Starvation Forum's Holiday Contest: Our Reviews

The wonderful Lavender Flame, a past reccer here at Nightlock, mods the Starvation forum over at fanfiction.net. We decided to pair up with our ally to review the entries for the Starvation forum's Holiday Contest.

Now, I know what you're thinking.... Christmas in June, Little Miss Mionie?! It's not even in July!

Well, both Lavender Flame and I had a lot to juggle for the past couple of months, so it's only now I've been able to review the entries. To make up for the delay, I've made banners for each fic for the entrants to take home with them! :)

Well done to contest winner DarylDixon'sgirl1985 and other entrants emeralddusk and ct255 - here are your reviews.

Christmas Memories by DarylDixon'sgirl1985

During the Hunger Games Clove thinks of her happiest Christmas memory ever. 

Review: The winner of the contest is the winner for a reason - Christmas Memories is certainly the most uniquely paired holiday fic I've ever read! DarylDixon'sgirl1985 has a command of dialogue that really drives this fic. Short and sweet, it's a great two-part story.

Eternal Noel by emeralddusk

Celebrate Christmas in Panem with all your Hunger Games friends in a brighter world.

Review: I actually enjoyed this fic being in italics - this style made falling into a memory of Katniss' much easier. Katniss' father as a main character in this story makes for a whimsical, bittersweet fic.

The Language That Lives Between Words by ct522 (by our very own Titania! Yay!)

Inspired by Colin Firth storyline in "Love Actually." Peeta and Katniss don't speak the same language. They find other ways to communicate, slowly falling for one another as they spend more time with each other.

Review: Love Actually is my favourite Christmas movie, so of course I was going to like reading this story by ct522! The author has gone to great detail for the setting and mood. The characterisations are wicked and funny at the same time. A cheery, festive fic. 

Happy reading,

Little Miss Mionie

Five Stars in Five Thousand Words #1

Hi everyone! It's cindella204.

First of all, Little Miss Mione's interview with FernWithy was our TWO HUNDRETH post on Nighlock. *cheers* I'd like to say thank you to everyone who reads our posts and everyone who writes THG fanfiction! We couldn't do it without you all! *kisses*

Anyway, I would like to officially announce that we (the Nightlock team) have decided to put the Author of the Month recommendations on hold for now. Although there are plenty of deserving authors out there, the way FanFiction.Net and other sites are set up it can be very difficult to find them, and we simply do not have the time to scour the databases looking.

If you know of an author who is deserving of this honor, please find a form where you can read over the requirements and submit an author here. I will still be posting any authors that you, the readers, submit.

I'd also like to introduce to you my newest venture, along with Self Promotion Sundays, Five Stars in Five Thousand Words. Yes, the name is very, very cheesy. Naming conventions aren't my thing. Each installment of this new series will feature two absolutely stunning pieces that are five thousand words or less. Since we're all very busy, I thought it would be fitting to have a spotlight on fics that you can read in less than ten minutes and still fully enjoy. So without further ado, Five Stars in Five Thousand Words: Installment #1!

just a number by halcyon calamity
Character study, less than five hundred words, rated T
just a number focuses on Clove and how certain numbers are used to define her. I've always enjoyed oneshots with a repeating theme like this, and this is definitely a good one, especially if the upbringing of careers interests you. Although it wasn't particularly emotional, I still thought it was a powerful piece to read, especially the penultimate (second to last) number.

Crushed by Ghanaperu
Character study, movieverse, less than two thousand words, rated K+
First of all, don't get scared by movieverse. I only mentioned it because it's in the summary and I wanted to address it. It's not super conflicting of anything in the book. Anyway, Crushed is an absolutely beautiful exploration of Gale's perspective before and after the 74th Games. It's truly hard to put it into words. I have always had a hard time relating to Gale—canon, film, and fanfiction—but I was feeling...crushed after I read this.

BONUS! (sort of)
Volveré by Reyra.Elienahi
I really enjoyed Volveré (Translation: I will return), but it wasn't one I could really use for the segment because it's not in English. If there are any Spanish speakers or students around I would strongly encourage you to check out. This story covers the reaping in District Four for the Quarter Quell. I am only a mediocre Spanish student, but I understood enough to really love it.

Well, that's it for this installment! I hope you enjoyed it :)

-cindella204