Artists: None
Characters: None
Genres: Action/Adventure, Angst, Drama
Warnings: Adult Language, Violence
Event: 2015 Holiday Challenge
Completed: Yes Chapters: 2
Word count: 5,482 Hit Count: 2,135 ePub Downloads: 86
Published: December 28, 2015 Updated: December 30, 2015
Print or Download Story:
View All Chapters
1. Chapter 1 by Baphrosia - Likes: 19 Comments: 13 Word Count: 2,360 Hit Count: 1,346 Published: December 28, 2015
In honor of Human Rights Day and Letter Writing Day.
WARNING: This two-chapter story is NOT fluffy or Christmassy. There are parts that are outright disturbing (but nothing very graphic, because I cannot do that), including famine victims and evil vampires. This is the reason for the R rating.
However, there is redemption and a feel-good ending to make up for the disturbing parts.
The story ranges from the 1980's through post-series (maybe S10, maybe not - no comics knowledge needed). I spent many, many hours (far more than I did on writing) researching the history, culture, and dialects of the regions mentioned. It is as accurate as I can make it without ever actually having been there, but Google is no substitute for actual experience. If you have been to/are from Uganda, I welcome input.
Many thanks to my betas, BarbC/Rahirah and tjbw, for their input. Thanks to MarieAilbhe for information on PlanUSA. Not my characters, etc., etc.
2. Chapter 2 by Baphrosia - Likes: 23 Comments: 17 Word Count: 3,122 Hit Count: 789 Published: December 30, 2015
Warning: parts of this chapter are very disturbing. One of the worse famines in history occured in the Karamoja region of Uganda in 1980-81 and, you guessed it, Spike and Dru will be there. It's also right next door to where Spike probably went to get his soul in 2002. Karamoja's struggles with starvation and war are ongoing today, and the poverty index is one of the highest in the world.
As an aside, when I was considering whether or not to write this story, I received an email from a friend's daughter. She will be traveling to Kenya (right next door) on a humanitarian mission this June, and the email was what pushed me into doing the necessary research for this piece. If you haven't yet decided which charities you'd like to support for the year, maybe you'd be interested in helping sponsor her mission. (No pressure - just throwing it out there because I found the coincidence of the email's timing interesting.) Read about it here if you're curious.