#dedicated to raven@thewritingdesk for finally finishing this 4 year saga!

[thedriftingjellyfish]

A loveletter to @raven-at-the-writing-desk and the Tale of the Cursed Raven...

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The Tale of the Cursed Raven is... a story, no. It is a journey of discovering one's self and finding what makes one human, focusing on the internal conflicts and revelations that come with confronting fate, desires, and the complexity of what being "alive" truly means to yourself.

Miss Raven, our most unfortunate storyteller, trapped within a curse not of her own making, caged into a role to forever be an onlooker to the story. Never able to chart her own path, going only forward on a predetermined road, yet always longing for the day when she can say the three cursed words, the eight cursed letters.

After all, a storyteller's existence is to look, to observe with a quiet ache, bearing witness to all that their characters bring, weaving them into stories that will endure through time — but never can they be involved or be apart of the fantasies they create.

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"To be a storyteller is to shoulder the solemn duty of igniting countless beginnings, yet find oneself the final chapter to none."

That is what many would believe to be the role of a storyteller — yet, this tale challenges this belief. Hell, It even tries to go against it.

Because despite her efforts to change the tragic fate that awaits her, she finds herself constantly hindered by the forces beyond her control...

From the moment she's confronted with the curse that has taken away any chance of happiness from her, she is consumed with indignation.

How could anyone simply accept such an ending that does not allow oneself to be happy?

Why do the forces of this world insist that she is destined to fade away? To dissolve into nothingness, leaving behind nothing but a final message and a fading memory?

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In the beginning of her story, Raven seems to be painfully resigned to the idea that her life will always end in a tragedy, with no happily ever after in sight. The curse is always there, lurking in the background; it is what influences most of her actions. But as much as she has come to terms with the futility of her situation, a part of her still cannot bring herself to surrender fully. That part of her always questions herself, always asking the "what ifs?".

Even though the story seemed to always "correct" itself, the fact that there even was an opportunity to stray from the path meant to that little part of her, that... the story was never truly set in stone.

That this curse, however powerful it may be, was not an invincible force, fate could be changed.

There was still room for defiance.

To make a difference choice, a rebellion of sorts.

A kind that only the sheer determination of the human spirit could evoke. This curse will not define all that she is.

She will make sure of it.

"This story is mine and mine alone." /

"If I cannot be free, then at least I can dream of it until the very end. This is my act of defiance..."/

"(the) Proof of my existence."

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"I will complete this story."

"I will write my own happy ending."

It is this determination that pushes her forward, her belief, as one would put it. With each step she takes stroke of her quill, what once seemed like an inescapable void that signalled her end seemed more like a beginning. That hidden path once engulfed in darkness, now glimmered with the faintest trace of light — one with endless possibilities, now hers to explore; And even after she steps off this path onto another, the story goes on, for in every ending, there lies the potential for a new beginning. It is a cycle that repeats, as long as this tale lives on in those who dare to dream, to defy, and to hope.

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There are 3 things that I know.

To be human is to live with the weight of despair.

To be human is to face the fear of failure;

But also,

To be human is to hope for the possibility of a better future.

They define our resilience and our ability to continue moving forward, even through impossible odds. They are simply part of what makes us human. We all have the capacity to dream, to hope for a better tomorrow, and to persist through the horrors of it all.

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To Miss Raven, you have been a role model to many, having gone through many trials and tribulations, coming out a changed bird. You've ended the story the way you've always wanted.

So set forth! On a path towards that endless blue sky that's filled with endless posibilities with everyone! May the radiance of hope illuminate your path ever brighter.

And with that, to you I give my congratulations, wishing you and Jade the very best in this new chapter of your story!