Fanfic / The Toxicverse

The Toxicverse, as it is has been dubbed, is a The Hunger Games fanfiction series created by ToxicatedRose. It is a series of stories in a hypothetical alternate timeline, where the rebellion failed and the Hunger Games prospered. The story-line picks up in the 2nd century during the reign of the merciless President Marx Nystalgia; at the dawning of the 202nd Hunger Games.

The first story — the 202nd Hunger Games: Kill or be Killed, took place inside a great Pyramid, modeled after the Pyramids of Giza in Pre-Panem.

The sequel — the 203rd Hunger Games: Hurt or be Hurt, took place in a giant park and nature reserve surrounded by a forest — seemingly beautiful at first glance, taking on an ominous and grim tone at nightfall. A cruel twist was added during this Games, a twist which dramatically altered the way tributes were forced to play.

The third — the 204th Hunger Games: Crush or be Crushed, was set in a giant reconstruction of the Palace of Versailles in Pre-Panem Europe. Several tributes were granted special abilities by the Capitol to escalate the Games. Widely regarded as the most controversial. It was during this time that rebels began to make their resurgence in Panem for the first time in two centuries.

The fourth — the 205th Hunger Games: Hunt or be Hunted, is set in the bloody aftermath of the rebellion, as a purge sweeps through Panem to silence the revolution forever.

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Examples:

Kill or be Killed

• Absurdly High-Stakes Game: Applies to every installment in the series, them being the Hunger Games and all.
• Action Survivor: Alec Seth — he narrowly survives the Bloodbath after being shot and suffering near-fatal injuries. Could apply to other tributes who landed in the final eight as well.
• Abusive Parent: Layana was abused by her father.

• Aerith and Bob: Names in Panem are quite inconsistent. Some characters have average names, derived from the Old World, while others are quite odd; e.g. names like Selena and Katie-Susan and others like Monkshood and Spyglys.
• Alpha Bitch: Liane is more than a sociopathic sadist; she enjoys being queen bee. She flaunts her wealth, status and power and is also revealed to have been a bully in COBC, when she physically attacks and insults Honora.
• Ambiguously Brown: invokedWord of God is that the vagueness when it comes to describing skin-colour is done on purpose. Spyglys and Metsey — while both 'black', are described instead as being dark-skinned and honey-coloured.

• Anyone Can Die: 24 kids go into the Games, only 1 can live.
• Apocalypse How: It is unknown what exactly brought about the destruction of the Old World. Because of Panem's irrational fear of nuclear weapons, it is theorized nuclear warfare might have played a part. Evidence suggests however, that it was more likely natural disaster and global pandemic that ended the world.

• Artistic License: Toxic is faithful to the original novels in terms of premise and setting, but takes liberties with plot-direction, characters, and their abilities.
  • Artistic Licence – History: Though based off the pyramids, the pyramids are not an accurate depiction of Ancient Egypt. Of course, that could easily be the Gamemakers tweaking things for their show.
  • Artistic License – Physics: It would be physically impossible to kill someone with a throwing knife, let alone pierce their skull with it like Liane does to Katie.
• Ax-Crazy:
  • Vivienna — literally.
  • Tristan, when he kills Vivienna with her own axe.
• Big Bad: Maximotus Leprenzo, brutish and sadistic leader of the Career alliance.

• Brainwashed: Many citizens have been manipulated via propaganda. Some citizens, such as Portia, are literally brainwashed.

• Butt-Monkey: Selena ends up on the wrong end of multiple fights and is frequently knocked out.

• Cain and Abel: Jynx wound up in a Hunger Games with her sister, and infamously poisoned her when there were only three people left.
• Came Back Wrong: The mummified versions of the resurrected tributes.
• Chekhov's Gun:

• Spyglys is killed by his own token.

• Chick Magnet: Tristan Wilds. Was considered by girls to be very attractive.
• Conspicuously Public Assassination: Jynx's murder of Aurora, a respected Gamemaker. It was swept under the rug quickly afterward.

• Corrupt Politician: This being Panem, a totalitarian state and dystopia, every single one of them applies.
• Cruel and Unusual Death:
  • Lyla Alby was crushed to death by a falling chandelier.
  • Liane's head is literally smashed in with a brick.
  • Sarah has his face melted off before he is beaten to death.
  • Blaise is brutally tortured by Liane before he's finally killed.

• Daddy's Girl: Liane Trug is beloved by her mayor father to the point of being spoiled, and is even called "daddy's little pumpkin".
• Daddy's Little Villain:
  • Liane, spoiled daughter of Mayor Trug.
  • Natalya Nystalgia, sadistic daughter of President Marx Nystalgia.

• Death by Irony: Liane, who is also called "daddy's little pumpkin", being smashed in the face to death with a brick.
• Defiant to the End: Monkshood Splice, even on the verge of death, not only isn't afraid of Maximotus, but taunts and effectively breaks him — something no other tribute ever managed to accomplish.
  Monkshood: (cockily) Yeah, that Rayann's a winner then, isn't she? You might have the talent and weapons Maximotus, but she's the one with karma on her side. I don't view you as a victor, because you're a pathetic, lonely mercenary.
• Determinator:
  • Rayann is determined to survive at any cost, although she has a blip in her determination after Lyla dies.
  • Maximotus is just as, if not more determined to complete his lifelong dream and win the Games.
• Died in Your Arms Tonight:
  • Bethuny in Rayann's arms, after being shot.
  • Selena in Krindle's arms, after being overpowered and fatally wounded by Spyglys.

• Disappeared Dad: Rayann's father is out of the picture.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Aurora was killed for being late to work. This was done to send a message to other Gamemakers.
• Do Not Call Me "Paul":
  • Don't call Monkshood 'Monkshood'. Call her Monk.
  • Inverted with Maximotus. Don't call him 'Max'.
• Don't You Dare Pity Me!: Layana, who is blind and abused but has no time for pity.

• Dropped a Bridge on Him:
  • Layana had the markings of a survivor. She gets shot in the head in the Bloodbath.

• Due to the Dead: Rayann tries to make Bethuny look respectable after her death.
• Dying as Yourself: Bethuny says she knows she's going to die, and makes it clear she won't change. She keeps that promise.
• Duel to the Death:
  • Spyglys versus Tristan.
  • Spyglys versus Maximotus
  • Maximotus versus Rayann in the finale.

• Early-Bird Cameo: Melanthe, Violet, Abe, Micah, Karble, Cardinal, Ava, Sperren, Naomi, Tarren, Blaine, Elise, and Leonardo make early appearances at the end of KOBK. These characters would be the future tributes in the following year.
• Early-Installment Weirdness: While the characteristics share similarities with the sequels in the Toxicverse series, KOBK has a slightly different tone.
• Et Tu, Brute?: Metsey Jazgo's betrayal of her ally Ellis.
• Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
  • Maximotus has a family. Subverted, however, in that he cares nothing for them.
  • Liane is very close with her father.
• Even Evil Has Standards:
  • Liane spares Krindle's life, only because he saved hers during the Bloodbath.
  • Maximotus, the callous brute, even finds Liane's torturous methods to be going a little overboard.
• Everyone Has Standards: Most of Layana's district objected to the idea of her going into the Games, on account of her being blind. She refused to let anyone volunteer for her or stop it.
• Eye Scream: Before Krindle's betrayal, Liane planned to carve out Spyglys's eyeball.

• Femininity Failure: Rayann's lack of femininity is the main reason she is distant from her mother.

• Friendship Moment:
  • Blaise and Monk, during their stay in the library.
  • Monk and Kieran, throughout most of the Games.
  • Rayann and Bethuny, friends from the beginning.
  • Rayann and Lyla, though it was a rough start.
  • Krindle and Selena, who shared a bond in the Career alliance.
  • Spyglys and Metsey, became allies later in the Games.
• Gender-Blender Name: Sarah-Elizabeth, who is a guy with two feminine names; he's often the butt of jokes for it.
• Green-Eyed Monster: When Tristan sees Katie and Spyglys all snug with each other, he gets pretty peeved off — and then tries to kill them.

• Handicapped Badass:
  • Layana Charleston was blind, and still held her own against a trained Career in the Bloodbath.

• Heel–Face Turn: Krindle eventually deserts the Career alliance after betraying Liane, and tries to atone.
• Her Heart Will Go On: Bethuny's death impacts Rayann Grace Carter long after her victory — even surpassing the deaths of her best friend and mother.
• Heroic Sacrifice:
  • Bethuny Binton literally took a bullet for her friend, Rayann.
  • Falrey rescues Sarah Elizabeth from Liane, leading to his death.
  • Lyla volunteered for the Games when she saw the chosen tribute had been badly injured (missing fingers, blind in one eye, a limp) in a chemical spill some time previously. She was smart enough to know that even if she stood a chance, she could die in the Games. And she ultimately does.
• He Who Fights Monsters: After killing Maximotus, Rayann realizes murder will always be murder, and feels tremendous guilt.
• Hufflepuff House: Subverted. Every District gets equal attention. The author's page even describes in detail what each District's area of focus is in.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Blaise is virtually Monk's sidekick but has to remind her to do even the most simple things to survive such as rationing food.
• I Have Brothers: Rayann often shrugs off her skills as a by-product of being close to a lot of male friends and cousins.
• Informed Ability: Rayann's agility and reflexes are implied to have come from a sports background, due to her tomboyish nature.
• Innocent Bystander: Felicia, who did no harm to anyone and just wanted to survive, ended up on the wrong side of Selena's spear.
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Liane has prodigal knife-wielding abilities.
• It Began with a Twist of Fate: It only took one line from Rayann for her to be labelled as a threat to the Capitol. Her defiance and the murmurs of her subsequent cruel punishment by the Capitol kick-started another revolution.
  • In response to Jynx's question that if she blamed or hated Maximotus for killing Bethuny:
    Rayann: (angrily) No, I blame the Capitol for it.
• It's Personal: Rayann's rivalry with Maximotus was a major angle in the story, and began in the Capitol.

• Jerkass Realization: Soonta spends the final few moments leading up to the Games realizing what asshole he's been his whole life.
• Karmic Death: Liane — brutally killed by the ally of a boy she tortured and murdered earlier in the Games.

• La Résistance: Whispers of it exists in the Capitol in KOBK, but after Rayann's victory and punishment for defying the Capitol, it spreads throughout the Districts.
• Lazy Bum: Monk is lazy and proud of it.
• Lightning Bruiser: Maximotus was not only imposing in stature, but extremely quick on his feet, making him a fierce opponent.

• Love at First Sight: Katie-Susan instantly has a crush on the charming Tristan Wilds from District Two.

• Magic Genetics: Olga remains undercover by manipulating her genomes via advanced Capitolian engineering.
• Meaningful Name:
  • Tobias Harte — Head Gamemaker, known for being sympathetic toward the tributes. 'Tobias' means "the goodness of God", and he is god to the tributes. Harte is a reference to "heart".
  • Ruth Pierce. 'Ruth' is Hebrew for "companion" and "friend", which she is for Tobias. She is often known to have piercing eyes and features.

• Nice Guy: Tobias, Krindle, Falrey, Blaise and Alec are all decent guys.
• Noodle Incident: Previous mutts included dragons, unicorns, and three-headed dogs. One arena also had mutated Piranhas.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Falrey, whose first name is 'Jansen'.
• Parental Neglect:
  • Layana, who is abused by her stepfather while her mother does nothing.
  • Rayann, whose father is out of the picture and whose mother doesn't even visit her in the Justice Building... and even kept other family members from visiting her.
• The Quiet One: Selena, Ellis and Brydyn are all relatively quiet characters who do little talking.
• Red Shirt: Many of the Bloodbath characters such as Brydyn, Kathleen and Felicia.
• Skewed Priorities: Monkshood spends most of her first day of training to argue with an instructor over how incorrect her training is, instead of actually training.
• Sacrificial Lamb: Soonta, who basically existed to die.

• Starbucks Skin Scale: Metsey's skin is described as 'honey coloured'.
• Trapped in Villainy: Krindle and Selena, who are gentle people that are squeezed in an alliance with Tristan, Maximotus and Liane, who aren't the loveliest of people.

• What Did You Expect When You Named It ____?: Honestly, when you name your child Soonta Dye, what can you expect but for him to die quickly?

Hurt or be Hurt

• Amateur Sleuth: Vigil Hatzardys was a private detective while living in District Twelve.

• Berserk Button: Blaine flies into a rage at the Bloodbath after Naomi tries to confront him. Blaine, assuming she's lying, stabs her repeatedly and leaves her to die.
• Big Bad Slippage: Melanthe didn't start out as a major antagonist in the story. She was often overshadowed by her other allies until the Careers disbanded. After that, it wasn't until she slowly descended into madness that people began considering her level of antagonism.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Melanthe; even before she turns crazy, she had been playing all of the Careers bar Luster to their own demise.
• Booby Trap: One of the reasons Avaylnn survives so long in the Games is because she quite literally rigged most of the forest — and arena, for that matter — with deadly booby traps. This not only gave her a huge field-advantage, but it also made her very confident.
• The Bully: Broson Gray is the Mayor's son, and spends most of his time going around the District with his friends picking on smaller kids.
• But for Me, It Was Tuesday: Jynx Blackthorne, Victor of three separate Games, killed a lot of people. When Melanthe Hathaway confronts Jynx about killing her mother during one of those Games, Jynx can hardly remember who the woman was.

• Death by Irony: Holden, a pyromaniac, is burnt to a crisp.

• Disc-One Final Boss: Archimedes sort of acts as this in the first half of the Games. He is the dangerously suave and intelligent leader of the Careers, generally expected by most readers to serve as one of the major antagonists in the story until his sudden and shocking death.
• Dogged Nice Guy: Leonardo Brydyn. It is inferred, especially when they first meet in the Capitol, that Leo has a bit of a crush on Tarren.
• Et Tu, Brute?:
  • This happens to Blaine even before the Games begin, when he overhears his Escorts talking about Naomi's failed attempt to deceive him and the Careers.
  • Astrid feels this way when she realises that Archie voted for her to die.

• Explosion Propulsion: The explosion at the cottage is so intense it sends everyone outside falling onto the floor.
• The Fettered: Vigil was this throughout the story, using his skills as a detective and putting them to use in the Games to solve puzzles, rescue, and defend anyone that was in danger.
• The Fighting Narcissist: Blaine Odesius has many narcissistic traits, and proved he could back his ego up after he received a score of eleven in training.
• Friend-or-Idol Decision: In the climax of the Games, Luster survived the fall and walked back to the wreckage of the cottage, only to find Rayann and Melanthe fighting to the death. He quickly controlled the situation, and was forced to make a fateful decision between killing Rayann (who took the form of a living idol — the key to Victory), or Melanthe, his former friend and ally.
• Game Changer: This happened after the tributes realized that Rayann Carter was still alive and in the arena with them. Any tribute who managed to kill her, her friend, or her mother, were allowed to go home as a 'survivor' instead of a Victor. If Rayann was alone for more than 24 hours, anybody who found her was forced to defend and assist her as a 'guardian'. If her 'guardian' killed her instead, that tribute would be sent home with 'severe consequences' in store. This changed the Games heavily, as Rayann potentially became another key to victory.
  • On top of that, the dreaded Natalya Nystalgia was also thrown in the Games in the guise of a 'slasher-film' icon to further add a challenge.

• Heel Realization: Broson goes through this early on in the story, after having an argument with Petunia. This is an epiphany that continues to bother Broson later on.
  Broson: I wish I was a better person so that my mother had more good memories.
• Hidden Heart of Gold: Astrid acts mean as a defense mechanism, so no one can ever hurt her. She's not so bad once you get to know her, as we find out later on.

• I Cannot Self-Terminate: After Tarren becomes paralyzed from the neck-down, Micah finds her leaning defenseless against the trunk of a tree, waiting for her ally to return. At the same time, a sponsor gift filled with fast-acting toxin floats down near them. Micah eventually agrees to inject Tarren with the syringe, ending her life peacefully as she wanted.

• Like Father, Like Son: Luster Harbetto admitted the only reason he started training was because he wanted to make his father, who was a former trainee himself, happy.
• Lightning Can Do Anything: Avalynn's machine, which can manipulate electromagnetic fields, can do this so effectively that they can create forcefields.

• Lightning Reveal: When Ava creates her machine, she tests it by shooting lightning into the sky for all to see.
• The McCoy: Micah Miraude - one of the few characters in the story that holds on to his heroic ideals.
• Might Makes Right: Broson believes he's doing the right thing by cleaning up the petty criminals around District Eleven — justice usually coming in the form of a beating and threats.
• Necessarily Evil: Luster felt this way in the beginning as a Career.
• Never Got to Say Goodbye: Micah never got to tell Reed what he truly felt about her. After the car accident, Violet only had time to save one of her allies before the Careers arrived at the scene, and she chose Micah.

• Odd Friendship: Luster and Tarren. One is an awkward former Career. The other is a shell-shocked naive girl with Asperger's syndrome, who was never even predicted to survive the Bloodbath.
• Outrun the Fireball:
  • Leo and Tarren when they have to get out of the treehouse.
• Violet, when she has to drag Micah out of a car that's bound to explode.
• Paranoia Gambit: When the Gamemakers almost drown Astrid, this leads her to think they have something specifically against her. This paranoia leads her to do awful things, such as torturing Layla brutally.
• Prince Charming Wannabe: Early in the Capitol, Blaine attempts to seduce Naomi, thinking she'll find his charm irresistible like all the other girls. Somewhat subverted in that Naomi has to force herself to reject Blaine.
• The Proud Elite: Archimedes of District Two is rich, good-looking, and very imposing in stature. On top of that, he is extremely intelligent, well-read, much more so than people initially believe, and is very arrogant and sarcastic. Though, he does possess a hidden softer side.
• Psycho Electro: Ava has quite the psychotic side, but becomes almost crazed with power when she can manipulate electricity.

• Revenge Before Reason: Melanthe Hathaway's motives for joining the Games in the first place are driven entirely by revenge. She wants to get back at the Capitol for killing her mother and driving her sister to insanity, so she sacrifices her life to get back at the establishment.
• Ring of Fire: Used to trap Vigil, Tarren, Ava and Cardinal so that a death match can ensue.
• Sadistic Choice:
  • The Careers, of all people, were subdued and forced by the Gamemakers to vote on who in their alliance they wanted to die. If none of them voted, or if one of them refused to vote, the Gamemakers would kill all of them instead.
  • Luster's complex dilemma in the finale of whether to kill Rayann or Melanthe. One was a doomed and broken girl he didn't know, thrown in as a cruel twist to even the odds. The other was his former friend and ally who tried to kill him earlier; a girl he felt sorry for after realizing she had completely lost her mind. Does he do the right thing? Or does he save the only friend he ever had?
• Serial Killer: Cardinal Volke was a psychopathic serial killer who preyed on his entire District.
• Shrinking Violet: Tarren Keenan has Asperger's syndrome, and has a very difficult time empathizing and communicating with people.
• Silent Snarker: Aibileen, who is born mute but very expressive around Dannielle.
• Sleazy Politician: Karble Ive was an aspiring politician. After he was Reaped, he used his charm and wit to attract sponsors and allies. Unfortunately, hardly anyone fell for his sleaziness.
• The Snark Knight: Archimedes, a sarcastic boy who values his intelligence over ego or brute-strength. He believes everyone to be beneath him intellectually, and loves to challenge his allies to pointless philosophical arguments, knowing he'll win.
• The Sociopath: Cardinal Volke. He was literally devoid of any redeemable qualities. Before he was Reaped, he was a serial killer. He held a hatred for all humanity, and found every excuse to kill someone if he knew he could somehow get away with it. He later killed and dismembered an Avox in his Capitol room. If that wasn't enough, he even kidnapped, tortured, and raped Tarren.
• The Speechless: Aibileen Karpis was born mute, and has to communicate through sign-language.
• The Stoic: Archimedes Plutus. He becomes the leader of the Careers pretty quickly due to his aloof and logical personality, compared to his eccentric and empathetic allies.
• Stuff Blowing Up:
  • Most notably the cottage.
  • The treehouse also explodes somehow.
• Surprisingly Sudden Death: Blaine, a character who by all accounts was considered to be a huge threat in the story. Instead, he died in the Bloodbath, suddenly impaled from behind by an outlier tribute.
• Tomboy: Reed Ardice was a huntress, and at one point almost vomits at the thought of brushing her hair and wearing dresses.
• Took a Level in Badass:
  • During the Bloodbath, when Callis — a rather average outlier tribute — fights and nearly kills Archimedes in a one-on-one fight.
  • Tarren, who begins to utilise her intelligence and grows more physically tough as time goes on.
  • Violet, who begins to use her gymnastic skills in an impressive way. She saved Micah multiple times.
  • Vigil, who becomes a fighter.
  • Rayann, who wasn't exactly weak to begin with, but is even more impressive than she is in the previous installment.
• Torture Always Works: President Nystalgia tortures Rayann as punishment for defying the Capitol after her victory. They only stop after she agrees to go in the Hunger Games for a second time.
• Two Girls and a Guy: The alliance of Micah, Reed, and Violet, complete with sexual tension and all. Reed is the tomboy, while Violet is the naive girl-next-door.
• The Unfettered: Avalynn Hiebler. The only thing that stops her from being completely evil is the fact that she's just doing it to survive.
• Unkempt Beauty: Reed hated brushing her hair and wearing makeup, and modestly regards herself as average-looking, though it is inferred she is prettier than she'd like to admit.
• Unlikely Hero: Helen Aspen was short, chubby, average-looking, and had no skills. Yet, she was instrumental in discovering and rescuing Rayann Carter.
• Villainous Breakdown: Archimedes, the very last person anyone ever expected to lose their cool, experienced this after he realized he was going to die, and could do nothing to stop it. It was the only time he ever broke his stoic and composed facade in front of his allies.
• You Killed My Father: Jynx Blackthorne killed Melanthe's mother in a Hunger Games many years ago. Part of the reason Melanthe volunteers is so she can get revenge on Jynx.

Crush or be Crushed

• Ax-Crazy: Magnus Carmine is obviously mentally unstable the first time we're introduced to him, and he gets much, much worse.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Carlie Compton was at first glance, naive and polite. She was beautiful enough that she was able to attract several allies. She proved however, to be far more cunning and intelligent than any of her allies originally believed her to be.
• The Chessmaster: Pullox tactfully manipulated his allies in the same way you'd move pieces on a chess-board. Calculated, ruthless, and incredibly intelligent, he had back-up plans for his back-up plans. While not necessarily boasting the massive physique of his allies, he made up for this in masterful strategy and manipulation. He quite literally made the entire arena his to control.
• Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Carlie betrayed her ally and District partner in the Bloodbath, shutting the door in his face and locking it just as the Careers chased after him. During her alliance with Pullox, she began plotting to betray him from the second they met.
• Dead All Along: Leda was Magnus's ally throughout the Games, and to his knowledge, someone he assumed was still alive. Later, Magnus realized he had killed her at the Bloodbath, and she had been replaced by a robot.
• Devil in Plain Sight: Lorelei was at first the only one in the Career alliance to suspect Pullox was up to no good, and much of her frustration stemmed from no-one else bothering to keep an eye on him.
• The Everyman: Sebastian "Seb" Keating is very average in look, personality, and skill. He is a very blank slate in the beginning, but relatable for this very reason. He ascends, however, from average ally to tragic villain through slow and complex development.

• Lovable Rogue: Trojan Reid, a beloved swindler whose parents were professional thieves.
• Manipulative Bastard: Pullox Shimmers is this trope.
• Nominal Hero: The only reason Mirane was in an alliance to begin with was because she felt sorry for leaving them behind. Later, this changes due to her growing love for Darius, whom she remains with until his dying breath.
• Opportunistic Bastard: Trojan Reid would have never survived so long in the Games if it wasn't for his uncanny ability to evade danger and talk his way out of life-threatening situations. He never had an outline in his head to follow, and if something failed, he relied on instinct and cunning to make it work.
• Unlikely Hero: Sebastian survives far longer than originally anticipated. In fact, if it wasn't for him, Trojan would have died twice.

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