Both chapters this week deal with the interplay of differing personalities working together. I didn't intended it to line up, but it was interesting that it did. I like cooperative stories. I love it when people work together instead of infighting or going their own way. That is reflected in some of my writing, more so with these two “three character” novels that I apparently wrote but didn't realize it until I wrote this.

Sand and Blood 16: Pushing Forward

At this point in Sand and Blood, things are getting rather dark for poor Pidòhu. He has a compound fracture and is hallucinating. With blood loss and exposure, he doesn't have a lot of survival chances in the middle of the desert. (Not that I would ever kill off a character…. *cough*.) Even so, he is aware enough to realize that he will die if they don't move which is why he asks Rutejìmo to bring him along. I think the contrast between Rutejìmo's struggles and Pidòhu's acceptance is fascinating, mainly because I've seen the despair of intellectuals before. He knows what is happening and he knows there is nothing he can do about it.

Chimípu continues to be the natural leader, making decisions and driving forward. This is integral to her new role in the clan, as a warrior. It also reflects her growing power and comfort with her own abilities. I once read a description about an isolationist group (I forgot the name) didn't typically have more than a fifth grade education, but when one is “promoted” to elder, they start to demonstrate higher functioning skills. I kind of see Chimípu doing the same; they need a leader so she is acting line one. It doesn't hurt that she is the clan's Chosen One, not that she would know it for fifteen years.

Even though this is an introspection chapter, it really is an important one. I love how Pidòhu grows into becoming a sage (the best translation I could come up with for a member of a clan that doesn't have a separation of warriors and non-warriors). It also sets up the scenes for the point when Rutejìmo realizes both Chimípu and Pidòhu are far and away more powerful than him.

Read Sand and Blood 16: Pushing Forward at https://fedran.com/sand-and-blood/chapter-16/.

Flight of the Scions 22: Shelter

There is a much different interplay between the three main characters of Flight of the Scions. Even when I didn't intend it, they show up in some of the strangest of places. This is one of the few humorous bits in my book, but I thought it was appropriate for the situation.

Together, the three teenagers sneaked their way to the cabins. Maris led them to the far one. When Kanéko tried the door, she found it locked.

“Sands.” She turned to Ruben. “Any chance you know how to unlock it?”

Ruben shrugged. “Procure a key?”

Kanéko rolled her eyes and looked down at the lock. She remembered a part in one of her Nash novels where he picked it, but after the fiasco trying to escape in the river, Kanéko's trust in her stories had plummeted. “Maris, how about—”

She couldn't see Maris. Turning around, she peered in the darkness around them. “Where is she?”

On the far side of the cabin, the sound of breaking glass echoed out from the darkness. Kanéko winced, covering her ears as if it would stop anyone else from hearing it. She saw Ruben smirking at her and pulled her hands back, her cheeks burning with embarrassment.

“Maris is breaking a window in the back,” supplied Ruben.

Kanéko turned away to hide her blush. “Thanks, I figured that out on my own.”

“You do possess an incredible sense of perception.”

The door shuddered then creaked open. Maris stood in side, her ears flat on her head and her tail down between her legs. “I, um, opened the door.”

This little bit of a scene really shows the three personalities of these characters. Maris is practical and pretty much leans toward brute strength solutions. Ruben is intellectual but not always very helpful, he is also dead-panned sarcastic. Kanéko is a mixture of the two.

This chapter also uses a troupe I'm not fond of: children breaking laws. They do break into someone's cabin but it isn't a frequent occurrence. I think it shows up in Disney movies more often, but I really don't like when kids break the laws constantly all in the process of saving the world.

Read Flight of the Scions 22: Shelter https://fedran.com/flight-of-the-scions/chapter-22/ (subscribers)

Patrons

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Sand and Ash progress

I'm almost near the end of getting Sand and Ash. I have new blurbs written by Blurb Bitch and the initial opinions are pretty good. I'll be putting them into the re-release of Sand and Blood and hopefully get that ordered by the end of the week.

Ash is just waiting on a single editor, then I should be ready to have that proof also ordered.

Missing Files

When I upgraded my operating system this weekend, I apparently broke the generation of the EPUB, MOBI, and PDF versions. This will be web-only until I can get everything fixed. This might be next week unless I decide to rewrite the build system (again) and then a bit longer.