Please note that I have watched a lot more movies and tv shows and listened to a lot of music, but these were just some of my favorites

I remember reading TBOSAS on a lake, still grappling with my recent T1D diagnosis. This book helped distract me from the chaos of COVID and this new chapter of my life. I especially loved the last third of the novel when Snow is in 12 with the Covey. Just when I thought Suzanne Collins had finished with the world of Panem, she came in with so much context for the trilogy that proves how much she cares about the Hunger Games and the impact it has had on everyone who read it.

In terms of the movie, I felt like it was good, but I wanted it to be great. I’m almost certain it is because I had my own expectations for the portrayal of the characters ans storylines, and my creative visions did not match that of the film. They changed some things up, which confused me on my first watch. I wish they had expanded on Clemensia and the effect of Dr. Gaul’s snakes on her. The District 12 arc deserves its own movie, if I’m being completely honest. Getting to know the Covey was my favorite part of the novel. It gave me a different perspective of 12 that Katniss couldn’t have delivered. Naturally, I was sad to see the last story arc get pushed aside compared to the other two in the movie.

I went into this musical completely blind. It had always been on my radar, but I didn’t know what it was about, nor did I really care. This was because I was one of those “new” musical fans when I entered the theatre fandom as a tween. I was more interested in the “cool” musicals like Hamilton and Dear Evan Hansen, not those “old” people in Falsettos. I don’t know what pushed me to look up the slime tutorial at 11:00 PM on a Tuesday night, but I’m glad I did. I was shocked to realize that it centers around queer couples, but I didn’t let it get in the way of me enjoying it. I love the simple set design centered around that cube thing. Another awesome thing for me was the music. These talented actors never stopped singing (which I later realized was because Falsettos is a musical opera). I’m not really a fan of this take on musical theatre, but it works so well, and it’s starting to grow on me. Plus, Stephanie and Christian are absolute POWERHOUSES, so that makes it even more wonderful. The story itself is heartbreaking and bittersweet all the same. Marvin is at a loss here. But you know who I felt the most for? Jason. This kid just wants a steady father figure in a strange and changing time. I didn’t expect Whizzer to die, nor did I expect myself to cry this much after watching a musical. And to think I expected this musical to be a comedy.