Wyvern

A heart felt piece of poetry, and one which directly states it's themes (so no need for me to over-analyze again ;p). Continue writing and developing your talents... there is no way they'll go unnoticed by your loved ones forever. [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 6/9/02 1:47:59 am

As the numerous writers sleeping in the many chambers of the Pen slowly awaken in eager anticipation of a bright new day, they are greeted by several unpleasant surprises... Wyvern the greedy lizard had indeed been hard at work... In fact, his zealous schemings had perhaps reached an all time high the previous evening... As the members of the Pen walk down the sunlit halls connecting their rooms, they can hardly believe their eyes... The first thing many of the members immediatly take notice of are the signs depicting the name of the guild, which had been radicaly changed from "The Pen is Mightier then the Sword" to "The Bic Pen ™ is Mightier then the Milten Bradly Sword ™, except when doused with Diet Pepsi ™". As if this weren't bad enough, the beautifully painted pictures lining the walls, many of which had been painted by the members themselves, had been replaced with various horribly corny advertisements. Even the picture of Ancient Zool had been replaced with an advertisement for Vodka reading "Absolute Zool"... The next thing the members begin to notice is that their pets are amiss... Isachar awakens from his sleep and turns to the basket holding Lewis and Simon, only to find that they're no longer there... Nyyark suddenly notices that his crow is missing... Lady Celes Crusador's eyes widen when she notices her cats are nowhere to be found... Peredhil searches far and wide for his enormous guinea pigs Guido and Nuncio, but to no avail... When the noises of various animals are heard from directly outside the building, many concerned Pen members rush to the nearest windows and stare out only to find that a large crowd has gathered on the feilds outside of the Pen. On the dewy morning grass has also been posted a crudely written sign, which reads: Animal Races with Gambling! Place your bets here!. The Pen members are shocked to find their various pets sprinting on the messily drawn race course, with numbers tied to their backs and excited spectators shouting profanities and encouragements at them... The pets on the course, which had been racing for several hours on end now, look extremly exhausted... The advertisements on the walls and abuse of the pets causes many Pen members to feel sick to the stomach, and several immediatly rush to the bathrooms. They are shocked to find that there is now a 50 geld fee for using the toilets, and are even more shocked to find that to go down a single flight of stairs costs 10 geld! "Dear God, this must be a nightmare!" cries one of the Pen members, collapsing by a nearby Burger King advertisement on the wall and sobbing... "A nightmare..." growls another member in response, clenching his teeth and fists in fury. "... or the work of a certain lizard!" At that very moment, as if on cue, Wyvern exits a nearby door and strides down the hall wearing what appears to be a tattered beggar's robe (he had sold all his decent cloths by this point) and calling out comments and demands to various people he passes... "You!" hisses Wyvern sternly while passing Falcon2001 and tossing him a pair of highly unfashionable cowboy jeans and a sparkly boy band shirt. "Put these on and get ready to play your guitar for a large audience. You're on from 10 A.M to 11 P.M, and you're playing country music!" Upon hearing this, Falcon's eyes glow ruby red with rage and he clutches his guitar tightly in anger. Playing country music for 13 hours in front of a huge audience in this crazy outfit?! The overgrown lizard had to be out of his mind! Not even pausing to hear Falcon's thoughts on the matter, Wyvern continues down the hall and passes Tzimfemme, exclaiming: "Elder Tzimfemme, you are accordingly titled the 'Elder of Alchemy', are you not?" "... I-" starts Tzim. "Well then get to making some geld! I expect an average of 1,000,000 geld a day, for the next 7 and a half months!" As Wyvern continues pacing down the length of the corridor, a disgusted-looking Tzimfemme turns to an enraged-looking Falcon and murmers "He... He can't be serious, can he?" Passing Lord Seth Exodus, the overgrown lizard shouts: "Seth Exodus, you're going to be doing portraits of the rich people outside and deliberatly overcharging them, get to work!" Lord Seth Exodus' mouth drops open and he raises a finger, preparing to say something, only to realize he cannot sum up the efficient words to express his discontent... Continuing on his path and walking by Orlan, Wyvern stops and growls: "Orlan, what are you still doing up here?! Didn't you read the note on your door?!!!" Frowning and raising an eyebrow, Orlan turns to his door and notices that sure enough, an extremly long sheet of toilet paper (the lizard didn't want to buy any pricy paper) is hanging there. Ripping the lengthy parchment from the door, Orlan looks it over and reads out loud: Wyvern's Daily Schedule for the Sexy, Sexy Man Orlan: 6:00 A.M - 7:00 A.M: 'Early Breakfast with Orlan'. Make guest appearences at the Pen bar and charge people to sit next to you. Charge for autographs. 7:00 A.M - 10:00 A.M: The morning Pen tours with special guest host Orlan. Charge hefty sums and be sure to point out the adds hanging on the walls. 10:00 A.M - 10:30 A.M: Introduce Falcon's music set and dance for the spectators. 10:30 A.M - 12:00 P.M: Nike commercial. Wheetos commercial. 12:00 P.M - 1:30 P.M: 'Sexy, sexy man kissing booth' opens. Beauties and hags alike can pay mucho geld to give the sexy, sexy man of Terra a smooch. 1:30 P.M - 3:00 P.M: Crest commercial. Mentos commercial. 3:00 P.M - 5:00 P.M: Shake the hands of every guest and sponsor at the show, and offer them some slightly expensive drinks. 5:00 P.M - 8:00 P.M: Establish the Orlan fan club and charge a hefty entry fee. Make speeches. 8:00 P.M -9:30 P.M: Sprite commercial. Hersheys commercial. 9:30 P.M - 11:00 P.M: Late night Pen tours. See Early Morning Pen tours above for more info. 11:00 P.M - 1:00 A.M: Chocolate mud wrestling with Orlan. Charge enormous fee for entree. Orlan's face goes blank as he skims over the parchment and he squints his eyes in disbelief to make sure he's reading it right. "How... thoughtfull..." grumbles the sexy, sexy Elder under his breath. "You men of Terra are all alike!" rants Wyvern as he continues down the hall "Get to work, you're already running behind schedule!" A perplexed-looking Orlan turns to a disgusted-looking Tzimfemme and an enraged-looking Falcon and mutters "The lizard's definatly asking for it.". Lord Seth Exodus, who still hasn't managed to sum up the appropriate words to say, nods in agreement... Reaching the end of the hall, Wyvern stops and turns to the numerous members he hadn''t mentioned. "What are you all waiting around for, looking confused?! There's geld to make! Let's get to work! Peredhil, you're the polite waiter! Stick, go do the dishes! Justin Silv-" But before the overgrown lizard can finish, the Pen members have wisely advanced upon him and sieged him by his scaly arms, quickly tying him up and gagging his blabbering mouth... ;p ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 6/7/02 2:31:42 am

Kasmandre carefully turns the nob of the door leading into the Recruiter's Office, clutching his application with his free hand while silently praying that the Elder of Initiates will recognize his talents and accept him into the guild. No sooner has he entered the office then he notices a man in a grey coat and detective's hat sitting at the Recruiter's desk, cracking his knuckles and filling the room with rings of smoke. Since the man is seated at the desk where Wyvern usually accepts applications, Kasmandre takes the man sitting there to be the Elder of Initiates... He doesn't realize that the grey cloaked individual seated is actually one of Wyvern's arch nemisis', Detective I. M. Clueless, who had broken into the office in the hopes of capturing the overgrown lizard and ending his evil scheming once and for all... Kasmandre grins and quietly walks up to the Recruiting desk, briefly coughing due to the smoke and laying his application down on the desk. When he sees that the grey cloaked man seated there appears to be brooding and hasn't taken notice of him yet, Kasmandre decides to get the man's attention... "Excuse me, Wyvern sir?" No response... just more billows of smoke and brooding... Now frowning, Kasmandre decides to rap his fist twice on the desk top and exclaims: "Excuse me, Mr. Elder of Initiates?!" The sound of Kasmandre's fist on the Recruiting Desk awakens I. M. Clueless from his deep concentration, and the exhausted looking detective looks up to the applicant with an expression of utter surprise. Wipping out a gun, I. M. Clueless jumps out of his seat and points it straight at Kasmandre, exclaiming: "Wyvern! I have finally caught you! You're surrounded, there's no escape!" A look of confusion spreads over Kasmandre's face as he stares at the man with the gun, and the applicant mutters: "Wait a minute... aren't you Wyvern?!" Suddenly realizing the situation he's gotten himself into, Detective I. M. Clueless quickly puts his pistol back away and nervously seats himself back down at the desk. There was no other way out of this tight situation, he would simply have to play along with it... "Of... Of course!" responds I. M. Clueless finally, putting out his cigarette on some random important document. "Of course I'm Wyvern! Who else would I be?! After all, I'm sitting here thinking about money and girls, and you're my applicant!" "Uuuuhhhh..." murmers Kasmandre, raising a brow and now looking at I. M. Clueless suspiciously "Right..." Quickly snatching Kasmandre's application from the desk top, I. M. Clueless rapidly skims through it, now beginning to panic and smoking five cigarettes at a time. "This is a very good application... I love detective stories!" "Uhm... Actually, it's supposed to be an adventure..." At that very moment, two large P.I.A agents in black suites barge into the room and advance at Detective I. M. Clueless. The private eye just has enough time to stamp Kasmandre's application 'ACCEPTED' before being tossed out the window by the two large men. The P.I.A agents then also toss a large anvil with the words "And Stay Out!" written on it after the detective. After the two large men in black suites have finished their dirty work, they turn and apologize to Kasmandre, explaining the entire situation and how I. M. Clueless was impersonating Wyvern. In compensation, they let Kasmandre keep his accepted Pen application... OOC: On a more serious note... A very good application Kasmandre, certainly ACCEPTED! Welcome to the Pen is Mightier then the Sword, I look forward to reading more of your stuff! I'll mail you the password info right away. Once again, welcome! [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 6/6/02 12:47:22 am

First of all, congratulations on graduating and getting "Gutter Nymphs" published! It's certainly an excellent story and it's always great to see writers here succeed. Anyway, expect me to be one of the first buyers. ;p Onto "Waiting in Shades of Pale"... Very interesting poem. It has a very sombre and almost horrific tone that adds to the overall dark and depressing atmosphere of the poem. I thought the use of reacurring clusters of images, particularly those of razors, blood, and paleness, were well done. The poem ends on a desperate and hollow note, with the line "as you escape the echo of my aching call again". This points towards the theme of the poem, which, in my opinion, centers around the narrator's lost love and the abusive tendencies it's caused her to produce. [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 6/2/02 11:23:05 pm

As night falls across the verdant fields surrounding the Pen is Mightier then the Sword, the lights illuminating the enormous guild building are slowly put out one by one... Falcon strums a final note on his guitar before yawning and and dousing the candles near his comfortable sleeping quarters... Lady Celes Crusader just manages to stay awake long enough to finish reading Goodnight Moon to her sleepy cat Cambronne... The squirrels Lewis and Simon huddle drowsily in their cozy basket with pillows while Isachar lies fast asleep in an adjacent bed... And as some of the last lights in the building are put out, the Pen is Mightier then the Sword transcends into an utterly peacefull state... Well... almost utterly peacefull. One light in the Pen remains on, through the very latest hours of the night... The light in Wyvern's sleeping quarters. In his cluttered personal chamber, Wyvern paces back and forth restlessly, pausing once in a while to take a long sip of Bruteweiser booze and let out a deep sigh. Ever so often, the lizard's eyes focus on the letter that he had placed on top of a messy pile of various important papers that were lying in the corner of the room. Though the objective of placing the letter there was to forget about it, it's position on the top of the pile seemed to only reinforce it's presence... ...everyone in the family, including you, knows I've got a dragon's temper.... Wyvern shudders as the words in the letter from his uncle ring through his head. If his uncle was to come to the Pen and find him, he would certainly be furious... Wyvern hadn't made a decent sum of geld in a long while. In fact, come to think of it, he was still in a seemingly infinite debt to Gyrfalcon for completely destroying a certain Conservatory... At the thought of this, Wyvern takes another swig of booze and utters a drunken hiccup. This situation wasn't very pleasant at all... Conflicting emotions race through Wyvern's brain (for those that were wondering: yes, he really does have one ;p). On one hand, there was the option of leaving the Pen and thereby escaping his uncle's wrath... but then the overgrown lizard could never force himself to do that. There were far too many in the guild he liked, far too many he loved... Besides, he had a responsibility to uphold as an Elder, however miniscule that responsibility might be... On the other hand, there was the option of staying at the guild and confronting his uncle... but he could only see that ending in disastor. His fellow companions at the Pen would undoubtedly laugh when they would hear of his relative visiting, but then they had never met Wyvern's family. The overgrown lizard knew that he was the weakest and kindest of his bloodline, and that the rest of his relatives were powerfull and merciless tyrants. For once, it was not so much the thought of his own health and safety that worried the overgrown lizard, but rather the fate that would become of his friends. His uncle would undoubtedly leave the Mighty Pen in ruins... Thus, the overgrown lizard was left with only one option... He was going to have to make a lot of geld in a relatively short period of time... more geld then any of his previous schemes had ever tried to make. Taking a final sip of booze before tucking his Endless Decanter safely within his cloak, Wyvern mutters a silent prayer and gets straight to work. To be continued... ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 6/2/02 9:01:10 pm

Wyvern stretches and yawns as he lies back at his large and incredibly messy Recruiter's desk, kicking his scaly feet onto the table top and accidentaly knocking off several candy bar wrappers and smut magasines from the jumbled ocean of papers cluttered there in the process. Muttering various curses under his breath and flipping his obese Almost-Secretary Melba the bird as a daily morning greeting, the overgrown lizard decides to sit down to a warm mug of beer and quickly go through his daily mail... After a long sip of booze, Wyvern begins rapidly flipping through the pile of letters on his desk and quickly discarding any unopened envelopes labeled "URGENT! DEBTS TO BE PAID IMMEDIATLY!" into a nearby trash bin. The lizard then flicks his wrist and casts a Blaze spell on the contents of the bin, watching with glee as the legal documents burn to nothing more then a cinder. Melba stops her dusting for a moment to watch this procedure in disgust, shaking her head and sighing before going back to her cleaning... Wyvern rubs his palms together eagerly as he looks upon the two remaining letters. One of the letters is rather large and appeared to be ticking, so the overgrown lizard decides that it would be best not to open it knowing that it must be from one of his many haters and will amost certainly explode. Instead, he decides to work a bit of mischief and crosses his name off of the top of the box, replacing it with Melba's... "Ooooohhhhhh Meellllllllba...." Wyvern cooes as innocently as possible, beckoning to his Almost-Secretary with a single scaly finger. "Package for you." Sighing to herself, Melba walks up to Wyvern and looks at the ticking box he's holding, noticing her name written on the top. Grunting and snatching the box from Wyvern, she heads off to her corner as Wyvern covers his ears and snickers uncontrollably to himself, preparing for the deafening sound of an explosion. You can imagine the overgrown lizard's disbelief and disappointment when Melba opens the box to find nothing more then a very nice looking alarm clock... ;p Grumbling a string of nasty words under his breath and at the same time openly cursing at his bad luck, Wyvern turns to the final letter that lies on his desk. Raising a brow curiously and noticing that there is no return address written on the thin and dusty envelope, Wyvern opens the letter with one of his claws and is immediatly greeted by the scent of magma and volcanic ash.... But this wasn't just any scent of magma and volcanic ash... This was homely smelling magma and volcanic ash...! Wyvern's face goes blank as he begins reading over the letter.... "Hey Wyvern a.k.a no good penniless lizard, This' your ol' uncle. Don't even ask how I found the address to where you're staying, but needless to say I'm gonna be coming down soon. And hey... you had better have made some progress in your geld-making skills..." As Wyv continues reading it, his face goes pale and his eyes convert into little frightened beads of terror... "Cus' if you don't have all that money you promised you'd learn to make, I may be a wee bit upset. In fact, while I may not be a dragon... well, let's just say that everyone in the family, including you, knows I've got a dragon's temper. And really, that's all there is to say. See ya soon, chump, Uncle W" By the time Wyv has finished the relatively short letter, he is trembling from head to toe in fear. Wondering why Wyvern has gotten so quiet all of a sudden, Melba looks up from her cleaning and stops short when she see's Wyvern exiting the office, letter in hand, in an absolutely terrified state. Having never seen the overgrown lizard in quite such a state before, she actually feels sorry for him for a second before remembering all the times he's tried to trick her and getting back to her cleaning... To be continued... I may actually end up making this an RPing thread, we'll see... ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/29/02 2:58:24 am

At the mentioning of "BEER!!!!", Wyvern's immediate reflexes cause him to jump straight out of the trash can and rush as fast as his legs can carry him to the source of sound... This is fortunate for the overgrown lizard, as no sooner does he hop out of the bin then the trash men dump the container into their disposal outlet and it's contents are immediatly crushed. Had Wyvern idely rested in the can, flipping through the discarded smut magazine he had happened to find there, he would have been squashed to little cube no bigger then the average portion size of your local fancy restaurant (and that's tiny!) Sprinting at an unnaturaly high speed for a lizard, Wyvern zooms past a visiting Lumpenproletariat, his sheer velocity causing the poor Ancient's right shoe to suddenly combust into flames. He also soars by Lewis and Simon, nearly running over the two dumbfounded rodents in the process. Finally, he arrives back in Cabaret Room and rushes up to Doctor Evil, stopping for a moment in shock that for once it isn't Brute that's calling for beer. Sighing to himself and wipping out his Decanter of Endless Booze, Wyvern pours Doctor Evil a tall glass and then collapses into a nearby chair, muttering: "I third the vote on cake!" OOC: A side note on promotions: the Elders apologize for the delay. We would have gotten them done much sooner, but since it's Summer, internet connections have been sort of touch-and-go with a number of members, Elders included. Never the less, we've almost finished the process and will make the promotions as soon as possible. Thank you all for your patience. ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze.

Y'Tren grins and nods to Gyrfalcon's statement, whispering back: "A good idea... perhaps the leader will know a righteous band of heros when he sees them." Clearing his throat and getting the attention of the guard who had made the announcement, Y'Tren speaks up: "Good sir, may we meet with the leader of your regiment? We have urgent matters to attend to, and a boat is of the utmost importance to us!" The guard considers Y'Tren's words for a moment, wiping some rain from his brow, and then speaks up again: "Certainly... if the matters are very important, I'll contact the leader of the guard and see what we can do..." As the weary guard heads off to get his captain and the five heros pray that said captain will be able to make an exception, nobody notices a mischeivous shadowy figure stealthfully sneak along the harbor and board one of the parked vessels... After a short wait, the adventurers are greeted by a man with a dark black beard and tired eyes wearing a small gold badge that symbolizes his position of leadership and authority. The man takes a long look at the three adventurers and thinks for a moment. "So... ya need a boat eh?"

The question of what one can possibly do to change an unjust system of society in which classes are treated unfairly and unequaly is one that constantly plagues us, and one which I feel this poem addresses. The last few stanzas of the poem in particular point to this theme, as the purgatorial phantasm questions which part of society are the real criminals, and why he can do nothing to change it. The allusion to purgatory is an interesting one, since perhaps the purgatory in this poem symbolizes the point between the rich and the poor, which are the supposed Heaven and Hell's respectively... Very good poem, I like it a lot. [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/23/02 4:19:15 pm

A comic poem, and a pretty funny read after dredging through countless deep and meaningfull ones. While I can't say I like the poem very much, I do admire your usage of comic book sound effects (i.e "Zip, Kabang, Kurbob") to encapture the feel of a day dream. Keep up the writing. [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/23/02 4:08:37 pm

I like this poem a lot, Hopperwolf. The theme of the poem is that we should not restrict ourselves to abiding to rules and doctrines established by an all powerfull deity cherished in hymns and manuscripts. The lines "And spit on us with your kindness/ Generously giving to keep us alive" struck me as particularly vivid. Personally, I agree with themes of the poem, which is perhaps one of the reasons I like it so much. On a final note, I believe the MC and slam poet Sage Francis put it the best when he exclaims on the hook of an AOI song entitled "The Next Testament": "Yes to find God/ God, look within yourself!/ And wipe them books off your shelf!" Again, nice poem. [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/23/02 4:01:58 pm

Good poem Katiya. I like the rhyme scheme, as well as the use of conflicting imagery between images of sorrow and happiness. The theme of the poem is open to the reader's interpretation, as it is up to us to decide which parts of the dream's scenario actually took place and which parts were merely part of the narrator's imagination. Perhaps it is the final part of the dream scenario, where she ends up happy, that is the illusion. Once again, good work. [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/23/02 3:49:49 pm

*AHEM* Wyvern clears his throat for the thirty-third time in the evening, flailing a hand urgently in the air and practicaly jumping up and down in his seat. Ozymandias groans, rubs a migrain that is throbbing on his forehead, and finally decides to point a finger towards Wyvern... "Yes Wyvern, what things would you like to improve the guild...?" The overgrown lizard grins an enormous grin of razor sharp fangs, then takes out a list from a pocket in his coat. He undose the binding of the list and the incredibly long sheet of paper rolls out... so long that part of it rolls right out the entrance of the Cabaret Room and continues on it's seemingly endless path. Wyvern gleefully clears his throat as the Loremaster lets out a stressfull moan. It looked like it was going to be a long night... "Well..." hisses Wyvern "Here are some urgent matters that I think need to be implented into the Pen immediatly... #1) The Elder of Initiates should get twice the salary of all the other Elders combined. #2) The Elder of Initiates should be addressed as 'The majestic and handsome lizard that one can only dream to become as cunning as'. Failure to do so will result in immediate expulsion. #3) The Elder of Initiates should get an 'Anti-Melba Mallet'. #4) Several holidays should be made in honor of the Elder of Initiates. #5) Several appreciation days should also be made honoring said wyvern... I mean Elder! #6) The Elder of Initiates should be given longer lunch breaks (meaning he won't be there 90% of the time). #7) The gift of a truck load of gold to the Elder of Initiates should be a requirement for joining..." Two large men in black suites grab Wyvern by the tail and begin dragging him out of the room as the lizard continues reading off his increasingly self-centered and incredibly egoistic list. The overgrown lizard cries out "Did I mention getting massages from beautifull women yet?!" before being thrown out of the window. He lands in a trash can, in which there lies a huge discarded pile of his own I.O.Us... Ozymandias sighs, prays that the trash disposal agency will come along soon, and clears his throat... "Next!" ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze.

As the Sun begins rising over the hill crests and shedding it's light over the various tents parked by the peacefull pond side clearing, the rest of the adventurers slowly begin to awaken. Stretching, yawning, and wishing each other a good morning, the five heros decide to pack their belongings and immediatly continue onwards towards the docking harbors of Mefferius... Though the Sun shines brightly down on the lush green plains on which the party travels, and a gentle breeze prevents the heat from becoming overwhelming, the adventurers cannot help but to feel a certain sense of dread as they march on... Kaleyra is not the only one worried about the possible outcomes of the quest, as their entire journey had turned into somewhat of a chaotic fiasco after the burning of Saint Andrew's Church outside of Erindale. The three mysterious villains responsible for the burning seemed remorseless in their blasphomous actions, and Jagon's intentions still remained completely veiled in mystery. Gyrfalcon and Timothy, in particular, seem deep in thought as they press on... How had they managed to misjudge Jagon in such a manner? He had seemed like a devoted good soul when they had met him before the burning of Saint Andrew's Church... By the end of the day, just as grey clouds have begun gathering in the sky and blocking out what would have been an otherwise beautifull sunset, the adventuring party arrives at the gates of the city of Mefferius. They are surprised to find no guards there, despite the recent news of the identity of the church burners spreading across the continent... As the five heros head into Mefferius and begin heading down it's central street, they begin noticing something strange... Mefferius seems unnaturaly quiet. "Strange..." mutters Y'Tren, stroking his beard "I would have expected more noise... It's far too early for people to sleep..." There is the faint sound of a hollow echo as Y'Tren's voice resonates over the silent city streets. Gyrfalcon frowns and nods to Y'Tren's statement. "We had ought to get a boat immediatly..." mutters Y'Tren. "The sooner we leave the eeriness of this place, the better. Follow me..." It begins to lightly drizzle rain. Y'Tren covers his head with part of his cape as he swiftly leads the party through the winding and seemingly empty city streets, his knowledge of Mefferius shining through his excellent sense of direction. Passing through a side street and not noticing a pair of mischievous eyes carefully watching their every move, the adventurers finally arrive at the docking harbors of the city. They are shocked to be met by a group of guards standing watch over the area... perhaps some of the only people out at this hour. A guard slowly walks up to the party, stepping in one or two puddles and cursing along the way, and exclaims: "If you're looking for a ship, I apologize to inform you all that the docks are currently off limits... There's been an horrendous murder here which we believe may be connected with the culprits responsible for the burnings of churches. Strict regulations that noone is to rent a ship, let alone set foot on the harbor, for at least another week. I'll have to ask you to leave..." An enormous frown spreads over Y'Tren's face and he turns to the other adventurers, whispering hoarsely: "Another week?! There's no way we can wait that long... especially not with news like this! Jagon must have already been here... What shall we do?!"

Well written poem. I particularly like the rhyme scheme and the use of repitition of the word "nobody" throughout the poem, as well as the way that at the end of the final verse, "Nobody's perfect" is revisited to reflect upon the themes of love and lonliness. I would recommend that you encourage your friend to join the ranks of the Pen! [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/20/02 11:27:03 pm

News reporters begin surrounding Wyvern, shoving microphones into his mouth and rapidly asking questions... By the Gods! I know nothing of this site, though the e-mail address is certainly HOAW endorsed... That's the problem with us wyverns... our names are all the same. (though perhaps some of them differ in pronounciation, depending on what region the wyvern is from ;p) With that, Wyvern gets back to his casual panicked screaming and desperate attempts to remove leeches while avoiding bloodthirsty news rats... [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/14/02 5:42:24 pm

Good stuff Xradion... I see what you mean by the themes of these poems resurfacing in your most recent works. My personal fave from this batch would have to be "Brain Storm"... I love the antithesis in the line "n the distance, tranquillity screams." My least favorite would probably be "The Mirror", simply because I've read far too many mirror poems recently! ;p All of the poems you've presented here, though, are good at the worst. [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/14/02 5:30:20 pm

A very entertaining read Andrea (so yes, I s'pose I do give a damn then ;p). In many ways, the way in which the poem is written reminds me somewhat of freestyle hip hop poetry. Concsious venting, with little regard to rhyme and rhythm so long as the points made are clearly understood... Yet it still keeps the reader hooked till the end. Cool stuff. [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/14/02 5:15:52 pm

Xradion, Excellent stuff, I'm really enjoying this! Very originally presented point of view, and it seems apparent that the numerous biblical references must have taken some extensive research to come up with. "Heed my warning, my children. You have the power to undo all of this. Thanks to me, Eve tasted the sin of awareness." That's a great line. Wyvern can truly relate to Mephisto the "Great Dragon"... Though his bartering is primarily with Satan, Wyv feels that Mephisto and him share several things in common and that the "tempter" is certainly a potential future business partner... ;p ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/9/02 9:47:45 pm

Wyvern offers Justin and Xradion a few mock-crystaline glasses of Bruteweiser to quench their growing thirsts before sitting down and examining the poetry carefully with a pair of elegant spectacles... Very interesting poem, Xradion. As I see it, the poem is primarily based around the concept of age... When we are young, we tend to want to become adults yet at the same time are fearfull of some of the connotations of doing so. However, ironicaly enough, when many grow old they tend to long to recapture their childhood. I believe this poem captures these two opposing emotions, as the two images of the man depicted may represent two points in his life (his childhood and old age). There is a great antithesis in the feelings expressed by the two, yet at the same time they are one and the same... On a side note, mirrors seem to truly be in style in the Banquet Room! I had ought to start up a business selling cheap, non-refundable mirrors at relatively low prices... *much evil laughter* [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/9/02 9:21:27 pm

Absolutely excellent work Orlan. This poem is perhaps one of the single most deep and meaningfull pieces I have ever read on the Pen... As I see it, this single lined masterpiece relies primarily on evocative imagery that stimulates the senses and at the same time causes the reader to reflect upon his own emotions of self worth. The narrator of the poem is not only "Feelin'", nor is he simply "Groovy"... he's "Feelin' Groovy". This adjective adds an enormous layer of meaning to the poem, as the readers perception of the poem lies primarily in his interpretation of the adjective. In addition, the poem makes a brilliant allusion to the late 1960s, at which point in time the expression "Feelin' Groovy" was widely used amongst friends and cohorts. This adds a feeling of nostalgia to the narrators words, and alludes to a somewhat bitter sweet reminiscence of times passed... Also, rather then simply starting of the poem with the word "Feelin'", there is a brief silence and pause. Perhaps this moment of silence is pointing towards a certain sense of uncertainty felt by the narrator. The poem ends the same way in which it had begun, with a silence, and brings this piece of poetry full circle. These various aspects of the poem point towards it's ultimate theme: the narrators nostalgic reminiscing of the past causing him to refuse to live in the present (which is hinted at through the hesitation and the way the poem comes full circle). ;p Wyv- Who needs to get to responding to Orlan's application in the Recruiter's Office and accepting him as an Initiate! Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/9/02 9:21:50 pm

A good poem, Falcon. Throughout the various stanzas, the narrator seems to be examining different aspects of his soul and personality. It starts off with a sombre and morose tone as he depicts the negative aspects he see's in himself and then the tone gradually becomes more upbeat as he looks at the positive sides. Images such as "A wretched soul, twisted and torn" from the first stanza contrast highly with ones such as "A writer at heart, a gentle soul" from the later ones. This use of antithesis may actually be pointing to the theme of the poem: the duality of the narrator, and where this duality may lead him in the future. "Sun, Devil, Legend, Muse, Chaos...", "Destinyless and alone, my path is my own." Just my 50 cents. [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/7/02 10:46:12 pm

MR. Gwaihir, First of all, I am quite surprised that you are shocked that I am collaberating with a human. Why, I always collaberate with humans... they're such complete suckers! I rip'em off and end up with 80% all the time! Muahahahahaha! Nyyark turns to Wyvern and looks genuinely shocked. "Y-you mean you're planning to rip me off?!" "No, no... of course, not you Nyyark..." "Oh... good..." Wyvern winks to Gwaihir as Nyyark gets back to his intense developement of the Trickster Mailing system... Secondly, the HOAW (Help Out A Wyvern) youth group is a sincerely devoted and committed group that wants nothing more then the upstart and bloom of a new and better developed international economy. I'm sure you'll agree that those pesky human brats of children shouldn't belong playing on the streets... they should be working their asses off making me money! As well as polishing my shoes and giving me room service for free! In fact, truth be told, as the name suggests, this organization is primarily centered around helping me make some cheap dough, we actually don't give a damn about other lizards! So, if that was your primary concern, you can put your weary soul to rest... I would like to end my argument in support of this organization with the final word that you'll eventually be contributing to my fund, whether you like it or not (when I rule the world, I'll make it a law)! [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/1/02 8:25:30 pm

As Wyvern's obese almost secretary of initiates, Melba, sweeps and cleans around the Recruiter's Office, Xradion sits patiently and confidently in his comfortable applicant easy chair, eagerly awaiting the infamous Elder of Initiate's verdict on the piece of poetry he had submitted in the hopes of joining. He plunges deep into thought, wondering what could possibly be taking Wyvern such a long time to get to the office... Melba passes by his chair and procedes to dust it off, then decides to clean off Xradion as well as he appeared to have gathered a great deal of dust having remained seated in the same easy chair for such a long time. The violent brush of Melba's duster against Xradion's face is more then enough to wake the druid from his deep concentration... Xradion sighs and anxiously turns to the almost secretary that had just dusted him off... "Melba... how much longer till the overgrown lizard arrives again?" "As I said before..." grumbles Melba apologeticaly "I haven't the faintest ide-" The almost secretary is suddenly interrupted as Wyvern comes soaring through a glass window at the far end of the office on a jet propelled scooter with various sausages dangeling from his neck. In his hectic crash course, the lizard collides into Melba and sprays glass all over the newly swept office carpet... Quickly hopping off the scooter and watching it as it soars out of control through the office entrance and down the central hall of the Pen, Wyvern offers Xradion a linquisa sausage from his chain before seating himself at his desk and getting down to business... "Xradion..." begins Wyvern "... I greatly enjoyed your application, and think you have all the potentials of making an excellent Pen member, but I feel you must first show your loyalty to me- *clears throat* to the guild!" Xradion raises an eyebrow at this statement. "I... see... And how can I show my loyalty, may I ask?" Now munching on a tofu sausage and setting his scaly feet onto the top of his desk, the overgrown lizard snorts "Give me the legendary Eye of Odin, and I'll let you in no problem. You do still possess the item, do you not...?" Xradion nervously looks down at the office floor for a moment, uncertain of how to respond... He knew that if the Eye of Odin fell into the wrong hands, it could prove to be a catastrophe... and the greedy lizard's scaly palms certainly seemed to be the last place it belonged... Yet at the same time, if he lied saying he didn't have it and Wyvern noticed, it may have some effect on the acceptance of his application... After having considered his options for a brief moment, Xradion gets a brilliant idea. Turning to Wyvern, he murmers "I do have the legendary Eye of Odin, but I also have an even more unique and intriguing trinket that you might find twice as fascinating..." "Oooooooh?" hisses Wyvern, an evil smile spreading over his face and one of his hands going for the stamp used to accept applications "Lemme see! Lemme see!" With that, Xradion wips out the head of the king that was slain in his poem "The Accolade". Much to Wyvern's horror, the head's eyes flicker open and it turns to the overgrown lizard, bellowing " Take me, and I will never feel betrayed again!" Wyvern screams, quickly stamping Xradion's application accepted and running for the door. In the process, he trips over the chain of sausage links bound to him (one end of which is now being happily devoured by a hungry Melba) and falls into the main hall of the Pen only to be caught by his jet propelled scooter (which is still wreacking havoc through the halls) once again. As Wyvern screams and soars down the Pen hall, the chain of sausages and Melba (who is connected to the sausages) are rapidly pulled along with him. Xradion watches all this chaos in utter disbelief... Just another day at the Recruiter's Office... ;p OOC: On a more serious note, great poem Xradion, and certainly worthy of being ACCEPTED. Welcome! I'll get to sending you the appropriate passwords and such very soon... Glad to have you amongst us. [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 5/1/02 6:44:24 pm

As you mentioned in your own analysis Xradion, the poem is definatly overflowing with symbolic meaning. The black liquid could symbolise the oppressed, the silver spoon and White cow's milk the oppressors. Very creative use of symbols, I like it a lot! I'm also glad you feel welcome here. I'll get to your application as soon as I find the appropriate time to write something creative... As for the pretentiousness bit... my response all depends how much geld I was payed in advance, of course! Wyvern lets out a sinister almost dragonic laugh... [image]http://members.shaw.ca/kea/am/wyvy.jpg[/image] ------------------------------ Almost a Dragon... "My life is one big crime, I try to scheme through it." -Common, "The 6th Sense" Owner of the Decanter of Endless Booze. Edited by: Wyvern00 at: 4/28/02 8:37:48 pm