Vive Le Theatre

[leosdooley]

YOU WANNA WALK WITH ME A WHILE?

the long walk (2025) // hadestown, anaïs mitchell // orpheus and eurydice, edward john poynter // a word to orphuists, kazimierz wierzyński

[shovel-n-glue]

Watching the Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is realizing that despite the obvious implication that Lucy Gray is the songbird and Snow is the Snake…it’s likely the opposite.

Lucy gray controlled the snakes and used them as her weapon of choice, the snake biting him was Lucy’s kiss goodbye. She is the snake.

Snow sold Sejanus out through the jabberjay’s, they were his tool to fly back home and back into power. He is the songbird.

But at the same time…as in her Ballad, Lucy Gray flys away with the mockingjays after she sings the Hanging Tree one final time while fleeing Snow. She is physically a songbird. And Snow chose to work with Dr. Gaul, who created and controlled those snakes. He was the snake who betrayed his friend.

Who is the songbird and who is the snake? It’s unclear, but isn’t that the mystery?

[relaxnotshaveeyebrows]

okay so my roommate read tbosas before i did and when she saw i was reading it, she said “it’s an incredible book, but the ending kinda sucks.” and i was like. oh okay. well. but then i got to the ending and i realized she literally just didn’t get it.

the ending of the ballad of songbirds and snakes is inevitable. it could never have ended any other way. that’s why this story is a tragedy. it’s clear to the audience from the top that snow is not the man lucy gray thinks he is, because she only gets his outward lines and we get his internal dialogue.

and then as the last part of the book progresses, we can actually see her start to piece that together a bit, the more they talk. and she was always smarter than he gave her credit for (dgmw he knew she was smart he praises her for it a lot but she was always ahead of him and he never realized it). lucy gray literally sings us the ballad that gave her her name, and snow connects it back at the end: she disappeared without a trace. but why did she run? he tells us!! she figured it out. she already suspected he had ratted out sejanus, and when he admits to killing three people, she jumps on it, asking who the third was. she already put the pieces together! then they find the weapons and she knows now. she’s solved him. she needs to get out of there quick. so she does.

it was always going to end like that. at every turn snow makes the wrong choice. it’s a tragedy: entirely preventable and utterly inevitable.

[malinaa]

seems like everybody’s talking abt the parallels btwn lucy gray & katniss or even katniss & sejanus or peeta & lucy gray or gale & coriolanus but EYE am interested in the fact that coriolanus and peeta are opposite ends of the same spectrum 🙏 you’ve got 2 blond men who have lived in poverty & impending death looming over their shoulders, who are so so so charismatic and charming (performers!) to where it’s just manipulation at times, who love a tribute girl from district 12 and risked so much for her … but they couldn’t be any more different. coriolanus charms his way through the capitol to keep the snow image pristine, to keep control over everything. peeta charms his way through the capitol for KATNISS. coriolanus’ love is rooted in possession while peeta’s is rooted in freedom ‼️

[judas-is-scary]

Suzanne Collins has me deranged.

We know from the Ballad of Song Birds and Snakes that many of the features of the modern Hunger Games are Snow's invention, including those that motivate the districts, like prizes. It's fair to assume he likely came up with the idea for tesserae, it's an easy way to keep the districts well fed while encouraging/forcing participation and general involvement in the games. It's a great reminder, even the food you eat is linked to the games themselves. Tesserae is a type of tile work commonly associated with Romans which Collins draws a lot of inspiration from in her depiction of the Capital. It has also in the past been used as a token. In this case, you take the token of food in exchange for extra names in the bowl. Now that's fucking excellent on it's own, real neat bit of linguistic worldbuilding.

BUT what really gets me, what truly fucks me up is that Snow didn't name it that because he's like a language nerd. Tigris had to use tile buttons, tesserae buttons on his shirt during songbirds because they couldn't afford anything else. Snow inherently associates that material with poverty, specifically with the lack of food he had during that time. As a result tesserae represents poverty starvation and desperation to everyone in the districts. Snow is so god dam self obsessed he imbedded ,intentionally or not , personal fucking references to himself within the districts.

AND THAT is why Collins is so crazy to me that detail is tiny, you truly would not notice and in the grand scheme it's not that important but that's woman is on her shit and she's fucking thinking her thoughts and its genius. HER MIND UGH. truly has me messed.

[danyllura]

Despite Snows focus being on Katniss, I would argue Peeta played a far more of a rebellious role in his part of the “star crossed lover” during their first games than her. From the moment Cinna gets them to hold hands during the opening ceremony their pairing is shrouded in a “touch of rebellion” - we know alliances among district partners is normal/expected but it is also clear that the terms of agreement are temporary and built upon the goal of their individual survival. Peeta is the one that breaches that agreement, by pushing their relationship beyond district partners to that of “star crossed lovers” with the admittance of his crush on Katniss. It is the intent behind why he chooses what to share that is shrouded in rebellion. Early on Peeta is aware of Katniss’ potential as a tribute and beyond that he recognizes that “spark” that can make her “desirable” to others. Yes, he genuinely loves her. But he shares so not to be honest, or to make himself a sympathetic character for the capitol, but to hopefully benefit her in the arena. He pushes this further by his continuous reiterating of his feelings to the audience, during his time with the careers, alone, and then eventually with Katniss. Time and time again he displays that her survival is his ultimate goal in the games, willing to prioritize her victory over his own life. And while yes, Peeta does this because he does truly love and care about Katniss, he is intentional with his actions. He broadcasts his feelings because it benefits her. And every aspect of that goes against what the games are meant to do to people; divide them.

Comparatively, in regards to the “star crossed lovers” Katniss is much more obedient to the rules of the games. She doesn’t initially portray herself to return Peetas feelings. She plays as a solo player, and Katniss quite literally states she appears “heartless” because of this when they watch back over their time in the arena. When it’s only one promised victor and she believes Peeta to be allied with the careers, she drops a nest of tracker jackets over where Peeta is sleeping and showing she views him as any other competitor. Katniss only reciprocates the role of “star crossed lovers” when the capitol has allowed that type of alliance to work within the games. And if anything her later trick with the berries, is a scene of the capitols own making. It is a final act of desperation. Katniss’ knows Peeta is on the brink of death and it’s even a possibility for the Mutts that had just killed Cato to reappear. When she’s handing the berries to Peeta and as she spills them into her mouth, Katniss is not thinking of the significance of her choice or the potential consequences it may illicit. It’s an emotional decision, not a calculated one. In comparison, laying Rue to rest in a bed of flowers was a far more calculated act of rebellion from Katniss.

But despite all this, President Snow almost solely blames Katniss for the oncoming rebellion. And while Katniss does do many things that help initiate that spark, such as volunteering for Prim, singing to Rue, risking her life for Peeta at the feast- it isn’t that he blames, but rather her lying about loving Peeta back. Because Snow is stuck in the past with his belief that Lucy Gray tricked him into loving her. And Katniss, with her singing and her Mockinjays, is such an obvious parallel of Lucy Grays ghost- he misses the fact that Peeta has been a far more calculated player that has actively rebelled from everything the games are meant to turn you into from the moment he was reaped.

[lolastung]

For Belly, Conrad is the sun. And when the sun comes out, the stars disappear.

[sflow-er]

So many thoughts on the fabulous Barbie film, but especially on how anyone who thinks it’s “hateful towards men” clearly isn’t getting the message.

SPOILERS UNDER THE CUT

[Credit for both gifs goes to their makers!!]

Keep reading

[cinnamon-coffees]

“It’s literally impossible to be a woman.

You are so beautiful, and so smart, and it kills me that you don't think you're good enough. Like, we have to always be extraordinary, but somehow, we're always doing it wrong?

You have to be thin, but not too thin, and you can never say you wanna be thin. You have to say you wanna be healthy, but also, you have to BE THIN.

You have to have money, but you can't ask for money because that's crass.

You have to be a boss, but you can't be mean.

You have to lead, but you can't squash other people's ideas.

You're supposed to love being a mother, but don't talk about your kids all the damn time.

You have to be a career woman, but also, always be looking out for other people.

You have to answer for men's bad behavior, which is INSANE, but if you point that out, you're accused of complaining!

You're supposed to stay pretty for men, but not so pretty that you tempt them too much or that you threaten other women because you're supposed to be a part of the sisterhood, but ALWAYS STAND OUT and ALWAYS BE GRATEFUL. But never forget that the system is rigged, so find a way to acknowledge that but ALSO, always be grateful!

You have to never get old. Never be rude. Never show off. Never be selfish. Never fall down. Never fail. Never show fear. Never get OUT OF LINE. It's too hard! It's too contradictory, and nobody gives you a medal or says 'thank you!' And it turns out, in fact, that not only are you doing everything wrong, but also, everything is your fault.

I'm just so tired of watching myself, and every single other woman tie herself into knots, so that people will like us.

And if all of that, is also true for a doll just representing a woman, then I don't even know." -Gloria the barbie movie

this is it. this is exactly it oh my god.

[vvitchllng]

Shadow and Bone adaptation is so fun you’ve never seen a more perfectly cast show acting their hearts out paired with the weirdest writing decisions in your life

[blessyouhawkeye]

shadow and bone is like. it's the worst show i've ever seen it's the best show i've even seen it's a bad adaptation it's fanfiction with a netflix budget it's better than i expected it's worse than i wanted it's pure fan service the acting is phenomenal the writing is terrible and the thing is it's all of these things. but also it's none of these things because most importantly shadow and bone is a vessel for freddy carter to give the performance of a lifetime

[anya-chalotra]

THE CROWS: A (Meme) Summary

[jessicaestellex]

Mick “my name is only a blessing” Schumacher. He deserves the whole world 😩😭

[kvtnisseverdeen]

me during the entire teen wolf movie

[magnusedom]

THE HUNGER GAMES (2012) dir. Gary Ross

[alistairlowe]

[lawttes]

midnights by taylor swift is for the girls who fantasise about love because they feel that they could never deserve to actually experience it. the girls who are deeply flawed. the girls who make mistakes in trying to please everyone else, only to be told that they'll always be inadequate. the girls who fantasise about revenge on said people and feel like they'll never move on. the girls who need to plan their every move to even function through life and not get crushed by the others, only to feel guilty for not being truthful enough. and of course, the girls who stay up at night thinking about missed opportunities and people, and every mistake they've ever made.