just realized i never reviewed this fantastic finale? someone arrest me. scratch that. i’m about to turn myself in.

you really popped off king. the d10 f2 obviously killed me. can’t wait to see what the future holds for mr rafe’s journey!

Amazing book and storyline; If you have some great stories like this one, you can publish it on Novel Star, just submit your story to hardy novelstar. top or joye novelstar. top

This was an incredible finale. So fool of emotion, and while I didn't cry, I was close to it. I'm glad that Cosette didn't win, so that's a relief. There was so much goodness in Niobe and Sanjay. Rafe will be filled with a lot of guilt now, and I'll wonder how he'll do in the future. Hopefully something rebellious. You're an amazing writer, Jabberjay.

Rafe my boy I suffered and cried but I'm glad you made it. There was a lot of characters I liked in this story, and choosing one as victor was hard. At some point I thought he wouldn't win, but he did so well, and he went through so much shit . I can't wait to see his reunion with his Mama.

Cosette: She's been quite entertaining and she got her hands dirty more than I thought she would, she also lasted more but now that I saw her crumbling and bleeding, I wished it was fast. A girl whose save haven was religion from all the shit she went through, and even if her faith faltered, she forced herself to shrug that off and keep believeing and inflict in others all the pain they did to her. Someone like her never truly gets to rest in peace.

Sanjay: I'm glad Sanjay stayed loyal to his principles until the end. I've seen tributes that refuse to kill but that eventually they keep accepting that they need to do it in order to survive. You've made it realistic and I thank you for that, never while I read Sanjay I thought "no one is this good".

Niobe: I was afraid to carry on reading when she woke up. It was perfect, depressing but perfect. Niobe taking Rafe's senses so he wouldn't see her walking towards the killer frost. It hurt. Never seen a tribute suffocating to death in a bear hug, that's for sure.

Rafe: So, so glad he's won, I won't repeat myself but he stood out so much from the beginning, even when he was being unreasonable I couldn't get mad at him.

Fav moment of this story: When Vendelin and Lazarus kiss for the first time

Fav tribute: Isla. I cried when she got injured.

Fav superpower: Amryn was pretty cool!

About the arena: I liked the village. I liked there was food in there instead of the starting point. The cave was also awesome. Cold arenas aren't my fave cause I hate cold so much, but that didn't make it less enjoyable.

Sometimes I am so curious to know what's going on in the Capitol, while the games are running. But I understand it would affect the pace of the story.

Thank you so much for another amazing SYOT! You're legend in this little fandom. I wondered at some point if the next story's name would be "kicking the bucket" lol Looking forward to Limosverse third installment!

Hi Corey! I'm finally here to review. You already saw my live reactions, so I'll probably just reread the chapter and then give some final closing thoughts.

Ok. I've reread. And I'm an emotional mess again. Every single time I get to Sanjay's death and his forgiveness, it absolutely wrecks me. That even in all the pain and his own brutal murder, he still has the heart to forgive. Corey, I'm not kidding. I'm tearing up again. My breath is coming out ragged; I can't get over how good Sanjay was and just how touching his last words were.
Plus when I read the chapter for the first time, I was so tense I didn't take in everything right. And now upon rereading, the full weight of Niobe's inner thoughts is crushing me. She is so good. She is such a bean. And I absolutely love her.

So I guess I'll go order of death.

Cosette... I liked her, in a twisted kind of way. Y'all already know that I'm an ultra-religious person myself (even bordering on fanaticism sometimes), and it was terrifying to see shades of myself in her. Of course, I'm not changing my opinion that being ultra-religious is bad. It's the danger of pride, of self-glorification that terrifies me. Cosette always talked about doing everything for Limos, but in reality, it was all self-serving, either to boost herself up or hide her own trauma that she refused to deal with. While I strive to really do everything for Jesus, it's so crucial that I maintain a heart of humility and genuine love for people, and in this sense, Cosette is a cautionary tale. It hurts. It unnerves. But I'm glad for it.

Sanjay... If Cosette with the cautionary tale, then Sanjay might be my model, the one I strive to be like. I've said it so often that no one is surprised anymore, but Sanjay was me. But better. I related so hard to him. Like he had so much pressure from his parents to do well and he wanted to make them proud. My parents didn't pressure me, but they were both high achieving academically and I always felt pressure to succeed and live up to them, even if they didn't want that pressure fore me. He was the good older brother, not always the most fun but responsible and calm, and I'm the oldest of three. Idk how successful I am at being a responsible example, but I've definitely been called boring and a stickler for the rules. He was calculating, but his heart was so strong. I fall also into that strange place between head and heart where I do tend to look at things rationally but also feel a stronger sense inside that tends to override reason when I really care about something. My heart isn't as strong as his, but I definitely aspire to be that way. And he always did the right thing? I want to be that too. I really look up to people that will stick to the right thing even if it really hurts, and I aspire to be like them. So of course I was hooked from his intro and I was absolutely helpless. I just loved him more and more with every step of the story, from choosing not to kill Odell to his interactions with Rafe and Niobe, and his final I forgive you rips my heart out of my chest. How is he that good? How can I get to be that good? I just... though it hurts that he died, i feel like it fits better here. It would've been worse if he killed either of the Tens, because it would absolutely destroy him and everything he stood for. Goodbye, my boy. I hope we get to meet your family someday.

Niobe... She was so good. She was such a bean. She always felt so weak, but over the course of the story, she grew. She found her strength. And in the end, she used it to put Rafe first. How is she so good? The way she forced Rafe's hand? That HURT so much and it still hurts now. She's the entire reason that Rafe is alive, from when she scared off Cosette the first time to helping Rafe grow to the very end. I love her. I love her so much. She really lived to help others, always so selfless. I don't think she ever wanted to be the star, yet her selflessness makes her such a star.

Rafe... Boy, I'm proud of you. I'm so proud of you. You grew up. When he first broke off ties with Niobe in the Pre-Games, it hurt to read yet it was so him that it made so much sense. That's just the person he used to be. Impetuous, brash, unfiltered. And that experience taught him self-control. It was so poetic for him to continue growing throughout the story with Niobe's support, just to end with Niobe causing him to fully go off on his power, which was their only hope for survival but also was the very thing that killed Sanjay. He's grown so much! Though I'm terrified and excited for how he'll readjust to the world (Something tells me it won't go smoothly), i love him and his fire and it'll be explosive for sure.

And wow. SFU is over? How? The past year with you has been so phenomenal? First you messaging me, then PuD and now this? I love that I can call you a friend now, bro. It means the world to me too.

I CAN'T WAIT FOR TOF AND BID ALL THE HYPEEEEE

I’m still emo over what I read yesterday, but I’ll do my best to sum up all of my thoughts about what went down. I think the best way to do that is by talking about the final 4 separately. So here goes…

Cosette: hands down one of the best villains this fandom has ever witnessed. She’s been a force to be reckoned with since her intro - what went down between her and Geneva in the Capitol only enhanced that power within. Still, I never felt she had invalid reasons for what she set out to achieve. There was always a sense of purpose to Cosette, she clearly did what she thought Limos wanted from her. Her kills were bountiful, sure, but they didn’t come from a place of ill intent, even if that’s very much what it looked like at times. Overall I enjoyed seeing her slowly succumb to her own strength. She was great fun.

Sanjay: my sweet little Sanjay. I remember reading his intro and being absolutely enamored with everything about him. Back then I thought this would be an unpopular opinion, because he just seemed so perfect and readers tend to gravitate towards interesting flaws. Boy was I wrong. Sanjay turned out to be such a dynamic character. He was such a strong person, but instead of his strength coming from power, it came from his kindness. He managed to see the human beneath so many monstrous masks, he even humanized Geneva for goodness sake. I loved his time with Ludwin, I adored the relationship he managed to carve out with the 10s before his time was up. I never realized how truly fitting his forcefields were until he used them to protect the ones he cared about from Cosette’s totems. I loved him with all of my heart.

Niobe: where do I even begin. I guess the only appropriate way is to say a huge big thank you. As you know, I have idolized you for quite some time. I’ve always had such a joy reading your stories, and being amazed by the idea of one day having my own creations written by your talented hands. I got a taste of it with Theo, but I never truly knew what it was like until I gave you Niobe. She was very personal to me, which I’m guessing you’ve noticed from how hurt I got by what she went through in the Capitol. And though reading her from a distance would have been great, getting to know you in the process of her story just made it all so much more special. I still find it surreal to think back on that day I got a PM from you, asking if I’d like to join the discord. It’s still surreal to me to think about all of the conversations we’ve had since then. If only 12yo Remus knew that he would one day call THE jabberjayheart his friend, he would probably explode from happiness. I’m so thankful for your friendship, and I’m so proud of Niobe for how far she came. She really grew into her own toward the end, it was a joy to see. Thank you for writing her.

Rafe: here he is, the victor of the 25th hunger games! Let me start off by giving a huge congratulations to Joseph for a well-deserved win, we all know how much he’s worthy of this title. Never before have I met someone so kind-hearted and pure, that Joemus hug better happen someday! As for Rafe, he won me over at the end. He wasn’t a favorite at the start, I even disliked him for what he did to Niobe in the Capitol, but their reunion just melted my heart. They were perfect for one another, they brought me all of the feels, and I couldn’t ask for someone better to be by Niobe’s side as she died. Not just because they were district partners - because he cared. Rafe is a good person beneath the anger, that’s very clear.

Now that I’ve cried my eyes out on multiple forums, I take farewell of SFU. It’s bittersweet, because so many things have happened throughout this story that has changed my life. I’m very thankful.

Can’t wait for the pain and angst of TOF.

Rafe- this was intense for sure and I never would’ve thought that we would see some comic relief. Rafe is the best, I wish these three came together sooner. They seem to balance each other out really well but here we are in the final four and only one can make it out.

Cosette- I knew this finale wasn’t going to be easy but she created monsters. They’re made out of stone how is anyone suppose to over come stone monsters.

Sanjay- this is literally killing him, because he loses oxygen when he’s in his shield. So it’s hurting him to keep them up and now they choose to feel defeated. With Rafe yelling and Niobe sitting there. I really need them to get it together, she can steal peoples senses she can take hers away if she tries.

Niobe- yes. Finally she came through with a plan and I’m excited to see where this will take us and I can’t wait to see what we have left for her. This is truly exciting and I can’t wait to see where she takes this. I hope she takes out Cosette and she comes out on top.

Rafe- so he finally got angry and I’m excited to see where this plan will take us. Can’t wait to see what happens next.

Cosette/Niobe- I feel so bad for Cosette she had so much conflict in her life with herself and she was left with a lot of strife and contradiction. This is something that I’m surprised that we have encountered and I never expected us to see so much trouble coming from her and the changes that we have to see for her. Also for Niobe to push her morals and to kill again shows her strength and her power. The biggest threat in the competition is finally down.

Rafe/Sanjay: wait Niobe can’t be dead too from her battle with Cosette. Oh no now Rafe is angry again and he’s attacking Sanjay. I like Sanjay so much and he has to go against the rage filled Rafe who has basically super strength when angry. This is getting too much for me to handle right now. Then he goes and kills Niobe and I feel so bad for him to right now. He will never live past this moment, i know for sure he would’ve let Niobe kill him if she was left standing. This was such an intense and sad ending but Rafe was a unexpected and nice choice in the end.

Isla- my baby is going through the works and I know that there is no way she gonna make it out of this alive. This is so stressful I’m on the edge of my seat and she is pushing through it though.

Amryn- we finally get to see a little bit more about her background. This was an excellent way for us to see where her head is at and it’s not in the best place. When she comes out of it she immediately is looking to save Isla and Ares. We can see that you are creating this conflict where she is the lion but she wants to be a lamb, yet she can never reach that point. This was written beautifully and shown in such a beautiful way.

Ares- this was so intense I literally can feel the pain in her ankles, the smoky air and the power of Amryns kick. She is in danger and I feel for Anryn so badly she wants to stop this transformation but it’s becoming too overwhelming and I know that she can’t stop it anymore.

Amryn- this was so poetic in a way that she wanted to have freedom was so afraid of it. No one ever talks about the fear of making it out of the games, what is to happen afterwards. Life is completely different for them, they have been forgotten and now here they are alive again. The prayer was interesting I never seen Amryn as much of a religious person but I assume as death nears it’s nice to have something to look forward to. This was beautiful and I feel for Amryn her arc was amazing.

Isla- my poor girl she was put trough so much and she still fought till the bitter end. I wouldn’t have wanted her to go anyway but to still fight for those she cared about. Now she may rest and find her father again and be freed from her horrid mother.

Sanjay- I like him a lot and I’m lowkey rooting him for victor. He’s been stuck in that room forever but his relationship with these two is such a breath of fresh air that it’s nice.

Lazarus- I feel for him that he’s alone with these creations that he made. They aren’t the people that they once were and now he’s truly alone again.

Niobe- okay so I’m on board with this team up and I’m excited to see what they come up with. There is only a few of them left and now we’re coming down to the wire and I’m excited to see where you take this.

Cosette- she is literally falling apart but she is still holding in there. I wonder if she’s gonna win or will she fall on her own power.

Ares- she had such a heart of gold and I thought she would’ve made it to the final three or maybe even the final two.

Sanjay- well this was such a change of events and this proposition is definitely and interesting one. I’m excited to see where we can take this on from now.

Lazarus- he was attacked by his own creation with the help from Cosette. That was horrifying and this story truly did get dark but I love every minute of it.

All I have to say is THANK YOU SO MUCH COREY! You did a beautiful job with Isla, I’ve submitted so many times to your story and I was accepted to my first one in Bloodmoney with my tribute dying 24th and now here I am with my second submission accepted and made it to 7th. It was a wild ride indeed but you wrote her beautifully and I can’t wait to submit again.

im shaking. thats not an exaggeration. my body is physically fucking shaking. I know im spewing this all over discord but ill say it here too: this was absolutely tremendous. my favorite chapter of yours in all your stories i've ever read.

holy shit.

I wasn't even as attached to the 10s as many people (read: remus and joseph) are and that shit hurt. but im still just amazed by how brilliant you are, all the little details and nuances of this finale that made it what it was. niobe stealing his sight so he wouldn't see her die was just- fuck.

I wanted it to be rafe. mostly for joe. but also cause rafe was an amazing victor for this story and I am so, so pleased with how this ended.

everything hurts and I don't know how to handle any of it.

i'm really, really proud of you. your second story in a year and it was a long and wonderful ride. im so excited for the other stories of this verse. truly, the last two chapters were a tremendous end for this fic. I don't think you could have done it any better.

fucking hell I love you a lot. im so proud of you, dude.

tremendous, tremendous work.

...ouch

i literally shouldn't be reading this yet but like holy shit that hurt so much. i'm happy for my brother joseph but like holy shit... rafe? i'm... all the red and the way he didnt want to? that hurt so much he's so sad what the fuck and the getting angry? joseph... holy shit rafe um this hurts so much like im crying and i barely know sanjay and niobe but that made me so sad rafe is gonna be so angsty fuck he is going to war. um yeah thats it i will probs read more this weekend or when i feel like it

xo, yer cool new friend

Man fuck churches, nothing good ever happens in them (in limos verse).

Shes trying to stay her and that hurts more than her just dying the red eyed monster ugh. This scene broke me, truly and completely. The way you've written Amryn has been better than anything i could have expected, from her beginning to end. The fact that she still had this bit of innocence to her, praying and asking Limos to tell her she's not evil, makes it hard to call her a villain even with her kill tally. I can't properly express how hurt I am by this scene but I think you know anyways. Also ofc she fucking burned to death bye.

And then Isla goes too. She did fight but Cal's right, letting herself not be hurt anymore when she is going to die regardless is only kind. I loved her power so much and she's gonna be missed. Bitter!Isla stole my heart idk.

Sanjay just stay up in that room you don't even wanna leave rn bruh.

Laz hurts me too. They all hurt me. He just wanted his friends to be there forever, he wanted to save them from suffering and then bring them back but they're not the same obviously. He's lost his grip on reality but even he is starting to see that they're not his friends. Ugh, I feel him starting to go towards a death and I don't want.

ARE THEY TEAMING UP? TELL ME THEY'RE TEAMING UP PLEASE

Uh Cosette can you maybe lay off, I've had a rough night I don't need this rn.

I had hoped she would live but honestly I expected her after the descriptions of the destruction. Ares was too good for this world and I hate ali for ever making her and giving her to YOU of all people. As if you just killed all three of them. As fkin if.

They're the sweetest people and I love them. Three-way victory please?

I kind of did wonder if they would turn on him but figured they couldn't b/c they were tied to Laz? This was a fucked up ending for him and it really did bring out every sad part of Laz like he just wants his friends and to be happy and he couldn't have either. Him kind of giving in and letting it happen hurt too much. I loved this trio and yes they're together but man that was fucked.

So Cosette is kind of the new beast huh? Like her POVs always gave me a similar vibe but it's just gotten more and more uncanny as the story went on. Kind of shocked she's still mostly whole at this point but she's sure to make this finale interesting.

Okay so I know who i want to win even though it's gonna be sad to see all the others die- it's Rafe. He's been a fave since the beginning and I love imperfect tributes, especially ones that could lean villain or hero and end up trying to be good even though it's not exactly their nature. His friendship with Niobe was everything and I just love him a lot and think it'd be neat if he won.

Also, wtf is gonna happen to the Victor? Like aren't these kids kind of all decaying? Will they even get to 'win' like a regular tribute? Would Panem accept a zombie as a citizen? I'm intrigued to see wtf you're gonna do with this Victor (if you even have one, who knows anymore tbh).

RIP to everyone in this chapter, I loved you all (even my own, who would have thought?). Not emotionally prepared for the finale so take your time lmao.

Cosette really do be wilding out here

Ares don't be sad you are doing so good and ily. Only she could use fire for healing like this girl is so pure.

ODELL CAN YOU LIKE NOT. He's ruining all of my favourite pairings and I want him to just stfu and die already do NOT mess with anyone in this house or cosette will be the least of your fucking problems smh. Niobe out here saying the right things ugh, I'm glad Odell couldn't or I would have slaughtered him. She did it, I'm so proud of her like she saved him and she killed him and I'm soft. She's gonna absolutely implode but she did it and I will choose to be happy for her.

Another church, oh no. This means something bad I can feel it. What are you doing?

Oh no. Don't do it Amryn. She did it.

OH GOD ARES ENTERED AFTER AMRYN OH NO. WHAT IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN THIS WHOLE SETUP IS CREEPING ME OUT COREY. As soon as Cal said she was coming I screamed a little (sorry roommates) but it feels like a 'here's johnny' moment idk. WHY ARE HER EYES RED THOUGH WHY DID YOU HAVE TO DO THAT ITS TERRIFYING. This entire scene just made me so fucking emo I'm shaking and mad and idk if I'm sad for amryn or hate her b/c she's hurting ares/isla. idk what to feel everything hurts and they're all gonna die b/c amryn is evil and isla is too hurt already and ares turned into a goddamn bomb what is my life rn

Am I upset that Amryn ran away in time to not fight the beast? Nope. Did this entire fight scene scare the absolute shit out of me? Yepp. There's something about the vibe of not being able to see where the thing is coming from that just gets me. The POVs of the beast still makes me shudder, they're so good but just ... evil. I'm kind of here for bitter, cynical Isla though? SHE KILLED IT! SHE DID IT I'M SO PROUD ARES YES YOU DID THAT! YASSSS

This was so sweet? Yes they locked him in a room but Sanjay being almost ok with it and Niobe checking on him made me happy. So many of my faves in one place and not killing each other? I call that a win.

This trio really has changed so much and it just pain. Laz really went off the rocker fast but I guess losing your bf and then reanimating him whilst the reason for his death is kind of right there... might fuck you up a lil. Honestly this scene was so messed up, Laz just letting Ven go after Alanis b/c Laz just hurts so much rn. Okay, this last sentence really cemented how fucked up he's become. This entire thing is pain and now he has two zombie friends. I'm in pain

...I should have listened to you but here we are

I know you told me not to continue but when was I ever going to listen to a man lmao. My reviews aren't gonna be as lengthy b/c I need to read things but I will write them b/c you deserve a million bb.

Of course Isla knew and I hate it so much. This pairing is too sweet so I'm glad my girl is out of it, she'll only bring pain the lil shit.

I love this pairing, it's sweet with the right amount of playful and angsty like it gives me everything. Stop making me attached to things that won't last ffs.

I love Sanjay that is all.

This is gonna hurt. if Ven murders Laz in zombie form I'm gonna murder myself I can't. The fact that I knew this would happen (Ven reanimating) for literal months yet I'm still not prepared for what could come next? Bye.

Cosette be running out of time but I feel like she will at least go out with a bang when she does go. Her inner monologue is really sad for a villain ugh, but I still want her nowhere near anyone except idk maybe Odell she can have him ig.

WHAT? Like yes I get it but they're not just gonna keep him there right? I'm glad this didn't end in a fight but what if something happens and Niobe/Rafe have to leave and he's stuck? #freeSanjay

Oop so she gone gone. This scene was just oh my god, you did so good. She's losing her mind and going the same way she went the first time which is both sad and terrifying to read. Her pleading that she's a good person hurt a lot. Like a lot. I'm not ready.

Oh god she's gonna re-kill Ven. Like I don't blame her it really is the smart thing to do but I just don't see that ending well for either of them. No no no.

So the arena is freezing over? I love it, I love when arenas change with the games and this timing feels so perfect. I hope that Isla is wrong and they're not just about to freeze to death in this cave though. Ares, my sweet child, please don't feel guilty ugh. They're too pure.

Well, onto the next.

I was thinking like, Whoa, at this rate Cosette is going to die before doing anything, because she's crumbling down etc, but I don't think you'd keep her just to show us how she disintegrates little by little so I was hopeful to see her doing exciting things.
Also me: But I hope she doesn't.

What is controlling the tributes? On PUD almost all tributes were themselves, except Auberon, Baylor, those whose super powers had that downside. Is it because they're dead or is there something else to it? Like, their eyes go black and they turn evil and murderous. What is causing it? The fact that their revived bodies aren't strong enough to hold the power? We're seeing what's happening to Cosette after drinking all that potion. Is it because it's a quarter quell or are the tributes going to go through this from now on? I like to see games evolving through time, it happened in the original series and 25 years isn't a long time. I like to see them changing and transforming.

RIP Odell, he was a good guy, but wanted to live and wasn't going to let himself die the same way he died the first time. I thought he'd come out of this alive, and my bet was that Niobe would live. I'm glad she didn't die though, as much as I like Odell. She's had a nice development and deserves to be where she is.