Tellin' Tales

[Plink]

It's the Plink reveal thread! Got a burning question for the little rat? Ask it! I may even tell the truth...

[Tooley Bostay]

A'right, tell me true now... did ye steal me lunch? And, while we're 'ere, 'ow 'bout a few other questions!

- What was your proudest moment in the contest?

- Scully died off right as his and Plink's relationship really started to grow. If he survived, how do you think that would have influenced Plink as a character?

- Plink seemed to shuffle back and forth between siding with the slaves and Blade. Were you yourself confused as to where you wanted to take Plink, or was it all planned?

- How did Plink's father die? And how much of his history that we've heard is actually true (both from sources like Maurick and her mother)?

- Is she actually a halfrat, or was that just a random corsair jab?

- Any cast interaction you really wish you could have had/explored further?

- And for a random question: Plink is forced to play an instrument. What would she choose?

[Plink]

A'right, tell me true now... did ye steal me lunch?

Aye! It ain't my fault yer such a fine cook, matey...

- What was your proudest moment in the contest?

Well, there have been many high points, but I gotta say that hitting 46 uses of the word 'had' had my heart a-poundin'.

In all seriousness, though, I'm proudest of my upcoming post, part 2 of round 8. I've been working through this whole contest waiting for *this* moment in Plink's story, and I'm positively tickled that she survived long enough to have it.

So have fun waiting for that, readers. ...heh heh heh?

- Scully died off right as his and Plink's relationship really started to grow. If he survived, how do you think that would have influenced Plink as a character?

Alas! Slink! I wonder about this sometimes. I came into this contest with a pretty strong idea of the character arc I wanted to write - and, funny thing, Scully's author had similar ideas about his own character. If we'd gone on for too long, I would definitely have changed my track. From everything I saw in reader reviews, Scully was the favorite kid character. (And understandably so! He had so many complex bits to bring into the story!) If Plink had played the same plot cards, I was sure she would have gotten the vote.

In fact, at the end of round 3, I was all geared up to turn their friendship into hateship and have Plink take a morally righteous stance against him. The reconciliation in round 4 came fast partly because of the vote - if Scully hadn't gone that round, they might have ended up rivals in Blade's court.

- Plink seemed to shuffle back and forth between siding with the slaves and Blade. Were you yourself confused as to where you wanted to take Plink, or was it all planned?

Always exploring but never confused. I always knew where her ratty heart would fall in the end.

- How did Plink's father die? And how much of his history that we've heard is actually true (both from sources like Maurick and her mother)?

Scarcrab died in the war with the Waverunners shortly before the fall of Terramort. His ship was boarded and ultimately scuttled and he himself was hanged to death from the mizzen by officers of Atlas's navy, but not before he cut down a score of the blackguards himself. T'were a bloody day.

It's true he was loyal to Blade, loyal to a fault - a fact Dampaw knew all too well. The stories she told to her child were embellished to make Plink proud and instill her with values Scarcrab himself never truly had. For instance, Scarcrab burned his enemies's ships in the night, given a chance (as was the case with Colonel Bristleworth) and when he sailed with other crews, he really was the one to lead the shore raids, circling around villages to plunder supplies and slaves. Unlike his daughter, Scarcrab had no qualms with bullying or unfairness.

And yes, he really did send a beast to attack Ciera Ancora on Blade's orders. It was not a decision Scarcrab agreed with, and though he made the order out of loyalty, it ultimately drove a wedge between him and the Pirate King. Despite his flaws, Scarcrab was proud of and devoted to his family. The attack on Ciera made him realize they were not safe on Terramort and, shortly before the island was invaded, Scarcrab took Dampaw and the baby to the mainland with plans to join them when the time was right. The Waverunners hanged him within the week.

- Is she actually a halfrat, or was that just a random corsair jab?

It started as a jab about her shortened tail and grew with rumors of her soft-natured mother, who Petre Bloody Bells remembered, seein' as she was a weird lass with a face t' make th' stars weep fer jealousy! He blustered that she was mousey for a rat after recalling that she had at one time spurned his advances in favor of Scarcrab.

- Any cast interaction you really wish you could have had/explored further?

I do wish Fildering had stayed around longer. It would've been interesting for Plink to face the beast responsible for her being captured on the Zephyr... and the fact that Fildering was such a straight-laced bright-faced young hare would have been really fun to keep working with.

Honestly, my cast interactions were kind of underdeveloped as a whole, but what can you do? Her distance from the other protagonists became an important part of her character arc.

After all, if Tooley had been a more supportive and attentive older brother figure, maybe Plink wouldn't've gone down the path o' wickedness an' delinquency.  :o whataboutthat, Tooley??

- And for a random question: Plink is forced to play an instrument. What would she choose?

The drums, with rad '90s girl power rage.

[Matra Hammer]

I've story-related questions but I'll hold off since we've epilogue posts coming.

1- Did you write any other applications for this contest?

2- Did the final three spread turn out as you thought? What three characters did you think would survive?

3- You must completely change one character in the story: who to what and why?

4- Plink is now a respectable member of society. What is her profession and what does she do for fun?

[Plink]

Ooh! Fun questions, Matra. Lesseehere...

1- Did you write any other applications for this contest?

Aye! I tried out for Navigator and Prisoner, too.

2- Did the final three spread turn out as you thought? What three characters did you think would survive?

Oh, I was dead wrong. At the very start, I expected Scully and Ciera to both be finalists, since they were favorites with reviewers and both closely integrated into the Blade story. Shows what I know! For the third, I wasn't sure. Chak was clearly thoughtfully written, Vera came out of the gate and flourished, Tooley and Vasily had huge plans and promise, Rob, Fildering, and Crue were so likeable... everybody had something great going for them. I could have seen any of this crew winning.

3- You must completely change one character in the story: who to what and why?

Dramatic Rewrite: Blade was never a ferret. He was a largely misunderstood spider monkey with a propensity for grandiose speeches in his not-entirely-comprehensible dialect. The pirates followed him mostly because he could wield a sword with his tail and they thought that was pretty cool. Monkey-Blade never wanted a war with goodbeasts, he just wanted to make this crazy invention that could shoot fruit out of trees, but everything went wrong when middle management took over his pirate empire. That whole thing with Ciera and the baby was super weird to Monkey-Blade. Stabbing Scully was a total accident. When Rob faced down Monkey-Blade, MB dropped his swords (he wielded three) and surrendered. There was no final chase. Plink got voted out that round and drowned falling off the ship on the way home. Everyone wept at her funeral. Especially Monkey-Blade.

4- Plink is now a respectable member of society. What is her profession and what does she do for fun?

In this AU, seasons have passed. Plink is a seamstress. She can take a beast's measurements on sight and sew them a frock in two hours flat. It always fits like a glove - unless the patron is a hare, in which case Plink leaves a little glutting room. The name of her shop is In Stitches and idle goodbeasts in Hearth like strolling past the window display, which is usually a collection of floral print dresses in a rainbow of colors. Some say it's like a garden.

For fun, Plink pretends to enjoy reading poetry. If she was honest with herself, she would admit that she finds almost all of it insufferable, but she likes the idea of being a beast with whom Scully would have wanted to be friends.

[Vizon]

What do you think of Survivor now that you've been through it? Do you think you'll be applying again in the future? You didn't do too shabby for your first ever contest, I'd say!

[Plink]

What do you think of Survivor now that you've been through it? Do you think you'll be applying again in the future? You didn't do too shabby for your first ever contest, I'd say!

Aw, thanks, Vizon! And thanks, too, for convincing me to take part. It was definitely fun! This contest took a lot of time and energy, more in the planning and keeping up departments than the actual writing, but it was great to join forces with other talented writers and make such a complex story come together. It was also cool to revisit the Redwall world, which was so important to me when I was but a wee rat meself.

I might apply again, one day. Depends on how alluring the next scenario turns out to be. Pirate-world is gonna be pretty tough to top...

...and I gotta come clean - this ain't my first contest. I was in Questers Bold 1, the first of the first, and I was terrible.  ^-^

[Vizon]

...and I gotta come clean - this ain't my first contest. I was in Questers Bold 1, the first of the first, and I was terrible.

*Gasp!*  I had no idea! Well then! Welcome back!