Nightlock Reader's Choice Awards: The Results!

We're very proud to present the winners of the Nightlock Reader's Choice Awards! Thank you to over one hundred of you who nominated and voted. You're the reason these awards have turned out so successfully - thank you! :)

Congratulations to all our nominees - in every category, the votes were so close because of all the amazing fics!

The banners are made by a very talented soul who you can find at nightlockinthecave.tumblr.com. Thanks to everyone in the Nighlock team past and present who helped organise and get the word out about these awards, too!

Best Hunger Games - When The Moon Fell in Love with the Sun by Mejhiren

While at times a sensuous indulgence, When The Moon Fell in Love With The Sun is one of the most unique, well-written fanfictions that has ever been written the THG universe.  That is a huge statement but there is a level of sensual description that is incomparable.  The uniqueness of the language, the effort to adhere to the conventions of the true fairy tale, the ability that the writer has to truly transport the reader and literally leave the taste of the fic in the reader's mouth long after the reading is over - this is a difficult accomplishment. 

Best Catching Fire - Portrait of a Victor by Sponsormusings

           
Portrait of a Victor tells the story of Katniss and Peeta falling in love and fighting against the Capitol regime in a different context. Despite it's AU premise, this alternative fic set in Catching Fire is rich in canonesque details and characterisations. The complex and established nature of some of THG's finest minor characters are much more than simply canon fodder or a name check in Portrait of a Victor. Sponsormusings uses beautifully, meticulate writing style to weave this story not only into our hearts, but into our favourites lists, too.

Best Mockingjay - The Other Mockingjay by MockingjayFlyingFree

Not for the faint of heart, The Other Mockingjay is worth investing the time to read.  It reinvisions Mockingjay in which Katniss and Peeta were not reaped for the Quarter Quell but forced to get married.  Unflinching in its depiction of their life together, the angst of their union and the demands placed on them by Snow.  Again, not an easy read if you like fluffy, uncomplicated Everlark but it is an excellent alternative to Canon.

                               

Best Modern AU - Do NotGo Gentle by dracoisalooker

Do Not Go Gentle is a heartbreaker, for sure. It is impossible for  ct522 to read this fic and not sob into her pillow, hugging it hard. We don't want to spoil the read, but it is a wonderful fic which is both sad and life affirming at the same time.  Truthfully, Peeta's drives in his old truck and Katniss' being her surly, wonderful self are the true power of this fic - it keeps both Peeta and Katniss brilliantly in character. Excellent read!

Best Historical AU - The Blind Date by Malibustacy

The Blind Date is slow-burning romance done right. This fic is a hark back to classic fanfiction; it even has a snowed-in scene! Malibustacy has written a solid story with a unique premise and flawless characterisation. Historical tidbits and a great contextual knowledge make for a great, different read in the THG fandom. Watching Katniss and Peeta's relationship progress in The Blind Date is an obsession for many us here at Nightlock.

Best Canon Complaint - Fishers of Men by A_Necklace_Of_Rope

Fishers of Men is a dark fic, to say the least. A_Necklace_of_Rope has expanded the character and world of Finnick Odair in a unique and absorbing fashion. This dark, gritty story echoes of realism and abuse that lower-class living in an oligarchical society brings; echoes that Suzanne Collins only hints at in her series. Familial disruption and Finnick's identity are at the core of this engrossing read, with strong, melancholy writing that rings true.

Best Canon Divergent - When The Moon Fell in Love with the Sun by Mejhiren

There are really not enough accolades that this fic can recieve. The only defect as that the reader must wait literally months between updates.  But when it does update, wow!  Worth the wait!

Best Romance - In The Elysian Felds by Tomistaccato

This retelling of the myth of Persephone and Hades is filled, literally filled with cannon parallels that it seems the myth was written for the trilogy, from Katniss' volunteering to the character of Hades.  Another rich writer, filled with detail and fearless in using the tone of the genre (it takes a gift to write in such a way as to honor the source material of a fic based on a myth or a fairy tale without feeling forced and the writer has it). An excellent peice of writing.

Best Growing Together - Good Again by ct522

The rest of the team were are over the moon to see that Ct522 had won the award for Best Growing Together fic. Good Again is an engrossing, near flawless fic that is sometimes hard to find in a fandom so bejwelled with drabbles and AUs; one that is canon compliant, in character and above all interesting. Good Again is a wonderful exploration of  Katniss and Peeta's relationship post-Mockingjay. ct522 not only explores our favourite couple's relationship, but expands this new world she is exploring through fascinating and exceptional details and plot points. One moment in particular that Little Miss Mionie enjoys is Katniss' meeting of the Mayor, and reading the universal right's declaration. Innovative ideas like this make Good Again one of the most popular fics of the past two years.

Thank you once again to everyone who helped make these awards possible - including you, all of our fabulous nominees and winners!

Yours,
Little Miss Mionie, Debs The Owl, Cindella204 and ct522

Daddy!Peeta and Parenthood Fics

Artwork for Little Green by the wonderful everlart @ tumblr

Nightlock reader MJ recently requested Daddy!Peeta fics. Here are the cream of the crop we've found about Peeta and his toastbabies!

All I Know by JLaLa
“That is your mother, Katniss Everdeen.” Katniss and Peeta reunite under the most difficult of circumstances.
Best daddy feature: The angsty, original and captivating plot makes Daddy!Peeta AMAZING. It's on my to devour read list.

Little Green by jeeno2
"Hi," Peeta says quietly; almost shyly. "I'm your daddy, and…" His voice cracks on the word daddy, and Katniss' heart clenches painfully inside her chest. "I'm your daddy," Peeta continues. Stronger this time. "I've waited so very long to meet you." A post-Mockingjay AU.
Best daddy feature: A realistic look at the hard road to fatherhood.

Take Care by Amelia_Day (amelia_day)
Peeta Mellark is suddenly put into a position he never expected to be in--that of a parent. Low on patience, he hires someone as desperate for a job as he is for help. Modern Day AU.
Best daddy feature: This fic is really lemony - have fun picturing a hot daddy!Peeta!

Linger by kismet4891
AU. Peeta Mellark was not the self-assured, happy young man that he worked so hard to portray to the world. Years of emotional torment from his mother, and lack of support from his father had diminished his self-esteem and understanding of self-worth. His salvation came in the most unexpected form, a life altering mistake that taught him the true meaning of love.
Best daddy feature: A captivating look at Peeta as a young, unplanned father.

Drabble by annieoakley1
Drabble requested by a fan for single!daddy Peeta.
Best daddy feature: A cute but (sadly!!) brief look at Peeta as a single, caring Dad.

Tomorrow Will Be Kinder by Alexabee
In the turbulent years leading up to the birth of Panem, the world's crops have been all but destroyed. Facing food shortages, Peeta Mellark struggles to run the family bakery while singlehandedly raising his daughter in the wake of losing his wife. Katniss Everdeen has lost something important, too - her memory. 
Best daddy feature: Selfless Peeta at his parenting finest.

Roughing It by atetheredmind
After an argument with Gale leaves her stranded in the woods, Katniss joins a handsome stranger and his son on their camping trip.
Best daddy feature: Peeta's a dashing dad!

Daddy by FierceGift
"Daddy!" The simple word wakes me up from my sleep, opening my eyes hesitantly only to scrunch them close. The harsh light of early hours burns through the blinds causing my discomfort, I roll over from my back to my side facing Peeta. 
Best daddy feature: One of the few (sadface) queer!Peeta daddies! Interesting pairing for a daddy!fic, too!

A Mellark Goodnight by ThisIsTrueImmortality
A Hunger Games Next Generation story. Peeta wakes in the dead of night to the sound of his daughter's scream. When he tries to comfort Lucerne, he finds that he is not the only Mellark struggling through nightmares.
Best daddy feature: A measured looking at Peeta parenting.

Taken Away by RandomThoughtGirl
What if it were Katniss taken at the end of Catching Fire? What if she were pregnant on top of that? Add into that, that she believes Peeta, the father of her child, to be dead because of Snow, how can she keep going on? What will Peeta risk in order to get her back to him?
Best daddy feature: A canon compliant, angsty, protective daddy.

Blend by Lbug84
"You aren't the only one with a child to protect." An Everlark Modern Day AU about becoming a blended family.
Best daddy feature: Loving his partner's children, too.

All The President's Men by Baroness Kika
Panem AU; When a scandal puts the oppressive Snow administration in its political grave, young, charismatic District Twelve representative Peeta Mellark is thrust into the role of President. As he and his staff struggle to serve a troubled nation, Peacekeeper Katniss Everdeen keeps a watchful eye on the only thing Peeta loves more than his country. 
Best daddy feature: A powerful president and parent!

Everlark Drabble by the boy with the bread 
Drabble request about single!daddy Peeta, his naughty kid and teacher!Katniss.
Best daddy feature: We see a rare stern daddy in a sea of doting, indulgent cutie Peetas.

Invention of the Capitol by TheTruthLiesWithTheTwins
With the help of capitol doctors, Peeta and Gale will hopefully be able to begin a family.
Best daddy feature: Mpreg certainly makes this fic stand apart from the others. I wish there were more cis-Peeta daddy fics where he had a surrogate or adopted (mpreg is not my style - alas!)

Kudos to the everlarkrecs tumblr, where I was able to source some good suggestions!

Happy reading,
Little Miss Mionie

PS. Remember to vote in the Nightlock Reader's Choice Awards!

Nightlock Prompt Challenge Winner: Eirenewrites

Congratulations to fanfiction author eirenewrites, who is the winner of our writing challenge! The staff at Nightlock (Little Miss Mionie, Owl, Titania and Cindella204) have written a review of this fic. To remind you, the prompt was:

"She heard the music, first. It was the music that made her realise she was truly home."

Eirenewrites wins this shiny new banner (along with some others): 

As well as our review! Without further ado....

Convince Me by eirenewrites

“You’ve subdued the districts, but nothing has changed. You are entertainment. Show up when they say show up. Sing when they say sing. Marry when they say marry.”

Convince Me is an interesting story that had us right from the get-go. It is essentially a rewrite of Catching Fire, with author eirenewrites teasing out or including scenes shippers wish they got to see in the original series. The story feels very canon, and all of us had no problem diving right in to read it. This idea has been done before, but eirenewrites' plot, along with her effective employment of dialogue, reenergises what could have been quite a generic fic.

Eirenewrites' writing style is clearly that of an accomplished writer who knows how to write well.  The author captured Katniss' narrator voice perfectly. The chemistry between Katniss, Peeta and Gale feels very canon. The fanfic as a whole reads very solidly, in that there is enough plot and fandom knowledge to support the main focus of the story, aka Katniss' romantic relationships. A lack of convincing, interesting and dynamic storyworlds are often what let novella fic writers down in this fandom - this is a problem Convince Me definitely does't have!

We all really like how Eirenewrites has included our prompt. It both inspires a scene in the third chapter, and seems to be inspiring further events as the story continues.

Convince Me is currently WIP, with 4 chapters. You can also find it on ff.net.

Happy reading,
The Nightlock Team

Hunger Games/Harry Potter crossover fics (aka The Potter Games)

Wonderful manip by fadingtales @ tumblr

Many of us readers and writers started writing fanfiction in the Harry Potter fandom before moving onto others like the Hunger Games. It's great to see these two complex story worlds melting together - you can find cool images and ideas following this tag 'the potter games' on tumblr. Without further ado, here's just a taste of the bewitching Harry Potter/Hunger Games crossovers out there at the moment!

And you are only just beginning by swishywillow
Summary: "As the castle fades into the distance, disappearing around a gentle curve, it is almost hard to believe it wasn’t all a wonderful dream." A snapshot of Peeta Mellark's seven years at Hogwarts. 
In A Word: Unusual
(Recommended by The Owl).






Tonight. by Shulik
No summary given.
In A Word: Hilarious!
(Recommended by Weekend Sinner).

The Snow Queen by Darklooshkin
Summary: Rose Potter disappeared at the age of six. In Hermione Granger's sixth year, the Goblet of Fire summons a girl trained to be the champion of a very different kind of game. They wanted a saviour. They got the Snow Queen.
In A Word: Complex

District Four by GinnyMastrani
Summary: Harry Potter is just a kid from District Four. He never wanted this. Cato is a warrior from District Two, he volunteered. When these two collide in the arena, sparks will fly. HXC Warnings inside. Complete.
In A Word: Different

Dropped by BlueMoonsAndTooSoons
Summary: Fleur, Bill, Hermione, and Draco are suddenly dropped into the arena during the 74th Games to help Katniss and Peeta win. What they don't know is how they got there and what the point of all this is. What they discover may change everything.
In A Word: Popular

Unexpected Allies by smurfette81013
Summary: Harry thought his life was going to be as normal as could be. Voldemort is gone and Harry is now Lord Potter-Peverell-Black. Life is great, until a drunken Ron Weasley sends him to Panem. Katniss finds Harry in the woods, injured, and decides to bring him back to District twelve to heal. But when Katniss goes into the arena, what happens to Harry? 
In A Word: Interesting

Happy reading,
Little Miss Mionie

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. 

Expanded Mockingjay Fics

Hey fellow tributes! Our apologies for the long break in between fic recs. But, you know, we have lives and stuff ;)

This recommendation came at the request of Nightlock lurker Sahand who is searching for stories that expand Katniss and Peeta's relationship after he is rescued from the Capitol and before all the dramatic and angsty death stuff came along.

At your request, Sahand, we bring you...

The Watcher by lollercakes
Peeta is rescued seemingly without harm from the Capitol, but sometimes the deepest wounds are the ones you can't see and the memories you don't have anymore.
Review: Once again, lollercakes delivers with a superb expansion of Katniss and Peeta's relationship in MJ. The structure of staggered moments in Peeta's point of view make for a seamless and intriguing read.

The Mockingjay and the Mutt by Abagail_Snow
While taming a hijacked Peeta in District Thirteen, Katniss comes to understand a side of him that she had never allowed herself to see. Loosely based on Beauty and the Beast.
Review: The Disney inspiration and characterisation allows for an angsty take on Katniss and Peeta's relationship. A nicely written fic.

Visits by swishywillow
'I reach into my pocket, pulling out something that is always with me. “Do you remember this?” Peeta stares at the tiny object in my hand hard and then suddenly his expression softens, a Peeta I knew from a lifetime ago. ' An insert into Mockingjay.
Review: A brief story that I wish was longer. It could be made better by more descriptive language and more detail. While it's not a great fic, it does this 'type' well.

Blue Lips by swishywillow
“All around the dining hall, you can feel the rejuvenating effect that a good meal can bring on…I listen to Finnick telling some ridiculous story about a sea turtle swimming off with his hat. Laugh before I realize he’s standing there. Directly across the table, behind the empty seat next to Johanna. Watching me.” Peeta’s take on the dining hall scene.
Review: I much prefer this 'missing moment' from author swishywillow. Peeta's hijacked, betrayed state of mind in Mockingjay has been teased out in detail and imagery in particular in this fic.

(Remember that if you'd like to request  a fic or type of fic for us to review and share with you to please email us at nightlockrecs@hotmail.com or post at our tumblr.)

Happy reading!
~ Little Miss Mionie

Everlark and Canon Through Other Character's Eyes

Everlark and Canon Through Other Character's Eyes

Featuring guest reviewer Norbertsmom (or ffnet). 

One of my favorite conversations in Mockingjay takes place between Finnick and Katniss in District 13, when he apologizes for not warning Katniss about Snow's method of hurting his enemies by using people that they love against them:

But it wasn’t until Peeta hit the force field and nearly died that I—” Finnick hesitates. I think back to the arena. How I sobbed when Finnick revived Peeta. The quizzical look on Finnick’s face. The way he excused my behavior, blaming it on my pretend pregnancy. “That you what?”

“That I knew I’d misjudged you. That you do love him. I’m not saying in what way. Maybe you don’t know yourself. But anyone paying attention could see how much you care about him,” he says gently. (pp. 153-154)

This excerpt is thrilling, not just because it puts into words something that Katniss has been unwilling to acknowledge explicitly to herself until that moment, but because we enjoy the idea of others witnessing and acknowledging the existence of their love.  Yes, there is something voyeuristic about this but it is also an affirmation that this powerful feeling is validated by the world outside of the one in which the two lovers exist.

It is also interesting to see canon events from the point of view of other characters, both major and minor, in fanfiction.

So, my fic recs this week are those written about about either Everlark or canon events from other POVs.  For this, I must acknowledge Norbertsmom for putting together a rather extensive list of over 30 fics from other character's POV.  I'm recommending ones that are classified as WIPs because that's kind of what I do here.  If you are interested in receiving the full list, feel free to reach out to me here, my email (titania522@gmail.com) or on my tumblr (titania522).

Happy Reading!


A Lesson of the Blood by museofmirth (Peeta's POV)

Summary:  Fire had taught him a lesson of the blood. Follow Peeta's journey from the Capitol back to District 12 as he recovers from the hijacking and begins to grow back together with Katniss. Companion piece to Young Blood. End of Mockingjay, pre-epilogue.

The Hanging Tree by FernWithy (Haymitch's POV)

Summary: Haymitch's life continues to deteriorate between the Victory Tour and his first Games as mentor

The Hawthorne Monologues by Dendroica (Multiple POVs)

Summary:  A series of one-shots about the Hawthorne family, from miscellaneous events in The Hunger Games canon. Sometimes scenes, sometimes inner monologues. Generally fits canon. POV is usually Hazelle or Gale. There's no particular order, so chapters are labeled with what book they belong to.

The Melting Pot by mountain_mama (Hazelle's POV)

Summary: Hazelle Hawthorne is fed up with living in District 2 and decides to move back to District 12. What is life going to be like in D12 now that the rebellion is over? Who else is going to move back and help in the rebuilding?

Through a Mentor's Eyes by huckin-cupcakes (Haymitch's POV)

Summary:  "Honestly, unless someone's maimed, dead, or dying, I'm going back to sleep." The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins written from Haymitch Abernathy's point of view. Because I've always wanted to know what Haymitch was thinking/doing.

Katniss/Peeta Without The Games (AU D12 fics)

The lovely Tiffany has requested some THG fics where Katniss and Peeta's relationship progresses without the Hunger Games being a factor, or being post-reaping age. She's asked for fics with the Seam/Merchant class dynamic. And we're here to deliver!

There are quite a few more popular fics that fall under these categories, such as Aimmyarrowshigh's Capitol Pastries series and monroesolittle's Knot Your Fingers Through Mine, but I wanted to find new fics for Tiffany.

A Brief Madness by Everlark_Pearl
Mr. and Mrs. Mellark fought for hours that night. It was a screaming match that Peeta was sure the entire town could hear. “Seam Brat” and “trash” were shouted countless times, causing Peeta to cringe every time his mother’s shrill voice uttered those awful words, and by the end of the night, only one thing was clear — Gale Hawthorne was coming to work at the Mellark’s Bakery. In Panem AU.
In A Word: Intriguing!

Another Day Another Dollar by therebelliondies
AU. Katniss is living in an over populated area of Chicago called the Seam. Join her as she traverses the hazards of living in industrial North America circa 1900 as she tries to protect her family. 
In A Word: Unique

Once...In This District by passionately_curious
Katniss Everdeen, orphaned after a great storm, always dreamed of something more than the simple life offered in the Seam; specifically, the love of a wealthy Merchant boy from the other side of the district. The powerful Victors who rule over the district guide Katniss on a quest to test the strength of her love against the forces of prejudice, hatred and death.
In A Word: AMAZING

The Baker's Daughter by aymanderz
Katniss Everdeen, the baker's daughter, and Peeta Mellark, a boy from the seam, form an unthinkable bond. How will they handle the disapproval from their loved ones without losing each other?
In A Word: Switched

Happy reading,
Little Miss Mionie

this you can keep (Katniss/Peeta)

Title: this you can keep
Author: Electrumqueen
Summary: Peeta gives Katniss his heart. usually this is the end of a love story; for them, it is the beginning.

Hey everyone! It's a small recommendation from me today!

Electrumqueen's dark fic this you can keep is not for the faint hearted - excuse the pun.
This wonderful author serves up another lyrically sound, violent and beautiful piece of prose surrounding a very interesting and quite violent plot idea: namely, that characters in the Hunger Games have detachable hearts. It's part of a dark fic/promptverse Electrumqueen has taken part in over on livejournal.

this you can keep is perfectly dark; here's a taste of what you're in for. "His heart fits into her hands neatly, too warm, too wet and it's all she can do not to scream."

This fic quick one-shot with words that echo in your mind for days afterwards. I'm recommending this both as a fan of electrumqueen's writing style and for this fic's quick and curious execution. One of my favourites for sure.

Happy reading,
Little Miss Mionie

Tainted Love by SolasVioletta

Hello, all! Welcome to this, the maiden voyage for WIP Everlark Rec’s with Titania.  I love all things Everlark but I love a well-written story more than anything else.   It is my absolute pleasure to rec the fic that got me this wonderful gig:

Tainted Love by SolasVioletta

·        Ship:  Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark

·    Summary:  Peeta Mellark, lead vocalist of the wildly popular band, Hijack 6, has sworn off performing at music festivals. Forever. A beautiful gray-eyed stranger makes him glad he made an exception. Handcuffs, a missing key, and other hijinks ensue.

·        Why I love this fic:  Peeta Mellark as famous rockstar?  Finnick Odair as his roguish  backup?  Katniss Everdeen as lead signer of an all-girl Indie Rock Band?  Hand-cuffs, lust-filled duets and sexual tension ensure that this WIP will keep you on your toes.  The mastery of the comedic situation and command of language also ensures that this read will truly be a pleasurable one.  

·        Current number of chapters: 8 

·       Best Line:  "Scary group, that. Like crazy-arsed ninjas or something, but w' thong underwear they're fond o' throwing at our boy here. I came up w' the name, I'm proud te say."  (Finnick Odair, Chapter 5)

Little Miss Mionie's Fave Fics Of All Time, Hands Down

Howdy Capitol lovers! Not long until Catching Fire opens in cinemas - are you excited?

Tonight, I'm reminiscing on my favourite fics of all time, hands down, which is part of a series the staff at Nightlock are taking part in! Without further ado, let us walk down that squeeing, compulsively reviewing lane...

Grow Together by Miss Scarlett 05
Summary: Pre-epilogue Mockingjay. How Katniss and Peeta slowly pick up the pieces and begin again. My version of a fourth book for the Hunger Games series. Secret toastings, lots of plotting, crass drunk Haymitch and even a cake scene.
Why? Haha, I love the new summary. I fucking fell in love with this fic years ago. The author became a great fandom friend of mine as I was reading it, which probably made me in of awe of it even more. This is hands down the best multiple chapter Post-MJ fic dealing with Katniss and Peeta's relationship. Miss Scarlett 05's handling of Katniss' characterisation, Katniss and Peeta's healing from trauma and tragedy and the inclusion of Capitol characters really made this fic for me. Can't recommend it enough! It's my head canon, basically.

The Good Wife by silvercistern
Summary: "You're an awful wife, sweetheart." He's said worse, and so have I, but something about this, maybe the fact that this is the second time I've been told the same thing in one day, makes me burst into tears. Katniss discovers that being married is hard. Second installment of The Ashes of District Twelve series.
Why? I just love Silvercistern's characterisation of Katniss. It feels very IC to me. Also love love love Haymitch's narration. It's a different Post-MJ fic but it can still stand on it's own feet. I always re-read this one when I want to be entertained.

Five Loaves of Bread: Capitol Pastries by aimmyarrowshigh
Summary: The only person who wins the Hunger Games is Snow, and you know it. You gave up happy when you kept playing Snow's games.
Why? Coz it's so fucking creepy! I love dark fics that do justice to the series, and V is just an amazing author with a whole head full of canon knowledge to make her plots great.

Scars by holymfwickee
Summary: Post-CF. Peeta is rescued from the Capitol by Katniss and her band of rebels; however, after months of torture it is unknown if he will survive. It is also unknown if Katniss will survive if he doesn't. Majority written prior to the publication of MJ.
Why? It's a very canon-compliant AU and very well written.

THEIR LAST NIGHT OF LOVE: A SPECIAL VERITY PRESENTATION, EXCLUSIVELY FOR PREFERRED CUSTOMERS by Yahtzee
Summary: Amid the media circus leading up to the Quarter Quell, Katniss and Peeta try to create something real.
Why? This is such a twisted plot but let's face it, it's probably what would happen in a place like Panem. The plot alone makes this fic fantastic. I love the commentary on sexual assault and consent. The title rocks.

Do any of these fics rate in your top faves?

Happy reading,
Little Miss Mionie

'Peeta wins the Games' fics

Sierra once again called upon our fic-sleuthing services to find fics where Peeta Mellark wins the Hunger Games and comes home to Katniss. Now, I'm here to deliver with some of the best Peeta Wins! fanfiction I could find. If you know of any not listed, leave a comment!

I had to skew the definition given, so if Peeta wins (sans Katniss), but with someone else, I've included those since there aren't a lot of fics with Peeta winning and Katniss stuck in District 12.

Keep the Blood in Your Head by atetheredmind
"Katniss Everdeen wanted him to live. She wanted him to come home. And he could do it, for her. He would. If there was anything worth fighting for now, it was her." Peeta Mellark is chosen as tribute for the 74th Hunger Games.
Review: This fic is very well written, very descriptive. The sequel And Keep Your Feet on the Ground is just as gripping (with even more reviews than the first!)

The Other Perspective by annarosen
He takes off, his feet fast and strong. There's a bloodbath behind him, but he pays no attention. He is possessed by fear, adrenaline pumping through his body; I can almost feel his heartbeat. Careers are hungry, they are on a hunt; their target, the boy with the bread. I cling to Peeta's letter, the one he gave me to read if he dies.
Review: This is a great action-packed fic!

My universe will never be the same by Thomas Emerson
Peeta Mellark is reaped for the 74th Hunger Games. This year, the gamemakers have something interesting in mind... two tributes can win, but only if they're on the same team. But team does not mean district... 
Review: A really interesting plot to drive the Peeta/Cato ship. It's an original and unique take on this genre.

Capitol Pastries by aimmyarrowshigh
The only person who wins the Hunger Games is Snow, and you know it. You gave up happy when you kept playing Snow's games.
Review: Pretty sure I've recommended the Five Loaves of Bread series three times on Nightlock by now, but this fic is worth mentioning once again. Creepy and interesting plot.

The Precious Little Girl Who Glowed by blueSKIES247
"Volunteering is not allowed, dear." —How Prim and Peeta win the Hunger Games, how Prim and Haymitch defeat the Quarter Quell, how Prim becomes the face of the rebellion, and how everything turns out the same in the end.
Review: If you're a Prim/Peeta shipper, you'll love this twist on the first book. Great characterisation, pacing and writing style.

Thanks for the request, Sierra!

Happy reading,
Little Miss Mionie

PS. Has anyone checked out the Capitol.pn website lately? The design is amazing!

Dark, In-the-Capitol Katniss fics

I'm sorry for all of us not being around much lately - myself, Cindella204 and Forthegenuine have been tied up with the business of real life. Remember, we're looking for new reviewers to join out team - email nightlockrecs@hotmail.com if you're interested!

We recently were emailed a lovely request by the fabulous Steffi:

Love your blog! So I've recently become obsessed with Capital Katniss fics. Darker fics that explore Katniss and Peeta's lives as victors living in the Capital. If that's too specific, I think I'm just on a dark Katniss trip lately lol. It sounds terrible to say- but I'm addicted to self-destructive Katniss! I cant help it! I am! So, any recommendations you may have would be awesome! Seriously, no such thing as a rec list that's too long ;) thanks for your blog!!!!

And here I am to deliver a few of the coolest Dark, in-the-Capitol!Katniss fics around - both one-shots and multi-chapter fics!

The Darkness Within by Usako3000
Summary: AU. As the newest victor, Katniss finds herself sold as the wife to the dark and possessive Cato, a Capitol citizen. Did he save her from a terrible fate or is her life about to get much worse? Through all the darkness can love and rebellion still bloom?
In A Word: Popular

His Deadly Game by Obsessive Muse
Summary: Katniss and Peeta survive the games with the aid of those little deadly berries but President Snow doesn't have to worry about any rebellions, he's only concerned with teaching Katniss that no one defies the capitol.
In A Word: Twisty

Through the Hole in the Wall by EvilPeaches
Summary: The Capitol owns all of the victors; even their bodies.
In A Word: Heedy

And once again just because it's so fantastic...

Dark Toast (part 1 of the Five Loaves of Bread series) by Aimmyarrowshigh
Summary: How Katniss and Peeta fell in love without the Reaping: in a Panem dictated by a violent Peace instead of twisted Games, Katniss and Peeta Mellark try to piece their lives together as they watch another girl catch fire.
In A Word: Frightening

Happy reading!
~ Little Miss Mionie

Together By Chance, Together By Choice (Katniss/Peeta)

Title: Together By Chance, Together By Choice
Author: Bookgirl318
Summary: Katniss is in District 13 wtih a small population of refugees after all of the districts have been destroyed by the Capitol. After a disastrous loss of population, the leadership has declared that men and women will be reaped and paired together in marriage. They are then given one year to conceive a child. Katniss' name is one of the names to be matched.

Bookgirl318 asked me to review her fics for Nightlock, and so here I am. The plot of this fic caught my eye straight away as I scrolled down her ff.net fic listing. Together... is a really unqiue fic; I found the plot believable, especially canon-compliant, and the writing very well done. I found Katniss and Peeta's characterisation a bit blase but overall this was an interesting fic to read.

Happy reading,
Little Miss Mionie

Interview with FernWithy!

We're excited to present to you our interview with FernWithy, renowned Hunger Games and Harry Potter fanfiction author. We hope you enjoy what FernWithy has to say - and some cool facts they have to reveal about their stories! 

Little Miss Mionie: Hi Fernwithy – thanks for doing an interview with Nightlock Recs!

FernWithy: Thanks for asking me!  It's nice to say hello in a new fandom.

What drew you to the Hunger Games books in the first place? What do you love about them?

I'm a youth services librarian.  For the longest time, I kind of yawned and said, "Yeah, whatever, those books sound kind of interesting, but they're never on the shelf and, yadda yadda yadda."  Which, for the record, is the same thing I said about Harry Potter until I swallowed the first three books whole and had to have everything else immediately (alas, it was just before the three year summer).  With HG, the first book didn't catch me quite as hard, but I kept hearing about how good Catching Fire was, then I heard rumors about Mockingjay that didn't make sense (they made much more sense in the context of the book), so I finally broke down and bought CF and MJ.  And read them in a day.

As to what I love, it's what I love about so many of the fandoms I'm in -- how completely based it is on love.  Not just the romantic kind (though this was the first romantic triangle that didn't irritate the heck out of me), but the love between sisters, the love between mentor and tribute, the love between friends.  Another thing I really loved was the twist in MJ that the rebellion was now tied up with a really nasty counter-government, as bad as what they were trying to escape, and our point of view character was so caught up that we could only observe it at a sidelong glance.

Another thing I enjoy just about the fan writing part of it is how meta it is.  If you've been around fandoms for a while, you get the response to the Hunger Games.  You know people are writing tribute fic, and cosplaying in the arenas, and wondering who should play whom in the inevitable movie.  And at the same time, it's a critique of it.

You’re quite a respected name in the Harry Potter fanfiction corner of the fandom, one of the few to win so many awards and to be housed at the Sugar Quill. So, what made you make the move to Hunger Games fanfiction?

I'd been writing HP fic for years, and I was starting feel like I was repeating myself.  I was stalled out on my second James Potter novel (though I love the idea -- they played the Triwizard at Beauxbatons, and James went with the contingent but wasn't chosen... and someone is trying to sabotage it).  I decided to quickly try a few HG short fics (starting with Peeta, my favourite), because the voice is so different, and it was so refreshing to change up the style and the vocabulary and the attitude that it was like getting a shot of straight caffeine to the brain.   I did a quick succession of short fics, then decided to get my feet wet with the nine chapter "The Final Eight," which was Delly watching the Games from the time they were down to eight tributes until she gets Peeta re-socialized.   Then I was going to switch to Peeta for Catching Fire, but he's on stage so much in canon that it would have been one long skirting around re-writing canon scenes.  Then I struck on Haymitch, and I fell in love with his voice. I'm still in love with his voice.

What would you say are the positive and negative differences of the two fanfiction worlds, both in terms of fanfiction tropes and reception?

Obviously, with magic, there are a lot of places HP can go, where HG is kind of limited.  Prophetic dreams, studied powers, etc.  There's also a lot more sense of the past in HP, the connections that we know exist in canon.  These are all around Harry, even when he doesn't ask about it.  Katniss is disinterested in the past, and no one feels much need to share it with her.  She has no idea about the history of her world or anyone in it, except the vaguest sweep of things.  ("Yup, there was a big disaster.  Everyone in the world is dead except us, and now there's a dictatorship and the Games.  I need to catch dinner now, thanks.")  This isn't a flaw.  It's just a style of narration, and a very interesting one as a writer, because you kind of have to look around corners to see what's going on.

One thing I've noticed is that HG readers have seemed less prone to correcting me. There's a kind of editorial culture in HP fandom -- Britpicking, spell-checking, etc -- and I've gotten really dependent on reader comments at my blog for betas.  All the sudden, I'm seeing silly typo mistakes and timeline gaffes sneaking in that I should have caught before I put stories into an archive.  I need to look out for to/too mistakes and things like that a lot more.

Let’s talk about your most popular THG fic, The Narrow Path. What inspired you to write it?

The Narrow Path is the Haymitch-POV on Mockingjay, and it was a follow-up to the Haymitch-cam on Catching Fire, which was called The Golden Mean. I was originally going to switch voices again -- again, with Peeta; that never seems to work out for me! -- but by then, Haymitch's voice was completely stuck in my head, and I really wanted to have a closer look at Thirteen.  (I did finally get a Peeta point of view on the time between CF and MJ in House of Cards, a pretty violent story about his time in the Capitol.)  One of the main things I wanted to do with Narrow Path was to expand the last two chapters of MJ, and really get a look at what was going on right after the war, when Katniss was completely out of it.  Most of part 3 (the final nine chapters) of Narrow Path is chapter 27 of Mockingjay.  There were things I was uncomfortable with, even after Katniss precluded Coin's reign (to put it mildly), and I wanted to kind of get a look at Paylor and how the government was going to be formed and run.

How do you get into Haymitch’s character and portray his voice so well?

Woody Harrelson's intonations in the movie helped a lot in getting the rhythm of it.  As to the character, I've spent a good deal of time around alcoholics in my life.  I never met my grandfather (who died when I was one), but I've heard a lot about him, and in some ways, the way I do Haymitch is a tribute (so to speak) to him -- a man who's way too smart for his own good, constrained by circumstances, and given to extreme self-medicating.

Why did you decide to set the fic over the events of Mockingjay?

I’ve always liked alternate POV fics on canon events, just kind of hopping from head to head to see what's important to one person, while it's totally irrelevant to another.  I did this in HP with OotP and HBP (Shifts, from Remus's POV and Shades, from Tonks's), and it's the way I started with the series here -- Delly observing the events of the last half of THG.  It's often where I start out.

 What has the reception been like to the Effie/Haymitch relationship?

Very muted.  Which is fair, it's a pretty muted ship in my story -- Haymitch himself doesn't really know what's going on with it, though probably everyone in a thousand mile radius of him did.  People have been glad they got together in the end.  I think the whole ship is summed up, for me, in Haymitch realizing that there's nothing wrong with being in a relationship that comforts him without it being full of drama.  Of course, not being full of drama generally means that there's not all that much to write about!

 The AU scenes in the final chapters, with the main characters destroying the arenas, seemed very canon and very cathartic. A lot of authors write the arenas as being tourist hotspots in post-MJ fics. Is that what you’d hoped for in Mockingjay?

I dithered a little bit over whether or not to show it or have Haymitch involved in it (all Katniss tells us in the epilogue is that all the arenas were completely destroyed, not how it came about or who was involved in it), but when I was coming to the end, I realized I was just sort of circling around, not connecting the action to anything before it.  Showing the destruction of the arenas was a way to take it full circle, to show that it was time for them to walk away, to leave the Games behind.  That's why the last image before the epilogue is of the three main characters turning away from the burned out 74th arena.  It's really over for them, and they can go on.  I think that, yes, I might have liked to have seen more of a definitive closure to the Games plot, but, on the other hand, I kind of really like the minimalism of the end of MJ in Katniss's POV.

Your Post-MJ fic, “The Four Decisions”, follows in a growing genre of fics portraying Katniss and Peeta having children. What drew you to writing your own version?

One too many people making a comment along the line of "Peeta forced Katniss to have children when she didn't want to."  In The Four Decisions, I wanted to get into how I read those events, which was that Katniss had been utterly and completely terrified of having children, but was finally able to let go of her fear.  The four decisions of the title each involve whether or not to implant a five year birth control device.  The first time, they're both terrified (and very young). The second time -- at five years -- Peeta's giving it serious thought, but Katniss is nowhere near ready, and is running away from herself as fast as she can.  The third time -- ten years -- Katniss foolishly decides to just jump into it without addressing her fears.  The final one, they've both grown up a lot, and they deal with the fear, and finally make a conscious decision on the subject.  Then they have their first child.

What do you find appealing about writing canon-compliant, main character fics?

It's the challenge -- what could be happening in the background so unobtrusively that the regular POV character wouldn't notice, but would fit in well enough that it seems like of course that must be happening?  (At least for the length of time the reader is reading.)  The world building is a kind of reverse engineering.  We know X is so about the canon world.  What would cause it to be that way, and what other things would that give rise to?  Basically, I'm a canon geek -- I'm deliriously happy with questions like how the District Twelve economy works (who shops at the bakery enough to keep the Mellarks in business???) and where each district would have to be.  (Thirteen is pretty much stuck in central Ontario, near Barrie, since that's the only graphite mine in North America.  A week's walk, at sixteen hours a day of walking, couldn't have D12 much south of Pittsburgh in Appalachia.  Which fits the weather we see, so, hey.) Erm.  Yeah.  That's just where my brain tends to go. 

Do you think you might branch out and write more alternate universe, minor character, fanon pairing stories? 

I'm not much of a shipper one way or the other.  If a romantic relationship seems to make sense in the plot, I'll try to make it work like any other plot element, but it's rarely a reason I sit down to write something.  My take on AUs is sort of a jigsaw puzzle effect -- if I pull apart canon into its constituent pieces, what new shape can I make with them?  I haven't really done a full one since I was writing in the Star Wars fandom (what if Amidala survived... and went to stand at Vader's side?  I did that with my friends ami-padme and Alderaan21, and it's still one of my favorite things I've worked on.).  If I did an HG AU, it would probably be along the lines of, What if Katniss never found out that Coin ordered the bombing?  Would she have been genuinely behind a Capitol Games?  Another one someone suggested, based on a fear I had Peeta have in Golden Mean, is that instead of the Quell of the victors, they Reaped a close relative of every victor -- and Katniss ended up having to mentor Prim, against tributes mentored by Peeta and Haymitch (as well as all fifty-six other victors).  That tends to be my sort of AU -- what happens if I pull out this piece?  Will everything come tumbling down, or will it just make a really scary new pattern? 

Do you have any new fics in the pipeline?

I just started The End of the World, a Haymitch Quell fic.  Mostly, I wanted to go back and actually spend some time with his girl and his family, and with Katniss and Peeta's parents.  This one's coming a little more slowly.  Eventually, I may go really far back and look at the Dark Days, or even before.  The history of Panem really interests me.  How did it come about after whatever disasters befell the world?  What was it like before the first rebellion?  Was it always a dictatorship, or was that a response to the district revolt?

What are some of your favourite fics that you’re reading at the moment?

I actually tend not to read much in a fandom I'm writing in -- I have a morbid fear of accidentally absorbing someone else's idea and thinking it's canon, only to find out that I've stolen it from another fan writer.  I'm more likely to read nonfic, like the Mark Reads take on the series (I love Mark Reads), or various essays around the web.  I'm obsessed with fan art, though, and have several favourite pictures at deviantart, like MiaSteingraeber's Peeta and JZXL's Katniss magazine covers (contrasting the rebel myth with the Capitol myth).

Before we go: do you have any things you’d like to let your readers know?

First, I want to thank my first constant reader in HG, ETNRL4L at Archive of Our Own.   She pretty much single-handedly brought up my stats enough to get noticed there!

Okay, random fun facts.  I do little short pieces that people ask for on my blog sometimes, so I have some future-fic. 

I named Peeta and Katniss's kids Pearl and Charlie (Charlie is the real name I gave Caesar in House of Cards). Pearl is obsessed with Cinna's notebooks as a child, and ends up a fashion designer in reality, just as her mother pretended to want to be.

Jo and Gale never do get married, though by the time their son is thirteen, they've at least stopped pretending that they aren't dating. 

In The Narrow Path, I have Peeta spend time helping Haymitch with the refugees... what isn't seen is that one of them is Snow and Caesar's granddaughter, Prisca, who he knowingly passes through under a fake name and sends on to live her own life in the districts.  He does not tell anyone except Gale, who is not thrilled with him. 

At the time of the epilogue, Delly Cartwright is mayor of District Twelve, and Gale is president.

Those are the only ones I can think of at the moment. :D

Thanks for talking to us, FernWithy!

Thanks for asking!

~ Little Miss Mionie