I think a lot of people in the fandom don’t give credit to how smart and capable Sejanus actually is.
It gets swept under the rug because a lot of his actions during Parts I and II may seem irrational and impulsive, but that’s only because we’re seeing them through Coriolanus’s eyes, who of course can’t empathize with the misery he’s going through by being forced to participate in the Games (and as a mentor to a former friend, no less); and the way it makes him act that way.
But in Part III? When he’s finally free from the games and the Capitol? He thrives. He instantly becomes friends with his bunkmates, with other peacekeepers, with the Covey. He adjusts to District 12 like he’s always belonged there.
When Coriolanus needed help to find out where Lucy Gray lived, Sejanus is the one that gets the information for him –anticipating Coriolanus himself. Discretely, because he correctly deduces that Coriolanus wouldn’t want other people to know they were looking for her.
It’s also Sejanus the one who gets him to the Covey’s place, taking charge of their trip there, asking around for directions and guiding them through the Seam. We know damn well Coriolanus would’ve never reached the place by himself.
And most impressively, he managed to infiltrate a rebel plot without any of the peacekeepers noticing it. And I’m not counting Coriolanus because the only reason he realized Sejanus was involved in something shady was because he was obsessively watching his every move (and literally went through Sejanus’ stuff behind his back to find some dirt on him). If Coriolanus really didn’t care about Sejanus like he proclaimed to, he would’ve been none the wiser to the rebel plan, just as their other bunkmates and fellow peacekeepers were.
Sejanus knew how to lie, how to play his cards right. Spruce wouldn’t have trusted him with the escape plan if he thought Sejanus was incapable of handling it.
When the murders happen, he doesn’t panic —he’s shocked (understandably so), but he’s able to remain calm.
What I’m getting at is — give my boy his flowers! And recognize that he’s not this helpless, emotional boy who constantly needs saving. That’s what Coriolanus thinks. He was a smart, capable young man who was willing to lie and get his hands dirty for something he believed in. Give him credit where credit is due.
Seen a lot of people pointing out the difference between when Haymitch refers to Lenore Dove as “My Girl” compared to when Snow refers to Lucy Gray as “My Girl,” and I wanted to just compile some quotes that stuck out to me when I reread Ballad after reading through Sunrise.
“In some ways, it had been better to have her locked up in the Capitol, where he always had a general idea of what she was doing.” (Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, pg. 410)
For Snow, having Lucy Gray in the Capitol Zoo - a place that he knew not only made her feel trapped and uncomfortable, but also afraid, where she was starved and treated like nothing more than an animal - was a method of control. So much worse could’ve happened to her, helpless against the Capitol. He knew where she was, and could go to her whenever he pleased. He had a sense of control over her actions, something we are shown as critical to who he is. It’s why he hated the Mockingjays, because they could not be controlled. Having her free in District 12 (as free as she can be that is) worries him, constantly making him doubt her loyalty to him, despite the fact she’s prove again and again that she cares for and trusts him.
Never released. That was a lie, theirs or possibly hers. A gift she gave me so I wouldn’t worry about her, only myself. And it worked. But now I know that she has been absolutely helpless, completely at their mercy, this whole time why I sabotaged their arena. Confined. Starved. Tortured. Raped. Murdered.” (Sunrise on the Reaping, pg. 348)
Haymitch’s first instinct after first finding out Lenore Dove was in prison and then after finding out she was never released is panic. He knows that not only does being caged make her uncomfortable, as she was never someone made to be put in captivity, but also the immediate fear for her. He thinks of what the peacekeepers and the Capitol could have done to her while he was in the arena. Lenore Dove is someone who stands up for what she believes, even to a fault. But being in a Capitol run building while Haymitch was actively working to destroy the arena?? That could’ve gone so incredibly wrong. The point is that his first concern was for her safety, and the only reason he wasn’t worried about her for that specifically while in the arena was for the exact reason he said: Lenore Dove didn’t want him to worry about her, just worry about surviving.
If this was Lucy Gray’s song, he wanted to pay careful attention so he could say something nice about it tomorrow […] Oh, a ghost story. Ugh. Boo. So ridiculous. Well, he’d try hard to love it when he saw the Covey tomorrow. […] What a dreadful song.” (Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, pg. 425-427)
The parts of this quote that I took out all had to do with him criticizing her song, which I think just further shows how dismissive he is. He isn’t listening in order to engage with her specifically, or connect with the Covey, he’s listening out of obligation, because Maude Ivory specifically picked this song so he’d know “his girl’s” song. The moment he becomes bored of it, deciding it’s a ghost story and not worth his time, criticizing it for how foolish and superstitious it all is, he disengages. Snow doesn’t retain the song at all, just how he felt listening to it. For all people point out how he reacted to “Pure as Driven Snow” and how that must be proof of his love for Lucy Gray, that’s the only song he ever holds any value to. And it has nothing to do with the work she put in writing it, the word choice and how it relates to all the little moments they’ve had since the games, how she says she trusts him - it all has to do with the fact it’s about him, and not Billy Taupe or some old Covey ballad. The moment that ceases to be the case, he no longer cares.
“I hear her voice singing a piece of her poem, her name song. I know every word of the song, since I learned it for Lenore Dove’s birthday last December.[…] I sang it to her in an old house by the lake in front of a fire. We were toasting marshmallows and we’d skipped school, which we both caught hell for later. She said it was her favorite gift ever…” (Sunrise on the Reaping, pg. 54)
Haymitch memorized Lenore Dove’s entire ballad for her birthday, and still knows it even after the fact. This was a gesture that Lenore Dove says is better than anything she could’ve been given. Music is so important to the Covey, as it’s where they get their names from, but also it’s such a major part of their lives. Lucy Gray refers to them as performers and musicians by trade. Music is their livelihood throughout Ballad, and with the Covey being banned from playing in public and being fully banned from certain songs. Haymitch learning Lenore Dove’s name song is so meaningful towards their relationship. It’s the thing that brings him comfort when he’s truly afraid or upset. Lenore Dove is the one that keeps him going throughout the games. Lenore Dove’s gift to him, the flint striker, for his birthday is the thing that kept him alive in the games - and even if he hadn’t gone into the arena, it would’ve been incredibly useful as a resource to his family in district 12. Both of their gifts to each other showed how well they know each other, but also that they gave each other tools to survive. Haymitch gave Lenore Dove music, and Lenore Dove gave Haymitch the means to burn that arena down.
“‘Bet I know a thing or two about your dove.’
‘Like what?’
‘Like she’s delightful to look at, swishes around in bright colors, and sings like a mockingjay. You love her. And oh, how she seems to love you. Except sometimes you wonder, because her plans don’t include you at all.’” (Sunrise on the Reaping, pg. 129).
The difference in relationships between Snow/Lucy Gray and Haymitch/Lenore Dove is so clear when you put them side by side. Even in the end, Snow still sees Lucy Gray as the 16 year old girl who ran away into the woods and was never seen again all those years ago, while Haymitch sees Lenore Dove grow old with him, loving her just as much as he did when he lost her to Snow. Snow sought to control Lucy Gray, while Haymitch loved Lenore Dove for how uncontrollable she was, even when it scared him to death. Snow’s “love” for Lucy Gray comes from a need for control and obsession, while Haymitch truly loves Lenore Dove, every part of her. When Snow says “Except sometimes you wonder, because her plans don’t include you at all.” Haymitch doesn’t really understand what he means, because the only plans Lenore Dove keeps from him are her rebel acts, because she knows what happened to his dad. But also, Lucy Gray’s plans did include Snow. She originally wasn’t going to run away with him, just going to go on her own, but the moment he took interest she was willing to go with him. It was his own actions that made her leave. It wasn’t Lucy Gray’s disappearance that broke Snow, it was never Lucy Gray at all. It was the Snow name, the views instilled by the authority in his life, by his own view of what he deserves, and the deep need for control that broke him. It’s why he hates Mockingjays and underdogs, and Lucy Gray was both of those things. It was because Haymitch loved Lenore Dove in a way that Snow never loved Lucy Gray that Snow was able to use her against him.
I’m haunted with the thoughts of how long it took the covey to realise that Lucy Gray Baird might have died.
They found her missing one day , and her lover Snow is gone too. They miss her , but they are glad she could run. Travel, like they were meant to be.
How long did it take them to realise that Snow wasn’t with her. How did they feel when they found out that Snow was in the capital. Do you think they had a moment of doubt , wondering if she went to the capital with him?
Do they even know she was betrayed by him? Do they slowly realise that Snow might have killed her? As they see him progress into the man he is.
The respect he had for the other tributes. The grave he made for the fallen tributes. He was completely exposed and could have been killed by anyone, but recognizing those kids and respecting them the way they deserve was more important to him. The way he tore down the symbol of the government that was supposed to protect them, and used it to cover the bodies of the kids it failed so badly. His calm demeanor. The love he had for his sick and fragile district partner. The love he had for Wovey. The way he protected those gentle souls the best he could. He didn't even try to fight. He knew he wasn't going to kill any of these kids. He's the original revolution. He wasn't going to play the capitol's games. He didn't let them turn him into something he's not. He is everything good.
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?
The scene was powerful in the book, but there was just something about watching reaper collect the bodies of the dead tributes in the arena. The way he removes the weapons from their hands, lays them out nicely, giving them the smallest bit of dignity in death. The contrast to the capitol gasping in shock as he pulls down the flag, not in rebellion, but in mourning. The way mourning in the hunger games IS an act of rebellion. “How are you going to punish me now?” The feed then immediately cutting to the news of the death of one capitol boy, whose death will be avenged upon those who had nothing to do with it. Only certain deaths are allowed to mean anything. God. Suzanne Collins knows what she’s doing.
thinking about how the hunger games were designed to prove that without society, order, government, someone to rule, we devolve into little more than animals, and how the games themselves prove over and over again that this is not true. We see it in every single game we witness.
Katniss placing flowers around Rue's body in the arena. Thresh sparing Katniss because she was kind to Rue, even though he was making it that much harder for himself to win.
Haymitch going back for Maysilee after hearing her scream even though their alliance had been broken. Haymitch holding her as she dies the same way Katniss did Rue.
Coral's "I can't have killed them all for nothing" when she realizes she's not going home. Lamina cutting down Marcus at great personal risk. And, my favorite moment in tbosas, Reaper collecting the bodies of his fellow tributes, his peers, even the ones who tried to kill him, into a pile. Taking the weapons from their hands. Closing their eyes and crossing their arms in the best approximation of a proper burial he can manage, covering them with the Capitol flag as a makeshift shroud.
The Games bring out the worst in people, yes. But despite the extreme circumstances, despite the exterior pressure of the Capitol, despite the fact that it could mean pain and heartbreak and death, it also shows that people have an enormous capacity for goodness. That even in a situation purposefully designed to make empathy impossible, people can't help but have it anyway.
Snow looks at the Games and all he can see is what's inside himself-- this pure animalistic drive to conquer and defeat. He kills and it feels good and he thinks that everyone else must feel that way too. He doesn't realize (maybe can't realize) that he is the exception, not the rule. He cannot see outside himself, outside his own warped perspective, to realize that the fact that people do show humanity in the games proves his entire worldview wrong.
the way the show starts & ends with Emma & Audrey & their past complex friendship & the way that Emma got popular (& straight passing) & Audrey didn’t isnt just something that happens but pretty much at the core of the show more so than any other relationship or dynamic like the show STARTS with Audrey getting outed & Emma trying to navigate this & it only gets more insane from there but right from second 1 this show is about these 2 & their relationship.
^^^ this ^^^ is how their shots are framed as they interact at the party emma invites audrey to!!! In the pilot!!! as parallel to the forbidden romance between daisy & brandon in the past!!! hello??
literally they were thee greatest queerbait of our generation goodbye
I know this is a basic bitch opinion but there is nothing more enticing to me in a story than two girls with sexual tension & a complicated cunty past with heartbreak & drama investigating a mystery together in a small town with a violent past
things I LOVE about season 1 episode 6 of Scream MTV “Betrayed”
Daisy & Brandon are directly explicitly compared to Emma & Audrey #the subtext is quickly becoming text. Childhood friends to lovers who love each other even when the world is against them. The show is even almost aware of police corruption & brutality as it relates to ableism & homophobia at parts!
Daisy & Brandon 🥺🫶 Monsters are not always Just Evil. when is a monster not a monster? oh, when you love it 🥺
Emma not only breaks into Audrey’s house & hides evidence while Audrey is being questioned she continues to believe in Audrey’s innocence even in the face of extremely damning evidence even when NOAH Audrey’s BEST friend & number one defender forever briefly questions her.
My best friend Daisy Duval encouraging Emma to lie to police. Some tv moms are good it seems like a myth but it’s not!
I’m normal about the cycles of corruption & small town hate & Daisy trying to help Brandon but never explicitly standing up for him & watching as the police kill him because of ableism & assumptions & the cycle being broken after Audrey is abused & mistreated by the police as an angry young queer girl who’s been through hell & about Emma protecting Audrey & hugging her in the end 🥺🫶 btw. the way Lakewood hates people who are different but the Duval women won’t stand for it. I care a normal about about Daisy & Brandon & Emma & Audrey parallels a normal amount. It doesn’t even bother me that we never got a real resolution about what happened that night at the prom I’m FINE with it
how to get away with murder is actually so iconic in terms of queer stuff
bisexual main character (annalise), gay main character (connor), gay secondary main character (oliver), lesbian tertiary character (tegan), gay dads (connors dad + husband), lesbian side character (eve), gay jokes everywhere that are actually funny and sound like jokes queer people would make as opposed to a reskin of homophobia, a trans woman as a client who is vehemently backed up by annalise as being a woman after getting transphobic comments thrown at her by a cop, a queer muslim woman (and another client) who (after the prosecution questioned the validity of her love for her wife due to having married a man before) who is suggested to be bisexual, and then there’s the homophobe gets the shit kicked out of him—ITS ALL SO FUCKING GOOD I LOVE THIS SHOW SO MUCH
and none of the main queer characters have their entire character centered around their sexuality—they just HAPPEN to be queer. all of them are complex and layered and while there’s plenty of conflict that stems from their sexuality (tegan feeling like she’s not being taken seriously due to being a lesbian WOC at a primarily male law firm; annalise not wanting to be open or loud about her sexuality due to being “black and from the damn bible belt” (direct quote lmao); oliver’s HIV diagnosis), it’s not the Main Point of their characters. it’s just another piece to the puzzle.
AGH. it’s so fucking good. THAT is how queer representation should be in the mainstream—populous, proportional, and meaningful.
Ines Weasley @prettylittleheronstairs - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
