugh and think of markreads
I had an oscars party with my girlfriends, and we were all laughing at these remixes. 🙂
That was so awesome.
Thank you for some funny in the middle of all the sads. This is hilarious.
This was one of the best moments of the Oscars! (that, and Helen Mirren/Russel Brand, though I cordially despise the chap)
OH GOD FINNICK OHHMYYGODDD
Siriusly, I woke up this morning and realised you were going to read this chapter and my heart just broke…
I always imagined that the mutts would look sorta like giant axolotls, only scarier and maybe without the silly ruff things. But they're already pretty creepy.
Ughhh, this chapter… I had to re-read it several times to convince myself she really did kill that many people…
Actually no, still not convinced. Finnick is really alive, one of the mutts was Annie in disguise and they went off and were happy and all was rainbows and kittens. YES THEY DID. I DO BELIEVE IN FAIRIES I DO I DO etc.
Shoot. Did IntenseDebate eat my comment?
Anyway… I had a couple pictures of the Peeta/Katniss Cooldown Kiss to share.
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by Aleatoire09
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by aisaretai794
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by ianaohime-sama
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by kckat
Ugh, so good! thanks for posting. I love the first one and the last one, especially. They're beautiful.
For some reason I really love the panel where Peeta's crouched in the corner clutching his hair. sadness
I love these! But why does everyone forget Peetas hair is curly?
I love the panels about Katpee. It's adorable!!!!!!!!! I love the last one when he's saying "always". So cute!!
:'(:'(:'(
Finnick . . .
Most terrifying scene in the book. I had nightmares.
And… And…. Everyone's GONE. It's just awful. Heartbroken forever. 🙁
[youtube OjNw75bJyuM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjNw75bJyuM youtube]
Oh damn, you know how many times I've switched that episode over because I couldn't handle the ending?! *bursts into tears*
That episode is the SADDEST THING EVER. I'm not gunna lie, it makes me cry!! =[ =[ Poor Seymour =[ =[ =[
Holy balls, that episode.
I love that episode, because it's such a normal one before the final reveal, which makes it all the more effective. I'm not sure anyone could watch that and not cry. I always change the channel when it comes on, hating myself because it's so good, but I seriously can't watch that twice. Too sad.
GOD FUCKING DAMN IT
YOU CAN'T SEYMOUR ME ON MY OWN REVIEW
DAMN IT
I'm telling you, that scene's a violation of the Geneva Conventions. I don't even have to watch this to be sad and hearing "Umbrellas of Cherbourg" for the rest of the day!
Have you ever seen the movie 'Haichi'? It's abso-fucking-lutely the saddest movie I've ever seen because of the ending. Like, this vid, but with real people and dogs and stuff and it's awful and beautiful and it's real because it's based on real events.
Seymour was based on the story of Hachi.
Watching this I cried because the sadness of it was so unexpected it really came out of nowhere
I think I blocked out this entire chapter. I honestly have no memory of MESSALLA'S FLESH MELTING OFF WHAT THE FUCK.
In the next chapter, Katniss dies, and she spends the rest of the book haunting Snow, mostly by saying, "Boooooooo," a lot, since she's never been taught to properly haunt someone. So then she kills Haymitch just to have a ghost mentor.
(Sorry, but I have to keep making up fake spoilers because YOU ARE STILL NOT PREPARED.)
Fake spoilers that are that creative deserve a thumbs up. 🙂 I laughed 🙂
I imagine Mark was a little like this during the reading of this chapter…oh, how I want to reach out and hug him tight. It'll be okay Jesse…er…I mean Mark.
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[For those of you who have no idea what this is…it's the 'I'M SO EXCITED!!! I'M SO…SCARED!!!" scene. You know, to scare kids into not taking caffeine pills. This "The more you know" moment brought to you by Saved by the Bell.]
And you know what? You are STILL NOT PREPARED. You know by now how Collins rolls. She breaks your heart, then takes all the tiny pieces and runs them through a blender, then boils them, then just for grins puts them in a water balloon and shoots that water balloon INTO THE SUN.
I would hate her if she wasn't so good at what she does.
Heart-breaking.
And in all honesty? I'm glad Katniss killed that woman. (Terrible blah, murder blah, she needed to do it blah) because right then I would have done exactly the same thing. My friends just died in horrible, disgusting ways and this capitol bitch is living in luxury, eating away and watching kids kill each other and just ARGH RAGE.
I figure she killed her because the woman could have ratted them out. Which makes me think, DOES THAT WOMAN KNOW WHAT IS UNDERNEATH HER HOUSE?!
I don't give the government enough credit to believe they're capable of maintaining Tunnels of Horror beneath where I live.
Incompetency: The killer of all conspiracy theories. 😛
I just read straight through this chapter. I conveniently skipped over the part where Katniss takes a head count of everyone left, and besides Finnick was totally there anyway. Because Finnick is awesome, therefore of course he was going to live through the end of the book. Then I got to the end, read the part where Katniss shot the lady, thought nothing of it, and was a page into the next chapter before I realized I had a nagging feeling something was wrong. AND IT WAS WRONG. IT WAS SO WRONG, COLLINS. I REALIZE THIS IS A WAR AND SHIT HAPPENS LIKE THAT, BUT I DIDN'T EVEN REALIZE FINNICK WAS DEAD UNTIL I KEPT READING. THIS IS TERRIBLE, WHAT ARE YOU THAT YOU COULD DO THIS TO ME, ETC, BUT WHY AM I EVEN SURPRISED BY THIS KIND OF STUFF ANY MORE. FINNICK DESERVES MORE THAN A SENTENCE IN PASSING, THOUGH. WHOOPS, HE'S DEAD IS NOT GOING TO CUT IT FOR ME.
Yeah, so I yelled in my head for a few seconds there. And then I threw the book across the room before picking it up again and finishing it.
Finnick, you will be sorely missed. Oh god, and poor Annie. I guess they were finally too happy for this book. :'(
FINNICK !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =[ =[ =[ =[ =[ =[ =[ =[
Mark, if you can believe it, this book actually gets even MORE FUCKED UP! I had the misfortune of falling asleep after this chapter. Dreams were not good.
Oddly enough, I was so… depressed by this point in the book that I kinda… stopped caring about all the characters. My reaction to Finnick's death was closer to an "Oh, okay. You killed off another one." than "NOOO FINNICK HOW COULD YOU?!?!11?!
Me too. Mesalla's death and the fact that the lizard mutts even existed was so fucked up that I couldn't get that upset over Finnick's death. Although it helps that he wasn't one of my favorites anyway.
Of all the books in this series, I think this one was my least favorite. Mark seems to like it a lot, but I just found it impossible to get emotionally attached to any of the characters. I'm not really sure why, but eh~
This is my favorite book and I LOVE all the characters.
Finnick 🙁 All the tears forever.
Ok, this chapter was the most TERRIFYING CHAPTER EVER!!!!
I read this one without breathing, I swear I was so freaked out.
Afterward I was mentally exhausted from the terror and sad…
Thank you Suzanne Collins FOR RIPPING OUT MY HEART AND STOMPING IT TO A TRILLION SHATTERED LITTLE PIECES! AND THEN LIGHTING IT ON FIRE IN FRONT OF ME!! Oh gah… Finnick just got Annie back, they just got married and were HAPPY! HE WAS TOO AWESOME TO DIE!
I…I don't know if I'll get over this. I haven't been this upset since Fred Weasley….
O_O
I'm going to be in that corner over there, crying, thank you. http://harrypottergif.tumblr.com/post/3454956474
It's been months and I'm still not over this horrifying chapter.
Collins really does not shy away from anything. Hats off and all that.
another comment. hi there.
the beauty of this chapter is, that by the end when Katniss shoots the Capitol woman, the reader is in a pretty similar state of mind and the death of an unarmed bystander makes complete sense. EVERYTHING EVER is a danger to Katniss and her crew. there is no time to ask questions, to mourn, to think. there's just moving forward. then, as the reader, you can step back at the end of the chapter and realize what Katniss has just done, and know that eventually she's going to have to face that. it's just one giant glomp of death and fear. I've never been in a war, but I imagine that's what it's like – no time to gage what's going on, no time to think through the morality of your actions – even if you're as morally conscious as Katniss is – and it'll tear you apart. but later. after you've lived through it all, because when Katniss shoots the Capitol woman, she's on autopilot.
Maybe I'm just scrambling for some sort of reaction to Finnick's death that makes sense. because really his death his senseless – and Collins, I think, acknowledges that. It was seeing his death that lead to Katniss blowing up the holo. Collins gave him the longest, most loving farewell she could give him in the midst of that situation – Katniss's complete break into fight-or-flight mode, the images of so many horrible things she's had to face all culminating into the split-second death of one of her closest friends. it may not be what he deserved, but it was everything Collins could give him narratively that made sense, and that I appreciate.
Beautifully written. Thank you for this.
Never fret Mark, we are all with you.
So brutal.
FINNICK NOOOOOOO!!!!
Oh Mark, I just want to give you virtual hugs after that chapter! That was just unrelentingly tragic and awful!
I would not have been able to handle even a fraction of this awful, awful day without breaking down and sobbing my eyes out and ending up all blotchy and snotty and sweaty and gross, (bc who in real life looks good when they cry? Really? It's not fair!). Heck, even after just reading this chapter I had to put the book down and go think happy thoughts for a while. Collins' accuracy when targeting our feelings is out of this world. She is an evil mastermind and her plan for world domination involves making us cry ALL THE TEARS until we are too weak and dehydrated to fight off her army of nightmares.
Brb, going to buy Gatorade. You're not going to catch me unprepared again Collins!
…….Oh, who am I kidding. She totally will.
Finnick is the Fred of this book. I refuse to accept the fact that they died and when I remember they die I get super sad.
Perfect comparison! Didn’t realize either of them would be killed off and when it does happen, it’s devastating and you’re in denial.
I had a hard time liking this book because of the relentless horrors, one after the other, that the reader is subjected to. 🙁
The only bright part of this chapter is the kiss.
Even though I should have never put it past her, I cannot BELIEVE she killed off Finnick. I missed it the first time through because I was reading too fast, and let me tell you, that is the WORST kind of thing to have to go back and discover. Things like this are WHY I HATE THIS BOOK.
On the flipside, the parallel of the "always" bit made me cry happier tears because Peeta! Deep down inside he is still there! Seriously, maybe i'm just sappy, but the whole Broken!Peeta thing is what I hated most about this book, but the "Stay with me/Always" bit is my favorite and ARROW THROUGH THE GODDAMN HEART but yeah. I cried here. I'll admit it. TEARS. REAL TEARS.
(Granted, I probably cried other places too, but. Especially this.)
Is it bad that my first thought wasn't, 'Oh god, Finnick,' but 'Oh god, poor Annie'?
ALL OF THE SADS.
Me too, I don't quite cry for Finnick, which I do, but for Annie.
I thought of this once I started to process his death. What is she going to do?
me too! I caught it on the first read and my thought was oh no! Who will have to explain this to Annie? that is extra heartbreaking.
OMG!!! this chapter was soooo fucking horrible…i remember reading it at like 1 in the morning and being totally terrified and paranoid that there were creepy reptilian mutts in my dorm room about to attack me!
i too had to reread Finnicks death because it was a complete surprise and i was in TOTAL DENIAL!!!! it is definitely fred's death all over again for me! this chapter is probably the scariest/horrible chapter i have ever read!
FINNICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :'(:'(:'(
It's seriously horrific! I thought the same thing after reading The Hunger Games with the first mutts. They scared the sh*t outta me!
LET'S ALL HUG
AGREED.
<img alt="" src="http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h90/TariElensar/GIFs/BBRaehug.gif" />
Gods this chapter is so awful.
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Oh, this is the chapter I’ve been both dreading and anticipating for you ever since you started Mockingjay! Like in OoTP when the drapery death happened, or in HBP with the AK off the tower, it cemented itself into my brain because I just didn’t see it coming! And we’re always sadly curious with how you’ll respond to the tragedy.:(
I definitely missed Finnick’s death the first time around because I was reading so fast during the action scene, determined to flip through as quickly as possible to see who makes it in the end. Collins tends to have that effect on her readers during the exciting bits! I have his last scene practically memorized having read it so many times for confirmation – it’s just unbelievable to me that he would be on the death list. Since our first meeting with Finnick in CF, I thought he’d make it through the end, especially having reunited with Annie. Oh, how gullible I was, and having read HP! These authors and their ability to make your heart break.
RIP Finnick, you were my absolute favourite. Like Fred, now I’m just worried about the one left behind. How is Annie going to cope with this?:(
Finnick=Lupin.
"Did that tragic character's glimmer of happiness give you hope? Well SUCK ON IT BITCHES, YOU DON'T EVEN GET A PROPER DEATH SCENE."
This chapter tears my heart into tiny pieces.
AHHH FINNICK NUUUUUU!
Am I the only one that feels like they'll have to split the movie version of Mockingjay into two parts (If the first two movies do well, anyways)? THERE'S JUST TOO MUCH GOING ON! It's not all that long a book, but half of these scenes seem like they'll take up a good bit of screen time. And there's not much they can take out without screwing it up. And, yeah, I really hope they up the rating of the last movie, otherwise they have a lot of improvising to do
Given the precedent being set by HP and Twilight, I'm sure they'll find a way to split it in two. Anything to make another (fifteen) buck(s)
Just…………… no words. The horror…..the horror.
<img src="http://www.gifsoup.com/imager.php?id=1052705&t=o" border="0"/>GIFSoup
…so, am I a bad person for wanting Colin to do a green screen for this scene when the movie comes out?
A minor quibble, but it's actually Jackson who gives the order, not Katniss. Katniss presumably knew that the gas masks weren't necessary at that point, since she probably already knew that she was gagging because of the rose scent.
I had a theory about the woman at the end of the chapter pretty much instantly, but the more I think about it the more I go back and forth. I can see it being true, but still not sure if want, narratively speaking.
OH GOD FINNICK WHYYYYYY.
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IF I CRY PHOENIX TEARS WILL YOU BRING HIM BACK COLLINS PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.
The thing about this book is that truly, no one is safe. There is no guarantee that anyone is going to make it out alive. Even fucking Finnick, who by all account deserved to have a happy ending more than anyone. He had such a sad life: the Games, then being prostituted out by Snow, having to be away from the girl he loved, the Games again, and then finally, FINALLY he got to be with Annie, and NOW HE'S GONE.
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Oh my god, the saddest gifs ever!!
That second one kills me. :'(
You just had to go with the dead Mufasa and crying Simba GIFs didn't you? ;goes off to sob again;
Iantoooooo (right?). I hated that episode so much, in a good way.
(Somebody else probably made this joke before, but oh well.)
Well, they hiss. And in the past, Katniss has compared Snow to a snake. So…snakes? Snake mutts? That can whisper?
BASILISKS. GUYS, KATNISS IS A PARSELTONGUE y/y
As for the rest: TEARS FOR-FUCKING-EVER.
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mmmm, Taylor Kitsch. He makes everything better.
I think I stared at the book for ten minutes when I read Finnick's death. I could not believe Collins did that. Then I had to go back and reread to make sure I read that part right in the first place. This is such a sad, sad book. I really hope the movie does it justice.
OH GOD I KNOW HOW THIS ENDS AND IT IS DESTROYING MEEEEEEEE
(I don't know how to post images to this forum but if anyone has a "you are tearing me APAAAAART, Lisa!" gif, by all means, feel free to post it. Because this is KILLING me.)
MARK I KNOW WE DON'T KNOW EACH OTHER BUT I JUST WANT TO SHELTER YOU FROM ALL THE PAIN AND HORROR OF LIFE. OR AT LEAST YA FICTION.
Omg. that movie. All my friends quote it around me because my name is Lisa. I have refused to see it because of this.
I FORGOT ABOUT FINNICK. I CANNOT BELIEVE I FORGOT ABOUT FINNICK.
WHY DID I FORGET ABOUT FINNICK? BECAUSE THIS BOOK IS ALREADY TOO MUCH TO HANDLE.
Collins. Ohgod Collins. Why did you do this to us. Whyyyyyyyyyyyyy?
As I'm running on the late side for work but really wanted to comment on this chapter, I'm going to sum it up in Cam gifs. That seems appropriate.
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Hahahaha, perfect Cam gifs.
This….This makes me feel better 🙂
FIIIIIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNCK!!!! D: D: D: ANNIEEEEEEEEEE!!!! : ' (
WHY MUST YOU KILL MY SOUL, SUZANNE COLLINS??? WHY? WHY? WHY?????
(I'm on my work computer with no access to my sad, sad gifs – but believe me, they're here in spirit)
This is what I meant when I said I was't sure if I could relive this with you, but obviously I'm a glutton for punishment. THIS FUCKING CHAPTER.
And Finnick. FUUUUUUUUU!!!! This is the part where I started cursing and threw down the book. I, too, will never be okay with this. I think I'm gonna go cry on my lunch break.
This chapter is like a punch straight in the heart. I will never be over the loss of Finnick, especially now. How will Annie handle this?
I miss your aim reviews, too, btw. Shame on Kasper for not reading along with you (although I guess this proves whoever said Kasper didn't exist back during the HP days wrong…).
You had us all from "sugar cube"
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RIP Finnick – in your underwear. *sobs*'
Finnick is so much like Lupin – go married earlier in the final book of the series, dead before the end even takes place. WHERE IS MY RESURRECTION STONE? I'll settle for Fawkes… can he repair an exploded person?
omg that fourth picture – TOTES CUTE!
No way the movie version is PG-13. For the first two books yes, but how can Mockingjay be less than an R rating unless the MPAA changes its standards? Also, we are almost at the end so be careful NOT TO SPOIL anything for Mark! I know everyone is excited but let's watch what we say.
I now quote South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut:
"Remember what the MPAA says; Horrific, Deplorable violence is okay, as long as people don't say any naughty words!"
😉 Who knows what will happen – I just want to get to movie three!
The MPAA is statistically more likely to give lower ratings to big studio movies than indies with similar naughty/violent content, so that's one advantage The Hunger Games will have. But honestly, even with the way ratings have gotten looser over time, some of this stuff is just going to have to take place offscreen or be slightly altered – kind of like how they didn't go for maximum gore in the Nagini-bursts-out-of-a-corpse scene in the latest Harry Potter.
Messalla, you may not have any fan art where you sparkle and glisten along with your trademark weapon, but I always liked you the best. As an apartment renter myself, I felt that I could always relate to you. Are central units, indeed, a better deal? I think so. The top ones get too hot in the summer; in the winter the bottom ones feel like a freezer.
It is never a bad or tacky time to inform others about the advantages of apartment building unit positions. Thank you, Messalla.
I'll be honest: Sometimes I'm not sure what to make of your comments. But this one? This one had me literally laughing out loud. In the library.
Here, have an upvote.
Most beautiful eulogy ever. Tearing up here.
It's so moving, they're even reading it at aloud at libraries, I've heard. 😉
I was driving home from school today thinking "Oh it's Monday! That means chapter 22!" then my thoughts came around to "What chapter is this?" AND WHEN I REALIZED IT WAS THE FINNICK CHAPTER I LITERALLY SCREAMED "OH MY GOD" IN MY CAR AND STARTED DRIVING 50 ON A 30MPH ROAD TO GET HOME.
The first time around I didn't get the full gist of this chapter because I was reading so fast. Taking it slowly is worse than I ever imagined. This is terrible.
Hey guys, who wants some sad!X Files?
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Just to make everyone feel better
Straight to my heart.
We have been slowly hoarding information about what makes you sad, Mark. Up, Seymour, Toy Story… we know your weaknesses
OH GOD WHY'D YOU HAVE TO GO WITH THE X-FILES? JUST SHOOT ME THROUGH THE HEART!
Well played.
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Finnick 🙁
This was the chapter where I finally realized that NO ONE IS SAFE!! So sad 🙁
Coherent statements about this chapter? I have none.
/sadfaces until the end of time.
It was bad enough when she killed off the Avoxes, and I was stupid enough to think, "Oh, hopefully that fills the killing quota for this chapter and everyone else will survive. Right? Right?"
"LOL NOPE, I'M SUZANNE COLLINS AND THIS IS HOW I ROLL, KIDS."
[youtube zkirtbpz5h4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkirtbpz5h4 youtube]
You know, just in case this wasn't sad enough.
Watership Down was the first book I ever cried over. I was so sad I nearly threw up D:
FINNICK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
FUCK FUCK FUCK
I was so fucking pissed off. SO PISSED OFF.
I'm still fucking mad.
FUCK.
Gets worse.
Not.
Prepared.
Something tells me I'll need to keep this phrase handy:
THIS IS THE MOST INTENSE CHAPTER OF ALL CHAPTERS EVER TO BE CHAPTERED EVER.
For me, the worst part about these characters dying (most specially Finnick) is not that they died.
It's the HOW they died. The horrible torture-filled death that they all had to endure.
I mean it's sad enough that they HAD to die but… Did they really have to suffer so much?
If I had a thousand hearts, all of them would be broken into pieces just for this chapter.
It's just too fucking sad =(
I tried to find a gif of the world exploding, because that's how I felt after reading this chapter.
Finnick's death is the one thing I will never forgive Suzanne Collins for.
Finnick. Just . . . Finnick.
I'm a big crier when it comes to books–I'd cried several times in Mockingjay (and the rest of the series) before this chapter. But with a few notable exceptions (such as Harry Potter 6 and 7), I almost never sob when I'm reading books.
I sobbed for Finnick. I sat there and I cried for at least five minutes and I just couldn't read on. Then I cried some more. And when I was reading this review, I started crying again.
Suzanne Collins has destroyed me.
this might just be the saddest chapter I've ever read.
When I read this chapter, all I could think of was the fact that Collins was killing off all of my favorite characters. Rue, Foxface, ALL OF DISTRICT 12, Cinna, Mags, Finnick..
and the worst part is, it doesn't end there.
This chapter is just so intense. Although, I have to say that I knew Finnick's death was coming. It's like someone else upthread said "Oh, you're finally happy…You gonna die!"
Also, I have to say that I thought of Snape too when Peeta said "Always."
Oh hai guys! Jesus tap-dancing christ on a stick it's been a long time. I missed you all…:(
So I missed a LOT, but I should be back for this last week or so of THG! 😀
No notes this time, but my general thoughts on this chapter can be summed up as "meh" up until Finnick's death. Unlike Mark I really wasn't choked up by the loss of Star Squad. As soon as I saw all of these new characters introduced, they just screamed "EXPENDABLE" so loud. Finnick on the other hand? I didn't see that one coming at all. I just figured we'd see the killing off of all the characters we met 3 chapters ago and then we'd be down to the people we actually knew. Finnick's was something risky and impressive. Good job Collins!
I do have one eensy complaint though:
"It’s as if I’m Finnick, watching images of my life flash by. The mast of a boat, a silver parachute, Mags laughing, a pink sky, Beetee’s trident, Annie in her wedding dress, waves breaking over rocks. Then it’s over."
That whole bit was just weird. I mean, is it like Katniss is seeing her experiences with Finnick flash before her eyes? Is she suddenly psychic and watching him flash through his life? It just felt weird, like Collin wanted to have one of those moments when a character reflects on their life before they die, but couldn't fit it in without switching POV, and this was the end result. I really pulled me out of the moment.
Anyway, that's me €2
Me too, I was lost. Your explanation for it makes sense, and I'm thinking Collins wanted to do like one paragraph of fan service for us since she rips our hearts out all the time
Glad to see you back! I've missed your comments and I agree wholeheartedly with that complaint. I get empathy, but it's really weird to have a character experience a highlight real of someone else's life. I think it would have bothered me even if Collins had chosen to write in the third person, because in a panicked chapter like this one, it's a bit out of place to have an aside for happy times.
It doesn't ruin the scene or anything, so I can shrug it off.
Oh man, you're back!? You missed the end of "Catching Fire!" What did you think? And how many new names for Snow have you come up with in the meantime?
I am hoping that the "Finnick vision" is the emergence of Katniss' latent psychic death power.
I've come up with many, not least of which is President Coke-Flavored ICEE, Commander in Chill.
The ending of "Catching Fire" was actually the reason I've been gone for so long. I really really really didn't like the latter half of CF. I could basically see everything that was going to happen into the Quell; that there was going to be some plan to break out, that Katniss and Peeta and all were going to get out alive, and that by the end of it we'd find out
HellswaspHeavensbee was going to turn out to be on their side. The fact that Katniss continued to lament dying to save Peeta when it was obvious she was going to live didn't help either. It really felt like Collins was in denial that it was obvious Kat would make it out.The pacing didn't help either, since the latter host of episodes basically felt like Collins took the plot, characters, and everything else up on cinder blocks and let them spin their wheels for over a hundred pages. After the end I was so sick of her writing that I didn't want to read anymore of it for a while. Thus my absence, and my triumphant return after reading 22 chapters and reviews in one day. (Why yes, I did have an entire sunday to blow.)
I'm definitely enjoying Mockingjay a lot more though.
Commander in––!? Ha,ha,ha,ha, that's a good one. I hope Snow shows up again so you can use it. If he dies off-page or something I will flip out.
And great job getting caught up. I thought the end of the previous book was stinky too, but just knowing that I could come on here and voice my calm, thoughtful comments made the suffering worth it.
OHAI LOSSTHIEF. DID YOU SEE THE COMMENT I ADDRESSED SPECIFICALLY TO YOU A FEW CHAPTERS BACK.
I have now. All I can really say is this:
TRELAWNEY AIN'T GOT NOTHING ON ME.
I have never thought of the Snape connection, but now I'm sitting here like "hmmm it fits"
First of all, I was filled with dread about your reaction to this chapter when you started saying you liked Finnick. Every time you mentioned him or was happy about him being with Annie again, my face was just ;_____; I was always very careful not to talk about Finnick in past tense when I would mention him in a comment. As most people have mentioned, I had to read that passage twice to figure out that Finnick actually died. I really don't know why I get surprised and saddened when a character dies. =(
Also, I know a lot of people were furious when Collins killed him off considering he was finally happy and reunited with Annie. Maybe if I had read this book a year ago I would have had the same reaction, but something happened to me that affected how I reacted to this. My cousin was killed in Afghanistan in July, and had a wife and a son and friends and family that loved him. War does not choose to kill you or spare you based on your status in life. It doesn't know if you're happy or sad, or if you've got a great life or a horrible one. The IED (and the person(s) that put it there) did not know how much he was loved. Even though I was as sad as the next person about Finnick's death, I'm glad Collins did not single Finnick out just because he got his happy ending.
Thanks for sharing. I wish I could give you more thumbs for this because I think Collins wrote this with people like your cousin in mind. I'm really sorry for your loss.
Thank you for sharing this story. I'm so sorry for your loss. I think it's for precisely the reasons you listed that Collins wrote this.
To be honest, I was sobbing when I read this chapter. I immediately noticed Finnick's absence when Katniss was looking at who was alive, and I started in a lovely downward spiral (Okay, I was sobbing the whole book. WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME!) to complete destruction of emotion. In the end, though everyone said it was too abrupt, or the worst death, after a couple of re-reads, I think this was one of the least "horrible" in the sense of not getting a chance to say goodbye. The part where Katniss gets a glimpse into all the moments of peace and bliss in Finnick's life just gives me a sense of finality. We may have never gotten a true goodbye, but maybe this makes up for it. I love you Finnick! You were like a lighthouse on a stormy sea. You stayed strong even though your life was one of the most tragic. Rest in Peace.
This chapter is just so…exhausting.
I remember reading it in school and trying not to, like, breakdown in the middle of class. I pretty much went through my own Heroic BSOD (except the heroic part).
This book…we were never prepared
I cried so much in this chapter.. Gah.. Suzanne Collins killed me.
FINNICKKKKK! NONONONONONO!!! I can never recover from this <SPAN class=idc-smiley><SPAN style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: -36px -36px"><SPAN>:'(</SPAN></SPAN></SPAN>
Good thing Johanna didn't end up coming, or she'd be dead too!!
And did anyone else find this chapter to be a little too video game-ish? Hmm.
That…picture…is really creepy.
Embrace it. Learn to love it.
I am forever late to these comment sessions :/ Ah well, I'll add my contribution of CRYING FOREVER GIFS BECAUSE HOW COULD YOU KILL FINNICK COLLINS!?!?
It's just not freaking right!
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Just ughh! forever crying! It doesn't stop!
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After the crying FINALLY STOPS! Then…
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Is anything ever going to be good again EVER?! Of course not, because Collins just killed FInnick and now Annie will forever be alone and they were so BEAUTIFUL! Oh wait, crying again
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I love you Finnick!
i can't imagine being in the demographic these books are actually aimed at and reading them. even jaded 16 year old me would have all of the nightmares/sads after this chapter. my god.
This chapter is actually one of the most horrifying I've ever read, on so many levels. Finnick & Company's death definitely top five of character deaths that have hit me the hardest… right up there with Dumbledore.
I'm getting this horrible sinking feeling. This is the final week of reviews for Mockingjay…
I also find it so horribly ironic the way Finnick dies. Annie first goes mad after seeing her district partner beheaded in her own Hunger Games, and Finnick follows the same fate… = (
Oh my god, FINNICK. You've reached this milestone, and you shall have all the hugs you need!
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Gah! Adorable kitty is a-FREAKING-dorable!
I still haven't forgiven Collins for Finnick and I never will. NEVER.
I HAVE BEEN WAITING. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU TO GET TO THIS PART (I am sadistic, no?) AND I WAS SO EXCITED FOR IT. Then I realized, I'm fucking reliving every moment of it. If there was any bit of my soul left after reading these books, it is indeed gone forever.
Except you are still not prepared. The end of this book… you were never prepared. IT IS THE WORST THING I HAVE EVER EXPERIENCED. AND I LOVED EVERY HORRIBLE MOMENT.