Wyvern

Ladies and gentleman, It's time to officially announce the contest for "Poetic Justice"! Submit an entry into this contest and you'll have the chance of winning a free custom made conceptual compilation CD (I like the ring to that ;p). The contest is as follows: ------------------------------------------------ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines "poetic justice" as "an outcome in which virtue is rewarded and vice punished, often in an especially appropriate or ironic manner." As the title of my new compilation CD suggests, poetic justice is one of the central themes of the CD and plays a major roll in its messages... The task I ask of you, the contestants, is to write any piece of writing about (or in some way incorporating) the concept of poetic justice. The piece of writing can be a story, a poem, or anything else that inspires you, just so long as it incorporates the topic. Note that poetic justice does not have to be an outcome in which both virtue AND vice are rewarded accordingly, but can also be about either if you want. Entries will be judged on the basis of effort, creativity, and quality writing. ---------------------------------------------------- While there's no determined end date for the contest as of yet, it will be announced shortly. It'll most probably last a month. The number of CDs to be won is also yet-to-be-determined, but wil be announced in the near future. I'm putting up another thread in the Cabaret Room where people can submit their entries when they've finished them, called "Poetic Justice - Contest Entries". As you currently have a month to do them, there's no big rush to get them completed... but definitely be considering them as the days pass by. Anyone can participate in the "Poetic Justice" contest, it is not limited to people who have posted in this thread or even to members of the Pen. Feel free to add any questions or comments you have about the contest or the compilation itself in this thread. The "Poetic Justice - Contest Entries" thread should only contain entries submitted to the contest, all other things about "Poetic Justice" should be posted in this thread. Good luck! ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze.

First of all, thanks to all of those who have noticed this project and have posted in this thread or questioned me about the CD over chat. Your interest is greatly appreciated, and makes the effort put into this thing all worthwhile... A brief update: "Poetic Justice" will unfortunatly not be mixed and mastered, due to lack of the appropriate "EZ CD Creator" technology. This doesn't greatly affect the CD, however, and the final package should still be quite a professional piece of music. For those of you with questions about what the contest will be and where it will be posted, please be patient. The contest subject and details will be officially announced next week. That's all for now... Wyvern out! ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze.

Poets, creative writers, members and visitors of the Mighty Pen, It is my pleasure to announce to you my latest Pen project, one that has secretly been in the works for a little less than a year now and one that I've been teasing a number of you about over chat recently. As the project is rapidly approaching it's completion (with only a bit of cover art remaining before everything is printed out) I feel it's time that "Poetic Justice" was finally announced officialy... To start things off: "Poetic Justice" is a compilation CD. I'm certain that many of you will cringe at the lack of originality in this, since I already used this idea on the community of the Archmage Universal Bulletin Boards where I previously hosted a successful contest for the compilation CD known as "The Chronicles of Terra". However, while "Poetic Justice" is another collection of the music genre that so many of you at the Pen have grown to love to hate me for, I can assure you that it is far from a sequel to "The Chronicles of Terra". Admittedly, when I started compiling "Poetic Justice" around a year ago (shortly after I had finished "The Chronicles of Terra"), my original intention had been a CD of music that personified members of the Pen, which would have been compiled in a method identical to that of "The Chronicles of Terra". However, I'm not a big fan of repeating the same idea twice (though you'd never tell from my writing ;p), so eventually I abandoned the previous plan and the CD developed in rather unexpected manners over time. What I was left with in the end was a conceptual compilation... One which is not specifically dedicated to the Mighty Pen, yet which I feel the literary community of the Pen would be most able to appreciate... So, what's the concept of "Poetic Justice"? To quote the CD's liner notes (which I've written out and am including in the final package): "This compilation of various artists depicts the well deserved punishment of Western civilization, brought about by the rapid deterioration and ultimate corruption of American society." This concept is depicted over the course of 12 tracks, in which a range of diverse topics are covered and executed, each in their own creative manners. Clocking in at around 52 minutes and with 6 less tracks than "The Chronicles of Terra", "Poetic Justice" delivers 10 times as powerfull a message. A focus has been placed on originality, lyricism, and creativity for each track. No artists are repeated over the course of the album, and each track is represented by a single M.C. The order and choice of tracks provides a certain sense of interconnectivity, and the sharing of certain underlying themes. Interested yet? Did I mention that it's going to have cover artwork by the highly talented Yui Temae? How about the interior design and very professional feel to the CD casing? There is also a possibility that the CD might be mixed and mastered by none other than yours truly, though I can confirm nothing on that front as of yet. "Poetic Justice" will be manufactured by me, right here at Almost Dragonic studios, and will be distributed and given away exactly like my last CD. That is: for free, to the winners of whatever the contest may be... Stay tuned for the announcment of a contest as well as other details as they develope... Thank you for reading. ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze.

My dear applicants and guests new and unfamiliar with the Pen, A few things to note about the process of applying to the Pen is Mightier then the Sword and membership: 1) Membership is not needed to participate in the creative writing on the public boards of the guild. Please feel free to write and express yourselves in these writing forums whether you are a member or a visitor. It's also a great way to pass the time away while waiting for your membership application to be processed... (which can occasionaly take a while ;p) 2) If you're thinking of truly joining the society of the Pen, however, you'll want to apply for membership. As a member of the Pen, you'll recieve priority feedback from the membership and gain recognition as a writer of the society. In addition, you'll also be able to participate in the advancement of the guild by gaining access to the member boards, where guild suggestions and concerns are addressed. We highly recommend you to join. 3) Applying to the Pen is a simple process. All you have to do is simply post an 'application' in this 'office', which consists of creating a new thread, and using the first post for your Application. This application can be any piece of creative writing that demonstrates how well you write... a story, a poem, or a piece of roleplaying being only a few examples. This piece must be an original work posted specifically with the intention of joining the Pen, and cannot be a previously written or previously archived work. Having posted it, the Elder of Initiates (a.k.a me) will look over it and decide whether or not the writing is up to that of the membership, and will accept or reject the application. Please be patient with the Elder of Initiates' responses, as at times he goes off on money making schemes and can't respond to applications immediatly. 4) Applicants may want to refer to the FAQ of the Pen to get a better sense of how the ranking and structure of the guild works. 5) Even if you aren't applying to the Pen, please feel free to read the applications and responses of the Office, as many are interesting stories in their own right. You may even want to participate or comment in some of them... I hope this clears any confusion, and look forward to seeing more applicants to the Pen. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to post them in this thread or e-mail me at elitwack90@hotmail.com. Thank you. Melba swipes at the dust over the notice with a large ostrich-feather duster, which was slightly less ostentatious than the floral print on her blouse. She took a pencil from behind her ear and amended the notice with purposeful block lettering: And if you want to have a little coffee-talk with the Pen people, Please feel welcome to log onto IRC - server Galaxynet - channel #thepen - and bring a housewarming present. She whisks more dust off of Wvyern's various piggybanks and piles of plots, tut-tutting at the disarray.

Excellently written description, Zadown. I always greatly admire your uses of imagery, such as the metaphor of the air being like "molten steel burning with terrible freezing flame, every gust of wind sharpening it into streams of knives." The depiction of the moon as a "white semi-circle hanging alone in the inky black background...", looking "unnaturally sharp, like a hole in the sky" struck me as an excellent use of imagery as well. I greatly enjoyed this piece. ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 1/12/03 9:04:37 pm

A very entertaining and well written vignette, Tzim... one that had me snickering and grinning from ear to ear. Paints a vivid scene that is naughty without being overtly explicit, and has us sympathizing with the narrator despite her devious actions. Well done. ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze.

Passionrejected's face twitches slightly as a trickle of booze trails down her nose from the spot on her forehead that Brute had smeared earlier... The powerfull ingredients of the Bruteweiser beer had also erased some of the letters in the word "APPROVED" that Falcon2001 had stamped on her forehead, and it now read "A_P____E_"... Needless to say, the eager applicant was growing a bit impatient for the Elder of Initiate's arrival... After a brief moment of silent contemplation, the doors to the Recruiter's Office swing open and Passionrejected jumps to her feet excitedly, expecting to meet Wyvern and finally get her application accepted. Instead, the applicant is met by 7 Pen Elder dwarves, who quickly walk into the Office in a single file line and immediatly surround her application. Looking over her poem and discussing it amongst themselves, the dwarves smile and nod to one another once they've all reached a consensus on the verdict. Turning to Passionrejected, Greedy (the first of the dwarves) cheerfully hisses: "Exxxxccccellent application, Passionrejected. We've decided that it shall be accepted, and would like to reward you in a way similar to that of Falcon and Brute..." With that, Greedy the Pen Elder dwarf swiftly takes out a green marker, walks up to Passionrejected, and draws a dollar sign on her forehead. Satisifed with what he considers a beautifull drawing, the Elder dwarf moves to the side and makes way for the next of his brethren... Grouchy is next to wander up to Passionrejected, and rather than drawing something on her forehead, he simply wipes his hands off on it. When the other Pen Elder dwarves complain that he hadn't really drawn anything, Grouchy grumbles something about it being abstract art and hobbles away. Wacky then bounces up to Passionrejected and takes out two magic markers, placing them between his toes and standing upsidedown on his head. Once in position in front of her, he is boosted by a fellow dwarf and begins doodling on her forehead with his feet... After about 8 minutes or so of this, the other Pen Elder dwarves decide that Wacky has drawn quite enough, and drag him away... Shiny is the next to approach Passionrejected, and briefly draws a simple, small yellow star on the top of the applicant's forehead. Unsatisfied with the forehead drawings as a whole, however, the Elder dwarf then procedes to take out numerous shiny beauty products and sparklies, rapidly applying them to Passionrejected's forehead. For a long moment, the Recruiter's Office is filled with powder and sparkly dust... Once the dust in the room has settled, Shiny leaves satisfied as the forehead shines with a blinding light... Sexy is the next up to draw something on Passionrejected's forehead, and settles himself down in front of her, sitting on an extra-high artist's chair and wearing a stylish barret. Taking out a small mirror and a palette of many colors, Sexy procedes to spend a good 4 hours drawing an incredibly detailed picture of himself on the forehead. It takes a great deal of effort on the behalf of Passionrejected to stand still for the entire duration, and she's greatly relieved when he finishes. After Sexy has departed, Silly (the pen orangutan Elder dwarf) approaches Passionrejected and admires her forehead carefully. Noticing the word "APE" left over from Falcon's stamp, Silly cracks open a pineapple and writes "... inferior to orangutans!" underneath it in pineapple juice. The Elder dwarf/orangutan then bows to Passionrejected and leaves, done with his drawing. The final of the Pen Elder dwarves, Courteousy, then walks up to the applicant and considers the mess of art currently on her forehead. Deciding that the most polite thing to do would be to wash it off, Courteousy cleans off Passionrejected's forehead until only the word "ACCEPTED" remains. OOC: On a more serious note: a good application Passionrejected, it's certainly ACCEPTED. Welcome to the Mighty Pen! Be sure to either post your e-mail here or mail me at elitwack90@hotmail.com so that I can send you the passwords and stuff... Once again, welcome! ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 1/10/03 12:12:35 am

Blondemoon sits patiently in her applicant easy chair, growing increasingly nervous as the hour hand of a nearby grandfather clock slowly ticks onward. Whenever her anxiousness gets the best of her and her thoughts turn to leaving, however, the wise words of Peredhil31 echo through her mind once again... "Be patient with Wyvern - he has a LOT of irons in the fire, and is wanted in several countries for questioning about a few of them..." Suddenly, the entrance to the Recruiter's Office bursts open and Wyvern rushes in while desperatly balancing what appears to be a huge stack of irons in his arms. A startled Blondemoon jumps from her seat as the overgrown lizard practicaly crashes into her, not immediatly taking notice of her due to the large stack of irons obstructing his vision. Once he realizes that he almost ran straight into an applicant, Wyvern curses and extends a scaly claw in greeting only to drop the stack of irons, which all land directly on his right toe... Blondemoon cringes for a moment as the Halls of the Pen echo with the sounds of Wyvern's pain... After the greedy Elder of Initiates has managed to dislodge his toe from under the stack of irons, the curious applicant turns to him and questions: "You must be Wyvern, right? Finally! Say... what are all these irons fo-" "Sssssshhhhhhh!" interrupts Wyvern "Sorry for almost running into you... please don't mention the "I" word around these parts... I'm being tracked by quite a few spies from different countries for ripping off their ideas on how to forge 'you-know-whats'." *snickers* "I knew questioning those international firms would come in handy..." *points to the irons on the floor* "These babies'll sell great, considering they're just like imports only with lower prices..." Having said this, Wyvern lets out one of his signature almost-dragonic evil laughs and then begins gathering the irons he had dropped from the floor. Turning to Blondemoon once again, the overgrown lizard quietly hisses: "Lemme make a deal with you... Help me load these things into my makeshift furnace, and your ACCEPTED to the Pen!" Blondemoon considers Wyvern's offer for a moment, then decides that doing so wouldn't be too much of a hassle and helps the overgrown lizard gather his irons from the floor. After all of the irons have been gathered, the greedy Elder and the eager Pen applicant both head out of the Recruiter's Office and through the Pen halls (Wyvern leading the way) until they finally arrive at a door labeled "Kokuryuu Flameshifter's Room - (Fellow Dragons: Please Enter by Means of the Aviary)". The overgrown lizard of an Elder knocks on the door, and a few moments of silence pass... Then, finally, a slot on the door opens and the voice of Kokuryuu quietly mutters: "What's the password?" Wyvern grins and wips out a bag of small green peppers while balancing the irons he's holding on his right shoulder. "Jalapeno peppers!" There is a murmer of approval... Then, the door is opened by Kokuryuu and Wyvern and Blondemoon enter into her den. Wyv hands Kokuryuu the bag of jalapeno peppers gleefully and then sets his irons on the ground, signalling to Blondemoon to do the same. As Kokuryuu prepares to breath fire onto Wyvern's irons in exchange for the hard-to-find peppers, the mischievous Elder of Initiates exclaims: "Thanks once again for helping me forge these irons with your breath, Kokuryuu... You wouldn't believe how expensive furnaces are nowadays..." Kokuryuu nods in understanding while breathing fire over the irons, and in the process accidentaly misses them by a bit and chars Wyvern. Blondemoon doesn't get burnt, but is covered in soot and for a moment seems to strangely ressemble a total eclipse... As Wyvern collapses to the ground, he stamps Blondemoon's application "ACCEPTED". ;p OOC: A good application, Blondemoon. Certainly ACCEPTED, welcome to the Pen! Be sure to post your e-mail address here or mail me at elitwack90@hotmail.com so I can send you the passwords and such. Once again, welcome! ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze.

As dawn falls upon the lush overgrowth and golden ridges of the Rainbow Vale, the island is bathed in a beautifull light that only accentuates it's natural perfection. The calls of several seagulls and the chatter of the island's wildlife soon fill the air, and the adventurers slowly awaken to find themselves in paradise. This paradise would be shortlived, however, as with the arrival of man comes those things so often associated with their kind... pestilence and death. On a different side of the island, far from where the adventurers had parked their vessel, there rests another ship which has been hazardously parked amongst several rocks and jagged cliffs. The positioning of the ship didn't truly matter, however, as it's passangers didn't plan to return from whence they came... They had a destiny to fufill... a destiny that would be reached at the very heart of this island. Smiling innocently in the beautifull sunshine while sitting on a rock and admiring the Ocean they had crossed, Jagon adjusts his yellow bandana firmly on his forehead and brushes any signs of dust off of his cloak. Several small birds fly up to the cheerfull scholar and land on his shoulders and hands, not seeking food but rather affection, naturally attracted to his aura. Contrasting with the sweet birds are the other figures surrounding Jagon... Several hideously burnt undead, many former scholars and paladins of churches previously destroyed, had been animated by the Priestess Celestia and now stood guard around their unquestionable master. Many other undead, some mere skeletons of their former selves, were parked around the outskirts of the great forest, silently awaiting the commands of their master Celestia with open jaws and a buzz of carrion. As the Sun fully rises in the sky, an enormous grin spreads over Jagon's face and he jumps excitedly off of the rock on which he sits. Turning to his allies Kraisis and Celestia, Jagon enthusiasticaly gestures to the forest and exclaims: "It's time we made our way to the Pool... let us meet what hands fate has dealt us, though unerring destiny shall never stray from it's path!" Kraisis and Celestia nod to this and rise from where they sit, Celestia signalling to her undead while Kraisis silently rubs his lost eye. The paladin and the priestess turn to each other and kiss briefly, enchanted with one another yet knowing that their love would not last... their final goal rested upon this island, and they would fufill it for their savior at all costs... Jagon grins, admiring the sparkle in the eyes of his minions as they gaze upon each other, and knowing the bonds of love would only strengthen their will. Such bonds had been written, and such bonds had been fufilled. Nodding to one another, the party of three head into the forest towards the ancient temple they knew resided at it's heart, accompanied by several undead while many other undead are told to skirmish the island to capture any living beings. There was not even the faintest doubt in Jagon's mind that they would prevail.

Member passwords have been sent to the appropriate people, my apologies for the lateness... Mister Burrofoot- I tried sending it to your e-mail but it sent it back saying there was an error. Do you have a new mail I could send it to by any chance? Once again, congratulations to those promoted... Those that have yet to be promoted, keep up the good work and await the next promotions ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze.

The contest: The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language defines "poetic justice" as "an outcome in which virtue is rewarded and vice punished, often in an especially appropriate or ironic manner." As the title of my new compilation CD suggests, poetic justice is one of the central themes of the CD and plays a major roll in its messages... The task I ask of you, the contestants, is to write any piece of writing about (or in some way incorporating) the concept of poetic justice. The piece of writing can be a story, a poem, or anything else that inspires you, just so long as it incorporates the topic. Note that poetic justice does not have to be an outcome in which both virtue AND vice are rewarded accordingly, but can also be about either if you want. Entries will be judged on the basis of effort, creativity, and quality writing. ------------------------------------------------------- The contest ends February 6th. No entries will be taken or considered after that date. This thread should only contain entries submitted to the contest, all other things about "Poetic Justice" should be posted in the thread entitled "Poetic Justice", located here. ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 1/6/03 11:26:24 pm

This was, indeed, written for my mother's birthday as an ode to her unwavering love. Thus, you interpreted correctly Nyyark. To answer your question, I did give it to her and she liked it very much... Thanks to all who responded to my poem, your comments are greatly appreciated.

I'll add my compliments to what the others have said... This is definitely an excellent piece of work, Nyyark, and is one of the best poems I've read recently. I especially liked your uses of intriguing imagery and the powerfull underlying message, which in my opinion is stated in the last two lines of the poem. While I think the poem is superb as it is, I think it could be made even better if the first line of the fourth stanza and the last line of the poem were made to work better with the rhythm, which is otherwise flawless. Once again, great work! I agree with Reverie that your writing is very much improving, keep it up!

Carlyan the Wise grumbles to himself as he waits for the infamous Elder of Initiates to arrive and review his application poem... Though at times the eager applicant denied the extent of his own knowledge, Carlyan was certainly wise, and was definitely wise enough to know that Wyvern should have arrived at the Office several days ago. Stretching out his arms and legs while anxiously gazing at a nearby grandfathers clock, the applicant suddenly raises a brow and sits up in his chair as he hears an approaching sound that ressembles ringing caused by the friction between several knives and kitchen utensils... As if to immediatly answer his questions about where the sound was coming from, Wyvern suddenly bursts into the room wearing a chef's hat and an apron on which there is embroidered in bold letters "Kiss the scaly, reptilian chef". Right beside these words, there is scrawled in pen "...if you're a babe.", and on the back of the apron there's been written "Tail massages are also appreciated." Lining Wyvern's outfit are numerous interesting-looking pieces of cutlery, which were clanging together as he walked and had made the noise Carlyan had previously heard. Turning to the applicant, Wyvern exclaims: "My apologies for the lateness involved in responding... you wouldn't believe how hard it is to come across a level minded chef who wants to talk prices these days!" Before Carlyan even has time to respond, Wyvern snatches his application from the desk where it sits and carefully reads over it while standing... Eager to be of some help, Carlyan offers the overgrown lizard a seat, but Wyvern kindly turns it down, explaining: "Sorry, no can do... With the number of extra sharp knives currently in my pockets, sitting down would be kinda like resting on a bed of nails..." After having finished going over Carlyan's application, the overgrown lizard grins and comments: "Excellent application, Carlyan the Wise... very sharp wit, and some truly cutting edge writing. Slices right through the reader's emotions and pierces the heart. It's certainly "ACCEPTED"... but allow me to offer a sweeter weapon still! Introducing... Sugar Spork ™! The spork made completely out of yummy, delicious melted sugar... Can be used to impale, to fire projectiles, or even as a midnight snack! AoA approved. Only 256.679 geld plus tax. Shiny sparkly coating not included. (Note: Sugar Spork is not responsible for any paranormal activities resulting from the consumption of Sugar Spork. Consumers are aware that Sugar Spork often results in mega sugar rushes that can occasionaly be hazardous to the consumers health, as well as being capable of leveling small buildings.) Having said this, several of the Elder Pen dwarves rush into the room disguised as the Sugar Spork Mascot (a spork personified as a super hyperactive clown) and begin dancing around the Office chanting an anthem about how sugar comprises a large part of our daily diet... Carlyan's application is stamped "ACCEPTED". OOC: A very good application, Carlyan the Wise. Definitely ACCEPTED, and my apologies for the lateness in doing so. Be sure to post your e-mail address here or send me a mail at elitwack90@hotmail.com so that I can send you the passwords and such... Welcome to the Mighty Pen! ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 1/1/03 8:56:43 pm

A very interesting poem, SoaringIcarus, and certainly one of the more intriguing poems I've read at the Pen recently. The poem seems to be written in a highly personal manner, with several metaphors and numerous references that perhaps only the narrator can truly pick up on. I very much like the structure of the poem, and find the rhythm and rhyme schemes to be both interesting and well executed. The spacing between the rhyming syllables creates an atypically rapid pattern that holds the readers attention throughout the poem. I also like the uses of abstract visual effects (such as the way the word "lost" has been placed in brackets) and word choice (like the way "dose" is used for the giving of music). Though I'm unable to uncover their meanings, I also appreciate your personal references in the poem, such as the line in the final stanza where you mention the woman "press the only button/not covered by snow" (ll.24-25). While I can't pinpoint an exact theme to the poem due to it's personal nature, I believe it may have something to do with the inability of the antagonist woman to deprive the narrator of music, as music is too deeply embedded in narrator's soul to do so. Excellent work, SoaringIcarus. I look forward to more of your works.

As Sorceror Diessl continues to wait patiently in his applicant easy chair, pondering where the infamous Elder of Initiates could be at the moment, he hears a distant chanting coming from one of the Pen's many Halls. As the sounds of chanting get closer and closer to the Office, they become clearer and clearer until Diessl can finally begin making out the words being chanted: "Hi ho, hi ho Responding to apps is slow With Wyvern gone We sing our song Hi ho... hi ho hi ho hi ho..." Curious about the approaching sounds, Sorceror Diessl turns to the entrance door of the Office only to be greeted by the 7 Elder Dwarves of the Pen, each of which bows to him while humming their song and marching into the Office. After all 7 of the dwarves have arrived, the first dwarf (Greedy) takes his application, looks it over, and says: "Life is definitely like a book... a book of get rich quick schemes! Each page contains new ideas about how to make geld!" Snatching the application from Greedy, Grouchy (the second Elder dwarf) grumbles while looking it over and then growls: "I think it's more like a book of "Yo Mama" punchlines... Just one big, insulting joke..." Wacky then grabs the sheet from Grouchy, and exclaims: "Wrong!!! I think it's like a coloring book that you choose how to paint! And mine'll be neon turquois-purple with polka dots!" Following Wacky's comments, Shiny declares: "Mine would be painted in extra shiny silver, with plenty of glow-in-the-dark sparklies..." Sexy then takes the application from Wacky in one smooth swoop and, looking it over, mutters: "I think it would be more like a glamour magazine... plenty of celebrities, fine outfits, and the occasional scent of cologn." Silly peeps at the application from over Sexy's shoulder, and then holds up a sign that reads: "I still say that life is more like a pineapple than a book... prickly and rough on the outside, but sweet and delcious at it's heart..." Finally, Courteousy reaches the application and looks it over politely before kindly stating: "Indeed... life can be read as many different kinds of books, yet ultimately the pages all turn in similar manners..." With that, the elder Dwarves all grin (with the exception of Idly, who was currently several miles away from the guild watching an extremely tense horror movie and clenching his teeth) and stamp Sorceror Diessl's application "ACCEPTED". OOC: An ACCEPTED application, Sorceror Diessl... welcome to the Mighty Pen! Be certain to post your e-mail address here or send me a mail at elitwack90@hotmail.com so that I can get you the password info and such... Once again, welcome! P.S: Idly will also give an opinion on what his idea of life as a book would be, in about a week due to his idleness... Editted for the typical gender confusion that seems to crop up more and more in my responses for some reason... Thanks for pointing it out, Gyr. ;p ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 12/28/02 11:45:00 pm

Wyvern wanders into the Cabaret Room in a half sober state, reeking of booze from the Endless Decanter and occasionally hiccuping a smoke ring or two... Standing somewhat dazed in the center of the room for a moment, the overgrown lizard quickly knocks himself back into soberness using a spare "Anti-Wyvern Mallet" he had stolen from Melba. Clearing his throat and accidentaly belching an enormous jet of flame into an empty corner of the room, the greedy Elder announces: "It's time for some new promotions here at the Pen... here are the current ranking updates the Elders have collectively agreed upon: -From Initiate to Page: Kasmandre Katzaniel Mister Burrofoot SoaringIcaurus Vlad the Imploder -From Page to Quill-Bearer: Big Pointy One Revery -From Bard to Elder: Gyrfalcon -From Ancient to Elder: Lumpenproletariat Congratulations to all of those promoted. For those that weren't promoted but felt they should have been, you needn't worry... if you continue posting, you'll definitely be promoted next time. For those that were promoted: please be patient for the editting of your titles and sending of the new passwords... due to the holidays, a number of the Elders are currently absent, thus the updates may not get completed as fast as we might have liked. I encourage everyone to continue in their creative writings and comments over the holidays, and be certain to check out the details of my latest project ("Poetic Justice") if you haven't done so already. Happy holidays to all! ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 12/26/02 9:33:24 pm

Procrastinating........Judiciously Organic..................Undead Eating....................Souls Terrible..................Tantrums Insane...................Illnesses Causing..................Calamities ...............................Eternaly

As another year passes, thoughts blossom and bloom And with kinship as crops your guiding light looms Shining gracefully down for all eyes to see Drying rain stricken fields and tears silently Causing new plants to grow, and new bonds to form Your influence great, your features adorn While the fruits of your labors ripen with joy From your spectrum of colors, your talents deployed. We rest in your light, with our gratitude's boon Of your constant affections, which act as our moon Illuminating the night, your faithful decree So that peace and love with justice may be And as bees to the honey do our loves for you swarm Suckling sweetest of kisses and hugs always warm For your very climate has heated our hearts And has bound us together, never splitting apart. As I write this over evening, alone in my room I think of and cherish you. I, son of thy womb And smile at how bonds over time are like Burgundy And only grow better with each moment’s certainty To you this is dedicated, for the day you were born Which we all love to celebrate until early morn And though bonds are like Burgundy, devotions sweet taste Even finest of wines can never replace.

Kokuryuu sighs dismally to herself while impatiently tapping her foot on the messy Recruitment Office floor, still waiting for the Elder of Initiates to arrive and take her application into consideration... It had been over a week, and the stories she had submitted as applications had become barely visible in a thick layer of dust that had gathered on the absent Elder of Initiates' desk... Feeling boredom overcoming her and having nothing to do in the empty Recruiter's Office other than curiously gazing at the covers of Wyvern's rather questionable reading material (mainly consisting of get-rich-quick scheme books and etchy smut magazines), Kokuryuu is about to set out and search elsewhere for a recruiter when the entrance door of the Office suddenly creaks open. Expecting Wyvern, the eager applicant jumps to her feet and quickly walks over to the door to greet him, only to be met by what appears to be a lazy looking dwarf. Kokuryuu raises an eyebrow curiously, noticing that the mini-recruiter's "formal" attire consists of a soda stained T-shirt and jeans, both of which had been put on backwards out of sheer laziness... There is a long moment of silence in which Idly the Pen Elder Dwarf clears his throat, takes a few breath mints, drinks a Pepsi, and reads the latest scandal in the newest issue of "National Inquirer". He then remembers what he came to the office for and, turning to Kokuryuu, clears his throat once again and mutters: "Hi.... I'm... y'know, Idly, one of those Pen Elder dwarfish guys... yeah... ...So anyway, I'm supposed to be your recruiter... and stuff... I take it you're White Rose Oujisama, correct?" Kokuryuu blinks and stares at Idly with a blank expression on her face, somewhat confused and thinking that the dwarf recruiter surely must be trying to pull some kind of joke. After a long moment of idle silence, however, Idly takes out a crumpled sheet of instructions from his pocket and begins reading over it at a snail's pace. Eventually taking note of the date on the paper, Idly crumples it up again and mutters: "Oh... I'm sorry, these instructions were actually from a few weeks ago, I've just been kinda procra- ... sti... well, you get the picture..." Kokuryuu's jaw drops open and she's about to speak up, when for once Idly doesn't decide to take 5 minutes to respond and says: "It's O.K... look... I'll go over your application in a bit, just lemme watch "Beverly Hills 90210", followed by "Survivor" and then an all nighter of "I Dream of Genie" on Nick at Night. Of course, at that point I'll have to go into my yearly hibernation period of 11 months and 29 days... .... .... .... but I'll get back to you shortly." Kokuryuu gazes at Idly in a mixture of disgust and awe before exclaiming "You call that shortly?!!". Fortunatly, at that very moment, Wyvern is tossed into the Office by two armed police agents. The overgrown lizard is dressed in an elf suite, though after he had been stopped by security for trying to cause a worker uprising at the closest Santa outlet and stealing all the gifts, he had been hit very hard in the snout and looked more like Rudolf the Reindeer with pointy ears than anything else... As Idly moves lethargicaly to the side, the reptilian Elder of Initiates clogs his bloody nostrils as best as he can and immediatly stamps Kokuryuu's application "ACCEPTED". OOC: On a more serious note, an ACCEPTED application Kokuryuu... welcome to the Mighty Pen! I apologize for my lateness in responding, and will send you the Pen password information and such ASAP. Once again, welcome! ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 12/22/02 7:35:17 pm

Quote:"I heard the Pen is Mightier then the Sword/So everyone grab a ballpoint and start a war!" -Crescent Moon, "Shore" Ooooo... I'm glad you remembered that quote and put it here, Gyr! I actually misquoted it when I originally put it up on IRC, so the real quote is: "I heard that the Pen is Mightier then the Sword.../ So everybody grab a ballpoint and win a war!" -Crescent Moon, "Shore" Fits in with the Mighty Pen even better than the misquoted version, methinks... ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze.

Procrastinating........Judiciously Organic..................Undead Eating....................Souls Terrible..................Tantrums Insane................... Illnesses Causing..................Calamities ............................Eternly Coming soon...

Wordphoole, First of all, my apologies for the time it took for me to get to this application... I've been busy with RL work recently, and unfortunatly haven't had quite as much time as I'd have liked for the Pen. Secondly, allow me to add my praise to what others have said about your poem... I really enjoyed "Autumn Winds of Home", particularly your uses of imagery in the poem and your personifications of emotions in the elements of nature ("the sorrow of the wind" being a great example of this). I also liked the poem's melancholy switch in tone in stanza 4, as well as the structure of the work. As excellent a work as this is, however, an application to the Pen must consist of a piece of writing specificaly written with the intention of joining the Pen, not a previously archived work. I highly encourage you to write another poem newly written for the Pen as your application, as judging by the quality of your writing I'm certain it'll be accepted. I eagerly look forward to accepting you then... ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 12/9/02 9:14:28 pm

-Part 3: The Tomb of Leviathan- Far from the calm serenity of the Rainbow Vale where the adventurers peacefully rest, across the vast Ocean of Nosgarth and centered above the western regions of Terra's largest continent, dark clouds have begun to gather in the skies... Churning masses of blackness unlike anything even the most ardent of Terrian meteoroligists had ever seen... Thunderheads whose hollow echoing rumbles reverberate through the very souls of those unfortunate enough to be caught in their proximity... whose sounds and powerfull rains cast despair into the hearts of even the bravest of mortal beings. And as the skies continue to darken and the great storm begins gathering momentum, Terra can do nothing but sit in fear and await it's judgement... In the quiet fishing village of Lefaria, located at the south-western penninsula of the Terrian continent, all fishing expeditions are immediatly called off for the day... For the first time in many years, people are ordered by town authorities to stay in their homes until the winds and rain have subsided. Many worried women and children pray for the returns of their husbands and fathers, who had departed earlier on their ships in search of fish. The winds and rain of the storm are tremendously strong, and put the sturdiness of Lefaria's harbors to the test... a sturdiness which would later wear down and collapse in a losing battle against the awesome powers of nature... At the Felleros Cathedril, located a short ways north-east of Lefaria in the city of Felleros, mass reaches it's close for the day earlier then usual... Much to the shock of the audience attending church, Saint Derick is so deeply struck by the menacing sounds of thunder outdoors that he no longer has the will to continue in his sermon. Instead, the elderly Saint calls off mass for the day and immediatly heads towards his personal quarters, where he begins vigorously praying for salvation while shedding tears of remorse. Suddenly recalling the Dreamer's demeanor, the promises that had been made, and the blessings he had bestowed, Derick prays that he did the right thing in advising the adventurers in their journey... In the city of Erindale, a short ways east of Felleros, a number of the priceless antique sculptures lining the houses and streets are utterly decimated. What amounted to centuries of work by the hand of mankind is destroyed in a mere instant by the uncanny forces of nature... People in their homes mourn the destruction of the ancient cultures that they had valued for so long... an aspect of their society that would be reformed after the storm had ended. And as the storm clouds stretch further across the continent, so do the imminent signs of an ill omen...

Grinning to himself while carefully looking over amcstarry's Pen application, Wyvern decides that he'd like to hear some comments on the poem from the 8 Pen Elder Dwarves... It was always amusing to watch the dwarves at work, after all, especially when you were in as unsober a state of mind as Wyvern was... Taking out a shiny whistle labeled "Traditional Dwarven Beer Keg Flute", the overgrown lizard blows on the instrument and 7 of the Pen Elder Dwarves immediatly rush into the office doors as fast as their legs can carry them. Passing by Wyvern's desk in a single file line, each Elder Dwarf is served a portion of booze from the Endless Decanter before getting to amcstarry's application poem... Silly even takes out a pineapple and fixes himself a pina colada... "Say..." mutters Wyvern, suddenly noticing that only 7 of the Pen Elder Dwarves are present "Why is it that there are only 7 of you guys here tpday...?" In response to Wyv's question, Courteousy turns to the overgrown lizard and politely says: "Please excuse our companion's absence, Mr. Wyvern... Sleazy has been involved in a rigorous personality developement program recently, as it got to the point where the poor Pen dwarf couldn't stand his own sleaziness... The program should end some time today, so I'm expecting his arrival soon... when we see him, though, I'm certain it will no longer be as Sleazy!" "No longer be as Sleazy...?" mutters Wyvern half soberly, taking another long sip of booze from his Decanter "Waddaya mean, Courteousy?" "Well..." continues Courteousy, pausing for a brief moment to give amcstarry an encouraging thumbs up sign "... the personality program completely changes the attitudes and demeanor of the Elder Dwarf that decides to undertake it. Thus Sleazy should be born anew, complete with new name and new primary character traits... I hope the program was effective... we all wish only the best for him..." "Hmmmm..." murmers Wyvern, somewhat confused by Courteousy's technical jargon of personality programs in his unsober state... As if to clear all confusion, there is suddenly a knock on the office door at that very instant, signifying the return of the newly reformed Sleazy to the Pen. All of the dwarves jump to their feet and rush to the door at once, eager to see what has become of their companion... "Dear GODS!" cries Grouchy upon viewing the figure at the door "It's impossible... how could you have possibly become uglier Sleazy??!!! Didn't you want to reverse the effects of your sleaziness...?" Grouchy then realizes that the figure at the door of the office is not in fact Sleazy, but rather Melba who had just returned from her coffee break. Thoroughly embarassed, the blushing Pen dwarf grumbles an apology before scurrying off to a corner of the office in order to avoid Melba's wrath.... Entering the office, Melba the Almost Secretary of Initiates sets the day's mail on her desk, and notices that there's a letter from somebody by the name of "Idly the Pen Elder Dwarf" on the top of the pile. Curiously opening the envelope, Melba notices the anxious faces of the surrounding dwarves and decides to read the letter out loud: "My dear fellow dwarves, The personality development program worked... ... Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go idle... Sincerely, Idly the Pen Elder Dwarf" The 7 Pen Elder Dwarves and Wyvern procede to snatch the letter from Melba's hands, taking her oratory for a joke at first but then blankly staring at the sheet of paper... After a long moment of silence, Wyvern finally speaks up: "Well... I guess we'll have to wait for Idly's opinion on amcstarry's application before it can be accepted..." Having said this, the overgrown lizard turns to amcstarry and continues: "... and I would say judging by this letter, it might take us around 2 years or so to get it... hope you don't mind the wai-" Fortunatly, before Wyvern can finish, the inconsiderate Elder is hit over the head by Silly weilding an anti-wyvern mallet, and goes unconscious. The Pen dwarf then takes a quick sip of his pina colada and stamps amcstarry's application "ACCEPTED". OOC: On a more serious note... An ACCEPTED application poem, amcstarry, welcome to the Mighty Pen! Be sure to either post your e-mail here or e-mail me at elitwack90@hotmail.com so that I can get you the password info and such... ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "If it doesn't make dollars then it doesn't make sense" - Triple Seis, "Glamour Life" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze.