I've been snooping around your profile again and found this little gem. I'll have you know that I've been a fan of Final Fantasy since I was 4 when this came out, and this story is pretty much shaking me to the core. Quistis is one of the characters I have failed to appreciate properly until now as I watch and relive the events of VIII through her eyes. So thank you!

You are my absolute favourite. :)

I hope you intend to continue this. It's very well written, in character, and probably the most plausible and insightful in-game fix I've ever read. I hope I will get to read more.

Atman

Very nice first chapter, Lunatique! :-) Pulled me in unexpectedly, and before I knew it, hearing 10 year-old utter those thoughts to Quisty...aw, it was so Seifer. Lovely beginning, and very nice pacing. It's sweet that you delved into the fireworks flashback, and it's a treat seeing everyone as children.

love it. its refreshing very well written. i am excited for the next chapter. your an excellent writer. i like the feeling of the relationship with quistis and seifer and also the fact that seifer taking the fall for the attack at timber was "planned" its a great spin. good stuff

Woo hoo! An update! I'm dancing a happy little dance right now! (mentally, of course. Can't have the co-workers thinking I'm nuts, can I now?)

Anyway, love it. Love, love, love it.

Little mysteries like the capture of the assassination group, Seifer and Quistis on the train to Timber, Edea as the Sorceress, the frickin' Sorceress herself and her damned motives...things like this make me glad that there are writers like you to fill the gaps. I loved FF8, but the game made me mad as hell when it left so many unanswered questions. Thanks for this fic...it helps SO MUCH for the crazy little fangirls like me.

I adored every word of this. You've got such talent in putting across people's thoughts and feelings in such an eloquent way. I'd give my right leg to write the way you do.

Hm...I can't imagine Seifer saying "Thank you" to anyone other than his queen. Just like you have here. God, I love this.

I'm so glad to see this story updated- I love your writing, and the directions you take Seifer's character. I especially love how in the first chapter, Seifer talks about a 'grand death' and Quistis muses about how unusual he is. That character you portrayed in that first chapter carries, and I still love (and pity!) him. I hope to read more from you, soon!

That was fantastic i never think i've ever had such a good read. Going out with a bang captured Seifer in his youth perfectly. Would have loved to hear more aobut his "romantic dream" he tells squall about though.

Can't wait til u get upto Seifer tryin to fuse the sorceresses or any bit that involves Seifer as a boss actually.

Good stuff don't stop

I'm gonna have to say that this is one of the best FF8 pieces I have ever read , (and believe me I have read a fair few!)

You are obviously a great fan of the game and have perceived the characters perfectly! Both Seifer and Quistis are exactly as I imagined them to be, and I love how you fill in gaps in the parts of the story we never got to see

I'm totally hooked, you have a great fanbase here! ." Heehee this is such a perfect perception of the game, keep it up! Seifer and Quistis are a perfect couple, love them! Kawaii! sorry I babbled a bit! But I can't help it, I love it!

I wrote a long, detailed review and then, right as I hit submit our internet here at work went down and I lost the whole darn thing. So now I'm discouraged, but I'm going to try again!

First of all, I'm so glad to see you. :) This fandom has missed you.

Second, it's been a while since I've read some really effective angst about Seifer or Quistis. This hit the spot nicely. I especially like the way Seifer reacts to torture with a kind of dull numbness, but Edea's emotional/psychological appeal at the end cuts straight through his resolve. It's a nice bit of characterization that works well for him. Being assaulted physically is normal for him. Happens all the time. Someone in his head is a different matter entirely.

Also enjoyed Quistis's moment at the end of the last chapter, remembering Seifer and wondering if the sorceress had gotten to her as well. Nice poignant little moment there.

And, more specifically about your actual writing, the thing I have always admired the most about your work is it's succinctness. You write very tightly and don't waste a single word. It takes more skill to write the way you do, I think, than to bury your story in pounds of metaphorical descriptions and ponderous self-reflection.

You're one of my favorite fan fiction authors. I was really happy to see these updates.

Somehow I've managed to totally not notice this fic...for which i can only apologise - it's amazing! Just the right mix of emotional introspection and action. Can't wait for the next update!

Now there's something new (for me at least). I've always figured that Seifer followed Edea around like a good knight from the broadcasting station incident on. But here you have him wondering, just a little bit, if what he did was really what he wanted. Interesting.:) And his defenses turning to mush when Edea came for him just drove home the point that, well, Edea's hold on him was too much; there was no turning back. *Clapclapclap*

I can't believe you replied to my review.:) Whoa, I'm the first reviewer for this chapter, woot woot!

Can't wait for the next update. Perhaps you'll go back again to Quistis' POV?:) Until then, I'll keep quiet and daydream about this fic. Lol.

Wow. Your fic really made sense out of what happened during the game. Especially the whole escape from the disciplinary chambers and the broadcasting station fiasco. Your version's the most probable scenario to it all. Thank god we have authors like you who can clear up the events Squaresoft people practically randomly stuck together.:)

For some reason, the first chapter really struck me. Little Seifer saying that bit about going out with a bang gave me the chills. Talk about forshadowing. And it didn't hurt that the fireworks scene was FF8 nostalgia heaven. Lol. Same goes for the Galbadia Garden scene where Squall goes all bonkers about "being talked about in the past tense" and the rest go all contemplative about Seifer. Or every scene in this fic, for the matter. (I am babbling, I know.)

And, well, you made Rinoa likeable in the couple of chapters that featured her so far. That's a lot coming from a die-hard Rinoa hater. She seems smarter here. Or something. I can't put my finger on it, sorry.

But.. I guess it's safe to say that there won't be any Seiftis romance going on? Right?

Do continue writing, you're really amazing at it. You always use the perfect words to convery what you want to say, and frankly, I'm in awe. Even the most menial event, like the orphanage gang sneaking around, turn really poignant because of the way you write. You are definitely up there in my list of the authors I practically worship.

I hope you're settling down with the new life and all. That way, you'll find the time to UPDATE THIS! :)

O.K., I admit I'm guilty of delaying my review for some time (I actually read this chapter within the hour of your update. It was quite possibly the most exciting e-mail alert I've ever gotten). Characterization is spot on; bravo with Rinoa. The memory, coupled with this particular line - "He won't just stand there and watch her leave. Not this time" - allows the whole incident to make SO much more sense. That was really creative on your part. And simple sentences like "...Seifer turns to me, his green eyes lit with a mad kind of joy, as though he's found something he has searched for so long. Don't, I try to say as he waves farewell, his smile disturbingly peaceful" really speak volumes. It's almost as if you have such a wide arsenal of words before you that you can easily handpick the most effective ones. You know that quote by Robert Southey on your Seifer shrine, the one comparing words to sunbeams? That's definitely you.

YAY...can't wait for more!