Woke and neocon cults will hate my young adult academy fantasy

The Arcane Prophecy is a young adult academy fantasy whose themes run deep. So deep, NPCs who repeat their overlords’ propaganda will lose their minds.

Cultists on both extreme sides of the political spectrum will hate The Arcane Prophecy because it subtly flips them off — and they would notice my jabs in about two seconds.

In one chapter, I introduce the co-ed sport called box thrashball. That might sound like a DEI thing on the surface, since both boys and girls play in the same league.

However, my work’s lore states that Elementals possess a higher level of aether and, therefore, superior athletic ability. Girls who are Elementals might look like their non-Elemental counterparts, but with just a few months of training, they can bench press, squat, and deadlift a sum of over 1,000 lbs. They can also run a 40-yard-dash in 4.5 seconds with the same training.

While the boys are still stronger, think of them as the equivalent of linebackers, fullbacks, and tight ends in this game. Meanwhile, the girls are equivalent to corners, smaller receivers, and running backs.

So it’s not an “inclusivity” or “diversity” thing. It’s genetic makeup that I concocted years ago.

Plus, this excerpt would send woke Leftists through the roof:

“Yooooottteee!” Storm said in a mock howl when he caught her eye. “I was hoping you’d show.” He side-stepped Loki and squeezed her into a shoulder-cracking side hug. “You know, Yotey, when we’re paired up in the same game, you’re going to be my first-round pick when they also make me a captain.”

“I’m flattered.” Yote’s voice was muffled with her mouth pressed against his shoulder as she tried pulling herself from his vice grip. “And I thought you’d pick one of your boys first,” she added once Storm let her go.

“You didn’t read the entire notice, did you?” He waved the latest version of the Titanium Touch Screen Mega Phone in front of her face, making a spectacle of it with Loki standing behind and looking over Yote’s shoulder.

“All designated captains must draft the opposite of their biological gender in every other round, when applicable,” she read.

Note that I wrote “biological gender” and not “identified gender.” That’s because in my work, there are two genders. Something that nature intended and is—but shouldn’t be—a dissenting voice in the world today.

The same pattern shows up in the economics of my fictional world, which I’ve dubbed Xadis.

The Aurora Village and its Rothbardian tone

In the novel, Aurora Village operates on a voluntary exchange system inspired by anarcho-capitalist theory.

I’ve had commies so matter-of-factly tell me that capitalism is only possible when there’s a State involved to enforce property rights. When I ask them whether they bothered to read Murray N. Rothbard’s work, they often fire back with “Have you ever read Capital?”

Yeah, and Karl Marx glossed over mercantilism because of his hatred of capitalism and fused the two. Something Richard W. Fulmer took a deep dive in at the Mises Institute. He concluded:

Marx’s omission served his ideological purpose: Capital was not an objective analysis—it was a polemic designed to indict capitalism.

Aurora might be the closest thing I’ve ever written to a functioning anarcho-capitalist society—motivated by content I read in Robert P. Murphy’s book Chaos Theory. It shows a setting built on voluntary exchange, enforced with independent contracts.

While I don’t turn The Arcane Prophecy into an economic lecture, I note these exchanges multiple times. All while showing how a de facto State — something I’ve seen Rothbard’s critics point to — would have a rough time rising up.

Addressing the “de facto State” element

It’s shown through a supporting character named Ukko Sharpe, whose defense contracting company had acquired several others in the region. But even Ukko admits that, without barriers of entry in place from on overseer (the State), he could buy as many smaller companies as he wanted, but others would spring up.

Companies, partnerships, and even sole proprietorships—instituting a full-on checks and balances approach. Since Ukko’s company is not receiving subsidies or any kind of tax break from the State, and since a lack of barriers to entry means more choices for consumers, his company may be large, but there’s a limit on its power.

Plus, Ukko’s company plays a viable role thanks to the superstate that the nation of Etharia has evolved into. One that Ukko’s company and others have effectively helped Aurora virtually “secede” from. With that said, the State hates Ukko.

Neocons would hate my young adult academy fantasy, too

Let’s talk about the nation of Etharia, even if you know where it’s headed if you’ve been with me for a while.

Here’s how I describe the place in its profile piece on my author site:

In Arcane Elemental Academy, you’ll hear whispers of the strong central government that Etharia boasts, and how it spreads its interests worldwide in the name of humanitarianism and democracy.

So much, those in its military ranks, for the most part, think Etharia’s foreign adventurism’s a force for good. But what else would you expect from a group of people brought up through its bureaucratic “education” system designed to shove imperial propaganda down its students’ throats?

Trust me when I say this: Etharia’s education system is slanted for the elites. The Arcane Prophecy’s premise hints at this. Our lovely protagonist, Yote Diamondback, wants into arguably Etharia’s best Elemental high school — Lamerth.

Lamerth has churned out many graduates who’d go to an elite university — think Ivy League equivalent — and work in the federal government. One mainly controlled by — you guessed it — Elementals.

Spoiler Alert: Yote receives a rejection letter, which is why she ends up in Arcane and gets exposed to its Rothbardian society.

Etharian public and mainstream private schools love imperialism

I should add elitist private schools, too, but you probably already figured that out. Just as you’re indoctrinated into bowing down to American imperialism from the very second you walk into pre-school. Or seemingly, until you start unlearning, the same bodes true in Etharia.

Here’s how I described it:

At home in our world, public and mainstream private schools indoctrinate the nation’s youth with propaganda to fuel the American Empire. They may shift gears on fringe issues, like creation vs. evolution, whether kids should be forced to read Alphabet Mafia-friendly work, or learn about the public sector’s dogmas on climate change.

But they won’t dare to challenge the empire. Take that same concept, and funnel it into mainstream Etharian schools.

Once they drill that nonsense into their students’ heads for 12-plus years — 16-plus if they’re attending college — then you got a nation of drones. Neocons would love that.

The Arcane Prophecy subtly exposes cultists on both sides of the equation

This is a book libertarians who crave fantasy will love — particularly YA fantasy. While readers who lean Left or Right may be fine with the underlying jabs I throw, the cultists groups — the Woke Left and Neocon Right — would go on blast.

None of this turns the story into a lecture. It’s the region Yote discovers when she leaves Etharia’s elite system behind.

But like I mentioned in a previous article. Better yet, to paraphrase — if you’re not starting fires with your writing, you ain’t doing your job.

So dag gone it, Arcane’s starting fires.

Want to be part of that wildfire?

👉 The Arcane Prophecy is waiting inside The Rebel Lore Vault

The term starts Sep. 1.

This article first appeared on The Rogue Scribe.