Hi everyone! It's cindella204 with June's Author of the Month, Tokoloshe Monster! Her Maximum Ride oneshot This Is How A Heart Breaks is one of my favorite stories of all time, so when she started writing Hunger Games fics I was thrilled. She does not disappoint. All of her stories have the same eloquence that just makes me say, "Wow." Here's a piece from of the living, an Alternate Ending Finnick/Katniss:
The first time they clawed at each other, they fell asleep on opposite sides of the bed. They woke up tangled together and both of them kept their eyes closed, Katniss pretending that the hair on her cheek was gold, and Finnick tried to convince himself that the hand resting over his heart wasn't a huntress's.
Then Finnick fully awoke and slid himself out of bed and put his clothes on, while Katniss pretended to be asleep, pulling the sex-soaked sheets over her bare shoulders to try and hide what happened. (She failed.)
After that first time, they make sure to part ways before dawn breaks. That way they can pretend that they only dream their encounters. Daytime would make things real, and that's exactly what they don't want at all.
Did I mention that I absolutely HATE Finnick/Katniss? Well, I do. I write Finnick-centered fics myself, and I am obsessed with Finnick/Annie. It is definitely the ship I support the most in this series, and probably in every fandom. Finnick belongs with Annie. The end. So how did this Finnick/Katniss end up in my favorites?
- It's an Alternate Ending that actually makes sense. Exploring non-canon pairings can be fun. I don't write them much, but I do enjoy reading them. My issue is when the stupidest situations are used to create an opening for them. Finnick and Katniss are not going to experience mysterious attraction in a broken elevator, and there will not be accident in Thirteen that will electrocute and kill everyone in the hospital including Annie, Peeta, Prim, and Mrs. Everdeen. Finnick and Katniss will not go to each other for comfort, somehow ending in a steamy one-night stand, and then fall for each other and forget all about Annie and Peeta. It's not happening. Sorry. This isn't like that. Without spoiling too much, it's actually a realistic situation. And more importantly, it's gradual. Katniss doesn't wake up one morning and say, "You know what, I'm over Peeta. Finnick, let's have sex," which is good, because can you really see Katniss saying that? And even if she did, can you imagine Finnick's reaction to that? Exactly. if Finnick and Katniss were ever going to get together, it would be under a certain set of circumstances, and these are them.
- Her pacing is brilliant. I already talked about how gradual was important, but the timing in general is perfect. She uses timeskips to keep the story brief, but where details are needed they're there, and in just the right way too. It's not really something I can explain, but timing is important to me in all stories, and she's got it.
- The diction and syntax are PERFECT to convey the emotion the characters are expressing. Oh my gosh, look what Honors English has done to me. That's word choice, and the way words are arranged. With all the trauma in the exposition, and the...emotional tension throughout this story, it's so key, and once again, I'm not disappointed. This actually applies to all of Tokoloshe's stories in every fandom, including these Hunger Games ones.
"Do you want some?" she asks, noticing the look of longing on his face.
"Of course," he replies, although they're probably both talking about two very different things.
I love the way she writes that. It's just perfect...cute and fluffy, but realistic, which you've probably realized is a big thing for me. The wording is so beautiful, I can't even explain it. It's just AMAZING.
Okay, I just completely fan-girled over one story, but there are six more like this. They're all amazing, so check her out here.
P.S. I'm so long winded...please go check out her stories, though.
-cindella204
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