Johanna-Pairing Fics

Hello, everyone!  So, inspired by how much I unexpectedly loved a recent rec of mine ("the beautiful wreckage", Johanna/Annie), I went searching for Johanna rare-pairing fics.  I must say I was pleasantly surprised to find two wonderful oneshots with rather unique pairings.  This post, I present:

Title:  The war is over and we are beginning

Author:  mirrorOfsin

Summary:  It's not much, what they have, but it keeps them alive and that's enough.

Pairing:  Johanna/Enobaria

Rating:  M

Category:  Post-Mockingjay

Title:  003 First Times: Opposites Attract

Author:  Embracing-Immensity

Summary:  The two of them couldn't be more different if they tried. He, "The Victor with the Bloodless Hands," and she, the scary new Victor that no one knows quite how to handle. Will they make it work or will their differences be too much to overcome?

Pairing:  Johanna/Peeta

Rating:  M

Category:  AU

My Recommendation: 

*Mockingjay Spoilers Ahead*

"The war is over and we are beginning" -- so, the pairing is definitely something new.  Now, before you start thinking, okay, two minor characters, femmeslash, non-canon, definitely an odd pair... really?, consider Katniss/Peeta.  A lot of their relationship at first stems from the aftermath of the Games, opening up other possible victor pairings.  (Finnick/Annie, anyone?)  Both Johanna and Enobaria are characterized wonderfully, down to the last little details mentioned in the canon.  They're real, they're relatable, and in a fic like this, the relationship works.  Their similarities are definitely made apparent in a "show, don't tell" way.  The romance is nicely non-traditional, avoiding stereotypes of the genre and keeping them both in-character.  If you're looking for a very different post-Mockingjay tale, this one's for you.

"003 First Times: Opposites Attract" -- I must note the pairing again; Katniss/Peeta shippers, don't go running away!  This story is quite the AU, in which Peeta is the sole (District Nine) victor of the sixty-sixth Hunger Games.  His relationship with Johanna, in some ways, parallels his relationship with Katniss, but explores, What would've happened if Peeta had won alone? and, What did Johanna go through as a victor?  I have to say, I don't usually read extended-oneshots in one sitting, but with this one, I couldn't stop reading, through all the twists and turns it takes, straight through till the end.  I especially recommend this piece for its relationship development -- each one is different, as they should be, and realistic in a way it's sometimes hard to find in Fanfictions.  This is a wonderful and unique "Hunger Games" AU for every reader.

So those are this week's recs -- go enjoy and review!

the beautiful wreckage (Johanna/Annie)

This is possibly the rarest pairing I've recommended yet, but this fic is just as gripping as the rest. Tributes, victors, citizens, I present to you:

Title: the beautiful wreckage

Author: joyfraser

My Recommendation:

*Mockingjay spoilers ahead*

I must be completely honest and say that I did not expect to like this fic half as much as I did. It has an interesting starting point, just after the news is put out that Squad 451 (Katniss, Gale, Finnick, Boggs and others from Thirteen) is dead. This effectively sets the tone of the beginning of the piece and of Johanna and Annie's relationship, here:

“But they were the last thing I had. I don’t have anything anymore. I don’t have…” But she’s not sure what she doesn’t have. The strength. The will. The reason. Maybe she doesn’t have any of it.

“Well, now you have me,” Annie says as she pulls the smaller woman into a hug. Johanna doesn’t react. She can’t. She knows Annie meant it as a reassurance, an offering of peace – of friendship, even. But Johanna can’t see it that way.

All she can see is that this woman who was Finnick’s life – his strength, his will, his reason to live – is all that’s left of him now. And it is Johanna’s duty, her unbearable burden, to see that nothing happens to her.

And, as a post-Mockingjay story, it explores the vote on the final Games, the post-war chaos, Finnick's (real) death, raising Annie's son, the nightmarish flashbacks to the past - and all aren't just "there" to make the story canon, they're used - and used effectively - as plot points and development. Not a word is wasted.

The style of the piece can only be called beautiful. Consistent in voice and poetic, even in very dialogue-driven scenes it shines through as a real, positive attribute to the story. Writing like this creates an all-the-more intense and tragic tale. Truly wonderful.

Until next time, may the odds be ever in your favor.

Beside and Near (Lavinia/Darius)

Another week, another rec! Time to shine some light on an up-and-coming pairing, featured in two fabulous fics by the talented when-i-caught-myself. Ladies and gentlemen, I present:

Title: Near

Summary: This is the story of how Darius and Lavinia first met. Keep her near; she's all you need. Nothing is the the same now; after they silenced you for good you found myself near her. She is all you need now. Oneshot.

Title: Beside

Summary: This is a companion piece to my other story, Near. When you saw him beside you you knew there was something new. To be at his side couldn't be any less wonderful.

*Catching Fire and Mockingjay spoilers ahead*

My Recommendation:

"Near" starts off dark, without another way to put it. Darius' perspective on the pain of being turned into an Avox, and the humiliation of old friends from District Twelve seeing him in that light. The emotion is captured beautifully, with a focus on his sentiments and not just the actual events. The piece also fills in gaps in the canon without flaw, realistically so that you can see it actually being the way it happened. It's the sort of story you confuse with the actual books.

Lavinia and Darius' relationship gets off to a firm, non-cliche' start. The exploration of the connection between them is nothing short of perfect - wonderfully sweet and adorable, though of course we know how it ends. You can quickly see the bond forming between them:

I don't want to elaborate further, even though Lavinia is probably the last living person that will truly understand me.

Thankfully, she doesn't pry. She writes three very simple words. "Are you okay?"

I nod. "Yes." Even if it might not be true, I don't want to seem weak.

Instead of writing, she gently puts down the pad and pen and takes one of my hands in hers. Her hands seem so small compared to mine, but they are slender and strong. Our fingers entwine together, sharing warmth. Even if we could still talk, we didn't need to say anything.

We sit down on the small bed. She edges close to me and rests her head on my shoulder. I lean my head on hers. We both feel lonely, but not now.

"Beside" is the companion, the piece written in Lavinia's perspective. What's nice is that it's different from "Near". It's not just a retelling; the voice is distinctly different, the view on what happened refreshing instead of exactly the same. Her internal reactions perfectly match her behavior in the original piece, so the two oneshots compliment each other just as they should, as well as adding to the actual series.

As Lavinia/Darius is still a fairly rare pairing, hopefully these fics get enough attention to bring it into more light... and hopefully then we'll have more wonderful fics like these!

There you have this week's post - go on and check out these fics, and I'll be back with more next week. Shalom to you all~

RIse Above The Crowds (Delly/Peeta)

Hey, all! Finally back with another rec for you guys.

Title: Rise Above The Crowds

Author: curiosa

Summary: Delly believes in dreams and freedom and being the best person that anyone can be, but most of all, Delly believes in Peeta.

My Recommendation:

This fic goes to show something about the author, because you would have really had to pay attention to Delly in Mockingjay to pull off characterization like this. For as little of the relationship developed between her and Peeta in the real books there is, this fic builds on it all wonderfully. This section particularly shows this:

“Why do you care what anybody else thinks?”

Peeta’s sat on the edge of her bed, staring at Delly with what looks like increasing confusion.

She wrinkles her nose at his reflection, staring flatly back at her own and sighing. “I don’t care,” she says, even if they both know that’s not true and she’s always been bad at lying. “I just want to look nice for once, you know?”

She knows what everyone says about her behind her back: Delly Cartright, the plump and pale girl with messy hair that’s barely worth a second glance over.

“You do look nice,” Peeta says and then moves restlessly from the bed, stretching out his legs and walking away to look at some of Delly’s old photos.

She tosses back her hair; pulling it up so the curls don’t look so scraggy and then lets them flop back lifelessly onto her shoulders. She likes her eyes, she thinks, a tone of blue and green, somewhere in between the two, which mix together and bring out the best of both her parents.

“You do look nice,” says Peeta, repeating himself, “won-der-ful,” dragging out the syllables and letting them catch at the edges of his teeth. “Always.”

He lets his head flop onto her shoulder and tucks his chin into the crook of her neck. Winking at her as the inevitable smile starts to unfurl on her lips, her hands moving to shove him away from her, laughing, tutting at his silly behaviour and grabbing for her coat that he’s got wrapped around his sleeve, waiting.

Peeta is perfectly in character, and a pro of the fic is that Peeta/Katniss is not completely ignored. This new relationship shown is just so beautiful, and a tragic glimpse at their future as it could've been. It's not completely unrequited love--just two different kinds of it that are contrasting with each other. (And let's face the facts: little kids are just plain adorable.)

Rise Above The Crowds is a highly ambitious piece for a focus on such a rare pairing, and it pulls it off beautifully. Even as a oneshot, you feel you suddenly know everything there is to know about these two. Just wonderful.

Farewell for this week; happy Spring!

This is Madness (Katniss/Madge)

Hey everyone, and happy whatever-day-of-the-week-it-is! Time to bring another fic onstage and into the spotlight, so here it is. Ladies and gentlemen, today I bring you the amazing:

Title: This is Madness

Author: Ares is Awesome

Summary: Written before CF came out, so perhaps it doesn't quite have a place where it could be stuck in, but it's still there. T for romance

My Recommendation:

"This is Madness" focuses on one of the rarest pairings I've found yet: Katniss/Madge. There are lots of Gale/Peeta fics out there, so why not?

The characterization here is spot-on - though AU, the author has captured Katniss' voice so perfectly you feel like you're reading a chapter straight out of one of Suzanne Collins' novels. The romance is developed in a nature similarly enough that you still have that voice, but different, because there's different characters. Speaking of different characterizations, for such a minor character, Madge's characterization is also pretty impressive.

"...you're not listening to a word I'm say—" I lean in and kiss her. It's like I swallowed a stick of dynamite. The fire in my stomach explodes through the rest of my body, scorching every inch, inside and out. But it doesn't hurt. It sort of tingles, although it is impossibly to describe the sensation in words. My hairs stand on end, and all the heat rises to my face. This is nothing like any other kiss I've ever given, received, or even taken for myself without permission. It is a thousand times more potent, more full. In almost every way it is perfect. But in one it is not.

It was stolen, not earned. With difficulty, I pull myself away. "I'm sorry, I..."

"Don't be."

That all said, the actual events of the books are not ignored - Gale and Peeta are both mentioned, as are the cameras constantly on the "star-crossed lovers".

Overall, "This is Madness" is a great exploration of what could've been, and is very highly recommended.

That's all for now--stay tuned for more next week!

yellow brick roads (Haymitch/Maysilee) and inception (undiscovered gem)

Another week, another "undiscovered gem" rec for you all! This time, we have:

Title: yellow brick roads

Author: koalakoala

Summary: Because you need a brain and a heart and courage to win the Hunger Games. There's no place like home. For Starvation's monthly oneshot challenge, epic. Haymitch/Maysilee.

and

Title: inception

Author: Pineapple Fetish

Summary: There's a reason why District Twelve never wins the Hunger Games. *Written for Starvation Forum's December prompt: The 2nd Annual Hunger Games.*

(So we're looking at two fics that a) have lowercase titles and b) were written for a Starvation prompt.)

My Recommendation:

Starting with yellow brick roads: this isn't the rarest pairing in the Fandom, but good Haymitch/Maysilee fics can be hard to find. yellow brick roads was written for the prompt "epic" (March 2011 challenge on Starvation), and executes this flawlessly. It's the story of the second Quarter Quell, somehow with a "Wizard of Oz" theme--each section begins with a quote, and, of course, there's the title of yellow brick roads and the summary. It packs a lot of emotion through dialogue, such as during Maysilee's interview, here:

"Maysilee, welcome," he says, voice as warm as the velvet. "Is there anyone you're leaving behind in Twelve?"

Her eyelashes feel heavy, despite the fact they look so pretty, and that makes no sense to her at all. "Yes," she says. "My sister."

Caesar Flickerman almost looks concerned. It's an act, of course, but it somehow heartens her. She can tell the audience is bored after listening to forty odd sisters and brothers and lovers, and she might just understand what Haymitch said about not missing Twelve, because she does and she doesn't. She hates it ardently, now, and still misses it just as much.

She curls her fingers loosely, feeling the lacquered paint of her nails (bloodred, the obvious choice) against her skin, and looks directly at the camera, at her minature reflection.

Dark lashes. Thick curls. Shiny lips. This isn't her. It's a glorified version of a girl who actually isn't gorgeous, and she's suddenly scared, because what if it's permanent?

"She's watching. Anything you would say to her?"

She hesitates.

"I…I'm not coming home."

The buzzer goes off, perfectly.

Epic is brought in through the idea that the death tributes receive in the Hunger Games is easier to remember than "starving in District Twelve". The romance is easy to feel in the scenes we don't really see in the books; it's developed at just the right rate. A few conversations especially show this:

Later, her fingers are on the golden door handle when he asks her, "Do you really think you're going to die?" Haymitch loosens his tie and looks at her as oddly intensely as he did on the train.

What do you want from me? she feels like saying. Instead, she leans back against the door. "Well, my odds are roughly the same, aren't they?"

He laughs, mostly real and slightly acidic, and it kind of makes him seem more human in her eyes. She repeats his question, and he looks away. It's a ridiculous thing to ask, and she doesn't blame him for not answering.

"If it makes you feel any better," she adds, "I think you could win."

He doesn't repeat the words back to her.

or even

"Won't you miss it?" she asks at last, annoyed, as she smears saltwater off her eyelashes. Her fingers are wet with homesickness.

"Honestly?" Haymitch Abernathy looks at her intently, almost searchingly. And then drops his gaze, disappointed. "No, I won't."

A tragic love-story, and a great addition to the Hunger Games world we all love--yellow brick roads placed second in the March challenge.

~ ~ ~

Now onto inception. This isn't a minor pairing fic, but I feel it still falls in the "undiscovered gem" category. It was also written for a Starvation prompt, but this time for December 2011: "the 2nd Annual Hunger Games". This fic has a very interesting style: half-story, and half from the records of Panem. It also brings up an interesting idea of just how successful (or not) the early years of Hunger Games were. This is an excerpt close to the beginning of the fic, from the "official records of Panem":

Faced with the inevitability of their own death, the tributes (as they posthumously became known) simply sat around the Cornucopia until they died. None of them attempted to eat the food or take up a weapon against each other.

By the fourth day, only two tributes remained – both fell unconscious at some point in the night, and died too closely together for retrieval to be possible. As a result, there was no Victor that year.

The families of the tributes were brutally executed less than a week later.

There are several takes on the early days of Games, but this is unique in the fact that it seems planned, but it almost doesn't look meant to incite rebellion: it's a peaceful protest. While this happens during the very first Games, the fic continues on to the second year, which explains "why District Twelve never wins". Before the second Games, the female tribute from District Twelve (Iris) speaks with the original President Snow (after he says that these Games shall not be a repeat of the previous year's):

Snow: Well, Miss Weir? What is it you wanted to ask me.

Iris: I know you said that you'd kill the families of the kids – sorry, tributes – that don't cooperate. But for the little kids like Andy – I mean, Andrew Hale – you can't expect them to be able to stand up to older kids.

Snow: (sharply) Like yourself, Miss Weir?

Iris: ... Yes, like myself, sir. If the younger kids were k- ... killed by one of the older ones, that would count as them cooperating, would it not? That would be horrifying, a young child being mercilessly killed by an older one, wouldn't it.

Snow: (mildly) It is not your place to dictate to me, Miss Weir.

Iris: Of course not, sir. I would never presume... I'm just asking a question.

Snow: What you're proposing isn't really what I had in mind... But if you're prepared to do so, I see no reason why that would be unacceptable.

Iris: Thank you-

I wouldn't want to give it all away for you, but, based on Iris's later actions, you see why District Twelve ended up with so few victors.

An interesting idea, a unique execution--inception placed first in the December challenge.

~ ~ ~

Hopefully you enjoyed, and I'll see you next week!

Nightly (Effie/Haymitch)

Hello, folks. Just one fic for this week, but it's a good one:

Title: Nightly

Author: All.Makebelieve

Summary: Haymitch/Effie drabble. - "She'd feel his lips on her forehead, and she'd hear a ragged voice whisper, 'I'm here, sweetheart.'"

My Recommendation:

To find words to describe "Nightly", I'm going to need a thesaurus.

This Fanfiction brings the "Hurt/Comfort" genre-label on Fanfiction to a different level. Flashbacks that explain the present (and fill in some plot-holes of Mockingjay!) are integrated flawlessly, and always loop back around to what's going on "now". (And those flashbacks are nothing short of brilliant.) The style is unique and fascinating: you feel as if you're being shown just one scene in the "present" time, but it's really sort of showing a routine in story form.

Even more so, the night was always the same, as if her mind ran on a schedule.

That sort of illustrates the point.

Emotion, in this drabble, doesn't have to be told; it's just there, a part of every word. The same thing can be said for the romance.

Overall, "Nightly" is highly, highly recommended - a wonderful piece of work, with careful layers of different genres all tied in.

That's all for this post--more next week!

The Way It Is (Glimmer/Cato) and Twirl for Me, Fly for Me (Cinna/Portia)

Hello, all. This week I'm bringing two new fics into the spotlight:

Title: The Way It Is

Author: The Silver Panda

Summary: A Little one-shot I wrote for the Starvation Forum Monthly Challenge. From Glimmer's POV.

and

Title: Twirl for Me, Fly for Me

Author: Serenity9419

Summary: "He was too hard to read. Too damn noble, she often thought. But she cared for him, or she wouldn't have bothered to try." Though sometimes unseen, Cinna and Portia took their own journey together - they risked, they loved, and they lost.

My Recommendation:

The theme of this post, inside my mind, is characters part of a pairing I've recc'd before, but different. "The Way It Is" fits this perfectly: Glimmer's point of view, being envious of Clove because of her relationship with Cato. The prompt this was written for was "envy", and it does a wonderfully tragic job of doing this. It's real, and you feel it all--the, well, envy; the love; and yet, the sort of bloodthirsty side to almost every Career. It packs a lot of power to affect you in a short piece. All the while, from the books, you know what happens, and the characters seem to know this to a certain extent too: only one of them, no matter what happens, can live. (At least, at the point this particular fic ends.) "The Way It Is" is a beautiful and tragic new perspective.

Next, we have "Twirl for Me, Fly for Me" (Cinna/Portia). Almost anyone who knows me can say that this is one of my favorite pairings, and this one fic is almost 100% of the reason why. If I had to pick a favorite part of this story, it would be the writing itself--a wonderful, poetic style that adds to the tragicness of it all. The romance is real--the author doesn't even need to state it, you can just feel that it's there, even in a different scene. While some parts of the story can be a bit heavy and depressing, (as it's also an angst fic), (and I cried the first million times I read it), there are also parts that are a bit more fluffy and light-hearted (and I still laugh now). Powerful writing, definitely recommended.

That's it for this week--see you next time!

Partners in Crime and Conflicted (Cato/Clove)

... I'm ba-ack! With some new undiscovered gems, of course. This week we have two amazing stories by ExplorativeComet:

Title: Partners in Crime

Summary: Cato and Clove; our famous Careers from District 2. They are ruthless, confident, and so don't get along. But this time around, they're sort of in love. And that might just change the outcome of the 74th Hunger Games.

and

Title: Conflicted

Summary: Find out how Cato feels after the Tracker Jacker attack. Tie-in to my story, "Partners in Crime". Cato's POV of Ache Chapter 3 .

My Recommendation:

Partners in Crime gives us another side to these two characters, and the relationship between them. If I had to pick a word, I'd say "balanced". It shows us the side of them that we love (to hate?): the violent, cold, and bloodthirsty Careers that we meet in the cannon. But we also get to know what's beneath all of that, the doubts, fears, and flaws. This excerpt (from the second chapter, Clove's point-of-view), captures this especially well:

I don't feel as elated as the others do. I can feel their excitement in the air at the sight of the kid's pain. In the Hunger Games, most murderers are made, not born. That's why you get so many victors from Districts 1, 2, and 4; those are the districts that encourage training the most, particularly 2.

Sure, I've been taught to enjoy slaughter. And I do.

But this sadistic twisting-the-blade, torturing, slow death thing? I really don't care for it. Murder the girl and be done with it. Celebrate the death, not the torture.

Cato's much more sadistic than I'll ever be, but I've always believed it's because his family forced it upon him. Look at how early he had that spear; how rude and careless he had been. His family was one of those District 2 families that raised a child solely for the purpose of the Hunger Games.

It captures the pairing well, with realistic romance and an ending you won't want to miss.

Conflicted is the companion to this story. While the original is well-written in Clove's perspective, it always leaves the readers wondering what Cato's been up to in his mind. Hence where Conflicted comes in, giving us a taste of what's going through his head during one chapter (the third) of Partners in Crime. An interesting change in perspective for the obsessed reader; it's distinctly different in the point-of-view, even when telling the same scene.

Both are must-reads--great stories that do the tale justice.

That's all for now!

Wisely, I Say, I Am A Bachelor (Cinna/Finnick) and Running The Spectrum: Orange (Wiress/Beetee)

Hello, everyone; I'm Hannah, and this is my first recommendation on Nightlock. Each week I'm going to be finding the "undiscovered gems" of the Fandom, especially in minor- or rare- pairings.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present:

Title: Wisely, I Say, I Am A Bachelor

Author: Mithrigil

Summary: How Cinna became a revolutionary, and other stories; most notably, how he deconstructed Finnick Odair.

and

Title: Running The Spectrum: Orange

Author: NoStrangerWouldItBe

Summary: "It's easy, being with Beetee. So little in life is easy." He knows what she's thinking and she gives him oranges. Wiress and Beetee through the years. Written for the Caesar's Palace Color Prompts "Orange"

My Reccomendation:

Starting with "Wisely, I Say, I Am A Bachelor": It took me a while after I read this the first time (staying up ridiculously late on a school night because I just had to finish it), to figure out what I actually liked about it; this was hard because there really wasn't a lot that I didn't particularly love. Finally, I came to my decision: the characterization. You get to know all of the characters, both the main ones of the Fanfiction and ones that are a bit more in the background, including OCs, very well by the end of it. I was particularly impressed by this as it's told in first-person. It was all such a brilliantly inspiring portrayal that despite it's length, I've read it several times since I just discovered it a few days ago. In a few words: sophisticated, real, humorous, and addicting.

For "Running The Spectrum: Orange": Wiress/Beetee was always an interesting pairing to me, and this Fanfiction did them both justice, while it was a nice take on the prompt provided: "orange". This, I think, captured what Fanfiction is supposed to: add to the cannon in a new way. Set before The Hunger Games, it's a unique take on the development of this relationship. It sort of makes you say, "Oh, yeah, I could see that happening." The little plot-devices used are not forced and really help move the story: the characters' interests in inventing, oranges, Wiress' habit of trailing off, their relationship with other victors, etc. While nicely detailed, the story is always progressing and keeping you interested. In a few words: adorable, free-flowing, and well-crafted.

That's all for this week!