Fic: We have not touched the stars

[zombieboyband]

The Hunger Games Trilogy
Set between the last chapter and the epilogue of Mockingjay
Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
(with a slight side of Effie/Haymitch if you squint)
11803 words
warnings: lots of feelings and a spectrum of [Spoiler (click to open)]tender vanilla hetsex, oral sex, consensual torture, ptsd type things, knifeplay, handcuffs, bondage, power dynamics,

Comments

[muffinbitch]

OH I LOVE IT. This is just wonderful! I love the language, and how you have captured the one of the book PERFECTLY, and the characters, oh so much - especially Katniss - just, wow. You have that prickly thing, and the emotional avoidance, and how she realises how bad she is at other people's emotions and dealing with them and helping people when the threat isn't something she can just shoot down - I really love what you've done here. And the baking - love that too. :) You have just captured Peeta perfectly too - the patience, how willing he is to wait for her, endlessly, forever if necessary. (Love that he was waiting for "Something worth mentioning to you," for eleven years - love that whole conversation - especially that she finally thinks to ask, that she is slowly getting a bit better at that.)

I also laughed quite a lot at "I also froze some goat cheese apple tarts for this occasion," - just love the incongruity of that, after the sheer intensity of what's gone on before! And yes - of course he did. I was grinning like a fool at that - such an awesome moment!

In short: it was brilliant, I loved it, and it totally worked for me as a character exploration and really intense story, when the kink is, er, not entirely my thing. ;) So, yay, works on many levels! Brilliantly done!

[zombieboyband]

HIII, so glad you like this!

Yes, okay, god, thank you--Katniss and her prickly thing and her emotional avoidance. I wanted, very much, to not have her suddenly be this...manipulative femmedomme, because it's so easy for female characters to get cast in this one dimensional role of bondage witch, and it's as limiting and patronizing as always being a princess. So yeah, she's not experienced at this, she isn't even particularly aroused by it (except when she discovered that is, a little, in some ways). She feels put up upon and the responsibility freaks her out and she's aware that she's not inherently good at that kind of thing--but she is smart, and complicated, and capable. And she loves Peeta. Katniss can always do so much more than she thinks she can. So, yeah, I am thrilled to hear that that emotional conflict came across to you.

It's also why I chose to write it first person POV, even though that was very odd for me--how else could we see her hesitance, her anger? And it makes all the difference to me, I think.

And HAHA Peeta, I am so glad you like Peeta; I love Peeta, too. And of course he has bandages and apple tarts--he has every fucking faith in Katniss, and so he's ready for her to succeed (and celebrate with/be comforted by pastry). Also, my headcannon is that he has a little streak of Batman in him--ALWAYS PREPARED! PREP TIME!--but in a...sweeter kind of way.

I feel like I deal in false advertising and not even to my benefit, because I write my kink stories NOT ABOUT THE KINK? Or, like, they're very intense for me to write because I'm like, but what makes this powerful in this situation? Handcuffs are just handcuffs--pieces of metal. It's the feelings behind them that matter, IRL and not.