THG fic: "Spin Control" [20/24]

[trovia]

Title: Spin Control
Pairings: Finnick/Haymitch, Kat/Peeta
Characters: Finnick, Haymitch, Chaff, Peeta, Gale, Kat; plus appearances by Mags, Johanna, Caesar Flickerman, President Snow, Effie, Claudius Templesmith, Beetee, Prim, Thresh, Rue, District Twelve ensemble and various OC
Rating: adult
Warnings: forced prostitution & non-con; people dealing

Comments

[roguedemon]

I didn't proofread that last comment at all, so I apologize for any and all mistakes/incoherence.

I loved how you went more into Haymitch's background and let your readers in on what he's thinking a little more. You referenced that scared 16-yr-old, showed how he still lives inside Haymitch (much as Finnick still struggles with his inner traumatized 14-yr-old), and showed how he got from there to here. Now that I have read more of Millari's fic I can see how Haymitch's past informs his present:

There were times for touch, but he knew Haymitch well enough to recognize this wasn’t one of them. Haymitch battled things out on his own in his head first, where it was safe because nobody could hear and get hurt.

I can see how Haymitch has developed his coping skills around his desire not to give in to the impulses and anger he feels are his father's legacy, I can see it showing up at different points throughout this fic. My hat is off to you both for creating and using Haymitch's backstory -- give your girlfriend my compliments. :)

I also appreciated the look back at a young Haymitch who was, indeed very clever and found out, bit by bit, that he couldn't think his way around the system on his own. His learned helplessness is something that developed through repeated collisions with brick walls and that is a perfect recipe for becoming "stuck" and clinically depressed. I loved the idea that he really thought he could get both of them home and how it obviously informs what's going to happen. I also liked the glimpse of Finnick comforting Haymitch after nightmares --- my heart grew three sizes. ;)

It was pretty cool to get a glimpse of how they both remember their games and the random pieces of luck they both had -- of course, it contradicts Finnick's idea that he was in control during his games, whereas Haymitch has already thought about his lack of control a lot and it reads him out. Interesting that Haymitch is now going to try to re-do his games and seize control again (in a way). It's like he and Finnick are going to switch roles a bit. And that leads me into the last theme that stood out for me -- the contrast between Finnick's career viewpoint and Hatmtich's underdog viewpoint, including the degree of willingness to kill district partners. I loved seeing Finnick's conflict between the side of him that wants to try to do things by the book Mags taught him and the side that is horrified at the thought of any of his kids getting reaped, that can't stand to just let Peeta die, the side that wants to do everything he can to prevent either of these kids becoming him. That scene with Gale just about killed me because Gale is going to think that Finnick had some sort of evil plan all along to hook up Katniss/Peeta for the sponsors and Finnick is desperately trying to prevent Gale from becoming leverage. I do think it might make practical sense for Gale to have some idea of what is really going on, apart from the fact that it killed me to read his plea to Finnick to not fuck his way through the Capitol. If Gale really despises Finnick and decided he can't trust him, I don't see their school having much of a future. But I assume you will deal with that in some way. And now I'm being kicked out of this coffee shop and I need to go. I hope you're having fun in America. Enjoy all the choices in our restaurants! ;)

[trovia]

I can see how Haymitch has developed his coping skills around his desire not to give in to the impulses and anger he feels are his father's legacy, I can see it showing up at different points throughout this fic. My hat is off to you both for creating and using Haymitch's backstory -- give your girlfriend my compliments. :)

I'd love to hear more about what points of this fic you noticed this, because while I assumed millari's backstory for SC, I must admit I did this subconsciously. We talked about it so much, I don't even know anymore where SC ends and Planting Seeds begins. And thank you, I did. I was reading this with my head on her lap, so she saw. :) She also informed me that you made a Grinch reference. ;)

His learned helplessness is something that developed through repeated collisions with brick walls and that is a perfect recipe for becoming "stuck" and clinically depressed.

Ugh, yeah. Haymitch's whole way of thinking is a taboo in Panem society. You don't think around corners, you don't twist the bigger picture. He does entirely too much proactive thinking for his own good. He must have trained himself out of having ideas overall. Until his alcohol was taken away and Finnick came along making him think about what he wants and needs, anyway. ;)

It was pretty cool to get a glimpse of how they both remember their games and the random pieces of luck they both had -- of course, it contradicts Finnick's idea that he was in control during his games

It does. I don't have any space to get into that here in SC - I figure it would be an issue for him to tackle in the future - but he's very slowly coming to realize that maybe his Games wasn't what he made it in his head. He wouldn't have allowed his mind to go there a year ago. Indeed, he did talk about his Games two years ago with Aleese when she quizzed him on what it's like. He did tell her then, too, that he was scared and that everybody in there is always scared. But he thought about it as just this rush and this strategic event where he was constantly aware of how the game needed to be played, what he needed to do. He was remembering the narrative then, but he wasn't allowing himself to remember the actual Games - what it had felt like and really been like. But he can slowly start affording that now.

It's like he and Finnick are going to switch roles a bit.

They are! It's currently killing me to write. :) Haymitch has been coping by pointed inaction and Finnick has been coping by being hyperactive and both of them have arrived at a comfort zone where they can dare do the other thing.

Mhm, I have thoughts on Gale but we should get back to that after the end of the fic.

Oh no! No being kicked out of the coffee shop! :D Thanks, I'm having a lot of fun. I'm getting more used to the menus. ;) I hope your life will calm down again soon and that you'll catch a break.