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Post by Dante on Nov 25, 2010 15:06:26 GMT -5
I get the impending impression of one of your rapid-fire finales, Tiago. I've found with several entries in YASoUE that I don't even realise when we're approaching the end of the story, and yet here we are.
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Post by Tiago James Squalor on Nov 26, 2010 8:51:13 GMT -5
Chapter Ten When one's head is full of ideas, theories, and dark secrets that were just revealed, one might as well take a break from all the thinking, as thinking too hard about things very seldom does any good. If you are faced with a difficult ordeal such as a difficult test, being forced to go to church or temple, or learning how to play the piano, thinking too hard about it will not really help you, and will only make things worse. This was clearly not the case with Violet and Klaus Baudelaire, who had recently learned disheartening things concerning a certain villainess that was not as far away as it would have pleased them. After Violet and Klaus left Olive's room in the third floor, they descended the stairs to find the orphans having their break period. Miss Hannigan watched over the orphans, who mostly just sat outside taking advantage of a sudden outburst of sunlight that managed to break the gloom that was so constant around those parts. Olive had gone off to the study. 'I'm going to try and call my brothers, they need to know what's happening.' She had told Violet and Klaus. The elder Baudelaires then proceeded into the kitchen, where Sunny made lunch with the help of Ms. Bass and Ms. Perch, while Beatrice sat nearby, entertained with a sewing kit she had found. 'May we borrow Sunny and Bea for a while, Ms. Bass?' Violet asked. Ms. Bass examined Violet for a good five seconds behind her half-moon glasses. 'Sure, sure, but don't keep them for too long, or we will all eat charcoal for lunch. I'm helpless in the kitchen.' Ms. Perch then interrupted. 'But I'm not! I'm the perfect housewife, go ahead, I can take care of the kitchen for a few minutes.' Violet would have commented on how Ms. Perch could not be a housewife without a husband, but the woman's unfriendly demeanor was unwelcoming to sarcasm. 'Come on, Sunny, Bea.' Violet said, taking her two little sisters out of the kitchen, and they went to the library, which was not much far off from the kitchen. It was empty, save for Esther, the serious orphan girl. Prefering to avoid contact with anyone, Violet and Klaus took Sunny and Beatrice up to the second floor of the library. There they found a comfortable set of armchairs where they sat, and Violet, with the help of Klaus told Sunny and Beatrice everything they had learned. 'Esmé...is our aunt?' Sunny asked, marvelled and disgusted by the revelation. She wasn't ready for it, and neither was Beatrice. 'Elektron.' Said Beatrice, which Sunny translated to her siblings as 'I'm shocked.' 'We need to get whatever Esmé came here for, and we need to do it fast. I'm afraid our time at Old Oaks is coming to an end.' Klaus Baudelaire said. And he was right. The Baudelaires' time at the Orphanage was near it's end. Soon, they would be leaving to meet with someone they needed to meet, even if they didn't know it yet. 'We know whatever she dug up at the orchard is with her now. That means, it's in her room.' Violet said. 'I have no idea how to get it.' And it was true. For the first time, the Baudelaires had absolutely no clue how to get Esmé's secret effects from her room, where also stayed Carmelita Spats, Natalie and Nathan Finch, and Cindry Fulfillment. Until of course, Violet drew out her hair ribbon and concentrated as best as she could trying to come up with the perfect plan. 'We need Pepper.' Violet said, after concentrating. 'I know it's not noble to steal, or to hire someone to steal something, but this might be an attractive opportunity for her.' 'Pepper could do it, but why would she help us?' Klaus asked. Pepper was a troublemaker, always trying to get the best out of Miss Hannigan, the other teachers, and even Olive Oakley, at times. She was an insufferable prankster, or more politelly, a swift trickster, but the only one the Baudelaires knew would outright agree to a plan such as the one the Baudelaires concocted. 'Where is she now?' Sunny asked. 'Let's ask Esther downstairs.' Klaus said. The Baudelaires rose from their armchairs and descended to the first floor of the library. Esther was still there, reading silently in a comfortable navy blue velvet armchair. The book she read was titled 'Lord of the Flies' by one William Golding. 'Esther, may we talk to you?' Violet asked, more politely than she intended. Esther had this atmosphere around her that attracted some sort of respect, as if she was some sort of child authority. She looked at Violet, her dark eyes eyeing the eldest Baudelaire with curiosity, but was nevertheless serious. 'How may I help you?' 'We need to ask a favor from Pepper. Where is she?' Violet asked. 'A favor? From Pepper? What is it that you want with her. It can't be good, of course. It's Pepper.' Esther said. 'We promise it's nothing too bad. In reality, we need her to get something for us. We can't tell what it is, but we know only Pepper can and would help us. We can't exactly ask Olive, or one of the other faculty members.' Esther look intrigued. She put down her book, and stood up. Being much shorter than Violet did nothing to take away the girl's aura of seriousness. Esther was like, a woman trapped in the body of a child. 'Come. I'll take you to Pepper. I know where she is.' 'Thank you.' The Baudelaires said while following Esther around the dark hallways of the Orphanage. The girl led the Baudelaires to the Girls' room in the second floor. Opening the door, Esther entered, followed by the Baudelaires. The Baudelaires saw not four, but eight beds. Annie played with rag dolls, while Molly, the orphan girl with glasses, was painting a picture on a notebook. Pepper was laying on her bed, her head resting on her hand, and a bored look on her face, swinging her legs back and forth. She looked Esther's way and saw the Baudelaires. Her expression suddenly changed, almost as if she knew things were about to get, in Pepper's terms, 'exciting', like succeeding in a difficult test or ordeal. But no ordeal would be greater than the one that would soon befall all the orphans of Old Oaks Orphanage.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Nov 26, 2010 10:40:46 GMT -5
Oohh...this chapter definitely paves the way for one very exciting conclusion, I can tell. I'm also glad to know that Pepper will be getting her chance to share the spotlight with the Baudelaires. Finally, her sneakiness is going to come in useful!
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Post by Dante on Nov 26, 2010 12:40:06 GMT -5
I like Esther as a character, too. By her very nature, she isn't going to get much time in the spotlight, but as an individual she's interesting and it's clear that she's probably been forced to grow up quite quickly by the circumstances of her bereavement. This is a good chapter, Tiago; as always, it's nice to see things racing along.
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Post by Christmas Chief on Nov 26, 2010 13:39:26 GMT -5
Sunny (and Beatrice) took the news comparatively well, I think. How will Pepper react to the question, I wonder? Though it's in her area of expertise, the Baudelaires haven't been the warmest companions (though neither has any other employee, it seems).
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Post by Hermes on Nov 26, 2010 15:00:04 GMT -5
'Elektron.' Said Beatrice, which Sunny translated to her siblings as 'I'm shocked.' I especially liked this line. Any special reason for choosing Lord of the Flies? So, Pepper comes in to her own. It will be interesting to see what happens next.
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Fiona Fanboy
Catastrophic Captain
Klaus' rival for the affections of Fiona Widdershins
Posts: 91
Likes: 2
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Post by Fiona Fanboy on Nov 26, 2010 16:54:35 GMT -5
Hoo boy.
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Post by Tiago James Squalor on Nov 26, 2010 17:45:14 GMT -5
@emmz: Yeah, it was always my intention to have Pepper be more significant. I'm afraid I couldn't come up with another way for the Baudelaires to obtain Esmé's secrets, so I'm sorry if it is lame as a trope. But I honestly believe this is leading where I intend it to. @dante: Thank you. I do like Esther too, maybe she'll even make a comeback in the final books. @sherry Ann: I guess in a way, small children and infants are stronger-willed than their eldest, if you think about it. The world drains our inner strength as we grow up. Specially if you are a Baudelaire. lol ^^ Hermes: It was an inspired choice I guess, I'm glad you liked it. *spoiler alert* I mostly chose Lord of the Flies because it's theme has to do with what happens to the orphans after the end of TOO. Yes, I do know how it is going to end, I just need to write it. *end of spoiler* xXx|Turned Upside Down|xXx Fanboy: Hehehe.
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Post by Dante on Nov 27, 2010 3:45:15 GMT -5
@emmz: Yeah, it was always my intention to have Pepper be more significant. I'm afraid I couldn't come up with another way for the Baudelaires to obtain Esmé's secrets, so I apologize if it is lame as a trope. But I honestly believe this is leading where I intend it to. It's not lame at all, Tiago. It's a sign of comradeship between the orphans, and it's a logical action for your characters to undertake. It's your story and you know best. It sounds like the final books are going to be another big reunion. It'll be interesting to see how you bring people together again, especially if Esther is involved. I was wondering if that might be the case; Lord of the Flies does have a few potential links with aSoUE.
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Post by Emma “Emmz” Squalor on Nov 27, 2010 11:19:05 GMT -5
@emmz: Yeah, it was always my intention to have Pepper be more significant. I'm afraid I couldn't come up with another way for the Baudelaires to obtain Esmé's secrets, so I apologize if it is lame as a trope. But I honestly believe this is leading where I intend it to I agree with Dante - there is nothing lame about this idea at all. It is you're story, and so you're perfectly entitled to write it however you see fit. Besides, I find this to be a very impressive and creative idea. If I were you, I'd be pretty darned proud of myself for coming up with it.
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Post by Hermes on Nov 27, 2010 17:27:23 GMT -5
*spoiler alert* I mostly chose Lord of the Flies because it's theme has to do with what happens to the orphans after the end of TOO. Yes, I do know how it is going to end, I just need to write it. *end of spoiler* Oh dear, that sounds a bit disturbing.
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Post by Christmas Chief on Nov 27, 2010 17:33:17 GMT -5
I was thinking about reading Lord of the Flies--is it any good? (And I don't want to miss out on the theme of this story.)
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Post by Dante on Nov 28, 2010 11:06:16 GMT -5
Certainly you should read Lord of the Flies, Sherry Ann. It's a good book, and it's also an important one, in that it's relatively well-known and you're probably comparatively more likely to hear allusions to it than you are to many other books. If all else fails to convince you, it's also not very long. (By the by, that's a fine new avatar you have.)
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Post by Christmas Chief on Nov 28, 2010 15:47:53 GMT -5
I look forward to doing so, then; I should have time this evening.
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Post by Tiago James Squalor on Dec 1, 2010 20:03:53 GMT -5
Chapter Eleven out tomorrow, everyone! So sorry for the delay!
I've been busy with my college admission exams, which took place on sunday, monday and tuesday. I loved the tests, but the 1st phase results don't come out til the 10th, and the 2nd phase results, in January, so if you guys could throw in a little prayer or thought or a good energy for me it would be really sweet.
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