WIP Everlark Recs with Titania - The Capitol's Depravities

The Capitol’s Depravities

I have to start off my review by saying that I was slow to love Mockingjay (the third installment of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games Trilogy).  It was so bleak;  a happy ending more qualified than any I’d ever read since Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried or Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale.   Truthfully, I didn’t pay attention to the themes building up to that novel.  Because when I opened my eyes and allowed myself to think critically about it, I realized that there was no other way the trilogy could have ended.

Mockingjay, among other things, reminds the reader that there are no limits to the lengths that those in power will go to stay in power.  It also demonstrates that there is no limit to the depravity that can be reached.  As George Orwell famously put it “Power corrupts.  Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  There is no question that Cornelius Snow is the embodiment of corruption made extreme.

We learn the depths of Snow’s corruption in the person of Finnick Odair, who confesses that, through the use of threats and coercion, Snow has reduced him to a highly desired prostitute.  This confession shocks the readers as well as all of Panem and explains so much about his character and behavior throughout the trilogy.  Furthermore, the revelation that many other Victors suffer the same fate at the hands of the Capitol makes the reader blanch at the possibility of Peeta and Katniss suffering the same fate had the revolution not been successful. 

This what-if premise is explored in several well-written, gripping Everlark fanfics.  There are a few centered only around Johanna, Haymitch and Finnick but as I am an Everlark rec page, I will concentrate on those stories that feature our favorite OTP.

Warning:  While well-written and thought-provoking, some feature non-con and other disturbing characteristics as befits their subject matter.  I consider forced marriage and consummation, especially public consummation, to fall under this category.  Tread carefully and pay attention to triggers.

The Other Mockingjay by Mockingjayflyingfree 

(https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9589385/1/The-Other-Mockingjay)

Katniss and Peeta weren't reaped for the Quarter Quell. Instead, they were forced by Snow to get married as soon as they turned 18. How does their marriage change the future of Panem? Will there still be a rebellion - when Snow is controlling the Mockingjay?  The sequel to The Wedding. https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9566232/1/The-wedding

A Marriage Between Victors by Optimus-Pam (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8081564/1/A-Marriage-Between-Victors)

What if the Victory Tour ended with a wedding rather than an engagement? A story that explores what would have happened if Peeta and Katniss had been forced to marry. How does this change affect their relationship? District 12? The rebellion? 

Darker Path by Miss Maia  (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9350026/1/Darker-Path)

The 74th Hunger Games is over, but now Katniss and Peeta have a different battle to fight. Recruited to the lascivious business of Escort Victors, they have to face an entire new set of fears and challenges. What seemed a place for the hopeless could develop into something major as other Victors have plans for Peeta, Katniss … and Panem. 

Lines of Demarcation by Amelia Day (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9692359/1/Lines-of-Demarcation)

"It's a protection, Katniss," Peeta mutters, dejectedly. "Even if I was allowed to be paired, who would want me?" If only he knew... In a world where your entire life has been decided for you, it's hard not to be envious of what can never be yours.

The Tigers Come at Night by shesasurvivor
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9855911/1/The-Tigers-Come-at-Night

Forced into prostitution in the Capitol, Katniss and Peeta find a way to seek refuge in the only people who understand: each other. But when they begin to sleep together for comfort in the supposed safety of their own homes, an unplanned occurrence makes the third Quarter Quell more difficult than it already is. Catching Fire AU. WARNING: Forced prostitution, non-con situations.

Their Last Night of Love: A Special Verity Presentation, Exclusively for Preferred Customers by Yahtzee for Alaylia

http://archiveofourown.org/works/32054

Amid the media circus leading up to the Quarter Quell, Katniss and Peeta try to create something real.

XXXXX

One shots and short fics of the same theme:

Knots by atetheredmind (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/8795966/1/Knots)

"Making knots. Making knots. No word. Making knots." Snow has plans for the Star-Crossed Lovers of District 12, and they involve his most lucrative commodity. Written for Week 2 of Everlarkrecs Dirty December. Katniss/Peeta/Finnick.

Behind the Shroud, Beneath the Veil by ghtlovesthg 

(http://archiveofourown.org/works/1013433/chapters/2012276)

She’s an escape artist and he’s a master of disguise.  Having convinced Snow and Panem during the Victory Tour, the star-crossed lovers find themselves the darlings of the Capitol.  An all that entails. AU following Victory Tour.  PiP Round 3 Submission.