Coming to You Live from the Oasis!

[Cricket Argyll]

@Syccy:

Same way I kept it from Ashira: lamenting our failed applications together and talking about others things.XD You still love me, though, right?!

@Jarrtail:

Really? And here was I thinking that writing the Audience Guide would get me pegged as a contestant in a snap. I thought people would say: 'Eh? This girl's doing all this work for a contest she's not part of? Fishy. Very Fishy...' Glad I was able to trick ya, though! Thanks for reading (both the story, and the guide) hope you enjoyed it all.

[Sycamore]

@Syccy:

Same way I kept it from Ashira: lamenting our failed applications together and talking about others things.XD You still love me, though, right?!

I'll think about it . . .

[Sycamore]

Compare your rodents!

And mustelids . . .

[Cricket Argyll]

Rodents? Hrm... well they're all quite different, but I'll try. Lal was a comic relief character. Pure and simple. I think that's one of the reasons I got the axe so early (that and atrocious writing). She was a good creature. Then came Alam, who was also good and light-hearted (sorta-kinda, at least compared to everybody else) and fatherly. He was nice to be able to work with after Lal went so early.

And then Cricket. Cricket has got to be one of my favorite characters I've ever written. She didn't start out that way. She was the least favorite of my Top 30 apps and when she got in, I was a bit flummoxed as to how I could make a little brat not only interesting but, truly evil. And then she surprised me by being kinda smart and devious and then trying to kill beasts and then giggling about it. The swearing and narrative style were fun to play with and although I know my writing has improved technically since Cricket, I can actually look back on that contest and still appreciate my writing there. I had a blast doing it.

Now Bell... what I tried to do was make a woodlander equivalent to Cricket out Bell sans the silly bratty-ness. Bell did turn out sort of like Cricket in the complete lack of regard for the lives of others who did not fall into a narrowly defined box of 'us'. Both of them also could not accept that vermin and woodlanders could ever be friends because vermin are, by their very nature, evil. While my technical writing improved as Bell, she wasn't nearly as entertaining to write, though I did love the company of the authors I was in. =)

And my mustelids? Um... I've had Terri and Boom. But they're not survivor game characters. o_o!

-----

And because I'm a follower... *jumps off a bridge* *climbs out of river and dries off* Right! Thought I'd do the whole post titles explanation thingummy.

Brave Tin Soldier - One of my favorite children's stories of all time. This particular title had the dual purpose of having soldier in the title and foreshadowing events to come in my final post of the first week. See, there's a little poem in the story that goes:

"Farewell warrior! ever brave,
Drifting onward to thy grave."

The raft would be going over the edge of the waterfall in the first week and if Bell had been voted out, this would have been her death.

Ride Across the River - Tribute to one of my fav bands, the Dire Straits. Some of the lyrics appeared at the beginning of this post, as well. It seemed to fit the situation at paw and the motives of Martin's Shadow.

A Matter of Trust - Tribute to Mr. Billy Joel, a gentleman whose music lifts me up. This song title, again, seemed to fit the situation given that Bell has to put her trust in Eliza's (a vermin) plan to get them to freedom.

We Can't Work It Out - Play on the Beatles song "We Can Work It Out". Seemed to fit the situation with the impasse Bell and Sailpaw found themselves at followed by Sailpaw's demise. They'll never work that 'un out. *shakes head*

Of Fighters and Spies - Play on the phrase "of spiders and flies". Bell's like a fly that's been caught in Damask's web of not-quite-lies and drawn into his crazy little plot to suss out Venny's intentions and evilness (or lack thereof).

Ode to Good Neighbor - While serendipitously a tribute to one of my favorite poets, Mr. Robert Frost, this is actually a shameless steal from a poem by a friend of mine. She submitted it to the Literary Society and was published in our annual magazine in my undergrad and I thought it was a brilliant piece of art. It's short and reads as such:

"It happens every time you
          I reach down to collect my blood

shoot glances from the corners of your
          from my beloved hijacked soil,

carefully sightless eyes who
          his wounds and mine will flood

enable the tyrant and condemn the poor.
          for we are sentenced to death by toil."

I thought it spoke well to the gray nature of many of the vermin contestants (in relation to the slavery of the woodlanders, that was never really regarded by the vermin as right or wrong, just as things are) and the situation of the displaced natives of the Oasis.

An Army of One - The slogan of the US armed forces (as I remember it, though it might've changed since then). Seemed fitting for Bell and the situation when Giddy was killed and she was literally reduced to an 'army' of just one beast: herself.

Mi Coraz?n Perdido en Ti - Song by one of my fav country duos, Brooks and Dunn. It means (and actual title of the song is) "My Heart is Lost to You". Damask was the creature that Bell had latched onto after Sailpaw's death and having him fly away, reject her companionship because of a vermin really hurt Bell a lot more than she would ever admit to herself. She obviously forgave him enough to go looking for him, but at the time of his departure, Bell had convinced herself that Damask was like Freyr and would never leave her. She wised up and got her senses straight after he scarpered.

Secrets, Lies, and Death By Plague - Not so subtle reference to a fav movie of mine, "Sex, Lies, and Videotape". If you're a young'un stay away. If you're an old'un and like indie films, take a gander.

If I Had a Hammer - Stolen from the show "Dexter" on HBO. Also a nod to our dear squiggle, Birch.

On the Wings of the Night - From an incredible song by Pink Floyd called "On the Turning Away". While credit really goes to Revel for this title, it's funny to note that my last story post for Cricket in RV4 also featured references to this song. Anyway, it was specifically the following lines that led to this becoming the title of The End, Part I.

"And the words they say, which we won't understand." - for the Fritterik
"No more turning away from the coldness inside. Just a world that we all must share. It's not enough just to stand and stare." - for all the factions finally coming together and deciding to fight

The Rest is Silence - From the Bard himself. It seemed fitting to end the play with a quote from such a fine writer.

A Musical Interlude with a Wayward Robin - Taken directly from the end of my last story post proper. Seemed only right to deliver on what was promised. =D

[Deadtail]

There's a song called "If I Had a Hammer"--I thought you were alluding to that plus Birch. Guess not!