Over the last few months, I've brought up the words that Gichyòbi had said about how he was encouraged to save Rutejìmo from violence. This same encouragement was one (but not the only) reason that Mikáryo took pity on him back in Sand and Blood. Well, this chapter is the next logical step for Rutejìmo and his life at this point. I like how plots and stories begin to tie together.

Violence

My early writing could best be described as “splatterpunk” or “death porn.” It resembled the Saw and Hostel movies more than anything else because, as a teenager, the two things that fascinated me were death and sex. At the time, I couldn't really write about sex so I focused on death.

I don't really write that anymore though. I felt that my fiction was getting into a groove and I was sinking into it. I wanted to be able to write joy, love, and happiness. I don't always succeed, but my stories (and this novel) are a lot more cheerful than I would have written in my teens and twenties.

That said, Fedran is not a fluffy happy world. It is dark. There is no rape (and never will be) but there is violence, torture, and disease. Most of it will be kept “off screen” as it were but sometimes there is no avoiding it. This chapter reflects a bit of that, though glossed over, since it is filled with anime violence.

Mutual Destruction

It might be obvious (or may not) but there is a code when it comes to the warriors of the desert. They are very powerful. I can easily see where they are abused. Someone who could easily run at speed of sound can do a lot of damage. As would someone who can phase through stone or teleport betwen shadows.

At the same time, when one person breaks the rule, the others will do the same. Again, this chapter reflects that as Chimípu uses her speed and abilities to pretty much her limits to fight.

Being that we are near the end of Chimípu's story, this is the climatic battle for her.

Midnight Flight

A number of months ago, I submitted a story for the Hath No Fury anthology. It was actually the events that Chimípu went through to get into this chapter, I thought it was worthy of a story. I want to expand the chapters a little more before I publish it, but it will probably be just into the serialization queue as soon as I do.

I'm sad the story didn't make it, but it just points out that I need to get better at writing. There is so much to learn and improve myself to write something that draws in readers.

Pacifism

I'm a pacifist. Of course, that doesn't really describe the full measure of my beliefs. I'm personally sickened by the idea of me attacking someone outside of defense.

I know this because of high school. It was sophomore year when a bully slammed my head into a locker. I tattled on him and he got suspected. I figured blood on my forehead from the edge of the locker justified me reporting it. He disagreed. Later, he threatened repeatedly to run me over with a car whenever I walked home from school.

Fortunately, the threats only last a few weeks but it was a terrible experience. I had to go home, there was only one real route (choke points are “awesome”) and I hoped that if I just kept walking, he would eventually stop jumping his car over the curb and revving his engines.

He finally did give up. He got bored.

During that time, I would spent part of the walk thinking about all the things I wanted to do to him. The violent, torture, you name it. It sickened me instead of making me feel good. I didn't have a problem when a character had those things happened, but when it was me doing it to someone real, it was a different story. There were other incidents over high school which lead up to me almost killing myself but that conflict was there. I couldn't stand myself for wanting to lash out.

I write because it because it makes me feel good. It also ended up being the way I remained sane during this time of my life. I had people revving cars at me, I had people threating to cut my throat in school, and I got shoved from behind but there was nothing I could do about it. When I was put in the same class with the boy who still threatened me, the teachers wouldn't do anything about it. They just told me to stop being a wimp and suck it up. Shut up and take the abuse. Ignore him and maybe he'll stop throwing the ball at your face. Better yet, stop sucking at sports and you won't have trouble.

So I wrote. I wrote out my frustrations, fears, and pains.

Eventually, I got better at it, both in getting the emotions out on the page but also written more interesting characters.

Sand and Bone 28: Smoke and Honor

Rutejìmo is at his limits, barely able to run even with days of running ahead of him. He is mentally and physically exhausted. The fear of being alone and in the dark haunt him but there is no one to watch over him.

Despite all that, when he sees the twin smoke of someone who needs him, he doesn't hesitate to go to them. This time, however, there is something far more dire waiting at the smoke than a corpse.

Read the chapter at https://fedran.com/sand-and-bone/chapter-28/. If you like it, please become a patron or review one of my previous books. Subscribers get access to all my novels, including the first book of my next series and my high-society romance novel.