Hello, Readers ~

To anyone unfamiliar with my work, let me first introduce myself. My name is Jade (not my real name). I typically write fanfiction about my OCs, specifically OCs personifying the 50 States of America. I've written a couple of books as well as a character guide about my OCs, all of which are located on my Wattpad account. Anyone can check those books out in their spare time. Of course, most people reading this author's note are more interested in the content of this book in particular. To readers who are more interested in diving right into the story, feel free to skip this author's note. Otherwise, below are bullet points listing the details of this book.

• "The 50th Hunger Games - Starring the 50 States" is a fanfiction based on a BrantSteele Hunger Games simulation featuring (most of) the 50 States of America as tributes.

• To anyone who hasn't heard of The Hunger Games (for whatever reason), it's a trilogy of fictional books featuring an annual battle royale where tributes must fight for survival until one of them remains alive (although the trilogy features "exceptions" to that rule). It's horrifying for the tributes, especially with the knowledge they're killing people for the entertainment of the masses. Yet, some people like myself wish to see how the Games play out among the 50 States of America. Thus, that's how this book came to be.

• Unless stated otherwise, the days, the nights, the events, the deaths, and the victor in the simulation I based this book on are random.

• I've chosen to do more than copy and paste text from the simulation onto pages of this book. Though simplistic and easier to read in less time (not to mention taking less time and energy to write on my part), that seems lazy (for a lack of a better term). Anyone can simulate a Hunger Games involving the 50 States of America. But few can write a dramatic story based on the simulation (which is understandable).

• The simulation being featured is somewhat based on the rules of the 50th Hunger Games. Twice the usual number of tributes will be fighting in the arena—48 instead of 24 tributes. That means the title of the book is a bit misleading.

Only 48 out of the 50 States will be able to participate in the 50th Hunger Games. As such, the 48 OCs participating in the Games represent the 48 Contiguous United States. But don't worry. Alaska and Hawaii (as well as other characters) will have roles, so they'll be shown prominently throughout the book.

• This book is purposely written from a third-person point-of-view to cover the thoughts and actions of multiple characters. I can't write this book from a first-person perspective like The Hunger Games trilogy because...

• There are no main characters in this book. Besides the limitations of writing from the perspective of one to a few characters, I feel writing the book that way will easily give away the victor of the Games. I wish to retain the "mystery" of who'll become the winner until the near end of the book.

• As much as I want to get straight into the Bloodbath, I've written a bunch of chapters before the Bloodbath, featuring the reaping, the tribute parade, the days of training, the private sessions, and the interviews. They're there to introduce characters and give them some development before the start of the Games. They're somewhat made-up. At the same time, they foreshadow possible alliances and interactions that'll happen in the Games. Such chapters may not be interesting for some readers. That's fine, and I understand some readers rather get straight into the Bloodbath. But for readers who've decided to read such chapters anyway, I hope such chapters are as entertaining as the Games.

• The Bloodbath, the Feast, and other Arena Events will get chapters of their own, separate from the days and nights which also have chapters of their own.

• Even though it isn't necessary to read, I've included chapters of the Fallen Tributes as recaps of the OCs who've died in the Hunger Games. Such chapters may include commentary about the surviving tributes as well as opinions on certain events. Overall, they serve as comedic relief from the misery and bloodshed happening in the arena.

• At the bottom of every chapter, there'll be an author's note containing my thoughts on the chapter or the simulation.

• The chapter titled "The Winner" will mark the end of the simulation, similar to the epilogue of a book.

• The average number of words per chapter is more or less 5,000 words in length. However, keep in mind the number can fluctuate depending on the point in the narrative; initial chapters will be longer than later chapters because of the larger number of characters I'll have to cover.

• Normally, I tell readers the number of chapters in a book, so they can decide for themselves whether they want to invest their time into the book. Unfortunately, I can't do that while the book is publishing chapters, concerned it may potentially spoil the book. Of course, that won't be an issue once the book is completed. For now, just know the book has less than fifty chapters.

• I appreciate readers voting on and posting reactions in the comments section of every chapter. No doubt, they'll be entertaining to read. Sometimes, I may reply to them. I may even reply to questions that don't relate to spoiling the book.

• What I don't appreciate is anyone pointing fingers and getting mad at me over the death of a peculiar character. In my general defense, I have no control over who lives or dies in the simulation since much of it is randomized. With that said, accusations about me "rigging" the Games are pointless because this book isn't about my preferences.

Sure, I'm disappointed my favorite characters died early or terribly. Yet, I let the simulation play out, even after the deaths of my favorite characters, until there's a winner. No doubt, the winner is a character I may not expect or not even like. Nevertheless, I accept the results as they are. I expect that kind of mindset from readers going through this book. In summary, please don't blame me for the death(s) of your favorite character(s). But feel free to blame the killer, the simulation, and/or your character's dumb decisions.

• Despite the amount of time and energy put into writing this book, there are multiple benefits to turning the simulation into a proper story:

+ The one thing the simulation can't simulate is the setting. There may be hints about the setting throughout the simulation, whether it be an arena event like a tsunami or a tribute falling into a frozen lake (like an idiot), but that's it. Though I'm not the best when it comes to describing the setting in multiple paragraphs, I'll certainly do my absolute best to make the dystopian world sound beautiful yet frightening.

+ With many characters involved in the simulation, it's easy to lose track of interactions. By writing things out, doing proper recaps, and featuring flashbacks of certain events, I hope the interactions make a greater impression on readers.

+ Sometimes, the actions a character commits can seem out of character, especially for those who don't usually think or act that way. In such cases, I can better showcase the thinking process that has led the character to act in the way they did. This is especially effective for characters who've survived longer. Such developments can warp views for the sake of survival. Consequences will hit hard, and it won't be pretty.

+ A problem with the simulations are the "plot holes" in the text that need to be fixed.

- One type of plot hole is the lack of signs before a character's death. For example, there's no indication before a character dies from an infection. The kinds of questions that may arise from that situation: When did they possibly get it? Who or what caused it? And why didn't they try and treat it? Answering such questions can take multiple days in storytelling. The character may die from an infection on Night 5 when the infliction may have occurred on Day 3 during a fight with another tribute. In the time between, I must highlight the character's suffering. Otherwise, their death will seem weak and out of nowhere.

I hate to have any uproar or confusion concerning deaths from hunger, thirst, infection, or even suicide, so I've done my best to highlight such problems alongside the concrete text from the simulation. I know those sorts of deaths suck, especially when it's being foreshadowed across multiple chapters. But that's how it is.

- Another type of plot hole is a character having items that haven't been mentioned in the text. For example, Character A may kill Character B with a hatchet even though there's no mention of Character A obtaining a hatchet beforehand. That seems confusing and out of nowhere. To correct this kind of confusion, I can write about Character A either making a hatchet beforehand or having them steal one from the campsite or the dead body of a tribute as additional details.

Sometimes, I alter the concrete text to correct the problem. For example, Character A may receive an explosive from an unknown sponsor beforehand that's never mentioned again during the duration of the Games. I can probably have them use the explosive for something outside the concrete text or make multiple excuses for why they're not using it to aid in their survival. But rather than do that, I can simply replace the explosive with a hatchet. That simple. I've kept track of every character's actions throughout the Games, so such changes shouldn't drastically affect later events.

- The last type of plot hole I want to explain is alliances. They're an essential aspect of the Games, yet the simulator does a mediocre job showcasing them. Sure, some tributes team up to gather supplies or hunt for other tributes. But those alliances only last for a day or a night which doesn't sound right. I mean, alliances typically last for a couple of days, usually breaking apart as the number of tributes in the arena dwindles. In my opinion, it doesn't make sense whenever, say, Character A hunts with Character B and Character C for other tributes on Day 5 to suddenly sleep in shifts with Character D, Character E, and Character F on Night 5. Like, it's near impossible to come up with a reasonable explanation for this shift!

As much as I want to alter the text, I've decided not to change the "alliances". I'm already doing a lot of work keeping track of all the interactions going on throughout the Games. I hate to confuse myself by creating alliances that'll eventually break apart in a few chapters. Hopefully, y'all understand this predicament. The best I can do to make the "alliances" believable is through "pre-Game" chapters and interactions between tributes during the Games. Otherwise, I apologize if some of the alliances seem out of nowhere. They're based on the simulation is all I can say about them.

+ Overall, the greatest benefit from creating a story based on a Hunger Games simulation is having the chance to be a sadistic writer and watch my OCs die in violent ways that can't ever happen in the fanfiction I usually write (since they're immortal personifications of the regions they represent).

• Speaking of violence, I'm sure some people have noticed the book is rated mature. I don't intend to censor a character getting beheaded by a sword or choking on their blood while uttering their last word to the killer who has poisoned their drink. I won't go as far as to feature sadistic torture, but I'm not afraid to write violence in general. To anyone sensitive to reading such depictions, I don't think this is the kind of book you want to read. Despite showing such graphic imagery, they're not the reason for this book's mature rating.

• The main reason I've listed the book as mature is the possibility of showcasing descriptions of self-harm, especially suicide. According to the content guidelines on Wattpad, "content that contains lots of description [of suicide] might be rated Mature" with the possibility of getting removed if they glorify or does not "tell a story" regarding the topic. It's unlikely this book will be removed since I don't intend to "glorify" the act or feature it as the main subject of the book.

But definitely, suicide is occasionally mentioned and sometimes featured in the simulation. I don't intend to write around it. Unlike the stories I usually write, I won't post warnings at the beginning of the chapters that caution readers about the subject, or else I'll be spoiling potential deaths. Therefore, I ask readers who are sensitive to the topic to take precautions and think about whether they're ready to read this book or not. If not, that's okay. Hopefully, y'all get the support to overcome such hardship.

• Second to last point in the author's note, I want to state my inability to write this book with perfect grammar and flawless spelling. Even with basic education on the English language and Grammarly's assistance, I'm sure there'll be mistakes in some form, unintentional or not. Feel free to notify me about these kinds of mistakes. Otherwise, I've made sure this book is neat and readable at the very least.

• Overall, I hope everyone enjoys this unique crossover. It was fun creating this book despite writing more than necessary for lots of detail and drama. But enough complaining, I'll let y'all decide whether to continue reading this book or not.

To those who plan to read further, may the odds be ever in your [state's] favor ~

~ Jade