THG fic: "Spin Control" [22/24]

[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]

Mechanically, Finnick pictured how this imagery was just spreading through the Capitol right now, like a virus infection. In clubs and bars and private homes, everybody was staring at this. They - Haymitch - had built this story of Katniss so carefully, every detail tweaked and calculated, every nuance spun. That had been then. This was something new.

He could almost physically feel that story slipping out of their hands, out of their control, because the production wasn’t cutting away and Kat still sang and that meant everybody fell in love the exact way everybody had last fallen in love with Finnick.

This wasn’t about sex, though. Finnick didn’t think that people wanted to fuck Katniss right now, and that only made it worse. It made it dangerous, because what else was there to want on this scale?

So I wanted to return to continue my comments. The above really jumped out at me when I read. I loved how Finnick framed the whole thing in his mind. He's been focused on trying to save a tribute while avoiding them ending up in his situation. And now there's something completely new in the mix. You just turn the whole scene on its head and introduce a whole new factor. The way Finnick processes it, his dawning horror that something is happening that really can't be spun in any way he knows, just builds the suspense brilliantly.

You also accomplished something great with Chaff's response to the bread. I have never read a fic that implied that Chaff found anything wrong with that gift. You once again have thought out of the box and flipped the readers's perceptions to expose new insight. Finnick's thoughts on how D11's culture is different from other districts, even D12 is interesting, and I'd love to hear your thoughts on that. You're right, D12 wouldn't literally take bread on the mouth of one of their own. They also would probably be savvy enough (or apathetic enough?) not to defy the Capitol that way. And Chaff is right in saying that they are shying away from helping someone who got their hands dirty. Another way for a District to show distrust of victors and what they have to do to become victors.

[trovia]

The way Finnick processes it, his dawning horror that something is happening that really can't be spun in any way he knows, just builds the suspense brilliantly.

:))

I'm a bit amused by everybody's reactions to this scene, because I think I've always processed the canon equivalent differently from everybody else. I read it as shit hitting the fan, while everybody else seems to think it's this grand thing. Maybe it's because of my marketing background. And because I'm a control freak. ;) The moment when a product goes viral is awesome for the product usually, but still a little scary because all bets are off once it happens.

Fic where Chaff cheerfully gives Haymitch the bread for Kat is one of my biggest THG pet peeves. I cannot understand how people can actually think Chaff would do that freely. He has a tribute in the game! But everybody seems to think "Chaff is a good person" and "cheering for Kat is awesome," therefore "supporting Kat is the right thing to do for Chaff" and I just cannot process how people don't notice that none of that just now made any sense.

Also it was fun to criticize D11 because nobody ever does. ;)

[roguedemon]

Re: the marketing, I think you have just done an incredible job extrapolating from the ideas Collin presented in canon. I actually agree that all the marketing/propaganda elements made sense in the books. I think it is one of the areas that Collins put some vigorous thought into. But you've just taken it to the next level, and it's really peaking here. I loved all the detail at the beginning of the chapter about the PR blitz at the beginning of the games, all the details about the bets that can be placed, and the way all the mentors are trying to manipulate the media. I loved Finnick and Haymitch stumbling into their reporter of choice. :)

Finnick leaned against a wall and blinked into the sun, letting his beauty and this year’s media pull work for him. Mooching that cigarette off the Trophy’s editor in chief, he sighed and said it was hard, looking at Peeta and being reminded of his own love affairs. He assured her in a confidential voice that leaving the Capitol had, more than once, broken his heart. Then, he assured her that she could quote him on that.

This is such first-rate bullshit, I love it when you write Finnick like that. So many authors omit his snarkiness. I also hope to see a snippet of Haymtich's interview. :) Of course, I'm also struck by how working with the media like this means Finnick has to continually damage himself acting out this loathsome role. Of course, you've made this point many times in the fic; I give all the mentors credit for that struggle. The image of Brutus with a cigar cracked me up. As a health freak myself, I was surprised at the idea of Finnick smoking -- this points to a bit of a misspent youth and we don't get to see much of that side of Finnick in this fic because he's always forced to be so serious. And of course, he is a control freak and that's not his preferred way of coping. I have to admit that cigarette smoke makes me so ill that I always have a hard time imagining characters smoking. (I've always had allergies, I would get chest infections, and now with all my other problems it's just another thing I react badly to.)I would just go straight for the gum. Also, both my parents smoked when I was young and it pretty much turned me off smoking for life because of my focus on being different from my parents in every way. :-/ But anyway, I can see Finnick being tempted by that sort of thing because of all his anxiety, but choosing to channel everything into working out because of his much-discussed need for control.

[trovia]

I've seen certain writers argue that Haymitch and Finnick wouldn't be good for each other, because Finnick would be too easily hurt by Haymitch's snark. :p They seem to have forgotten how Finnick deals with Johanna's snark by throwing her over his shoulder and dumping her in a lake.

Uh, the way I picture it, Finnick smokes only ever when he has a special reason to approach particular journalists. Not being a smoker, you might not know that the smoking area is a fantastic place to bond with the other addicts. ;) I think he probably tried around with things when he was seventeen or eighteen, yeah, but ultimately I'm with you on how he's too much of a control freak and health freak to enjoy smoking. Especially since he's a swimmer. I don't think he'd like the idea of damaging his lungs. Here, I mostly liked the idea that he would have a cigarette just because it helps him do a marketing thing, even though smoking goes against his principles. I liked the idea that he'd just make that quick sacrifice. (I smoke. My parents don't, or haven't been before I was born. Ugh, I smoke way too much.)

[roguedemon]

Hee, I've heard from smokers that it's a great way to pick people up. :) People that quit have said that they needed to find new ways of starting conversations with people.

Yeah, I bet I know who said Finnick would be hurt by snark. :-/ I always thought Finnick dumping Jo in the lake was a great scene, and it said a lot about their friendship and who they both are. That fact that Finnick knows how to handle Jo and is able to get away with dunking her speaks to a close friendship -- she would have killed anyone else. And yeah, he's obviously not one to melt in the face of a snarky comment.

I think people mistake the fact that Finnick internalizes his anger for weakness. Joanna is the opposite, she acts out her anger on other people,. Certain people say that she's stronger because she's so aggressive, but it's just one way of dealing with trauma. I hate the whole "strong" thing anyway. Jo hurts herself by hurting other people and driving them away. Finnick hurts himself by internalizing things and beating himself up. Just different styles of coping with the uncopeable.

Something else I've been thinking about is that in canon we see both Jo and Finnick during some of the absolute worst points in their lives. It's interesting to think about what they're like in more everyday situations. Sort of like Caramel: what is Jo like when she's, say, not in the arena or dealing with the aftermath of torture?

[trovia]

Yeah, I bet I know who said Finnick would be hurt by snark. :-/

Yeah, I bet you do. ;)

The lake dumping was great. It shows so well how close they are, as you said, and definitely shows that it takes a lot more than a snarky comment to get under his skin. Generally, I think it's a safe bet to assume that a lot of victors had to develop a thick skin. A lot of them would be more likely to laugh in your face at your inexpert attempts to insult you. Somebody like Kat or Peeta would never succeed. (it was also once pointed out to me that Haymitch would have felt hurt when Kat and Peeta made "eww" faces at the thought of living next to him during their Games in the cave - likewise, I think Haymitch has bigger fish too fry than take at all seriously what two sixteen-year-olds are saying about him, especially since he and Kat haven't exactly been exchanging hugs and kisses on the cheek up to that point. I think whether or not Kat takes him seriously is not at all on Haymitch's list of things that matter)

I hate the whole "strong" thing anyway. Jo hurts herself by hurting other people and driving them away. Finnick hurts himself by internalizing things and beating himself up. Just different styles of coping with the uncopeable.

Yeah, exactly. Different personalities, different coping mechanisms, different situations. If you start comparing who suffers "better" or whatever, you misunderstand the whole point of the books. Similarly, those people who dislike Finnick for being very attractive ultimately misunderstand the books.

I would really like to see Jo on a normal day. I think the conversation she had with Kat about Annie and Finnick, in the arena, probably comes closest to what she'd be like - able to come down, contemplative, probably remembering that she's hurting and either trying to get out of that state quickly or if she doesn't have the energy to do that right now, getting more miserable by the minute. But basically, much less extreme.