THG fic: "Spin Control" [21/24]

[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]

This is wonderful. As always. :) I'm rather brain dead today, because yeah, I kinda crashed. Hypomania is such fun until you don't sleep well and then you pay for it. I've felt a lot worse, though. I'll have better thoughts for you later, but right now I just want to say that I especially loved seeing Haymitch start coming into his own and showing us all what he's really capable of. I loved how Finnick thought it was hot, even while he was freaking out about Haymitch's whole strategy. I want to pet poor Finnick, what with losing Mags, having Snow torture him yet again, and feeling so anxious because he's not sure what to do with this out-of-the-box strategy. And he's right to be concerned, because we all know what happens if Snow decides that he doesn't like it.

You wrote the best Peeta ever. You made him into a three-dimensional character, you allowed us some insight into how his abusive family has affected his self-concept and motivations. You allowed us to see the dignity and strength he does have underneath the whole Romeo image fandom has concocted for him. You also allowed Finnick to point out that yes, this is objectively crazy, it's not the most romantic thing ever.

I loved how Haymitch figures out Peeta's feelings right away and then he looks at Finnick like, duh, how do you think I know this? I actually totally agree with you that Haymitch is mad intuitive about people. It's a very important theme in this fic. I never meant to imply otherwise, I'll have to go back and clarify what I was trying and failing to say yesterday. And the end just killed me. I was actually really surprised that they would even try to have sex in the Capitol, I guess it's a measure of where their relationship is at, they both want/need each other badly enough that they are willing to risk ending up on pay-per-view (I suppose they figure that Snow knows everything already...). It just broke my heart that they were both looking for comfort and it went so wrong. And of course Finnick beats himself up about it. He really couldn't know that exact thing was going to happen. (Am I right in assuming they've done that position before, but all the cues -- e.g., the smell of the bed sheets -- set Haymitch off? That coupled with other stuff going on in Haymitch's mind regarding what he wants, what it means, etcetera.

Haymitch, you are eventually going to have to talk about this. There is no way to get around it. ;)

[trovia]

Hey, I don't have the time right now to reply properly - it's very late here - thank you for your thoughts, of course, as always. :) I'd just been meaning to pick your brain on something, as I signed up for the remix challenge and I'm considering what to write.

Do you have any knowledge on how alcoholics such as Haymitch would process memory, or how / if all that drinking would influence the way he remembers things? If I wrote introspective things on Haymitch remembering all the trauma and his many tributes, I wonder if that wouldn't just be influenced by the fact that he's trying his hardest to forget them. But the drinking, and the drinking-to-forget would also damage memories maybe, on a neurological level. I'm not sure what I'm asking, just hoping I can say, "Haymitch, alcohol, memories, go!" and you could supply me with a little lecture. :)

I'm glad that the crash wasn't too awful. I have another friend who's bipolar, and I always get so worried when it happens with her. I think she's pretty out of control while you sound like you have an admirable grip on the condition, but still.

[trovia]

Finally getting to replying to this, and again, thank you for the wonderful comment. :)

It was very important to me that Finnick should find Haymitch hot when he goes wild with the marketing plan! Because it's hot. ;) And because it's not like Finnick doesn't want Haymitch to start feeling comfortable enough with himself to go there. He just really hates that plan.

I'd lie if I wouldn't say the Peeta characterization wasn't influenced by our conversations about him. :)

I never meant to imply otherwise, I'll have to go back and clarify what I was trying and failing to say yesterday.

Oh no, don't panic, I know you didn't mean to criticize. :)

Regarding the sex, yeah, Finnick and Haymitch both vividly remember the last Games when they ended up feeling like the Games were driving them apart, unable to even touch each other anymore. They've come to rely on drawing strength from the other, and they want to be able to keep doing that. I probably should have clarified but yeah, I think either they've tried out the position before or something very similar to it anyway. The Capitol just isn't the place to try out new things in the bedroom. (hah. My outline said it was but when I got to the scene, I thought no chance in hell, and I started looking for something else.)

Haymitch, you are eventually going to have to talk about this. There is no way to get around it. ;)

He'll keep doing his mightiest. :D