Oh man.. I first read THG around when it first came out I think, right at the front end of
Reaping age (dating myself). At that time (~13 ish) I was mega into reading and would devour anything set in front of me LOL. I think I'd been searching for a different series when I found THG instead (which I ended up liking more LOL). I was always into stuff that was super action-packed and intense and ofc had cool female protags (Katniss beloved<3).
Looking back on it now, though, I feel like being significantly younger than Katniss at the time of reading made her seem more mature (since I, a wise 13 y/o was also so mature and intelligent /lh). The horror of the tributes being so Young didn't really hit until I myself grew up more. I know it was definitely one of my most reread series back in the day, though since I read it on my nook (lol) I never actually had the physical copies until more recently. I also remember being really obsessed with the books and trying to get all my friends to read it, to which some of them were like ugh no. Only for them to recommend it back to me when the movie came out LOL. You can bet your ass my 13 y/o self was MALDING. Anyways we all had hunger games themed birthday parties and at one point made bows and arrows from the sticks in my backyard c: (they were fairly decent ngl. Not accurate by any means, but they worked!)
I was always kinda passively in the fandom since I discovered what fandom was, but had other stronger interests/hyperfixations over the years. I eventually got really into making OCs and devised an AU where one of my OCs went into the hunger games. I thiiink this was around the time that BOSAS was announced. Because the document for that fic was created in 2019 LMAO. I didn't start posting it until much later because ngl, I started writing it mainly so I could read it for myself LOL. I hadn't ever come close to finishing a long-form fic before (always got stuck at chapter 1 😔) so I wrote that one super out of order, and had the majority of it finished before I decided, "hey, I should post this maybe. Could be fun and cool."
And then I just never stopped BJVHDFBHV. Found a really great community on Discord for THG OC stuff and SYOTs (which I now moderate) and it's been a lot of fun! I've written. So much more than I ever thought I was capable of (':
What are your favorite things about the series?
Ough so. I adored Katniss as a protagonist when I first read the series (and I still do). She's just so like. Genuine ;-; as a character and also from a meta standpoint I feel? Like her character never felt forced, and was always really natural. And it really resonated with me. I also really love the series conceptually, and for the most part, how that concept has been explored. Like, the Hunger Games as such an ingrained aspect of society is so so horrifying, and the way that the Capitol citizens are so enamored by it is. Just really fascinating. And it's something that I don't think has ever really stopped being relevant to today's society. ..Kind of a weird thing to say as my favorite thing, but Panem really is just a car crash that I can't look away from 😭
I think the trilogy especially did a great job with its characters and making them all really compelling and creating dynamics that I kept coming back to read and reread over again. (In terms of writing though, I am more compelled by Panem itself - like the trilogy characters to me are so solid that I just don't have anything I feel like I need to add to them via fanfiction LMAO).
What’s something about the series that’s stayed with you or become more meaningful to you over time?
I think the concept of Reaping age is definitely something that's evolved over time for me, especially as I grew out of it. Ig I already said that but yeah. That plus these days I've just put a lot more thought into Panem as a whole and what makes it's dystopian society gears keep turning, and there is just. So much to say about that. The Hunger Games as an institution are just so extreme that they can't not stick with me. Like, the separation between "Capitol" and "District" being so pronounced that it allows the Capitol to basically see those in the districts as less than human. And therefore excuse the violence of the Games as an extension of their "savagery" despite the fact that the Capitol and Gamemakers have deliberately manufactured those circumstances.. (part of that is my own interpretations and not explicitly stated in canon - I think in BOSAS Gaul and Snow envisioned it more as an extension of human nature itself, though the book still went into a lot about the distinction between Capitol and District). Idk. Just so much to think about.
What's something you want the fandom to know about you?
Uhhm. (blinks unevenly) hi. I'm Nell. I like to write. A lot (mainly about my OCs). I draw sometimes also. I love dogs a lot (worked with them for like ~2.5 yrs). I have two astrophysics degrees. I am learning how to make video games (yes I have an idea for a THG one I swear it's good trust me dawg it will take ages though). I lived in France for 2 years. I'm kind of old lmao. Tldr I have way too many random ass skills that I just don't get paid for 💀
When did you begin creating? What inspired you to begin?
I have always been creating stuff but THG related in particular.. touched on it a bit earlier, but it started as an AU for one of my OCs and then sorta. Spiraled. A lot bvhjfdvbhd. Thank you covid. And thank you depression #coping. Umm yeah I have a decent amount of fics, but the most major one is a story that I started at the height of my depression and covid and kinda carried my will to live LMAO. It's finished now!! It dealt a lot with themes of grief and friendship and family and impossible expectations and also gay people. Peace and love.
So yeah pretty much I can't seem to stop getting ideas for new stories and characters and concepts to explore within the world of Panem but I'm just gonna roll with it until I run out of steam (which doesn't seem to be anytime soon LOL). These days I think a lot about the current state of the world inspires me to keep writing. Idk man some stories are fun and whimsical and then some are exorcisms BJHVFDHVB
What is your favorite thing to depict in your work?
CAREERS!!!!!! Sorry. They are just SO fascinating to me. There's a lot that I like writing about within Panem (or, my current evolved version of it), and there's something about the messed up conditions that must be in place for these kids to be training for murder and then pretty much ritualistically sacrificing themselves to the orphan crushing machine (and sometimes being part of the machine before ultimately getting crushed by it) is just really compelling to me. There is just so much in there that really has not been touched on at all in canon - which I'm not really complaining about because I like the freedom to do my own thing with it. Being simultaneously victims and perpetrators of the cycle. Idk. Interesting stuff! I also like writing gore and violence and unexpected acts of kindness and imperfect victims<3
What’s your personal favorite of your works?
True Vengeance: The 151st Hunger Games
This is what I like to call my magnum opus. Or my pet monstrosity. My personal demon. My bbygrill. All the above BJHVFBHV. A recent comment I got called it a centerpiece story for my series, and that's a pretty solid descriptor! It features my protagonist Venatrix Pyke, and is very D2 centered as she's a Career tribute. Whose parents are both victors. This has definitely made her very normal and well adjusted! (lying) I just truly do not shut up about her and I've thought about her every day for the past 5 ish years. Hehe. Come meet my worstie!!! <3
If you could recommend just one, which would it be?
Also True Vengeance: The 151st Hunger Games ..Though. I do know 300k is a Lot bhjvfd if that's too intimidating, I've got a handful of shorter stories on my AO3
What are the main characteristics of your favorite canon characters you always try to maintain in your stories?
crickets chirping
Um. Nothing. No shade to the canon chars, but they appear very rarely in my works 😭 I think the only time I really featured a canon char was Snow, and he was 8 years old at the time. Just a little dictatorlet. That was in my fic that covered the origin of the Hunger Games, and it is not BOSAS compliant because. I think the canon origin of the games is just a little silly. Sorry. Feel free to check out The Reparation Clause if that piques your interest; if not then yeah to each their own vbjhfdvb.
Tell us about an OC of yours. What inspired them and what purpose do they serve in your works?
I will try to keep this brief (1/34543) /j I will actually try
SO. For background, my series New Friends, New Enemies is called that because it's set a decent amount of time after the Mockingjay Rebellion failed and the Hunger Games are still going on. A few changes to Panem, not super relevant for the purposes of this question. But VENATRIX PYKE!!! As I mentioned before, she is my princess my babugirl my chew toy<3 She's the protag of my largest fic and a pretty central character to the series! Both of her parents are Victors, and she was raised with the knowledge that she would be volunteering when her time came (whether she wanted to or not) (that part was implied because why would she not want to, right? …Right.?) Ideally, she would've volunteered for the 150th games, but the quell twist that year was only 12 y/os and she was 17, so hers is 151. HOWEVER. Her idiot (affectionate) 12 year old sister decided to volunteer for the quell and fucking died. True Vengeance covers Venatrix's final year in D2's career academy before she volunteers, and then her games. …It also touches a lot on her and her family's grief and how they process that (or Don't. They just do not do a good job at that). That fic (and the following one) show her evolving relationship with the Hunger Games and her own personal beliefs (or the ones she grew up with/was propagandized into, often by her very own parents). Like, growing up, she believed that winning the games was her birthright because of her victor parents; her parents don't want her to die, so why wouldn't they convince her that she can win? Her sister's death really just. Flipped that narrative on its head and no one is happy about it, especially not Ven 😭 Her relationship with her father, Oberon, in particular is a huge part of the fic as well #justlikeherdadbutagirl.
The fic I'm currently working on (cicatrix) also covers her first year post victory (spoilers: she wins). Umm I'm still working on what happens with her after that by which I mean I have lots of plans, too many plans in fact. She does show up in a later fic of mine (year 170) as a mentor to the pov character there<3 So she's still kicking! One of these days (in 2030 or whatever /hj) I plan to write about the 174th/175th games where she sure will be appearing and doing things.
Personality wise, Venatrix is super arrogant when the story starts off. Like she's kind of a bully. (She is still working on growing out of that, it may never happen bjvdf). She's got a lot of deep-set anger that comes to the surface over the course of TrV in some really fun and horrible ways! She can also be petty and hold grudges. Her little sister dying on live TV just also did not help anything. Her good qualities are confidence and sword. She also unfortunately loves her family. Alas. She has a lot of pride that I am constantly hitting with a stick. After she wins, she's a lot more depressed and less confident and burnt out as hell.
As to what the hell inspired her… man I would love to know. Probably depression, idk BVJHBF. I think I really wanted to explore the concept of a victor family (..where not everyone in the family can win) because once it popped into my head I just never stopped thinking about it. Ever. <3
Tell us about your favorite relationship (of any kind) in the series. Why is it your favorite?
In the trilogy… Katniss and Buttercup<3 uh idk. I liked Katniss's relationships with most of the people she interacted with, she's just such a dynamic character like that<3 With Peeta and Prim we get to see her at her best which is ;--; I also rly enjoyed her friendships with Finnick and Johanna.. traumabonding 😭
In my series……… maritrix♥️🦋🐺iykyk
What is a question you wish we asked and what would your answer be?
This is super specific, but it's something I like addressing in my writing.. How would Panem evolve if the Mockingjay Rebellion failed?
Cracks knuckles So. The way I went about this was mostly adding stuff that I thought would be fun first and then coming up with the reasoning later LOL. So I've made D3 the fourth Career district - in my AU, they were integral to the Capitol winning the war, and they won the 76th games; the victor negotiated with them to grant pseudo training status so by the time of my writing, they're pretty well established as Careers! I also thought it would be really interesting to write about like. A very toxic academic culture combined with the kind of culture that comes from training teenagers to murder other teenagers and. Boy is it ugly! 😀 To sort of balance this out, I had the rebellion fail at a time when D13's existence was revealed, so… Guess who's in the Hunger Games now..! Rip D13. They have one (1) victor by year 151 😭
Another thing that's moreso related to Panem's evolution than the MJ rebellion…. they have internet access in the Capitol now. It is highly restricted by location and status, and HEAVILY monitored. In fact, the main reason that it's even allowed is so it can be used by the gvt to basically spy on their citizens. Very much a surveillance state. Like, you can absolutely get "disappeared"/Avoxed for saying the wrong thing on twitter (which is called Jabber LMFAO) (granted, that's pretty severe but like there are absolutely Capitol intelligence agents whose entire job is to scroll thru Jabber marking any flags for suspicious messages and posts). That being said… it also allows the average Capitolite to participate more in the Games and they basically. Have a fandom around it. Think of the worst, most parasocial aspects of stan twitter 😭 Now imagine that but people are literally dying about it 💀 it is absolutely fascinating to write and also harrowing. I have a few chapters in my fics where I coded a workskin to show some Jabber posts and they're. Really something. Also worth noting that victors receive smartphones with internet access upon victory (also Extremely monitored) and their own Jabber accounts (they've gotta change their notification settings so they're not constantly getting bombarded with fan dms and tags and all that). The phones have become pretty important for mentoring (they can send sponsor gifts on the go!), monitoring sponsorship funds, and keeping track of their tributes' status and public reception. And it's also another way for the Capitol to spy on them all the time too #yay ! It's a bit of a commentary on today's world with the internet (and maybe a little bit on fandom culture but also like. Obviously pushed to Extremes). Because internet can be a powerful tool for both resistance movements and totalitarian institutions as well. Idk! (I am also just one person writing fanfiction so like. Obligatory disclaimer that my opinions and commentary are not free of flaws.)
Anyone you would like to shout out in the fandom?
All of my THG mutuals!!! Naming u all would take forever, but I believe Frog, Mait, Pipes, and Blue are on the masterlist for the fan spotlights ! Also of course the SYOT Verses Discord server, like thats my home<3 (if anyone sees this and wants to join, feel free to reach out to me!)
*clears throat and taps the mic* I would just like to once again thank @lorata and @darthnell for their hunger games fics I am currently having way too much fun exploring the Brutal Psychological ImplicationsTM and MetaphorsTM and Recovery ArcsTM in another Victor AU in yet another fandom because of their inspiration. Godspeed and all that jazz.
26, 31, and 43 for fic writer asks !! That rly long one w like 70 questions LOL
26. Which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?
literally any of the spiderman/evil dead crossovers. bonkers ass fics. it's fun putting peter and ash together because they're both chaotic lol. like i have an entire list of fic ideas just for them:
after that, i'd probably say Soul Alone.
31. Do you start with the characters or the plot when writing?
i usually have a vague idea of what i want plotwise, but i'm very character focused. (you're talking to the woman reading og spiderman comics bc the movies/current comics massacred my boy 😔.)
43. Do you take a sadistic joy in whumping your characters, or are you more the "If you hurt them I would kill everyone and then myself" kind of person?
as a horror writer and angst enthusiast...lol
i like putting characters in situations to see what they'll do. because each scenario is gonna bring out a different side of them, and the challenge is keeping them as in character as you can, even if it's with a character or situation they might not interact with or be in otherwise.
10, 11, and 18 for the weird writer ask game, go !
10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?
there were definitely some pieces that made me feel like 👀😭😫😖. most of the ones that made me feel like i was being liquified were short stories, and the other was tender is the flesh by agustina bazterrica. which is a book i will never be able to forget lol. (if you look it up make sure you check for trigger warnings, because it's very graphic).
idk if i'd say my own writing haunts me. a lot of the time it seems like the best writing i do is where i'm minding my own business, and a line of dialogue drops in my head seemingly gifted from god. then i never get it again lol. it's the weirdest thing.
like a week or so ago i was trying to sleep at like 3am and this entire dialogue exchange for landslide materialized out of nowhere, and i was like i have to get this down or it'll be lost forever.
11. Do you believe in the old advice to “kill your darlings?” Are you a ruthless darling assassin? What happens to the darlings you murder? Do you have a darling graveyard? Do you grieve?
i'm so bad at killing off characters because i get so attached to them. but in terms of having to cut a character because it's not working, it's disheartening because i love them, but usually they just end up coming back in another story.
18. Choose a passage from your writing. Tell me about the backstory of this moment. How you came up with it, how it changed from start to end. Spicy addition: Questioner provides the passage.
He knows it's childish and sickeningly naive to fall for a woman like Carter, but he can't help it. And he knows Javier feels it, too. His lips purse as tears pinprick his eyes.
In a queer twist of fate, this last piece of innocence he hadn't even thought still existed, has been reserved for this. And if Carter will have it, they will trust it to them, and hope Carter won't crush it.
okay so i want to get this out of the way: this isn't about virginity. i'm probably going to botch this terribly, but it's more about how like you might have a life where it's all about surviving, where life just takes and takes until the joy is almost nonexistent.
then one day someone helps you, or does something to give you back some of that joy, and in that moment life doesn't feel *as* miserable.
so what peter's feeling right now is that basically he always kind of thought dying would've been better than working for alastair, because alastair made their lives twisted and horrible and they had zero choice in anything. but carter could've killed them and they didn't. now they have choices, now there's room for joy. and they want to share it with carter.
(it's also partly inspired by innocence by avril lavigne. which is a song that i think about sometimes.)
