heard a rumor that the bb comes out sunday so im rushing to finish this review beforehand ooooo

landen. yeah... last pov we'll see from her i'm predicting. she's not the most impressive and while she's sweet and all she's quite bland. also... very quiet. i think she said literally two words in all of this pov. like props for being observant but girl. you just dont ever talk lmfao! its difficult to be outstanding when youre this timidish

colm. nothing much to say about him, i think chana's absence was more interesting than what he could provide tbh. in my eyes (and the eyes of the poll apparently!) hes a complete bloodbath and if he survives it thatd be a bit of a shocker. chana's replacement tho...

vervain. i liked seeing the transition into the hovercrafts and the nervousness/faith that vervain is experiencing in regards to his allies. it'll be interesting to see if they all make it out or how they'll react should they lose an alliance member. everythings so tense here! im tense for the bloodbath im ready to see sum kids KICK THE BUCKET eh lets hear it for action and intensity

orienne. a lot of scared kids up in this hovercraft! its realistic. i liked the last bit of interaction between orienne and eleni - they seem like they've solid heads on their shoulders and should be able to make it out of the bloodbath if they just stick together and push past any nerves they've got. i dont even know what id be doing during launch. jumping out of my skin prolly

sena. you go girl dont get discouraged. i like how despite being 12 she's not deluding herself and knows her odds going in. its nice to see her so appreciative of her last(?) moments. also - the arena outfitsssssss! not that i was conflicted on what sort of setting the arena would be in but just judging by the heavy outfits im like :) wintertime snow globe hot cocoa snowman evergreen tree christmas tree forest :) we never see cold arenas. im ready for it

laurent. awe baby! he got the final capitol pov! love to see him whenever you choose to feature him and i hope he thrives w his newfound alliance. you get em laurent!

fav season? summeerrrrrr but autumn is a close second because i highly enjoy sweatshirts and the changing leaves!

update soon. i know you will but pls. soon.

3 to go... girl i feel like im running a marathon

valya,... girl focus on URSELF. shes so obsessed with how mercury is being treated and its getting grating girl. i can appreciate her determination and her desire to elevate herself, but she needs to just... tone down the jealousy. unless she plans on adding an interesting plot to this story. in that case, go get him girl!

zaid's pov was super fun! hes super self-absorbed but not in a way thats irritating, which was my immediate worry. im actually really enjoying his character and his charisma. but AIRLA lmfao! shes playing this game good! she surprised me in this pov, and i think this shows that she has a few tricks up her sleeve. she came in quietly confident, but now shes showing that shes a competitor.

ok ainsley... i know i said im hating this romance gig but shes doing it SO WELL. shes giving me everything i need and more. shes adapting to the games, and though it makes her feel rather ridiculous, shes doing what she has to do to improve her chances. and im LOVING IT. period pooh

harland is a SNAKE WTF! madina deserves better im so mad. idc if he had no ill intention behind it but as ms robyn rihanna fenty herself would say, a rat is a rat! i cant help but feel bad for madina. hope this lights a fire under her ass and shes able to overcome this and prove herself to be SUPERIOR. im rooting for her ugh. FUCK harland

d9 are kinda.. hopeless if u ask me. like obviously theyre a nice change up to have genuinely nice tributes in the mix but idk. milan isnt giving me much, and though weylyn is showing positive signs in her character, im still pretty neutral on both of them.

i cant help but feel bad for eleni in this situation. i liked the glimpses of backstory that she had, and all the pressure and expectations that her parents had that caused her to fall apart. nonetheless, i appreciate the vulnerability and i enjoyed her opening up a little more as a character, bc she seemed quite reserved in the last pov she had. at least now, we know where her reservations come from and can sympathise with her as a character. i feel like she has a lot of room to grow, which will be fun to explore!

faves: zaid, ainsley
like: eleni
neutral: valya, milan
dislike: harland

surprises with the viewer rankings... aneira being so high? being from d4 probably helped. i didnt expect orienne to be so high either, but her charm probably got her that far. harland was also surprisingly high, but once again it was probably his charm that got him that far... FUCK harland!

omg... 2 to go. big moves being made here baby

UGH i forgot to answer the q from last chapter.

i see... koda, aneira, vervain, milan, colm... and maybe a career? mercury or valya perhaps.

anyways, 4 to go!

once again, nara's determination shines through in this pov, but at least she managed to tame it a little bit. and once again, shes quite forceful in her interactions, but something about it makes it funny to me. i like her as a character. she adds a bluntness that isnt necessarily bad-intentioned, but she just really wants to make it home. respek

the career packs seems to be a mess already. LMFAO. they never seem to work out, do they? i liked how perceptive airla was in this pov - she seems to have a really good grasp of everything going on around her. she has a really firm he's don her shoulders, which will only prove beneficial. shes one i can see going far

LMFAO. these tributes are so forward? its so funny. anyways, koda obviously proved that hes competent with technology considering he blew the fucking place up, but once again hes giving me . she smart d3 tribute. he could add more to the story as a plot mover, but idk. i want more for him as a character.

every time i read ike's name i think of tina turner. an icon... ike-on? but anyways FUCK ike! anyways is that romance that i smell? disgusting! keep it away from me! ike and ainsley have a really genuine connection and its definitely.. different to other dynamics in this story. keep it professional though ladies!

aneira's pov was so cute! there were little details about her character that were really effective, such as her sheltered life back in four. shes super stubborn, but shes also not stupid, so its good that she has an ally by her side. really enjoying her narrative as well - theres a maturity and intelligence to her that im really enjoying, so great job with that! excited to see where you can take her.

yeah. this careers alliance is a MESS. laurent will be a really fun addition to the group though. mercury himself seems like a very neutral character to me, and a lot of this pov really was just observations about the alliance. he seems like one to keep to himself, but he for sure isnt stupid enough to make the strongest tributes his enemies, so hes playing it safe for now. good tactics, i just want to sense a stronger narration from him.

fave: nara
like: airla
neutral: koda, ike, mercury

my fave alliance so far... loving the dynamic between nara, harland and vervain. but thats solely just because nara is really entertaining and adds something really fun.

omg... 3 to go!

5 to go!

orienne was really cute! she seems like a very extroverted girl who doesnt take herself too seriously, but im glad to see that shes at least trying to approach this situation with more seriousness than she usually would. i liked the observations and the little bit of world building this pov offered as well, and im hoping that orienne and eleni can bounce off each other well.

ainsley sounds very full on. i can understand her desire to try her best to prepare herself for the games, but of course that comes at the detiment of coming across as very overpowering. i can tell she has good intentions, but she just comes across as slightly forceful. she seems really eager to prove herself though, so that can benefit her a lot in the games.

much like ainsley, zaid seems verrrrryyy overpowering in contrast to airla, but that just makes airla's personality shine a lot more imo. but yes, zaid sounds pretty charismatic and also a little bit dimwitted, and he sounds like the type of character that will becoming grating very easily, but also one that i can enjoy reading. i like the dumb ones! excited to see how this alliance comes together

you can get a real strong sense of jealousy from valya in this pov. shes obviously annoyed that shes being overshadowed by her district partner, and seems very eager to be included in the mix. theres also a sense of morality in her, not wanting to fight but wanting to defend herself. nonetheless, her character was kinda overshadowed by the interactions of the careers (?) coming together. hopefully she can find a way to stand out.

milan seems nice. as does landen. as does weylyn. an alliance of nice people... i dont really get much more from them? itll be interesting to see how they cope with whatever the arena throws them, bc the quieter, kinder characters always seem to go through fun development.

LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO. this whole interaction was hilar. LOVING nara's forwardness and inability to read the room, its adding a really interesting dynamic between the three. we have vervain and harland, two genuinely nice boys who enjoy each other's company, and nara literally forcing her way in,... hilarious. vervain's personality was overwhelmed by how funny i found nara, but im excited to see more.

like: orienne, zaid
neutral: valya, milan, vervain
conflicted: ainsley

4 to go!

i was gonna be petty and not continue reviewing ... but im a good ass person
appreciate me

koda seems very timid, which is understandable considering how domineering sanai came across in this pov. hes fidgety, good with his hands, shy but intelligent... quite stereotypical while added up together so im hoping that he can show me another layer to his character.

i can very much feel the frustraion of malachi in this pov, much like koda's, but at least this time we saw some fire! malachi seems like the type of tribute thats quite reserved until provoked. it really highlights how difficult this situation is for the tributes, and it shows a lot of development potential for malachi. hopefully he can use that spirit to his advantage!

emrys seemed superrrr over it at the beginning of this pov, and i was beginning to feel worried that he was one that would just give up. however, i liked the vulnerability that you were able to portray in this pov, and its clear emrys is obviously just longing for something to feel better. hopefully he can apply himself and actually survive a little while, because i really enjoy his character

go girl give us nothing! i love her lack of energy xx a recurring theme of this chapter just seems to be mentors pissing the tributes off, LMFAO. i liked the glimpses of aneira's stubbornness in this pov, and hopefully she will be able to use whatever spirit she has to help her in the games. i liked the sentiments of wanting to live for herself that were added here also! fanchon is rude as hell basically telling her she doesnt care if she dies... aneira best win this shit if im reviewing this much

i like the contrast between the d12 LMFAO theyre so funny to me. while laurent's personality shines very strong, eleni seems a bit demure to me - irritated by her district partner, which is understandable, and trying to find a way to adapt to this situation. we got quite a good grasp of her backstory here, but eleni's personality is still rather tame for me atm.

while eleni is tame, chana is... everything but. i know what happens to her later on, so im not gonna dwell on her character too much, but i kinda like her fire? fuck the capitol! she wont let anybody control her! i like that attitude. she adds something different to the story which i can appreciate.

like: malachi, emrys, chana (rip)
neutral: koda, eleni

if i was a tribute... i guess id just try to be the charming, confident tribute who will fight tooth and nail to survive? nothing too groundbreaking, but i wouldnt want to draw too much attention to myself either. theres a time and a place for my dramatic ass and im not sure the games is that!

ok... one step closer. better than nothing, i guess?

Leave it to me to review ON the day you're going to update fml why am I so lazy sometimes. LAUNCH time, this was very quick!

This replacement tribute idea is a really fascinating idea. They're going to nab some girl from the Capitol and remake her to look like Chana, and then rush her to the launch room to compete? That poor girl will have absolutely no chance — she's only there to fill the tribute quota, number 24. I'd be very surprised if the Replacement even survives the first day; I'm not sure what the ramifications will be of this, but it just illustrates how ruthlessly obstinate the Capitol is. Poor Chana really thought she had some control over her fate — only for the Capitol to defile her image even in death.

This could be good news for Colm though. Someone has to be there who knew the real Chana so we can see how they react to the Replacement. I think Colm is the only person who had a connection with Chana so I could see him now surviving the BB along with Chana 2.0.

You have to feel bad for Landen here, who is now being engulfed by Malachi's shadow. He's the one everyone cares about, and she's the girl who's going to be another victim. Landen feels betrayed by Malachi which I get but I wish they'd have talked to each other one last time, just to clear the air. She seems quite bitter and hurt, but if she spoke to him, he'd probably tell her that even he isn't sure what he's doing. Landen wants to win on her own terms but she'll quickly realize soon that trying to play the Games her way is a fool's errand.

I want so badly for Colm to survive. Admittedly I did vote for him as most likely to die in the BB but now with this Chana drama I feel like he has a better chance in a meta sense. He's reacting how any of us would react. Belen is being a bellend like usual but Colm isn't even trying to spite her, he's just trying to enjoy the last shower he's probably ever going to have in this lifetime. Honestly, I do like him, and am hoping he makes it really far.

Vervain was sort of overshadowed by the scene you set here — which was really haunting and made me quite nervous! Vervain is really, really scared. Everyone around him is closing their eyes but he finds he cannot. The impending doom is taking a huge psychological toll on him. All these things are going through his head like the taunting from Laurent, the 'Bloodbath', the needle. He's very overwhelmed and I hope that this doesn't impact his chances of dying but seeing him react this way isn't good.

Orienne is trying so hard to smile but it was taken from her by the Capitol over the course of the last week. She's not the same bubbly girl she used to be. The Capitol killed that girl, and now they're going to kill her again. I really like Orienne — we didn't see much of her but she's not an annoying ditz like I had assumed from the early impressions. She's a pretty girl who likes pretty things but it doesn't have to mean she's stupid. I'm eager to see how she develops; frankly, these are my absolute favorite characters to watch develop in the Games.

I like how Sena is being realistic and recognizing that her odds are going to be low because of her age. But she's not going to give up. She'll be at a huge disadvantage but hopefully after what Emrys did for her, she'll be safer in a large alliance. Maybe she'll be so small that she can squeak by under everyone's noses. The thick outfits are obviously meant to be for an arctic, snow-covered arena. Maybe the Himalayas or the North Pole.

Laurent is cocky as ever. He's the most confident character in this story so far; he has somehow convinced himself that the other tributes will be easy for him to take down. He's always thought he was better than everyone, and it's no different now. Typically, blindly arrogant characters don't do very well in the Games and tend to die pretty quick, actually. But Laurent got lucky with Zaid's alliance and he should be safe if he doesn't act up. At least he's not arrogant enough to assume that he could kill Mercury or Airla. Those two are the biggest threats along with Ike in this story. At some point Laurent will try to manipulate his allies to survive so that should be interesting to see.

I love winter but my favorite is definitely Autumn. It's cool out but not bitingly so, plus it becomes very colorful out. But I mostly love it for Halloween, my fave 'holiday' even though I'm in my 20's i don't care, i LIVE for it. Autumn is amazing okay.

Final Chart!
Favorite: Zaid
Love: Emrys, Malachi, Orienne, Mercury, Aneira
Like: Madina, Airla, Colm, Eleni, Ainsley, Koda, Vervain
Neutral: Laurent, Weylyn, Milan, Sena, Ike, Landen, Elior
Dislike: Nara, Harland

I am almost caught up be proud of me I'm getting there unlike a certain someone else...

Elior: It was really good to see him stand up for himself and finally speak his mind on what is bothering him and how he's feeling about everything and how Nara is overtaking the entire situation. I feel like this was a good time to show some development in him in his second POV and really highlight that although he was walked all over the entire time that he's been in the Capitol he won't take it anymore, and then we revert right back to the core of his character when he starts sobbing and wanting to make it better. I feel bad for him that his mental state is so out of whack and that he isn't in the right head space, but I tend to side with Nara here. Like she's going to do what she can to give herself the best chance and if Elior isn't bold enough to have spoken up earlier than so be it, that's his own fault and she's just doing what she needs to survive. She's a bigger personality so I'm excited to see more of her.

Weylyn: I am still utterly fascinated by her, I still love the concept behind her beliefs and her character so much, she's one of the more distinctive ones here imo. I think it's interesting that her faith is wavering during the eleventh hour and that she can't seem to hold that inside herself. I still just find Milan's controlling nature and touchy way of dealing with her weird and creepy. I don't know why it leans that way for me but that's the way that I interpret it and I can't get it out of my head. it's like he thinks he has to protect her even though he doesn't like her viewpoint but he still feels compelled to help her even when she doesn't want his help. I much prefer Weylyn to him and I wonder if she'll be able to survive the BB and if her belief in the Games will continue to waver.

Malachi: Being honest, he's kind of the least memorable out of his alliance and I think you covered how he feels the same way within this POV. I feel bad for him because he definitely feels like he's on the outs and that he doesn't belong but basically that entire group is full of mismatched people that are only together because Zaid wanted the highest ranked people together despite them all not being compatible at all. This alliance is going to blow up since Malachi along with basically all of the others are thinking of dipping or killing someone within the alliance, so I can't see it lasting long. As for Malachi, yeah he kind of fades to the back for me within his alliance.

Emrys: This was such a sweet POV and also shows some good development for Emrys. He's no longer just the hardened kind of mean person but he's showing some growth to where he's caring for his tiny little district partner. Bold of him to invite her into the alliance the night before the Games without consulting his other allies, I wonder how that's going to go when he informs them of his decision.. if he gets to inform them before the Games begin. I like the relationship and banter than Sena and Emrys have between one another, it reminds me almost of a sibling type of relationship and banter which is nice to read. I hope they both make it out of the BB alive, I want to see how adding Sena to his alliance single handedly will shift the dynamic.

Madina: I still feel overwhelmingly bad for her, like the biggest feeling I have towards to her is pity for the situation that she's in. It's like nobody believes in her, her mentor doesn't, her district partner doesn't, the Capitol doesn't. It's very sad to see her doubt herself so much and not trust in herself, but at least she's got some resolve to herself to try and prove herself and show that she isn't the weak person that everyone thinks she is. It sucks cause she's right, there's nobody else out there for her to ally with but maybe she'll get lucky in the Arena and find someone that's alone or lost an ally and she can ally up with them and improve her chances.

This was such a creative way to world build seriously. I never had any suspicion that Chana was basically a plant to try and world build, but it makes total sense and it also explains why the Capitol acts in the way that they do in terms of protecting tributes, constantly monitoring them, and having all the nets and force fields in place that they do. Really interested to see what happens when the President finds out one of his tributes is already dead before the Games begin!

ok ladies... the catchup begins HERE
lets see how quick i can do this. i am DETERMINED

LMFAOOOOOOOO colm is going to get eaten up! hes way too tender for these games and i feel really bad for him that hes the unfortunate soul stuck as chana's district partner. his personality was very strong in this pov, and his interactions with belen were quite funny, but colm sounds... well, lets just say ill pray for him! lots of potential for development though

i liked the world building that was offered in mercury's pov, and the foundation of how the volunteering system began in d1. mercury himself sounds SECRETIVE. hes definitely tip-toeing around the truth, so im excited to figure out what that is. if hes trained, hes gonna be a big contender. woo!

nara is FIESTY. though i did feel bad for bette in this pov, theres a desperation to nara that i really like - it shows how determined she is to make it home. and shes a mother! it can be quite the cliche but i like that nara has quite a defined personality to her and isnt overwhelmed by her backstory. she has a very big personality, and im hoping she can use that to her advantage to make it far.

LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOO laurent is a riot. pure entertainment, and i can completely appreciate him based on that alone. although his character seems like the type of person that will get on my nerves - haughty, condescending, very privileged - i just cant help but really enjoy the narration he adds to this story. he'll be fun to break down also

and madina is still eating! i felt bad for her in this pov bc she was kinda set up for failure with her mentor, lmfao. she clearly has no ill intentions, but maybe shes just a bit more instinctual than thoughtful. at least she had the sense to hold her tongue afterwards. this pov was really good in showing how difficult it is for some tributes to deal with their mentors, but madina didnt really give me much here. still excited to see more!

OOOOOH and quite the pickle airla is in! i really enjoyed the interactions in this pov - zaid being pretentious, airla being super self-effacing even though it didnt work out in the end... she seems very reserved, and i cant help but sympathise with her for the fact that despite her refusal to volunteer, she still finds herself in this situation. she sounds like she could go through a lot of development, and i really look forward to learning more abt her!

ok so chart

like: nara, laurent, airla
neutral: colm, mercury, madina

another chapter down. 6 more to go. lets get into ittttttt

launchtime!

tulio-
holy shit this is WILD! it’s already cruel but imagine having your kid taken just because they looked like the girl who killed herself. couldn’t the gamemakers just control the cameras so they didn’t show the empty pedestal and edit out people talking about it in the games? maybe that technology isn’t there yet.

landen-
im surprised that everyone’s so bent-out-of-shape regarding the capitol rankings. they mean nothing! just sponsorship odds. crazy things can happen and these kids need to believe for christ’s sakes.
her stress here is very evident and you do a good job showing it rather than just talking about how stressed she is; it shows in her monologues and in her first actions of the day. and that pep talk was desperately needed.
good luck, landen. i’m rooting for you. I mean it.

colm-
“this morning might be the last time he does a lot of things.” chills. the perfect balance between outright terror and calmness in the face of insurmountable odds. he’s kind of at that point where there’s nothing he can do so he’s just going with it.
poor baby. he threw up, that’s so gross but so warranted. god he’s so innocent I just know he’s gonna die though.

vervain-
baby.
not as much to say here but it was cool to see into vervain’s a head a bit before the start of this. he doesn’t appear to have changed much throughout the capitol and i’m not sure how much help his allies will be. predicting him or two of his allies will be bloodbaths.

orienne-
what a sad but touching pov. you’re doing a great job with these pots that have such little dialogue in them. orient has really grown on me throughout this read-through and I hope she does well. bless miko for being kind to her when she needs it, even if he’s a bit misguided.

sena-
SNOW ARENA? MAYBE?
god I want something other than a sunny forest ill even take a snow forest just let there be SNOW
not much to say about seen but I totally missed that she was 12 years old. I appreciate you not writing her like a baby!

laurent-
I need some development with laurent. he still seems pretty flat and I know there’s more to him so I really just want him to have a single thought that isn’t just for himself. after he learns some empathy, I want him dead because there is no way in hell that’s my victor.
it’s telling that he doubts his own readiness but only within his alliance— he still thinks he’s better than everyone else. it’s obnoxious but a nice change from “oh god what if im actually the worst here”
im glad he’s nervous, though. it’s far more human.
GLACIAL WIND
BLINDING WHITE
IS IT SNOW PLEASE SAY SNOW

holy fuck we MADE IT. I planned to get done tomorrow but there’s no time like the present. so here we are, 10 chapters later and a lot of reading. my head hurts but it’s worth it. now I have a day to go back through the blog, reread reviews and mentally prepare myself for this story!
and now that im caught up on reviews I can more funny enjoy it heheeee

ok so stoked to see what you have planned for us miss olive! see you very very soon xx

im tired but im determined. no sleep till I catch up 100%!

elior-
poor bette, again. I forgot nara was the one who was so angry the first time. she stood out to me more for her actions within the alliance.
OOOOHHHHH SHITTT I’m actually a pretty stoic reader but I made the :O face when I read that. eliot had every right to say that. and this argument was really really well done mwah so good. *chefs kiss*
bette is too pure and I love her and her motherly tendencies. im like crying (internally) I just want her to keep her kids safe. UGH

weylyn-
im really excited to see this conversation because I know exactly what it’ll be about.
this was really beautifully executed. you showed her thought process and how it wasn’t entirely solid and unwavering. even by the end of the conversation she was doubting it more and it was really cool to see that perfectly-paced progression.
she was the perfect person to have the night before the games. interested to see how this affects her in the morning (likely for the worse).

malachi-
this POV was really telling and another great one to have the night before launch. I want him to last in his alliance and im sure he’s not the only one who feels that way. i’m excited to see his development.

emrys-
I loved this beginning monologue and his frustration at wanting to live but not wanting to put in the effort and energy for something unattainable. I can definitely empathize with that!
i’m surprised he changed his mind so quickly. I guess desperation can do that and they’re both sleep-deprived and terrified. not the worst of plans to have one more person on his side.

madina-
unlike sena, madina doesn’t have a hail-mark plan to save herself. although I wonder at the significance of her conversation (quote unquote) with the Avox. hopefully this comes into play later on.

chana-
well damn! im happy you didn’t do this with someones tribute… ive seen it done before and it does NOT go over well, lol. I do wonder at who will be punished for this and what this entails for the rest of the story and the verse.

interviews babeyyyy! lets do this. also obv you can’t change what’s already published but gonna reiterate that id love to see more in-between POVs (before interviews, after training etc). otherwise it feels too much like we’re following a textbook chapter pattern!

valya-
ok I just realized this POV literally gave us just what I suggested above— nice!
valya is so against mercury and I have no idea where that came from! we haven’t seen her in a bit and I want to think she and mercury didn’t have a terrible relationship before but tbh I can’t remember ive read a lot the last few days lmao.
I get the sense that being from d1, even before volunteers, really has to make you feel superior. they get the prettiest things and the most love. no wonder they do so well.

zaid-
how does he already trust them with his life. they are alllll over the place. zaid either has no idea or is playing everyone.
oh my god. they’re talking romance. im gonna puke. thank GOD airla wasn’t going that route yeesh
I love the competitive energy between them even if im no fan of zaid!

ainsley-
I hate that she’s being such a dick to vervain he just wants to help I—
he has to know about ike. I mean, they’re allies. it’s hard to miss that isn’t it?
see but I think she’s wrong here. if they patch it up she can have some closure. if not it’s gonna haunt her if he dies before her.
omg she is so fake. but I get the acting, katniss did it too, she does what she has to do to survive.
is she….. is she serious….. is she really in love with ike…. say sike right now
I don’t think its a bad tactic im just— I don’t like that she’s either faking love or actually in love after a day its like the bachelor but on crack. I don’t think it’ll work because like they’ve been with each other for 2 days! is she serious…. is she leading him on…. ooof. not the biggest fan of this twist on her but well see how it plays out!

harland-
what a shit thing to have happen the night before the games. how did he not tell her she wasn’t allying with him. how did she not get the hint? im disappointed in him, it would have been so easy and now everything’s broken. yikes.

milan-
weylyn? can you chill he just helped you out he didn’t do it out of thinking you’re incompetent! yeesh! and she DID do well so what is her problem?
although I guess it is the night before the games so it makes sense that tensions would be high. but still.
I was gonna say weylyn was one of my favorites but after that outburst im a little put off by her attitude.
at least they ended on a nicer note which helped stabilize my opinion of her. still, kind of a knife in their relationship either way.

eleni-
her interview really stung! i’m sure it must have been so hard for her to feel so inferior in her family and have to say something to them from afar knowing she won’t be enough for them. fuck them if they’re not proud of her for that. she’s their daughter and she’s going to die, most likely. they can shove it if they’re worried about pride at a time like this.
also. laurent can choke for that comment.

woooo! already ahead of my plan for tomorrow. can I finish these tonight? maybe? hopefully?

nara-
speak of the devil, it’s nara again.
blank stare. I wonder if chana is still drugged?
no shit nara feels left out. she did this to herself. obtrusive much?
I will say, I admire nara’s dedication and focus on getting better especially when compared to other tributes who aren’t taking this as seriously.
I guess my only issue with her is her social game. but she’s got a fantastic mindset for this and I do want to see her go far.

airla-
zaid can go choke. why is it always the career boys. I would say d2 career boys but roarke changed that for me in fn.
airla is fine for me, nothing special yet but I suppose that can change. she’d do better in a pair I think— when she started bringing malachi up I wanted to see how those two managed together. otherwise she’s overshadowed in this POV by her alliance members. and she knows it, too.

koda-
good for him for his rise in popularity. koda is the perfect example of why you’re apparently supposed to befriend the nerds in high school. for a second I thought koda was gonna ditch his former ally for the new guy and honestly what a power move that would have been. shitty, but still.

ike-
ainsley is….friendly, isn’t she?
gushing? is she being purposely over the top? she does know the stakes, doesn’t she? at least she’s playful with him, a little snarky. that’s more like her.
“he hadn’t wanted to waste the director’s time getting more equipment.” this sentence alone is so truly telling. ike still feels inferior and bends to others’ will. it seems he’s doing that with ainsley too because she’s not the overpowering type. maybe she saw an opportunity here.
they’re trying not to be discovered? what exactly are they doing? I mean, he has’t even kissed anyone…. right….
I really like ike. his mindset obviously isn’t promising but I can see him becoming someone more determined. even ainsley dying could spark some development with him. obviously i’d rather her not die, but I like ike.

aneira-
this was a really interesting POV! despite it being only one conversation it flowed nicely and felt like the perfect length. eliot is the best— I didn’t find him annoying here but I could also understand aneira’s perspective. really good job balancing these two.

mercury-
who is zaid to make all the choices. literally he as no authority he just decided he was leader and I fucking hate him. plus he and laurent can now jerk each other off which we love to see (not).
god this is a mess. the alliance would have been fine if zaid didn’t just take over. I reeeeally hope mercury makes the bold choice to leave. and maybe take someone cool with him. i’m all for duos.

Valya: She's bound and determined to steal the spotlight away from her volunteer partner, and she might just do that given how personable she's seemed compared to Mercury, however I'm unsure if the rest of the Capitol will even be interested in her enough to get her some movement on the ranking board. I like the little bit of confidence that she has, it's the first time where she's really chosen to completely and wholly back herself. She knows that in training, Mercury has the upper hand in the weapons and the actual Games aspect, but here where she just has to answer questions and be pretty she knows she can outshine him. This alliance is so volatile it'll never last past the Bloodbath, but I'm excited to see who directly causes the downfall because Zaid, Airla, Merucry, and Valya could all very well do it. I think she might even get herself killed if she tries too hard to outshine others when the gong rings out.

Zaid: This guy is seriously such a raging douchebag but of course the Capitol is going to love that, especially since he's laying it on so thick and they have such low IQs and attention spans. I really do like his banter and relationship with Airla, it's very dynamic and there's a lot of tension there but also some sense of loyalty, which makes total sense. He's in the zone and this is his chance to shine, and I'm not surprised he outshined Mercury since he seems to have the personality of a wet napkin in terms of charm. Zaid himself is probably going to get himself in trouble in the Arena because he's already made waves within his own alliance, and typically the head of the snake is cut off and targeted first and since he's elected himself leader I could see him dying quickly, though I doubt it since he brings drama and some much needed flare. He'll never let someone else steal the spotlight for long so I wonder what he'll do to snag that #1 rating back.

Ainsley: I love her infinitely more now that I know for sure she doesn't actually have feelings for Ike, she's just playing it up for the cameras and because she knows that it makes Ike even more into her and more likely to fall on the sword for her at some point in time. I do wonder why she's so drastically hurt by Vervain, if they parted ways and she's happy with Ike then why is she so quick to cut him off anytime that he tries to even speak to her? Her anger feels a bit unjustified but I won't let that get in the way of me appreciating her character and liking how manipulative she is with the situation. She does find Ike nice and as a friend, but she knows what she has to portray and she does a very convincing job at that apparently. I like manipulative people who aren't doing it for pleasure but to survive and feel some guilt over it which I'm sure she does since she genuinely likes Ike. Yeah I quite like her overall and think she has longevity, especially with this loose thread with Vervain hanging over her head.

Harland: This was good to get a bit of a break from the interviews themselves, having to read too many of them in a row can get exhausting and can tire me out quickly and get kind of boring and stale. It's interesting to note that he never told Madina that they weren't going to be allies, and also very sad. It would suck to feel like you had an alliance set and then the day before the Games begin you're told that you aren't in an alliance and you're going into the Games on your own. I feel like I've had so many feelings of pity for Madina the entire time that she's been shown to us and that sucks, I hope she manages to prove everyone wrong. I think this adds a nice layer of depth to Harland and opens up a plot thread with Madina moving forward into the Games, and it shows he isn't the perfect nice boy that he appears to be. I wish we saw a bit of Harland and Madina training together though to really flesh out the reason behind her hurt because since we didn't see them training I feel less bad for Madina than I probably would have had we seen them train together in a POV.

Milan: Okay this is probably a weird comparison but he reminds me of an over protective boyfriend in some sense? Like he's answering for her, he's super concerned about her, hes kind of obsessed with her in a tiny bit of a way? It's like his entire world revolves around Weylyn which is someone that he doesn't even share the same ideology with and isn't even that similar with so the whole thing is just a tad bit weird to me I think. I totally get Weylyn being frustrated here, she doesn't need to be rescued by her district partner and can take care of herself just fine on her own, and having someone steal the one chance you had to make an impression would frustrate the living hell out of me. I don't know, something just doesn't sit right with me with Milan and I have a feeling these bubbling tensions might boil over sooner rather than later.

Eleni: UGH I feel so bad for her. Imagine losing sponsors because you can't keep it together at the thought of maybe never seeing your parents again? Heart breaking, and it doesn't help that she's my own tribute's ally so I feel even closer to her and want to see her do well. She's a sweet person that is trying her best and is constantly put down by Laurent (who is still an utter ass and I hope he kicks it in the BB) and it's just so sad, I wish she had Orienne there to help her out and I hope we see some more interactions from them! It feels like we've never even seen them together outside of a quick one liner a couple chapters ago so I hope we see them together soon! It's hard to root for an alliance even with my own tribute in it if we don't get to see them ever together. Regardless, I think you've done a good job at making me feel really bad for Eleni and I hope she succeeds and outplaces Laurent!

Nara: Damn this girl really has zero filter and doesn't seem to care what other people think about her. It's interesting to see that she does notice that Harland and Vervain don't seem to like her all that much or more accurately that they have a preference for one another over her, but she knows this is her best chance at an alliance and since they didn't say no she'll have to stick with them. She for sure feels like a bossy leader and that isn't going to bode well for the longevity of the alliance that she just barreled her way into, but at least it provides some good entertainment and she'll for sure spice up an alliance that otherwise would have just been two of the plainer boys just getting along for the most part. I could see Vervain dying to see how Harland and Nara do on their own without their quasi mediator.

Airla: Ah yes, all the drama of a typical Career pack in an alliance before the Careers time. It's interesting to see the divisons already but not surprising given the differences in personalities that these people have. Airla and Mercury seem much more inclined to one another, although she's weary of him because of his ranking and training which makes sense. She really doesn't like Zaid and as someone who's introverted myself I don't blame her, but he makes for good entertainment so I like him for now. Valya makes it very obvious where she stands which isn't good, and poor Malachi is clearly out of his depth and is losing Airla as a potential real friend and true ally for being useless. Airla obviously has some doubts about what she's gotten herself into and I wonder if this doubt will lead to this alliance being destroyed from the inside out. I do still like her though and love the little wrinkle of her not even wanting to volunteer next year when she was eligible to do so, adds such a nice layer to her character.

Koda: If he can get his hands on the right equipment when the Games start then he is for sure going to be super dangerous and could really kill a bunch of people at once with his knowledge of how to blow things up. The pairing of him and Colm is really nice, they both ring out as really innocent people that are trying their best to stay positive, but it's hard given the situation. They click and gel really well as allies and feel very similar to one another, though Koda seems a bit more defined to me, perhaps cause he's my tribute's district partner and because this is his POV, but Koda seems a bit more memorable to me. Emrys adds an interesting layer to their alliance, but I'm not quite sure that was smart letting someone like him into their little circle and I'm sure his mentor won't be happy at that, but Emrys will add some spice to an otherwise just pleasant duo with Colm and Koda!

Ike: I feel bad for saying this because he's obviously a very sweet person that just craves some attention and a real companion but... he doesn't do it for me? I've never been a fan of romance in the Games or among tributes because it feels so forced and unreal because who would actually be thinking about that in a time like this? It makes total sense that he's happy that someone is giving him attention for reasons other than what he looks like or what he can do, but it just feels awkward when he keeps talking about liking her and feeling some extra type of way there. I think Ainsley for sure knows what she's doing when it comes to Ike and that makes it all the much sadder. Ike being worried he was going to hurt her just by hugging her was cute and maybe even some foreshadowing that he might be the one to take her out, accident or not? Anyways, I'm not too keen on him after this, he seems too romantically inclined and is just eh for me. But I do like Ainsley especially if she's doing this flirty act on purpose.

Aneira: This alliance and banter and dynamic between her and Elior is going to be a lot of fun to read about. They're total opposites but sometimes that can work and sometimes that can be a lot of fun to read and write about I'm sure. She seems like a nice enough person but she seems really bogged down by appearances and by what she believes her parents would approve of or not. She seems very sheltered and someone that prefers the company of silence no doubt from all those silent dinners she must have eaten as a kid. Elior is very over the top and definitely clashes with her personality but he also seems to be the one person that could break through to her and make her smile and actually talk to someone and get out of that head of hers. My gut instinct is that this alliance won't last long since it's an alliance of convenience and not choice, but maybe I'm wrong and for now I enjoy them together.

Mercury: It's interesting to see that Mercury feels some type of kindred spirit with Airla but she doesn't feel that same way with her, she seems him as a threat and that's it but he sees her as someone similar and someone he could rely on. Interesting to note the difference there. Also interesting to see how shocked he was at D2 training some people and that his mentor thought she was lying, which I guess makes sense since training isn't that established at all by this point. This alliance is as volatile as any Career alliance honestly, they are skating on thin ice and they aren't cohesive as a unit at all, there's so many clashing personalities and they don't even seem to trust each other all that much. Zaid is really just taking over that alliance, even if he isn't the strongest or even one of the trained people he acts like he knows best and is just adding people without consulting anyone else. This alliance is going to fall apart so fast at the beginning of the games, I'm expecting at least one of them to die if not more.