KINDRED - Re-Upload - COMPLETE STORY
Added 2020-08-18 01:32:34 +0000 UTCSo, apparently the editing process bugged the hell out of that last file I uploaded. Really, truly sorry for that. It reads fine on certain things like Word, but horrible on others, like Patreon's reader and some ipad stuff, apparently. I had no idea, because I was opening it in Word.
I cannot get an rtf to work post-edits, so you'll all have to make do this time with a word file. If anyone knows a work-around for this weird issue, I'd love to hear it.
Here's the blurb from the initial post -
This has eaten up a lot of time over the last month and a half, but it's finally, FINALLY done.
This is it, the absolute final cut. This file contains both 'Kindred-North' and 'Kindred-South', the two halves of this two part series. If you've just joined this Patreon lately and have no idea what you're looking at, here's what you need to know about this series -
'Kindred' is a Historical Fiction / Adventure / Romance set in the Red Lantern world, roughly 4-5 years before the events of Red Lantern, the graphic novel. It tells the story of Finnegan and Tulimak, two strangers from opposite ends of the world brought together by circumstance, and their journey across the Carvecian frontier. Kindred's focus is on the idea of what constitutes a 'family', versus 'lineage'. Kindred will contain, as most of my stories tend to, adult themes, including - violence, sexual situations, furry-world equivalents of colonial exploitation and specism, homophobia and familial abuse (obviously, things our protagonists will be combating, not reinforcing). If any of this is subject material you feel you aren't up to, it might not be for you.
KINDRED IS A STAND-ALONE STORY. You do NOT need to have read any other Red Lantern novel to digest and enjoy this, although I must warn you, I've been told RL books are a black hole of lore many have never escaped from.
I want to again thank everyone who was a part of the beta-reading process for this novel, who came on streams and most importantly, commented and kept my spirits up while I wrote it! I live for my little fan community here, you all keep me sane. I love to hear what you love, what you hate, what you want to see. . . feedback is what encourages me most. And I got a lot of that for this one. You're all amazing, and you made this book happen as much as I did.
This last bit here is just a simple plea. I do not dispense my Patreon images with huge watermarks on them, or my stories via a link-share process, or some other form of gate-keeping. I know asking is probably pointless, but seeing as this is an entire novel I'm posting before it's even up for print, I'm going to ask anyway. Patreon is literally my ONLY form of income right now, even merchandise sales are becoming increasingly difficult because of the issues with the USPS. Please, please, please. . . if you enjoy anything I do, do not post my writing/art on other sites. I ask this being well aware that someone, somewhere will, but I want to make this as clear as I can - when you do that, not just to me but to any creators on Patreon, ESPECIALLY right now, you are removing creators from this fandom, and curtailing any future works you might have gotten to enjoy from them. I can only surmise if you're sharing my stuff for free out there on sites it's not supposed to be on, it's because you think people might want to see it. If you want there to be more, PLEASE STOP. This fandom is losing artists at an alarming rate right now. Art theft is essentially pissing in your own drinking water. Please think before you act.
Sorry for that. I get notified at least once a week that my art is being stolen and in some cases, re-sold or attached to other people's projects without my permission. On the whole, there is nothing I can do about it except beg for it to stop. So I'm doing so. This story in particular was a huge labor of love, during an extremely difficult time. I will eventually post the whole of it for free on FA ANYWAY, so at least wait for that?
Thank you again to everyone who, y'know. . . isn't doing that stuff. 99.9% of you are always so respectful and wonderful.
Please stay safe, stay healthy, wear a mask, and we will all weather this storm together.
Comments
It was certainly therapeutic to read! You didn't give away the happy ending too soon... it was also an unendingly anxious read, in a good way. The sense of relief and happiness for them is heart melting. I particularly enjoyed Tulimak's contemplative nature and the bittersweet parting before the epilogue. Seeing how they grow both for each other and for themselves is very satisfying.
Matthew
2021-11-20 06:30:20 +0000 UTCBeautiful story, start to finish. I love seeing Grant and more of Grayson, really ties the room together and gives more depth to all of them .I agree with above, seeing a story from a softer point of view was a neat change, and I really hope there will be more of these guys in the future (even if it's just art or short stories). The RL universe is a real black hole, but one I'm more than happy to be sucked into. The story had depth, great characters, and covered real issues VERY well without being overly political or preachy.
KiskaBeaust
2020-09-10 22:29:01 +0000 UTCYou're so welcome! This ended up being a very therapeutic story for me, given my own issues with anxiety and panic attacks, and I was hoping a somewhat more uplifting story would be just the ticket given the times we find ourselves in now.
Rukis
2020-09-03 19:27:27 +0000 UTCI just finished this up yesterday. What a fabulous ride! Another amazing story set in your fantastic universe, full of extremely likeable (and unlikable in the case of Gezan...) Characters. :) I very much enjoyed reading a book from the perspective of a 'softer' character. Tuli really feels to me like he is mostly a big old teddy bear, especially in the start. I found the descriptors for anxiety and panic attacks to be extremely accurate. There was no part of these books that I didn't enjoy. Tuli and Finn make such a great pair, and the ending was such a sweet surprise (I was waiting for the ol' Rukis razzle dazzle, where we the readers get our hearts pulled out of our chest and the chair dropped from under us from a big heartbreaking surprise- but it never came!). I also very much loved the Grant cameo. <3 Such a good sweet boy, always. Thank you for another amazing story, Rukis!
Samantha Jo Cash
2020-09-03 13:48:48 +0000 UTCNo prob ; ) I wish I hadn't doubled up on the names, but I have SO many characters, it was honestly bound to happen sooner or later.
Rukis
2020-09-01 04:04:08 +0000 UTCOh gosh! I have my doubt about the same name possibility. But then I was so sure when Luther(you) described him being very specialised in firearms and have a good relationship with Grayson. Now I'm feeling dump haha. Should have rewatch Heretic for the final confirm. Thanks for correcting me about it. Now I can fully rest in peace knowing that Tulimak and Finnegan 'Ambrose' have a happily ever after together life.
2020-09-01 01:57:23 +0000 UTCYou might be confusing Finn with another character. . . Finnegan's happy ending with Tulimak in Kindred is genuine. There is another character in the Red Lantern universe with the name 'Finnegan', but a different last name, so perhaps that's the confusion? Finnegan Reynolds from Heretic is a different character, different species, different dude. I'm sorry I used the name twice, but there are literally hundreds of characters in RL... it was bound to happen eventually.
Rukis
2020-08-31 23:52:47 +0000 UTC