apologies for the late review, ig u could say it took me a minute to grab my bearings. anyways, the chapter was great! vanya has become quite the barbearian, and at one point i thot she was gonna kill him with her bear hands. you know, i always expect the bear minimum from u, but u amaze me anyways! i will say, dying on national tv seems quite embearrassing, but at least he will be in a better place beary soon. i hope remy suffers for his crimes against eden. i can bearly stand him

this chapter was overbearingly terrible

this death was unbearable

Hi Em! I know I'm very late to getting this review and reading the chapter properly, but I've been a little busy the past week. Anyway, I'm here! I've heard whispers of a lot going down in this chapter and I'm here for it!

First of all, what's going on with this mysterious 'member'? I have more questions that I'm getting answers to and it's very interesting to see what the aftermath of this will be in regards to the posters and who will see all of this mess in the morning.

Emile/Ellie - I feel bad for Emile as much as I feel bad for Ellie. Ellie just can't communicate the depth of how she feels about everything and it's clear in this scene that it's tense between the two of them and it's unlikely that they'll make any amends. The machines whirring away and cutting Ellie up cutting into part of her scalp? I was shook! I love a good bit of gore but I was shocked about the fact it had happened to her and despite Emile helping her, she still wanted to be left alone. She's valid, but damn do I feel bad for Emile. He'll always help no matter what and yet here he is in pain once again because he feels like he'll never help anyone.

Vanya/Eden - Murderous lesbean duo are very much adorable because as much as they may be in denial about their feelings, a morning kiss isn't going to make that go away. Still, I ship it! The bit that really got me was what came next. To me, this duo were a power couple and I saw the both of them making it really far. Vanya's intend to hurt Gio and bring Vanessa back was an idea of sorts but it just didn't work out. Regardless, torture was torture and yikes was that both chilling and impressive for me to read. Eden was more to the point in a way and yet since she was chasing Vanessa, she got killed by REMY?! I WAS SHOCKED I DIDN'T EVEN EXPECT THEM TO RUN INTO HIM ASDFGHJKL but yes, RIP Eden, I'm shocked she went at this point, but I can see how the events played out.

Gionessa - They hurt me in all of the worst ways. I think I became very attached to them in the way I got attached to Freya and Jeremiah from TMDHTM because they're such a good pair and it makes so much sense. It's a shame that Gio was never able to fully open up but it's also realistic considering the situation they're in. That and the torture scene...to GIOVANNI OF ALL PEOPLE? You're cruel, I appreciate that and Vanya made quick work of him. Vanessa has my whole heart, especially with her reaction to Gio's death and how she didn't believe he was dead until Bronte enlightened her. I wonder how she'll be coping with that going forwards.

Remy - WHAT THE FUCK honestly this was such a big development move for Remy in my eyes and you did it so well. Logan's death brought back the sadness he had from his past but also anger at Alex for killing Logan in the way that she did. I think people do see him as a bit of a villain at the moment, but what they don't see is all of the person hidden away inside, and I think his anger and his murder of Eden will begin to bring back some of those feelings. I love how you handled his reaction when meeting with Bronte and Vanessa; his first action isn't to kill either of them, but simply to be there in the presence of the other two while Gio died. I wonder if he, Vanessa and Bronte will ally up?

Rylan/Lior - This guy confuses me, he always does. I think he's adorable, bless him, but it does feel like he's getting nowhere in all of this. His conversation with Emile was cute and I think they'd make a great pair but there's a distance there that Rylan's going to have to cross. His decision to stick around to talk to Lior also confused me since he didn't seem to like him. I wonder what his motivations are aside from basic survival. What's driving him forward? As for Lior, he's sad about Moe but I also think he's letting his walls down and considering the possibility of fighting for his life. Who knows?

Alex - Congrats on lasting the 24 hours! I wonder what the whole 24hr access means to her but I'm guessing that it allows her greater access to some of the locked areas of the arena which will give her some space to rest and recuperate for the time being. Plus she got a full heal, a really nice boon that will put her back in the game in due course. She earned that for sure, not sure if I can still root for her, or about her chances, although I'm definitely excited for a showdown between herself and Bear/Matt.

Bronte - We didn't see a great deal of her here but from what I did see, she's so glad she wasn't in that room with Vanya! Her kindness paired with her cautiousness has really gotten her far, and the part at the end connecting Vanessa with Gio could set Bronte up with a couple of allies if she plays it right?

Bear/Matt - The two of them talking about their hometown was the most adorable thing ever. I really saw the conflicting emotions in Bear and how he wants to go back home because it's all he ever understood, even if the settlement holds his toxic family. Then again, fear of the unknown is always greater than the worries of staying in one place with a world that you know. Matt's similar to this but in a different way. Both of them can help to carry each other's message should either of them win the Cut and if they don't then they can edit that in OOP-

The Senator's conversation with Alma makes me think he's putty in her hands almost. Whatever this anti-Cut movement is, it may well end up developing into something very interesting!

A wild wild chapter, really nicely done here! I'm worried about what's happening next, can't wait for what's to come.

Over and out!
~Mental

O Canada!
Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all of us command.

This opening part was simply stunning. I’ve been wondering how you were going to introduce the posters, and this was a very cool way to do it. The eeriness of it all is just so good. Your subplot keeps getting better and better.

Alex: still trying to make me feel sorry for her, I see. It’s not working. I can see why others are warming to her, but I’m way too stubborn to change my opinions when I’ve settled into them. She’s going to have to do more than mope about to get into my good books. Dropping dead might just do the trick. Very curious to see what this reward entails, though!

Remy: boy was busy this chapter. Though it probably makes me sound horrible, I enjoy the idea of him breaking down, and that feelings are starting to peek forth through the cracks as a result of it. He’s still the no-bullshit guy he was before, which is evident by what he did to Eden, but seeing him deal with the emotional backlash of that would be interesting.

Vanya/Eden: speaking of busy! It was nice seeing them have a tender moment before everything went down - thought I doubt it, hopefully the fact that they got to resolve some of the tension between them will soften the blow for Vanya somewhat. Probably not, considering how distressed she was at the end. The line about goodbyes was so heartbreaking.

Ellie/Emile: I have mixed feelings about this. You’ve heard my rants about Ellie in the next few chapters, so know that I’ve not been the biggest fan of her since the show started. However, despite what I said about being stubborn before, I softened a bit on her here. She definitely didn’t deserve being literally scalped, but part rejoices that it brought some closure to the conflict she’s had with Emile. Still don’t love how their relationship has changed, but this is better at least.

Bear/Matty: why are you doing this to me?! These boys are the absolute cutest, and them speaking about messaging each other’s families after the show has ended definitely pulled on my heartstrings. I don’t like the thought of either one being left alone, and though I realize that it needs to happen eventually, the reminder was not appreciated. Rude, Em.

Gionessa: if the Bear and Matty conversation hurt, what happened to Vanessa and Giovanni was excruciating. I don’t know how you manage to do it, because Vanessa has never been someone I’ve felt a strong personal connection to, but I related to every part of the pain coursing through her when she found Gio. He deserved so much better than he got, and it breaks my heart that he died the way he did. Vanya better watch out because Vanessa will not he happy about this.

Bronte: little smol. She might not have done much to impact the outcome of Vanya’s twisted games, but she played such an important role in helping Vanessa deal with the collateral, which I hope will be appreciated. I don’t really see an alliance forming out of this, but maybe some sort of truce. “She just remembers that they were rarely apart.” :sob:

Rylan/Lior: I know they’re not officially allies, but I’m hoping that by putting them in the same section I’ll manifest Lior warming to the idea next chapter. They would be good for each other I think, both being as lonely as they are. Thought he might not like the idea, Lior needs someone to talk to, and Rylan would be good for that. I want them to be friends.

The closing part was as stunning as the opening. I love how they connected to each other, it felt very much like a full-circle moment. A question, tho - who tf is Alma. “She raised an eyebrow at the use of her first name.” Coin, is that u?

Marvelous chapter, as always. Though I’m scared of what’ll happen, I can’t wait to see what comes next!

With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!

POSTERS!

access? what is access? i know she has a thing in her palms now but what does it get her? i am confused. want more info.

REMY ARC YES HERE WE GO I AM SO READY FOR THIS BOY TO GET AN ARC he's kind of been more in the background for most of the Games so to see him get an arc is like YEAHHHHHH GO REMY

this was a wholesome vaden section thank you for this yay lesbians

oh my god ellie got so lucky there i am lowkey shocked that she did not die i know you told me why she did not die but still the scalp... poor girl yikes. and the ellie and emile thing... still makes me sad wow i really wish i could give emile a hug. he just wants to help ;-; i liked that exchagne with rylan though that was sweet.

batty ;-; i think this has been my reaction to every single batty section since the games started but i loves them theyre so good

this section was INSANE. em! like so good! the whole sequence was incredible and yes i know it ended up with filet of gio and no i did not like that part so much because now gio is dead but other than that i really really enjoyed. the way you effortlessly wove all of the perspectives into this conflict and made them play a perfect role was so good! i am a little surprised that you broke up vaden here - i thought they could go a bit farther as a pair - but i am very excited to see what comes next with vanya and also with vanessa who now is... with bronte right? and more volatile i think? anyway this is going to have big repercussions and i dont think production had to do anythign to make it happen so im hype to see how this goes!

aww lior and rylan this section was sweet i am shocked that lior has feelings like this but i was like impressed idk :plead: i like lior he really has grown on me throughout this fic.

wow i am feeling things for vanya whoda thought?

and... parliament hill? alma has so much control over this that she's getting involved in government? em what do you have up your sleeves?

all in all i really enjoyed this chapter! it was a lil gorey sure but like not in a bad way and i appreciated it even if i didnt like it if you know what i mean. your writing is just,,, so good and i appreciate much. i cant wait for the next chapter whenever it comes!

oh i forgot in my review for the bloodbath to get mad at you for lying about the two kids that were yours so consider this me getting mad at u for that

oh vanessa is being so bold and poor giovanni is just there with her ;-; i hope this goes ok for them but who knows it is the cut.

poor sweet ellie ;-; she's doing so good her sections always hit me where it counts em she's so sweet i love her

ouch eden's arm that sounds like it hurts. man i do not want bronte to cross their path after this that would be bad.

oh my god bronte got so lucky there she played it so well i feel very glad that she did not fight alex but she would not have survived i am fairly sure

batty ;-; such a good pair honestly i love them much. also i really liked lior here - he kinda parried forward a little bit and then stepped waaaaaay back and im glad bc i love batty e, if you take them both to the finale ill be sad.

ooh alex explore! alexplore!

rylan got very lucky there that he managed to stay alive but poor giovanni that sounds like it hurt and... oh having read the next chatper i can understand it a bit more now ouch poor giovanni

vanya did exactly the right thing there for her sake i am impressed she was bold enough to go onto the roof. and alex... wow she is willing to do anything and im impressed! also ;-; roof ;-;

poor emile ;-;

whoa this fight scene was intense. i feel bad for remy logan his real only ally but im... kinda happy alex made it out? idk like opti said on discord you really made us want to root for her here. and i'm kind of excited to see what happens if she does manage to survive.

hm these cameras... why would you show off the cameras... also i know ive said this before but im not convinced that the kids are dead dead when they are declared eliminated so im curious what happens to them... anyway there is still a lot to uncover about this show and i am here for it!

sketchy sketchy oooo thats fun i like the sketchy people. and that bit about the deep rabbit hole... ya this goes so deep.

ok this trio has a plan and it Worries Me i really dont like that bronte got herself involved with these guys it will not be fun at a point that is soon. i want her to get out of there but at the same time... vaden do provide security... and are bigger targets... idk man it's hard

aha and they have escaped and nothing has happened that's so not what i thought was gonna happen but thats part of the fun of this fic! causing drama... i enjoy drama... to an extent of course when bronte is far far away. and also i love just how explicitly your production team gets involved. idk if ive said that before but i really do! in regular games it can often be a bit more undercover but here it's so clear that things are happening because of the production team and i LIVE for it. anyway i feel like rylan got very lucky they didnt lock them in there for longer.

this whole breakfast sequence was so, so good. i loved everything about it - the way the kids fought, the roles they all played, the fact that bronte got AWAY FROM VADEN YES GIRL GET AWAY, ellie and emile's section that was just so sweet - all in all i loved it. the way you set it up was so good too - just like all the povs that flipflopped? i really enjoy when you do these mega event sequences and this was no exception. such good work!

and now ellie and emile are splitting up ;-; i can't say i didn't see it coming but it is sad because i do like them together. i wonder how things will go from here - it's not like this split was on objectively bad terms but theyre just very different people.

this lior and rylan interaction was fun i like lior.

batty ;-;

ALEX IS A TARGET THIS IS GONNA BE FUN

great chapter all in all! man your games stuff is just so fun.

games 2! i might not comment on every single thing happening here but i really like the way this functioned as a setup chapter! it was nice to read i enjoyed it.

i think this was a really good section for eden and vanya. they kinda needed this time to figure out what happened and no time like the present i guess! im excited to see how the two of htem are going to work together too - that'll be fun.

poor nieve ;-; so sad

poor bronte hiding from the girls ;-; i feel so bad for my daughter caught in this situation between a rock and a hard place the rock being death and the hard place being vaden. i hope this does not backfire too badly i would be sad.

gionessa ;-; so good

alex... fear

this remy logan and rylan situation is interesting! im going to now pretend that i have not read ahead and say that i think someone is going to end up dead as a result. hopefully nobody is checking reviews for just this chapter because that would be sad. but review sections are full of spoilers so what did they expect?

this alex and nieve fight was... so good. so intense. seeing alex finally get the kill she wanted and then being like "but is this what i really wanted?" perfect. and the actual fighting was really well written too! i enjoyed the way you described their movements a lot - it was such a great section to read honestly i enjoyed it a lot.

batty ;-; so sweet

lior ;-; so sad i did not know he could emotions

ellie and emile have such a tentative relationship here - i know it's been kind of like that through the whole fic but here especially now that the stakes are higher it's becoming clearer. i think i said this a few minutes ago but i love the push and pull dynamic between them and im curious to see more!

oh boy. there are people on the walls? and the CANADIAN ARMY CAME WHAT IS HAPPENING why would they be a just a tv show? man em this is going deeper than i though :0 im so excited to see what happens next!

ok i feel like this next group of reviews is going to get a little bit weird because a lot happens in each chapter so i might not hit all of the sections in each one especially once we hit the ones i didn't print out. but genuinely this has been such a fantastic games to read - they make me squirm in a good way and i end every chapter just wanting MORE!

okay this countdown sequence was fantastic. i think it was such a good way to lead into the Arena because it sets the tone of these Games - theyre much more intense, much more gritty and raw but also more produced and polished all at the same time. these kids just... i can't imagine feeling what they're feeling, suddenly realizing that they could die monentarily. it's scary.

and the cell block twist? so smart the way that you set that up without us even knowing! i love the way that the kids approached the challenge - vanya taking matters into her own hands and rounding up the troops, eden just no-mercy slicing into mara's throat, and bear stepping in to protect ilya, killing matt in the process. it was so gripping to watch the kids grapple with right and wrong here - i'm sure that, as the games progress, there will be consequences to these things. and the emile/ellie and gio/vanessa scenes were so sweet as ever. also, as always, poor bronte ;-;

also i only realized now that alex lost both of her main allies this chapter. idk how i just noticed that but yikes that's a bad bounce for her.

anyway this was a fabulous start! i really really loved it and felt it set the tone for the fic perfectly. really great work!

rylan has been a bit more of a background character but I really liked this scene! thinking about it now rylan and bear feel really similar to me - two really good boys who just got dealt a bad hand in one way or another. i feel so sad for them that it had to come to this ;-;

bronte :plead: my poor baby she's just... so alone. i hate seeing my child alone like this tbh it's just GAH why did i do this to her ;-; the bits about the choices she's made really hit home because like... that's her whole thing! choices! and i dont know if she made the right choice here that's sad anyways i love bronte pls protect her em i know you wont but i can hope

i remember when you were writing this section that you said you though it would help people understand mara better. but i always liked mara a lot and kind of did get where she was coming from? not entirely - like i still would be scared of her if she came to attack me - but like she's certainly a realistic enough character and i can appreciate her a lot. and i can understand the frustration of like, he just... left and didnt give a chance to explain. i have had that happen to me before and its hard so like i see her there

ok i can't help but say im not surprised at the idea that there are "real" live feeds - i feel like even if i didnt know what i know now after the most recent chapter i'd buy this. it makes sense that the tv show would want to make sure they're controlling what happens to the public - i think about big brother and how those live feeds would go up and down but the impact of something bad getting shown is much less dangerous. anyway i loved this section setting us up for the arena! im so hype for the games em i cant even tell you!

remy's involvement in the alex/ilya/mara trio is really interesting to me. he's definitely more on the outskirts than anything else which should be a clue to him that he should stay away, but also i can understand the appeal of staying with a group if it means he can kind of dull his feelings about his brother. maybe itll work for him in the arena? who knows?

mior make me soft also! man two edgy boys gettin all soft - whoda thunk? but there's something about the way they interact that i really love. i feel like the two of them can bond over how they got there in a way nobody else can and that's really nice to read. i feel like you did a great job at making moe a sympathetic character; it's so nice to read and i appreciate much.

holy shit vanessa's pov was intense! if this was what we can expect from the games portion of this fic i think its gonna be epic. vanessa really said i'm just gonna do this myself and you can't stop me and honestly that's powerful of her. i am a little worried for her as we approach the games because what if this makes things worse but she did so good and im lowkey kinda proud tbh. you go vanessa!

good on ara for sticking to her guns! i wonder how many times production has gone through the same process of getting an interviewer and then that interviewer leaving. either way, i'm glad that ara is standing up to alma. and i'm curious to learn more about alma actually...

and more murder lesbians! this was a really cute section tbh. i know romance is not your forte but you're writing this relationship really well! the layers of their history are intricate and deep and i am honestly glad for them that they somehow get to have this moment of vague closure. what comes next i wonder...

ellie and emile are such a sweet sad pairing. i really love watching their interactions and seeing the way they ebb and flow, together one minute and apart the next. i can understand why ellie just wants to be alone - and i see myself in emile who just wants to help. it's just heartbreaking to watch these kids go through this - makes me sad ;-;

and then batty! another sweet sweet couple there. i really dont want either of them to die but i know that one is going to have to. i love how protective matt is of bear and i appreciate how honest he is and aww just all in all this was so good i luv them very much

review time? review time. these might be a lil short because i am very behind but (as you know) i'm really enjoying this story overall! you do make me feel worse for the kids every time so kudos to you on that.

I can't remember if this was the first time we started to see images appear on the screens, but either way, wow that is creepy. i feel like we're really getting into the more psychological stuff with these kids and i love it and hate it at the same time. poor them, honestly.

ah, so there is a security room and the kids have access to it. and alex has control. that's all so fun and does not make me nervous in the slightest. i like the little bit of insight we got here into logan's past; he's always been one of the most interesting kids in the fic for me so i liked getting to learn a little more about him!

man vanya worries me tremendously too. she just keeps having ideas and i don't know what all the ideas are. i'm unsure why exactly she's targeting vanessa - i might just have forgotten - and i like vanessa so im nervous about what this is going to do. and with bronte involved this just bodes poorly all around. em i dont know where this is going but i dont think i like it...

RIGHT SO THIS WAS FUCKING BRILLIANT... but also ouch... i'm beside myself em, this chapter was fucking phenomenal, as much as it hurt me to read.

the love you've poured into these girls, i truly can't thank you enough for writing them so well, and just the arc they went on was truly brilliant, and i'm horrified and afraid for what happens to my vanya, but just thank you so much for everything.

also we love a chef moment