Mark Reads ‘Mockingjay’: Chapter 3

In the third chapter of Mockingjay, Katniss gives her demands to Command regarding her position as the Mockingjay and is surprised by what they have planned for her. And then: room 3809. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to read Mockingjay.

Hey guys, remember Prim? You know, Katniss’s sister who she is TOTES devoted to and who kept her motivated throughout her first run through the Hunger Games? Oh, right, SHE’S NEVER AROUND. For someone so important to the main character, we sure do get few chances to ever experience what she’s like. Isn’t that strange to you?

During that night’s bout with insomnia, Katniss dresses herself in the district’s custom garb (ALL GREY, JUST LIKE THEIR HEARTS) and accidentally wakes up Prim. And hey! We finally get to see her ACTUALLY TALK when she asks Katniss what’s wrong with her.

“You could tell me, you know. I’m good at keeping secrets. Even from mother.”

She’s really gone, then. The little girl with the back of her shirt sticking out like a duck tail, the one who needed help reaching the dishes, and who begged to see the frosted cakes in the bakery window. Time and tragedy have forced her to grow too quickly, at least for my taste, into a young woman who stitches bleeding wounds and knows our mother can hear only so much.

Not to discount what Katniss is feeling, but…ok. We barely got to see Prim be a child, let alone grow up to an old woman. This feels kind of lazy, as a way to say, HEY BY THE WAY, SHE GREW UP. LOL.

I understand, though, that there really hasn’t been much time for Collins to spend with Prim, especially since Katniss has been in an arena for at least half of the past two books. And maybe this is her way of acknowledging that the rest of Katniss’s life has been on hold, or at least occurring in the background, while we’ve been in the urgency of everything else.

Still, I like Prim. I would have liked to also see more of her, and I’m worried we won’t get much of her in the pages that follow in Mockingjay.

“It’s just…Peeta. I’m afraid if we do win, the rebels will execute him as a traitor.”

Prim thinks this over. “Katniss, I don’t think you understand how important you are to the cause. Important people usually get what they want. If you want to keep Peeta safe from the rebels, you can.”

See? Don’t you want more of Prim? I think she’s entirely underestimated as a character and the conversation they have proves that she’s much more perceptive than we may have realized. She helps Katniss realize she can ask for Peeta’s immunity and also helps her figure out the best way to guarantee they’ll have to live up to their promise is by doing it all in public. But it spawned another thought in me: Does District 13 honestly think Peeta is a traitor? I mean, the guy was kidnapped by the Capitol and probably got tortured. Seriously? A traitor?

At breakfast, we learn more about the system District 13 uses to ration food, a method that has helped keep them alive for so long without the Capitol:

They have nutrition down to a science. You leave with enough calories to take you to the next meal, no more, no less. Serving size is based on your age, height, body type, health, and amount of physical labor required by your schedule.

WHAT. I would starve to death because I REALLY LOVE FOOD. This is an ongoing problem in my life. Still, as Katniss said earlier, I have to give 13 credit: they truly persevered in an otherwise impossible situation.

Katniss asks Gale to accompany her to her meeting that morning with Command and, like a good friend, he obliges without much thought. GALE FOR PRESIDENT. Ok, that’s a stretch, but I love that he supports her without question. It’s probably the best thing she could ask for.

At Command, Katniss is nervous in a way I’d not seen before; she immediately asks for a pencil and a piece of paper and I really feel bad for how hard this is for her. Her headache starts to return and she’s unable to concentrate, as the memories of the past year come rushing back to her. It seems these confrontations trigger her PTSD, but she does have a moment of BADASSERY that I cannot ignore:

The pencil moves across the page on its own. I open my eyes and see the wobbly letters. I KILL SNOW. If he’s captured, I want the privilege.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, Katniss. OH, KATNISS.

What follows I Katniss attempt to remain firm and make her demands if she agrees to be the Mockingjay. She starts off with Buttercup and SERIOUSLY, THEY HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IT. Ok, well only the 13 natives, BUT STILL. IT’S A CAT THAT SURVIVED A BOMBING RAID. Surely it will be fine in an underground bunker!!!

If he misses curfew, he will be locked out. If he causes any security problems, he’ll be shot immediately.

IT’S A FUCKING CAT, DISTRICT 13. JESUS CHRIST.

Second on her list, she demands that her and Gale be allowed to hunt. Besides the obvious, of getting to eat more food, Katniss makes it a point to say it will help her mindset to be able to actually go outside. As Plutarch starts to tell them a million reasons why they shouldn’t, Coin surprised me by allowing it.

“Give them two hours a day, deducted from their training time. A quarter-mile radius. With communication units and tracker anklets. What’s next?”

Well, shit. That was easy. Not as easy (nor as confusing) as what happens next. Katniss says that she wants Gale with her in order to pull of being the Mockingjay. Coin replies:

“With you how? Off camera? By your side at all times? Do you want him presented as your new lover?”

Like Katniss, my response is simply: WHAT?

Turns out that a lot of what they have planned for Katniss is very, very public. Plutarch doesn’t think they should contradict the romance that she built up with Peeta, especially since most of Panem believes she is pregnant. While Katniss is disturbed that they were so willing to portray Katniss otherwise if she liked, I was more bothered by the idea that she’ll be on camera. How is she going to do that? Is Collins trying to draw a parallel to what the Capitol did?

When Katniss demands that Peeta, Johanna, and Enobaria be pardoned upon release, she’s met with instant rejection. And Coin says something that makes no sense:

“They’ll be tried with other war criminals and treated as the tribunal sees fit,” she says.

WHAT. Surely, this is a bad joke, right? Do those in charge really see these people as war criminals? THEY WERE KIDNAPPED BY THE CAPITOL. Shouldn’t they be fighting to get them back?

“They’ll be granted immunity!” I feel myself rising from my chair, my voice full and resonant. “You will personally pledge this in front of the entire population of District Thirteen and the remained of Twelve. Soon. Today. It will be recorded for future generations. You will hold yourself and your government responsible for their safety, or you’ll find yourself another Mockingjay!”

HOLY SHIT. Katniss, HIGH FIVE THROUGH THE PAGES.

“Just one more thing. I kill Snow.”

For the first time ever, I see the hint of a smile on the president’s lips. “When the time comes, I’ll flip you for it.”

KJADSL;FKADFSJKLADSJLKDFA HOLY GOD. Oh god, WHAT. Touche, Coin. Touche.

At this point, I would recommend buckling in. Because what the fuck is happening. I was still unsure what it would entail for Katniss to become the Mockingjay and I’m still shocked as to how this all unfolded. Plutarch starts off by handing her a sketchbook, hoping that what’s inside will convince her to accept the role.

I open the cover to find a picture of myself, standing straight and strong, in a black uniform. Only one person could have designed the outfit, at first glance utterly utilitarian, at second a work of art. The swoop of the helmet, the curve of the breastplate, the slight fullness of the sleeves that allows the white folds under the arms to show. In his hands, I am again a mockingjay.

“Cinna,” I whisper.

Somebody hold me. Poor Cinna.

Turns out that Cinna was also in on the plan and sketched Katniss’s outfit in the weeks before the Quarter Quell games began. It also helps to explain why he was so excited and willing to assist her during both sets of games. HE WAS ALWAYS ON HER SIDE.

I use this GIF a lot. It just works, ok?

Ready for more head asplosion?

“But we have Beetee. About ten years ago, he essentially redesigned the underground network that transmits all the programming. He thinks there’s a reasonable chance it can be done. Of course, we’ll need something to air. So, Katniss, the studio awaits your pleasure.”

BEETEE WAS PART OF EVERYTHING ALL ALONG. Well, at least on a grand scale. And the plan is to use the Capitol’s system of entertainment/propaganda against them. I AM EXCITE.

What does strike me as odd, though, is how much all of this resembles what the Capitol did to Katniss as she prepared to enter the Games. Plutarch’s assistant, Fulvia, sounds eerily like the prep teams that tended to Katpee.

“Just how grimy can we make her without disgusting people? At any rate, she has to be something. I mean, obviously this”—Fulvia moves in on me quickly, framing my face with her hands—“won’t cut it.”

YEAH, THIS IS WEIRD. I don’t know, I guess this falls in line with the same thing I felt before: this is not at all what I expected. Maybe since Fulvia is actually from the Capitol, she tends to act this way. I don’t know. I guess I just wanted things to be different for Katniss for once.

Plutarch, Fulvia, Gale, and Katniss all board an elevator and, after Plutarch uses a special key, they head to the thirty-ninth floor. Underground. There are THIRTY NINE FLOORS UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE. Good god. Of course, when people head to a SECRET FLOOR via the elevator, you know shit is about to get real.

And so they head to room 3908 after exiting the elevator and then WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON.

Something feels very wrong down here. It’s more than the reinforced elevator, or the claustrophobia of being so far underground, or the caustic smell of antiseptic. One look at Gale’s face and I can tell he senses it as well.

WHAT DO YOU SENSE. I DON’T LIKE THIS.

“Good morning, we were just looking for—“ Plutarch begins.

“You have the wrong floor,” says the guard abruptly.

“Really?” Plutarch double-checks his notes. “I’ve got Three-Nine-Oh-Eight written right here. I wonder if you could just give a call up to—“

“I’m afraid I have to ask you to leave now. Assignment discrepancies can be addressed at the Head Office,” says the guard.

What??? But….it’s Plutarch. He had a key. Why would he have a key to the 39th floor if he wasn’t allowed there? I DON’T GET THIS.

It’s right ahead of us. Compartment 3908. Just a few steps away. The door—in fact, all the doors—seem incomplete. No knobs. They must swing free on hinges like the one the guard appeared through.

WHAT??? WHERE ARE THEY? WHO BUILDS ROOMS LIKE THIS.

From behind door 3908 comes a sound. Just a tiny whimper. Like something a cowed dog might make to avoid being struck, only all too human and familiar.

I can’t. I cannot comprehend this. WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON. Is this District 13’s prison?

Without hesitation (which is a great sign of how close Gale and Katniss are), Katniss drops the sketchbook she is holding and Gale and the guard both bend down to pick it up. When Gale grabs the guards arms “as if to steady himself,” Katniss bolts for the room.

I dart around the distracted guard, push open the door marked 3908, and find them. Half-naked, bruised, and shackled to the wall.

My prep team.

HOW. HOW THE FUCK IS THIS POSSIBLE. Why does District 13 have them??? Are they punishing them? IS CINNA INCLUDED IN THIS OR JUST THE TRIO?

WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK.

About Mark Oshiro

Perpetually unprepared since '09.
This entry was posted in Mockingjay, The Hunger Games and tagged , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

228 Responses to Mark Reads ‘Mockingjay’: Chapter 3

  1. April says:

    I know it has nothing to do with this chapter, but whenever I see a coal train in my home town I now always wonder if it came from District 12.

    PREP TEAM!!! They may be slightly annoying but I don't want them to be hurt 🙁

  2. mrsaddante says:

    Whoa Mark– you better reign in your WHAT THE FUCK use or else you're going to run out before you hit the end of the book.

    Then where will you be? I'll tell you.

    You'll be in the final chapters of the book with SHIT GETTIN REAL all over the place, and you won't have any WHAT THE FUCK left to use. Take a lesson from District 13 and learn to ration that stuff, dude. You DON'T want to have to resort to lesser expressions of exacerbation.

    • bendemolena says:

      He'll just post pictures of a broken keyboard, over and over.

      Maybe we should start a Mark's New Keyboard Fund?

    • stephanie says:

      i agree! man mark why you gotta be like that?

    • stephanie says:

      yeah mark listen to him i read the books and i just cant get over how shit gets SO real first its like meh im used to it but BAM!!! Collins just seems to like slapping us in the face with SHIT GETTING REAL!! so yea save your WTF's mark your gonna need it

    • xpanasonicyouthx says:

      HEY.

      I HAVE A LOT OF WHAT THE FUCK-AGE AND GIF PARTY SAVED TO MY COMPUTER.

      THEY SHALL NOT CEASE TO BE

      • Ishii_Era says:

        You have no idea about the extent to which my life would be made if I were ever allowed to browse through your gif folder.

    • LOTRjunkie says:

      XD
      When I read this, my mind went instantly to the Which from The Phantom Tollbooth and how she tried to ration all the words. Somebody tell me I'm not the only person who thought this?

      • Wendy says:

        Haha, thanks for reminding me. The Which and the Whether Man were a match made in heaven, am i right???

  3. knut_knut says:

    I was so excited about District 13, but now I'm starting to feel like it's super creepy and not that much better the Capitol =/ WHO IMPRISONS THE PREP TEAM?!

    • Phoebe says:

      true. the prep team seems like a less flashy and wasteful capitol. they still have strict government and maybe slight corruption (?) and the citizens of 13 just go along with it without questioning.

    • Yusra says:

      To be honest, District 13 is in that way because it's the only way they can survive.

      (Although I do agree that they do go too far in some accounts).

      • blis says:

        i am really hating district 13 so much. it reeks of communism.

        do not want!!

        • Personal pet peeve: not distinguishing communism the economic system from the governments that have employed it and their portrayal in the media. There have been other totalitarian regimes throughout history that were not communist. Considering communism advocates the dissolution of the state, calling Thirteen communist makes no sense.

          • inzhuna says:

            Thank you so much for saying this, I also really really hate when people don't understand that distinction.

          • Saber says:

            Thank you! I did a whole big thing once about something similar (How socialism and communism are NOT THE SAME THING PEOPLE)

            • blis says:

              oh no! i guess i am just dumb. sorry guys.

              there thats just the first thing that came to mind!

              i will try to think more before i post. : (

          • Inessa says:

            As someone who has come from the Soviet Union, and lived through the regime and all the stories from generations back, I agree with you that a distinction should be made between the political ideal and the historical implementation of it. But I also agree that the descriptions of 13, and those in power definitely being in power, and power pockets being given and taken away; the uniforms; the being careful what you say and where, gave me chills. Sorry, it does reek of communism.

            • notemily says:

              It reeks of certain governments that have called themselves communist or been run by a Communist Party. According to Wikipedia, Lenin described the USSR's economic system as "state capitalist."

              • Yusra says:

                In fact, Lenin's form of socialism was Leninism-Marxism (and oddly enough), Stalin's was Stalinism – and since Stalin managed to stay alive for so long, and killed a couple of people [understatement of epic proportions],'Communism' come to be associated with 'Stalinism'.

                Bleugh. I District 13 isn't communist, it's a self-sufficient dictatorship with Socialist tendencies.

                [and I might be wrong, not having done politics.]

    • shortstack930 says:

      Very true, I think Katniss actually mentions this in this chapter. She says something along the lines of how District 13 is almost more strict than the Capitol.

  4. Yusra says:

    Oo. Mark, you're not prepared at all.
    By the way, you seem to be liking Gale a whole lot more now that Peeta's not around… :O

    Also, Prim is cute.

  5. Megan says:

    The GIF you used was my reaction when I read this part.

    Kudos to giving props to Prim, who's a total BAMF but pint-sized. <3

    Also, the whole having-Katniss-on-camera-as-propaganda totally rubs me the wrong way. It's like she's back in the Capitol, being used as a tool for District 13's advantages. WHY IS THERE LIKE NO FREE WILL ON PANEM!!

  6. herpestidae says:

    [youtube IshGRFfq6UU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IshGRFfq6UU youtube]

    That's what Collins just did to us. We were all, lol Gale! lol Katniss is awesome! lol Coin got told! then BAM prep team locked up.

    And she's not going to stop either. She's been doing this since the first book, because we can't have nice things.

  7. Phoebe says:

    AAAHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    i agree, HOW ON EARTH ARE PEETA AND THE OTHERS DOING SOMETHING WRONG?!?!?! *THEY* were the ones to forget them!! they would be living in 13 if the rebels got their hovercrafts there in time!!!
    plus, that moment with katniss and gale is just more reason for me to ship them. they're just so in tune with each other, and they just GET each other. it seems so natural.

  8. monkeybutter says:

    Yeah, how fucking awful is it that they built unsecured doors? There's no fear that the people behind them will be able to escape. Ugh.

    I don't remember Fulvia from the first two books. Is she new, or am I inattentive? She just feels like a replacement Effie, but without the endearing wigs.

  9. bell_erin_a says:

    I'm going to keep this short, since I'm running on 4.5 hours of sleep (essays can go die in ALL THE FIRES, especially essays that you only have a week to write) and am most likely incoherent, plus I haven't reread the chapter so chances of spoiling are kinda high.

    Oh, snap! BAMF-ness runs in the family? Who would have known?! (Moar backstory on people, Collins, and moar secondary characters, especially her sister, yes?)

    I mean, the guy was kidnapped by the Capitol and probably got tortured. Seriously? A traitor?
    Yeah, that's pretty harsh. Maybe it's more of a liability thing, where they can't be sure if Peeta agreed to certain things (for him to keep ~playing the game~ of keeping Katniss alive)? Perhaps they should chill out and maybe go get Peeta so they can talk to him. That seems like a rational plan to me.

    GALE FOR PRESIDENT
    Mark, STOP IT. Do you want him to die along with Foxface and Mags and everyone else you've nominated for president?!? Next time try "evil dictator for life" or something more along the lines of what Snow is, since that guy seems to be alive and well for pretty much ever. (Also, he's more or less behind the deaths of Mags and Foxface. Dude really hates competition, it seems.)

    Yay, locking people up. Sign me up for D13, please. I am too tired (of writing essays and always running into Panem's disturbing penchant for lack of free will) to bring out the capslock again, but goodness. Are the prep team "traitors" like Peeta's a "traitor" just because they come from the Capitol? Hypocrisy and double standards, I see you.

  10. christwriter says:

    "YEAH, THIS IS WEIRD. I don’t know, I guess this falls in line with the same thing I felt before: this is not at all what I expected. Maybe since Fulvia is actually from the Capitol, she tends to act this way. I don’t know. I guess I just wanted things to be different for Katniss for once."

    I know I said it yesterday, but one thing Collins said inspired her was when she noticed that reality TV footage (and our attitudes regarding it) was starting to REALLY resemble war footage. Which I find incredible because I hate reality TV the way, I guess, Mark hates Rush Limbaugh and I totally agree 100% with what Collins is doing here.

    (ohgod this has nothing to do with anything but thereisapossomsittingonmypoarchanditisbiganduglyanditisfreakingdaylightSOMEBODYHOLDME.)

    Ahem. So anyway, doing this "war propaganda isn't that different" thing is kind of a natural extension of the original idea (OHGODIT"SMAKINGNOISE WHAT IS THAT SOUND) (ahem). So yeah. I liked it.

    And the whole "I'll flip you for it" part made me grin like a mad bastard. And I was actually worried Mark wouldn't enjoy this book half as much as the other two (mark enjoying these books is almost as much fun as me enjoying these books. Maybe a little more, as I can anticipate someone else's enjoyment) and now I'm not worried at all. (Insert evil grin here)

    (also FREAKING POSSOM IN FREAKING DAYLIGHT what the hell)

  11. andreah1234 says:

    TEAM CINNA. WHO I STILL BELIEVE TO BE ALIVE. Hell even if we do see his dead body at some point I will still believe he will come back as an awesome ghost or some crazy shit. I JUST REALLY REALLY LIKED HIM AND WE NEVER GOT TO SPENT REAL TIME WITH HIM. brb crying forever.

    See? Don’t you want more of Prim? I think she’s entirely underestimated as a character and the conversation they have proves that she’s much more perceptive than we may have realized.
    I think it's great we're finally seeing WHY Katniss loves Prim so much, as in we never really did. I mean we knew she loves her sister, because she's her sister but (and I say this by personal experience) that's not always a reason to love someone unconditionally. Plus she seems really cool. So MOAR Prim please.

    The lover thing was awful because, HEY LOOK WE ARE GOING FROM ONE OPPRESSIVE AND MANIPULATIVE SOCIETY TO ANOTHER YAY!

    Gale, just keeps getting better and better. I still like Peeta better though.

    OH ILU BADASS KATNISS. PLEASE BE AROUND MORE OFTEN. It almost makes up for the lack of Johanna and Finnick. ALMOST. I WANT MOAR JOHANNA AND FINNICK NOW. And Beetee, MOAR Beetee is always good.

    And what?!?!?!? The prep team. WHAT. I have a feeling we are not prepared. OH NOES. D: D: D: D:

  12. Phoebe says:

    <img src="http://i55.tinypic.com/xd8oqr.png&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">
    saw this and thought of mark 😉

  13. elusivebreath says:

    Ugh, I truly HATE District 13. I get it, they had to survive without/despite the Capitol, yadda yadda, but that place would drive me bonkers! I personally have a thing for free will, so yeah, going from the Capitol to District 13 would probably make me lose my mind.

    One thing I think is interesting here is how Katniss is in a parallel situation to the Hunger Games, not the Games themselves, but the prep, the use of television as propaganda, the way they want to "present" her in a certain light. I like how the "good guys" of District 13 are not actually all wonderful and puppies and sunshine while the Capitol has ~all the evils.~

  14. hallowsnothorcruxes says:

    Did Katniss's transformation remind anyone else of Harry in HBP when he's talking to Scrimgeour? I just don't understand why Coin considers Peeta and the rest to be war criminals and now they are holding the prep team as hostages. The motives and machinery behind this rebellion is getting murkier by the minute.

    Also the following picture is completely relevant to this post.

    <img src="http://i53.tinypic.com/o6ejw3.jpg&quot; border="0" alt="Image and video hosting by TinyPic">

    (Courtesy: Ryan North)

  15. andreah1234 says:

    Right.

    Bet they won't be saying that when Buttercup fucks them up his awesome Kneazle powers. Which is totally happening because Katniss dies on chapter 4 and the rest of the book is in his point of view.

    Oh wait, I think that might be a spoiler. MY BAD 😉

    • bookling says:

      Buttercup becomes the new Mockingjay.

      • NeonProdigy says:

        But then Katniss comes back as a ghost! And she, Moaning Myrtle, and Nearly-Headless Nick go kick some ectoplasmic ass and help take down the Capitol!

      • cait0716 says:

        I think Buttercup would eat the Mockingjay. The symbol of the rebellion would then be a cat. It would be an awfully lazy rebellion that somehow managed to get everything it wanted through sheer force of will (and glares)

      • Gabbie says:

        Correction: He IS the Mockingjay. But no one has the heart to tell Katniss, so they're just humoring her and letting her think she's the symbol of rebellion.

  16. mr.mowgli says:

    If Snow or anyone else even tries to lay a finger or touch a single hair on my Johanna, she will live to regret it!

  17. PaulineParadise says:

    I’d love to post my picture of Katniss that took me a week to draw, but I can’t find my camera meh. Instead, here’s something funny I realised while cleaning my room and reading my old school stuff.

    Apparently, we had to write a short story in (dutch education system) 6th class, when I was 10 or something like that. I wrote a short story about a girl walking through a mirror and entering some sort of medieval (sp?) world. She met a lady called Isabella Swann. The rest of the story isn’t important but I spent a few minutes laughing because Stephenie Meyer is as creative as a 10-year-old girl.

  18. mr. mowgli says:

    Did you notice that Katniss kept the part of her plan about saving Peeta a secret from Gale.
    And Gale's reaction. I don't think he acted that way because she kept it from him. I think he legit was upset that she wanted to save Peeta. I still don't really care that much for Gale. I don't dislike him, but I think he is really, i don't know immature? childish? not Peeta? I cant put my finger on it, but I am not his biggest fan.

  19. stellaaaaakris says:

    Katniss, you're a BAMF. You keep on being BAMF.You tell that bitch Coin to save Peeta.

    "There, you see? And look how moral you two are. Virtually incorruptible."
    Haha Plutarch, are you kidding me? Are we talking about the same Katniss and Gale? I think they are good people and genuinely act in ways they think best, but you could definitely argue that they are in moral gray area. In her first Games, Katniss didn't even understand what it meant to not lose yourself in the Games until near the end, after having killed a handful of people. She manipulated Peeta's feelings to keep herself and him alive. In CF, she agreed to a fake engagement and, after the fact, a fake pregnancy to manipulate the crowd's sympathy. She killed without thinking and was willing to turn on Finnick, even after he got Peeta off his disk. She then considered placing him in a battle with the Careers so she wouldn't have to kill him herself. And she daydreamed about killing Johanna and Snow. (Please note, I'm not judging her for any of this. I think she did what she needed to do and was pretty moral most of the time.) And Gale, now, I don't know if anything's been stated outright, but I definitely get the vibe that he's of the mindset that if you're not with him, you're against him, and if you're against him, you will pay. I can see him punishing everybody from the Capitol, Districts 1 and 2, and maybe even the majority of 4. I think his methods would probably be pretty Machiavellian, the ends justifying the means. That's just my reading of him. That said, I loved everything he did in this chapter. I think he and Katniss are amazing friends who click. I just think that he will do anything for those people in his little circle of trust, but everybody else is fair game.

    On the other hand, Plutarch's line could just be a statement on the morals of the Capitol compared to the average person.

    Cinna, you are a BAMF wherever you are. You knew you weren't going to be able to walk out of the training center after the dress incident, didn't you? ::wipes away a tear::

    And finally, what the hell is going on with Katniss' prep team? Why are they half-naked? Why are they chained to the wall? I've come to care for them over the past two books and I do not appreciate this treatment of them.

  20. stellaaaaakris says:

    Also, you guys I had a dream the other night, not about THG trilogy, but about this website. My little reputation number had dropped to -80 and was red and there was an exclamation point and everything. It was SIRIUS. I was frantically going through my archive of comments to figure out what happened. It was very troubling. I never got an answer because I woke up, but I probably voiced an unpopular opinion or said I hate Cinna (which I would NEVER do) or something.

    • bell_erin_a says:

      That damn little number seems so harmless and innocent, but starts to get to you in ways you never would have thought…

    • ldwy says:

      Hahaha, that's so funny, but I'm sorry for your unwarranted terror. As long as you love Cinna, you'll probably be fine.

    • xpanasonicyouthx says:

      I have had similar dreams. But then some involve the site being deleted and I die.

      • thefbm says:

        This site deleted, hogwash! If that happen we would rise up and revolt! And umm you dying…I would go to your funeral.

        • LOTRjunkie says:

          I'm sure Mark is very comforted by the fact that you'll go to his funeral when he dies. It'll make his death totally worth it.

  21. exbestfriend says:

    Something about this chapter makes me really wonder about District 13. I don't want to project my issues with governments onto whatever is going on here, but it seems like Katniss has left one Dictatorship for another. I mean last chapter we were introduced to the fact that they have an extremely structured routine, with no options to deviate from what was assigned to you, also the shaming of the people who did not fall into their very stringent orders. In this chapter we are now introduced to the fact that the District will try Johanna and Peeta for war crimes because they had the bad luck to be captured by the Capitol. Also they are willing to shoot Buttercup for being cat like. And apparently floor 39 is a prison that has no locks and only one guard. That scares me.
    Living outside of the Capitol's regime is going to have it's own special set of problems, but this isn't any more free than the life they were living before. And what is causing them to become sterile? Is it radiation from the bombs?
    Sorry for all the tl;dr but I just had to get it off my chest.

  22. mugglemomof2 says:

    IT’S A FUCKING CAT, DISTRICT 13. JESUS CHRIST.
    I don't even like cats and I was thinking the same thing!!!

    Crazy chapter with so much going on. I think your last GIF sums it up. Thumbs up!

  23. bendemolena says:

    EXECUTING EVERYONE INVOLVED MAKES NO GODDAMNED SENSE.

    ESPECIALLY JOHANNA. She seems to have been in on it the entire time, she just didn't get the chance to be rescued!! Beetee would have been absolutely BONED without her, Coin, and you guys obviously need him. WHY??

    • I would have flipped and started issuing threats to Coin and her Meanie Entourage as soon as they threatened to shoot Buttercup, so I agree with you whole-heartedly. Buttercup's orders, of course.

  24. Lindsey says:

    Heheh, that last gif still has me chuckling 😛

  25. ldwy says:

    The parallels to how the capitol operates I think are totally deliberate, very real, and totally scary. I'm actually surprised that so far, Katniss isn't more creeped out by the fact that this feels so similar. Although I suppose it may be contributing to her PTSD and what triggers it, without being stated explicitly.

    CINNA I WILL CRY FOR YOU FOREVER. YOU ARE HELPING KATNISS EVEN FROM THE GRAVE (you know, assuming he is dead? I hold to a tiny glimmer of hope, at this point).
    <img src="http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp212/ambyst/Gifs%20Pics%20and%20Icons/Misc%20Gifs/orig-12147071.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Sad,rain,cry,Stitch">
    <img src="http://i413.photobucket.com/albums/pp212/ambyst/Gifs%20Pics%20and%20Icons/Harry%20Potter/tumblr_lfg7vmtrlw1qfont0o1_500.gif&quot; border="0" alt="Photobucket">

    The end of this chapter blew my mind. I did not expect to see the prep team again. And what the fuck at how they are being treated? I mean, we've seen that D13 is run with pretty militant precision, and this is kind of contributing to the picture of it as essentially a military dictatorship. And I don't begrudge that they organized in a way that allowed them to survive. But I'm worried even more now that Katniss has fled from one bad bad bad government, right into one that could turn out to be just as flawed.

  26. christwriter says:

    I don't know if they really had an opportunity to do propaganda prior to this book, but I hadn't really thought about it before now. First book, definitely not. Second book was more about building the rebellion, but I'm not sure if you could slot Katniss into a propaganda role without breaking the book. She doesn't really have the leverage or the support system until now. I'm not sure though. Maybe a couple more read throughs (I tend to analyze the really good stuff a LOT, and I really like what Collins does to her audience here)

    (I live in an apartment complex in South Texas. So it's warm, for now. I've called them before, and Animal Control does nothing. It's not the first time I've seen it, either. When i first moved in I'd hear it moving around at night, and by "hear it move around" I mean hear it make this weird, throaty growly noise that should not come from anything that evolved on planet earth. It scared the crap out of me the first night. I think my neighbors are feeding it, because they feed the local stray cats. Which is illegal by city ordinance and can get you thrown out of the complex, but they do it anyway and I won't tell because I'm not a narc. )

  27. Oh, District 13. I thought you were going to be a utopian paradise of lollipops and nuclear weapons, but your lollipops have hair on them. Also, lollipops are outlawed.

  28. barnswallowkate says:

    I don't understand why Peeta et al would be traitors either. MAYBE Peeta could be a traitor because of that interview in the last chapter (if you want to be really unreasonable about it) but how is Johanna one? I don't understand what they could have done differently. Does Coin expect them to have killed themselves rather than be kept/used by the Capitol? Which is ironic given the extreme steps District 13 has taken to survive – they want to live, but think the people captured by the Capitol should have died ASAP.

    • monkeybutter says:

      Obviously they should have bitten off their tongues rather than live under the Capitol's rule.

      You're either with us, or you're against us!

      • Cam says:

        AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!! This made me come up with a horrible idea. What if the Capitol turned Peeta and Johanna and Annie into Avoxes? Avoxi?

    • Lynn says:

      Maybe the idea is that Coin wants to reserve the right to put them on trial if they do something in the future not to her liking? IDK, just grasping at straws as to the why.

      • Saber says:

        That's a good point, maybe Coin just wants that as an insurence policy. How much does she know about these victors? She might not understand just how dedicated they are to the cause, and how Johanna would likely sooner die then do one of those interveiws. She might be worried they'll crack under torture and give something away – NO. NOT THINKING ABOUT THEM HURTING JOHANNA lalalalalalala notthinkingaboutit DIE IN A FIRE SNOW!

  29. residentgamer says:

    District 13 seems like the underground version of the Capitol. I was appalled that they want her to wear costumes and get in front of cameras, that they call Peeta a traitor, and that a CAT should be seen as such a problem. I don't know, I had hopes that 13 would be different. I don't hate what 13 is in context to the story, btw. It's interesting that Collins sets it up the way she has. I just don't like it on an emotional level, if that makes sense.

    • If I were Katniss I'd probably tell Coin to kick out one of her minions so Buttercup would be able to have more goodies, but then, I have a strange sense of morality. But hey, and least I'm not out to treat people who nearly died for my cause as War Criminals! (If she tries to hurt our Johanna I will seriously throw a completely ineffective tantrum!)

  30. Fuchsia says:

    You forgot to point out the best part: Cinna didn't want Katniss to see the sketches until she had made the decision to be the Mockingjay on her own. He was in on the plan for rebellion, but he wanted Katniss to be more than just a pawn. YAY CINNA.

    Although the dressing up and filming and creating another story around her is disturbing, to say the least. (I'd write more but I have to go to work!)

  31. Booksinbulk says:

    Mark I totally agree with you and had the same reaction. If you’re kidnapped by the Capitol from a certain situation bc the rebellion who PUT YOU THERE IN THE FIRST PLACE WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT fails to reach you first and you are probably be tortured in all the awful ways possible…..you’re a war criminal and deserve to be punished?

    Wow that’s uh…logical.

  32. karadudz says:

    District 13 is not as heavenly as we thought/imagined/hoped it would be =(

    Coin seems demonic-ish… Not as much as Snow.
    The guards seem brainwashed.
    The headquarters are literally so close to the earth's core… Can people feel the heat from the magma?
    THEY DON'T FEED YOU ENOUGH, and most probably supports some sort of dystopian revolutionized type of anorexia or something.
    They feel it's completely acceptable to shoot a cat if it gets annoying…. WHAT?!

    Why is it like this? It's like a prison but not because it's supposed to be a cool underground city run by demons and guarded by brainless zombies.

    WHERE'S DISTRICT 14? You know… The one with the unicorns and the eat all you can street sale?

    • Katherine says:

      They do feed you enough. They feed you precisely "enough" and no more. How much food can an underground city produce?

  33. potlid007 says:

    Oh Gale, youzah gem
    <img src="http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i109/lizzie725/gifs/f713njpg.gif&quot; border="0" alt="30 Rock-liz lemon-wink Pictures, Images and Photos"/>

    and Katniss, you so determined! FOUR FOR YOU KATNIZ
    <img src="http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn8/KnockMeDownRHCP/gifs/high5.gif&quot; border="0" alt="30 Rock Pictures, Images and Photos"/>

    and DISTRICT 13 JUST NEEDS TO SHUT UP.
    <img src="http://i771.photobucket.com/albums/xx356/EdieRose/Gif%20me/axb1pj.gif&quot; border="0" alt="o brother eye roll liz lemon 30 rock Pictures, Images and Photos"/>

  34. sirshay says:

    My WTF factor is tingling from the fact that they were SENT TO THE ROOM WHERE HER PREP TEAM HAS BEEN IMPRISONED and then the guard has to act all shifty, which of course sends Katniss into a flurry of "Shit is going down, and I need to know what it is"-ness. Did D13 purposely set her up to find them, or was it just a fluke that is going to PISS HER OFF?
    Also, there are not enough sadfaces in the world to express my disappointment at the loss of Cinna.

    • Ali says:

      oooh, I didn't think of that at all. Maybe they did mean for her to find them? It does kind of sound like a set-up. It could be like a subtle way of telling Katniss that, although they need her, they still have power over her and everyone she cares about.
      So far, everyone in District 13 as a whole seem kind of…douchebags?

      Poor prep team… 🙁

  35. lebeaumonde says:

    is it just me
    or is Prim the new deus ex machina for Katniss' lack of rationality?
    You know, now that both Peeta and Haymitch are out of commission.

    • You mean Pet Rock Prim? Who suddenly graduated to Pet Rock Prim with Eyeball because Collins suddenly evolved the character slightly?

      • Saber says:

        Yes
        Nice way to state it. I always felt like Prim was never a real character

        • exbestfriend says:

          To be fair, this whole story has been told from a very specific point of view, and what older sibling doesn't kind of, I don't want to say idolize, but you know kind of keeps their younger siblings in a glass box or treats them more like a puppy than a person? Sometimes I think that Suzanne Collins is much smarter than I give her credit for, and one of the things that has been pleasantly surprising when reading through these books is how much she filters the other characters through Katniss' perspective.

  36. My demands were I the Mockingjay: Firstly, I get to keep the cat. Should you cause a problem, look at Buttercup wrong, or in any way displease his feline pleasure, I shoot you, foo. Second, I want my snackies. This entails cookies, coffee, and the odd bit of bacon, because a girl needs to keep up her strength. Thirdly, touch my friends, mess up my rock collection, or tell me what to wear, and I will give Snow a cookie and shoot a lesser character from District 13 because I am traumatized and it's PAST MY NAPTIME!

    Yeah, this is why I'd be a lousy Mockingjay. Now where's my bagel, dammit?!

  37. RainaWeather says:

    When I saw the prep team, I DIED! I wanted to run but then I remembered I was reading a book.

  38. Um, wow, now I want to cuddle my dogs under my blanket and cry…

  39. exbestfriend says:

    Major props on bringing up the Katniss is a true bad-ass line. Because why would Katniss be thinking of who is presented as her lover? There is a rebellion going on and more to the point her request was to go hunting. It was not to be provided with condoms or share rooms with Gale. It is demeaning that she cannot live her life without people trying to pair her with the closest warm male. You go Katniss!
    <img src="http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lezmaoGh4a1qaxbx5.gif"&gt;

    • She should have told Coin, "Wrong book. This isn't Twilight, you know."

    • bookling says:

      Right? Unless they think "hunting" is a euphemism for "boning in the woods".

      I really appreciate that Collins is willing to let her heroine be alone instead of constantly in some sort of relationship. Even if everyone around her is pressuring her to be in or pretend to be in a relationship.

  40. SusanBones says:

    Mark : What does strike me as odd, though, is how much all of this resembles what the Capitol did to Katniss as she prepared to enter the Games. Plutarch’s assistant, Fulvia, sounds eerily like the prep teams that tended to Katpee.

    This was my reaction, too. And then locking up the prep team like that just completely changed my view od District 13. I was giving them the benefit of the doubt, thinking they had good reasons for their rules and restrictions. But now I don't know what to make of them, except that Coin is someone you don't want to cross.

    Can Katniss please have some nice things happen to her?

  41. thatonegirl says:

    I thought the same thing about that lover line! (Apparently the word boyfriend is lost in the evil future?) Take that, shippers. 😉

  42. I'm convinced that line was a total Take That from Collins to the fans.

    • lilygirl says:

      and damn if we did not need it. No more shipping, there really is more going on in life right now. Why are so many of us stuck in the whole "Katness has to to have a boyfriend every minute of her life to be a real girl." There is a war going on and a real person may acutally have other thing to do right now.

      • trash_addict says:

        Heh, my way of shipping is fantasising that Katniss and Peeta will be happy and stuff, AFTER they've got all this shit sorted. And never ever bothered by any scary dictatorship ever again. But in the perspective of Right Now In The Story I just want everyone to be not, y'know, dead.

    • Xocolatl. says:

      WHOAH How'd you get an arrow in your name?!

  43. accio doublestuff says:

    i'm not sure how i feel of collins' treatment of characters who are not katniss and peeta and gale. it seems that everyone we are supposed to love gets killed ten seconds later (hi mags and wiress!!!! and rue! and even cinna. oy vey). So we basically have to take it for granted that they are wonderful people. I mean yes, the snapshot we get of them seems pretty good, but the method seems like a cop out to me. (and for the record, gale still seems a little flat to me. his character has had pretty much no arc whatsoever). (and all the bad guys are just bad. period. like snow. katniss is interesting because she's flawed, but what about EVERYBODY else???)

    i think it's really similar the way collins has talked about prim. we know katniss loves her more than anything. but this is the first actual character development (can you even call it that???)we've ever had of prim – in the THIRD book. prim is the entire reason that katniss was in the hunger games in the first place. i know katniss was in the hunger games and just a little busy…..but seriously. i think readers deserve to know more before i just "buy" people as full fledged characters. they all seem like devices collins is using to make us extra sad when she kills them off.

    granted, prim is still alive, unlike the others (is cinna alive PLEASE?) but in general i agree with mark that it's strange that we have pretty much NOTHING on prim. katniss underestimated her…….but we didn't even get the chance to underestimate her as readers. we had no evidence to the contrary that prim was a cute little girl. we could have at least gotten some more clues through katniss' eyes that she was all innocent and naive and whatnot before katniss is all "i was so wrong".

    also, i LIKE spending time with cinna and mags and wiress and prim. cause they're the few bright spots in this very, very dark story. i wonder if collins is afraid to make us happy because the story is supposed to be dark. i can imagine her with all the characters on puppet strings answering me, "WAR IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE AMUSING." but things aren't always terrible, even in the worst situation. i think the story would benefit from more happy moments.

    • I keep repeating myself, but I still picture Prim as a pet rock. Now she has an eye, because the character evolved slightly.

    • Treasure Cat says:

      This is a great comment and I wish I could upvote it more times to express how much I agree.

    • Pk9 says:

      I always saw Prim as sort of a human MacGuffin. She only exists as a plot device to drive Katniss into the Games as a volunteer. She is defined by her importance to Katniss. She could just as easily be a best friend, a cousin, a brother (with a slight modification of the reaping rules), etc etc.

  44. theresa1128429 says:

    "I kill snow"
    I think these are the best words in the entire series.

    • Saber says:

      But they could be better

      "Johanna kills Snow, and I get a front seat"

      • theresa1128429 says:

        Ohh that sounds like a show. Then again, there are so many people who deserve a shot at him. Maybe everyone takes turns with non-fatal torture? Then Buttercup can finish him off with some good old corpse nomming!

  45. lisra says:

    Because I was conditioned from Twilight reading I yelled immediately YOU ARE ALL TERRIBLE PEOPLE.

    And really, so many of #13 are. You are not glorious rebels, you are pricks, at least your leaders.

  46. thatonegirl says:

    Wow, this chapter. I really liked the image of Katniss with the pearl at the beginning because it's so sad. But also kind of sweet how it seems like she's totally fallen for Peeta and wants to hold on to a part of him. I was gushing about it until Collins came along to slap me and say that focusing only on her love interests was demeaning. That's why I'm loving this book. So not a fairy tale.
    And I liked seeing Katniss interact with Prim and Gale. Now I get why she cares so much about them – they're actually cool people who care about her, too. Who knew?
    Shooting the cat was a little over the top for me… like to the point of seeming so ridiculous that it took me out of the moment. They should have threatened to eat it instead. not really

    • LOTRjunkie says:

      Eating cats under desperate times lacking food is hardly unusual. After all, District 12 used to have wild dog soup, right?

  47. canyonoflight says:

    Tbh, when I read the end of this chapter my reaction was "Oh, her prep team? Anti-climax." I've never really grown attached to any of these characters because of Collins' choppy writing style. The emotion seems forced to me, idk. Am I the only one?

    • Phoebe says:

      maybe, except for the fact that the last time we saw them they were crying over Katniss. I remembered them in a positive light, as did Katniss, so I think there some emotion there.

      • bookling says:

        Plus, as much as they may have been ignorant and naive, they were innocent. They never did anything with the intention of hurting someone. I believe that they loved Katniss. There was nothing to justify imprisoning and beating them.

      • canyonoflight says:

        That felt forced to me. Like I said, I blame Collins' writing style. It just doesn't connect with me. I read these books for the plot and nothing else.

    • Tabbyclaw says:

      You don't have to care about them emotionally. But can you imagine three more harmless and innocent people in this series? And the side we're supposed to be rooting for is keeping them chained and beaten in the dark. How is that not messed up?

      • canyonoflight says:

        I agree it's messed up, but my reaction was "oh okay, now what?" because I never really grew attached to them. *shrugs* And I figured Katniss would fix it, so I wasn't worried about them, tbh.

    • Annalebanana says:

      I actually really got attached to the characters. And I know most would disagree with me, but I like more choppy and to the point writing for this type of book. I mean, could you imagine Hawthorne or Dickens or even Meyer trying to get the same points across? Long flowery writing is sometimes nice, but not in this book.

      • canyonoflight says:

        I think the choppy writing works for action scenes and scenes where Katniss is disoriented, but it really doesn't lend itself to my growing attached to the characters. I tried, but I just can't. I didn't say anything about wanting flowery, purple prose. There are plenty of writers that manage to balance between telling too much and not telling enough. I think if there had been more showing rather than things like "And this is what happened/he told me: [insert unsatisfying summary of events here]" it would have been better. That kind of thing just throws me out of the story and therefore out of connection with the characters. By Mockingjay, I was reading not to find out what happened to each of the characters, but to see how the revolution would end.

  48. inzhuna says:

    I siriusly love Collins for portraying District 13 this way. I would certainly not have appreciated it as much, if it was Capitol all bad and La Resistance all good. 'The Revoluiton Will Not Be Civilized!'

  49. xpanasonicyouthx says:

    And that's how you get perma-banned from Mark Reads.

    • Reonyea says:

      'ooh, what did she say' is probably a stupid question to ask…

      • xpanasonicyouthx says:

        In the interest of not spoiling others, I won't repeat it. 🙂

      • booksinbulk says:

        i KNOW i want to know so badly what she said hahaha. duh, that's the whole point. silly us.

        • kaybee42 says:

          I read it and I'm one of the people reading along… Gah!!! So very angry!

          • booksinbulk says:

            ugh. so upset for you+mark+everyone else who hasn't read yet. 🙁 🙁 but BELIEVE ME, whatever she said, THERE ARE STILL THINGS YOU ARE NOT PREPARED FOR! EVER.

            • kaybee42 says:

              I know right! Already this book is *very* different to what I expected! (This is a GREAT thing, btw!)
              But I am getting pretty prepared for the plot twist of Buttercup becoming the new president of panem after they defeat the capitol and everyone lives happily ever after under the golden age reign of Buttercup (despite his occasional demands for belly rubs)…

    • Hermione_Danger says:

      WHY IS IT SO HARD TO UNDERSTAND

      DO NOT POST SPOILERS

      Is there an equivalent to MANGER for non-men? Maybe just RAAAAAAGE.

    • MissKrissy says:

      I had a sad this morning when I saw this, because I have not read any of the Hunger Games books, nor am I reading them. My only information about this series has come from this blog (which is doing a fantastic job of getting me into this series anyway). So, when I finished reading this morning's blog, I scrolled too far down (I don't normally read the comments, just in case) and had a major sad because of this spoiler. DX

      • xpanasonicyouthx says:

        Hey fuckface who left this spoiler (if you're reading the site):

        I hope you feel awful. And by the way: Fuck you.

        • Gillyweed says:

          How is it spoiler, honestly? it was revealed in chapter one and we had a comment back then by stellaaaaakris with+25 likes on the same topic.

  50. Shanella says:

    I don't know if I can read this book with you again. I'm stressed out just reading your reviews and I've read the book before. haha

  51. Stephalopolis says:

    I love Cinna til the end of time. I really do. But…….. I want to play devil's advocate for a moment.

    One thing that is (rightly) pissing Katniss off right now is being manipulated by everyone for their own causes. The Capitol manipulated her and Peeta and their "love" story. Plutarch, Coin, the Commanders of District 13, the Capitol rebels, the other victors kept her out of the loop regarding her rescue plan and their plan to use her as "The Mockingjay." She's currently pissed at Haymitch for his role in this mess. And yet….. what about Cinna? I understand that he's gone missing and/or died so she still has sentimental feelings for him. But… he's been using her for the rebel cause as well. He keeps putting her in these outfits with no permission from her. Yes, she trusts him explicitly and goes with what he wants… but he's been using her body as a way to express his own agenda. Putting her in the publicized mockingjay outfit. the young girl outfit. The burning wedding dress. Yes, they are all awesome, and yes, Katniss enjoys them… but he never gets her permission to use her as rebel propaganda this way.

    I still love love love love Cinna, don't get me wrong. But for me, looking at what Haymitch has done vesus what Cinna's done…. I'd put much more blame on Cinna.

    • Saber says:

      Yet he wanted them to show her the book of designs AFTER she'd agreed. Though the burning dress went too far, I agree.

    • Tabbyclaw says:

      AND NEVER DOES KATNISS QUESTION IT. That's the part that put my back up so hard. Cynical, paranoid, trust-no-one-ever Katniss finds out that Cinna has been grooming her to be the Mockingjay from the start, and she's totally okay with that. There's not even a flash of "Is this the only reason he was ever kind to me?" or "Was it all a game to him?", it's all just "CINNA LOVES ME AND HE PLANNED THIS THEREFORE IT MUST BE GOOD AND RIGHT."

  52. Gabbie says:

    …with a golden wig. ):

  53. eeshannon says:

    Am I the only one who pictures Buttercup as Crookshanks?

  54. Saber says:

    They hung an ape as a french spy once…

    Why do I know these weird things?

    • kaybee42 says:

      I was gonna thumbs this up, but then I was like "I'm not happy they killed an ape…" so i just thought I'd say that I LOVE that there are people who know these things.

  55. Hotaru-hime says:

    It's like Catching Fire was the roller coaster going uphill and Mockingjay is it going down, looping, and going about the corkscrews.

  56. Sammi says:

    From the point you started Mark Reads The Hunger Games, I've read every chapter along with you. My patience finally broke; I'm up to chapter 8 now. Haha in the home stretch, the last book, and NOW's when I decide to read ahead, right? hahaaa
    Anyway. Chapter 3. I loved when they brought Prim back. She seems so mature now. How old is she supposed to be at this point?
    I love how when Katniss stands up for herself with the demand that the others stay safe, Fulvia's like "That's her!", like that's how they want to present her as the mockingjay. It shows how strong Katniss can be if she tries.
    As for the prep team.. I literally gasped when we saw them. I loved how Gale and Katniss worked together so seamlessly to distract the guard.
    All I can say is, YOU ARE NOT PREPARED.

  57. Ellie says:

    THE PREP TEAM! I love them D8

    Possibly relevant: Last night I had a dream that Mark was my English teacher and gave me a quiz on the Hunger Games. I feel like I may have been reading this site too much, lol.

  58. Not_Prepared says:

    OHAI PREP TEAM AND PRIM LONG TIME NO SEE! How you dernnnn?

  59. Not_Prepared says:

    I'm still grieving for your past presidential nominees, Mags and Foxface, and you're already nominating Gale?! YOU HEARTLESS BASTARD. *locks myself in my room and lets months pass as blank pages, a la Bella Swan*

    • xpanasonicyouthx says:

      HAHAHAH I LOVE THIS COMMENT.

    • Gabbie says:

      Me reading "New Moon" because I promised my friend I would -I was a trooper and stuck it out the whole series btw!-: *flips page*
      OCTOBER
      Me: What the-!? *flips page*
      NOVEMBER
      Me: Oh, geez… She's really bummed out about this or what? *flips page, expecting ACTUAL PAGES FILLED WITH WORDS OR SOMETHING*
      DECEMBER
      Me: YOU BETTER TALK ABOUT CHRISTMAS BELLA! EDWARD OR NOT, THAT HOLIDAY IS SPECIAL. *flips page*
      JANUARY
      Me: AJFHASFHEDHAHEAGFLAGFLFHFHSDSFH;SDSFDHFDHADFGDHDSFDFGSHDKJ SCREW YOU! *closes book and doesn't read for four days*

  60. A world without bacon is not worth living in.

  61. liliaeth says:

    I can't begin to say how much I respect Katniss for including Enobaria in her list of people to be given immunity because they weren't saved from the arena. Katniss has no reason to like her, yet she includes her anyway.

    • theresa1128429 says:

      That is a great moment. It shows that she is concerned with keeping innocent people alive in addition to her own agenda. Katniss may seem self-absorbed sometimes, but she really does care about the big picture..

  62. Quizzical says:

    i remember at this point i was trying to work out if district 13 was trying to withstand the evil of the capitol with being fiercer, or if they were just as evil, or if they had just grown up under this and so were conditioned to believe this is how things were done.

    but as amazingly resourceful as they are, it totally sucks, and i am so sorry for poor traumatised katniss. she never set herself up to be a hero, so all the ways she isn't finding it a natural fit are hardly her fault!

  63. gredandforge says:

    I love the interactions between Katniss and Gale in this chapter! How they're so instinctively in tune with each other 🙂 I can really picture that last scene where Katniss dropped the sketchbook and Gale "restrained" the guard playing out well in a movie scene .. they communicate without WORDS o_o

  64. Sophie says:

    I'm not a big fan of Gale either. I don't hate him, I just kind of dislike him. I agree with what you and MissImpertinence said about him.

  65. Sophie says:

    These books are really popular at my school, but all anyone wants to talk about is who Katniss should end up with. It makes me so mad. Seriously, there are more important things happening in these books! -_-

  66. Jessa says:

    This is insanity!
    You have to read pages like what you're doing with Infinite Jest! Or more than one chapter a day!
    With The Hunger Games series, enough is never enough!

    Pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pretty, pppplllleeeeeeeeeeaaaaasssseeee with a cherry and whip cream on top.
    :'( I'm begging you!!!! :'(

  67. Cally Black says:

    We finally get interaction with Prim and she is pretty awesome
    <img src=http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ld9aqgpcdS1qcayy9.gif>

    Katniss being her badass self again
    <img src=http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lf8zuj1OXR1qbh4p6.gif>

    Cinna
    <img src=http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn135/dazzle_me90/GIF/cryinghug.gif>
    You are the best.

    THE PREP TEAM!
    <img src=http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lf94bjcmKD1qeg9tm.gif>

  68. vampira2468 says:

    District 13 was really interesting . Think it says a lot that only a cat lived

  69. Lady X says:

    “Of course, when people head to a SECRET FLOOR via the elevator, you know shit is about to get real.”

    That’s it..Mark..you win everything ever.

  70. TreeIsMetaphor says:

    I feel bad because it took me so long to become as skeeved out by the rebellion as you are now. For these first three chapters, I could not understand why Katniss was so reluctant to be the mockingjay. It wasn't until this point that I started to add everything up and consider that maybe she has a touch of PTSD, and, okay, maybe she's not happy about how they're treating her, and I guess it's weird how they've come up with an image for her for their own gain just like the Capitol. You picked up on all that right away. What does that say about you and me as people? (It says that I'm a very naive person.)

  71. HanLin says:

    BUTTERCUP FOR PRESIDENT. By far the best personification of a cat ever written.

    GAH, KATNISS! You strike a hard bargain, what with your incessant napping, ignoring of your schedule and general depression. We NEED you too much to let those little details get in the way. But OH NO, WE ARE NOT keeping the cat! That is truly the main issue here. KTHANX, President Coin.

  72. embers says:

    District 13 is a very interesting place, and I think Collins is making an interesting political statement here (and throughout the 3rd book) but I don't know for sure what she is saying…. Clearly District 13 is better than The Capitol (people are not starving), but every bit of fun is being sucked out of life: they are so regimented that there is no room for individual expression or creativity. So even though it is better than the government by The Capitol, it is still FAR from an ideal society. I'm going to really enjoy continuing to read this final book with you!

  73. r1` says:

    Mark you are full of waterfalls of win.

  74. Annalebanana says:

    Oh, Mark, I caught on to your little secret! You can't hide it from me!
    "What follows I Katniss attempt to remain firm and make her demands if she agrees to be the Mockingjay."

    Why has no one brought this up yet?????? Mark is Katniss Everdeen, Mockingjay/tribute/girl on fire/BAMF main character!

  75. notemily says:

    Plutarch seems okay, but he creeps me out with the way he is planning Katniss's appearances for the cameras. He's as focused on propaganda as any of them.

  76. kchano says:

    If he misses curfew, he will be locked out. If he causes any security problems, he’ll be shot immediately.

    My thoughts upon reading this were, DISTRICT 13, PLEASE TAKE THE KASPER METHOD OVER TO MALFOY MANOR AND DIE IN ALL THE FIRES.

  77. jkg_costumes says:

    Very late to this party, I know, but now that you've read this chapter I can share a pic of the costume I made within 24 hours of this book's release for Dragon*Con. Because I'm nuts. 🙂 There was a Hunger Games panel (packed!) and my costume was a big hit – I'm very happy with how it turned out for such a short time making it, and I hope Cinna isn't rolling in his literary grave over it. 😉

    "I open the cover to find a picture of myself, standing straight and strong, in a black uniform. Only one person could have designed the outfit, at first glance utterly utilitarian, at second a work of art. The swoop of the helmet, the curve of the breastplate, the slight fullness of the sleeves that allows the white folds under the arms to show. In his hands, I am again a mockingjay."

    <img src="http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e17/jkg_vader/2010/September/DragonCon/IMG_0526.jpg"&gt;

    Full costume post here: <a href="http://jkg-costumes.livejournal.com/25571.html” target=”_blank”>http://jkg-costumes.livejournal.com/25571.html

  78. Howlynn says:

    So when did the cat get threatened in any way — until she outed him?
    The prep team – Nice surprise beings they are being treated worse than Peeta at the moment????
    Oh if being kidnapped is a war crime – and guests are naked – and Haymitch is being tortured — and cats are in danger of being shot for breaking curr-few —– this must be hell — oh yeah she died and went downstairs?
    And how dare they give the beggers icky food — shame on them. Starving and dead kids for grain is so much less creepy.
    (wait did they give the cat a watch and does his age factor in to how late he may stay out — or is it that he's maybe going to send word to his capitol kitty friends and require shooting?)

  79. Hanh says:

    IT'S A FUCKING CAT, DISTRICT 13. JESUS CHRIST.
    You seem to have missed the part where Buttercup sold his kitty soul to the devil. How else did he survive the air raid?

    I actually didn't understand Coin's comment about flip when I first read it. I kept thinking she meant 'flip you the bird' and somehow that was some kind of signal. I don't know.

    We better freaking learn more about Cinna somehow (assuming he's dead and won't be able to tell us) because I still want to know why he specifically chose to design for District 12. What is the significance? Hey what if Cinna has left Katniss clues in his sketchbooks or outfits or something? Still helping out even from the grave.

    I'm very curious to see how they'll use Katniss. I thought they might have her riding into war on a flaming chariot but now it sounds like they're going to keep her out of the action and as safe as possible while just using her image as propaganda. She is "pregnant" after all. Will they have her appear in various stages of a baby bump? How are they going to keep this up? And if D13 does win the war, will they take over and start controlling Panem? Are we in store for another Sparta?

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