A Tri-Rec Post (Undiscovered Gems)

Why, hello there, everyone.  This post we've got three fabulous oneshots that deserve a bit more recognition.  *notes eagerness on audience's faces*  Ah well, here you are, this week's recs~!


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Title:  A boy A girl A memory
Author:  librarylemming
Summary:  The story of the boy from district 10 in the 74th hunger games - the boy with the limp. The life you didn't see, and about the girl who was there watching him from the other side of the television screen.
Quote:  "Flickering images. Distorted sound. Nothing seemed real to her anymore. With a stony expression, she watched as they were paraded in their costumes, she watched as they were interviewed, she watched as they lived what was left of their lives on a TV screen. She couldn't think, or sleep, and she barely spoke. Her eyes were forever glued to that screen, as if it held secret to life itself."
Recommendation:  Before reading this fic, I'd never given a lot of thought to the District Ten boy.  But this story is so beautiful it can make you care about the most minor of characters.  Wonderful character development in a small piece, and a tragic, tear-inducing story all the way around.  It reminds you that everyone had someone rooting for them to come home.  Brought to you by librarylemming in a unique and well-chosen format, too.  Highly recommended - check it out for yourself, and review!

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Title:  23 Flies

Author:  The Withering Panda

Summary:  Innocent Johanna Mason could never hurt a fly. But maybe 23... Written for The Rebels forum Holiday Secret Fic Exchange.

Quote:  "The girl from One, she decided, would die slowly. And her district partner would watch, then be mutilated (preferably). Gerard Sullivan from Two, obviously the biggest threat, would die last, as the king piece is always defeated last in chess. His district partner, Sabrina, would be slaughtered as quickly as possible in order to shut her up. Districts Three, Five, Six, Eight, Nine, Ten, and Eleven would be killed... normally. Without special treatment. They made no impression on her. Nick, the boy from Seven, would be avoided as long as possible, and killed quickly if it came to that. The tributes from Four, she planned to drown. And the pair from Twelve would be trapped in an inconvenient avalanche or landslide."

Recommendation:  The Withering Panda has a talent for packing a lot of power into oneshots that flow wonderfully and leave you wanting more but satisfied with the ending.  This isn't just a normal "Johanna's Games" fic that exposes her plan to appear a weakling - instead it brings out a whole different side to her character, one that's cruel and calculating and slightly scares the reader.  Subtle but understandable references give insight into what's behind the Hunger Games.  Go on, read and review - you won't be disappointed.

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Title:  Wrong Turn

Author:  Toxophilite

Summary:  "I knew I should have taken a left." Getting lost during an uprising can never turn out well. Written for the Caesar's Palace Prompts: Member Challenges, The Vivid Challenge.

Quote:  "A bomb hits a building to my left, sending me flying back. I slam into a wall and struggle for air after the force of the impact combined with the smoke. I refuse to die today. I have to keep moving.

Squinting my eyes, I make my way through the smoke filled streets.

Right, left, right, right, left."

Recommendation:  This fic features a simple concept but executes it with more sophistication, zooming in on events scarcely mentioned in Mockingjay - especially, what it was like to be in a rebelling district for a citizen.  The rather gruesome setting adds a layer to the war rarely seen in most fics which prefer to focus on large plot events instead of the regular people of Panem.  The bloodshed isn't just in the background, either, but is quite well-written and painful to read (in the way intended).  Experience it yourself - go read and give feedback.

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(Note: I apologize if the formatting of this post - apart from being a bit different than my usual style - is slightly off; the new-post page is different and I'm still adjusting.  Thanks.)

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.

RIse Above The Crowds (Delly/Peeta)

Hey, all! Finally back with another rec for you guys.

Title: Rise Above The Crowds

Author: curiosa

Summary: Delly believes in dreams and freedom and being the best person that anyone can be, but most of all, Delly believes in Peeta.

My Recommendation:

This fic goes to show something about the author, because you would have really had to pay attention to Delly in Mockingjay to pull off characterization like this. For as little of the relationship developed between her and Peeta in the real books there is, this fic builds on it all wonderfully. This section particularly shows this:

“Why do you care what anybody else thinks?”

Peeta’s sat on the edge of her bed, staring at Delly with what looks like increasing confusion.

She wrinkles her nose at his reflection, staring flatly back at her own and sighing. “I don’t care,” she says, even if they both know that’s not true and she’s always been bad at lying. “I just want to look nice for once, you know?”

She knows what everyone says about her behind her back: Delly Cartright, the plump and pale girl with messy hair that’s barely worth a second glance over.

“You do look nice,” Peeta says and then moves restlessly from the bed, stretching out his legs and walking away to look at some of Delly’s old photos.

She tosses back her hair; pulling it up so the curls don’t look so scraggy and then lets them flop back lifelessly onto her shoulders. She likes her eyes, she thinks, a tone of blue and green, somewhere in between the two, which mix together and bring out the best of both her parents.

“You do look nice,” says Peeta, repeating himself, “won-der-ful,” dragging out the syllables and letting them catch at the edges of his teeth. “Always.”

He lets his head flop onto her shoulder and tucks his chin into the crook of her neck. Winking at her as the inevitable smile starts to unfurl on her lips, her hands moving to shove him away from her, laughing, tutting at his silly behaviour and grabbing for her coat that he’s got wrapped around his sleeve, waiting.

Peeta is perfectly in character, and a pro of the fic is that Peeta/Katniss is not completely ignored. This new relationship shown is just so beautiful, and a tragic glimpse at their future as it could've been. It's not completely unrequited love--just two different kinds of it that are contrasting with each other. (And let's face the facts: little kids are just plain adorable.)

Rise Above The Crowds is a highly ambitious piece for a focus on such a rare pairing, and it pulls it off beautifully. Even as a oneshot, you feel you suddenly know everything there is to know about these two. Just wonderful.

Farewell for this week; happy Spring!

Wisely, I Say, I Am A Bachelor (Cinna/Finnick) and Running The Spectrum: Orange (Wiress/Beetee)

Hello, everyone; I'm Hannah, and this is my first recommendation on Nightlock. Each week I'm going to be finding the "undiscovered gems" of the Fandom, especially in minor- or rare- pairings.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am proud to present:

Title: Wisely, I Say, I Am A Bachelor

Author: Mithrigil

Summary: How Cinna became a revolutionary, and other stories; most notably, how he deconstructed Finnick Odair.

and

Title: Running The Spectrum: Orange

Author: NoStrangerWouldItBe

Summary: "It's easy, being with Beetee. So little in life is easy." He knows what she's thinking and she gives him oranges. Wiress and Beetee through the years. Written for the Caesar's Palace Color Prompts "Orange"

My Reccomendation:

Starting with "Wisely, I Say, I Am A Bachelor": It took me a while after I read this the first time (staying up ridiculously late on a school night because I just had to finish it), to figure out what I actually liked about it; this was hard because there really wasn't a lot that I didn't particularly love. Finally, I came to my decision: the characterization. You get to know all of the characters, both the main ones of the Fanfiction and ones that are a bit more in the background, including OCs, very well by the end of it. I was particularly impressed by this as it's told in first-person. It was all such a brilliantly inspiring portrayal that despite it's length, I've read it several times since I just discovered it a few days ago. In a few words: sophisticated, real, humorous, and addicting.

For "Running The Spectrum: Orange": Wiress/Beetee was always an interesting pairing to me, and this Fanfiction did them both justice, while it was a nice take on the prompt provided: "orange". This, I think, captured what Fanfiction is supposed to: add to the cannon in a new way. Set before The Hunger Games, it's a unique take on the development of this relationship. It sort of makes you say, "Oh, yeah, I could see that happening." The little plot-devices used are not forced and really help move the story: the characters' interests in inventing, oranges, Wiress' habit of trailing off, their relationship with other victors, etc. While nicely detailed, the story is always progressing and keeping you interested. In a few words: adorable, free-flowing, and well-crafted.

That's all for this week!