jamie’s rambles

Periodically alive. Revives from the dead every now and then.

[dysfunctional-amateur-writer]

Hi!

Hi! My name is Jamie

Whatever pronoun you like 

and this is my tumblr feed for mostly PJO and MCU blogs.

See, I’m still a struggling uni student, so I’ll be popping in and out, coming back from the dead every now and then.  But PLEASE send me asks, I’m lonely, okay? :(

Here are all my signatures posts

Here are all my headcanons, or add ons

Thank you for visiting!!

[enthyrea]

rip tony stark you woulda loved ryland grace

[dysfunctional-amateur-writer]

this. is almost enough temptation to make me revive my writings.

[pandoras-tear]

This house is a fucking nightmare

[shitpostingkats]

Obsessed with the character of Kudo Shinchi. Imagine this smug little rich kid, ooh, he thinks he's the smartest person in the room at any given moment, he solves crime as a hobby because his parents don't give him enough attention at home and also because he really likes Sherlock Holmes. He's extremely autistic. He is vaguely aware he should have hobbies outside of murder (because Sherlock Holmes had hobbies outside of murder) so he's also a varsity player. He makes every conversation about his interests and is genuinely very confused when people find this upsetting (because one of his special interests is murder). He's a sarcastic little greasestain. He's extremely rude and abrasive. He firmly believes that all human life is worth saving. He's a niche micro celebrity. He carries himself like nothing can even touch him. He's walking around just asking to get his ass kicked. And he does. He gets his head smashed in with a lead pipe in the pilot episode of the show in which he is the main character.

[hayaku14]

btw last week on jp twitter they were goncharov-ing a detective conan movie into existence lmao

it all started because of this twitter user pointing out that the Osaka Expo 2025 venue looks like a setting out of a detco movie (x)

then someone fixed the color, added "original work by gosho aoyama", and voila (x)

and then people just kept adding on to it, here's a few more:

they got teaser art posters (1) (2) (3)

a movie logo (x)

and a movie poster ofc (x)

btw if you were wondering wtf that weird blob creature is, it's Osaka Expo 2025's mascot:

oh yeah someone also made a whole ass movie trailer (x)

and end credits too but i can't upload 2 videos so here's the link (x)

someone even made an agasa quiz lmao (x)

someone also brainrotted so hard they managed to gather hattori, kaitou kid, amuro, and akai all in one movie (x)

anyway, we've cracked the code. we can explode any place just by adding "original work by gosho aoyama" (x) (x)

[seyaryminamoto]

Venezuela's Current Status

I have no news that will surprise anyone that hasn't already seen what's been going on today. Yes, there were air strikes against military infrastructure in Venezuela. At this point, the Venezuelan regime has acknowledged USA succeeded at ~something~ and the VP, who allegedly isn't even in Venezuela but in Russia atm, has gone on record to ask for proof of life of Maduro and his wife, which suggests that Trump's announcement of their capture is true.

With all this, the perspectives of the actual Venezuelan people easily get buried under heaps of condemnation and guilt-ridden Americans who can't help but hate their own country for all the terrible things it does. Often speaking over Venezuelans, refusing to give them any kind of credence unless their perspective validates theirs.

The truth about Maduro is that he is an illegitimate president since who-knows-when, we only have evidence of it when it comes to the 2024 elections, but we all believe the electoral hijacking started from much earlier than that. His seating government, thus, is effectively illegitimate, illegal in every sense you can think of. Almost 70% of Venezuela voted against him. The Carter Center, which had often validated Venezuela's elections, publicly denounced that the 2024 elections did NOT meet the transparency standards expected from any such events. The official website of the CNE (the National Electoral Center) has not been functional since 2024 even though it's where the results that back the government's story are supposed to be published, ergo, there's NO PROOF that Maduro won in 2024 and in fact all proof suggests the opposite.

So, what this means when it comes to what Trump has done now:

I am under no delusions of Trump's nobility or human decency. He has neither thing. He's currently under a fuckton of scrutiny over the Epstein investigation. He's picking fights left and right internationally, from attacking Nigeria to trying to claim Greenland, and perhaps most importantlywhen it comes to what's happening, he wants immigrants OUT. Thus, while a lot of people believe his attacks on Venezuela are oil-motivated, there's a much more favorable narrative for you all, that Trump has served you on a silver platter: he's trying to remove Maduro from the equation so he can have the green light to deport as many Venezuelans as he can get away with for the sake of his racist crusade.

If I can say all this, it's because I don't trust that Orange bastard, because I am no MAGAzuelan, as many people have called the blind Trump supporters in Venezuela. I KNOW he's a bad person!

Which leads me to the very uncomfortable and painful position of asking why, exactly, does Venezuela find itself needing this particular monster to be the one to save it from its own destruction.

Maduro's regime has been suffocating Venezuela across the past 13 years. Chávez started doing so before him, all the way back in 1999. Under the banners of "socialism", Maduro and Chávez have rejoiced in the complicit silence or ignorant support from international parties all across the globe, simply because "well, they're on the left, they can't be THAT bad!" even though EVERY socialist issue that you can think of has never seen any progress or improvement in Venezuela across 27 years of tyranny. LGBT rights? Non-existent. Abortion? Don't even joke, lad. Corruption? Off the charts. You can't even go out past 8 PM unless you have a death wish and want to risk getting assaulted, robbed or gunned down. Every single person I know has been a victim of some kind of violence in Venezuela, whether at gunpoint or not.

This is also a regime that has taken over 800 political prisoners, several of whom were minors, many of whom are tortured in illegal dungeons all across the country.

And we don't even know HALF of the horrible things this regime is responsible for. We only know about what they've been unable to hide because it was that scandalous, such as that time a political prisoner, a known member of the opposition, "jumped out the window of a tenth floor and killed himself", only for a government figurehead to admit years later that he had been murdered by the state police that kept him in custody and they threw his lifeless body out the window to fake that it had been suicide.

Or that time a political and military insurrectionist tried to instigate a poorly strategically planned coup against Maduro across a year, only to end up massacred with his allies (including a pregnant woman and a child) by Maduro's military forces.

If you can read all of this and still conclude that Maduro is somehow the victim here, rather than the Venezuelan people who are currently rejoicing in his apparent capture and removal from the country, it means you're no better than the MAGA crowd who believe their side is righteous regardless of the horrible things their leaders are responsible for. Political corruption knows no sides. The left is NOT immune to horrible leadership, corruption, or being powerhungry bastards who will pocket as much money as they can, and resort to every violent trick up their sleeve in order to get away with everything they want to do.

So the question is basically how, exactly, do we end up in a situation where Trump can play hero to the extent that he's playing it, and getting away with heaps of support from the people of Venezuela, WHILE treating Venezuelans as subhuman as he deports them?

The real reason we've reached this point is because nobody else has even TRIED.

Because the international community was happy to turn a blind eye on everything awful the Maduro regime might do -- solely because he was doing it to his own people rather than going beyond borders to inflict his bullshit on another country. Because nearly every leftist government across the past 30 years has unanimously held their silence or even voiced their support of the Chávez-Maduro's regime, dutifully so, in order to continue profiting off the oil that so many people are worried USA wants to seize -- somehow, nobody was worried that Russia was actively IN Venezuela, with mercenaries, offering military support, profiting off our oil anyhow. It's only bad if USA does it, but everyone else is entitled to breach other countries' sovereignity!

The best case scenario for everyone is that Trump saves Venezuela at the cost of his own presidency, in short. That his latest stunt effectively liberates a desperate country in need of respite from the suffocating, unbearable government that has spent decades blaming everyone else for their own incompetence, causing the worst hyperinflation the nation ever saw, the most unfathomable basic services and resource shortages you can think of in a country that ISN'T at war and that is renowned for all its "natural riches". If Trump somehow committed an accidental political suicide by setting Venezuela free, we're all going to be happier for it in the end.

But I will not cease to bring up that it's actively humiliating and disgusting to see my country led to the point where Trump, of all people, gets to put on a medal and call himself a hero for being the only international actor who would actually ~do something~ about the Venezuelan regime and its brutal dictatorship. This year marks 27 years since this regime took power. And every sign by neutral organizations pointing towards the irregular situation in Venezuela, including its starring spot as the THIRD MOST CORRUPT COUNTRY IN THE WORLD, went ignored by anyone with the power or alleged integrity to do something about it.

This is only a win for Trump because the rest of the world has largely allowed to make it so. And protesting the US military action against the Venezuelan regime will not change the reality of the situation: this IS what most Venezuelans were hoping for, for DECADES. It was a running gag that people were "waiting for the marines", preparing meals for them, looking forward to their arrival! The desperation across the country to finally live free of this madness is such that, as long as Trump didn't actively victimize civilians, which it seems US troops DIDN'T do, they were going to be welcomed and thanked for this intervention. And no amount of first-world guilt will change that. The only thing I really, SERIOUSLY would like for people who feel disgusted at USA's actions to do... is to ask themselves just how much they know or understand about Venezuela. If they've so much as heard about the fights and the struggles that we've been through as we try to find any kind of freedom from the horrors we've collectively endured. If they've actually tried to put themselves in the position of feeling like an actual prisoner in your own country, of having to pick out bugs from your food because you have no other choice since there's nothing else to eat, of having to stand in line since before the break of dawn to buy a singular pack of toilet paper, sold in limited quantities based on what your national ID number may be. These were my personal experiences, as someone who isn't even a political actor in Venezuela. Anyone with political presence had it MUCH worse than I did.

There's so much adoration towards post-apocalyptic stories, so much swooning over heroes who topple bad governments... and yet none of it has ever taught heaps of people who love such stories to recognize that exact kind of evil when they see it in real life: listen to the perspectives of someone other than yourselves, educate yourselves on how many times Venezuela has tried to fight its way out of its current hellhole, and found no light at the end of the tunnel due to the international community's total silence over everything, or the muted "we're watching with sooo much concern what's happening in the country and hoping that dialogue and negotiations will save you all", when any attempt to negotiate with the Maduro regime has resulted in NOTHING.

I don't know if this is truly going to end Maduro's regime. For any Venezuelan with common sense, this isn't proof that Trump is a good egg: for anyone across the globe with common sense, it should not be proof that Maduro is a victim. We're not done here yet. Maybe we will be, and maybe things will finally work for my people again. But don't speak for us. Speak WITH us. Listen!

And for our sakes, please hope that Venezuela knows freedom at last. We've faced almost 30 years of an encroaching, oppressive tyranny that has only gotten worse day after day. Have some compassion for the actual people who have endured things you never have... and be grateful for it, if you haven't. Fight for your rights, if you ever notice your own country is headed in the same direction. Political freedom is a fight that needs to be fought, regardless of which side the evil authoritarian powers that be may come from.

I'll potentially make more posts on the matter if anything else happens. For now, I can say my family has reported it's safe and everything seems to be calm and quiet in the city for the time being. We'll soon see if this works out for Venezuela's benefit or not.

[villainsandvictimsalliance]

This is more for matter of knowledge and I cannot be direct n this question for safety but what is the perspective where you are on this morning’s events

I'll try to explain the context a bit before sharing my point of view about what is happening in Venezuela right now.

There are at least three types of Venezuelans:

The ones that view Maduro as a dictator and are celebrating that Trump sent bombs to our country to capture him, since they've been asking for an invasion for years now.

The ones that view Maduro as a dictator but don't agree with the air strikes in our country, since it broke several international and local laws, as well as began war on our territory.

The ones that defend Maduro and are against what happened, declaring that the president was kidnapped and the country attacked.

If you want to be properly informed, look for each point of view, read about it and decide what you believe is true. You will find real stories behind each group, stories that can't be denied. They all have their reasons that you should read about if you want to form a proper opinion on the matter.

Now...

I was in vacations, trying to enjoy it after one of my grandmas died. I woke up at 2:30am to two kids (8 and 12 years old) screaming at us that they were bombing the Capital and that we needed to pack our bags, only what you could carry in those because we needed to leave and go home asap.

We were supposed to return from the beach tomorrow. We went to sleep after watching the fireworks, playing cards and doing karaoke. We didn't know we would wake up to bombs, quick and panicked goodbyes and screams.

All we thought about was how many were dead, where would they bomb next, where should we go, how many supplies did we have.

I just came back from the streets. Like I said, some people are celebrating, some people are terrified and crying, some people are protesting, most people are silently waiting.

Are these our lives now? What will war do to us? What type of government will we have now? Are we just jumping from one dictatorship to another, just because the US wants to control us?

It is a fact that Venezuela is not a drug producing country, as the United States has chosen to say we are in order to justify their attacks. We do not export drugs. If Donald Trump had really wanted to fight a dictatorship to free its people, then he would have been true about it, he would have followed the law. He wouldn't have sent so many Venezuelans to El Salvador, he wouldn't have kidnapped so many immigrants, told Venezuelans to return to their country knowing he would send missiles some time after.

Venezuela has one of the biggest oil reserves in the world, which is the actual reason behind this US war against Venezuela.

The United States of America also has a history of influencing and intervening in Latin America to place governments that will give them whatever resources the US needs. If you need more proof of this, research Operation Condor. The US has been behind several terrible dictatorships in Latam.

It's what they've done in Iraq, Vietnam and more recently Palestine. They see something they want, so they justify their attack behind "freedom" and proceed to destroy the country.

Trump already said so himself. He's behind our oil industry. He's not doing this because he wanted to get rid of a dictator and loves democracy.

He's a greedy criminal, a fucking rapist.

Trump declared he was ready for a second round of air strikes. This is not how we Venezuelans will get democracy, since he will sure as hell influence the elections. Regardless of how you view Maduro and the Venezuelan context (which there're plenty of opinions, posts and papers about), an invasion in the form of air strikes is NOT the way.

The United States of America is not only breaking international laws like the United Nations laws, but he also didn't inform the US Congress before the attack. He just ordered his troops to invade the aerial space of Venezuela, attack our cities, our infrastructure and people.

We're waiting now. I'm not sure if there will be more attacks, if they are going to call for a "fair" election, if people will pillage tonight. The silence is maddening.

Only supermarkets are open. All those places have their gates partially closed.

So we wait for what the US Congress will say about this, what the UN will say about this, what other countries will do, what people will allow to happen to us.

That's my full perspective of this morning and the current events of today.

[steddieme]

in most fics i've read robin is grossed out when steve talks about his sex life, which is probably far more in character for her, but hear me out

imagine them discussing literally everything. like having no boundaries whatsoever.

one day robin mentions she's never seen a dick and she's curious what all the fuss is about.

robin: you have one

steve: yeah...?

robin: so show me

steve: ??

steve: sure, why not

when steve pulls down his pants, robin just stares at him with a blank face

robin: that's... it?

steve: what do you mean that's it??

robin: it looks sad

steve: ??? well, it's not hard rn, obviously???

robin: ugh, boring

steve: you want me to show you my hard dick?? is that what's happening rn?

robin: i mean yeah?

steve: your judgemental face is forever burned into my mind. i don't think i'll ever be able to get hard again.

then robin bursts into his room like a week later

robin: steve, you're a slut-

steve: hey!

robin: so you know your way around a vagina, right?? i need you to tell me if i have a rash or not

steve: do you not own a handheld mirror?

robin: i'm freaking out so much, i can't make a sound observation rn

steve: *sigh* alright

turns out robin does indeed have a rash and steve takes her to the doctor

at one point they lose all shame. steve regularly air dries while robin hangs out in his room. robin makes steve do her monthly breast self-exam. they check each other for ticks.

when steve and eddie start dating steve tells robin literally everything. robin knows way too much about eddie and she loves it.

robin comes over for movie night, eddie is already there

robin: how was your day?

steve: we slept in, then eddie fucked me, it was great-

eddie: *chokes*

steve: then we cooked lunch, there are some leftovers in the fridge, go ahead and eat. yours?

eddie: ???

robin: ugh, don't get me started-

eddie: wait wait wait, how did you just say that so casually?

stobin: ???

eddie: that i fucked you??

steve: i tell robin everything. i told you that. you said that's fine.

eddie: i didn't know that included our sex life?

steve: why wouldn't it? ... wait, oh no, are you not okay with that?? i'm sorry, i thought you knew??

eddie: oh no, it's fine! it just surprised me is all. y'all are real freaks, carry on

stobin: okay then

robin freaks out before her first date with a girl

robin: what if my vagina looks weird???

steve: are you planning to fuck her on the first date, buckley? and how many times do i have to tell you your vagina looks absolutely normal??

robin: no, i'm not, but it's still a valid concern!!! what if my vagina looks hideous to girls??

eddie, the silent observer: lol

steve: what are you even talking about... a vagina is a vagina, vagina lovers love all vaginas

robin: stop saying vagina

steve: vagina vagina vagina-

robin tackles him and they end up wrestling until steve yields

steve: okay okay,, as someone who's seen his fair share of coochies

robin: that's even worse

steve: yours looks perfectly fine.

eddie: wait, you've seen it?

stobin, staring at him: ...

eddie: right, dumb question

[dysfunctional-amateur-writer]

Hello💗

I hope you are well🌹

Can you help me get my voice heard

and share my family's story?🙏🏻

Can you Reblog my pinned post from my blog or donate 10$?

By helping to reblog my story, you could

save a family from death and war.🌹

Thank you very much🌸

Link campaign ⬇️⬇️⬇️⬇️

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-the-awad-familys-journey-to-safety

[dysfunctional-amateur-writer]

Hello, I hope you and your family are well. Can you please help me recycle the post on my account? 🌺 And help rescue my family from the war in Gaza? 🙏 Thank you.

https://gofund.me/d36bfdc0

boost!!

[mssbdr]

🚨 We Need Your Kindness to Survive 🚨

Hello, My name is Mosab Elderawi, and I live in Gaza with my family. Life here has become harder than I ever imagined, and I’m writing this with hope in my heart that you might hear our story.

The ongoing war has devastated my family. We’ve lost 25 family members—each one a beloved part of our lives, taken too soon. I miss them deeply—their laughter, their presence, their love. Every day is a reminder of this unimaginable loss.

64.media.tumblr.com

64.media.tumblr.com

64.media.tumblr.com

64.media.tumblr.com

64.media.tumblr.com

We are now facing daily challenges to survive—things that most people take for granted, like food, clean water, and a safe place to sleep. The harsh realities of life here have replaced our dreams with the constant fight for survival.

Our Current Situation:

💔 Lost Stability: The war has left us without work or a stable source of income. 🍞 Basic Needs: Food and water are becoming harder to afford with rising prices and scarce resources. 📚 Dreams on Hold: Like so many here, my family’s dreams have been replaced by the need to simply survive. 😢 Unimaginable Loss: Losing 25 loved ones has left a void that can never be filled.

How You Can Help:

I’m sharing our story with the hope that someone out there might care. Even $5 can make a big difference for us, and if you’re unable to donate, just reblogging this post can help spread the word.

Your kindness, no matter how small, is something we’ll never forget.

What This Means to Us:

Your support is not about changing our entire situation—it’s about giving us a little relief, a little hope, and a way to keep going. We are not asking for much, and we understand if you can’t donate. Sharing our story is just as valuable to us as a donation.

Thank you for reading this far. It means the world to us to know that someone is listening. Your kindness gives us strength and helps us believe in a better tomorrow.

With all our gratitude, Mosab Elderawi and Family ❤️

✅️ Vetted by ✅️

@gazavetters, my number verified on the list is ( #309 )✅️

Donate to Help me saving who's left of my family, organized by Mosab Derawi

Hello Everyone, I am Mosab Suleiman Al Derawi, 28 years old, my wife Nadine Adel A… Mosab Derawi needs your support for Help me saving who's

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[mssbdr]

🌟 We’re getting closer to our goal! 🌟 With your incredible support, we’ve already raised $1,673 out of our goal of $20,000! ❤️

Every contribution or reblog helps bring us closer to a brighter future. Thank you for standing with us in this journey.

👉 Donation Link

Even $5 can make a huge difference! 🙏

[hakogyi]

kaishin nation i am so, so sorry

[dysfunctional-amateur-writer]

screaming. crying. throwing up.

i feel violated

[mens-rights-activia]

The duality of man is thinking “children cannot help themselves and we all need to be patient with them as they explore what it means to be human in public” and also “damn, I wish this crying baby was not on the plane rn :/“

[ffcrazy15]

Just as courage is not the absence of fear but doing the brave thing in spite of it, patience is not the absence of irritation but doing the kind thing in spite of it.

[pansexualkiba]

to the fairest

apollo

ares

dionysus

Voting ended onJan 26, 2024

Reblog for a larger sample size ❤

[dysfunctional-amateur-writer]

Demigod Signatures

My rendition of how I think select demigods would sign (or write) and why.

Percy: I liked the one Rick had in the official books. It makes sense. He has ADHD and dyslexia. Writing in all capitals would be a little easier to read (in my experience, at least) and so Percy having edgy and capitalised handwriting makes sense. 

Annabeth: I feel like she’d have a little cursive. I dunno, she just gives off a more circular and slightly joint kind of writing. And it’s really quick and easy to write. But I feel like her handwriting would be super messy and illegible when she’s designing at night. 

Leo: Come on guys, it’s Leo. He’d love a dramatic signature/handwriting. But his handwriting in his blueprints would be a small, neat scrawl. Whereas his equations (so numbers and symbols) are very messy and often a little wrong because his brain is working faster than his hand and so he many miss a number or a decimal point.

Jason: Neat. Ass. Handwriting. I was in a rush when writing this, but I expect Jason’s handwriting to be look like they were by a 4th grader practicing on stencils and tracing sheets. Alternatively, my other headcanon was if Jason have shit handwriting. Like, go write with your opposite hand, and that’s what Jason’s handwriting looks like

Frank: I dunno. This is probably the closest to my natural handwriting. I feel like Frank would be the type to tilt the other way, but then tried to correct it later to be more straight. And I feel like he’s the type to put a line across his 7s and Zs.

Piper: Headcanon that Piper and Tristan signs “McLean” the exact same way and the two have similar handwriting. Piper feels like a open “p” person. 

Hazel: Slightly fancier capital letters. But I tried to keep it resembling a Palmer Method Script. You know, those nice looking handwriting. Penmanship was valued back in the 30s, and I feel like Hazel would put in effort to make her handwriting look as ‘normal’ as possible.

Nico: Bitch had a diplomat as a Grandfather, and grew up in 30s Italy. If he doesn’t have beautiful handwriting I- Anyways. I feel like Bianca was the one who looked over Nico when he was practicing his penmanship. And so Nico writes his A’s like Bianca. 

I wrote these myself, so if anyone wants me to write other character’s signatures/handwriting in the Riordan Verse, feel free to put in an ask and I’ll be very happy to do so.

Have a nice day folks  :)

Here’s a compilation of all the signatures I’ve done so far

[ramshacklefey]

I've seen increasing buzz around here about Howl's Moving Castle (book). I think you all deserve to know that all of Diana Wynne Jones's books are filled with characters and plots that are absolutely as delightful and unhinged as that one.

Some Actual Plots include:

Dogsbody - The star Sirius is accused of murder and sentenced to exile on Earth in the body of a dog until he finds a magical item called a Zoi. He's adopted by a young Irish girl living with her abusive and neglectful English relatives. He has to balance his desire to find the Zoi with needing to be a Good Dog for the girl who takes care of him. Also the Wild Hunt is there. Hexwood - A girl finds a magical wood behind her house where she meets a wizard who thinks he's a convict of the intergalactic government, a boy created by the man to destroy said government, and a robot found in a junk heap. The magic wood is actually an alternate reality being generated by an AI who has a grudge to settle with the head of said government. The book is about abuse, PTSD, and trauma. The Dark Lord of Derkholm - Magical world is being destroyed by a company using it as an isekai amusement park for people from another dimension. Bio-wizard is appointed Dark Lord for the year, and he and his family (four of whom are bioengineered griffins) have to find a way to survive the season while everything is going wrong. Deep Secret - Interdimensional detective/diplomat/wizard needs to find a replacement for his deceased mentor. He does so at a fantasy convention, while trying to keep an interdimensional empire from collapsing into civil war after the emperor is assassinated along with all of his heirs.

She's an absolute master at weaving fantasy elements into the mundane world and writing from the PoV of kids. Her books are funny, clever, and full of delightful characters. I'm begging you all to check them out.

[nunyabznsbabes]

Katniss is like Lucy Gray this, Katniss is like Sejanus that, and yes find that's all good and true and lovely but Katniss Everdeen is also a direct parallel to Coriolanus Snow and people NEED to start talking about this because it's driving me crazy.

Think about it: they both grew up poor and deeply vulnerable, losing parents at a very young age, with a matriarchal adult (Katniss' mother and Coriolanus' Grandma'am) who fails to provide for them emotionally and physically. They intimately understand the threat of starvation, even developing with stunted growth because of it, and their narrations in the books share a fixation on food. Throughout their childhoods, both experienced constant fear and suffered a fundamental lack of control over their circumstances. Because of this, they're inherently suspicious of the people around them. They resent feeling indebted to others, especially those who have saved their lives. They're motivated almost entirely by family and deeply connected to their communities. Both are used and manipulated by the Capitol, both are forced to perform to survive and despise every inch of it, both are thrown into the Arena and made to kill. Both have a self-sacrificial, genuinely sweet sister figure acting as their conscience. Peeta and Lucy Gray - performers and love interests with a fundamental kindness and sense of hope about them - fulfill markedly similar roles in their narrative. Both contribute to the development of the future Hunger Games, Snow throughout tbosas and Katniss towards the end of Mockingjay.

It's easy to ignore these similarities because, as mirrors of each other, they are exact opposites. Katniss is from District 12, viewed and treated as less than human; Snow is the cream of the Capitol crop, given the privilege of a name with social weight, an ancestral home, and the opportunity of the Academy despite having no more money than a miner from 12. Katniss has no agency over her life, and responds by being kind whenever she's able, while Snow justifies horrendous evils in order to continue his quest for complete control. Katniss does everything she can to protect her family; Snow does everything he can to protect his family's image as an extension of his own ego. Katniss loves her District and connects with its inhabitants on a meaningful level, but Snow is indifferent at best to his peers - the apparent "superior people" - and only engages with his community for personal gain. Katniss emerges from the Arena horrified at herself and the system, but Snow takes his trauma and turns it into an excuse to perpetuate the violence with himself at the top. Katniss cares for Prim until her death and then snaps at the loss of her little sister, while Snow survives on Tigris' blood, sweat, and tears and then torments and abandons her, presumably because she calls him out on his insanity. Snow actively adds to and popularizes the Hunger Games because of his vendetta against the Districts following his childhood wartime trauma - Katniss briefly agrees to a new Hunger Games in the pursuit of vengeance, but later stops them from happening by killing Coin and choosing a life of peace and privacy. Snow is obsessed with revenge, but Katniss empathizes with the Capitolites and does what she can to keep them from suffering. He exists in a cruel system and selfishly upholds it; she exists in a cruel system and works to dismantle it for the good of her family and community, at great personal cost. And Peeta and Lucy Gray are incredibly similar, but Katniss and Peeta forge a relationship of genuine love and understanding that shines in comparison to Coriolanus' obsessive projection onto Lucy Gray.

So, yeah, Katniss is Lucy Gray haunting Coriolanus. But I bet you anything that eighty-something year old President Snow looks at her, the girl on fire, bright and young and brilliant, emerging from a childhood of starvation with a relentless hunger for success, a talented and charming performer helping her win the Games, and he sees the ghost of his own past. And that's why he's so afraid of her! Because if he sees himself in her, then he's up against his own cunning, his own talent for manipulation, his own charisma, his own genius. He's up against the version of himself that he once wished to be, with the nightmare army of his childhood at her back and her star-crossed lover at her side, spewing Sejanus' truths in his own voice. This isn't to say that Katniss ever achieved the level of power and agency that Coriolanus did during her time with the rebellion, but it is to say that Snow was taken down by what truly terrified him - his own morality, come to finish the job.