Cynus

I hope so, too. I didn't find the subject or character assignment for this one particularly interesting, and as I was looking at the other assignments for different heats I was somewhat jealous. But I felt reasonably good about this one once I was done. At least it was true to the prompt and unique, right? I don't mind it being connected to Rumors of War, considering I reused a name. The original name for Belial was actually Samael, then I realized this could be interpreted as the author putting his name in the story, which would have been a breach of rules! So I changed to Belial. Thank you for your confidence in me, and I hope I make it! Thank you also for reading and reviewing!

Sorry it took so long to get back to you on this review. Life has been . . . complicated. But yes, I am going to try to connect almost all of them. I ended up adding in the short I wrote for the contest, and that one won't be connected to the others, but the rest of them? Definitely. I'm glad you liked Erik, I think he's going to be quite the recurring character. Thank you for the review!

I think by the end of the list I could relate to 5 of them, haha! One Mac won't quite be enough, I think. Thanks though. I did love Boy Meets World, though.

Apparently being a dirt poor kid from that generation means I don't relate to any of them until item 12...

I'm considering posting the original picture I had for Nobu, just to see what people think of it. The kid had blue hair! I really like how this one keeps most of his skin covered, though. Vladimir's coming up next. I wonder if he'll match up as well for you! Oh yes. Oh yes indeed. What do you like about him, Drew? Is it his style? The way he carries himself?

He was a rogue; he was snarky and charming, the embodiment of devilish charisma. He never let another person walk all over him, and he stood his ground whenever something he believed in needed defending. His wit was sharp, his confidence intoxicating. And he hated bullies as much as I did. Whenever he saw someone being picked on, he was there, pulling them apart and unleashing all of that spunky, fiery spirit on whichever asshole thought they could throw their weight around. He would not stand for another person being treated like they were worthless. He wasn't perfect. Sometimes he'd tease a little too much. Sometimes he mouthed off to authority when it wasn't necessary. Sometimes he didn't know when to quit, but I loved him for every part of his character, even his imperfections. And I've never met his match, and doubt I ever will again. May we someday be reunited. Same Q

I finally found a picture to represent Nobuyuki. I had one which was passable before, but the kid was probably only 14, which meant you had to add some years, but this one is pretty much perfect. So here's Nobu!

Their naked soul, but only in exchange for my own. Would you consider yourself Religious, Spiritual, or Neither?

I accidentally cheated, so I think I'm disqualified, even though I know it now.

Dabeagle just reviewed this story on his new YouTube channel! Please check it out!

“My name is Belial, archdevil and master soul trader.” Belial surveyed the small classroom with fiendish contempt, watching the eyes of the other students and expecting their faces to be filled with sadistic satisfaction at his presence. Nearly all of them were rather awestruck at his celebrity appearance, and were watching him with adoration. This unexpected reaction made Belial smile as he turned back to the instructor to continue his introduction. “I have over two thousand years of experience

*Scans over the assortment of empty energy drink cans and coffee cups* No . . . I needed all of those things... The person below me is neurotic.

Oh, Dante . . . Have I mentioned yet that he's my favorite character? Feel free to interpret that how you will, as anyone who knows my "favorites" knows it could mean anything. As soon as I started writing this story, I knew I was going to base a character off Neal. Not only was his character absolutely brilliant, but Matt Bomer is one of the most attractive men in the universe... Just as we've started to delve into Vladimir, we're going to be peering into Dante a bit deeper as well, though I don't think we truly understand him until chapter 17, so we have a bit to go.

Well, I'm sure you're well aware I can't tell you whether you're wrong or not, as that would certainly spoil the surprise for you either way, but I am glad you're considering it. There are certainly hints placed along to way to help readers figure it out one way or another, though I did try to keep the answer from being too obvious. Where would the fun be in that? There are other options, after all. It sounds to me like you're quite invested in the web of things, and I'm glad it's having that effect. I often had to refer to my extensive notes when writing this in order to ensure I kept all my facts and plot points straight. I think after my editors finished with me it all worked out, but I guess we'll see if everyone else thinks so. Thank you for the review!

Thank you, my friend. I'm trying to keep them connected, though how I'll do that while keeping reality in check when I get to Fantasy/Horror, I'm not quite sure. Three of the prompts I've received so far have been horror, so I guess we'll find out soon. One of which was yours, I believe. I'm eager to try my hand at it, but I think there are a couple more in the queue before then. I liked these guys, though, and I think there's going to be a lot more of them. Thank you for the review.

Thanks, tim. Couldn't have done it without you. it was your prompt which means you created the challenge for me to meet. I can only hope I met it adequately. I think we'll see a lot more of these guys, though when they'll pop up I can't be entirely sure. Thanks for the review!

I'm sure they'll show up again. Maybe they'll even fall in love and go waterskiing? Dressed as mimes, of course. This next one is going to be interesting, and tying it in should be difficult, but we'll see how it goes. I think I'll manage, though. Who it's going to involve, I'm not quite sure, yet. Possibly some old faces, and possibly not. We'll see what the muse thinks! Thank you for the review!

I'm glad it made you smile at least. Comedy really isn't my forte, at least in writing. I can make my friends laugh, but to get that down on paper . . . I am slowly constructing a world, yes, but we'll see how well it continues to mesh together. I'm a little nervous about how I'll manage to incorporate the stories which involve horror or fantasy elements, but I'll continue to try. Thank you for the review!

I had no idea he was an actor as well! Any movies you'd recommend that he's in? I'm assuming they're all Swedish movies so I'll have to use subtitles, but I'm okay with that. He is definitely cute, though. I fell in love with him when he was 17, and I've always wanted to base a character off him. Still haven't really done that, but I have used his physical attributes. But isn't that how life works sometimes? Often we try to hide parts of ourselves or our true feelings because we're afraid of judgment or of hurting someone else's feelings, when if they knew our honest thoughts they often times would leave us alone, or perhaps even agree. I've come to learn that it's better to be true to myself than what others want me to be, but I certainly didn't follow that philosophy very well when I was either Viktor or Vladi's age. Teenagers have a knack for hiding themselves from others in order to fit in. There's a lot that Viktor doesn't know about Vladi, and so Vladimir has a great deal he feels he needs to protect. Viktor is the only member of his family he understands, and he can't bear the thought of losing him for any reason. I don't know if you'll be surprised or not as you get to know Vladimir better, but there will certainly be more to come.

The cone of light did little to fight the oppressive darkness of the overcast night sky, nor did it dispel the chill surrounding Alexander Perron as he stepped around the freight car. It was fall, and the weather was definitely beginning to shift; it was a bad time to be a security guard at the Hamilton Freight Yards, but at least the pay was nice. Alexander raised his flashlight and pointed it between the two closest rail cars. His boss had found graffiti on one of the cars in the main

And there will be much more to come on Vladi, too. He's a more integral character to the plot than most, and we'll see a lot from him in later chapters. How will Viktor deal with his feelings? I suppose we'll just have to find out, eh? Hopefully the different weaves of the plot aren't too complicated, yet. Thanks for the review, and check out the forum for a picture of Viktor's Muse!

I will take that as a compliment, considering Romeo and Juliet is perhaps the most commonly copied story. It wouldn't be copied if people didn't love it. Thank you, spawnling!

I think the characters are going to continue to appear in cameos in later chapters (Obviously not all of them, as I'm going to continue adding characters) but I do like switching it up as I go along. This experience has been rather liberating for me as a writer, while at the same time it had engaged and challenged me. I'm having a lot of fun so far. On your Swedish note, you might want to look at the 'From The Cup of The Worthless" forum a bit later. It will all be clear. Thanks for the review!

Thanks! The restaurant came fairly easily to me. I've worked in the food industry my whole life, and I've entertained the thought of opening a restaurant or two of my own in the past, some of them themed. Can't say I considered mimes before this story, though, hehe. Thanks for the review!

Well, I did reuse characters from the first story like I said I might do, so Erik was fairly easy to write. Obviously things are going well with Clive, huh? I appreciate your compliments, and I'm glad you enjoyed the story. I found Peter surprisingly easy to write, but thank goodness he was as I almost ran out of time. I look forward to your thoughts on chapter three, tomorrow. Thank you for the review!