Cassie's Don't-You-Dare-Not-Write-50k thread 2016

[Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)]

Got to change the title of Sleep of the Butterflies. Think of what you know about butterflies--they sound like weak, graceful, helpless, delicate things, don't they? You see stickers of them plastered children's rooms, look at one in real life and go, "oh, how lovely!" don't you? I know I did. Until I learned more about them.

So this novel takes the harshness of a butterfly's reality and melds it with Jezebel, an uncertain Red-Spotted Jezebel (creative, I know) who breaks from the traditions of her butterfly ancestors before without even trying...and ends up committing murder. Now, butterflies die a lot in different ways, but butterfly on butterfly killing? And an accident at that? Jezebel flees as a result, and ends up finding a grand universe so much bigger than her outside of her rainforest...
Edit: boy has this changed. She doesn't kill until the end.


So here I'm mostly going to post self-reminders and updates and butterfly facts. XD Feel free to chime in if you think there's anything I should know!

Objectives

• Go into storage and dig up the notebook from 2015
• Research your lepidopterist's book - record all findings in this thread
• Once item one is complete, lay out outline in this thread
• Edit outline, update inconsistencies

[Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)]

I went back into storage and found my lepidoptery book AND my old notebook where my outline was!

The outline is...pretty terrible. But that's what my fresh eyes are for!

Looking at the process of Ender's Game, one of my favorite books ever, its author, Orson Scott Card, said something along the lines of creating a story and going back in time to flesh out more details to turn a short story into a novel, which is very nearly what I'm doing here.

Something I found online:
Butterflies don't die if you touch them. They lose scales, yes, but often not enough to stop them from flying. They're troopers.

Also...they don't JUST like flowers. XD

SPOILER: Click to show

Many butterflies prefer rotting fruit, tree sap, dung, carrion, urine, and other non-nectar sources of nutrients. You can allow fruit from your fruit trees to decay on the ground, leave your pet’s droppings where they lie, or place a bit of raw meat or fish in a discreet part of your garden.

And here is the formula for Butterfly Bait:

INGREDIENTS
1 pound sugar
1 or 2 cans stale beer
3 mashed overripe banana
1 cup of molasses or syrup
1 cup of fruit juice
1 shot of rum

Mix all ingredients well and paint on trees, fence posts, rocks, or stumps–or simply soak a sponge in the mixture and hang from a tree-limb.

[Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)]

Found the outline, I'll just copy what I've got in my notebook and go from there.

How to end the Jezebel story:
What does she want?
To explore, leave her dad
May/may not want her dad dead
ends up going back, he chides her for this "You're not a bee, Jez, shame on you for coming back, it's like you're no butterfly at all. Commit. You left me to die, as you should have. That is the way of the butterfly.
She could kill him after sparing the cat off a cliff (What the hell, 2015 me?!)
boards a plane, quiet human

flies high, air too thin, plummet
watches and bathes in the sun, rainforest alive, dodges predators
sees airplane, very high, tries to follow where it goes but it's outta sight so she follows where it came from
among predators - humans (are you even human, bro?) "Different displays, which ones are poisonous to THEIR predators?"
Small cats, birds--hey, those fly too, and don't look like those in the rainforest
Messages with display - meaning
Jez might even learn to read during the flight?
Museum - dead butterflies
car, city, suburbs, cat, botanist, lepidopterist (ledge) because of Jezebel
Pet butterfly, but dead ones in daughter's room? Or just pictures of them that look realistic

Do the OSC and expand Jez from the beginning
* neighbor raised by mom - fought off husband during ritual, killed him (I have no idea what 2015 Cassie was talking about)
* darkness before light, dad taught her all: how to dodge/avoid predators
* begins with prey chase, finding food
* sunbathe, bur dance practice, she fails, mind wanders to sun, neighbors, family, marriage, looking but finds guilt
* no focus. Sunbathe, rain almost kills them. No visiting neighbors.. Just in case. Feud with grandparents, tangle, mom...resentment, she never gets the whole story
(dark before light - faint. Up to sun, bird wakes her up
*sleep? knowing all is safe. Mating season, not for (suns, moons, rains)
*after initial failure, she stays in the rainforest, seeking to acquaint herself with other butterflies but she sounds funny and smells odd and repulsive especially at her age
- baby butteflies smell, same with "not mated"
- goes for a logn flight, alone through lower rainforest, skilled at dodging. She's done that her entire life, hasn't she?
* Taunts predators = daredevils, definitely a pariah in her 'village' for doing this
* Jez is hesitant, but finally makes a friend, thinks of her dad a lot, for all he knows, she ran off with someone and never came back
* leads tigers and more into low branches









....I think I'm going to buffer this with Hero City fanfiction.

[Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)]

Outline has been updated and fixed!

Beginning Jezebel:
* Jezebel's mother, egg laying, "Red", dies by weakness, then falling, then a bird gets her (This is what Dad tells me)
* darkness before light (Jezebel's voice), dad taught her all: how to dodge/avoid predators
* begins with prey chase, finding food
* sunbathe (go into detail about what this is like)
, but dance practice, she fails, mind wanders to sun, neighbors, family, marriage, looking but finds guilt for both mother's death and the way she thinks--it's almost as if her butterfly kin are sheep-minded, speaking in scents and flight patterns she can't understand.
* no focus when it comes to dance--kind of weird that she's practicing on her dad. He's not impressed, despite how much like her mom she looks
* Sunbathe, rain almost kills them. No visiting neighbors.. Just in case.
* families are very isolated and food oriented. Very spread apart. Jez tries to find others and gets in numerous kinds of trouble--bird trouble, family trouble
*rebels by going up, a bird call wakes her and swoops to almost eat her and down she goes into the forest again.
(dark before light - faint. Up to sun, bird wakes her up
*sleep? knowing all is safe. Mating season, not for (suns, moons, rains) she's got time lol
*ALREADY WRITTEN: Jez's attempts to find a mate
*after initial failure, she stays in the rainforest, seeking to acquaint herself with other butterflies but she sounds funny and smells odd and repulsive especially at her age
- baby butterflies smell, same with "not mated", caterpillars/butterfly full of eggs smell--go into lots of detail with these smells
- goes for a long flight, alone through lower forest, skilled at dodging. She's done that her entire life, hasn't she?
* Taunts predators = daredevils, definitely a pariah in her 'village' for doing this
* Jez is hesitant, but finally makes a friend, thinks of her dad a lot, for all he knows, she ran off with someone and never came back

MIDDLE OF JEZ

flies high, air too thin, plummet
watches and bathes in the sun, forest alive, dodges predators
sees airplane, very high, tries to follow where it goes but it's outta sight so she follows where it came from
Airport, after many days of migrating, very confused onlookers maybe even a lepidopterist going HUH at her odd solitary migration pattern
among predators - humans (are you even human, bro?) "Different displays, which ones are poisonous to THEIR predators?"
Small cats, birds--hey, those fly too, and don't look like those in the forest
Messages with display - meaning
Jez might even learn to read during the flight? Probably I suppose. Give it more time than just the flight. Probably with a child during the flight or something
Where does she emerge?
Museum - dead butterflies
Where else does she go? Ideas would be nice
Park inside of city...reminds her of home but so many different plants TINY HUMAN GRABBY HANDS DANGER DANGER
ends up going into some guy's house after choosing his shoulder to rest on
car, city, suburbs, cat, botanist, lepidopterist (ledge) because of Jezebel
Pet butterfly, but dead ones in daughter's room? Or just pictures of them that look realistic. Yeah I'm going with pictures.

How to end the Jezebel story:[/u]
Head to airport again, this time she can see where she's going, brightens the days of numerous staff
On the plane gets mistaken for a fly and risks getting slapped to death, flight, survival
Her wings are tattered by this point, is aware of her lack of beauty
ends up going back, he chides her for this "You're not a bee, Jez, shame on you for coming back, it's like you're no butterfly at all. Commit. You left me to die, as you should have. That is the way of the butterfly.
She's totally going to kill him the same way her mother died, strength makes the leaf shake, he falls off, his wings are paralyzed with age...
With her experiences, Jezebel is ready to go with him and her mother, too. She goes up and up and up, making the same rookie mistake, but with a purpose. No eggs, no legacy, a shame to the butterfly community, useless as a species.
But she was useful to herself, and that's to whom her experiences were meaningful. She achieved dreams and saw things no other butterfly saw.
[/spoiler]

Hero City Fanfiction
ALL the Tizzy AU fiction. (tagging Dju for reasons)
AU Roleplay posts
- Pirate
- Roleswap
Post-HC shenanigans (Seriously, how has Mitzi not met Chlorolad (Birdy) and Dynamic (♥ Azzie) and Dossier Dame (Ginz ❤) yet?! Also tagging Moni for reasons)
Poison Oak (tagging The Scrac that Smiles Back for reasons)





And now things about butterflies!

SPOILER: Click to show

Just after emerging from the chrysalis, the adult butterfly's wings need to harden with air--the chitin is still very soft.
Antennae are used to find mates...yay for smell. Moths are HUGE in this department. I can imagine they're stuck up about this.
Sometimes butterflies drink from mud puddles to imbibe salts.
Butterflies see with compound eyes--lots of little facets, not ALL the colors, but can sometimes see in UV with their petal markers (book is unclear about this, more research is needed)
They can't see as much detail as humans. This MUST reflect in the novel!
However, butterflies are excellent at detecting movement.
Butterflies are very flexible. Lots of little joints in their legs and abdomen. Useful during mating and egg laying.
Butterflies breathe through their stomach! Okay, they're tubes in the abdomen. But still! This is cool! There are 6-8 pairs of these on the abdomen and 2-3 pairs on the thorax.

^ Source: Butterflies & Moths: A Portrait of the Animal World by Paul Sterry. (I can tell this book might be intended for younger readers but the information is so compact I just had to get it. X);

[Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)]

New notes:
BUTTERFLIES CAN'T HEAR. OH BOY. Instead, they feel sound.

www.mywriteclub.com/beta/word-sprints
ntwriters.proboards.com/thread/50839/word-war

Also linking these because they're quite useful. ^^

Now then...

November 1: 3635 ((5057 total Jez story, minus 1671 for what's already written, plus 122 for Mitzi and Tabitha cutes, +127 for Poison Oak/______ trash
November 2: 2235 words ((1093 words of Poison Oak/------ trash, 1142 words of Jezebel
November 3: 5048 words of Jezebel

NaNo's word count is different from mine. Jezebel snippet is 1688. Total Jezebel story so far is 9299 words, according to them, leaving a total of 7611 words of progress in these three days.

Adding Poison Oak/______ trash and Mitzi and Tabitha snippet: 127 + 122 + 1093= 8953 words

I'm only going to use the NaNo counter for Jezebel. Maybe I'll leave out HC fiction this year. I dunno.

Will keep updating.

EDIT: According to NaNo, today I wrote 5048 words of Jezebel. If I write more, I will update this.
November 4: 2085 words of Jez
November 5: 1302 words of STC, 1234 words of Jez (total: 2536)
November 6: 5041 words of Jezebel, unintended UST included
November 7: 2012 words of Jez
November 8: 2077 words of Jez (booo workiiiing)
November 9: 2157 words of Jez
November 10: 5027 words of Jez
November 11: 2317 words of Jez
November 12: 0 words.
November 13: 5792 words total. 750 words of Jez, the rest Poison Oak trash
November 14: 1724 words so far. Even if I'm exhausted tonight, I am NOT giving up.
November 15: failed STC entry: 495 words, Poison Oak/Cassie trash: 549 words, Jezebel novel: 7579 words (SO FAR)

I crack 50k here, but I'm not done yet. I'm nowhere near done with my novel, and have used fanfiction and trash to buffer my wordcount this month. In other words, I have written 50,000 words, but I have not written 50,000 words of my novel. I'll let you know when that happens.

Actual novel wordcount: 42071 words

Plot points to expand on:
The man at work in the Museum where Jez sees dead butterflies and again questions her existence
Every hole with this novel I made ever
End arc - Jezebel kills her father by a complete accident
November 16: 686 words. Came down with a brief spell of eye pain and pressure but it's gone now. I really gotta finish this freaking novel. XD
November 17: 2639 words of Jez
November 18:
November 19:
November 20:
November 21:
November 22:
November 23:
November 24:
November 25:
November 26:
November 27:
November 28:
November 29:
November 30:
_________________________________
Total (so far): 53,634 words

[Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)]

*makes a post for HC stuff cause I need to post it and keep track of things aaa*

Tabitha (Celestial)

SPOILER: Click to show

Mitzi watched as Tabitha closed the book. She was still enthralled by the characters and the magic they used, yet faced similar day-to-day problems. “Can we read it again, Mutti?”

Instantly realizing her mistake, she clapped her gloves over her mouth. “I…” she tried to explain, but instead of Tabitha in front of her, Mitzi saw, for a split second, the green eyes of a woman reading a very worn-looking book about how a boy, killed by his stepmother, turned into a bird and gave gifts to his family while eventually crushing the stepmother.

The woman was strict, scolding Mitzi for being too loud, and kind, serving as her anchor in insecure times.

Mitzi blinked, and there was Tabitha.

Her eyes welled in shame, and at the memory of what no longer was.

A scene I kinda wanted to write but told no one about (The Scrac that Smiles Back)

SPOILER: Click to show

Mizshu was, once again, hopelessly lost.

The last time she had wandered into the prison yard of ADMAX, she had found The Queen and no one else. The girl considered herself lucky that she found no one else who could or would hurt her.

This time, she feared, she would not be so lucky.

The one time she had been in ADMAX had not helped to familiarize her with the terrain in the slightest. The place was still an absolute mess of twists and turns, and Mizshu wondered if even real life rabbit warrens were anything like this. That was a question for Zenith, and for much later. Right now, Mizshu needed to get out of here.

Despite her goal, Mizshu saw no possible way to reach it. Minutes, maybe hours passed--the constant, slightly buzzing lights in ADMAX made it difficult to tell, giving Mizshu a decent idea of just how long the days stretched for the prisoners. But there was no feeling sorry for them to be had--Mizshu had to feel sorry for herself instead, especially because, for all she knew, she could be going deeper and deeper into the place, and with no trace of a guard to be seen.

"How on earth do I leave?" Mizshu asked aloud, her small, frail voice echoing among the stony walls.

"Well, isn't that a question that everyone's had in here," a voice from behind her made her leap. Mizshu turned around to see a grown man, shirt off, muscles bulging, simply working out in front of her. Her face darkened in hue as she caught herself admiring the tone and bulk she would never possess, no matter how much she rode her bicycle. Realizing that he was aware of her staring, Mizshu scrambled backwards, her forehead contorting in fearful furrows. It took her a few seconds, but she recognized the man at last. Mizshu had been told about Poison Oak from her friend Laima Bean, and was subsequently warned to stay away from him.

So naturally, the girl toyed with the idea of seeing him for real, but had never dreamed of the opportunity. Only good things could come of this so long as she was careful. But all the same, he was a villain, so the potential for danger was always there.

"There's no need for fear, Mizshu, I don't kiss children. Believe me, that is all sorts of illegal." Poison Oak rolled his eyes as he continued his series of pull-ups.

Mitzi wasn't sure to be offended or surprised more by his comment. "Sorry," she said, not really sure what she was sorry for. "It's just that you are very good at working out," she said stupidly.

Poison Oak gave her a small smile, but nothing else. "So," Poison Oak paid her own remark little mind, as adults often tended to do. "How did you get here, anyway?" there was evidence of mild curiosity in Poison Oak's tone and a small but secret gladness for the girl's company, but it was neatly concealed by a grunt as he pulled himself up, his muscles just barely beginning to glisten with the effort.

"I guess I have a knack for losing the guards," Mitzi shrugged. "This place is so large, I would suppose you would have to have a lot of guards, especially at night, but at the announcement of a prisoner escaping, it has to be an all-hands-on-deck kind of thing, yes? I simply don't know why she would let go of me so suddenly, especially when I'm the only one being escorted. I know it's a bad idea to wander off on my own, but I'm really glad I found you!" Mizshu began, a trembling smile forming on her face.

"Oh?" Poison Oak was legitimately intrigued. "You were actually looking for me?" Poison Oak could not help but feel a shard of flattery edge his words, carelessly carving them with unconcealed wonder.

"Well, yes and no," Mitzi said, looking at her boots. "Laima Bean told me to stay away from you and that your kisses and personality were dangerous, and she told me a few more things." The girl looked back up at him. "But she never said anything about how muscular you were!" Mitzi clapped her hands to her mouth at this, cursing her own stupidity and how impulsive she was.

Poison Oak had to drop from the bar, losing count at last, as he roared with laughter. "Oh, that's rich," he guffawed. "I like you already, Mizshu," he teased, bringing a few extra degrees of heat to her face.

"H-hey, I didn't mean--"

Poison Oak waved her protests away. "No take-backsies," he said, his laughter losing steam before vanishing altogether. Mizshu decided to continue.

"Well, at the same time I was curious about you and thought of visiting you sometimes in the future, but really I just happened to pass by. Actually, if you didn't say anything, I would have kept on walking," Mizshu said, feeling a stab of uncertainty at her sudden honesty.

Poison Oak wrinkled his nose and raised his arms, leaping up to the high bar to continue pulling himself up. "So, as you so intelligently blurted out in your confession cam, you are really not as young as you seem, yes?" Poison Oak said, the sheer and sudden indifference in his tone bowling the girl over.

"I...yes, that's right," Mizshu murmured, flushing yet again. "I just wanted to know--I know you've been talking to the Queen--did she say anything about the ingredients in the potion she had when she was younger?"

"Now why would I tell you that?" Poison Oak scarcely grunted as he pulled himself up one more time.

"Because..." Mitzi thought, and the only solution she could think of made her shudder. "Because I have something you can use."

At this, Poison Oak's eyebrow shot right up, and he paused in his counting. "Oh?" he said, somewhat amused. "What could you possibly have to offer me?"

"They got most of the pouches I had on hand, but I was saving one just in case I needed to barter my way out of a catastrophe," Mitzi said simply, handing him a tiny green pouch no larger than the bag used for other illegal substances.

"Can I shoot this?" Poison Oak joked, and Mitzi started. "Don't worry, child, I'm not going to do anything like that. That's not what I'm in for, anyway."

"Well, I've never tried, and don't think anyone can, maybe." Mizshu seriously considered this method of administration for a moment. "But um, you do know what it is, right?"

"I have seen Hero City and the spectacles you've made on it, Mizshu, I know what your powders do." He fingered the tiny pouch in his hand, marveling at its softness and high value. "I doubt, as impulsive and careless as you may be, that you would give me a mass weapon of death and destruction to be carried through touch, air, or water, so I do believe this is your healing powder. Is that right?" Poison Oak counted silently as his grunts marked unnatural pauses in his speech.

Mizshu blinked. The names stung, but she found no reason to leave just yet, especially having given him, a villain, something of worth, in exchange for information.

"So...do you know?" she asked, feeling almost as if the walls of ADMAX were closing in on her and Poison Oak alone.

"As a matter of fact, I've talked to her."

There was that indifference again! Mizshu was starting to grow annoyed, but fell silent as Poison Oak beckoned her closer to the small window of his door. "I'll tell you what I've heard from her. I hope you've got a notepad and paper with you, because have I got the list for you in my head. The Queen has told me so many times it's given me an insane number of headaches like you would not believe."

"I believe," Mizshu said awkwardly, her heart pounding as she approached the bars, still not fully trusting the man.

But no, Poison Oak actually whispered the list of ingredients and proportions--it wasn't all of them, even Mizshu's little experiments in alchemy could attest to that--but it was a great deal of help, certainly worth a small pouch of healing powder. She knew not to give large pouches.

"There's one more question that's haunted me--and you're older than me and have more experience with your power," Mizshu winced as Poison Oak grimaced, each kill, both accidental and intentional, written all over his face in blood. "Sorry...I didn't mean it like that." she said, stepping back from the cell and fidgeting with her tightly clamped gloves.

"I've done it, too," she murmured, taken aback by her own sympathy towards him. Some of his kills were actually on purpose. "But um, I was just wondering--what would happen if our poisons were mixed together? Could we get each other seriously hurt?"

"I doubt we are immune to the poison of the other," Poison Oak told her coolly, muttering a high but indeterminate number as he pulled himself up on the hanging bar again.

"Okay," Mitzi told him. "That was all I wanted to know."

The two stared at each other a while longer. Forest into forest, green deep into green. Each stood there, one hanging, one standing, one hero, one villain, wondering about the other's victims and kills...

Until Mitzi turned to go.

"Do you happen to know the way out?"

Poison Oak shrugged and lifted himself up again. "Hey, that's a lot of questions," he protested. "If you happen to have any more healing pouches on you, I can give you a general idea of where the exit is. Otherwise," he looked her in the eye, sharing none of the similarities and empathy he had with her only a few moments ago. "You'll have to find the exit on your own, unless you find a guard before that."

Mitzi sighed. "Well, okay. Thanks for everything." Her voice wavered as she fled, her running footsteps echoing down the corridor.

Poison Oak might have even heard a sob with it. "Come back soon!" he wanted to say, but no, that might have been too cruel, especially for one of her tender mind.

[Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)]

Really gotta sort this outline, this novel is going crazy and in a lot of directions. Just gotta keep track of the holes.

The bold words are what I've already written, and the italic words are details I need to focus on.

Somehow I think I'm going to run out of plot. Again.

SPOILER: Click to show

Beginning Jezebel:
* Jezebel's mother, egg laying, "Red", dies by weakness, then falling, then a bird gets her (This is what Dad tells me)
* darkness before light (Jezebel's voice), dad taught her all: how to dodge/avoid predators
* begins with prey chase, finding food
* sunbathe (go into detail about what this is like)
, but dance practice, she fails, mind wanders to sun, neighbors, family, marriage, looking but finds guilt for both mother's death and the way she thinks--it's almost as if her butterfly kin are sheep-minded, speaking in scents and flight patterns she can't understand.
* no focus when it comes to dance--kind of weird that she's practicing on her dad. He's not impressed, despite how much like her mom she looks
* Sunbathe, rain almost kills them. No visiting neighbors.. Just in case.
* families are very isolated and food oriented. Very spread apart. Jez tries to find others and gets in numerous kinds of trouble--bird trouble, family trouble
*rebels by going up, a bird call wakes her and swoops to almost eat her and down she goes into the forest again.
(dark before light - faint. Up to sun, bird wakes her up
*sleep? knowing all is safe. Mating season, not for (suns, moons, rains) she's got time lol
*ALREADY WRITTEN: Jez's attempts to find a mate
*after initial failure, she stays in the rainforest, seeking to acquaint herself with other butterflies but she sounds funny and smells odd and repulsive especially at her age
- baby butterflies smell, same with "not mated", caterpillars/butterfly full of eggs smell--go into lots of detail with these smells
- goes for a long flight, alone through lower forest, skilled at dodging. She's done that her entire life, hasn't she?
* Taunts predators = daredevils, definitely a pariah in her 'village' for doing this
* Jez is hesitant, but finally makes a friend, thinks of her dad a lot, for all he knows, she ran off with someone and never came back
- what to do for friend arc? friend also smells weird. But a good weird. Entire arc where she feels fulfilled by...her. Yeah. Let's do that. Definitely. ^^
Friend dies because of Jezebel, though somewhat indirectly.

MIDDLE OF JEZ

flies high, air too thin, plummet
watches and bathes in the sun, forest alive, dodges predators
sees airplane, very high, tries to follow where it goes but it's outta sight so she follows where it came from
Airport, after many days of migrating, very confused onlookers maybe even a lepidopterist going HUH at her odd solitary migration pattern
among predators - humans (are you even human, bro?) "Different displays, which ones are poisonous to THEIR predators?"
Small cats, birds--hey, those fly too, and don't look like those in the forest
Messages with display - meaning
Jez might even learn to read during the flight? Probably I suppose. Give it more time than just the flight. Probably with a child during the flight or something
Where does she emerge?
Museum - dead butterflies
Where else does she go? Ideas would be nice
Park inside of city...reminds her of home but so many different plants TINY HUMAN GRABBY HANDS DANGER DANGER
ends up going into some guy's house after choosing his shoulder to rest on
car, city, suburbs, cat, botanist, lepidopterist (ledge) because of Jezebel
Pet butterfly, but dead ones in daughter's room? Or just pictures of them that look realistic. Yeah I'm going with pictures.

How to end the Jezebel story:
Head to airport again, this time she can see where she's going, brightens the days of numerous staff
On the plane gets mistaken for a fly and risks getting slapped to death, flight, survival
Her wings are tattered by this point, is aware of her lack of beauty
ends up going back, he chides her for this "You're not a bee, Jez, shame on you for coming back, it's like you're no butterfly at all. Commit. You left me to die, as you should have. That is the way of the butterfly.
She's totally going to kill him the same way her mother died, strength makes the leaf shake, he falls off, his wings are paralyzed with age...
With her experiences, Jezebel is ready to go with him and her mother, too. She goes up and up and up, making the same rookie mistake, but with a purpose. No eggs, no legacy, a shame to the butterfly community, useless as a species.
But she was useful to herself, and that's to whom her experiences were meaningful. She achieved dreams and saw things no other butterfly saw.

[Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)]

Definitely need an Other section. It doesn't fit with HC posts but I actually like how this came out. So it's part of my NaNo cause why not XD

SPOILER: Click to show

Ella tried hard not to swallow or let her tail twitch. Principal Brown meant business in more ways than one.

All the same, her facade did not stop her heart from pounding as she was led down a corridor, then another, the available light growing dimmer and dimmer with every turn. It was a veritable Cybunny warren, Ella thought. There would be little chance of escape here if part of her impromptu plan went wrong.

How long have these tunnels existed below the school? Ella thought.

And then it struck her--she had been here once before, during a field trip; just not in this particular location.

The Catacombs.

Principal Brown at last reached a room where the musty walls opened into a great circular space. Rows of bottles and potion ingredients lined the walls, and Ella, intelligent as her school said she was, couldn't make heads or tails of it.

"While we still cannot disclose the details of the ingredients or where they come from," he explained, "They are all mixed right here in the Catacombs, which provides a perfect mix of the necessary humidity and secrecy."

The Zafara watched as the largest machine in the room churned and whined, shuddering just before sliding a small vial across the conveyor belt, its contents viscous and silvery.

"So," Ella began, affording the luxury of revealing a small bout of nervousness, "What did you want me to do again?"

"That's the thing," Principal Brown smiled. "Given our previous results, we have been able to determine that the potion does not work on you because of your determination--you have a very specific goal in mind, and with this potion, no matter what that goal is, we will help you reach it."

Ella's heart dropped.

"Oh yes," he chuckled, sensing her stunned silence. "All we need to do is help you reach that goal, and then run some tests on you, before releasing you for being such a good sport."

Ella's heart raced for a different reason altogether. The fame she was after, the fortune that could be gotten, it was all at her fingertips! Her name would be written all across the Neopian Times, of how amazing she was, the awards she'd gotten, the contributions she'd make to Neopian society--

Did she really want it all at the cost of her friends, her teacher, and her fellow students? A sense of fame illegitimately gained?

Suddenly, in her mind, her name in lights did not seem as bright as before.

Besides, there was no promise of release. She could very well be walking right into a trap!

The answer was clearer than ever.

"No."

"Excuse me?" Principal Brown's face darkened. "I don't think I heard you properly."

"No, I mean," Ella cursed herself for slipping. "How do I know you'll let me go afterward?"

"You have my word as your principal--the authority over the entire school," he added, seeing the obvious hole in this particular vein of honor.

"Okay." Ella could not fight the instinct for her tail to lash about in anxiety this time. Her mind raced for something, anything, from any of her classes she could use.

English, Maths, Neopian History, Gym, Weaponry--

Weaponry? It was the one subject she was borderline mediocre at.

"So what is your very particular goal, Ella?" the Skeith leaned forward inquisitively.

Ella swallowed. "To be...to be good with a sword," she told them. It was part of the truth, anyway. Skilled users often made the Stories section of the Neopian Times more often than not, and a great deal were in the Articles section.

"That I can definitely help you with," the Skeith boomed. "Personally." He beckoned to Superintendent Smith, who disappeared into the next corridor of the Catacombs. "I was in the Battle for Meridell long ago."

He glanced around the cave uneasily at the memory. "It was a different time. Didn't pay very well."

Dread prickled into Ella's fur. There was no way she could take him, even in a practice fight!

Before Ella could retract her most ridiculous goal, Superintendent Smith returned and produced a box, opening it to reveal two swords within. Both showed clear signs of use, but both were indeed the real thing. Ella shivered. The school had only taught with wooden swords! One misstep, and something would be sliced for sure.

Or...Ella slowly realized. Something in this very room.

"Choose yours first," the Skeith grinned, with the excitement of a child on the eve of the Day of Giving.

He enjoys combat, Ella thought with dismay, and shakily took the sword with the more worn grip.

Ella took her stance a little too close to the machine, which was still whining and shuddering before spewing the tiny bottles.

To her surprise, Principal Brown was too caught up in battle practice fever to notice this fact.

"Now then, keep your knees bent, like--ah, that much you know, but if I lunge this way--" Principal Brown demonstrated, and Ella ducked, her own weight forcing her to topple. "Your knees were bent too much," he called, lifting her by the paw without waiting for her permission. "You want a sturdy stance. Be unwavering in your decisions."

"Yes sir," Ella grunted, bending her knees a little less, tail lashing with the effort. "Might I try a parry this time?"

Principal Brown nodded. "Prepare for my strike well, now," he growled, deliciously.

Ella lifted her sword above her head, sideways, its blade trembling with her loose grip.

Principal Brown let out a battle cry as Ella ducked out of the way.

Next thing she knew, there was a sword embedded in the machine. It hissed and sputtered, then gave a resigned sigh as it stopped altogether.

"What have you done?!" Principal Brown cried in rage, turning on Ella.

"I...missed," Ella replied lamely, seeing that her lies would get her no further. The sheer madness in Principal Brown's eyes told her so.

It was time to put her track medals to the test. Ella turned and fled the room, making sure to leap off of the machine in the hopes of damaging it more.

The large THUD she heard as she raced through the Catacombs was more than reassuring.

"You get back here!" Principal Brown roared, his thundering steps echoing across the Catacombs.

Ella saw a flickering firelight down another corridor and sped towards it, keeping her large tail out of the way.

She emerged in the middle of what she knew to be the large campfire, the center of storytelling, art, poetry, and much more, but there was no time to take in the arts now--

How strange she looked, a student running for dear life. It definitely attracted attention. Good.

"I need help!" she screamed. "Principal Brown is behind me and he's gonna make everyone forget!" Ella saved her breath and the details as she navigated the more familiar tunnels to the surface, not even blinking in the harsh sunlight as she sprinted towards the one shop she knew would help.

The Zafara had trained in endurance rather than speed, and the dull ache in her head, the burning in her lungs, and the trembling in her legs told her that she would soon give out.

But there it was--the blue shop with yellow stars on it, crowded as always, with the one Neopet who could possibly help her. With a sudden burst of adrenaline, she kicked the door wide open and saw her--behind the counter, grinding potion ingredients with a mortar and pestle.

"Ms. Kauvara!" Ella panted, shoving through all of the Neopets waiting for her to restock her famed potions.

The Kau's ears perked up, and Ella knew that somehow, whether she would be famous or not, there was hope for Neoschool 118 yet.

[Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)]

600 of these were from a 15 minute word war. Someone wanted me to post it. X);

SPOILER: Click to show

I am alarmed by this development, but they pale in comparison to the monster searching for me, its powerful wings creating a loud fwoop sound that will easily send me off course if I was caught in it.

And suddenly, it does find me.

I scream as the bird hops up onto the branch as easily as I land on a leaf, apparently not bothered by the blackness of the sky and how wet its feathers are getting. Perhaps they are not formed exactly like my scales are. It peeks around with its giant round eyes, and suddenly locks eyes with me.


The bird's tongue tastes rancid, like dried husks of butterflies and how I imagine the fur of my neighbors, the bees, would taste. The movement just barely distracts the bird, but it sputters and flies backward, not expecting my resistance.

To my dismay, the great creature tries again, this time jamming its entire beak for all it is worth into the knothole, and I thrash against it, the tiny pieces of the tree burrowing into my scales and even prickling my exoskeleton here and there. The bird seems to feel nothing this time, and I am nearly resigned to just walking out of the knothole and accept my fate of getting eaten by this feathered predator.

All at once, the bird cries out, the air in front of me hovering in great waves through the massive drops of rain. I gasp and let out a terrified scent of my own.

In the distance, I can feel other birds calling to it, and the bird that is by my knothole swoops away without warning. I watch as it becomes a black dot in the sky, swiftly joined by other black dots, and they do not come back.

I absolutely refuse to move and scarcely allow myself to breathe, so wary am I of the creature that was just here.

A wingspan of the moon later, I climb out of the knothole, bits of wood still clinging and pressing hard into my wings and exoskeleton. I am trembling, and have no time to consider grace, speed, or anything of that sort. I am alive, and can scarcely believe it. There was no thrill in this to be gained. I had scarcely escaped with my own life, and it was certainly not of my own doing.

Slowly, carefully, I raise my injured wings and make my way back to my home leaf, careful to travel mostly under leaves to stay hidden from predators and the rain. The drops are less of a threat to me now, since their drumming above me has lessened ever so slightly. Sure enough, they are fewer in number down in the middle branches. I look up and stare at the chilled sky, completely blocked by falling water hurtling to the earth. Where did it all come from? I briefly wonder,tilting my head before realizing that a small piece of wood was embedded in my head and neck. Struggling to open my wings again, I keep going, passing the familiar pine with the fat branch, the tulip tree where Daddy and I first fed, and finally, now that I can see in this accursed moon, the knothole where I was supposed to be, and had no wood sticking out of it.

At last, when I am probably tricked by whichever light is in the sky at the moment into thinking that the sun might be rising again, I smell something spicy and acrid, and know I am approaching my home leaf.

Daddy's angry and worried scent warns me before I approach, but I am too shaken and exhausted to care. I fly past him before he can utter a single word and ram myself beneath my home leaf. Aching from the exhaustion, the scrape from the bird, and the night's flying, I allow myself one long, air-rending screaming stink, burrowing my head into the bottom of the leaf.

Daddy immediately flits over to see what is the matter with me, and immediately notices my wood-ocovered body and scratched thorax. "Jezebel, sweetie," he murmurs in disbelief. "What on earth's happened to you?" His tone is short with concern rather than annoyance this time, and all anger of his is gone.



There won't be any dance practice this sun, that much is certain.

[Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)]

Will update counts if there's time before work. In the meantime I'm just gonna leave this here.

SPOILER: Click to show

^^

The best part is I have a whole bunch of scenes to flesh out as well as THE ENTIRE ENDING ARC. And I was worried I'd run out of plot. X)

[Tara]

Nov 20, 2016 9:28:35 GMT -5 Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff) said:

Will update counts if there's time before work. In the meantime I'm just gonna leave this here.

SPOILER: Click to show

^^

The best part is I have a whole bunch of scenes to flesh out as well as THE ENTIRE ENDING ARC. And I was worried I'd run out of plot. X)

That's impressive .

[Mostly Harmless (flufflepuff)]

Title is now Broken Scales. I have scarcely written a word since the 20th and whoops ="D um...I don't know if this means I failed. XD; But I'll work on it...*pokes work and family, both which time requirements have increased since just before Thanksgiving. |D;