[Spring of 2012 on the strict timeline of ZP-51498. The eight-year-old Shamrock Triad are on the swings at Yonderpine Park. Nicole is having difficulty maintaining the swinging momentum compared to Murphy and Charlotte]
Nicole: “Ugggggh! You guys make it look so easy!”
Charlotte: “Ya gotta swing yer legs, Wyler!” [with the movement of the swing] “Forwaaaaard, baaaaack! Forwaaaaard, back!”
Nicole: [kicks the air fast] “Forward, back, forward, back!”
Charlotte: [plants feet on the ground to stop the swinging, then starts mocking Nicole’s kicking] “Forward, back, forward, back!” [beat; gets up off the swing] “No, no, no, ya silly li’l thing, ya know that ain’t right. I mean like how ‘n’ when the swing moves.” [points to Murphy] “See how Grubie’s doing it?” [Nicole watches Murphy’s legs as she swings]
Nicole: [along with Murphy’s swinging] “Forwaaaaard, baaaaack. forwaaaaard, baaaaack.” [beat] “Ah, I get it now! Charlotte, can you boost me so I can start again?”
Charlotte: [smiles] “Sure.”
[Nicole grips the arms of the swings hard as Charlotte gives her a few pushes. Nicole kicks her legs with the movement of the swing]
Nicole: “Forwaaard, baaack. Forwaaard, back. Forwaaard, back.” [continues as Charlotte steps back] “Forwaaard, back. Forwaaard, back.”
Charlotte: “Now ya’ve got it. Keep goin’ there, Wyler!”
[Charlotte takes her seat back on the swing and starts herself back up. Nicole, maintaining her momentum, feels proud of herself]
Nicole: “Wheeeee! Haha! Now I’m having fun!” [pause. Nicole looks out with determination as she continues swinging] “Forwaaard, baaack! Forwaaard, baaack! Forwa –” [sees Charlotte and Murphy fall off the swings, launched as if pushed off]
Murphy: “Oof!”
Charlotte: “Ow!”
Nicole: “Huh?” [lands into someone’s fist, and falls off the swing herself] “AGH!” [looks behind her, and sees three cervine teenagers behind her and her friends] “Hey! No fair!”
Murphy: “Yeah, we were using these!”
Charlotte: “You can’t do that!”
[cervine teenager #1]: “Yeah, well, we just did, you little brats.”
[cervine teenager #2]: “Yeah, it’s our turn now. Now back off unless you wanna be in a world of hurt.”
Charlotte: “‘scuse me, but who do y’all think ya are?!”
[cervine teenager #3]: “Older than you, and therefore better than you. Oh wait a minute, I don’t think that. I know that! Now back off!”
Nicole: [stands up] “You know, you’re a bunch of meanies! Give us the swings back!”
[cervine teenager #3]: “What’d you say, rodent? You want your swing back?”
Nicole: “Yeah! Now give it!”
[the cervines all look at each other, with devious smiles on their faces. They nod, before facing Nicole again]
[cervine teenager #2]: [feigning sincerity as they step back and grabs the seat] “Okay, sure, little girl. You’re right. We’re sorry. That wasn’t fair of us. You can have it back.”
Nicole: [beaming] “Really?”
[cervine teenager #2]: “Yeah! Here!” [launches the seat into Nicole’s face, sending her falling to the ground]
Nicole: “OW! OWWWWW!”
[Nicole starts sobbing. She tries to get up, only for cervine #1 to punch her in the back of the head, and they and cervine #3 to stomp on her as she screams. Murphy runs to hide in the playground and Charlotte runs uphill as the stomping occurs. Cervine #2 steps up]
[cervine teenager #2]: “Guys, guys, back off the girl.” [pause. Nicole whimpers as she looks up at the trio] “You know we have antlers now.” [takes out a rag and sharpens their points with it. Nicole tries to scream, only for cervine #1 to cover her mouth] “You! Stand her up. I want to see her fall. And then try to get up. It’s gonna be fun.” [to cervine #3, still sharpening their points] “You recording?”
[cervine teenager #3]: “Am now.”
[Cervine #3 opens the camera app on their phone, and cervine #1 stands Nicole up. Cervine #2 finishes sharpening their points, and puts the rag away. Nicole whimpers again]
[cervine teenager #2]: “RAAAAAAAAAAH!”
[cervine #2 charges toward Nicole, who runs from them. Just as they are about to strike her, Charlotte comes rolling down the hill, and crashes into the cervine, sending them to the ground. She pins them to the ground with her knee on their stomach, and strangles her]
Charlotte: “You and yer goons leave my friend alone right now!”
[cervine teenager #2]: [gasping for air] “Or what? What… are you gonna… do about it? Tell my… parents?”
Charlotte: “No.” [looks off] “Tell her sister.”
[cervine teenager #2]: [coughs, attempting to laugh] “Her sister?”
Charlotte: “Yeah! And I don’t mean a first time, either.”
[cervine teenager #2]: “What? But this is just the…” [Wendy appears in her sight, her hand slathered in honey] “Huh? This is… her sister? This… five-year-old?”
Wendy: “I’m seven. And you’ve hit the unluckiest jackpot ever.” [holds out her honey-covered hand as Charlotte removes her hand from the cervine’s neck]
[cervine teenager #2]: “What? What, is… is that honey?” [Wendy starts wiping the honey on their face] “Why are you wiping honey on me, weirdo?!”
Wendy: “Oh, you’ll find out. In about ten, nine, eight…” [finishes wiping the honey, then looks off to the distance] “Seven, six…” [to Charlotte and Nicole as she points to the playground] “Run! Over there! Now!”
[Charlotte and Nicole run to the playground just as commanded. Wendy dashes over to slap the other two cervines in the face with her honey-covered hand, before running off herself. As the Wyler sisters and Charlotte retreat into the shadow of the playground, the cervines hear faint buzzing. The buzzing sounds exponentially louder as a dark cloud of swarming bees grow closer and closer to them]
[cervine teenager #3]: “Uh oh.”
[the cervines run away, screaming as the bees chase after and sting them. Wendy, Charlotte and Murphy laugh as they watch the cervines run]
Murphy: “And stay out!”
[Wendy looks back at Nicole, who is bloodied, bruised and crying from the attack, as she sits on the ground. Wendy’s smile fades as she goes over to hug her big sister. Nicole returns the hug and sobs, as Charlotte and Murphy also go over to hug her]
[Five years later, which would be present day, or spring of 2017 on the strict timeline. It’s passing time at Milt Kahl Junior High, and the Shamrock Triad]
Murphy: “So, uh, you guys met the new girl yet?”
Nicole: “New girl?”
Charlotte: “Oh yeah, Ruby! Ruby… last-name-with-lotsa-vowels. Heheh. Haven’t had class with ‘er yet, what’s she like?”
Murphy: “Well, I can tell she really — her last name’s Eliopoulos, by the way. She really likes books. And writes in her notebook as she reads. She calls what she writes… I think she called them ‘annotations’?”
Charlotte: “Oh, annotated books! Interestin’! I’ve got an annotated copy o’ Red Badge of Courage back home, I wonder if she’d be interested in it.”
Murphy: “And she likes junk food like me, so… I can tell she’s gonna be fun.”
Nicole: “Wait, hold on, there’s a new girl? Since when?”
[beat]
Murphy: “Uh, since today, Nicole. Don’t you remember?”
Nicole: “You knew there was gonna be a new kid?”
Murphy: “Well, yeah, everybody did. We got the announcement like two weeks ago.”
Charlotte: “Ya musta tuned out when the teachers were talkin’. Ya’ve gotta work on yer listenin’, Nicky.”
Nicole: “Well, whoever this Ruby Elephant Paris is, I hope she’s as cool as you’re making her out to be, Murphy.”
Murphy: “Eliopoulos.”
Nicole: “Right. That.”
[the Triad make it to their Eaglish classroom; Holt and Murray are already there, sitting in the row second from front. Holt is in the left of Nicole’s view and Murray in the right, with a single desk separating the two]
Nicole: “Hello, Klugie! Hello, Rosie! Lovely day we’re having, is it not?”
Holt: “Uh…” [looks outside] “It’s sunny, you know I like it cloudy, but yeah, sure. Lovely enough.”
Murray: “I like it sunny. But to each their own.”
Nicole: “Have either of you met that Ruby girl yet?”
[Holt and Murray look at each other]
Holt: “Uh, we’ve… we haven’t like, met her, met her, but she’s in our math class.”
Murray: “She’s quiet, from what little I’ve been around her. Seems nice, though.”
Nicole: “Huh. Well, if what Murphy tells me about her is true, about her writing about the books she reads, she’d do well in an Eaglish class such as this one.” [beat, as she watches Murphy and Charlotte take their seats] “Anyways, time to just, take my seat between the two of you.” [winks as she ruffles Murray’s and Holt’s hair] “Best seat in the class!” [pulls the chair of the desk out, only to be stopped by the ursine teacher of the class, Mr. Griff]
Mr. Griff: “Wait, wait, wait, hold on, Nicole!”
Nicole: [startled] “Whoa! Um… hello, Mr. Griff. What’s this about?”
Mr. Griff: “Well, Nicole, as you may have heard, we have a new student in our class today, her name is Ruby, uh…” [reads paper] “El-ee-ah-poh-lus. Eliopoulos.”
Nicole: “Yeah, I know. What about her?”
Mr. Griff: “I had to do some re-arranging of the seats to make way for her, and, well, I’ve decided, starting today, she’s gonna be sitting at this seat from now on.”
Nicole: [pause, scowls] “What?! Why my seat?! Find somebody else!”
Mr. Griff: “Your friends sitting next to you is too much of a risk for distraction.” [points off to the back row] “I’ve cleared out the back seat next to the window for you to sit. You’ll see soon that this is best for you.”
[Nicole rolls her eyes and walks over to her new seat. As she takes her seat, Ruby arrives at the room. She’s an obese cervine doe, with thick glasses, waist-length hair, and buckteeth, and is carrying a few notebooks and a copy of Sense and Sensibility as she walks in. Nicole moves backward in her seat, visibly afraid]
Murphy: “Hi, Ruby!”
Ruby: [notices Murphy] “Hello, Murphy! Long time no shee!” [notices Mr. Griff] “And I’m guesshing you’re Mishter Griff?”
Mr. Griff: “That I am. Nice to meet you, Ruby.”
Ruby: “Nishe to meet you, too! Where would you like me to sh… take my sheat?”
[Nicole glares as Mr. Griff leads Ruby to the sciurine’s former seat. As Ruby takes the seat, Nicole remembers the playground attack from five years before, and cowers, placing her head on her desk with her arms pressed on top. After a few seconds, her eyes move toward the window. She sees the top of an egg sac peeking out from the bottom of the view. Nicole waits to make sure no one is looking, and then opens the window a crack as she smiles deviously]
[A few minutes later, everyone has arrived, and Mr. Griff begins class]
Mr. Griff: “Afternoon, class. Before we begin, I’m sure you’ve noticed, we have a new student joining us today. Ruby, would you like to introduce yourself to the class?”
Ruby: “Sure!”
[Ruby gets up in the front of the class. While the rest of the class seems legitimately interested, Nicole just glares and sticks her tongue out at her]
Ruby: “Sho, um, hello. My name ish Ruby Eliopoulosh, yesh, that ish a Greek name. That should tell you all where I’m from. Acshually, no, jusht my ansheshtors. I’m from Deer Isle, Maine. It’sh a town in Hancock county, about forty-five minutesh from Elkshworth and’sh got a great view of the Atlantic Ocean.”
Nicole: “You were asked introduce yourself, kid. Not give a lesson on geography. Now introduce yourself.”
Ruby: [pause as she scowls] “Anywaysh, my parentsh are both writersh, my mom’sh a columnisht and my dad’sh a novelisht. And that’sh of courshe influenshed my upbringing.” [beat] “I love reading.”
Nicole: [mocking Ruby’s lisp] “And yet you don’t know how to shhhhhay the wordshhhhh you read properly.” [beat] “Shhhhh.”
Ruby: [another, longer pause. She doesn’t scowl so much as look uncomfortable] “I love reading. I read almosht anything, newer or classhic, but I find the classhicsh more fun to read and reshearch. You shee, I like to make my own annotationsh, or notesh for thoshe that aren’t familiar with that word.”
Nicole: “I don’t know what ‘noteshhhhh‘ or a ‘annotationshhhhh‘ are.”
Ruby: [annoyed and uncomfortable] “Ugggh.” [continues] “Annotationsh are bashically thingsh that deshcribe a book in detail, whether for hishtorical contecsht, geographical contechst, to define a word that’sh either changed itsh meaning or ishn’t ushed anymore, or whatever. I like to do that with the booksh I read. Currently, I’m doing that with thish book.” [holds up copy of Sense and Sensibility] “Shenshe and Shenshibility by Jane Aushten.”
Nicole: “Shhhhhenshhhhhe and Shhhhhenshhhhhibility by Jane Aushhhhhten!”
Ruby: “Alright, never mind!” [puts book back on desk, irritated] “Lemme jusht talk about shome other thingsh I like.” [pauses and grips forehead, before speaking again] “Anywaysh, the inesh of Maine like anything that involvesh shkating. Figure shkating, hockey, there wash a roller rink in Shtoatington I liked to go to, and a pond in the woodsh near my home.”
Nicole: “Have you ever fallen into the pond while skating? ’cause I wanna know what’s the best way to preserve venison!”
[Ruby is now the color she’s named after in the face with rage. She shakes as she makes a fist with both hands, before relaxing and hanging her head. The rest of the class glares at Nicole, mostly looking angry, but Murphy, Charlotte, Holt, and Murray look shocked]
Ruby: “I’m shorry, Mr. Griff, but I don’t feel comfortable with thish. You jusht… jusht begin classh now.”
[Ruby sadly walks back to her seat and sighs, as Nicole waits for her to turn her back toward her as she sits down. Once she does, she opens the window, grabs the egg sac off the wall, and throws it as a fastball at the back of the cervine’s head. It tears open, and dozens of baby spiders crawl out, walking on Ruby, her seat, and her desk. The class gasps as they watch the scene unfold]
Ruby: [shakes as her mouth hangs open, before letting out a shrill scream] “AAAAAAAAAAGGGGGHHHHH!” [to Nicole] “I HATE YOUUUUU!”
[Ruby runs out of the classroom wailing. The class glares at Nicole once again. Once again, most of the classmates are visibly angry at her, while her friends are more shocked]
Holt: “Why would you do that?”
[Nicole tries to think of a response, before slouching sadly in her chair]
[later, in the office of the castoridine assistant principal. Nicole is being reprimanded for her behavior as she hangs her head and cries]
[castoridine assistant principal]: “I was told by your Eaglish teacher Mr. Griff and your classmate Ruby Eliopoulos, of your behavior in the former’s class toward the latter. To say I am disgusted would be quite an understatement. There your new classmate was, after a difficult point in her life, trying to be friendly towards you and your peers. And your response is to attack her, both verbally and physically, including a particularly egregious threat, to…” [pause] “…eat her.”
Nicole: “I was, uh… I was trying to assert myself in a funny way.”
[castoridine assistant principal]: “Oh, that’s your idea of funny, is it? Well, your idea of funny, had her hiding in the bathroom for the rest of the period, and into passing period. She had to be coaxed out, because you made her that afraid to return to class. And I can assure you it is not funny to anyone else. It is rotten behavior, which I would expect from a criminal.”
Nicole: “I’m sorry.”
[castoridine assistant principal]: “You will be in detention until five o’clock tonight, and for the rest of the week as well. And if I hear of a single other instance regarding you bullying Ruby or any other student, or you treat your punishment as a joke, you will be answering to Principal Snow.”
Nicole: “Yes, sir.”
[castoridine assistant principal]: “Good. Now leave my office. And don’t make things worse for yourself.”
[Nicole does as told]
[later that evening, after Nicole gets out of detention. Dolly and Greg’s car is already up at the sidewalk to pick Nicole up. Nicole gets in to take her seat next to Wendy. Everyone is angry about what they heard she’s done. Nicole doesn’t even look at anyone’s faces; she can just tell from the atmosphere]
Nicole: “Hi, guys.”
Gregory: “Don’t ‘hi guys’ us, you’re in a lot of trouble.”
[Nicole hangs her head in shame, as she anticipates the words from her sisters]
Wendy: “Nicole, I understand that the playground incident was traumatizing for you, but that’s no excuse for what you did to that girl Ruby!”
Nicole: “Yes, Wend — no, Wendy. I know it isn’t. I just got angry and scared and –” [wipes away tears] “…lashed out.” [beat] “I’m gonna get punished for this, aren’t I? More than I’ve already been at school.”
[Greg starts driving as Dolly speaks sternly to Nicole]
Dolly: “No, Nicole. Not this time. Given this is your first, and better-be-only time you’ve bullied someone, we’ve decided to let you off without any consequences at home.” [Nicole is not comforted; she knows this is coming with a condition] “If, and only if, you give Ruby an apology for how you treated her. And you will be giving your apology face-to-face, you will give it to her in front of her parents, and you will be sincere about it. That means not just saying ‘sorry’ and being done with it, or trying to pin any kind of blame on her. We’re driving over to her place right now so you can give your apology. I suggest you use this car time to think of what to say to her.”
Nicole: “Yes, Dolly.”
[at the Eliopoulos household. The Wylers plus Greg exit the car, as the Eliopouloses come out of their house. Wendy grips Nicole’s tail as they walk together, making sure she won’t try to run off]
Mr. Eliopoulos: “Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Wyler.”
Gregory: “Voronov. We’re the Voronovs, the older sister and brother-in-law of the girl who attacked your daughter.”
Dolly: “I’m Mrs. Wyler-Voronov, but yes, what he said. Voronovs.”
Mrs. Eliopoulos: “Which one is Nicole, the black-haired one or the blonde one?”
Wendy: “The blonde one.” [lets go of Nicole’s tail and pushes her forward] “She has something she’d like to say.”
[Nicole slowly walks forward, her head hung in shame. She pauses for a moment, before finally speaking. She looks them in the eyes]
Nicole: “I’m sorry I hurt your daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Eliopoulos. I have no good reason for having acted the way that I did towards her.”
Mr. Eliopoulos: “Why did you think it was okay to behave that way towards poor Ruby?”
Nicole: [pause, gulps] “I’ve been afraid of deer and cervines as… as long as I can remember. I honestly thought Ruby was out to attack me.”
Mrs. Eliopoulos: “When you hadn’t even gotten to know her yet?”
Ruby: “You thought I wash going to attack you?!”
Nicole: “I thought that’s just what deer do. Block off roads, cause damage to cars. Cut and impale others with their antlers, shed their antlers so others can trip and cut themselves on them. Attack… elementary-school-aged kids to the point where they’re bloodied and bruised.” [beat] “But I guess you guys don’t do those things.”
Mrs. Eliopoulos: “No. We don’t, Nicole. And it’s disgusting you had that idea.”
Mr. Eliopoulos: “You oughta be ashamed. Especially to think that Ruby could be capable of bullying.”
Nicole: “But surely other ines were scared of her back where you came from, or at least intimidated?”
Ruby: “No, Nicole.” [Nicole looks at her] “Jusht the opposhite, acshually. I wash bullied by jusht about everybody. I mean, you really think shomeone with glasshesh and a lishp and’sh alwaysh reading booksh, wash the popular kid? Let alone shomebody other kidsh were afraid of?”
Nicole: “Yeah, that does sound wrong now that you say that. I mean, all that looks nerdy about me is my braces and I have bullies. For a different reason, but I still have them.”
Ruby: “Have you ever been bullied sho bad that you got afraid to go to shcool, and ended up with loushy report cardsh that made you look lessh shmart than you were?”
Nicole: [pause] “No, but I’ve been bullied so bad that I thought cervines were all a bunch of aggressive bullies. Which… now after being around you and… actually taking the time to talk to you, I can see that I was wrong.” [beat. She starts crying] “You… you seem like a really nice girl, Ruby. I’m so sorry. I really am sorry about the way I treated you. And that I… perceived you as some kind of bully just because of what…” [sniffs] “…what you are. You seem like someone I’d like to have as a friend, but… but if I hurt you too much, then I understand if you never want to talk to me again.” [falls to the ground, face buried in her hands as she sobs] “I’m sorry.”
[The Eliopouloses watch Nicole sob as Wendy and Dolly walk up]
Dolly: “She’s learned her lesson, Mr. and Mrs. Eliopoulos. Trust me.”
Mr. Eliopoulos: “Are you sure? You know how kids like to lie.”
Wendy: “We’re very sure. When she breaks down like this, you can be certain it’s gotten through to her.” [leads Nicole away] “Have a good night. Sorry your family had to put up with this.”
Gregory: “They didn’t. But it won’t be happening again.”
[The Wylers plus Greg go back in the car. Once the Wylers are all in, the Eliopouloses walk away]
[the next day, in the cafeteria of MKJH. Nicole takes her seat next to Holt and Murray, with Charlotte and Murphy sitting across from them. The latter two look stern, while the former two look uneasy]
Nicole: “Um… afternoon.”
Charlotte: “That was a horrific thing ya did yesterday, Nicole. I thought a bullyin’ victim such as yerself wouldn’t stoop so low, but I guess I was wrong.”
Nicole: “You and Grubie were attacked by the same cervines I was!”
Murphy: “Yeah, but we didn’t go and bully our cervine classmate, now, did we?”
Charlotte: “Ya may have yer sisters’ fergiveness and the Eliopoulos’ fergiveness, but I ain’t gonna fall fer any hearsay. I wanna see fer myself, ya treatin’ Ruby with respect. Which is why she’s sitting with us today. Don’t let me down.”
Nicole: [beat] “Okay.”
[at the next table over, Murray’s sister Kate notices the Baseball Pentad, and grins deviously before confronting Nicole]
Kate: “Well, well! If it isn’t the tricycle!” [slaps the back of Murray’s and Holt’s heads] “With the two stumpy wheels…” [punches Nicole’s head down] “…and the big ugly one, that’s useless without the other two!”
[Kate laughs as the Pentad scowl]
Murray: “Knock it off, Kate.”
Kate: “You’re the one dating Squirrel Woods, squirt.”
Holt: “Nicole’s relationships with us are something she made us aware of beforehand and that we’re okay with. Our V-shaped polycule is not even remotely the same thing as Tiger Woods’ sun-shaped infidelity.”
Nicole: “Yeah, what he said! And besides, you know what they say! Flatlines mean death, mountains mean life!”
Kate: “One, nobody says that. And B…”
Charlotte: [mouthing the words] <One and B?>
Kate: “…your… whatever the thing you’ve got with my brother and fatty here…” [Holt holds his belly in embarrassment. Murphy also holds hers, looking sad] “…is more like a pothole. An ugly, bumpy thing in the road that ruins everyone’s day. Be like everyone else, and choose one or the other, so you can be a flat road, that doesn’t need any maintenance.”
[Nicole slowly stands up to face Kate, making a fist with both hands. Her friends are worried about what she’s about to do]
Charlotte: “Fer gourdsake, Nicky! Don’t do it!”
Murphy: “You’re gonna get in even more trouble!”
Nicole: “Ugly bumpy thing that ruins your day?” [raises fist and growls] “I’ll show you an ugly bumpy thing, that’s gonna ruin your day!“
[a book is thrown from behind Nicole, which hits Kate in the head, knocking her out cold. The Pentad are all surprised, but relieved]
Holt: “Good riddance.”
[Nicole kicks Kate aside and picks up the book. She looks at the cover; it’s Sense and Sensibility. Nicole recognizes this exact copy immediately. She looks back, and sees Ruby, waving to her and smiling. Nicole smiles back, and goes up to Ruby to hand the book back to her]
Nicole: “Thanks, Ruby.” [ruffles Ruby’s head] “Hey, I’m sure you know Charlotte wants you to sit with us. Do… do you want to sit next to me?”
[looks to Murray and gestures to him to move over a seat. Ruby speaks as he does so]
Ruby: “You… you’re letting me take my sheat next to you? Um… well, thanksh, Nicole, I’d be glad to.”
Nicole: “And show us all those things you write, too. Notaries or whatev — I forgot what you call them.”
Ruby: “Annotationsh. Notariesh are inesh who witnessh the shiningsh of legal documentsh.”
Nicole: “Oh. Well then. You can show us your… annotations. After you’re done eating lunch.”
Ruby: “No need, I’m good. I ate four bagsh of sour cream and onion potato chipsh earlier.”
[Nicole and Ruby take their seat at the table with the rest of the Pentad. Ruby takes the seat that Murray had been sitting in]
Charlotte: “Huh.”
Nicole: “So, Ruby, how would you like to share with everyone your annotations? On Sense and Sensibility, or something else if you’re sensitive about showing unfinished work?”
Ruby: “Acshually, shinshe it’sh what I have in my backpack, I’ll show you what I’ve got on Senshe chapter one, volume one. And there’sh your firsht bit of trivia about thish book right there, it wash, on itsh original releashe in nineteen-ele — whoop! Eighteen! 1811, itsh releashe in 1811, released in three volumesh, the first volume twenty-two chaptersh, and the second and third fourteen chaptersh.”
Murray: “Volumes? Like a graphic novel or a manga?”
Ruby: “Yesh, perameline I… shtill don’t know the name of. Ecshactly like that.”
Murray: “Murray. My name’s Murray. Murray Rose.” [looks over at Kate, who is still knocked out on the floor] “And the girl you knocked out is my bitch of a sister Kate.”
[the rest of the Pentad, plus Ruby, also looks at Kate. She lets out a barely audible groan]
Holt: “Think we should check on her?”
Kate: [groaning, once again, barely audibly. The Pentad and Ruby can see her mouth saying…] “I hate you, Wyler.”
Pentad, Ruby: [beat] “Nah.”
On my way home from work on April 21, 2023, I got into another car accident. This time, from hitting a deer. I wasn’t physically injured this time, nor was the car totaled. But the car’s front bumper was damaged, and I was quite a bit shaken mentally. I had no time to react to the deer; they leapt out of the darkness when the car I was driving was only like twenty feet away. As soon as I saw the deer, I knew I was going to hit them.
I didn’t see the deer after I hit them, however, I did hear, from the woods, what sounded like footsteps. Whether it was the deer limping, or twitching while dying, I don’t know. My folks decided to say that the deer survived, but I think that they died shortly after. Poor deer. They don’t have the capacity to understand how dangerous the road is. Or that their presence on the road is a hazard to drivers. They probably just think it’s some mysterious stretch of rocks in the woods where the trees part.
My run-in with that deer inspired the artwork you see above, and the ficlet that goes with it. I don’t think I had any cervine characters before this; there was the one time I drew AgentC-24‘s Candy as a cervine back in 2018, and Bob from Sunset Riders is depicted as a cervine in the graphic novel. But Ruby Eliopoulos is my first cervine character that comes to mind, that is actually my character. I think the ficlet is all the introduction you need. Is the Baseball Pentad now a hexad? No, Ruby doesn’t play baseball. But I think it is a good idea to give Nicole a new… friend, outside the Pentad. Much like April has Jazz, and Wendy has Randi, Margo has Auggie, and Gilda has… nobody, the Tetrad’s all she has. If anything, Ruby’d be the cheerleader, helping rally support for the Junior Shamrocks and Junior Canaries. And Shamrocks and Canaries once the Pentad get to high school.
Production note, I did update Nicole’s hair color during the writing of this ficlet. I had been using the color that appears as Θ113-3 on the mammoth color palette collection, from this point on, I’ll be using Λ62-3. It’s a more natural-looking color for blonde hair; that slight shift towards red goes a long way. It’s not present in this artwork, but it is on the artwork that I uploaded to Twitter at the same time this ficlet and artwork is being posted here.
And that’ll be all for this time. I know the ficlet’s longer than usual, but I wanted to write something that has a proper beginning, middle, and end this time, instead of just being a vignette. I hope it pays off with my readers. And if it does well… don’t know what ‘well’ is though given not many people come to this blog, I’ll write more proper story-style ficlets. Whatever ‘well’ looks like for this blog, though, I hope it reaches it. And until next time, take care, stay safe, support an Asimovian amendment for AI, support all the animated films you can that come out next month, and have a good one.
Twitter (Main): https://twitter.com/StormyAdlerPoG
Twitter (Art): https://twitter.com/TheOfficialOTOG
Instagram: www.instagram.com/phoenix_of_g…
Newgrounds: https://phoenixofgrunvale.newgrounds.com/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXj2NzDa8kzZ5mcliw4vT_w
Discord: Contact me by my tag (Stormy Adler, P.o.G.#1752) for an invite to my server.
Grunvale/OTOG is owned by me. You’re free to draw fanart of it, as long as you credit me as the creator of the series.
This artwork was made at a resolution of 5076×2160 (aspect ratio 2.35:1).
The Gallery of Stormy Adler 