The atmosphere was thick with tension as Serpentine found himself standing on the precipice of his greatest scam yet. A universe of possibilities, literally, and he was going to spin it all into a multi-million-dollar animated franchise. But before he could execute the plan, there was a bit of housekeeping to do, namely – introducing the Kickstarter rewards to his loyal, and potentially soon-to-be paying audience.
The Kickstarter Goal be damned. Our target is $150K, after all. Anime don't come cheap.
"You know," Serpentine said, as he leaned back in an improbably comfy chair made out of what looked like ancient stone, "most people would get all emotional about stealing an entire Kickstarter budget from a bunch of Primordials, but me? I'm just thinking about how we're going to make the best damn anime the multiverse has ever seen."
He flashed a grin that was equal parts mischief and sheer audacity, a combo that only someone like Serpentine could pull off.
"Here's the deal, folks. I've got the budget, I've got the vision, and you – yes, you, sitting there – have the power to make this all happen. Don't act like you're not curious. I can feel your hesitation through the screen. It's like you want to see how it ends but you're also not sure if you want to commit to the cause. That's okay, I get it."
Serpentine reached out, tapping a holographic screen that appeared in thin air in front of him, displaying the various rewards that any self-respecting backer of the campaign could expect.
"Now, if you're a real fan, you'll know that this is where it gets good. Want to be in the anime? You've got to back it. Want exclusive lore? Oh, trust me, I've got all kinds of juicy, behind-the-scenes, make-your-jaw-drop lore just waiting for you to unlock, hidden behind the Patreon Paywall. Don't think I forgot about the comic either, which, spoiler alert, is available now. Yeah, I went ahead and dropped that on you early, just to be nice."
Pausing for a bit, he added, "Of course, even if you don't have the money to spend on Wheel of Faith yet, you can still support at least the author by clicking the link anyway. Bringing more people doesn't work as well as bringing in actual donors, but hey, I'll take what I can get."
He leaned closer to the hologram, his face taking on a mock-serious expression, the kind that screamed I'm about to hit you with the real talk.
"In any case, if you're the type of person who likes to, you know, feel important – what about having your own unique race or weapon in the Wheel of Faith universe? How about some Chaos Factor abilities, hm? If we hit that next stretch goal, you might get the chance to personally mess with reality, just like me. How cool is that?"
He leaned back for a bit again, melting into his chair as ranted, "Of course, that's just the Wheel of Faith in general, aside from the Kickstarter. You can get a spin, and by extension a character, simply by spinning 80$ to 100$, depending on whether you want to be on Instagram or TikTok.'
He stretched, his spine letting out a series of satisfying pops, as he groaned in relief, adding, "And of course, you could join the discord server to suggest lore and wheel content in the channels, Wheel Ideas and Lore Ideas, one thread at a time. But back to the Kickstarter."
Serpentine cracked his neck, before raising a brow, looking directly into the imaginary eyes of the reader.
"You've been hanging out with me this whole time, so you're either cool with me breaking the fourth wall, or you're secretly enjoying it and pretending not to. Either way, don't leave me hanging. Back the campaign and help us make this journey all that it's meant to be."
His eyes gleamed with a mischievous light as the holographic screen flickered and cycled through images of the various Kickstarter rewards. Behind him, the chaos of the multiverse raged on, but he was too busy pitching to care.
As the screen switched again, showing tantalizing glimpses of concept art for the comics, video games, and so much more, Serpentine's grin widened.
"Look at that! Gorgeous, isn't it? That's the future of the Wheel of Faith universe, powered by your contribution! You can be a part of it. Seriously, what's your excuse?"
The hologram zoomed in on a few more details – rarely seen glimpses of characters from the Wheel of Faith universe, backgrounds, weapons, and the occasional terrifyingly powerful Chaos-infused creature.
Serpentine couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"And no, you won't be getting spoilers just because you backed. Not unless you're really generous with your support. But hey, if you really want a sneak peek at what's next, I might just drop some behind-the-scenes lore for you. You're lucky to be in on this secret, so don't let the opportunity slip by."
He spun around dramatically, pacing with the flair of someone who was on the brink of changing the world. His voice dropped to a whisper as he turned back to face us.
"Imagine a world where you get to influence what happens next in this crazy universe. Not only that, but you get to be a part of it. You could be the next big character to help me – or try to stop me – from pulling off the heist of the century."
With a sudden flourish, Serpentine snapped his fingers and the hologram shut off, leaving a brief moment of silence before he spoke again, this time with a much more serious tone.
"Okay, let's be real for a second. The Primordials? Yeah, they'll be a pain in the neck, and you'll see me outrun them in the most ridiculous ways possible. But trust me when I say – if you want this adventure to be as epic as I know it's going to be, you've got to help make it happen."
He looked directly at the reader again, as though staring them down.
"If you think what you've seen so far is crazy, wait until you see what's next. This whole thing is about to go off the rails, but with your help, we might just manage to stay on course. Don't let this be one of those 'I wish I backed it' moments. Let's do this together."
A pause.
"Now, enough about the campaign for a sec. I've got business to attend to, and so do you. Back it. Share it. Tell your friends. Let's get this show on the road."
Bushin gave a casual wave to the reader, before vanishing in a puff of chaotic dimensional energy. The scene shifted once more as a brief preview of what was to come flashed on-screen – another dimension, a chaotic battle, and, of course, more absurd commentary from our favorite rogue Ascended Demon.
The journey had only just begun, but one thing was certain: the Wheel of Faith universe, powered by Serpentine and the backers who believed in the dream, was about to get a whole lot more interesting. And if you didn't back yet? Well, you might just miss out on something truly legendary.
---
Oh shit, only 1247 words. Uhhh... gotta stall, quick!
Um, here's the link again:
https://thewheeloffaith.kckb.me/dbad82fc
Eh, I'll guess I'll just explain the Wheel of Faith content on social media that was basically where it all started.
Do you know what's Wheel Content ? Reels and videos where the creators spin race, stats, powers, and weapons to make characters, and so on.
In the Wheel of Faith series, you spin Race, Sub-Races, Speed, Strength, IQ, and Durability, then spin for Combat Mastery, which if high enough, you get a weapon. Then you spin for weapon mastery, and if it's high enough, you get an Enchantment, which is basically an extra power. Then you spin the Power Wheel, and get unique powers such as Transmutation, Telekinesis, or Lightning Manipulation.
Races are also ranked in terms of potential. All races ranked below Vampires spin for an archetype, such as Potion Master, Trickster, and so on, which grant extra stats or powers.
Towards the end, you spin for a Chaos Factor, which is just an element of randomness, able to do anything from raising your race to a superior species to inverting all your stats.
Lastly, you spin for Chaos Force. A force that if spun, grants you incredible power and the ability to amplify your stats, weapon, and powers, but in lore, it also makes you evil twisted.
And yes, there's proper lore for everything, and every character has its own lore. The Lore Team is on it.
All hail Lor-ed Cyan and the Hail Mary Menonono.
Every season has 32 characters spun, who get fight against the next 32 characters spun and only 32 among the 64 combined make it to the next round. The losers can then fight the next 32 characters spun, deciding the final 64 characters for the last round.
Lorewise, all of this is a tournament held by The Creator who wishes to prove even the most inferior species has a chance to win.
The battles and victories are decided by who has the higher average stat. All stats range from 1 to 10, but can be raised via racial bonuses and Chaos Factors, which are essentially elements of randomisation brought about by Chaos Force.
Aaaand we've hit the target word count.
Toodles!