Military Fics (AU Army, Combat, World Wars, Soldiers)

The wonderful MJ requested we scour forAU military/soldier/army Hunger Games fics, in particular Military!Peeta. I find this quite timely as tomorrow is Anzac Day in my home country Australia, where we commemorate soldiers from Gallipolli and beyond.

I decided to branch out a little bit on this request (don't I always?) because the feminist in me loves a solider!Katniss, too. Quite a number of these listed have been recommended before in various segments and posts, but never under the one theme. This is why there aren't any reviews under the fics (as we've reviewed countless of them before). We hope you all enjoy - if I don't mind saying, this list is pretty damn comprehensive!

Trigger warning as the linked stories do make reference to wars, terrorism, injury and death associated with such wars. Please note that any racist language used in comments will be deleted.

Image: Mediamacaroni.com 

The Civil War (American)

A House United by shesasurvivor
The bloody Civil War is over, but the battle is far from won. As North occupies South, Katniss Everdeen tries to keep her plantation home afloat, now empty except for herself, her mother, and her sister Prim. When Union soldier Peeta Mellark is quartered at the Everdeen home, she struggles to put up with the intruder as best she can. It doesn't help that he's so helpful, so kind, and possesses no small amount of charm. (See also: Santa is a Yankee.)

What's So Civil About War Anyway? by icbiwf

Panem, Pennsylvania, 1862: When all of her trading partners in town leave to join the Union army, Katniss Everdeen supports her family the only way she can: by enlisting to serve herself. Hoping desperately to avoid anyone from home who might recognize and expose her, what happens when she's assigned to the same company as the boy with the bread?

Knot Your Fingers Through Mine by monroeslittle
AU. Peeta and Katniss and the American Civil War.

The Deadliest Sins by pompeiigraffiti

In the fall of 1917, German soldier Peeta Mellark receives devastating news about the woman with whom he fell in love.

I Envy The Thy Love by Solasvioletta

In May of 1864 Peeta Mellark makes a solemn promise to Gale Hawthorne on the eve of battle, but can he keep it? Historical fiction set during the American Civil War. Piece-in-Their-Game Award Winner- Best Historical Fiction. 

When Johnny Comes Marching Home by shesasurvivor 

When her family was killed, innocent victims caught in a skirmish, Johanna cut her hair and joined the rebel army seeking revenge. Now she's a captured POW in a Union prison. While she waits for freedom, she finds companionship in an unlikely place.

World War One

Stories of Us by Ameiko
AU. Katniss never imagined that The Great War would change her life in the secluded PA woods, but

Image: makingthemodernworld.org.uk

it did. She also never imagine that crippled soldier Peter "Peeta" Mellark could heal her heart.

Nothing Can Keep Us Apart by WolfPatronusTeamPeeta-and-Dean

Peeta and Katniss live in Canada. Peeta goes off to fight in WW1 and Katniss is back home, praying for his safe return. They write letters to each other. Will Peeta make it back? This story is devoted to everyone who made a sacrifice in war.

In Name Only by Izzy Samson

In the midst the Great Depression eighteen year old Katniss needs a miracle. Her Papa is dead, Mama has just been hauled off to the asylum, soon she'll be evicted, and Prim put into the child's home. WW1 Veteran, Peeta Mellark, gives her the means to save Prim, he offers to be her husband 'in name only'. The only hitch is; Katniss thinks she loves him.

Image: Wikipedia Commons

World War Two

The Blind Date by malibustacy

AU, Post-WWII Chicago. Katniss as an ex-Rosie the Riveter, Peeta as a soldier returning home. Romance ensues. Major AU, historical, and sometimes OOC. May get steamy eventually.

Sins of the Father by Streetlightlove 

WWII army chaplain and POW Peeta Mellark returns from war to take an assignment at a small parish. He soon discovers war is much less complicated than what awaits him in this sleepy Connecticut town.

Furlough by PeetasAndHerondales

Peeta, Gale, and Finnick are sailors on furlough before shipping off for WWII. Comedy ensues when they run into feisty night club girls Katniss, Johanna, and Annie. One crazy night filled with fun, fights, and love affairs!

Titanium by MockingCody

Gale is a soldier, Madge is a naval nurse, here they both are stuck on an island dealing with their friends, and working, while a evil dictator plots an all out world war. AU - Gadge - Slightly based off of Pearl Harbor.

Cold War

Walls Meant to be Broken by OlaWrites

During the Cold War, The Berlin Wall was built overnight to separate Western and Eastern Berlin. Many from each side were on the wrong side at the wrong time. Katniss Everdeen was one of them. During her unexpected stay, she meets Westerner Peeta Mellark who extends his friendship to her and maybe something develops between them, against all odds.

Image: boomerslife.org

Vietnam War

United We Stand by xoxoeosvugirl

Hunger Games set during the time of the Vietnam War. It's 1963, and Peeta is drafted into the war. Meanwhile, Katniss reluctantly volunteers as an army nurse. How will the two survive in their new surroundings?

War in Afghanistan

Hope & Sacrifice by LibertySue

Injured Marine Peeta Mellark returns home from Afghanistan a changed and broken man looking for refuge. An Everlark story of love, redemption and hope.

Semper Fidelis: Si Vis Pacem Para Bellum by Falafel_Waffel

The events of September 11th 2001 seen through the eyes of Corporal Katniss Everdeen. (And it's

Image: Va.gov

sequel, Semper Fidelis.)

Iraq War

Coming Home by davis32

Sergeant Katniss Everdeen hasn't been home in three years since her best friend and fiance Gale Hawthorne was killed in Iraq. But when the baker's son starts hanging around will she find love again. (And it's sequel, Fighting to Come Home.) 

Thank you once again to MJ for emailing in. If you'd like to request a type of fic, email us at nightlockrecs@hotmail.com. 

like a fortune sold + The Grandmentor

Hey tributes! Today I'm recommending to you two fics from my well-documented fave category of THG fanfiction, post-Mockingjay! Squee!

like a fortune sold by letters and liars
Summary: (none)
Why? The Katniss/Gale/Peeta ship! Like a fortune sold has that lovely, poetic running style of prose that's wonderful to read. This fic has a great cast of all of the characters you want to know are okay after all the stuff that happened to them.
Why not? Not one for those who don't like implied-amorous-threesomes.

The Grandmentor by silvercistern
Summary: "Sweetheart, don't you wanna talk to your mom or Annie or something? Or Johanna? Or literally any woman? I don't know what you expect me to say." Adventures in child-rearing from the perspective of everyone's favorite drunk. Final installment of The Ashes of District Twelve series.
Why? This is a realistic take on the post-Mockingjay years. I love love love that it is from Haymitch's point of view - silvercistern really fleshes out Haymitch as a character once again, which is great as Haymitch is sort of left to the wayside in Post-MJ fics. I could read this over and over again.
Why Not? If you weren't a fan of the broken characters Suzanne left behind, you mightn't like watching them break a few more times. Also, Haymitch haters (are there any?!) are out.


Happy reading!
~ Little Miss Mionie

*Edited 8/8/12 to include correct summary.

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb (Katniss/Gale, Katniss/Peeta)

Title: How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb
Author: jacyevans
Summary: AU - Katniss kills President Snow, and his granddaughter participates in the seventy-sixth annual Hunger Games. Everything changes. Everything stays the same.
Ships: Katniss/Gale, Katniss/Peeta

How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is a tragic and moving AU fic. It shows a different side of the ending of Mockingjay from when President Snow is overthrown. The basic premise is  that Snow's granddaughter is thrown into a final Games, which does go ahead - but this fic goes deeper than that. Jacyevans uses it as a way to make her characters express things they didn't in canon.

There is a sense of horrible revenge in the air, that Coin and everyone else on the rebellion's side is just as blood-thirsty and ruined as the people they fought against as the Games are set up for the final time. Characters are eager to watch Skylark Snow die. With Coin not immediately dealt with by Katniss, this horror continues.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Plutarch’s voice carries through the streets, echoing off of the empty houses, “May I present the victor of the seventy-sixth annual Hunger Games: Skylark Snow.”

Skylark raises her face to the sky, throws back her head. A hovercraft blocks the sun overhead, and she climbs onto the lowered ladder, letting it carry her up and away, out of the arena and into safety.

Into President Coin’s waiting hands.

She laughs, because she can’t do anything else, lets her arms fall to her side. Her blood slides in soaking rivulets down her legs to drip onto the floor.

What does it matter? She’s dead anyway.


Jacyevans shows a final parting of Katniss and Gale, and Prim being mourned; Buttercup makes an appearance and Peeta and Katniss continue on. It's got so many canon elements which are changed into quiet moments that really make it feel like the series has come full circle.


“We survived," Peeta says quietly, standing at her side. "Real or not real?”

Katniss glances at him, watches his lips twitch into a smile. My name is Katniss Everdeen, she thinks. I am seventeen years old. I live in District Twelve. This is what I fought for.

“Real,” she says, and takes his hand.


How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb is a carefully transformed alternate take on the last few chapters of Mockingjay; I'm sure some of you would even preferred this more nicely rounded off version. It's heartbreak all over again with a simple sentence structure, and it is wonderful.


Happy reading!
~ Little Miss Mionie

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!

10k Stories [Completed Fics]

Hi! This month I'm pulling out the big guns. And by big guns I'm clearly referring to completed one-shot stories that measure in at just over 10,000 words and have enough punch to knock you out cold. So check them out!

Title: Let Me Name the Stars for You
Author: SamSnead
Rating: Rated M - Romance
Pairing: Johanna/Gale
Summary: This is the story of how the Hawthorne family puts Johanna back together again. Or maybe it's the other way around. Post MJ.
Words: 10,905

Recommended because... 

Johanna Mason has grown on me. Really, she has. In the past little while I've read some amazing Johanna fics and this one has absolutely stood out to me because it's maintained her hard edged personality but also made her loveable. There's a scene that's about 700 words long (without giving too much away) regarding nightmares that solidifies her character as someone deserving of redemeption - and the author makes you feel it.

Using a pretty standard style of formatting for 10k oneshots (which actually seems to be a thing), the piece offers incredible punches of romance, friendship and familial kindness, that will make your heart just bleed. The author cohesively creates a story around the idea that Johanna can fit into the Hawthorne bunch and therefore can heal as a result which makes you, the reader, relate better to her character.

Title: Pieces in Their Games
Author: crazyundeadfairy
Rating: Rated M - Hurt/Comfort/Angst
Pairing: Katniss/Peeta
Summary: President Snow sets out to show that no Victor is truly safe before the Quarter Quell announcement. Slight AU tweaking of a cannon event. Katniss/Peeta.
Words: 10,696

Recommended because...

When the author says it's a slight AU twist, they mean it. It is slight. But it's a killer.

I loved this story because it takes one moment of canon and turns it around. The author has written the characters so strongly in character that you could almost imagine the story happening this way, instead of that. The conversations, the implications, it all makes sense which can sometimes be hard to figure into a 10k story. I rec this not only for the twist, but for the simple enjoyment of imaginging something went different and seeing how it plays out.

Hope you enjoy them!

A Tri-Rec Post (Undiscovered Gems)

Why, hello there, everyone.  This post we've got three fabulous oneshots that deserve a bit more recognition.  *notes eagerness on audience's faces*  Ah well, here you are, this week's recs~!


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Title:  A boy A girl A memory
Author:  librarylemming
Summary:  The story of the boy from district 10 in the 74th hunger games - the boy with the limp. The life you didn't see, and about the girl who was there watching him from the other side of the television screen.
Quote:  "Flickering images. Distorted sound. Nothing seemed real to her anymore. With a stony expression, she watched as they were paraded in their costumes, she watched as they were interviewed, she watched as they lived what was left of their lives on a TV screen. She couldn't think, or sleep, and she barely spoke. Her eyes were forever glued to that screen, as if it held secret to life itself."
Recommendation:  Before reading this fic, I'd never given a lot of thought to the District Ten boy.  But this story is so beautiful it can make you care about the most minor of characters.  Wonderful character development in a small piece, and a tragic, tear-inducing story all the way around.  It reminds you that everyone had someone rooting for them to come home.  Brought to you by librarylemming in a unique and well-chosen format, too.  Highly recommended - check it out for yourself, and review!

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Title:  23 Flies

Author:  The Withering Panda

Summary:  Innocent Johanna Mason could never hurt a fly. But maybe 23... Written for The Rebels forum Holiday Secret Fic Exchange.

Quote:  "The girl from One, she decided, would die slowly. And her district partner would watch, then be mutilated (preferably). Gerard Sullivan from Two, obviously the biggest threat, would die last, as the king piece is always defeated last in chess. His district partner, Sabrina, would be slaughtered as quickly as possible in order to shut her up. Districts Three, Five, Six, Eight, Nine, Ten, and Eleven would be killed... normally. Without special treatment. They made no impression on her. Nick, the boy from Seven, would be avoided as long as possible, and killed quickly if it came to that. The tributes from Four, she planned to drown. And the pair from Twelve would be trapped in an inconvenient avalanche or landslide."

Recommendation:  The Withering Panda has a talent for packing a lot of power into oneshots that flow wonderfully and leave you wanting more but satisfied with the ending.  This isn't just a normal "Johanna's Games" fic that exposes her plan to appear a weakling - instead it brings out a whole different side to her character, one that's cruel and calculating and slightly scares the reader.  Subtle but understandable references give insight into what's behind the Hunger Games.  Go on, read and review - you won't be disappointed.

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Title:  Wrong Turn

Author:  Toxophilite

Summary:  "I knew I should have taken a left." Getting lost during an uprising can never turn out well. Written for the Caesar's Palace Prompts: Member Challenges, The Vivid Challenge.

Quote:  "A bomb hits a building to my left, sending me flying back. I slam into a wall and struggle for air after the force of the impact combined with the smoke. I refuse to die today. I have to keep moving.

Squinting my eyes, I make my way through the smoke filled streets.

Right, left, right, right, left."

Recommendation:  This fic features a simple concept but executes it with more sophistication, zooming in on events scarcely mentioned in Mockingjay - especially, what it was like to be in a rebelling district for a citizen.  The rather gruesome setting adds a layer to the war rarely seen in most fics which prefer to focus on large plot events instead of the regular people of Panem.  The bloodshed isn't just in the background, either, but is quite well-written and painful to read (in the way intended).  Experience it yourself - go read and give feedback.

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(Note: I apologize if the formatting of this post - apart from being a bit different than my usual style - is slightly off; the new-post page is different and I'm still adjusting.  Thanks.)

as far as tales go, this one is cautionary (Johanna/Finnick, Johanna/Gale)

Hi all. This month's rec is amazing, I promise.

Title: as far as tales go, this one is cautionary
Author: jada_jasmine
Rating: Rated R
Summary: They never stood a chance. People say that makes this romantic.

Recommended because...

Okay, so there's a lot of reasons that I would recommend this fic. The first being, most simply, is that it is amazing. It is amazing in that it makes you emote feelings for a character that is often generally assumed to just be a horrible person. Maybe I consider myself like her, the way she's often written, or maybe just because people have freelance to make her a terrible human being, but Johanna Mason as written by jada_jasmine is above all things, human.

And that is a feat in and of itself in my books.

The second reason that I'm recommending this fic is because it can actually be the backstory to Finnick/Jo, Jo/Gale. There's a believability in the writing and in the way the characters interact that make it both heartbreaking and challenging. The relationships of Johanna have a transformative effect - the writing actually shows the evolution of the character.

Finally, I recommend it because it is a damn good read. It does fall under my usual word count of 10k+, but I felt that I could give it the 100 word discount because it's a one shot that made me hurt inside.

The writing is fantastic - it gives depth, evolution and believability to the characters. And it makes Johanna Mason, the sarcastic bitch punching bag of the THG fandom, have a little more ground (and pity) to stand on.

Self-Promotion Sundays #3

Hey, everybody, Amata's back with another round of fabulous self-promotions. This week, we've got two great stories by two great authors, StolenSouls and thewindwarns!


The Third Wizarding War
by StolenSouls
Post-mockingjay/pre-epilogue. Katniss discovers there is more to her world than she actually knows. Meanwhile Peeta is struggling between his true self and hijacked form. Gale's attitude toward the Capitol hasn't changed. At the same time, Snow is growing stronger than Katniss can ever imagine....

Forced to go on the run, Katniss must follow someone she does not even trust to save Panem from the hands of a tyrant. (Crossover with Harry Potter)
Status: in progress


you have burst at the seams
by thewindwarns
Each year on the anniversary of the end of the war, they air a patriotic program throughout all of Panem. A look at what goes unsaid about the life of Johanna Mason. Spoilers for the series.
Status: complete

The Ultimate Faves/Rec List: Why THG Fandom Needs To Utilize del.icio.us

Hi! I'm V.

The fact of the matter is this: in most fandoms outside of Twilight, the majority of high-quality fanfiction is posted outside of Fanfiction.net. That is not to say that fic posted to FFn is necessarily bad, or that fic posted to other venues is necessarily good. The real fact of the matter is that there is no surefire way to glance at a URL and tell whether a fic is good.

But the truth is that any fic writer who has come to THG from a path other than Twilight probably isn't posting their work to FFn as a primary source, so if you're not exploring the Hunger Games fic posted to Livejournal, Dreamwidth, and AO3, you're missing out on some of the highest-quality, best-written fic that the fandom has to offer.

And that is where del.icio.us comes in.

Ah, del.icio.us. It's not just what Katniss would say upon sampling Peeta's cheese buns, it is the most useful fandom resource for fic fans... ever. I MEAN EVER. It's like a global Favorites list, an international Memories page, and a universal rec list all in one. And it couldn't be easier to use!

So what is it?

According to Fanlore,

Delicious is a social bookmarking service that allows users to save, tag, manage and share bookmarks from a centralized source. A significant aspect of the site is that, like many Web 2.0 sites, its tags are user-generated, non-hierarchical, and uncontrolled. Users create and apply their own tags in one step, and they can apply as many tags as they like to each bookmark.

Fannish Uses of Delicious

Fans who use Delicious use it to save fandom-related links or meta and find recommendations for fannish reading material. Some fans maintain multiple accounts; others might throw fannish and non-fannish bookmarks into one account. The following is a list of major fannish uses of the site:

• Bookmarking favorite fanworks on their personal accounts


• Creating and maintaining their own tags (hours of fun!), using either shared fannish vocabulary or their own system


• Maintaining an easy-to-update rec list for self, friends, fandom at large, and/or specific communities and projects. Delicious is well suited for themed rec list.
  • Keeping track of links for a fandom newsletter community
  
  
  • Providing a searchable archive for Kink Meme prompts and fics.
  
  


• Sifting through a trusted reccer's delicious tags for fanworks to consume.


• Browsing or subscribing to site tags related to certain fandoms, pairings, genres, or other fannish keywords. The number of users who have bookmarked a given webpage displays prominently and can be an indication of its value; using the "popular" function in particular serves as an automatically generated rec list.


• Searching for your own name so you can see how many people have bookmarked your posts or stories and what they're saying about you.


• Other searches?

Looking at tag clouds also allows statistics-minded fans to analyse fannish trends, as well as discover new content.

What does that really mean? It means that any time someone saves a Katniss/Peeta fanfic to their bookmarks on del.icio.us, it gets tallied and added to the universal databank of awesome Katniss/Peeta fics for you to peruse, choose, and consume with some lovely lamb stew. It doesn't matter whether the fic is hosted at FFn, LJ, AO3, DW, a privately hosted site, WHEREVER: if the link is saved to del.icio.us, it gets tallied. And you can tag them and categorize your links however best suits you, so there are no restrictions to the ways you can search for and rec fic.

The del.icio.us account for Nighlock Recs is located here: http://www.delicious.com/nightlockrecs -- it's pretty sparse so far since my fellow Nightlock rec bloggers have largely stuck to FFn for recs, so if you want a more complete example of how a delicious account for THG fandom would look, you are more than welcome to check out mine: http://www.delicious.com/aimmyarrowshigh/fandom%3Athehungergames

See the little blue numbers at the right-hand side of the recs? That is the tally of how many people have saved the fic. The more people save the fic, the higher the number and the darker the shade of blue.

Since THG fandom hasn't discovered the wonder of del.icio.us fully yet, the highest-rated THG fics are in the 20s and low 30s for the number of tallies. But for thriving, fic-heavy fandoms that understand the true power of a delicious account (like Merlin, The Social Network, or Supernatural)?

Imagine logging in and seeing a new fic with 200+ bookmarks.

AUTOMATIC WIN. YOU KNOW IT'S GOOD 'CAUSE EVERYONE ALREADY LOVES IT.