Cynus

Thank you, I'm glad your prompt worked out, and that you specifically enjoyed it. I was a bit skeptical about my ability to pull off a cohesive story, much less one which was true to the prompt, but at least you found it enjoyable. I feel like I cheated a bit with the restaurant. I've worked in restaurants my whole life, and it allowed me to use a comfortable setting, which took some of the pressure off. Of course, I know almost nothing about mimes, so the pressure was still strong! Thank you for the challenge, and the review.

Welcome, Dean.

Detention had been hell, and Viktor wasn’t even sure why. He stood in front of the bathroom mirror at his house, staring at his reflection and wondering where the day had gone wrong. It seemed as if everything had been going perfectly well until gym class, and then Nobuyuki had started training him, and then . . . Everything was a blur after that. He remembered shoving Nobuyuki away from him. He remembered hearing Vladimir’s voice, and the fear which suddenly took over. He’d never been

Debra Waters looked at her phone, wondering why her brother would possibly be calling her at a time like this. He knew how important this night was for her; he’d set up the blind date in the first place! She needed to get ready, and had barely an hour before she was to be at the restaurant. Sighing, she answered her phone a moment before it was to go to her voicemail. “Erik, what can I do for you?” “Hey Debs, I need your advice,” Erik said, sounding frantic. “Clive just invited

Certainly. If you look at my responses to other reviews, I've addressed that to some degree. I don't know exactly how everything will connect, but I think I'm going to end up weaving them all together, somehow.

You know, I'm entertaining the possibility of connecting them all somehow, now. I have an idea, and I think it might just work, though playing with the fantasy angle might be difficult once it shows up, haha! I'm glad you enjoyed it, and that the characters were interesting. Maybe they'll get a longer story someday, but for now they'll play into an expanding world. I'm sure we'll see Clive and Erik again. Thanks for the review.

Who knows, Valkyrie? Maybe some of these shorts will end up sparking a longer story. I was thinking about how I could expand this one as I was finishing it, but I knew I needed to stay within my rules or it wouldn't be proper practice for the short story competition I'm involved in. I'm glad you enjoyed it, though, and there will be more. Possibly even more from these characters depending on what the exact prompts are. I think I have ten more lined up, but I'll be looking for a lot more.

Clive chopped down with the axe, splitting the log with a meditative focus. The sound of the splintering wood had a nostalgic appeal to him, bringing him back to the old days on the ranch with his father. That time seemed so distant now, lost in the years of heartbreak which had separated them. First it had been Clive’s mother, then Clive’s own wife, both gone within a year of each other. The grief which should have brought him and his father closer together had instead pushed them apart.

A collection of Flash Fiction, from both my Flash Fiction February and My upcoming Flash Fiction Fridays. Each chapter is a stand alone story of 3000 words or less.

Thank you, spawnling, for another terrific review! Innuendos are the closest thing I have to a superpower, I think. I'm glad you enjoyed them, and now I'm exceptionally eager to see what you think of some of the later chapters and characters. Thanks for reading.

Viktor is definitely passionate about his history, especially when someone is trying to tell him that his father is wrong. Mr. Morrison isn't exactly the greatest person in the world, either. I'm glad they drew you in. If how you feel about Nobuyuki is any indication, you're going to like the rest of the story as well. I guess I pulled off the scene how I wanted to, as I wanted Nobuyuki to initially seem like the typical Japanese student, but then show his true colors as he helps Viktor out of his mess. I hope you like to other surprises in store as well. Thanks for the review, Drew.

Viktor is definitely passionate about his history, especially when someone is trying to tell him that his father is wrong. Mr. Morrison isn't exactly the greatest person in the world, either. I'm glad they drew you in. If how you feel about Nobuyuki is any indication, you're going to like the rest of the story as well. I guess I pulled off the scene how I wanted to, as I wanted Nobuyuki to initially seem like the typical Japanese student, but then show his true colors as he helps Viktor out of his mess. I hope you like to other surprises in store as well. Thanks for the review, Drew.

Poor Viktor, he is surrounded by gangsters, isn't he? Of course, that's largely due to him being contested territory. Once one gang thinks something belongs to them, they won't give it up easily. There is much more to Dante, definitely. I modeled him a bit off the character Neal Caffrey from the show "White Collar". I think you're going to like what you see as you get to know him more, and especially as you get into his head.

Does a public bathhouse count as close enough? Because i thoroughly enjoyed the times I was able to go to them in South Korea while I was living there. The person below me has lived in a country other than the one of their birth.

All right, so... now that more people have read the chapter... what did you think of Dante?

I'm happy to hear you say that. I was thinking that the longer setup in this story might be part of what's keeping more people away from reading it, but it felt necessary as I was writing it. I'm glad it's keeping you invested. There's much more in store for our boys, and alliances are tricky things. More about Vladi in the next chapter, and Nobuyuki still has that situation with Viktor to resolve. I can't wait to see what everyone thinks once worlds begin to collide. Thank you for the review!

I'm excited for you to see how it unfolds! I hope I've done justice to the level of intrigue surrounding organized crime, and things will remain complicated from here on out. As for violence... pain... everything surrounding it... well, you'll just have to stay tuned! Thank you, as always, for the review!

tim! thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you gave it a chance, and I hope you continue to enjoy it. I look forward to your thoughts, good or bad, on later chapters. Thanks for the review!

You just made my day in so many ways. Thank you for the review! I appreciate the compliment, and I hope to be able to continue to earn it. My writing process, which I'm sure is the same as many other writers, is to put a piece of myself into every character to make them relatable to myself, and then to try and build a unique character around that base. I put more into some characters than others, but I usually try to avoid basing a character entirely off my own personality, though a few do exist. I hope you'll continue to enjoy the story, and also hope you'll continue to let me know. I love feedback, whether positive or critical. Improvement as a storyteller is my ultimate goal. Thanks again.

Independent thought, interdependent action. Same Q

Sadness. I hope you pull through.

So... what did you think of Dante?

Nobuyuki had never been more confused in his life. One minute, he and Viktor had been inches apart, and the next he found himself on the floor and Viktor was nowhere to be seen. It had all happened so fast. Nobuyuki had barely managed to collect himself when the bell rang for the students to shower and dress after gym class. Their workout hadn’t been intense for Nobuyuki, but his heart had pounded the entire time. Proximity to Viktor had proven to be intoxicating, and he’d ended up knoc

Yep. Mixed with sleep apnea. I've forgotten what a good night's sleep is... The person below me is sick and tired of being sick and tired.

I am grateful for your understanding, as well as the many reviews you've left on my work. When I was at my low (In case anyone reading this cares, I have bipolar tendencies, and that's the true root of this post) on Wednesday, you were the shining light in the middle of it, because you were the only one who'd reviewed chapter 3 at the time, and I want you to know how much I appreciated that review in particular. It was exactly what I needed at the time to keep me from throwing in the towel entirely. You make some excellent points about listening to myself and trusting my ability as an artist, as well. I guess eomtimes I simply get carried away seeking that validation. Maybe I should simply address me ego? If I could take ego out of it, I think keeping an eye on the public would probably be easier all around, heh. Thank you so much, my friend. And everyone who took the time to read this or any of my work. I'm grateful just to be read, though I do appreciate hearing from you even more. I was thinking just the other day that I think I'd rather have 100 reviews of people who had issues with my work than 1000 views I hear nothing from. At least I know the 100 read it! Unless I hear from someone, I pretty much have to assume they read a line and gave up on it. But I guess I have to be content with that, as I can't change whether or not people talk to me. Each and everyone who does review/comment/email/send criticism, I am so eternally grateful to you, you have no idea... Thanks for everything.