Maidens of the Fall, Arc 6, Zodiacal Light, Chapter 8
Chapter creeps through silent hallways, power gone out, elevators offline, trains stalled, flashlight picking out skeletons melting into the black, breath held behind clenched teeth.
https://hungryshedgerow.net/maidens-of-the-fall-zodiacal-light-6-8/
Password is: evergreen
An epub version of the chapter is also attached!
Chapter 8! Octavia edges toward the end of the arc (pun fully intended, both ways). This one was a real doozy; I had not intended it to end up quite so gigantic, but once this particular meeting began things simply started to unfold, and to hold them back would have been to artificially interfere in the pacing of the story. So! This is, I think, the second or third longest chapter of Maidens so far. And I hope you enjoy it, dear readers; this is a big one.
Next week/chapter, it's the end of the arc! Here we go!
Also this week, I have some fanart to share, from over on the discord server, hooray! First up we have a little doodle titled Scarlet Acquires Vital Information, (by Cybran). Then, a much more complex doodle (which made me laugh), Anatomy of Octavia, (also by Cybran!). And finally, a piece that made my jaw drop; this one might not make sense if you've never seen Puella Magi Madoka Magica, but this piece is Octavia, interpreted as a Madoka-style witch, reduced (elevated?) to simply her heart and her prosthetic arm, (by Hydrahead Hunter). Absolutely incredible to see so much fanart, thank you all!
Comments (12)
Today I learned of the moonrat, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonrat, which is either a real-world animal or HY has been really busy on Wikipedia...
What if I've been really busy populating the moon with rats?
Octavia being weak to 'mommy' types when she's so top the rest of the time is great! Also, the lines “Then I bit her on the face. At the time I didn’t know that’s how magical girls flirt.” is absolutely amazing! Pure gold! Also also, I'm pumped for funny number chapter next!
Turns out that even Octavia can be a bit subby when she is faced with the right person! But, only for that kind of woman, I suspect. Something about herself she never knew before. And thank you! I really enjoyed that line too, it made me laugh when writing it. Funny number! Perhaps not so funny for Occy, uh oh!
Next chapter begins with a repeat of what happened with the cat minion as Nerys drops from the ceiling.
Nerys off the top rope! A surprise attack! Zoogs are good at sneaky ambushes.
If a Zoog in your pocket is worth two in a bush, and one stone can kill two crows, then how many ways are there to skin a cat? I don't know, but I'll tell you my favorite way. You give the Zoog a knife!
Nerys doing standup comedy. Alternatively, zoogs with knives would be kinda scary! They already have claws, they don't need more dangerous ideas. Or maybe that's exactly what they need, and the world would be a much better place for it.
Oh dear. Interesting that all the dream-gods are animal coded, especially that Cigfran and Kaith are earthly creatures and Nerys is not.
Not sure that is entirely true, since I remember in lovecrafts work different cats also originate from saturn who are mortal enemies to cats from earth. Maybe future allies
This Machine is asking the most important questions!
In her effort to understand magical girls, Octavia has identified the single most important factor: why is everybody so gay???