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Wolf Tales - Lore Interlude - Wolf
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33 comments
The opening is what is called a kenning (a compound expression in Old English and Old Norse poetry with metaphorical meaning, e.g., oar-steed = ship).
EDIT: Oh and for those who know FO4 somewhat I thought it might be interesting to point out what I told Erwin:
Except Wolf got a soul and everything went to hell ...
Nicely done !
Aye getting a soul was not in their plans (and most likely they didn't even think such a think existed). On the other hand it was certainly in Fenrir's plans.
I also loved the added touch of Wolf describing how the scientists tested him, I'm not sure if you did it on purpose but I noticed he says it like he actually didn't care about that as he wasn't designed to have feelings. The backstory is really very interesting! I can't wait to read more!
Glad you enjoyed it - been having fun working on it. Chapter two is all outlined - its a matter of finishing writing it and making a few shots. Been busy lately but it's coming at some point.
Plus I think you will like the next chapter (two) a lot.
I just was wondering how a creation without an own mind could develop such thoughts, then you came with the explanation.
Wolf is really that Viking from days long gone reborn. Wolf himself wasn't a person but more of an "it" and lacked any sense of identity. There was perhaps a little that crept in - impossible for it not to happen since he is human and has a human brain - but that merged with the viking. Plus Wolf had been unconscious for the first year and then the next 3 years was spent under constant training and observation - so little chance to develop much. He was probably more like a very intelligent and dangerous three year old. Perhaps given time he might have developed his own identity though ... but Fenrir interfered so no way of knowing.
I doubt how I described things could happen anyhow. The test tube is possible since we have already done that. Accelerated growth? Direct mental implanting of knowledge? Nanotechnology? In real life scientists have dabbled on the edge of it which was the basis for my idea ... but creating someone like Wolf? All science-fiction/fantasy at this point. As for whether such a person would have a personality if the scientists programmed all his behaviors and managed his experiences ... I suspect there would be something - I don't think it can be avoided. But what it might look like I really don't know.
For me the idea is to explore the concept of what makes us human and whether such a thing as consciousness, free will, a "soul" could exist. When I put my first dog to sleep I held him in my arms when they injected him with the lethal drug dose. I was rubbing his head and his eyes watched me as they slowly closed and then all life left his body. It was like a switch had been turned off. At that time I remember feeling like something had left him and it was hard to not think there is something more to life. But the pragmatic in me thinks that is just wishful thinking.
Anyhow by the time Wolf appears in the stories (prologue, chapters 1 and 2 so far) it is many years later. He spent time adapting to his new world and adjusting. It was only later that he then went back in time and met Mani.
An Wolf's lore is in the same way dramatic and powerful. Great set
That was a really cool piece! A bit Huxley-ish at the beginning, especially the part when you wrote about a new world, when people don't manifest "undesirable personality traits". The narrative as told by your superhuman was really cleverly written: the most horrible experiences, no childhood, tortures to test his endurance etc., were told with an impersonal, indifferent tone, making them all the stronger and more vivid for the reader (at least for me
And then the actual birth of Wolf, and the creation of what we consider the essence of a human being, felt even more powerful, like a finale in a crescendo of the musical piece.
Now that I read the whole thing again (I always do that before commenting, to make sure my impressions were not just distorted memories), I realize that your interlude can be read almost like a movie trailer. Such a cool fusion of the two media.
Awesome work! Now on to the chapter one...
I agree - reading is the best during a rainy day. Best childhood memories right there.
Glad you enjoyed the interlude and the other chapters. Once I get going on a "book" I tend to start thinking about it all the time. My best is when walking the dog in the woods. I often focus on a story or the overall plot or character interactions and personality. Then jot down notes when I get home.
Anyhow you are correct that I wanted the narrative to be detached, dry, unemotional. Clinical would be a good word. I was thinking of many books, movies, and even games and that issue of trying to make a perfect society ... usually with one person or group in control. The one(s) who know what is best for people of course.
I also spend too much time thinking about free will, what is consciousness (and does it even exist), and is there more to being human then just being a complex biological machine. So in my escapism (and that is what I love to write about - pure escapism that is meant for entertainment) I love thinking about souls, magic, and things beyond life as science explains it. Hence the fun of throwing in the line about getting a soul and Fenrir.