can you imagine how devastated haymitch must’ve been when the undersees died? that was the last remnant, besides the mockingjay pin she hated so much, of maysilee donner, his begrudged sister. and he finds that maysilee is not the only one with bad luck, no, its her whole family. madge’s best friend was reaped, and then she died, right along with merrilee. merrilee, who was the stunning image of who maysilee would one day resemble. maysilee, who never became that and finally died with her family.
Panem: Panem is named after "panem et circenses," which is latin for the phrase "bread and circuses." bread and circuses refers to how in Rome, the emperors would give the poor food and entertainment to keep them satisfied. Their living conditions were often poor, with unsafe and unsanitary homes. However, the elites and rulers figured they could distract them, and they did. While bread and circuses refers to (primarily, but not exclusively) grain and circuses refers to, as you guessed, circuses, it is different in Panem. Food refers to the monthly tesserae allocations so long as they put their name in the reaping bowl one time per recieval, and the circuses refer to the Hunger Games. With these, the people are kept silence.
Katniss: At surface level, Katniss refers to the arrowhead plants. She knows this is where her name comes from, and we learn very early that her father used to tell her if she could find her namesake, she could always eat. I'd like to add additional interpretations to this. Katniss relies on people a lot, not in a dependent way, but as in she grows to lean on people when she does not expect to. However, at her core, she is independent. She doesn't often put herself first, but she trusts her own judgment and knows what she can do. As long as she continues being who she is at her core, she can live and eventually thrive.
Peeta: I probably should've added this right after Panem to better explain, but I've already written Katniss' explanation and it gets confusing moving things around. Anyway, while Suzanne Collins has not explicitly revealed the origins of Peeta's name, the general consensus is that he is named after pita bread. This is likely due to his family business at a bakery, but there is also a clear parallel: Panem and Peeta. In fact, it's a distinct contrast between the two. Panem represents everything horrible, at least until the end of Mockingjay. However, Peeta is constantly showed as an amazing person, clever and kind. One thing I've not seen anyone mention is how Panem grew better, and Peeta grew worse. Panem became a democracy, and while we don't know how good the state became, we know it became better than it was. In contrast, Peeta's hijacking ruined him for quite some time. This is probably all a stretch, but it is how I see the naming.
Coriolanus Snow: There is much more emphasis on his last name throughout both the main trilogy and the prequel, the meaning of his name is mostly rooted in his first: Coriolanus. He is named for Gnaeus Marcius Coriolanus, who may be a real person or who may be a legend. However, mostly, it's based on Shakespeare's tragedy of a man by the same name, who (as I've read on the internet, though I have not read Shakespeare's story of him) seems to be a dramatized version of G. Coriolanus. I'll be referring to Shakespeare's portrayal of him in this explanation. Coriolanus (the name he goes by, given to him for his marvelous feats) ran for consul, the ruler position during the Republic of Rome. At first, he was in favor of the lower class called the plebeians. However, two enemies rallied the plebeians against him, making Coriolanus explode in distaste. He quickly flies into a rage and explains that plebeians being allowed to vote shouldn't be allowed because they are lesser. He is exiled from Rome—this suggestion is not allowed. He reaches a new region and requests help to launch an attack against Rome, but is dissuaded by his mother and agrees to sign a peace treaty. However, when he returns to the region to explain this, he is killed for his betrayal. (Note: This information is from Wikipedia because that was the easiest-to-read source. If any Coriolanus experts are reading this, feel free to correct me.) G. Coriolanus directly mirrors Coriolanus Snow. Both of them are feverishly against the poor, seeing them as lesser beings, even going so far as comparing them to animals (G. Coriolanus described plebeians as "crows pecking at eagles" in the context of voting). They are both ruthless and care more about power than the people.
Cato: I can't find exactly how Cato is named, but there are two relevant items. One: Cato's name means "all-knowing." He's seen as intimidating to Katniss, but not quite revered for his intelligence. This does not go to say he isn't, because we only see Katniss' perspective. However, you do not get that far into the Hunger Games without wits. He is, almost certainly, fairly smart. Despite this, another explanation for his name would be the Shakespeare character named Cato. He is a soldier, which is definitely how Hunger Games Cato is portrayed. However, despite their deaths, that is as far as their similarities go. Shakespeare's Cato is a follower of the Roman Republic, and a humble man. This is very unlike the Hunger Games iteration. Their deaths, while extremely different, can also find similarities. Shakespeare's Cato dies before Julius Caesar's (the man who would've become the first emperor if not for the senate murdering him) legion arriving by suicide. He stands so much for the Republic that he'd die, as many Romans would. In The Hunger Games, Cato does not stand for a republic. He stands for the exact opposite of what Shakespeare's Cato stands for: an empire. In spite of this, they stand for their opposing views in the same way. Cato volunteered for the Games, and while he may have expected to win, he accepted he may die. He believed in his country, for better or for worse.
I will write more, but it's night and I have actual homework to do after spending an hour writing and researching just these four names. idk when i'll update this, but i swear i will (i'll reblog it to add on more, not edit this post.) i doubt anyone read all of this because it's really just me yapping about stuff i don't know much of (i know everything about the hunger games, but not Shakespeare). if i got anything wrong, pleaseee tell me and i'll edit the post because i'm definitely no expert. byeeeee
yes actually i do need a fic with tony being peters bio dad and signing away parental rights before reconnecting with him later in life, and then peter sees tony willingly raise morgan and wonders why she was good enough and not him
when i have trig homework but im watching movies and writing fanfic instead
im just saying trump and general ross have sort of similar mannerisms and speaking patterns
are we going to get an orange hulk next?
*writes two paragraphs after months of literally nothing and it took three hours*
this template but with spider-man to cure my art block
i love the theory that finnick was a career. he wanted to win, he wanted glory. he wanted the future promised to all victors. he didn’t know how “attractive” he was, he didn’t know that each murder would haunt him for years to come. he didn’t know his blind adoration would transform into an ugly hatred of the capitol, of his past self who wanted to prove himself.
yelena probably saw natasha with the avengers all those years later and realized she’d never seen natasha truly happy like that as children
cassandra is the most convincing since she’s mostly quiet the whole time. she has a menacing enough aura to distract everyone from the fact that she is very clearly a girl
people don't talk enough about how fucking funny it is that bruce can sub in his kids as batman when he's too busy. like can you imagine it from the league's perspective? imagine you have this really mysterious, geniusly scary guy that you know next to nothing about, never cracks a smile and yet always comes out on top, and one day he shows up to a league meeting and there's just something... off. about him.
you can't pin it down because he's literally acting exactly the same as usual and there's no reason to think there's anything wrong, but maybe he shifted in his seat one to many times, or he looked just a tad bit too bored during green lantern's case review, but something's just... odd. so you quietly ask superman after the meeting if anything's up with the bat bcs you know those two are closer and also clark can hear heartbeats so if something's wrong surely he'll pick it up? and without hesitation he leans over to you and mumbles 'yeah batman was busy, that's his 17 yr old son. he's a crime lord and kills people sometimes though so we're not allowed to let him into the weapons department.' and then walks away like it's normal.
like the whiplash the league must go through every time they realise that no, this is not their fearless dark and brooding leader, this is in fact one of his dipshit kids being forced to sub in bcs the real batman broke an ankle, is incredible.
wonder woman: so that's my proposed plan, what are your thoughts batman?
batman: hn. i think that- *voice raising two octaves* oh shit hold on my phones buzzing
the league:
batman, answering the phone and immediately dropping the Bat Posture™: what do you mean- aw come on little wing that's not fair! but- no, NO DON'T YOU DARE TELL ALFRED I'LL BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU- IM SORRY OK I'LL BUY YOU MORE- *catches sight of the league watching him, baffled* *stiffens* ok listen i promise to replace them but i gotta go, please show me mercy iloveyoubye *hangs up*
the league:
batman:
batman: *coughs awkwardly*
superman: *sighs*
batman, to superman: ...red hood found out i ate his chocolate pretzels-
superman, shaking his head: just... just stop.
the flash: so this isn't batman either, is it?
wonder woman: if this one's also a criminal im losing my mind.
superman, tiredly: no no, this one isn't a criminal. this one's actually a cop.
batman: *sinks down in his seat* b's gonna kill me
green lantern, mystified: where does he keep GETTING you all from!?
'batman' dick, who made a pact with jason to Always Fuck With Bruce Whenever The Opportunity Arises: batman is a whore.
they think they've finally sussed out all 2 of batman's kids and then one day during a meeting 'batman' ends up on a 30 minute rant about different hacking methods this tech villain could be using that results in him half way through a sentence breaking off to say '-oh uncle clark could you pass me that pen- thanks, anyway so-' and then five minutes after that when the league have all been exchanging incredulous looks he finally freezes and is like. SHIT.
wonder woman: you're different from the other two, aren't you?
batman: maybe i am maybe i'm not, you can't prove it.
wonder woman:
green lantern: so like, are you new or have you just managed to avoid sub duty up until now?
superman, coughing: actually, this is this ones ninth occasion of replacing batman. you've just never realised before.
the league:
batman: yeah actually the other two are kinda mad i lasted longer than them...
the flash: how the fuck does he keep getting kids with the exact same build as him!??!?
'batman' tim, spent 20 minutes padding the suit out so he would look the part, still mad that bruce keeps palming WE work off on him: oh he forces us to take steroids for it.
the league, concerned:
superman, pinching the bridge of his nose: now come on red robin-
batman, fully tearing up and looking distraught: PLEASE uncle clark, it HURTS, you can't keep COVERING FOR HIM!
superman, frantically to the league: this one lies.
bonus
the league, squinting at batman:
the league: ...
superman: *head in his hands, too disappointed to do anything*
the league: *silently exchanging looks, wondering if anybody's brave enough to say anything*
duke as batman, fully aware this is fucking stupid but jason and tim fell on the floor laughing when dick came up with the idea and frankly, he wanted to see if anybody would have to guts to call him out: so, are we all ready to start the meeting?