Coming to You Live from the Oasis!

[Bellona Littlebrush]

So! Seeing as Liza-Liza has posted the last official story post and Tara should be announcing the results of the final vote in the near future, I thought I should start my reveal thread. Ask questions to suss out my identity and I'll answer them...unless the answer would give me away faster than you can say "11001001" (and there's your first clue). Or you can ask me general questions about Bell/the story. Happy to answer those, too. If no one's guessed my identity by Friday, I'll reveal myself.

[Sycamore]

So you're a Trekkie. Interesting. Did any of your disposable NPCs wear a red tunic or something akin?

[Bellona Littlebrush]

Oh, I expect at least one of them did. Probably that old hare who sacrificed himself early on in the story so that the slaves could escape.

[Sycamore]

Ehh, nothing explicitly stated that he was wearing red. I disagree.

[Jarrtail]

Man, it's hard to believe the story's already over...seems like it was just yesterday I was sending off my app. Ah, memories...
On to the questions:
1. Have you ever participated in any other survival contests? If so, which ones?
2. Do you have an FF.net of RFF account?
3. (Relating to Bellona the character) I don't remember if this was mentioned in the story or not, but was the vermin group that killed Freyr the same one that Martin's Shadow was fighting?
4. And one the subject of Martin's Shadow...how many of them are still alive?

[Bellona Littlebrush]

@Sycamore:

Just because it isn't explicitly stated doesn't mean I can't imagine it. I didn't mention in the story that the scars on Bell's chest are from being partially skinned (i.e. tortured) by Nashald's lot at the beginning of the war.

@Jarrtail:

1. I have, indeed. I have participated in contests of the ROC:S, RV, and O:S strains.

2. I do not.

3. It was mentioned. Freyr was not killed by Nashald's soldiers. The village that Bell, Sailpaw, and Freyr came from made a nonaggression pact with a tribe of local vermin unaffiliated with Nashald. This tribe broke the pact and killed everybeast in the village while Bell and the other members of Martin's Shadow were occupied elsewhere.

4. Oh, I'd say about a score, score and a half. Not many. Things weren't going great before the main camp was destroyed and Nashald had most of the autumn while Bell was elsewhere to hunt down many of the rest. It's touched upon briefly in the epilogue I have in the works.

[Cricket Argyll]

Oh...I must have played with you at some point if your participated in O:S or O:M. Of course, there were 40 bloody authors between the two contests, so... o_O Gee! That narrows it. Um... well, you're female. Know that from the Canon Mole Interludes, thank you, Geo! So:

1. Do you have a VI account?

2. How about Terrouge?

3. Did you play a female or male in the O:S contest you participated in?

4. What was Sailpaw's beef with Freyr?

[Eliza Lacrimosa]

One thing I've always wondered is, how did Freyr die, exactly? (Unless you said so somewhere in the story and I'm stupid and I missed it.)

Also... what is your favorite leg?

[Revel]

1.What was Bellona's childhood like? At what point did she become a warrior?
2.How handsome is Prince Nashald? Is he a stoat? Do you have his number? _{Have him call me!}  ;)
3.Do you think if Week 7 had gone on for eight more posts that Revel and Bellona could become friends if they talked enough and Bellona didn't try to kill Revel? I don't think Bellona ever found out that Revel ate woodlanders. How would learning that make Bells react?

[Damask the Minstrel]

Ahem... *picks up a microphone*

Do you love me? (do you love me)
Do you love me? (do you love me)
Do you love me? (do you love me)
Now... that I... can dance.

Sorry 'bout that. But... yes. Do you see the "happy ending" my wife was lobbying me for Bells and Damask: they go off and become comrades and, well, I'd say grow old together fighting off Nashald, but Damask doesn't have much more room to grow old. So... old comrades in arms ending? Or just a general, what next? (Feel free to answer after the epilogue. ^.^)

[Bellona Littlebrush]

@Cricket:

1. Yes.

2. Yes.

3. Male.

4. Sailpaw just didn't think Freyr was good enough for Bell. Had to do with him not being a fighter and Sailpaw being just the tiniest bit old-fashioned in thinking that a husband should be able to match or exceed his wife in battle prowess. He also directed most of the frustration he felt for Bell after she ignored his 'order' not to marry Freyr at the poor guy himself.

@Liza:

1. Freyr was in his 'studio' painting some pots late at night when the vermin attacked swiftly and quietly. He was only aware of them when they broke down his door. What ensued was a very short fight. Freyr threw pots, the vermin got ticked and gutted him, then proceeded to slash up his face while he lay writhing on the floor. Freyr died slowly and painfully, which only fueled Bell's hatred for vermin.

2. And... um... the one that works?

@Revel

1. Bell had a normal childhood. Her father was a carpenter who built boats, mainly, and her mother was a baker who failed to pass on her special talents to her daughter. She played around with the other dibbuns in the village, and was a bit of a bully because she was a good scrapper. Then Sailpaw came with his family down from the mountains. He was a bully, too, and started moving in on Bell's territory, so she decided to show him what for. He retaliated by climbing a tree and taunting her. It went something like this:

"Na-na-na-naaa-na!" The pudgy little squirrel danced on the lower branches of the tree, waggling his paws and sticking out his tongue. "Ye stoopid furry-tailed mouse, ye cannae reach me! Heehee!"

Bell considered him for a moment, tail twitching in irritation. She reached down and picked up a stone, tossing it up and down in one paw.

"Wha' are ye gonna do wit' tha', eh?" the squirrel demanded. "Ye couldnae hit a sleepin' badgermum three pawsteps awa - Yeowch! Stop it! Stoppit!"

Bell grinned as her stones pelted the jerk. "Hah! Take that!"

"Yaugh!" the squirrel tried to dodge, moving around the trunk of the tree. "Please! Stop! 'M soorry! 'M soorry! Truce!"

"What's in it for me?" the dormouse wanted to know.

"I'll... I'll teach ye t'climb!" the squirrel offered. "There'll be nae stoppin' ye!"

"All right."

Thus were Bell and Sailpaw friends. Or at least not-enemies. They teamed up and started tempering each other so they became less bullies and more leaders for the other children. Bell didn't have any great ambition to be anything in particular, so when Sailpaw decided to become a warrior and asked: "Come with me?" she came. This would've been when they were 11 or 12, old enough to become novices and begin training.

2. See my epilogue for answers. ;P

3. No, Bell would never befriend a vermin. She couldn't even recognize the honorable side of Rath or the relative 'good' in Keane. They were and always will be 'evil' in her mind. If Bell had discovered Revel's eating habits, she'd want to kill Revel... like she had wanted to in any case. XD

@Dammy

Of course I love you! My epilogue details what happens immediately after Bell leaves the Oasis and finds Dammy, but I imagine that after that, they'd go off and fight Nashald. With the help of all the goodbeast powers of the Redwall world, they'd have another epic battle and destroy him. Bell would be a general of some sort, but still on the front lines of battle, directing everything. Damask would be a messenger between the woodlander groups and a bit of light in the darkness if a battle did not go well. Bell would try to avoid putting him in serious danger as much as possible.

After the battle was won, Bell would help with rebuilding the woodlander regime in northeastern Mossflower and 'retire' to a training and advising role for future warriors. I imagine Damask wouldn't want to stay in just one place forever, but that he would visit her on occasion during his travels and she would always offer him a roost when his old wings grew tired. I also imagine that Rhys would have come along for the battle campaign and courted Bell, eventually winning her over and marrying her after the war had ended. He wouldn't be a warrior in the battle, more likely a cook or medic.


EDIT: Well, seeing as no one's yet guessed my identity and I said I'd reveal myself today... I'll wait a bit longer, but offer this Dead Give Away should anyone wish to take a crack at it before I announce it m'self.

In previous contests, I have played, in chronological order of acceptance dates: a mouse, a squirrel, a fox, and a rat.

[Damask the Minstrel]

What a nice, full circle you've come, eh? ^.-

[Cricket Argyll]

Whelp. It's later, so I guess I'll say it now for those who haven't guessed it: I, Cricket Argyll (a.k.a. Terri Doxtrod, Bandypaw, Lal Turnup, Alam Oakback, and Connor Athanasius), am Bellona Littlebrush. I'd like to thank the various reviewers for their help through the contest, most especially Cairn who reviewed and offered criticism on every one of my posts. I know we had our differences about certain things, sir, but I did and do truly appreciate your dedication to our wandering storyline. Cheers, then!

[Sycamore]

Alam! Lally! *glomps*

How did you keep this from me??!

/___\

[Jarrtail]

Okay, now I'm doubly impressed. You somehow managed to juggle both being a contestant and writing the Audience Guide (which, incidently, was one of the reasons I didn't suspect that you were in the contest).