Maidens of the Fall, Arc 6, Zodiacal Light, Chapter 2
Chapter perches on mountain peak, wrapped in snow and rock and mist, howling a hymn to the aerie winds, calling to distant faces in the valleys at her feet.
https://hungryshedgerow.net/maidens-of-the-fall-zodiacal-light-6-2/
Password is: vicinage
An epub version of the chapter is also attached below!
Now we're getting stuck into arc 6 proper like, right up there with both hands, ahem. You know what I mean, though perhaps Octavia doesn't? Sometimes it's hard to tell with this girl, she plays a second hand too close to her chest, even for me.
Aaaaand as usual, the characters have once again gone tearing off into the wilds beyond my outline. I know I tend to say this a lot, feels like every chapter these days, but I figure it's interesting to peel the veil back on the process a bit. The main focus of this chapter (sort of) came from a throwaway line that Scarlet Edge wanted in drafting, and everything spiraled out from there. Fun!
An update/note on arc length: this one might actually end up longer than I said last time. Maybe 6-7 chapters. I am unsure, because some major things might upend the arc entirely and end it early, but I can't tell until we get there. Good luck, Octavia! Don't get burned.
In the meantime, I do hope you all enjoy this one, dear readers! I hope you are enjoying Maidens of the Fall just as much as I am, because I am loving this.
Comments (12)
Also damn, Now I am caught up and I have wait 😭 but I have been enjoying this so much!
Welcome to being all caught up! Really glad you've been enjoying the story so much, thank you!!! New chapters on the way, soon enough!
Wow this two, I don't know I'm kind of rooting for them! I so would not have expected that an arc or two ago! I'm kind of liking that Octavia is feeling the occasional bit of gentleness. And also definitey having those dommey thoughts haha. But I'm impressed that she actually seems to be facing the idea of what they shared more than she was. And both of them are so so repressed oh goodness. Francesca is right up there as well. Octavia does seem to have been a bit of a catalyst for her in rethinking things and maybe cracking open a bit. Also the ending on a possible confrontation is evil 😈
Hehe, indeed! Never would have expected that Scarlet and Octavia might end up like like this ... And indeed, Octavia is struggling to frame her own reactions to Scarlet. Dominant, but also gentle in a way she's never been able to express before, even with anybody else. She's shared something powerful with another magical girl, and she's not sure what that means, if anything. Scarlet seems to be in a similar situation, a little. Repression, haha, yes! They both are, but in slightly different ways. And now they're together ... Hehe, the cliffhanger, indeed! I am a bit evil with my cliffhangers. Very glad you enjoyed the chapter, too!
ough delicious CONTEXT
So much context! So much Scarlet Edge!
Octavia watching Scarlet nerding out over anime: If I wasn't half-dead and full of holes right now... the things I would do to this girl...
Octavia discovers that she kinda likes the weeb girl ... uh oh. If only she wasn't so sore and tired!
Such a good chapter! I’m loving the interactions between Occy and Fran so much!
Thank you very much! Really glad you enjoyed this chapter! It's very fun to write these two trapped in a room together, ehehehe.
> Aaaaand as usual, the characters have once again gone tearing off into the wilds beyond my outline. I know I tend to say this a lot, feels like every chapter these days... I dream of the day my art can do this T_T
It took me a very long time for it to start happening! More importantly, it took a sort of mental shift in how I treat characters and construct narratives; building characters first and giving them space to move around in, and letting their desires and needs and conflicts construct the 'plot' organically. And hey, good luck!!! If you keep working at it, the result will always improve.