Blogging from A to Z Challenge Reflections Posts of 2012

As soon as I heard about the AtoZ challenge I wanted to participate, but because of my experience with other Alphabet memes, I didn't want to post a random topic that began with the letter of the day because I would most likely fail in oh so many ways. I'm not that good at writing/blogging.

So I decided to write on a book theme and chose The Hunger Games. I had written my posts a week in advance which meant I had to read the book again and base my posts on the alphabet for each chapter. I got it done. My letter A post was supposed to be about the reaping. The Reaping took place in Chapter 1 and I called it Attendance is Mandatory but I edited it and probably shouldn't have and wrote about the Arena instead, even though the tributes didn't step into the arena until chapter 11. My favorite post was The Letter 'L' The Lake and Lucky Loot only because there were a lot of L words in it :)
I am so glad I scheduled my posts! It pretty much left me free to do whatever else I wanted and visit as many blogs as I could. I didn't always comment but I think I managed to visit most blogs on the list at least. Initially I got a few new comments but not near as many as I left, which was discouraging.

 I think the AtoZ challenge was well thought out and organized, and there wasn't really anything more that could have been done better. Arlee and his team did a great job. Due to the lack of visits I imagine people weren't interested in the Hunger Games or maybe it was that my posts were too long? Was it due to spoilers? idk. I would have liked more feedback but for those who did comment, it meant a lot to me so THANK YOU!

Most commentators said it was really neat that I wrote about the hunger games and that they'd really enjoyed the book and movie and only one did not like the principle of kids killing kids. It was a great experience to learn so much about this book. I loved the Hunger Games and I don't know about participating next year but if I do, I will probably base it on another great book. It was fun.

Aside from that , here is a short funny video spoof of How The Hunger Games Should Have Ended. I personally liked how it ended , with the rule changes and all, but for the sake of the few who didn't.......maybe it would have been better if Katniss were honest about not loving Peeta ? Lol!

Zero to Hero

The Letter Z Chapter 27: Zero to Hero

They came from the poorest district in Panem and they became Heroes. They thought they'd score zero in the training session but Katniss scored the highest and Peeta didn't do too badly either. A girl who lives in the Seam, hunts in the woods, trades in the Hob; a nobody; and a boy who bakes bread who's in love with her. We shall have to see if she chooses him.

"I am pleased to present the victors of the 74th Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark!"

Yellow Victory Dress

The Letter Y Chapter 26: The Yellow Dress

"Venia helps me into a pair of flat leather sandals and I turn to the mirror. I am still the 'girl on fire.' The sheer fabric softly glows. Even the slightest movement in the air sends a ripple up my body. By comparison, the chariot costume seems garish, the interview dress too contrived. In this dress, I give the illusion of wearing candlelight."

The Capitol is furious about her showing them up in the arena. They can't stand being laughed at and being the joke of Panem. It would've sparked an upheaval in the districts of Panem had they both wound up dead. There had to be a victor and the gamemakers decision to reinstate the previous rule that "two tributes from the same district could live" was a good call.
Here's what she was supposed to say to avoid any trouble. I was madly in love with him, and the thought of living without Peeta was impossible to bear. Love made me do it.

X Marks The Spot

The Letter X Chapter 25: X Marks the Spot

Cato grabbed Peeta in a headlock, and the spot Peeta was pointing to marked the "X" for which Katniss had to shoot her arrow that would release Catos arm around Peetas neck. Katniss could do it and Peeta trusted her completely. It was an incredibly intense scene, but Peeta shoved Cato off the side causing him to fall into a pack of mutant wolves. They both watched as Cato struggled with the pack of animals until out of mercy Katniss shot her arrow through his head, then they heard the canon boom. For all intents and purposes they had won. Except when they heard the new rule was revoked they're like FUCK THAT!

She took the deadly berries out of her pouch and handed some to Peeta and on the count of 3 they were going to end both their lives because how could anyone think either of them could kill the other? Did the Capitol really think that Katniss and Peeta were going to put up with their shenanigans? Whatever Peeta did in the arena was to save Katniss. I know Peeta would have sacrificed his life for Katniss but if she killed him she couldn't live with it.

Weapons of War

The Letter W Chapter 24: Weapons of War

Wow! out of sheer ignorance Peeta outsmarted his opponent. He didn't know the berries he was picking were Nightlock and they killed Foxface. She might have been more leery of stealing the berries had it been a trap but they were gathered and arranged in a neat pile and out of desperation and hunger she nabbed a few too many. She was dead before she knew it. Katniss heard the boom of the canon and was afraid for Peeta and freaked out on him. Damn You Peeta! she said .

Victor's Village

The Letter V Chapter 23: Victor's Village

Long ago, when the Games began, the Capitol built a dozen fine houses in each district. Only one of these houses in district 12 is occupied, that of Haymitchs' because only 2 tributes in the history of the hunger games has ever won from district 12!  It would be quite an honor if Katniss and Peeta win. They would each get one of those houses for their families. They'd be rich and things would be a lot different. 

Up Up Up

The Letter U Chapter 22: Up Up Up It's going to be an unbelievable day!

Inside the first pack contained the remedy that she risked her life for; a hypodermic needle with an anti-infection drug. When she got back to the cave, Peeta was still asleep, and she immediately plunges it inside his arm right before passing out. Time passes.

Katniss wakes up lying in a big pool of blood wounded from the knife Clove threw at her and a bandage around her head. Peeta was much better, and his leg had almost healed completely. It was raining pretty bad, and they were starting to get hungry, but it was no use going hunting. All they could do was sit in the cave and wait for the rain to quit and to keep their wounds from re-opening.

She wasn't very good at acting when Peeta said he didn't have much competition here, Katniss thought "what am I?" Instead, she leaned over and was about to kill kiss him ...... :p and said "there was no competition for him anywhere" which meant Gale was nothing to worry about, and then BAM! Up in the air comes a silver parachute. In Haymitch's' words "It's that easy sweetheart."

They got a basket of food complete with fresh rolls, goat cheese, apples, and a pot of lamb stew with wild rice from a sponsor. Unbelievable!

Time To Thresh

The Letter T Chapter 21: It's Thresh Time

The remaining tributes, sans Peeta, all come to the feast to get what they need. Katniss first sees Foxface tearing across the cornucopia grabbing her pack and disappearing, so she decides to do the same only she gets a knife to the forehead and a struggle ensumes. Clove wrestles her to the ground and teases her about killing her and what they did to Rue and Peeta.

If it weren't for Thresh grabbing Clove from behind, Katniss would have never made it back alive. Clove was about to cut her throat. Thresh overheard Clove talking about killing Rue so in defense of Rue he slammed her head against a rock. He looks at Katniss and says "Just this once 12, for Rue". Thanks to Thresh for sparing Katniss' life letting her go free. They both hear Cato calling out Clove's name so they run off. Thresh takes his and Cato's pack with him.
Katniss got what she came for . In her little pack was a loaded syringe with an anti infection drug that she will administer to Peeta.

Sweet Sleep

The Letter S Chapter 20: Sleep Syrup

When she goes to the stream for some water, a silver parachute drops down near her. This time it is a vial of sleep syrup. It dawns on her if Peeta is sleeping it's the only way she'll be able to go to the feast and it will give her plenty of time to prepare. So she tricks him into taking the sleep syrup saying they're just sugar berries and before he realizes what hit him he's out like a light. There was no other option.

"They're sweet as syrup, " he says, taking the last spoonful. "Syrup." His eyes widen as he realizes the truth. I clamp my hand over his mouth and nose hard, forcing him to swallow instead of spit. He tries to make himself vomit the stuff up, but it's too late, he's already losing consciousness. Even as he fades away, I can see in his eyes what I've done is unforgivable.

She's so wrong. He'll forgive her because he will be alive and not dead and then they can both go home.

Risky Remedy

The Letter R Chapter 20: Risky Remedy

Peeta is so feverish and can barely drink the whole pot of broth after coaxing him for an hour.

It's nice seeing them together, and I love when they are in the cave, but I'm tired of Katniss' constant doubts about Peeta. Why can't she see that Peeta isn't faking it? He loves her for real.

She notices the temperature drop, and it must be because the game makers are manipulating the weather. It could either help Peeta at this point or hurt him- (I'm thinking because of his fever) She climbs into the sleeping bag with Peeta to get warm, but his body is sweltering. Should she leave him to sweat it out or let the cold weather cool him off? All's she can do is place some fresh bandages on his forehead.

Her selfish side starts thinking how much more vulnerable she's become since teaming up with Peeta because he is so sick and needy and she has to take care of him. By morning it looks like the Peetas fever has broken and she gives him some crushed berries. He is so happy having her with him.

So now that he's feeling a little bit better, it's Katniss' turn to sleep. He watches her sleep and naturally strokes her hair because HE IS REAL! Katniss is so stupid. He lets her sleep longer than she'd hoped to but gets up and starts attending to his needs again. His leg is getting a lot worse, but the pus is gone at least. They both know he has blood poisoning and in desperate need of a powerful remedy like an anti-infection drug otherwise he will undoubtedly die.

Katniss goes to make more soup, and Peeta wants her to tell him a story. She thinks it will take more effort than the soup. We hear about how she got some money to buy Prim a goat for her birthday, but she conceals the real story from the game makers about her hunting activities to keep the others from getting in trouble back home. She lies to Peeta as well by saying that she sold an old silver locket of her mother's. Anyway, she bought a goat for Prim from an old man, and it was a wise investment. Prim was thrilled with it. Nobody had to know where the money came from. The truth was that she and Gale caught a deer and sold it in the Hob for a good price.

Just then Claudius Templesmith makes an announcement that there is going to be a feast. It will have exactly what each one needs, so make sure to be there first thing in the morning because for some it might be their last chance. Of course, Peeta needs something robust and remedial. Will she risk her life to save Peeta? His life hangs in the balance. The fates will come to take him away if Katniss doesn't get to the feast, but it proves to be a battle of wits and stubbornness when it comes to Peeta letting Katniss go.

Quick Quotes

The Letter Q Chapter 19 Quick Quotes

bottom of page 247 to 248

I never understood why Katniss and Peeta didn't become allies from the start. Does it take bending the rules, or making a new one in this case,  to make Katniss do that? I am more ecstatic over the news than Katniss is. The two can live now. It's a relief but I wanted them to choose it for themselves.

Peeta's doing a good job staying alive so far. How did he do it? Do you think his camouflage skills paid off? I can't imagine him hiding underneath a rock bleeding to death all this time. It's been days maybe even a week since Cato cut him. Katniss should have come to his rescue sooner. When she almost steps on him he says.....


"You here to finish me off, sweetheart?"  I love that!

"Peeta!" she yells. He's all covered in the mudd and very well camouflaged. It's a miracle she finds him. He looks like the rock itself, that's how well he's hidden.

"I guess all those hours decorating cakes paid off."

Peeta smiles. "Yes, frosting. The final defense of the dying." :p beautiful.

Katniss reminds him they are on the same team now and that he isn't going to die. She wants to wash him off and clean him up but he's really weak. He wants to whisper something in her ear so she leans down and he says..

"Remember, we're madly in love, so it's all right to kiss me anytime you feel like it."

How can he joke at a time like this? I think he's just happy to see her and I hope the feelings mutual jeez. His wounds are pretty bad and he is suffering from blood poisoning. At least Katniss has a first aid kit from the boy from district 1 except it doesn't have everything she needs to treat him with. She draws out the tracker jacker venom with the medicine leaves and gives him some pain killer. She applies burn ointment on his deep cut and wraps his leg up but it doesn't do any good with his pants being so dirty and full of contagion. She can't stomach all the puss and she's sure she's killing him but then Peeta asks

"How about that kiss?"  She pretty near falls over laughing.

She's not as good as her mother is treating wounds and puss, Peeta jokes about her comment about killing him "Can you speed it up a little?" he asks.

Peeta was right, for a lethal person she sure is squeamish at the sight of all that puss! euh. Peeta hasn't been given a single gift so far.

Katniss needs to move him to someplace safe so he can get better but he can't make it very far without fainting so she finds a cave made out of a big rock 20 meters from where they were by the stream, and he's panting and shivering. She thinks he's going to die and leans over to kiss him then.

After that they receive a parachute gift. A pot of broth. What kind of gift is that when he can't even eat? well he takes it anyway but it's not anything that will save him. What they need to do is make out more. That's the message she's getting from Haymitch anyway. More Romance!

Prim's Piece

The Letter P Chapter 18: Prim's Piece and A Promise

Katniss pulls her bow and shoots an arrow that pierces his neck, killing the boy from District 1, while Rue lay dying. She promises Rue the same thing she promised Prim. "I'm going to win for both of us now."

Rue asks Katniss to sing. She used to sing Prim a song to sleep, so she begins singing Prims Piece

Deep in the meadow, under the willow

A bed of grass, a soft green pillow

Lay down your head, and close your eyes

And when they open, the sun will rise

Here it’s safe, and here it’s warm

Here the daisies guard you against every harm

Here your dreams are sweet–

–and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you.

Deep in the meadow, hidden far away

A cloak of leaves, a moonbeam ray

Forget your woes and let your troubles lay

And when again it’s morning, they’ll wash away

Here it’s safe, and here it’s warm

Here the daisies guard you against every harm

Here your dreams are sweet–

– and tomorrow brings them true

Here is the place where I love you.

She remembers Peeta's words and how he doesn't want to just be a piece in their games. "Only I keep wishing I could think of a way to... to show the Capitol they don't own me. That I'm more than just a piece in their games."
For the first time, she understands what he means and doesn't want the game makers to think Rue is just a piece in their games.

She wants them to take responsibility for her death and holds them accountable, so she gathers a bunch of wild flowers knowing they are probably watching her, and says farewell honoring Rue with a District 12 three fingered salute.

She grabs both victims packs, and now six tributes are left. She receives another gift from District 11 that should have been for Rue. A loaf of bread. To get far away from the day's events she climbs high up into a tree and goes to sleep while clutching the bread tightly and dreams peaceful dreams of Rue.

At the end of Part II, it is announced that the rules have changed. Someone must have pleaded for it. It smells like it was meant just for Peeta and Katniss too.

Two tributes from the same district can win this year. Both can live.

Nuking the Nest

The Letter N Chapter 16 : Katniss blows up the Nest of Supplies

...to even out the playing field "Let the 74th Hunger Games begin, Cato." I think. "Let them begin for real."

Nice Shot even though it took 3 arrows! The Careers booby trapped all the supplies so it needed to be nuked. Nuff said . 

Impressive Interview

The Letter I Chapter 9: Impressive Interview

The parade of tributes is forced to talk to a man named Caesar Flickerman, who embodies the inanity of the entire Capitol. He's as irritating as American Idol's Ryan Seacrest.

I'll never understand why Katniss doesn't make friends with Peeta or trust him. After all, he's done for her

" risked a beating to give me bread, steadied me in the chariot, covered me with the redheaded Avox girl, insisted Haymitch know my hunting skills"

Why is she so convinced they can't be friends? Because of her, they fail to form an alliance from the start. I'm sure she thinks she's going to die yet she promises to win for Prim. Why does she think she'll have to kill him? She's irrational. Yes, the games are unjust, unfair, cruel, barbaric, absurd and unreal. Peeta is a really nice guy but what he feels for her is real, and she has every reason to trust him.

Katniss spends the next 4 hours with Effie preparing for her interview learning how to walk in high heels and a full-length gown and all kinds of mannerisms like posture, sitting, eye contact, hand gestures, smiling. All this is irrelevant anyways seeings as they will all be dead soon but still, the point of the interview is to make the audience like her. I think Katniss feels indifferent towards the capitol.

The afternoon spent with Haymitch learning how to present herself isn't any better. He thinks she comes across hostile and has as much charm as a dead slug. She's mad at him and can't accept the injustice of the Hunger Games but has to try to be herself and answer the questions as honestly as she can.

Katniss takes all her anger out on everyone by smashing plates around in her room, and when the Avox girl tries to clean up, she yells at her too. Being Avox isn't the worst thing that can happen. There was really nothing she could have done to save the Avox' boyfriend without the risk of being one herself or dying. Oh, the injustice! Only a new uprising could change things where nobody would have to attend another reaping, play in their hunger games, get their tongue cut out, be punished for learning to feed their families instead of starving to death.

I love the dress Cinna made. It was very impressive indeed! It had fiery flames like the other costume and looked stunning on her. When she twirled, the dress engulfed in flames at the bottom. Peeta admits to all of Panem that he's loved her forever.

The Boy With The Bread

The Letter B Chapter 2: The Boy with the Bread 

background:

When she was eleven years old, her mother turned catatonic over losing her husband, that forced Katniss and Prim to fend for themselves and they almost starved to death. Katniss went to trade in some baby clothes in the marketplace they call the 'Hob' hoping she could get something to eat to bring home. All they'd had to eat for 3 days was hot water and mint leaves.

The boy in the bakery threw her the bread perhaps because he loved her 'from the first moment he laid eyes on her.' Whatever the case was, his mother told him to throw it to the pigs because no decent person would buy it and he got a black eye for it. Except to Katniss, it was her last hope. "You don't forget the face of the person who was your last hope." Reduced to steal from the garbage bin to keep her family from starving and fearing Peeta's sick mother would hit her with her broomstick, she sat down tired, exhausted and hungry underneath an apple tree and watched Peeta chuck the loaves that were meant for her.

"It didn’t occur to me until the next morning that the boy might have burned the bread on purpose. Might have dropped the loaves into the flames, knowing it meant being punished, and then delivered them to me. But I dismissed this. It must have been an accident. Why would he have done it? He didn’t even know me. Still, just throwing me the bread was an enormous kindness that would have inevitably resulted in a beating if discovered. I couldn’t explain his actions." pg.31 chapter 2

Bread and Games

Tonight, all I can do is strap myself in and take tiny bites of the bread. It’s good. It tastes of home. 

I went to see the movie this afternoon thinking all the kids would be in school but I found out that it's spring break already gah! Anyway, I had to wait in line with a crowd of loud teenagers. I wasn't sorry, but the only thing that made it suck was the doors didn't open until 11:30 and my show was playing at twelve o'clock. I got my popcorn and drink and sat down in my favourite spot in the theatre. It wasn't even close to full, most of the kids weren't there for the Hunger Games. I like sitting up high in the last row, and this theatre was comfortable. Anyway, after what seemed like an hour of bullshit previews the movie finally started, and I was like feeling pretty smug and confident.

I didn't feel like it lived up to all the hype, though. I mean sure it was a good movie but I don't know if it was the Capitol Couture, or just the Audience, that turned me off or that there wasn't enough action. It was too fluffy and colourful is what I guess I'm trying to say. I definitely liked the books but the movie was missing a lot, and some things just weren't the same. For example. In the book, Gales first words were  "Hey, Catnip." He was waiting for Katniss in the woods. But, in the movie, he says something like "what are you going to do with it?" He suddenly appears out of nowhere scaring the deer Katniss was about to shoot. I just remember it was a frustrating scene and she responds like "Aww, Gale!" like "Damn you Gale for scaring it away ."

At the same time, the hovercraft appears, but we didn't see the Avox girl so I know those who hadn't read the book would have no idea what it was doing there and why. It was pretty cool, though. Another thing I'd like to point out is there was no sign of any Avox in this movie. For those who don't know what an Avox is it's Latin for someone without a voice. Neither was there a hovercraft that came into the arena to pick up dead tributes corpses. We only heard the cannon shot and the only time a hovercraft came to take someone was with Katniss and Peeta, but even then they didn't show it. Yet it didn't come to pick up Rue or the other guy Katniss killed.
The wolf scene was different too whereas in the book Cato is first seen running from the wolf mutts while Katniss and Peeta are in the field by the cornucopia but in the movie, it is Peeta who gets attacked by the wolf and Katniss, and he starts running for their lives headed towards the cornucopia. They start climbing up the significant structure and find Cato already there. I don't know where Cato came from. That part was a big blur, and the wolves weren't like the ones in New Moon and Eclipse :p

Sometimes the movie was better like Peeta didn't appear all that badly hurt. I was pleasantly surprised about that because the book made him look like he was on his last leg literally and close to death, in fact, he did lose his leg, but I imagined him a lot worse, with sweat running off his face and a high fever from blood poisoning. In the movie, he didn't look wrong, and I thought the camouflage was exquisite. Katniss finds him buried in the mud and screams his name "Peeta!" cause she's so happy to see him lying there in the mud haha. Unfortunately, we don't hear him say "Are you here to finish me off, sweetheart?". It was probably one of the funnier and happier moments for me anyway.

Let's go back when they were on the train. A lot was left out here as well, but I understand now where "That's Mahogany!" comes from. When Katniss stabs the table with the knife Effie yells something like "That's Mahogany!" she didn't say that in the book does she?
We don't even get to see Haymitch vomit or any of the rooms on the train besides the dining car. Instead, Haymitch was a little more ornery and angry in the movie than in the book IMO. What I found strange was how old fashion the dining car looked. It didn't seem very futuristic.
What I appreciated more in the movie was Katniss' dress and their costumes for the parade with the fire. It looked splendid, and I liked how when Katniss asked if she wanted Ceasar Flickerman to see her dress on fire how she twirled around and made her dress catch fire at the bottom of it. That was really nice. Peeta was cute too :D
The first countdown at the beginning at the cornucopia was better than I imagined except Katniss getting into a scuffle with fox face was kind of a blur or was it another girl with the knife? The girl with the sword was the girl Thresh killed with a rock. I hate that girl tribute even more after seeing the movie ugh. I didn't like the Careers anyway, but the film made them out to be more arrogant and unlikeable. Katniss was excellent with the Tracker Jacker nest but why was Caesar Flickerman narrating that shit about the tracker jackers when she was about to unleash them on the sleepy tributes underneath her tree !? I had pictured those bees bigger. I never expected them to be the same size as real bees but the tracker jacker venom gave Katniss some rather odd hallucinations that are for sure. Again Caesar Flickerman ? of all the narrators they gotta pick the interviewer with the blue hair? Ok well, they really did make it look like a Capitol TV production.

What blew me away was the Cornucopia and the Parachute gifts and the loudspeaker voice that could be heard a mile away in the arena. Katniss received some ointment for her burns, some soup for Peeta and in the movie the medicine that was needed wasn't a hypodermic needle or syringe, but some kind of ointment :/ That part was confusing.

Rue was portrayed just like in the book right down to the details. I didn't cry so much in the scene when Rue dies, but you want to know where I cried the most? At the Reaping Lol. It touched me a lot when Katniss volunteered I don't understand why. I like how the movie showed Gale watching the game on TV just when Katniss and Peeta kiss each other in the cave and how the Gamemakers controlled the Arena.

Ok well, that's a wrap.

Book to Movie Differences on the Hunger Games

The Hunter Hunger Games Read A Thon

I'm jumping on the bandwagon just in time for a read a long hosted by Sarah @ Smitten over books and Sana @ Breathing Books.

Starting today we'll have a whole month before the hunger games movie debuts to devour the books ! Feb 23-March 23 2012

I think watching the movie before reading the book would probably spoil the book for me . It is why I can't get into reading Harry Potter . I feel my imagination has been spoiled by everything from the movie idk. Does anyone feel like this or is it just me? I wish I hadn't even watched the trailer because my impression of Katniss doesn't really match with the actress who plays her . I never imagined Peeta Mellark as good looking either. In my mind Gale has blonde hair .