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everlark-interviews · 7 years

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Interview with Everhutcher!

It’s been a while, but we have more interviews lined up, and we’re ready to tackle 2017 and get you the inside scoop on all your favorites, plus some newbies coming into the fandom! Reblog, follow, and get connected with the lovely folks in the HG community. Read on for all the juicy deets about @everhutcher!

Describe yourself like your friends would describe you.

Silly, weird, funny, compassionate. Honest. Loyal. Raunchy. A ball-buster. Someone with zero personal space. Good with details.

Raunchy? That’s interesting… How so?

Oh wow. I’ve just never had a filter. I think it’s a family trait. I’m from a large, loud Eastern European family where everyone speaks their mind, sarcasm is the norm, etc. As far back as high school, my friend and I would read smutty romance novels (mostly Jude Deveraux’s books) out loud at the lunch table just to make our male friends cringe. Totally juvenile, I know. I suppose if I psychoanalyzed myself I might see it as a way to explore sexuality in a safe way or something. Because I’m not nearly so bold in my actions in that way. But even now, I’ll see a double entendre in anything and won’t hesitate to point it out. Cards Against Humanity gives me life. I blame the inner 10-year old boy in me who giggles at inappropriate times. My own 10-year old son is far better behaved than I am in that aspect.

LOL! At some point our inner teen makes a reappearance.

What Eastern European country is your family from? Have you been there?

We’re Ukrainian on both sides of the family. I’ve never been there but it has been fun to connect with cousins from over there through social media. Some of them grew up in the Soviet days, so when I was a kid, we never really had contact with them.

Give me an example of everhutcher as a ball-buster…

It’s sort of just who I am… again, the no filter thing. I will say I don’t ball-bust in a super-aggressive or antagonistic way, because I know that’s how some people interpret the term. My brand is more teasing. My husband is 14 years older than I am, so the old man jokes are abundant. I’m always telling him at the store to ask about the AARP discount or I’ll remind him that when he was 18, I was in preschool. Just often enough to creep him out.

How did you end up in THG fandom?

That was definitely not a straight line between two points. I knew of the books for a long time, but never read them. I’d also seen THG and CF on DVD at the time they came out, and was entertained enough, but didn’t love them in the way I loved other fandoms like HP or Star Wars.

Then my stepdaughter sort of made me read the books right before MJ1 came out in theaters. She promised I’d love them. And she was right. I loved them and then my love for the whole franchise grew from there.

I can relate to that! It definitely ‘snuck up’!

Have you written for other fandoms?

To be honest, nothing has grabbed me the way THG has, so no.

I get it! Same here.

I guess one exception is that I took part in a RPF Secret Santa thing for JHutch fans. I was really satisfied with how the story turned out but I’m not as comfortable writing about real people, so I have not been compelled to do that since. Kudos to those who can, though.

So what drew you into writing fic?

The ending of MJ just left me unsettled and unsatisfied.

And although I understand that in a way, it was likely written in the way Katniss would have genuinely told it (i.e., not dwelling on details), as a reader I wanted more. So, I went in search of some insight into Suzanne Collins’ choices as a writer. Instead, I stumbled across fan fiction. I started looking for some good “growing back together” fics. And my love for the entire genre was born. Eventually I felt brave enough to dive in and write some of my own because I couldn’t get enough of Everlark in just about any setting.

What was it like for you when you posted your first fic for all to see?

The same as it is now: I hit “post” or “send” and I squeal and do a panic dance in my home office. I feel like I’m jumping off a cliff or something.

You never know how it’s going to be received. You don’t want to look or sound stupid (the story or yourself). You might think it’s the best work you’ve done but it’s a load of shit. You just never know what will resonate with people and what won’t. I mean, ultimately you can’t worry about that during the writing process; you have to go with your gut and let the story take you where it wants to go. But you just have to hope people will see something in it that they can relate to as well.

It really never gets any easier, does it? What was a pivotal moment for you in the books?

Arghhhhhh. I think there are so many people who are so much better at noticing details of the book. So many moments. I don’t know if I can classify anything as “pivotal” but I do think some parts resonate with me more than others. The entire sequence of Peeta’s time with the Star Squad in Mockingjay was particularly important to me as a reader, as I think it lends a whole sense of hope, which is so central to the series. In particular, I think the moment Peeta realizes the lizard mutts are coming and he chooses to protect Katniss by yelling for her to run... that, to me, is it. He has already chosen Katniss over Snow in that moment.

Such a good one! What was the hardest moment for you in the series?

I would probably say Everlark’s separation at the end of Catching Fire. I’m such a sucker for those two. Throughout that book they’re connecting in a way they never had before. And unlike the film, Katniss and Peeta are both aware of the other’s presence somewhere around the lightning tree in those final moments in the arena. They can each hear the other calling out. They’re desperate to save one another, and are so close to achieving that. You know, as the reader, that it’s not going to end well for either of them. And, of course, it doesn’t.

What’s the moment you hold onto from the series? That ‘Yes! This is why I love this series’ moment…

That has to be Peeta’s return to 12. As I said earlier, you have these pivotal moments in Mockingjay where Peeta chooses Katniss, in defiance of his hijacking, sometimes without really even being conscious of it. I always wonder what happened to Peeta during his time in the Capitol after Katniss’s trial. Was it a deliberate decision to return to 12? Or was it just instinct driving him to where he felt he belonged? Either way, he returns to Katniss and his first thought is to help Katniss heal. To show Katniss some beauty in the world. He yet again creates a thing of beauty - a simple flowerbed to celebrate Prim’s life - and says “I thought we could plant them for her.” Not me, but we. Even though Katniss isn’t involved in his project, he includes her. They are a team. He is with her, in whatever way she needs. It’s unconditional and pure and lovely to see this reborn in him. Wounded but not broken.

I think you did a lovely job of picking out the details!

What do you enjoy writing most? (Trope, canon/AU, etc)

I think modern AU is probably what comes easiest to me. For one, it’s fun to imagine Peeta Mellark alive and well and walking amongst us in the modern world just waiting for love - and who doesn’t want that? LOL. I’m a fairly open book emotionally, more like Peeta, so writing Katniss is a fun challenge for me. And in modern AU, there’s the added challenge in presenting Katniss as someone who stays in character, still finds it hard to open up, without the details of her life in canon District 12 at play. You have to get into the psychology of a modern young woman and the things which might affect her life.

Where do you get your inspirations?

Oh, man. So many places. I suppose, now that I think about it, a lot of of my fics start with real-life events. Some are sad, like the circumstances of a friend of friend which inspired my PiP fic Promise. Others are often inspired by the random convos I have over chat or text with other bloggers. Like, Drill and Fill started with me complaining to another writer about having to go to the dentist but that thank goodness, at least my dentist was cute, and the rest unfolded from there. I also love that there are so many prompt ideas out there, whether on Tumblr or elsewhere. I’m so grateful that someone might not feel comfortable enough writing a fic on their own, but still has a great idea they want to share with others to make the story a reality.

That’s a really great observation. Give me an idea of yours that you will never write, but you would love to read.

Oooooh. That’s so tough because I think, never say never. If it’s something I’d want to read, and it doesn’t already exist, then I generally wouldn’t hesitate to at least attempt to make it a reality myself. That’s why I started writing fic, not just consuming it. I had ideas that I wanted to share. So I’d have to dig deeper to find something I’d read but not also write.

What has been your favorite fic to write?

No fair! My fics are my kids! I love them all for different reasons LOL.

If two of your fics were drowning… see where I’m going with this?

Well, if I have to choose, I’d probably say Under His Wings. I wasn’t sure where I was headed with it at all. Usually I have a strong idea to jump start the process, and my struggle is to keep the momentum of the story going later on. In this case, I had a hard time starting this story, and it picked up steam as I went along. It sort of took on a life of its own very quickly. I think it’s probably my most moving story.

What is the most challenging fic you’ve written?

I tend to write very quickly once an idea hits me, so anytime I end up with a WIP it’s because the mojo isn’t there. I’m currently on the third version of a story that I haven’t published yet. It’s supposed to be part of @papofglencoe’s clearance condom series, which she started after I took a trip to Target while chatting online with her. Her Pumpkin Spice story was such a treat, and I really want to do something fun and sexy with all that inspiration. But if I force it, I know it won’t be as good as it might have been. So WIP it remains.

If you were stranded on a desert island with any THG character, who would you pick? Just one, now!

Peeta. Hands down. Or wherever the hands want to go. See what I mean about raunchy?

HA! Down is a start in the right direction, though, yeah?

We all have that fic that’s our go to - whether it’s our own or someone else’s - that we return to because we love it and know exactly what we’re going to get. What’s yours?

If we’re talking Everlark fic, I’d probably say The Bucket List by Meadowlark27.

Why?

Faith constructed such a beautiful and heart-wrenching story that made me cry several times. If Everlark fans haven’t read it yet, it has it all. Humor and angst and sorrow and friends to lovers, all my favorite elements. And the ending. Ughhhhhh. All the feels, for sure.

What’s your writing process? Some people like to write their stories all at once, then post weekly, while others like to take it one chapter at a time, where posting is more random. Where do you fall in that spectrum?

I’d like to have the discipline to be the former, but I’m definitely the latter. Once I finish a chapter I want people to see it right away. In theory I always think it’s going to force me to work more steadily, because then I can tell myself that people have read it and want more. In reality, life always seems to fill up my time. The older I get, the more of a procrastinator I seem to become.

I get it. Why is that??

Favorite Book? (non THG)

Probably the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

I first read it in sixth grade, not understanding the historical context in which Tolkien crafted it. At the time I just knew it as a cool good versus evil kind of story. Now I have a much deeper understanding of the historical context, and as a history teacher it speaks to me on that level, for sure. Beyond that, the immense time and energy and effort Tolkien put into creating that universe is just astonishing. The man crafted an entire mythology that the world has embraced as readily as anything mythology of ancient times.

It is incredible. I completely agree, and I love the series!

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I have to think about what spare time is these days lol. I suppose beyond work and family (my husband, son, two stepkids, daughter-in-law and any day now, a stepgrandbaby!)

Congratulations!

My fandom activities have filled most of my free time. Otherwise, I definitely have a love for genealogy. I’ll go through spurts where I’ll spend hours a day scouring records to add to our family tree. And I enjoy traveling. I wish I had more resources for that, but I try to get out of town every couple of months, even for just a night or two. Living in the Northeast helps, being so close to so much. I’m basically halfway between NYC and Toronto; I have a ton of family and connections in Philly so I’m always there, too. I just spent my birthday in Vegas and I really want to get back out to L.A. soon. Been an East Coast girl my whole life but I love California.

Favorite thing about Tumblr?

The friendships. They’ve gone so far beyond fandom it’s sort of astonishing. The ladies I connect with the most are just about the most open, take-me-as-I-am group of people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. I have my group of girlfriends here in “real” life, particularly my friends from work. But my blogger friends are a constant presence as well. Maybe even more so, because you can always shoot off a text or a group chat throughout the day, come back and find someone three time zones away has weighed in on whatever was on your mind. We throw story ideas at each other, talk about our jobs and kids, nothing is off limits. And when you know most of you write Everlark smut you can’t really hide anything after that lol. They’ve become some of the best friends I’ve ever had.

Can you give some advice to new writers?

Just don’t be afraid to jump in and try something. Challenge yourself. There is a vast community of writers out there with a huge array of talents and strengths and styles. If you are worried about how your work compares to someone else’s, and allow it to make you hesitate to write, you’re bound to hold yourself back due to fear of failure. The only failure is to not let you idea come to life in one way or another. Put it out there and share it. Audiences are always going to be better off for it.

Thank you for taking time to talk to me!

You can find Everhutcher’s stories on AO3. Don’t forget to leave a comment! And stop by her ask box to say hey!

#everlark-interviews #everhutcher #peetabreadgirl #xerxia31 #burkygirl

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ryankamiyamazaki-blog · 6 years

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Appropriate Classroom Conduct: Academic Analysis of Koushun Takami’s Battle Royale

Often considered the novel that Suzanne Collins plagiarized when writing The Hunger Games, the novel Battle Royale by Koushun Takami sets the readers in a dystopian future ruled by a dictator and ravaged by rebellious teens. From an academic standpoint, if the Hunger Games is acceptable by the common core standards then why not allow students to read the original? It can be argued that the novel is an English translation of a Japanese novel, therefore it cannot be accepted by the common core, but novels such as Crime and Punishment by Dostoyevsky and Don Quixote by Cervantez are considered academically proper, so why not? Battle Royale at its core it is an alternate rendition of Lord of the Flies (also part of the common core) with a focus on ethics, trust, human experience, and struggle, as well as a grotesque view in to the unrestrained human psyche. I am not attempting to draw the similarities between the aforementioned novels and Battle Royale. What I am stating is that the novel contains educational elements similar to the aforementioned novels, thus, it has educational relevance and should have a home in the academic world.

The novel, Battle Royale, focuses primarily on the authoritarian universe in which teenage rebellion is the norm. Over population is destroying the country and there is no choice but to have a militaristic authoritarian nation to keep things under control. The chaotic state of the country led to the passing of the Battle Royale act. The act regulates rebellion and over population by forcing students battle to the death on an island. The reward for the single winner is their life, the battle to the death forces students to appreciate their lives. Students are led to believe that they are attending a school field trip but soon awaken (after being drugged) in a classroom on a deserted island, where they are given a militaristic/academic briefing on their assignment. Their assignment is to kill or be killed in a span of three days, where inattentiveness will result in an explosion of their Orwellian-esque wiretapped collar. This dystopian universe is the world Takemi invites the reader to. With that said, an agreeable description of what makes a “good” novel can be defined by variety, since there are multiple mini stories and sub plots of every character. This allows for an option to focus on an individual character in context to the story. With variety, the term “good” becomes subjective and personalized, in a sense that an individual characters experience can be favorable over another. Though it is subjective, one cannot argue that many people (after reading every characters story) will claim that they have read “a good book,” regardless of preference. This is when Kant’s notion of taste, or agreeable sensation would be applicable as he states, “all private sensation can only decide for the observer himself and his satisfaction” (Kant 257). Clearly there are fully fleshed out characters and characters who survive for only one chapter, yet those dedicated chapters alone provides an opportunity for close reading.

If one is displeased with a single interpretation of the text, all one must do is detach themselves from the main character, Shuya Nanahara, and focus on a different perspective of a different student. This will please those in favor of taking a Kantian approach that refutes the notion of bias and enforces experience. With that said, it is safe to say that a good novel can be defined as a dense piece of literature with an established foundation of how the universe functions. This technique gives the reader an option to choose an experience within the novel most suitable (or unsuitable) for their private sensation. The fleshed out characters within the novel allows for multiple readings and experiences.

With over twenty students and one deranged principal, it is impossible for a single interpretation for any section within the novel. I find this to be an important factor for the constraints of an academic read. What I am alluding to is the diversity of subplots with rich subject matters within the novel. There is a sense of struggle throughout the novel as paranoid students begin to confess their concerns that raise the existential question, “what am I doing here?” In this scene a couple discuss their current situation and agrees to commit suicide before their collars explodes or before another student finds them, “You're so kind, Kazuhiko. That's what I like about you." I like you, too. I love you so much." (to Sakura, his girlfriend) If he weren't so inarticulate, Kazuhiko could have said so much more. How much her expression, her gentle manner, her pure untainted soul meant to him. How important, in short, her existence was to him. But he wasn't able to put into words. He was only a third-year student in junior high, and worst yet, composition was one of his worst subjects. (Takami 138) What she wanted was to leave this world quietly before they got sucked into this horrible massacre… Had he been more eloquent he might have described his feelings as something like, "I'm going to die for her honor." (Takami 140) Irony does not even begin to define this scene. These are teenagers, practically children, who are forced into life or death situation, devoid of proper eloquence to articulate their feelings. This particular scene can be read as an anticlimactic homage to wordy Shakespearian monologues. Their passion for one another has been condensed and satirized in a grotesque yet humorous manner. Not only does this unfortunate scene dismiss the classic lovesick confession portrayed in many epics, it forces the reader to empathize with the agon (Nietzsche’s notion of the struggle) of the students lack eloquence. There is also an important messaged enmeshed in the short-lived lives of Kazuhiko and his partner. A reminder that language/education does not equate to human progress; that the concept of life and death is beyond eloquence and rhetoric (Nietzsche quote on honesty). Examples of close reading such as these suggest that the novel can be complimentary to many course-required texts (such as Shakespeare) as a parallel or a foil. Every student experiences a moment of existential crisis as Kazuhiko did and many students struggle with this concept. Each character has a different plan or motive upon being deployed and forced to participate in the program. Takami takes the reader on a journey through each one of their thought processes.

Every student participating on the island is provided with a weapon given at random upon deployment. Takami captures the sensation of the student’s existential uncertainty by giving every student a voice. By giving every student a voice Takami masterfully evokes the fragility of the human (in this case teenage) psyche. Authors studied by scholars such as Edgar Allan Poe evokes these notions in The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket with lines like “words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality” (Poe) spoken by the narrator. This line alone credits the novel Battle Royale as a worthy academic read since the horror of reality is presented in the exposition of every character. Authors outside of the academic realm such as Chuck Palahnuik attributes similar sentiments by stating, “Write about the issues that really upset you. Those are the only things worth writing about” (Palaniuck 1999). Takemi hits home and harkens back to primal fears a student or teacher would experience at a regular school setting. By using the characters as vehicles for transporting the fears in to the mind of the reader, Takemi’s novel has the capacity to impress the readers mind with existential questions of their own. Since Takemi wrote from an uncomfortable and upsetting part of the human psyche, the novel can be dissected in a way Jaques Derrida would appreciate; in a deconstructive approach of critical analysis. Derrida would state that the enigmatic idea of fear is the centralized structure of Battle Royale. Though there are a few characters who live outside of this structure such as Shogo, a transfer student who is unfamiliar with other students, Kazuo, a sociopathic and mentally unstable student, Shinji, the basketball team captain with his scholarship, Sakamochi, the principal and the protagonists Shuya and Noriko, whom creates the foundation of the novel. Focusing now on the transfer student Shogo, he understands the Battle Royale Survival Program as a man made structure and deconstructs it by describing the foundation of the structure itself:

“Even if I happen to succeed I'm going to die anyway. You wear nice clothes, you seek respect, you make a lot of money, but what's the point? It's all pointless. Of course, this kind of meaninglessness might suit this crappy nation. But...but, you see, we still have emotions like joy and happiness, right? They may not amount to much. But they fill up our emptiness. That's the only explanation I have. So...these emotions are probably missing from Kazuo. He's got no foundation for values. So he merely chooses. He doesn't have a solid foundation. He just chooses as he goes... Like for this game he might just as well have chosen not to participate. But he decided to. That's my little theory” (Takemi 268).

Shogo is hinting at some Marxist theories, existential theories, as well as theories of morality and ethics (like Kant). Shogo is enduring his captivity on the island with a pragmatic perspective. He is defining the situation and raising the same questions evoked by philosophers and authors alike. In an academic setting, this will be a very useful section.

Regardless of a cult following in the underground literary world, Battle Royale ups the ante in many respects. In comparison to other literary works, this novel encapsulates key aspects of philosophy, as well as the unanswered questions evoked throughout history. This novel was originally written in Japanese but it pays homage to Western literary canon. Though it is far from an epic poem and is the complete opposite of any Shakespearian tragicomedy, Battle Royale carries an unmistakable essence of reality by presenting the burden created by the human psyche. The subject matter itself, if done tactfully, is immensely relatable to students in an academic setting. If incorporated into a lesson plan the first fear an educator might have is an uproar from angry parents or fearless junior revolutionaries trying “to stick it to the man.” I understand these possibilities. There are many talks of controversy behind this literary work, but I also feel that novels such as these are essential for developing minds. Students have questions that go unanswered by their educators, but Battle Royale acts as the pathos, a multifaceted view of the world through the perspective of different students. As presented, the novel Battle Royale can be utilized wisely as an educational work. It provides a taste of comfort for educators by introducing concepts such as deconstructivism/decentralization by Derrida, questions of existential trauma presented by thinkers such as Nietzche and Kierkegaard, inner workings of neurosis and fear relating to Freud, Rank, and Jung, all while throwing easily digesting these concepts for the student to analyze from a safe distance. Students desire relatability, what better way than raising the question, “what if?”

Works Cited

Poe, Edgar Allan The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/2149

Palahnuik, Chuck “Thirteen Writing Tips” http://chuckpalahniuk.net/workshop/essays/chuck-palahniuk

Richter, David The Critical Tradition: Classic Texts and Contemporary Trends. Bedford/St. Martin , 2007

Takami, Koushun Battle Royale Ohta Shuppan, Japan, 1997

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