Mass censorship worked its way into my fantasy worlds
Mass censorship of the early 2020s may have sparked suppression on social media platforms, but some of us turned the tables.
While Facebook, Twitter, and other big-time social media outlets were busy censoring users for sharing viewpoints they didn’t like, some of us used other methods to vent our frustrations. For me, it was June 2020, and mass censorship became a key component behind my first novel, Wind Wielder, in response to what was going on worldwide.
It’s a book that was a rewrite of a previous novel I’d finished but never published for obvious reasons – it wasn’t going to be that good. Most unpublished first novels aren’t. And while I had the ‘improved’ story set for Wind Wielder, I needed to inject the censorship and lockdown themes to best relay to audiences what this book was really about.
No, there was no pandemic going on in this story. Just corrupt politicians staging conscription of college students so the Tamurian Empire could keep reinforcing their military units stationed domestically and abroad. But they also had more sinister purposes, and it was why my protagonist, Sion Zona, became Public Enemy No. 1 in Tamuria’s Nordican Colonies.
Wind Wielder was the tip of the iceberg for mass censorship themes
As I write this, I just surpassed the release of my most recent novel, Cursed Mage. In it, we learn early that the deep state in the fictional nation of Vimsinew set up ‘institutions’ for unruly citizens, to put it vaguely.
These institutions were used in various forms. If someone claimed to possess special abilities, like seeing spirits or controlling one of the world’s nine elements, they’d end up going to seemingly more benevolent institutions.
In these cases, they’d be taken there to master their ability, but with the hidden agenda that they’d also end up coerced into some type of “service,” like serving as bodyguards for corrupt political parties or helping Vimsinew destroy its next monster overseas.
Other ‘institutions’ aren’t so kind, something my main character, Kaija, stumbles across in Astray Mage, which will hit online store shelves in March 2026. In it, Kaija follows the spirit of a child into a dungeon-like med ward, where patients are subjected to physical, mental, and emotional torture via these strange virtual reality gadgets.
The Rebellion Awakens captivates consequences when one ‘asks too many questions’
My Sentrys of Terrene trilogy (and yes, Sentrys is spelled that way on purpose) might give readers the greatest insights. Here, young Sabre Kjaergaard grows rather skeptical of her mundane and ‘perfectly structured’ life. Well, perfectly structured in the State’s eyes.
Growing up in the collectivist People’s Republic of Vranom, Sabre’s schedule tells her when to wake up, shower, eat, go to school, work, go home, and even when she’s allowed free time. Her schedule also automatically updates on days when she has additional appointments.’
Going along with her daily schedule is her only option, and it’s strictly forbidden to question why things are set in a specific manner. Oh, and I should also mention that her future career, retirement, and even death are all planned out.
Of course, it’s not long before Sabre discovers the existence of a rebel group called the Insurgency. And when she crosses a pair of undercover insurgents looking to recruit her as they sensed an ability that she never knew she had, her world turns upside down. It’s not long before Sabre confronts the brains behind this collectivist state, and the revelation is shocking.
Tarja Titan and Liza Fury combat mass censorship the hard way
A pair of stepsisters who once despised one another, Tarja Titan and Liza Fury, understood little about who they are and their respective significance.
Tarja grew up thinking her gift wasn’t just a curse, but an illness. Liza knew better, since she possessed a gift herself, but kept quiet about it thanks to the abuse she saw her parents put Tarja through.
When Tarja realized her illness of seeing spirits was a gift beyond measure, and Liza exposed her ability to control fire during the COVID crisis of 2020, they thought they were leaving the real world’s insanity behind.
Unfortunately for them, they ran into a pair of political factions who had no interest in embracing natural rights. Heck, one faction wanted them dead, and the other wanted to exploit their powers to gain leverage. And both factions were fine with spreading their own narratives and worldview while squeezing others into submission.
Things were awkward between Tarja and Liza at first. But when they realized they had common enemies and few liberty-loving allies, they had no choice but to unite. And thus far, they may be the most dynamic duo in all of my worlds, with this one being a fantasy version of our own world.
Censorship in the World of Rondure comes with severe penalties
My Chronicles of Rondure series boasts tons of crossover with Wind Wielder’s sequels. The opening scene in Civil War’s prologue is the same one found halfway through Wind Wielder’s direct sequel, Wind Master.
The difference? We see it from Mina Hirai’s point of view. Mina, a member of a secret underground rebel faction within Rondure’s global superpower’s military, finds herself with no choice but to betray that same superpower that conscripted her when she was five years old.
And Mina pays dearly for her crimes, from spending time in a literal torture chamber to cognitive conditioning for a scripted confession at an upcoming show trial. The empire wants to use her as an example of what happens to anyone who speaks out against them and their narratives.
If she doesn’t comply? They’ll put her through forced and irreversible bodily modification, leaving her a shell of what she used to be. Death would be a better option here, in what might be my darkest read of them all.
Excerpts to come…
As I write this article, I’m reformatting all of my existing works into an app called Atticus, giving each book a more customized, unique, and branded flair, starting with Spirit Summoner. Since I first wrote and published books featuring all the characters mentioned above on a shoestring budget, I was stuck using free apps like Draft2Digital and Reedsy – Clean, but not particularly aesthetically pleasing.
Not to mention, I mainly used premade covers and texts for all of my works. But that’s also gone to the wayside. Anyway, as I complete the process, I’ll be sharing excerpts of each book with you while I continue to take deep dives into the real-life examples regarding my work’s lore.
Thank you so much for going on this journey with me. And if you know anyone who’d be interested in some unorthodox fantasy with messages and themes that will make collectivists who hate them cringe, send them my way.
