Cynus

Thanks, spawnling.

I'm sorry . . . I wish I could post the next chapter right away, but my hands are tied on that issue. I hope you'll forgive me. I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter before the end, though. Thanks for the review.

I guess I'll just apologize here as well . . . Sorry for the cliffhanger. I don't mean to drive people crazy, I just want them to keep turning pages, though I understand it can be frustrating when there are no more pages to turn. Or, more specifically, when the pages simply haven't arrived yet. As to what actually happens, I'm afraid waiting a week is the only answer. The next chapter is actually my second favorite in the whole book, and it's one I really can't wait for you to read. It's an opportunity for several of the characters to really shine, and have some opportunities for some true acts of courage. As for Alexi, who's to say what his fate will be? Thank you for the review.

Looks like I owe you all an apology. I appear to have left you with a cliffhanger. I'm sorry to have delivered such a cruelty to you, and hope you'll forgive me in a week when that cliffhanger is revisited. Unfortunately, due to complicated circumstances, I can't release the chapters any quicker. I hope you'll understand.

Alexi looked up, blinking into the sliver of light from the doorway as it opened a crack and a figure stepped into the room. He hadn’t seen light in hours, not since they’d last brought him water, though that hadn’t been enough to remove the dryness from his throat. He hoped whoever was visiting him now had brought more refreshment, but he doubted it. The door closed and the light faded for a moment before the figure flicked the switch to the side of the door, and Alexi’s eyes stung at the unex

A very merry day of existence to you.

My answer to this changes fairly often, but recently it's been "The Last Goodbye" by Billy Boyd. It's helping me with my current story endeavor as well. Same Q

Oh, the things I wish I could release early . . . With the way you're thinking, I can't wait for you to see how things play out to see if they match up or not. This is definitely just getting started, and the next few chapters especially are some of my favorites to come. From here on out the momentum stays pretty consistent, so I think you'll be pleased with how it flows. Nobu's responsibilities are going to force him to make some tough choices here in a bit, especially as the intrigue surrounding the rest of the players continues to mount. Daisuke, Dante, Vladi . . . who is going to make their move next? Or perhaps it's Katsumi? Is she really the enemy, or just someone ready to capitalize on an already tenuous situation? Thank you for the review, as always.

tim, I have never wanted you to shut up. You're a constant source of support for anyone who talks to you, and that's pretty amazing to see in a person. I know exactly what you mean when you talk about wondering if it's all worth it. It can get downright disheartening sometimes. Every time I've felt the need to "take a break" for a little while, I've ended up writing something beyond anything I've ever written before. It's actually possible that these little moments of being disheartened are what generate our best work, because we come at it with an emotional vengeance afterward. Broken hearts create some of the best writing, in my opinion, because writing (either fiction or poetry) is about emotion, after all. And I'm definitely mental, so there is that. Coming from the background I have, where I started my online writing experience elsewhere, I've had to adjust to the way things work here as well. I was used to all of my feedback coming either in the form of emails or on the forums, and I admit I was a bit skeptical at first about the review system. But, I've come to like it. I like that it's easy to write feedback to people, even though it's apparently not easy to get people to write it.

There's no need to think of it as "the end", but it can be "an end". The future could hold many different paths for you, and perhaps you'll even find something which works to stabilize your mental state but won't affect your creative abilities in the same way? For all we know, it could be just around the corner waiting for you. Or, of course, it might not be, in which case it may not be the end either. You may discover you're able to write from a different mental route than you took before. But learning to play the guitar and listening to music are also amazing choices for spending your artistic time, so I wouldn't want to detract from that, either. As long as you're pursuing an artistic pursuit, I believe you're simply on a different path, not at the end of one. Anyway, I wish you well with all your pursuits.

Welcome to all of you!

I think it's an excuse people use, because people are naturally afraid of being either A) wrong B ) judged for their point of view, or C) Generating an awkward situation with a total stranger. Modern society has created an interesting fear of communication, I think. Of course, I could be completely wrong about that, too.

Oh, Spawnling. I've never worried about your affection, or willingness to review/comment. I always know you'll come around and get to it when you get a chance. I hope you don't feel any of my complaining was directed at you, because it wasn't. I am, however, worried about this illness. Are you doing okay? What was going on? What i really need to do is get rid of this "woe is me" attitude, because all things considered, I actually get more feedback than most. Considering the number of writers out there, and the sheer volume of literary works, I've received more feedback than many of them, and I also do better financially from my work than many of them, even though I make very little. I think I've reached that point where I've almost arrived at some sort of expert level in the craft, and I'm not quite there, but sometimes I think I am, and my ego gets in the way and tells me I should be getting more. Ego is the enemy of the individual, I think. So really I should stop complaining and simply keep writing. Another thing I've realized is that my versatility is both a blessing and a curse. I can write about almost any subject, and I enjoy varying my subject matter, so many of my stories are vastly different from each other. However, this is also difficult for any reader who enjoys reading the same type of stories all the time, which seems to be a larger portion of the population. People have their tastes, and they stick to them, and those who like to read anything are not as common. I believe most of those who follow my writing directly, however, probably fit into that smaller group, if only because I do strive for variety. Please note that I'm not trying to say that there is anything wrong with writing the same type of story. That is how one becomes a master of a certain type of story, and ends up producing truly marvelous works. There are certainly more ways than one to write, and I only represent one of those schools of thought. The others are equally valid and, if approached with passion and devotion to the craft, will produce great authors in their own way.

I've always tried to be prompt, so you can consider it an apology to myself, as well. I feel like I'm failing at my job if I'm not interacting with my readers. I ask for feedback pretty regularly, and I think it's the author's duty to nurture that feedback by responding to it. If I don't have the time to respond to something directly, I'll wait until I have a free moment to do so in order to make sure I can respond in depth. My thought is that by this process I can develop a community around my writing. Which is why I can definitely see where you'd have an issue with what the other author is doing. Distancing yourself from your audience is not the way to keep them coming back. Of course, what do I know? I could be completely off base with that, as I only have a few people who are currently reviewing every chapter. I'm grateful to all of you, by the way, so please don't think I'm complaining. I wish I knew how to reach more readers, is all.

Sorry for the lateness in my reply. I meant to get to these yesterday, but failed in my duty. So, it was page-turning, huh? I'm glad to hear that. I imagine there's going to be at least one more chapter in this story which will have that effect on you, based off the intensity of this one, though there are a few others as well . . . Alexi is the most gangsterish(not a word) of all of them, I think. Well, Nobuyuki and Dante both have their styles of gangsterness(Also not a word) as well, but Alexi's pretty traditional. I know this is probably weird, but I've often found gangsters (Real ones, not 'gangstas') to be endearing. Maybe it's because I grew up around a few? As for Katsumi, can't she be both? Purity and danger. She'd like that description. Thank you for the review!

I started writing my reply yesterday, but then got pulled away for something and never got back to it. Anyway, I apologize for my tardiness. Not trusting Katsumi makes sense to me. She does seem to be hiding something, doesn't she? But what is it she's hiding? Is she really the enemy, or did I put this in here to trick you . . . Oh, and Nobuyuki's work is more complicated than he realizes. Next chapter continues the momentum, and Nobuyuki's world is about to explode. As for Alexi . . . Answers begin coming as soon as next Wednesday, and I'm glad you're sticking around to find them out. Thanks for reading, tim, and for the review.

Probably never will be again . . . The person below me cooked a full meal today.

“There’s a problem, Daisuke.” Daisuke looked both ways down the alley, making sure no one was watching before he answered the voice in his ear. “What do you mean?” “Nobuyuki has left the building. He won’t be here when we act.” “What!?” Daisuke whispered harshly, his eyes widening with outrage. He quickly brought his emotions under control with a meditative breath. “It doesn’t change anything. We’ll have to proceed anyway. I can’t cancel the attack now.” “I kn

Mine is actually probably It has red eyes like Rikki Tikki Tavi. Same Q

Music to my ears, dear tim. Thank you.

Yay! Wednesday is going to be a great day. It's Odin's day, you know. Old one eye makes his move on Wednesdays. I'm glad you're here. Hope the wait won't drive you too crazy!

Are you excited for chapter 9? Things are about to get serious.

My former self. If you were to pick an emoticon from GA's list of emoticons to represent yourself, which one would it be?

Thanks again to everyone! I finally caught up on all the likes here.

I hadn't thought of it that way. Perhaps it's just the culture I've been a part of on the internet? I use tumblr, and of course we reblog images all the time without thinking of that point. I'll be bowing out of the conversation now, having been convinced that there is more to think about than what I had originally considered, and will perhaps return when I have reevaluated my position.