Act 3 Story Notes *spoilers*

Okay, here's the part where I talk a bunch about my inspirations and such like I'm a real-live writer!

This was obviously a difficult chapter for me to write technically, since it's so far removed from my usual style. But when I decided to do a Zecora chapter, I knew I couldn't wuss out. The resulting poem easily doubles, or even triples, the amount of rhyming verse I've written in my lifetime. God, I tried to count the verses and gave up at around fifty...

I hate how long the series laid dormant while I was teaching myself how to do poems. You guy have the patience of saints to sit through my schedule slip without burning me at the stake. All in all, I think I'm satisfied with what I came up with in the end. I managed to squeeze some decently clever stuff in there, and it at least scans (Mostly. In places.).

Random Story Notes

-The title comes from Sweet Sweetback's Badasssss Song, considered by some to be the original blaxploitation flick, or at least the movie that set the tone for the genre. I'd recommend checking it out, but be warned: it contains numerous sex scenes which are rumored to not be simulated, so it's not for the faint of heart.

-Zecora comes from the Second Edition generation of D&D players (aka, 'the edition before they started numbering the editions'), just like myself. A lot of players are very defensive of the particular version of the game they first played, but honestly, aside from the nostalgia value, I don't miss 2nd edition that much (gasp! blasphemy!). I know its still got its fans, but I was really too young to figure out its complexities at the time and 3rd edition smoothed out some stuff I always had trouble with. For example, I do not miss THAC0. Lower numbers do not, CAN not, mean better armor!

-That said, some of the old stuff, like Zecora's hand-painted minis, could stand to have a comeback in the tabletop community. Again, I was too young at the time to participate in that part of the hobby, but a well-painted mini is a thing of beauty to behold.

-I struggled to find a character arc for Zecora to fill beyond setting up the poetry, but in the end decided that the girl deserved to just have a fun, pleasant night. From her point of view, she just had a nice game with friends, no drama to be seen. Also, it meant I wouldn't have to write many lines for her, requiring fewer rhymes. Call me lazy but... okay, I'm just lazy.

-I finally get a chance to mix some NPC's into the story, and what do I do to them? Feed them to giant squid! R.I.P., Douglas O'Shaunessy Fitzblarney Kilpatrick MacFishguy: sailor, ship salesman, reverse merman. He is survived by a swarm of krill.

-I was able to sneak in some references to Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Moby Dick this time around. Remember when I was just making Bad Dudes references? I miss those times.

-Really happy with how the aboleth fight turned out. Such an awesome, but under-used monster. I liked the idea of starting to vary the verse structure to represent its psionic influence clouding the character's minds. Plus I was sick to death of ABAB by then.

-Speaking of the aboleth, acrostics are fun, aren't they?

-Someone in the comments already mentioned this, but Trixiedekaphobia (a play on triskadekaphobia, fear of the number thirteen) technically means a fear of ten Trixies. Which, you have to admit, is a pretty scary idea. And her chapter will indeed be the thirteenth chapter of the story! If you, uh, ignore one.

So that's it for Act 3! Until next time, I leave you with a simple choice. Think carefully, for you hold your VERY LIVES in your hands! NOW CHOOSE: either die horribly in the vacuum of space, OR...

Tell me how good you thought my poem was.