Puzzles (Plutarch)

Great Panem - sorry for the wait, but Life has caught up to me. Ah, well, here you go; ladies and gentlemen, this post I bring you:

Title: Puzzles

Author: deschanel10

Summary: To Plutarch Heavensbee, puzzles were more than just a riddle to be solved. Puzzles were essentially life. And life was just a gigantic puzzle. But some things are just not meant to be solved.

My Recommendation:

As you know, I usually recommend either rare pairing Fanfics or "undiscovered gems". This Fanfic has been discovered, it seems, and it's not a rare pairing - but the idea, I think, is certainly an "undiscovered gem", and so is a unique portrayal of the main character, Plutarch (Heavensbee).

In the first chapter, you see the interesting theme being discovered and locked in... as the title states, it's puzzles. (Now, picture the third Quarter Quell arena. Think.) But it's more than a classic intro of some little kid that we all know grows up to be a somebody. It's deep, it's enjoyable, and it pulls at your emotions.

A puzzle was reliable. Plutarch could rely on a simple jigsaw puzzle to always have an answer. There was one answer, one explanation. Plutarch never had to fear the unknown with puzzles. Puzzles could always be solved. And this was why Plutarch loved puzzles.

Plutarch began to believe life was just a large puzzle meant to be decoded. Surely life could be solved. And surely he could solve the source as well as a cure for his mother's depression. He was certain he could decode this riddle, just as he could solve every puzzle handed to him. He was genius. And geniuses could solve anything. He was sure of it.

One puzzle that this Fanfiction solves is Gamemaking - how it is done, and how the Gamemakers come to that point. Of course, the Fanfictions is biased towards Plutarch's perspective, so you see all the flaws and high points as he sees them, and possibly not as they truly are. But this is brilliantly written, because of course this would be the case. Through Plutarch, you see what it takes to be a Gamemaker, the dynamic within them, and also how things progress towards each Games. (Plus, his opinions on Seneca Crane, his predecessor.)

But this Fanfiction isn't only philosophical! It has its own shock-points, starting in the very first chapter. In the last, you can feel just how conflicted he is, torn between his role as a Gamemaker, and... other things. *cough*

Overall, a deep and refreshing perspective on several aspects of life and the Hunger Games - remarkable.