Mirrorball ↠ Story Recommendations

𝒗 ━ human condition

HUMAN CONDITION,
by isaacnewts

— completed or on-going?: ongoing

— genre: fanfiction
⤷ universe: the hunger games

— not-so-short summary:

"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 fist 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 away 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 3rd 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."

(okay maybe that summary wasn't as short, but i had to include it all because it's written SO WELL)

— reader's notes:

• THIS CONCEPT IS SO COOL!! i think this has to be the first hunger games fic on here where it features a victor very much enjoying her capitol life — she milks the fame she has, lavishes in the wealth she has been given. it's an angle i forget is very feasible, and the reason why many careers probably volunteered, so to read it from this angle through arden's eyes is fascinating. so props to chloe for this!!

• and then of course, you have the complete contrast of the revolutionary massimo (i'm sorry but THAT'S SUCH A COOL NAME!). i'm highly looking forward to seeing more of arden and massimo's interactions, as it feels very much like a yin and yang kind of dynamic.

• chloe puts so much effort into their writing and world-building, and it really shows. i feel like she really gets deep into her surroundings when writing, showing the significance of the world around the characters. this aspect is especially important in the hunger games because, let's be real, it's super political. speaking of which, they also thread other canon characters such as president snow into it seamlessly! sometimes it's super hard to figure out how your OC interacts with canon characters, but they nail it.

• also the casting decision for jessie mei li as arden, and dylan o'brien as massimo?? WHAT CAN I SAY? IT'S PERFECT!

• make sure to check out some of their other stories too! she has a completed (i think??) maze runner fanfic named clarity, amongst others. and if you're reading this chloe, keep doing what you're doing, you're super talented! 😇