this is my second time reading this trilogy. I must say you set a standard for fan fiction. this is one of the best I have ever read.

Ok. I'm finally done with the entire trilogy and this review is well overdue. You have set the bar so high for stories / fanfictions I don't know how I'll ever be able to read another one without expecting this level of care, world building, character development, and emotion. From the very beginning when I read AiR, I knew I was in for something special. I played FF13 so many times and always wished for this kind of relationship between Lightning and Hope and you made my dreams come true.

You see, when people make a fanfiction, they tend to just tastelessly melt together a bunch of mushy stuff and leave out the believable aspects. You managed to keep every character's personality intact so that when something happened, I could actually believe and tell myself "yeah that's what this person totally would do". There were admittedly some slow parts and some areas that dragged on, but that only made the payoffs that much more impactful and emotional. If it weren't for all that backstory, dialogue, and building of relationships... the deaths, the triumphs, and the conclusions overall wouldn't have meant as much.

I'll say right now... I cried when Serah was tortured. I cried when Maqui died. I cried when Lightning "proposed" in the oneshot you made. I cried when Fang and Vanille woke up. I even cried when that asshole Banon figured out Hope saved his daughter. You just... ugh.

Please don't stop making these kinds of stories. I had the luxury of reading all of your work in 2018 which means I didn't have to wait for updates or new chapters so I was able to binge it at my own pace, so I can imagine how on edge the other readers were when they had to wait. I was truly moved and immersed in this story and it's probably one of the best things I've ever read. It didn't help that I was already emotionally attached to the FF13 cast (hence me searching out the fanfic), but this just pushed it even further.

Thank you, truly from the bottom of my heart. I wish there could be a sequel that told the story after Lightning gives birth with Hope and her raising their daughter and possibly their daughter's story. I'd love that.

oh wow Ive waited THREE years for you to finish this. I'm so glad you didn't leave any of us unsatisfied. thankyouuuu so very much for your masterpiece of a trilogy. I hope life treats you as good as you made these stories.

Gosh, so beautiful. I absolutely adore your fics. You write them (and the characters) so perferctly, and we readers just can't help but FEEL things. I really hope you give yourself a big pat on the back. You deserve it. This is a job well done. Hope to see more from you in the future.:)

What a great series to read! Thank you for taking the time to update instead of leaving the story incomplete. I hope to read more fics from you, and thanks for the hours of entertainment.

Oh my god. This story is over. I kind of can't believe it? When I first started reading your writing I was in high school and now I'm getting my degree and making plans to teach English in Japan and wow, time really flies by, doesn't it? That...makes me sound like I'm eighty-two. Whoops. Anyway, I just want to let you know that it's you that made me ship hope/lightning. Before I wasn't really partial to it, but then I passed by one of your fics in somebody's favorites list, clicked it out of curiosity, and I was a goner. This is easily one of my favorite series I've ever read—including the hope & serah centric fic, and I didn't even know I could like family-centric fiction period, let alone read it in a fan fic. But lo and behold, I did, and it literally changed the way I viewed fiction in general from then onward.

Aaah, I'm going to miss your FFXIII fics SO MUCH! I wish I knew how to put into words how much I love them (because I have indeed read them over and over again) but I can't lol. I just love your version of everyone and how they interact and your grounded writing style and GAH. I just wish the end didn't have to be so bittersweet...but then that would've been an injustice to both Maqui and Hope's character. I'm just really glad I got to see Hope grow all these years!

Thanks for taking the time and energy to bless us with such a wonderful series!
-Topaz

Wooo! It's been a while but damn, the feels still hit me... Thank you!

I have loved this story so god damned much and I'm so sad to see it end, but it was amazing to read. This epilogue got to me so much, even after so long after having read the previous chapters it had me crying even though I'm not usually moved to tears. I love how all the characters get along and seeing Hope's grief over Maqui's death was so painful that I really just wanted to give him hugs to cheer him up. This was an amazing story and I have to thank you so much for writing because it was a fantastic experience.

cries tears of absolute happiness

It has been YEARS since I last touched this fix and I can't...

Thank you. That's all.

Finally. Noel is so silly but that's why I love him he's like a cross between vaneille and hope.

Hey Htar,
I wanted to say thank you. Thank you. I've read the first installment of this series more times than I can count. And a part of me has always disregarded 13-2 and Lightning's Return because I fell in love with your version of their future. FF13 will always have a place in my heart.
I love how you did include some pieces of 13-2 in this sequel. It feels so natural, even moreso than the canon events honestly. For some reason I didn't realize you wrote a sequel and my heart skipped a few beats when I stumbled across it. I'm so glad. So glad.
Thank you for sharing your story and your love with the community for so many years. I hope you're doing well. Please continue to write, whether or not it is related to FF. Your style is so smooth and beautiful. Every detail adds so much to the masterpiece. It's the reason I keep coming back to reread haha.
With love,
Xav

Eugh... Everytime someone brings up Yuj in their stories now... All I think is, "It's gonna be yuuuj! Build a wall!"

I never to review or even comment on something before, but damn this story is so good. It's been almost a year, will there be a continuation on this? Please continue...

Another great chapter, and I can't wait untill the next.

This is my first review after reading the trilogy. All I can say is wow! This is not a story that I will be forgetting any time soon. I really hope to see an update in the near future..there are still a few loose ends to tie up there *(coughs) baby!*
I was pretty sad about Maqui. I didn't realize how much I liked him until he was gone. The jokes and sarcasm will be missed lol.
Great job!