Stellar

Cassie that's very sweet I think you are biased though

Well I'm naturally a bit of a cynic and not terribly social, so there has to be a good reason for me to stick around I first found gay fiction when I was 18, discovering Comicality and Iomfats during a bout of self-questioning. When Comsie migrated to GA, I had been through quite a weird patch in my life and was avoiding the related forums and community (for a number of years.) I eventually got over that bump and began lurking here for a long while and then made an account in 2010. This is all a very roundabout way of saying: the community was welcoming and for a person like me that does not tend to fit in anywhere, I didn't feel excluded! So you might say, I came for the fiction, but I stayed for the company.

Everyone wants to know about our beloved young heroes and all I can do is repeat the mantra: patience! You'll be rewarded! I cannot jump to their circumstances early or the buildup will be ruined I imagine Konstantin feels like a football that's being kicked around the pitch right about now. He's living in the moment until he can find some stable ground. Lucas 'Nikko' Thessaloniki rightly views him as a valuable person because he is one of only THREE people in recorded history to have returned from a ruined infested world only for the Yakutsk incident to happen. Nikko doesn't want to place all the eggs in one basket by letting Konstantin travel with Ayize and his merry men who are pursuing Shay and Mira's abductors. All I will say at this point about Yugan's role is that it will be *much* better understood after chapter 4. Uh, and, as for Mira's height! Check out my response to the Veil of Shadow thread (the link is in the end notes for chapter 3) where I have elaborated a little on my reasons for the question. While I did say that Mira was uh, "Significantly-Larger-Than-Average but slightly less than Porn-Star-Ridiculous" I believe the phrase was, it's been my (somewhat limited) experience that tall skinny guys are often built that way! So maybe there's some truth to your speculation

While I can't promise any interspecies loving going on (the Mishith really do NOT swing that way), what I can promise is that you are going to see them *soon*. Will that mean the very next chapter? Maybe, maybe not! The plot needs to reach the correct point before they can appear, but I do believe you will enjoy the results

Haha! Continuum! I know of it, but I haven't really watched it. Well, in this scenario there aren't really any innocent parties out of the three major ideological forces. Everyone is pushing in different directions. Shay and Mira are getting closer to appearing. I know readers are getting antsy about it, but I still caution patience. You'll see them at the right time, I promise you!

Politics never really changes, does it? Just like human nature. That same old crap. Bare in mind, he is taking Ayize at face value. The man could be trouble as far as Konstantin is aware, though at this point he has no clearer option and is willing to just go with it if there is a chance.

I've given some hints about Yugan here and there, but it is certainly clear that they are not human at all. He is Mishith, a very old alien race on a world somewhere else in our galaxy. Konstantin is having a rough time of things. More of his story is covered in chapter three. We will get to the boys!

Happy birthday Johnathan

So you all think he's probably 5'9 -- interesting. Incidentally, the average height for adult men in most countries is in the range 5'8 to 5'10. Naturally there's a bit of variation there dependent on ethnicity; i.e. Asian countries average on the shorter side, while northern Europe breeds them tall. Also worth noting is that this is for adults. Mira is physically around 15 years old, so he would probably end up taller than that. Granted, this could be accounted for by his Norweigan blood, as the Scandinavian countries fit on the higher end of the scale. The reason I asked this question was because of curiosity about reader perception. It was either that or to ask something equally ill-defined like: 'what colour is Shay's hair?' because I am fairly certain I did not mention it even once in Hidden Sunlight. I think it was only in the third chapter of Veil of Shadow that I even gave a hint. I was (and still am) fascinated by how people's minds connect information over the longer term; essentially how they fill the gaps when left with inconclusive data. The only reference for Mira's height is comparative; he's taller than Shay, but not as tall as Konstantin (who is definitely over six feet) or Carlos. However, given that Shay doesn't say much about his own height - and why on earth would he? - other than that he considers himself to be short, this is left quite open. There are several times in Hidden Sunlight where Shay notices physical differences between the two, and also where the text implies certain limitations one way or another. All in all, I know I leave details on some aspects of the story quite indistinct. That's often by design, but it has made me wonder just how the imaginations of other people see what I have written - and how that differs from the 'canon' in my head. You know what, I'm not even going to say the number. Well, maybe I will, but not yet. I'll see how many other people reply.

The atomic fireball flowered over Siberia, a deadly artificial bloom in the frigid darkness of the Russian night. It was far away, maybe dozens of kilometres from where they were. It seemed to Konstantin that it was close enough to touch, a giant symbol of invasive destruction. He stood staring, unable to process the sight. There was only a cruel knowledge that he had just witnessed a city of more than half a million people turned to dust. Yakutsk was no more. He could not comprehend it. All

Happy birthday!

Well that's lovely, but I hadn't read any news articles where Daley discussed his sexuality prior to this, so why wouldn't I be surprised? Heterosexuality is the 'assumed default' for most people. How is that amazing?

Just saw this on Facebook too and I want to say, in no particular order of importance: a] this is surprising! b] he is *damn* gorgeous and c] I'm really jealous of his boyfriend.

Happy birthday!!

As requested, I'll leave this to any other reader(s) who may care to explain. The floor is indeed open.

Of course, it is all interconnected The significance of the opening CS-Space expedition may not be obvious for quite some time. Konstantin is certainly having a rough time of things, too - poor Dimi's life has been full of dramatic happenings since he met Shay. Then, the Dagenith. Certainly their current culture lives a much more mundane existence than long ago. Their life has been the same, with those traditions and rustic simplicity being repeated indefinitely -- but then there's Yugan!

A teeny tiny hint? Well, you here's a hint: wherever they are and whomever has them, has not got their best interests at heart! I cannot prematurely reveal what's going on with those two because .. I simply can't! Trust me when I say that it will make sense this way. Some patience and faith is required - you will be rewarded I promise

Uh, thanks .. I think? Haha, that's a rather ambiguous review!

Their existence was alluded to in the epilogue of Hidden Sunlight, literally at the very end of it. These are indeed the same two from that final part of the first book. Just like Mira was, they are very new to the whole 'being human' thing, so their upcoming encounter with good old Mr. Charm so early in their lives will be quite a shock to the system. Konstantin was expecting Earth to be less than perfect, knowing all too well the sorts of human folly Lucere had, but he never quite expected anything like this.

A month! Well, this second chapter took approximately 2 weeks, and I will be trying to get new chapters out in less than one month in normal circumstances. So embrace that challenge with open arms Ah yes, I'm sure the questions are beginning to build. If there was doubt that Konstantin and his adopted boys were individuals in demand, there won't any of that doubt left now. Someone just let off a very large 'firecracker' over an urban area - you sure as hell don't do that when you're playing around! While it's safe to assume that Shay and Mira weren't caught up in *that* ... I can still here you cry: 'that's wonderful, but where the hell are they?! Just bring them on stage already!' Patience. Unfortunately, you may not be seeing them *quite* as soon as you'd like, though it will be soon. It's also going to be quite a ride when you do.

It was quite some time since he had heard any word. Argus dropped the latches and climbed up into the cab to begin backing the truck. As he reversed into the loading dock, his mind wandered through the possibilities. Well, it wasn't like the commander hadn't taken plenty of manpower with him when he left Lorentz. Plenty of ordinance too, if he thought about it. When they dropped him in the cleaner northern coastal zone to do his collection before the mission continued on to the city, the men had

Aww, well, wait no longer! I'll be releasing chapters as quickly as I can write and beta them Russia is also Shay and Mira's story (for the moment) but for reasons that cannot yet be revealed, his perspective won't be explored just yet. Welcome aboard!

Well I would definitely trust Mikom more than I would Ms Lebaredian but still one must not write-off the importance of powerful allies Politicians are tricky people, even the good ones.

Happy Birthday Mr LJH

Well, that is entirely understandable as those three were (and are) the grounding elements of being 'normal' people versus the super ability of Shay and Mira. You need not fear Konstantin's health, he is not going anywhere any time soon - I am hardly that callous! Though, I do not want Shay to become too idealised; so much of the first book was devoted to showing the sort of person he is. That is to say: he was an introverted chronically-ill 14 year old boy who didn't ask for any of this but got it all thrown at him in one go. He's got plenty of insecurities, makes the sort of mistakes a teenager would, and then has to deal with a whole raft of emotional issues and his own sexual identity and romantic feelings for another boy on top of that. I get, however, that he is the central force of the plot and his presence is somewhat magnified when you realise how much of that narrative revolves around him. I just don't want anyone to forget who he is underneath that colossal burden. The other side of that coin is Mira, who is much easier to idealise because of the role he plays in Shay's life, and in general. Though, in a similar sense to Shay, I do not want his journey of finding his humanity to be lost beneath his ability to do all kinds of crazy stuff and kill people at the drop of a hat. He's just discovering what it's like to be a person in between bouts of superhero activity. You are quite right about a nimbus. Yakutsk also, it is the capital of the autonomous Sakha Republic, which covers quite a large area of Siberian Russia. The city has the coldest winter-time temperatures of any urban location on Earth (and can also get pretty warm during the summer, though this season is comparatively shorter). It's due to the being very far inland and a long way north, lacking the moderating influence of the Pacific Ocean - the precipitation and air currents - which is more than 1000 kilometres to the east. It's early October in Chapter 1, so it's only starting to go a few degrees below freezing. Though if the story were set at the same time in November, the temperature would probably be somewhere between -20 and -30 Celsius. No thanks!