hi, i wanted to thank you so much for your squall and rinoa stories. your talent is tremendous and i find myself time and time again, moved to tears by it. this is a very good thing. and it is because of this that i am penning this review now. in hopes of encouraging you to never stop writing. especially on this pairing because you give of them so much and it is always such a pleasure to read. whenever i want to read about those two i go back to your stories. i'm a bit saddened that somewhere in time hasn't been updated in awhile but i haven't lost hope for its completion yet. again, thank you and bravo for being such a fantastic writer. i'm so glad we have talented people like you in the fandom. you are awesome. and please, never stop writing.

Wow, this story was so in depth and so intricately detailed to a fine point. I am extremely impressed with your style of writing and how beautifully the story ended. Keep on writing strong!

This has to be the 80th time I've read this story and it just never gets old! I love it all the way 2 the end, even though every time I get to the end I always want it to be a little different where they tell Allison and the world knows the truth, but I guess that's why its called crimson lies... :-)

Ashbear your writing is beautiful and extremely well done. In my opinion you are one of the best writers that I have ever had the pleasure of partaking in and I hope that you continue to write such beautiful pieces of work in the future.

AW! Allison is soo cute!

I'm sorry. I've been trying to read this off and on. But this story just keeps dragging on. Rinoa and Quistis just feel so utterly locked in their pity emotions. I mean you do this huge build up to them meeting and what happens?

Nothing.

Just a silent moment and both girls staring at other. Now, I might not know the VIII characters as well as I would like, but those two girls would never do something like that. It just doesn't feel anything like the characters from the game at all. I'm sure with the story you're going for, of course the characters would change ... but for your Squall ... I'm sorry to say this, but he feels like the dreaded emo Cloud with traces of Squall tossed in there. Rinoa ... I actually hate her in this story and she's one of my favorite characters but I want to slap her senseless; it's almost the same way I hate FFVII's in game Aeris/Aerith. This Rinoa isn't even a shadow of the game Rinoa.

Sure, what happened to Ellone was terrible. But you have all the characters acting more emo than the worst written Cloud I've read in the FFVII stories.

This story was interesting to start off with ... but that one event is so stretched out that it feels as if you've dug the dead horse out of the ground and you're beating the rotting corpse with a stick.

But what do I know? You have over 1K+ reviews. But personally, I had to stop in the middle of this chapter. My attention just wasn't held at all. I kept having to re-read lines and I even dozed off. I might try one of your newer Squall and Rinoa stories. Now don't think I'm attacking your work, because I'm not. This story has it moments, though sadly they're few and far between; you have good ideas, but this one just so dragged out, it's not even funny. And like anyone else on this site, you have grammar mistakes that slip in here and there, but that's not what turned me off from this story.

I'll read a few more chapters to see if this improves, but if not, I'm done reading this story.

Well, it started out really well, and interesting too. But to be blunt it's really taken an unfortunate turn. All the women in this story seem to be self absorbed in their own pity parties. To be completely honest, I'm hoping they chill out a bit cause if this continues on for too many more chapters, I'm probably gonna drop this one.

This was a great story. I appreciate the epilogue. :)

Ok, considering how bloody Ellone's death was, is it just me or is this the most ironic typo ever:

"The pain you suffered when you lost Ellone two years ago is not in vein."

the vein part. Cause it should have been vain. yeah.

I knew it! I knew it from the moment Squall recounted his memory. But what I still can't figure out is if Quistis killed Ellone (I don't think she had the heart to do THAT) or if Ellone killed herself. And if Ellone did kill herself, why?

wow I know you wrote this story ages ago, but it was amazing to read. You've done a great story using a characetrs beliefs and personalities to create a stunning tale of love and drama.

So, I had this on my favs for the longest of time, yet I never did got to read it till its end. I guess my hatred for Quistis got the best out of me in the past, though now I sort of understand her actions (not that I approve them).

In that regard, I commend you for the very 'real' and very 'human' feelings you gave the characters. The flaws were as strong as their greatest assets and, in the end, that is what creates a human being, right?

So, kudos to you. You are still my preferred Final Fantasy writer! Thank you for the wonderful story (even one that isn't given a fairytale ending, can still be an epic adventure).

Cheers!

Giselle Gonzalez (FenixPhoenix)

Great story can't wait to finish it.

Wow...this story was amazing. It is the first fan fiction I have ever read...what a way to start! I began this story thinking I would never finish it due to the length; however, I read until 3 or 4 in the morning for three days straight until I read every last word of it. It was engrossing and addicting…it has everything one could possibly want in a story; love, hate, lies, betrayal, redemption...and of course the best Final Fantasy character cast ever. Ashbear’s faithful portrayal of these dear characters is the best part of the story…they are exactly as they should be, a seamless extension of the incredible game.

I have always wanted to know what happened to everyone after the game, but I was too afraid of being disappointed by what I read. This story was the best possible continuation and conclusion I could have imagined...of course that opinion could change as I have yet to read the rest of Ashbear’s highly acclaimed stories. I can't wait to start them!

Keep it up Ashbear, your writings are more than the typical pen on paper stories. You evoked so many emotions during this story that I can honestly say I experienced the piece rather than just simply having read it. I was moved; excited, hurt, happy, resentful, sad, forgiving, understanding, and loving...I can't express to you the vast depth of this emotional rollercoaster. I simply loved it.

This story beyond exceeded my expectations for any fanfiction. While there were many plot twists that kept the suspense, this story was grounded in awesome characterization. This story was dripping with emotion that there's no way to come away from reading it without something changing. I loved everything about it.

Except the epilogue. I honestly regret reading it, as it just kills any hope I had that the characters live in the fairy tale ending they so rightfully deserve. After everything they went through, the emotional turmoil and angst, they deserve to be happy without having to live a lie like they were forced to before the story started. It just kills me that they won't ever get the chance to be themselves or remembered for the heroes they are. That they will never be able to be with friends again just hurts to even think about. It's too bittersweet.

But I can always forget that the epilogue exists and believe whatever end I want for the characters. They came too far to fall short like they did.

This is by far the greatest post-FF8 fic I've ever read, and probably the best I'll ever read. After the Fall is great, but so far it just doesn't live up to the excellence that is Crimson Lies. Thanks so much for writing this wonderful story.