Cynus

Congratulations, Cole! Welcome. I guess I can pass off the newbie duties to you?

Nobuyuki settled into the seat at the café across from Vladimir, who looked up and smiled nervously. They shook hands in greeting and Nobuyuki said, “Thank you for meeting me so quickly this morning.” “Of course,” Vladimir replied, nodding once. “I’m as eager to get it into your hands as you are to receive it.” “So,” Nobuyuki said, glancing around impatiently. “Dimitry is bringing the recording?” Vladimir nodded again and replied, “Yes. He has a digital copy which our

Yeah, that line was really important to me, too. Dante became an adult in this chapter when this happened, and I loved seeing that transition, even though it was, for a moment, a breaking of innocence. One of my friends who has read this whole story has asked me time and time again about Dante's sexuality. Dante is his favorite character, and he was disappointed up to this point that Dante showed no indication of swinging both ways. This chapter gave him hope, haha! Is there any better confession? Thank you for the review.

Nicola's reasons for letting go are rooted deeply in his emotions. Dante is the only son of Nicola's brother, whom Nicola was very close to and would have given the world to. As a result, Dante has a special place in Nicola's heart, and he'll often get what he wants, within reason, of course. In many ways, Dante is actually Nicola's favorite, and that means he also knows Dante well. Although this particular request caught him off guard at first, he also knew that Dante was sure he wanted it, and couldn't refuse his beloved nephew. As for what happens with the rest of the crew, who's to say as of now? Maybe Dante will simply become their civilian contact? Thank you for the review.

I had a soft spot for Dante the whole story, and didn't entirely know why. When I wrote this chapter, I learned what I'd been building up to the whole time, and it suddenly made sense to me. Dante represented, really, everything I wish I was. I relate more to Nobuyuki, but Dante is the ideal for me. To be able to see past the trappings of the life I grew up with, to be able to put friendship ahead of personal gain without hesitation. (I do most of the time, but not all the time) To choose to follow his dreams rather than live the life others want for him. Although I feel I may have been too explicit and extended the scene between Nobu and Viktor too long, it was fun to write, and Viktor's been thinking about that dragon ever since he first caught a glimpse . . . Thank you for the review!

I find that as good an answer as any, and I think that's probably what I would have determined as a reader as well. I'm more inclined to think that not drinking would be the better option, and that's what I'd expect Mahui to do. But there is that little sliver of doubt which gnaws at me and tells me the drink is still on the altar, and I could go back and have a little sip... Thank you for the review!

Which option do you feel he took? I think the dilemma is why I needed to write the story the way I did. I'm at a bit of a similar crossroads in my life, and my inner shaman is currently presenting the options to me and asking me to choose. I still don't know which option I'll take, but my doubts are similar. Am I being true to myself if I take the easy way, or am I being unrealistic by taking the hard way when an easy option is before me? Anyway, I appreciate the insightful review. Thank you.

I've since learned that the ambiguity of the ending is why the story didn't win me a place in the next round. I wanted the reader to find the answer themselves, to project themselves onto Mahui. Tlaloc was incredibly fun to write, though. I may have to use him again, sometime. Thank you for the review!

Dante set his lunch down and looked up to see Viktor heading his way, looking over his shoulder as if he were expecting to find someone there, but every time he turned back to the table with disappointment. At least until his eyes fell on Dante and he smiled, walking quickly toward him and setting his own lunch down heavily. He slid into place and opened his mouth to greet Dante but something pulled his attention away and he swiveled around in his seat, searching the crowd behind him. A

The sun made Mahui weak, where it made others strong. Warm rays of light had made his journey an exhausting one, and he found himself stumbling more often than not over the last few days to the jungle village. Citla, Mahui’s guide, glanced at him worriedly the first time he’d lost his balance, her brown eyes sparkling in that accursed sunlight as she helped Mahui to his feet. Now, weeks later, Citla rarely glanced Mahui’s way and no longer helped him to his feet. This always happened after

That fight turned out to be one of my favorite parts to write in the whole story. I do use violence as a tool in my stories, but it rarely comes out as emotionally charged and character driven as this scene felt to me while writing it. Vladimir, who is an exceptionally physical person, could only vent his frustration in that moment through his fists. Viktor, who knows his brother better than anyone, was able to see that Vladimir wasn't completely in the right mind, which is what allowed him to quickly forgive his brother. We'll get to the situation between Mikhail and the boys soon enough, and all questions will be answered, and all theories put to the test. I like how this story ends, and I hope you will, too. There's still much more in store for our boys. Seven more chapters to go, and one of those posts tomorrow. Who would want to be on the wrong end of Masahiro? Thank you for the review!

That fight turned out to be one of my favorite parts to write in the whole story. I do use violence as a tool in my stories, but it rarely comes out as emotionally charged and character driven as this scene felt to me while writing it. Vladimir, who is an exceptionally physical person, could only vent his frustration in that moment through his fists. Viktor, who knows his brother better than anyone, was able to see that Vladimir wasn't completely in the right mind, which is what allowed him to quickly forgive his brother. We'll get to the situation between Mikhail and the boys soon enough, and all questions will be answered, and all theories put to the test. I like how this story ends, and I hope you will, too. There's still much more in store for our boys. Seven more chapters to go, and one of those posts tomorrow. Who would want to be on the wrong end of Masahiro? Thank you for the review!

Weird . . . So, I know I typed out a response to this review, because I defnitely remember writing it. Maybe I forgot to hit the "Add Reply" button and just clicked away from the tab without adding it? I'm sorry, I normally respond to every review, and I don't know how I missed this one. Dante is, in my opinion, the closest thing to a true hero in this story. He's the one that has a good heart, but also has the skills to get the job done. Nobuyuki is a bit too morally ambiguous to really hold that title, despite being the protagonist. If anyone was going to force Viktor and Nobuyuki to acknowledge the truth, it was definitely going to be Dante. But now you know everything that came of it, and I hope you're satisfied with the result. Thank you for the review!

And now you have. It certainly was a long time coming, wasn't it? But where's the fun in having everyone confess their feelings at the beginning? Oh, and how Vladi will react . . . Thank you for the review! It's good to know you're alive.

That was very heartwarming. Thank you, Spawnling.

The Fellowship of the Cup has begun! Their strength as a group has definitely increased, and now that they can plan everything together, with all their minds in on the problem, they can accomplish a lot of things they couldn't before. The question is, can they stop Daisuke before it's too late? Keep holding out for Alexi. I suppose I could have written that scene a little better. Alexi doesn't know Daisuke's name, so he couldn't say it outright, so he tried to tell Masahiro that the guy had an eyepatch and was a smoker. Unfortunately, all he could get out were the words "eye" and "smoke". What Alexi didn't know is that Daisuke isn't really a smoker, he just used the cigarettes as an initiation for contact the night of the attempted assassination. I'd like to hear what it means. Thank you for the review!

A nice, strong, start. I liked that you immediately jumped into the action, and built up the storm before the crash. I also like the realistic thought process of your MC, that he was more concerned with his life and Mark's life than his guitar at first, and didn't notice it missing until he reached for it, though I am a little surprised he didn't have the urge to play while he was in the hospital. I hope you'll continue. It's always good to see someone delve deeper into art, regardless of what the art form is. Welcome to the storytellers club!

It posts on Wednesday. I'm glad you enjoyed this chapter.

The answer to your question is found in chapter 16. I hope you enjoy it. It is coming together now, though, isn't it? We've built up the momentum, and now it's time to see that momentum through. Time to learn where it's going to take us. Thank you for the review!

A late very merry day of existence to you.

Thanks. Viktor goes through a lot in this story, so you might have to put up with a little more heartbreak.

*whew* I'm glad you liked how I handled the brothers. It's always a bit nerve-wracking when I write a violent scene between two characters I know everyone cares about. It makes me wonder if people will receive it well or not, and this one was certainly no exception. I wanted to show that Vladimir's been trying to keep Viktor on the straight and narrow because he's already veered from that path in his father's eyes, and now that he sees Viktor being free with his own feelings, pent up anger from his own guilt and disappointing his father rises to the surface. Alexi in Daisuke's hands . . . well, you'll just have to stay tuned for that. I'm not going to talk about that much, because even a hint of it could become a spoiler. Thank you for the review! What do you think Nobuyuki is scheming next?

Thanks for the review, Cole. I loved these boys from the moment their names graced the page, all four of the main perspective characters, and there's only two boys in the rest of my work which compete for my affection. Silas Drake from "The Navigator", and Micah from "Ashes of Fate". But Nobuyuki, Viktor, and one of the later characters made writing this story easy in a way. They had minds of their own, and all I had to do was let them talk through my fingertips, and they carried the story away with them. For better or worse, that's how this story came to be. I hope you enjoy the rest of it as well. Thanks again!

“What the hell? Someone was here!” Vladimir rushed to the front door and tore it open, peering into the twilight. It wasn’t difficult to make out Nobuyuki running down the street and away from the house. Everything began to come together, and Vladimir felt an unspeakable rage begin to well inside of him. He turned, closing the door slowly as he took in Viktor’s appearance in a new light. His shirt wasn’t buttoned properly, and hung long on one side and bunched up on the other.

Hehehe . . . Viko's talk with Vladi . . . I absolutely love it! I hope you'll like it as much as i do. It's an interesting chapter, to be sure. Everything is starting to come together, isn't it? Thank you for the review!