It starts on Level Three, from the lips of a sailor and it spreads like a deadly disease. From the hands of farmers in the fields, to the stalls of merchants in the cities to the homes of the wealthy in the Capital.
The citizens sing about it on cold evenings when they gather around the fire, and the workers whistle melodies at midday when they harvest the crops. At the end, it is heard over the radio.
The hymn of the wandering God who ascended from the Well.
Aston had dreamed of the Stairs his whole life:
The sweat on his brow, the hot iron in his palms, and the raging wind whistling in his ears under a sky embroidered with lapis lazuli. So when he finds a boy passed out on the Poppy Hill with the salt of the Ocean etched on them instead of a Marking, a premonition of the impending downpour awakens within him.
That was just the beginning- the smell of smoke from a fire burning miles away. It was the wind of change. Because these things- the good, the bad, and the in-between- have one thing in common. They are made of lightning.
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Wolves Gone Wild is a NA, low fantasy ( no magic ), queer adventure that is set in a world of my own making that serves as an allegory for capitalism and the gap between the socio-economic classes.
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Setting:
The World consists of Seven Levels which are vertically connected via a natural phenomena called Stairs. Each Level acts as a continent, and each has its own unique ecosystem.
There can be found two openings for the Stairs on each Level. One, that one can climb upwards to the entrance of the upper Level, and one that one can choose to descend in order to go to the lower Level. Ascending and descending can be proven to be deadly due to certain conditions in each Level, and few attempt it.
The Levels, as they are known, are:
Level 1; a volcanic wasteland. Otherwise known as Hell, it's a place where no man lives.
Level 2; a vast Ocean.
Level 3; this is the Level where most of the population resides. Most residents live in villages amongst agriculture fields which cover about 80% of the Level while the other 20% is a more mountainous area with a couple cities.
Level 4; an unhibited, underground area full of caves and mine shafts.
Level 5; a mountain range found in the arctic. The only people who live there are found in a sole city carved in the mountaintops which is charectarised by its technological advances.
Level 6; a dense forest.
Level 7 is a myth, as far myths go. Often called as Heaven, it can only be a dreamlike place.
Markings: One gets a Marking at the age of seven. It is a tattoo all people are required to get at the base of their neck which states the following information:
Level in which they were born
Name and Surname
Date of Birth
City/village in which they were born
Father's name and surname
Mother's name and surname
Those who are exiled will have their Marking is crossed out with a knife cut, leaving visible only the Level in which they were born and their name, the rest are usually covered by the thick scarring. Markings are used as an id, so by being exiled one can be denied entry in most places.
Those who dare are always rewarded: the highest paying job one could have in this world is being a Supply Runner.
Supply Runners are trained individuals who ascend and descend the Stairs, carrying with them supplies and resources and bridge the distance between the Levels.
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Plot ( kind of ):
Juno, Aston, Kenta and Rin are united against all odds on Level 3. With different ambitions in mind, they embark together on a journey up the Levels, seeking after their dreams. During their ascencsion, a storm is found and it seems more dangerous than ever. As the group finds themselves interwined with the fate of the world, they can do nothing else than face the tempest head on.
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Main Characters (and some funny descriptions):
Juno Braudshaw ( 21 y/o - they/them - Level 1 )
Has problems
Has seen some shit and has scars to prove it
Can and will fight you if needed
Someone really needs to feed them, they're always starving
Is the glass half empty or half full?
They're the first to arrive and the last to leave
They makes up conspiracy theories
They will lie down and sleep next to you and there’s nothing that can stop them
Was adopted by Rin ( not officially but as a bond )
Too good for this world, has suffered too much
If you smile at them or hold a door open they will die for you no question asked
Their entire existence can be summed up with the “this is fine” meme
Lovestarved, touch-starved but mainly, food-starved
They like to count ocean waves
Aston Metcalf ( 23 y/o - he/him - Level 3 )
Problem causer
Your problematic fave
Also that dark haired angsty boy(™)
Is an orphan and mad about it
ADHD(™)
You wish you had a haircut that looked as nice as his
Really just needs a hug dammit
Flirty disaster
Will fight you
A bit loud
Omg, he’s so loud
Quiet? Never heard of it
In reality, he tries a lot
Family is of great importance to him
Kenta Hayes ( 22 y/o - he/him - Level 3 )
Is problem
Have you ever heard of Shots by Imagine Dragons? That’s his theme song
Exiled from the Capital and couldn’t care less about it ( he does care about it but for other reasons )
He cuts his hair on his own and he’s not always successful
He has many piercings that cost at least two months of rent
Actively cares about three things and three things only: loving his mother, hating capitalism and being ripped as hell
Dummy thick/buff
He likes archery and carving small wooden totems
Vegetarian
Anxiety (™)
Scheming face 24/7 but in reality he's just trying to figure out what to have for breakfast
Let this good boy get some sleep, he is too stressed for this shit
Mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter mutter
Rin Nguyen ( 20 y/o - she/her - Level 3 )
Problem solver
Mum friend but don’t try her
Doesn’t have time for anyone’s bullshit
Brutally honest
Has seen some shit
Money(™)
She will light up a fire and cook a warm meal while the other three ( more likely two: Aston and Kenta, Juno is a babyboy they would never actively cause harm<3 or would they?? Hehe ) are fighting, but she will also dump the plate of soup on their heads if they tire her out too much
Her smile can destroy anything on her way
Sarcastic lil shit
Lives for the memes
Knows her way around
Connections, connections everywhere
She likes to collect herbs and flowers
She will let you vent to her about your problems but she does not promise that she will help you
write for yourself. put your fantasies on paper. no one knows what you are writing. no one knows what's in your head. no one is going to write it for you. if you don't write down your ideas they will disappear. if you are too scared to write your thoughts then don't write, try something different. if writing is the only way, get to writing. no one else's opinion matters. no one else's opinion will ever matter
this isn't about sharing or posting your work, btw. this is just about writing it at all. BUT for things you want to share....someone is waiting for your story. your rarepair. your bizarre self-insert oc. your ""cringe"" obsessions. someone out there wants to find it and go "yyeeesssssssss thissssssss! finally!"
even if your thing is so niche it's only that one person, you just made their day? they will replay your story in their head for years. stories i didn't even like come back to me at random times because i learned something from them or they evoked an important emotion. sometimes they just used a word in a way that stood out to me, so now i use it that way too.
you never know! you cannot imagine how much someone might want to read your ideas! hell, they don't even know until they read it!
fantasy author: But hear this. What if vikings.
readers: [perk one ear, cautiously]
fantasy author: But they're not historically accurate. Just the cool stuff without any of the slavery and pillaging.
readers: [slowly peering out of the shadows]
fantasy author: Just cool runes carved onto big-ass axes and battle hammers, braided beards and being tough as shit but also like, super organised and surprisingly high-tech for their age.
readers: [distrusting, but approaching gingerly]
fantasy author: Like super into war but also merchants. Showing up with goods like "yo are you here to trade or are we here to raid." Can run a bank and trade in gold but also fuck you up on a battlefield like that's their whole job.
readers: [warily sniffing author's hand]
fantasy author: And they're short as shit and live INSIDE MOUNTAINS!
readers, suddenly delighted: DWARFS DWARFS DWARFS DWARFS
part of the boulder is the crushing realization that YOU are the one forcing yourself to push this rock up the hill and the paradox of it almost flattens you but it must just be part of the rock. you're still kinda happy about it tho
I drew this poster for Jon Acuff and his FINISH book tour. Big thanks to Jon for this collaboration, his book has some great ideas about how to complete creative and life goals.
if you ever doubt your writing, be it your themes, or the reason behind it, remember that h.g wells wrote war of the worlds both as a commentary on colonialism and the horrors it brings, and because he fucking hated his neighbours and his 13 hour job, and wanted to write about the town in which he lived getting blasted to the fucking ground by lasers into an irreparable heap and all of the townspeople dying painfully
you, too, can channel your hatred for that guy that lives down the hall and blasts music at 4am into the one of the most influential science fiction stories ever written! fuck it! i believe in you!!
HAVING FUN and ENJOYING the process of writing is so important. Whether you strive to work professionally or write just for the hell of it, remember why you started in the first place. It all comes down to love honestly
Love when writers do an insane amount of unnecessary research for their fics. I follow an author that did like 8 months of intense research into 14th century Scotland so they could write smut about it, and guess what. It was some fucking incredible porn AND I learned about old Scottish politics
sic semper tyrannis @arctic-oceans - Tumblr Blog | Tumgag
