HUMAN CONDITION, (catching fire.)

HUMAN CONDITION.

H U M A N
C O N D I T I O N.

'I'M GONNA KILL YOU,
IF YOU DON'T BEAT ME TO IT.'

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ARDEN IS A FIGHTER. She hadn't always been, but the Hunger Games had lit a fire inside of her that once ignited, would burn for eternity. Unlike her fellow tributes, Arden doesn't resent the Capitol people. In fact, she likes to believe that she is one of them now, their superstar from District 5. Before the Games, she'd been a nobody, destined to a life working in the solar power plant located in the heart of her district. The Games changed that. For the first time, she was important. She was valued, honoured and adored by so many. But all of that comes crashing down on her when Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark are reaped for the 74th Hunger Games. The star-crossed lovers from District 12 who destroy the tradition of the Games after becoming the first pair of tributes to win together. Not only do they spark rebellion within the districts, but they threaten Arden's status as well, something she will do anything to preserve. With the strength of the Capitol on her side, she will win the Games and reclaim her throne as the people's darling victor.

MASSIMO IS A LOVER. Always has been, always will be. It is the one thing he will never let the Capitol take from him. Like most of his fellow tributes, Massimo uses his status to his advantage, but not in the ways one would think. With nothing and nobody left to lose, Massimo spends every last penny giving back to District 5 until he has nothing left to give. Tensions are rising in every district, rebel alliances are forming, and Massimo is leading them all, seemingly right under President Snow's nose. In the midst of this, a new hope emerges from the ashes; Katniss Everdeen, the Girl on Fire. She is exactly the kind of spark that the districts need to pick up arms, and Massimo knows it. But he also knows that President Snow is watching him like a viper, waiting for just the right moment to strike, and that moment arises in the form of the 75th Quarter Quell. Massimo's immunity has finally run out. But he does not intend to go easily. With the help of the Mockingjay, he will end these vicious Games and liberate the districts once and for all.

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JESSIE MEI LI
AS ARDEN XÌNGYÙN.

DYLAN O'BRIEN
AS MASSIMO RUTHERFORD.

WITH

SIMU LIU
AS ATOM ZHÀNZHĒNG.

GEMMA CHAN
AS ZELLA XÌNGYÙN.

SACHA BARON COHEN
AS RAFFERTY WILDE.

LUPITA NYONG'O
AS AZULA DELVAUX.

BILLY PORTER 
AS OCTAVIAN VARLETT.

AND

DEVERY JACOBS
AS KATNISS EVERDEEN.

JOSH HUTCHERSON
AS PEETA MELLARK.

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TRIGGER AND CONTENT WARNINGS!
violence, gore, weapons, deaths. mentions of suicide, ptsd and war.
enemies to lovers, slow burn, found family tropes.
PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

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AUTHOR'S NOTE!

hi! i am so so SO stoked for this story and i hope you are too! i just wanted to clear a few things up before you read ahead!

this is technically a hunger games spin-off since it is an OC x OC story, but it is set in the same timeline as THG series, specifically catching fire in this case. arden and massimo are my own characters completely. this will be a slow burn enemies to lovers (yes you heard that right) as stated above, so get ready for some ANGST!!!!!

i know some of you are going to be quick to dislike arden after reading her summary, but i promise you she is such an interesting and very complex character that i hope you'll all end up loving (or not, totally up to you) it's very obvious that the glory of it all has gone to her head a little, but she doesn't realize why that's wrong just yet. she's such a cool character to write because she's morally grey and almost villain-leaning.

also! this will be a dual POV, meaning you'll get chapters from massimo and arden's povs (as well as other characters possibly?) so make sure you check which point of view you're reading before you start each chapter :)

that's all for now! let the games begin!!!

love always,
chloe