BAH!
Amazing. I'm really entirely into this. And it's only a one-shot. Rated T. No yaoi. Wow. lol.
You've warped me! D:
rofl.
Very well written, very believable, and the closing line was nothing short of genius. Well done. :3

Wow, what a wonderful recount of Zack's death (as wonderful as that topic can be, anyhow). I've never even thought about this point of view before, probably because I was so angry that Zack had to die, but you captured it beautifully; offering up a little background that bled into your conclusion seamlessly. And the language you used really made it feel like this man was sitting across from me talking about his experience.

Great work on this fic! It was recommended to me by a friend and I'm so happy I came to check it out.

this is really good! thanks for the read! xD

I read this awhile back, when I was still new at fanfic and too shy to "review", then I lost track of it...I'd find it and loose again before I figured how to track favorites. I had just seen cutscenes from "Crisis Core" and the heartbreaking end scenes when I first encountered your story. Your words and the wrenching visuals were so powerful and beyond sad and in my mind they go together...Indeed, a different look at who the bad guys were... and the scarey thing is that it's at least as true as real life. I see you were recognized for this writing, and you deserve the honor. This is very powerful. thx mc

Wow, he's really bitter. But it's easy to see why. Really interesting to see the perspective of the other side. As much as I love both Zack and Cloud... one can't help but wonder. What about those soldiers you fought? What did they ever do but get in the way? Perhaps they even admired you at some point, yet you never acknowledge them. Intriguing and powerful.

I really didn't expect to cry so much after reading this. I'm not sure if this story was meant to be sad, but it made me cry quite a bit. I remember at the beginning of the game there was some bitter rivalry between the Shinra grunts, and SOLDIER. I didn't really think about the ending of the story being related to their rivalry. It makes sense though considering how many times they shot him at point blank range. There must have been a lot of hatred from the Shinra grunts that killed him. This story was written very well. The course language made it seem very realistic. The way you conveyed the bond between Zack, and Cloud with their eyes was also very touching. I always felt that Zack, and Cloud had a very deep bond that surpassed friendship, and not in a homosexual manner. The description of Zack's eyes refusing to meet his attacker was also a very touching part of the story. Zack was one of those epic heroes who held onto his honor until the very end. I can't think of any improvements because it was written so well. Thanks!

This is really beautiful in a definite sad way. I really like the perspective it's written from.

GAW! I read this story once before and I can't believe I didn't review it! This. Is. Awesome! I love how the point of view is from a ShinRa grunt sent to capture Zack and Cloud, and their pov of SOLDIER! Just wonderful! Instant fave!

Wow, this story is told from a really unique perspective. It's interesting to get the minion's take on what happened. :D

I found the narrator's comments about Zack's and Cloud's eyes - particularly the last line - very poignant indeed. Great job, as usual! :)

I take them back. I take all of the profanities directed towards those infantryman back. Maybe my eyes were clouded by Zack's death or maybe I just resented those freakin' moron for killing my favorite character, but now I understand. It was a loosing match on both sides, wasn't it? If we look at it from a very VERY human perspective, the persecutors were the ones who truly lost, as an incredible amount of men died on their side while only Zack lost his life. Yet, I never considered it this way, until reading this. They were just doing their job. God, I can't even think properly after reading this. I'm not making any sense...

Anyway, thank you for changing my biased views. I'm out of words.

Geo

Because I can't bear NOT to review after crying my eyes out.

It's so perfect. And that makes it so heartbreaking. To pull emotions out of a block like myself takes a lot, and you did that by the SUMMARY. Bravo.

The concept of "blue-eyed" was such a good one, since it's the thing that really defined Zack. And Cloud, but Zack more. Bright-eyed and stupidly honour-bound, that's how I'd like to think of him as. This story made me think twice about screaming profanities at the grunts the next time I replay Crisis Core. They have feelings too, and heck if he's a SOLDIER and he killed my friends, he can take fifty rounds from me then for it.

All of them were human, and all of them were at the wrong place, at the wrong time, wrong world, wrong circumstances. That really got me, and I bawled like a baby.

Well done, and you deserve a standing ovation for this.

Love and Cookies,

MR

(was this nominated in the GA? It HAS to have been!)

I am extraordinarily pleased to inform you that your story, Bright Eyed Boys, has been nominated for The Genesis Awards Best Short Fic Category. The Genesis Awards exists to reward the authors of FFVII fanfiction that show a certain standard of grammar and formatting, relevance to canon and characterization. Your story was nominated by cheryl and passed to the judging rounds because of the quality your story possesses. On April 15th, the Shortlisting for the Genesis Awards will take place, and on June 15th the final results will be tallied and posted.

If you have any questions or comments, please visit our Fan Fiction Net Profile or The Genesis Awards forum.

Congratulations, and good luck.
Best Regards,

Sai, Co-Admin of The Genesis Awards

WOW. FANTASTIC!
you can't help but feel sorry for the grunts. =[

wow, great fic!

mako

This is just... Wow. I'm fucking speechless. I can barely form a coherent review. I haven't seen this idea before, and regardless this was brilliantly written. You are a very smart author for thinking of this idea. Magnificent work, probably the best oneshot I've ever read, let alone FF7 piece. I'm amazed at your talent, and you deserve every review, favourite, compliment and so on that you receive. Wow...