The Appleclock Saga - DISCUSSION

[Peregrine_Appleclock]

Status Report

ARTWORK:
@Toren_Jumpspark
@Skybie_Jumpdust1
@Milady_Despark
@Ariella_Newheart
@Azeline_Darkheap (started, still just a sketch)
@Silverclaw_Bonnetfolly1
@Gloria_Oldenpinner
@Emily_Purplebottle
@Miss_M2
@Christopher_Puddlevest1
Missy Vonheart
Nola Applequill

Note: I may do these in random order. Toren, Skybie, Milady and Azeline are the priorities right now though. . .

CURRENTLY ACCEPTING COMMISSIONS? NO.

APPLECLOCK SAGA: Haven't started Installment 16 yet, but I'm excited about it.

Um, just wondering. . .

• I still read The Appleclock Saga.
• I don't read it.
• I started reading it, but got sidetracked.

Show results

I wouldn't be offended much if you chose either of the last two options, buuuuut I haven't been receiving many likes on it lately. . . shrug

READING LIST:

Journal of Dr. Spanpride
Life of a Bonnetfolly
The Resistance Falls to Pieces
Series of Unexpected Escapades (Just started on that one.)
Contemplating reading through Chronicles of the Phantom

ACCEPTING READING RECOMMENDATIONS? YES, but it will probably take me a LONG time to read everything.

[Ava_Tinnight1]

The last time you put out a couple instalments.....

I Had just spammed Jacoby.....

[Nola_Applequill1]

Um, just wondering. . .

I do still read it! It's just that I rarely ever have time to actually read them fully, and same goes for a lot of other stories. *sigh * I WILL make time for your story! I WILL!!!

I wouldn't be offended much if you chose either of the last two options, buuuuut I haven't been receiving many likes on it lately. . . shrug

Uh... TOTAL same, with my story. I don't think people are into it as much as they used to be. AND I'M EVEN DOING MORE PLOTTING!!!

[Ariella_Newheart]

Finally finished the latest parts! I like reading about Corey and Leina, and seeing how Dekreel fits into the story. Do you know when you'll release the next installment?

[Peregrine_Appleclock]

I'm so glad you liked them! I'm not sure when I'll write the next part. Depends on my unpredictable inspiration.

[Peregrine_Appleclock]

Status Report

ARTWORK:
Just started @Toren_Jumpspark. Still a sketch.
Immadiately after Toren comes @Milady_Despark and @Skybie_Jumpdust1. . . followed by a dozen-or-so others. And I got a little progress on @Azeline_Darkheap, as well.

Currently accepting commissions? NO.

APPLECLOCK SAGA: Installment Sixteen is finished! I'll post it as soon as possible (which won't be very soon). I'm at the point where I want to start adding in new characters, so get ready for a possible appearance!

I thought I'd update the character list a bit, so I shall ask you again: WOULD YOU LIKE TO BE IN THE APPLECLOCK SAGA?

• Yes, as a Resistance member.
• Yes, as an Imperial.
• Yes, as neutral.
• No.
• Maybe. . .
• I'm already in TAS!

Show results

Here is the current possible character list based on past polls. Let me know if I need to change anything. I'd like to hear from as many people as possible!

READING LIST:
Finished Life of a Bonnetfolly!
Started Series of Escapades
Chronicles of the Phantom
Journal of Dr. Spanpride
Resistance Falls to Pieces

PARTY BALLOTS: Just one vote excluding myself! (Thanks, @Nola_Applequill1.)

[Nola_Applequill1]

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAA

Sorry, that was hilraious. @Miss_M2 (Rustquill), me, and @Spector_Otterquill are all in a row as neutral characters... THE THREE QUILLS!

Riiiiiight, I have to read those recent chapters ya made.

*begins to read *

(Thanks, @Nola_Applequill1.)

Oh, you're welcome!

[Nola_Applequill1]

Wow. Done.

@Peregrine_Appleclock... I hope you like this.

#TASThroughTheEyesOfNolaApplequill (Possible SPOILER ALERT!)

The Appleclock Saga

I jog toward the Meadows’ entrance like a little girl on her way to her favorite playground, skinpack bouncing against my back.

METAPHOR ALERT. Actually, simile, but yep.

The Appleclock Saga

“’Ey there, busy bee! You look just about ready.”

HaHA! So like Buzz. I hear him saying it.

The Appleclock Saga

A helper! A guide! They could show me Aethasia! They could help me experience its greatest beauties first-hand! My feet are now so restless that I start bouncing instead of rocking.

Maybe it's because I'm naturally extroverted, but I'm starting to bounce with Leina.

The Appleclock Saga

Shep beckons to someone behind him, and slowly, stiffly, a young woman approaches. She’s lanky and pale, and very tall, only half a foot shorter than Shep. Strands of jet-black hair obfuscate one of her dark brown eyes. Her lips are pale and look as though they’re glued together. Her dress is simple, yet fashionable, mostly black with velvet green highlights.

Wow. That's... Descriptive. I sense the coldness and briskness.

The Appleclock Saga

“This,” continues Shep, “Is Azeline Darkheap. She will show you around No Man’s Landing, specifically the Business District. Azeline, this is Leina.”

UH HUH?! AND THEN?!?!

The Appleclock Saga

Her cold nature dampens my excitement a little.

Nooo... Leina... Stay excited!

The Appleclock Saga

Azeline peers down at me with a cool, emotionless gaze and nods her head in greeting. “A pleasure,” she murmurs.

EEEERUUUUUUUGH I DON'T TRUST YOU.

The Appleclock Saga

Throughout the journey, my guide doesn’t say much, except to point out which path to take in a fork in the road, where automatons are usually stationed, and a couple reminders to not give urchins the produce, or let them steal it.

I DON'T TRUST YOU AT ALL.

The Appleclock Saga

“Don’t you know? The Empire, of course. Turned them into automatons.”

My jaw goes limp as I recall the armored man that had approached Korey and me on our first day here. Christopher had called it an “automaton." That automaton. . . used to be a regular person. Used to be a father or mother. And this “Empire” took them. . . and left behind their children, helpless, hungry, poor. . .

Wow. That was the best way to describe an Automaton that I have ever seen. Kudos.

The Appleclock Saga

“Only the finest! And my cousin-once-removed’s honey is no exception.”

“Buzz is your cousin?”

“My cousin-ONCE-REMOVED. You new to this job?”

I snickered at that.

The Appleclock Saga

“I was tired of going back and forth all the time. I’m. . . pleased for you, Mister Tony, that you have someone more. . . enthusiastic to help.” Never once does Azeline give a sign of emotion as she talks to the shopkeeper.

I STILL DON'T TRUUUUUUST YOOOOOOU... *glares *

The Appleclock Saga

She walks down a different passageway, and I begin to follow, but I glance into the cart, and freeze in my tracks.

Azeline looks back and gives me a puzzled look. “What’s wrong?”

“We. . . missed a jar of honey!”

Plooooooot twiiiiiiiist.

The Appleclock Saga

“I’ll keep my eyes peeled. Trust me, Azeline! I think I can do it!”

Sorry, Leina. I don't think you can.

The Appleclock Saga

No, it’s more than a dog, it’s a wolf. And it’s running in my direction.

EVEN MORE PLOTTY TWISTY.

The Appleclock Saga

I look back and scream. The wolf had stopped running, but it’s creeping towards me with raised hackles, and lips peeled back revealing a full head of sharp, white fangs. Actually, I’m not sure it’s a wolf anymore. I’m not sure what it is. It has the snout, ears, teeth and claws of a wolf, but the thrashing tail is too long. And it’s wearing clothing! Almost like urchin’s clothing, dirty and tattered. And long brown hair drapes over its neck.

HaHA! IT'S DEKREEEEEEEEL!!!

The Appleclock Saga

Suddenly, a loud BANG sounds from several feet away, and the wolf thing raises its head, gives a high-pitched howl, collapses and remains motionless. I spot Azeline with a pistol in her hand and sigh in relief. I jog to her and gasp, “Thank you!”

WHAT.

DEKREEL.

NO.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!

AZELINE WHAT HAVE YOU DOOOOOOOOONE.

The Appleclock Saga

Azeline nods stiffly, turns and speed-walks back towards No Man’s Landing. I wonder why she’s always in such a hurry. . .

Mmmmmmmmhm. Me too.

The Appleclock Saga

“Shot it?!” My heart tightens and my mouth gapes at the scandal. “Shot it?! Why would she do that?!”

My thoughts exactly.

The Appleclock Saga

“Don’t you want to find it?” asks Leina in a quiet (probably nervous) voice as she joins me out.

“Sure, but I have no way of knowing where it is.”

“I think it’s in Urchin’s Grotto. We passed through there to get here; maybe you could check!”

I pause and narrow my eyes warily. “Why do you say that?”

“You do want to see it, right?”

Ehhhh... Leina...? What's going onnnnn...?

The Appleclock Saga

“No, I mean, how do you know it’s at Urchin’s Grotto?”

She furrows her brow and stares back at me. “IIIIIII dunno. A guess?”

“That’s an unusually specific guess.”

“I. . .” she averts her eyes and gazes at her feet with a troubled look on her face for a few moments, and then looks back at me with confusion and impatience. “Look, it’s just a guess, and it’s all I know. Shall we look, or not?”

LEINAAAAAAA?! IS THERE SOMETHING YOU'RE NOT TELLING US?!?!?!

The Appleclock Saga

“Yes! A dog! It attacked Lucky and Zaul, caved in the walls and shredded the automatons!”

“A dog.”

Eeeehehehe.

The Appleclock Saga

Ben furrows his brow and starts walking about aimlessly as he recalls Silverclaw’s story. Surely not. Why would a DOG cause a room in a well-built mine to cave in, and then rip a dozen automatons to bits? And Silver has claws of her own! She probably just accidentally scratched herself—”

That last part is really funny, because I scratch myself all the time on accident.

The Appleclock Saga

“Nnnnnnnnope! Why?”

“Use your sleuth skills.”

“. . . You found a giant stainless steel ring. With switches.”

“Brilliant, Holmes,” Ben jokes with a smirk.

“Elementary, dear Watson,” she jeers back, “Right. It’s my shift. Talk to ya later, Pig.”

This made me laugh so hard in real life that @Lightscape_Ironwalker turned around and asked, "You okay?" I just said, "Yeah! I'm just reading The Appleclock Saga and it's really good!" and continued to laugh VERY hard.

The Appleclock Saga

“You know that’s not my nickname anymore!” Ben shouts with indignance.

“Over and ouuuut!” Silver sings out with a nasal voice before the communicator clicks off.

They are so funny together...

The Appleclock Saga

Soon, he is back underground, commanding automatons, watching for signs of life and wondering what he will have for supper after the job is done.

HEHE.

[Peregrine_Appleclock]

HAH! That was great. You're probably the most expressive reader I know.

[Nola_Applequill1]

HAH! That was great.

YEEY!

You're probably the most expressive reader I know.

I think you're right.

Also... Just because I somehow forgot to say this...

THOSE WERE AMAZING CHAPTERS AND I WILL TRY TO READ AS MANY NEW CHAPTERS AS YOU PUT OUT BECAUSE I AM OFFICIALLY NOW AN OFFICIAL LOYAL SUPPORTER OF TAS (that was redundant)!

I'm serious. Those were incredible writing skills. Keep it up!

[Peregrine_Appleclock]

Okay, that took a LOT less time than I expected.

INSTALLMENT SIXTEEN!!

The Appleclock Saga

Please tell me what you think!

[Nola_Applequill1]

Please tell me what you think!

Wow, I read it, and that was AMAZING. I love the way you described her. I feel bad for Dekreel... And I'm warming up to Korey.

Which is a great thing, mind you, because I don't trust people in books often.

[Ariella_Newheart]

Ooh, nice!! I'm liking Korey more and more with each installment...

[Nola_Applequill1]

Ooh, nice!! I'm liking Korey more and more with each installment...

Me too!

[Gloria_Oldenpinner]

Please tell me what you think!

Prepare yourself, it's the first time I've done a quote train review...

The Appleclock Saga

The Taming of the Wolf

Oo, what wolf? It sounds like a song or a book. . .

The Appleclock Saga

Nothing could have prepared me for what cowers at the end of the alleyway.

GAAAHSP RING WRAITHS?

The Appleclock Saga

Even from several yards away, I can feel the creature’s emotion as if I were the creature myself. It. . . she. . . is terrified.

Oh, nope. Not a ring wraith.

The Appleclock Saga

A no-sleeved, faded pink top with ripped, grey, knee-length pants. I spot a red, mangled spot on her shoulder – the bullet wound from Azeline.

Somehow, this made me super sad. . . little fuzzies-- I mean Dekreels-- I mean chasm beasties all sad in their hooman clothes and. . . AGH WHY DID THAT HURT SO MUCH.

The Appleclock Saga

“Hullo, you.

-very loud stage whisper - He said 'HULLO' with a UUUUUUUU!!

The Appleclock Saga

A sob escapes my chest as I gaze at her. She steadily gazes back, as if she understands what I understand about her, as if she’s waiting for me to unearth other things buried deep in her mind.

I love this bit, and it sparks a smoke bomb of speculation for me. -disappears in smoke -

The Appleclock Saga

“It’s okay, love, I won’t hurt you. I wouldn’t hurt you, poor thing. Peace, peace. . . Good lady.” Now my hand is grazing her cheek. Her fur is rough and slightly matted.

-comes back out of smoke - EEP'S CAMING A WOOF!!!! -flips scarf off of mouth - HE'S TAMING A WOLF AnD It aLSO kinda sounds like he's talking to a horse but maybe that's just me?

The Appleclock Saga

“By golly, y’ must ‘ave a real way with big dogs, mister!” exclaims the urchin.

HOW DARE YE CALL THE NOBLE DEKREEL A BIG DOG, SAH!!

The Appleclock Saga

“Yes, we’re taking her with us. We can’t just leave her to starve in the Grotto! And she’s filthy!”

-clapity CLAP - Do hear it? IT'S ME, APPLAUDING.

The Appleclock Saga

I lead the creature into our tent and feed her berries and scraps of fish.. She’s still very scared, but she’s warming up to Leina and me better than I expected. All we can do now is be patient with her.

-sniffles a little - That was a great installment. . . -leans back - Now, about that mystery smoke bomb. . . -puts feet on desk -

Korey reminds me. . . -pulls tophat down a little -

Of a certain someone who also says 'Hullo.' . . . -chews on popsicle stick - Where'd ya get a popsicle stick?? O.O Hush up, Tao.

And his name. . .

Is Corin.

[Peregrine_Appleclock]

You know what? I've decided I love quote train reviews. . . wipes tear

[Peregrine_Appleclock]

ARTWORK:

I have found myself doing the commissions in "waves." It's nice because I'm not slogging through them one at the time, but I'm also not overwhelming myself with piles of unfinished sketches.

Anyway, I just finished the wave consisting of Azeline, Toren, Skybie and Milady, and now I'm on a new wave: @Gloria_Oldenpinner, @Ariella_Newheart and @Silverclaw_Bonnetfolly1. I just started Gloria, I'll start on Ariella soon enough, and I still need pictures/instructions from Silverclaw.

The next wave will be Rowena (@Iliara_Mustardtop), @Emily_Purplebottle and @Miss_M2. Then @Christopher_Puddlevest1, @Missy_Vonheart and @Nola_Applequill1.

APPLECLOCK SAGA: I'm a few paragraphs into Installment Seventeen. I'm having a bit of trouble with plotting though.

I'm still excepting votes from this poll! If you haven't already, please tell me whether or not you want to be in the Saga.

https://forums.theaetherlight.com/t/converse-with-peri/3480/231?u=peregrine_appleclock

READING LIST: Not really any different from last time.

[Nola_Applequill1]

I'm still excepting votes from this poll! If you haven't already, please tell me whether or not you want to be in the Saga.

YAS PERI YAS I WANT TO BE IN TAS SO BAAAADDDDDD

[Peregrine_Appleclock]

YOU have already voted, dearie.

[Nola_Applequill1]

YOU have already voted, dearie.

Yes.... But I'm just confirming my vote.

MUAHAHA-coughcough-AHAHA-cough-AAA........