Allow me to begin by acknowledging that this narrative was written in the Fraser Valley of the British Columbia lower mainland, upon the unceded territory of the Sto:lo people—the Sema:th and Mathxwi First Nations. Their land has been my home for my entire life and has shaped the creativity which allowed me to construct this work. I cannot express my gratitude in words for what they have given to me.
I would also like to thank the various other peoples and groups (including African American musicians and music culture, Coast Salish nations along the northwest American coastline, Louisiana Creole peoples, Arabic, Chinese, Jewish-Italian, and Japanese immigrants, and the LGBTQIA2+, disabled/amputee, and veteran communities) represented within this narrative; their rich cultures and histories contributed to the identities of all of my characters, and I have done my best to present each group with nuance while celebrating them for their strengths. However, this narrative should not be taken as a complete representation for any community portrayed; I encourage all readers to educate themselves further on the histories of all groups represented, as well as to support works created by members of those groups.
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In late winter of 2021, I began to create this story of death, freedom, what it means to live, and what it means to have lived for people throughout history. It is about a small collection of people, all running from something in their lives, caught in a purgatory which they must attempt to escape or die within. This purgatory is the Runaway Train, a mysterious, liminal, endless place filled with demons and reapers on their ways throughout time and space, as well as dead souls on their ways to the afterlives. The task these passengers face—escape—is most likely impossible. Their journeys compose a narrative about fear, mortality, loss, and how all of these things shape a person's life.
This story is told in Acts, divided further into Scenes. In each Act are introduced various characters, all from different points in history and with their own experiences that have brought them to the train. Please read their entire arcs before placing judgement upon them; none are all good or all evil, as all people are.
This illustrated novel is a compilation of the evolution of my artistic and writing skills over the years that I have worked on it. With each Act, with each Scene, my progression and evolution as a creator is shown. I love all of the work that I do, but my first fully completed narrative holds a very special place in my heart. As I have said before about this story, this has truly been a labour of love.
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A Note on the Publication and Content of This Work
Runaway Train was originally published with one Scene posted a month on my DeviantArt and Wattpad. Part way through Act II, I began publishing two Scenes a month, and over time I added Instagram and Tumblr to the number of places it could be viewed and read. Please check those out if you like my work!
As I felt certain moments and characters called for verbal outbursts, there is coarse language present in all publications of this work. Though this is a platform generally peopled with thirteen-year-olds, I do not feel censorship would do the story, dialogue, or characters justice. This is a narrative about history, and coarse language has existed as long as humans have been able to speak. It is a part of expression. This, and my art in general, are my preferred medium of expression, so I have left it in. The language is not overly harsh and used sparingly anyway. Besides, if you're on Wattpad you have surely read worse stuff.
It should be mentioned that the work on the whole contains fantasy and realistic violence. Though the violence is by no means detailed or graphic, it does involve guns, injury to a child, and death, both implied and shown. Proceed with caution if this could upset you. There is also an instance of a medical procedure, which may make some squeamish, though again, it is not detailed or graphic. This is in Act III, Scene 7.
Without further adieu, thank you very much for reading and enjoy the show.
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Runaway Train
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