Wyvern

Both Ryu and Keiko turn from the Office Door as the sound of a creaking void-window catches their attention. They stare across the Office space with wide eyes, ignoring its current ressemblance to a miniature version of the flaming plane of Khârzalar and focusing on the struggling heap of scales at the other end of the room. The two applicants rush over to the narrow void and pull on the tail that seems to sway back and forth from its depths, helping Wyvern squeeze through the window's tight crevice.

"Urgh, thanks." Wyvern rubs his KISS striped horns and lifts himself to his feet. He blinks twice to clear the dizziness from his eyes, then shakes Ryu and Keiko's hands in turn. "Sssorry for being a little late. Woody the Office Door hasn't been opening for me ever since I put his Mahogony Travel Log up for auction, and getting in through the Office window isss a little more tricky."

Wyvern strikes a toothy grin, then makes his way through the illusionary flames of the room and over to the kneeling punk khârzalarian that's currently posing as his desk. The lizard plucks the most recent application sheet from the creature's head and reads it over, then clears his throat of a few ashes and raises his claws towards the applicants.

"Hail --- Kyusashia

Hail --- Storm Ravaged Sakura

Hail... it's water turned painful

Twice Hailed be --- Sorry I'm Late

Another Small Profit --- Foreseen Debt

A Vow Before --- No Cash After"

Wyvern lowers his claws as he glances over Ryu and Keiko's twisted looks of confusion, then snorts a smoke ring and sighs.

"Sssorry about that, got a little carried away with the current Carnival Setting." Wyvern snatches a stamp from the khârzalarian's mouth and tags the application sheet ACCEPTED. "Seemsss you two have had quite a rough past, with that T'herian rejection and all."

Wyvern hands the stamped sheet to Ryu, then glances in both directions and hisses:

"Take this back to mai takekaze, and tell'im that it can be used at a later date just so long as he signs a contract that gives Almost Dragonic Inc. exclusive rights to future television spin-offs. This may or may not include a fantasy drama ('Windthey') and a ssssitcom ('Everybody Loves Ragna')."

With that, the overgrown lizard bows and turns to go, winking suggestively towards Keiko as he makes his way back to cramped void-window exit.

OOC: An ACCEPTED application story, mai takekaze. Welcome to the Mighty Pen! :-) I look forward to reading more of your stuff here, as well as to roleplaying and interacting with some of your interesting-looking characters. I hope that you find the Pen and friendly and welcoming community to write in, and apologize for being a little late with my application response. Welcome, once again!

Wyvern tumbles through the open starlit space of the Cabaret Room, wiping the feathery aftermath of Death Metal meteors from his leather suit and bumping into several invisible walls as he makes his way towards Gyrfalcon. The reptilian Elder huddles against a transparent wall and waits until Daryl has been thoroughly tackled by Kaitlyn, watching as the girl's arms pass right through the illusionary rock and roll mohawk hair covering the Werefox. He considers counting up to "Five Mississipi" to time his entrance, but decides that it's too risky given his lisp and promptly pounces out behind Gyrfalcon.

"Hope yer birthday's going well, Gyr." Wyvern stares up at the endless stretch of Astral space and digs a claw through his pouch. He strikes a grin as he pulls out what appears to be a small block of cement, then tosses it next to the Inspiration Journel. "It'sss an Almost Dragonic Brand Writer's Blockmark™. I figure it'll fit with Ayshela's gift, for thossse inevitable hundred year periods when there ain't any ideas to jot down on paper. That one's Cement Grey, but ya can switch it for Brick Red or Black Box Weight if ya want. Have a great one!"

Wyvern sneers and strikes a quick bow, then steps over a patch of grass mysteriously stranded in the Astral and raises a claw to wish Solivagus a happy birthday. Once he's certain that Soli has seen his signal, he lets thoughts of cake guide him towards the Birthday Room... and promptly smacks into another unseen Astral wall.

;-)

Last night, I went to see Typical Cats, Qwel, Outerlimitz, DJ Om, Dove Rock, and Influence live in concert at the Elbo Room in San Francisco.

First, a funny pre-concert story; I was waiting for my friends at Amoeba Records in San Francisco so we could meet up and go to the concert, but they were running late so I ended up browsing in the store for a while. While I was browsing in the hip hop section, I overheard one of the costumers talking to an Amoeba employee about a single that he was working on with a highly respected hip hop producer, Madlib. I got curious and ended up asking him if he was a producer himself, and it turns out that he was the legendary emcee Prince Po from the highly influential rap group Organized Konfusion! I chatted with him for a bit, and he happened to be visiting the area for a concert that he had that night across the street at the Milk Bar nightclub. I slapped myself later for not getting a picture with him, since I had my camera on me... It still amazes me how many influential artists you can find browsing at Amoeba Records!

Anyway, I eventually met up with my friends and we hung out on Haight Street for a bit before driving down to the Elbo Room. It was a very intimate venue, with a small stage and dance area on the second floor. Still, the show drew quite a large crowd, probably because the cover charge was unnaturally low at only six dollars. Qwel recognized me from the Washington D.C show I saw him at and we chatted for a bit before the show started.

Influence and his partner in rhyme, whose name was something along the lines of Avalon, were the first performers to rock a set. They put on a very short set just to get the crowd warmed up, but were definitely an impressive opening act. Influence and Avalon both had nice flows and cadences, along with some excellent beats which worked really well through the club's sound system. Overall, it was a very nice way to start up the show.

Unfortunately, Dove Rock took the stage once Influence and Avalon had finished, and her set was pretty awful. She just stood around in one place on stage with a microphone and spat a bunch of spoken word-ish, pseudo-artistic crap. It was a little sad to see her perform after the animated set from Influence, particularly since a bunch of her friends seemed to be there to try to root her on and get the crowd interested. She realized that the crowd wasn't really feeling her rhymes and tried throwing on a crunk beat to seem more party-oriented, but failed to get anyone moving. Worst of all, she was using CDRs for her beats, and they frequently skipped and malfunctioned. Dove Rock's set was boring, unprofessional and lacking in any sort of passion.

After Dove Rock finished, DJ Om played a set of beats from his upcoming album on Galapagos4. Listening to Om's music felt more like an intermission between sets than an actual performance, but the tracks he played were excellent and the crowd was definitely feeling the vibes. DJ Om's music has a very creative Indonesian feel to it (his upcoming album is entitled "DJ Om's Reheated Na'an and Curry," for reference), and he incorporated some great uses of obscure sampling. It wasn't the livest set, but it definitely got me looking forward to his album.

Chicago's Outerlimitz were the next to perform, and the first act to get the crowd really hyped up. Outerlimitz are a talented group from the Galapagos4 family consisting of emcees Qwazaar (also one third of the Typical Cats) and Hellsent. The voices and charisma of these two rappers just seem to suggest that they were born to M.C, and they put on a very raw show. Loads of passion and energy over dark futuristic production. Qwa and H.e performed some stand out tracks from their album "Suicide Prevention," as well as unreleased tracks from both of their upcoming solo albums. They had the audience hooked throughout, with catchy choruses and crazy rhyme schemes. Raw aggressive energy at its finest.

Speaking of crazy rhyme schemes Qwel took the stage after Outerlimitz to perform a special solo set of tracks from his upcoming "Freezerburner" album with producer Meaty Ogre. Nobody in the audience had ever heard any of the tracks before, but everyone was super-impressed by the end of the set. Some stand out tracks included a track about how babies are born into the world and then die, and an interesting Reggae-inspired track about Rome burning. All of the Meaty Ogre beats backing Qwel were fantastic, and his next album should be amazing if the musical backing of this set is anything to go by.

Finally, the rest of the Typical Cats joined Qwel on stage as the headliner of the evening. Qwel, Qwazaar, and Denizen Kane are all excellent solo artists in their own rights, but there's definitely a special chemistry between them when they come together as a group. Denizen kicked off the set with an acapella version of his classic political track 'Patriot Act" (which Zool and I saw him perform solo last Summer). The performance only went uphill from there. You could definitely tell that Typical Cats was a group formed through longtime friendships between the three M.Cs, as they frequently made playful shoves at each other and cracked jokes at each other's expense. They complimented each other perfectly throughout their collaborative tracks, and also performed a couple of solo tracks individually, which were highlighted by Qwel's performance of "Cliché" (one of the best-written battle raps ever, in my opinion). It should be noted that, while all three of the M.Cs rocked it, Qwel kept performing even after Qwazaar and Denizen Kane were too exhausted to spit any more tracks. And when Qwel finally finished, it seemed as if he was still capable of doing another set! Typical Cats put on the best performance of the evening, overall.

To wrap this longwinded review up, here's a pic of me and the girlfriend of one of my friends chilling with the Typical Cats T.C group shot!

Wyvern grumbles to himself as he walks into yet another invisible wall, disoriented in the vastness of the Astral setting but determined in his quest to find sexy female mosh partners respond to the Office inquiries of the ever-patient mai takekaze [This message brought to you by the Tower of Elders and Almost Dragonic Brand Extra Cheap Excuses™]. The reptilian Elder rubs his aching striped horns and shuts his eyes as he slides straight, finally missing a wall and moving onto a firm piece of unseen plane. He takes a few cautious steps forward, then begins walking normally and absorbing his surroundings. The twinkling stars above him align themselves in the form of a long stick of some sort, and an enormous constellation of a drum cymbal seems to stretch endlessly beneath his feet. Wyvern pauses for a moment to consider the significance of the blatant cymbalism, then raises his head as he notices something moving adjacent to a shiny star.

"A bird?" Wyvern squints, watching as the object grows closer. "A plane? A not-so-plain bird? ... Gryphon?!"

Wyvern's jaw drops as the large object begins to come into focus, revealing its less-than-birdlike properties. A meteor. A giant, razor-sharp guitar pick of rock. Headed his way. Wyvern jumps and turns, only to find two other similar meteors on a collision towards him in the opposite direction. The lizard lets out a terrified squeal and runs around in circles, only to get his wings caught in the chains of his shirt in the process. He struggles with the outfit until he notices the rapid approach of the meteors and makes a desperate run for it... straight into another invisible wall. The lizard collapses over just as the meteors land in a hail of soft pillow feathers.

;-)

Wyvern's eyes dilute as they absorb the infinite stretch of space, roaming over the many stars that dot the vast span of night sky. He watches the twinkling stars vibrate to the dying echo of the air guitar riff, then carefully edges a foot forward and finds that the next few inches of sky are just as solid. He bites his lip and lets his eyes wander towards Tzimfemme. The naked mage seems to linger in rock star position as the echo passes, her hair a bit frazzled from thorough headbanging.

"Well, I s'pose there'ssss no business like a half a show business." Wyvern raises his claws to count, only to notice that the illusions have caused gloves to become part of his current attire. He wriggles his claws through the fingerless studded leather and glances down, noticing the chained leather "God Save the Queen Money" shirt and steel-toed boots that he now wears. The lizard instinctively strokes his horns, not noticing that they've been coated in KISS zebra stripes. "Except maybe three-fourths of a show business, errrr... should I look into getting a neon 'EMO' sign or something?"

Wyvern takes a full step towards Tzimfemme, and exhales as he finds the unseen plane just as solid as ever. The overgrown lizard glances in both directions to make sure that the expanse of space is clear aside from the two of them, then strikes a sly grin and lets his tongue flick out twice.

"Y'know, it feelsss stupid to do it in dead silence, but..." Wyvern slams his tail on the ground and spreads his leather-clad arms wide. "... MOOSSSSSHHHHHHH PIIIITTTTTTT!"

Tzimfemme smooths out a strand of her hair and calmly watches as the lizard flings himself in her direction. She sidesteps as the bulk of scales and leather nears her, and watches as Wyvern starts a not-so-peaceful descent through space.

"Arrrrrggggghhhh!" Wyvern falls head over heels in a diagonal slant downwards, cursing at the tough feel of the leather with every bump. "Da-am-mm-n-nn yo-oou-uu, cell-lle-ess-sst-ttiiiia-aaallll sttt-taaaaiii-iirrrrrrcc-caaa-aaa-aaa-aaa-ssss-sssse!"

;-)

Wyvern narrowly avoids tredding on Chiroq as he barges up to the Item Auction podium, almost wacking Fix with his tail as he positions himself at the oval base of the heather-embellished stand. The lizard strikes an excited grin and lifts his claws in a Nixon victory pose, ignoring the boos that ring out from the audience seated in the fold-out chairs below.

"Thank you." Wyvern claps his claws together and continues grinning towards the crowds. "Pleassse, continue booing... for after I show you this item, it'll be as if you just saw an awe-inspiring specter. Behold!"

Wyvern reaches down and lifts what appears to be an ordinary-looking cylindrical stick. The stick measures at about four feet in height and a third of a foot in width, and has a smooth barkless surface that flows with the natural patterns of fine wood. Wyvern raises the stick and turns it in his claws for a moment, then pauses as he notices some people abandoning their seats.

"Hey, when I said ssspecter, I didn't mean 'run away!' Hear me out!" Wyvern holds the stick above the crouds with a triumphant claw. "This is no ordinary piece of wood. It's the one, the only... Mahogany Travel Log!"

Crickets chirp throughout the Item Auction area as the present audience stares at Wyvern in silence. The reptilian Elder leans on a flower patch with a not-so-cool swagger, then snaps a claw.

"A bit of background history for thisss unique tree descendent. The Mahogany Travel Log was originally conceived and created by Woody the Office Door in his very short period of courting Rune. Woody's intentions in creating the artifact are best left undisclosed at this auction *ahem,* but needless to say, he wanted to have Rune's children some day *AHEM.* When Woody discovered that Rune would not give in to his courtship, he decided to hide the Mahogany Travel Log due to its embarassing significance to his love life. The Log remained shrunk and hidden as one of the legs of my Office desk until recently, when I noticed that the wood was of far too fine a quality to be anything that I would have invested in. Using a saw, a paperclip, a rubber band, and two Racouolette recordings, I managed to remove this leg from my desk and replace it with a perfectly stable Almost Dragonic Brand Jumbo Twig™. And now, while Melba performs Office clean up, I have brought the Mahogany Travel Log for you to bid on!"

Wyvern jumps up and down and lets out a little squeal of excitement, then turns the Travel Log horizontally so the audience can see it at a different angle.

"'But what does it do?' you ask." Wyvern strikes a toothy grin and twirls the stick for a moment. "Well, the Mahogany Travel Log is imbued with a few unique properties, courtesy of Woody's faith. When used as a walking stick, the Travel Log will prevent any possibility of tripping. The Log does not prevent the possibility of being knocked over by someone or something, but it does kill the chance of accidentally tripping on something when used for walking. The Mahogany Travel Log also puts its bearer in lesser favor with the mighty God Mahogoni Closhet, ruler over many closets and doors. The lesser nature of the bond does not allow for closet summoning or wood command, but the great God Mahogoni Closhet may grant you minor favors when you least suspect it. Perfect for when you lock yourself out of your room."

Wyvern tilts the stick vertically and taps it twice on the Auction stand to show people that it's a sturdy piece of wood.

"And there'sss more! It's rumored that, while the Mahogany Travel Log makes an excellent walking stick, its true power can only be revealed when it is used as a peg leg. If you happen to have lost a walking limb, the Travel Log will take a perfect fit in its place, and will be able to deliver a powerful kick once it exists as the leg of its bearer. The marketing practically speaksssss for itself folks: saw off one of your legs and put it up for bid as a collectors item in the Auction, then use the money you earn from it to buy yourself this mighty peg leg! Limited time only!"

Wyvern holds the Mahogany Travel Log up with both claws.

"And did I mention that the Mahogany Travel Log makes an exceptional witch's broomstick? Give this baby a 58 gram hay engine and a little magic booster, and she'll soar through the sky faster than you can say 'Wicked.' You'll be the envy of your witch colleagues with this lil' broomstick speed machine."

Wyvern strikes a wide grin and places the Mahogany Travel Log up on the Auction block.

"Wanna get yer picture drawn? If so, this is one cool-looking stick to possse with. The Travel Log can also be a fine way of playing fetch with adventurous Wiggly Cabbages. Do I hear 20 geld? 30 geld?!"

;-)

Wyvern saunters up the bumpy hill leading to the Black Boxing Ring of Tables. He covers his rear end with a square package as he runs, glancing back through the purple patches of flowers with worried eyes. The reptilian Elder breaths a sigh of relief as he passes by Gyrfalcon and Gwaihir, and lets his tongue roll loose as he removes the square package from its protective position at his rear. He flashes a toothy grin and pulls the "box" up for all to see, slowly parading it in a "gameshow prize" fashion before turning to the central table with a grunt.

"Errrr." Sweetcherrie raises a brow as she notices that Wyvern's black box doesn't have a hole anywhere on its surface. Her eyes widen as the iron surface of the "box" glistens in the sun. "Wait Wyv, don't-"

Wyvern tosses his box towards the table with a double-handed swing and an "urmph." The Black Box participants cringe and look away as the hunk of metal makes a slow arch in the sky. The square weight lands against the table with a crash, literally splitting the wood in half and catapulting both Sweetcherrie and Gwaihir's boxes into the air. Gwaihir cries out as his "Natural Cabbage Sounds vol. 1" CD goes flying out of its container and soars through the air. The disc narrowly misses Patrick's head as it flies straight into an illusionary cattle, ricocheting with a snap.

"Oopssss." Wyvern bites his lip as he looks over the damages, then scratches his head as he stares at the iron black weight that rests on the table's remains. He slaps his head as he notices a slight error, and promptly tosses a cardboard box with a hole on top of it over the iron weight. He strikes a sheepish grin to the other participants, and turns to scram only to notice Sweetcherrie's box at his feet.

"Hmmm." The lizard kneels and pokes into the box with a claw, then frowns and goes pale as he feels around inside it. "Either thisss is an Almost Dragonic Brand Deluxe Iron Toothpick™, or it'sss, errrkk... c-could it be one of Morgane's-?"

Wyvern jumps up as a dart lands at his feet, then cries out as another zips past and almost knicks his lower regions. The overgrown lizard screams and sprints down the hill with his claws over his rear as the familiar echo of girlish laughter rings over the Black Boxing Ring.

;-)

I recently saw Mel Brooks' "History of the World part 1" and David Cronenberg's "A History of Violence," both on DVD.

Mel Brooks' "History of the World" was laugh out loud funny in typical Mel Brooks fashion, and has definitely stood the test of time from its original 1981 release date. It covers everything from the prehistoric era to the French Revolution with Brooks' amazing comic wit. Standout moments to me include the prehistoric conceptions of marriage, music and art (I'm a distant descendent of the first art critic!), the last supper parody, and the King in the French Revolution skit. The whole film was pure comedy, though, and once again shows how great Mel Brooks is as an actor and director.

Cronenberg's more recent "A History of Violence" was a sharp 180 degree turn from Mel Brooks' classic, and ranks as one of the tensest films I've seen in recent years. Cronenberg reminds me of David Lynch in the manner that he portrays acts of violence as brutal and grotesque... something to flinch away from rather than to watch in awe. The tension that this film weaves is truly intense, and there wasn't one moment where I didn't have the sense that something awful was going to happen. The acting and directing were both very good, and the storyline was also very well-done and original. A very good movie, but definitely a morbid thriller and not something that'll relax your nerves.

A nice series of poems, srsizzy. :-) You touch upon quite a few interesting images and subjects throughout them. My personal favorites of this bunch are "The World's Colors" and "The World is..." The former struck me as an excellent take on differing perceptions of the world through the uses of color, while the latter avoided common cliched metaphors for the world and painted a wide variety of intriguing bleak images (though the use of "ain't" didn't fit with the tone of the piece for me, for some reason). The free association of "Dark Dreams" was also an interesting glance into your thought processes, and I like how you tackled the subject of haunting memories in "Nightmares." "Is it Love?" was probably my least favorite poem in this series, as I felt that the concept of love was spread a bit thin through the numerous contexts... though the lines "When you’re hiding right outside their window/ Watching their silent sleep, and you know/ It isn’t right" intrigued me and hinted at something more.

I'm normally not a big fan of poems that deal with very broad subjects, but I found these poems well done for the most part. :-) They struck me as well-structured and thought-provoking, and I look forward to seeing more of your stuff. Thanks for sharing these.

Wyvern bites the tip of his no. 666 pencil, coiling his tail around an illusionary flower bush and staring at the blank sheet of paper in front of him. The overgrown lizard taps a claw and stretches his wings a bit, then begins drawing a series of jagged lines across the sheet in Almost Dragonic Brand Finnius Spit Blue Ink™. He scrawls "Belated Almost Dragonic Brand Creative Birthday Responses, Volume Three" at the head of the page, then places his pencil on one of his horns and examines the sheet in all its trigometric glory.

[Carnival Booth Birthday Blueprints]

> Blueprint A: the Kyttatonic Soapbox Derby Booth

Components: soapbox, cotton balls, pheonix feathers, kitten hair, token dwarf with speech impediment.

Synopsis: A Carnival booth to be run by Mynx or CheerMynx, based on the original blueprint design and materials provided by Stoomp. Gifts of soapbox and pheonix summoning would be used to form a "pay for the latest hat fashion" booth, in which pennites would be awarded stylish derby hats made out of soapboxes. Potential designs could include a combustible (and easily disposable!) pheonix feathered cap, as well as a "soap still inside the box" beret for those too lazy (or busy) to wash hair on a regular basis. The soapbox hats could also be used as makeshift parachutes for beginners taking CheerMynx's Flying Lessons.

Ownership: Blueprint will be mailed as a gift to Mynx's recent celebration, via paper airplane.

> Blueprint B: the RepiCAW Reply Stand

Components: wooden counter, porcelain bird figurines, disgruntled Reply Raven, popsicle cooler.

Synopsis: A Carnival booth to be run by Cioden Darkeye and Falcon's Reply Raven. Those who wish to brave the stand would be blindfolded and directed to a series of porcelain bird figurines. Under the pressure of the Reply Raven's incessent cawing and Cioden's discomforting presence, the blindfolded contestent would have to answer questions about specific traits of the bird figurine they touch. Lack of response would cause the Raven to start pecking. Those lucky enough to exit unscathed would recieve a free cherry popsicle.

Ownership: Blueprint will be sent to Falcon2K1's Pen birthday warming, in the form of a paper mache ship.

> Blueprint C: the All You Can Eat Raw Meat Feast

Components: dead rabbits and deer, trees, a large bush, tooth and claw.

Synopsis: A Carnival Food bush to be hosted by Canid, offering the very latest and freshest in dead game. No utensils or tables or any other fancy eat-out add-ons. Meals would come "gutted," "decapitated," or "still twitching." No candles would be seen on Canid's birthday carcass, to keep the rawness pure and avoid any potential grilling. Any relations of dead rabbits to the Mr. Bunny family bloodline would be purely coincidental.

Ownership: This blueprint will be tacked to the tree that the paper was taken from as a gift for Canid's viewing pleasure.

OOC: I'm sure I've probably forgotten some people, but just wanted to wish a belated Happy Birthday to all.

Wyvern follows the increasing volume of his stomach growls as he searches for Carnival grub, playing a guttural game of hotter/colder. He claps his claws together when he notices Gwaihir's '"Elephants in the Fridge" booth, and licks his chops as he finds a number of delectable haiku scraps available for consumption. The overgrown lizard begins spreading honey mustard on Sweetcherrie's tutued Dumbo haiku, but then thinks better of it and scribbles a couple of artificially flavored rhymes of his own:

Celes Café fridge.

Elephant, near Eel and Elk.

Best served with peanuts.

Fridge disposal chute

on sale cheap! Sturdy grey trunk

(jumbo size only.)

Wyvern fantasy:

stuff Melba in an ice box.

Keep sharp pick handy.

*BELCH!*

Wyvern crawls his way up the tallest of the lavender hills in serpent-like twitches, dragging a bag of curly onion cheesedoodles on his stinger for provisions. The lizard hisses for breath and slows his pace, cursing and collapsing as he finally reaches the flat field that marks the hill's pinnacle. The lizard considers the potential profit that an Almost Dragonic Brand Forked Tongue Lift™ might make as he stares back down the flowery slopes, his eyes fixed on the trajectories of the Flying Booth participants below.

"Reduce travel time by six and a half daysss...?" Wyvern grumbles possible slogans under his breath as he lifts himself to his feet. He freezes at the sound of a rustling bag, but turns too late as the remaining cheesedoodles fall down the hill in cheesy-looking rolls. Wyvern slumps his shoulders and sighs, avoiding thoughts of cheesy rolls as his stomach lets out a hissy growl. "Ride the Forked Tongue: destinations a flicker away, no lie...?"

Wyvern wanders towards the tree stump at the center of the clearing, ignoring the gigantic cattle that lie seated around it. One of the cattles lets out an abnormal *bleep* noise while another flexes its wide spinning horns. Wyvern pauses next to an enormous sleeping cattle that doesn't seem to be doing anything at all, then wanders up to the flashing keyboard on top of the tree trunk. The flickering light of the worn circuitry blinks on and off quicker than before... a result of upkeeping the setting data for an extended period of time. Wyvern casts a final glance at the clear blue skies, then tacks up a sign at the foot of the stump.

----

۩ SAVE WOODY'S WARDROBE ۩

urgent setting change needed to enforce door's masculinity

۩ SAVE WOODY'S WARDROBE ۩

---

OOC: The five day (or in this case, over ten day!) period has passed, and the Carnival Setting is once again available for change from someone who hasn't done it yet. Just wanted to post this as a reminder (and favor to Woody the Door)! :-)

My situation is similar to Peredhil's, I'm afraid. :-( I lived out in Maryland for a while, but am currently residing on the opposite coast in California. Some of my folks are still out over in Maryland, though, so if you're in desperate need of a place to stay over there, PM me and I'll see if I can arrange something for you. Also, you should try to PM Ozymandias to make sure he notices this, as he might be available and would be a most worthy addition to your travel plans. :-)

Wyvern pouts at the missed opportunity, then begins touting the many incredible concert events available in California. Visit the wesssside!

Wyvern dashes through the heather-heavy archway and into the tangled hill of weeds that currently represents his Office. He ducks through the hanging flowers of the chamber with minimal horn tangle (thanks to the plantlife's illusionary state), and races up to srsizzy to give him the best almost dragonic handshake he can muster. Srsizzy begins to lift himself from the comfort of the Office's pillow-leaf bush, only to collapse back into his seat as Wyvern snatches his application story with an evil grin.

"Nice to meet ya, sssorry for arriving a lil' late." Wyvern plucks a leftover curly onion cheesedoodle from the back of one of his horns and tosses it into his mouth. "Writing is important n'all, but oggling the 'finer assets' of Pen Bachelorettes will always be a priority. Did ya check the rack on that CheerMynx, eh? EH?!"

Srsizzy raises a brow as Wyvern lets out a long hiss, and steps aside as drool begins leaking from between the lizard's teeth. The applicant twists his nose at the puddle that begins to form at Wyvern's feet, then clears his throat with a cough.

"Well, I uhhh." Srsizzy presses his hands together. "No, not yet..."

"Would you snap out of it already?!"

Both Wyvern and srsizzy turn at the sound of the grainy voice, which echoes from the direction of the Office's flowery archway. The patches of purple flowers covering the entrance seem to rustle restlessly as the creaking voice continues.

"Just read over the application so you can go and get somebody to change the damn setting booth, Wyv." Woody the "flowery archway" lets out a sob. "It's been WAY over five days. Do you have any idea how embarassing this style is for me?!"

"Alright alright. Yeesh." Wyvern rolls his eyes and wipes a spot drool from his chin, then raises srsizzy's application story to his face and reads it over. The lizard pauses and frowns upon finishing it, then squints an eye and tilts his head to view srsizzy at a different angle.

"Hmmm, very interesting Mr. Srssssizzy. You wouldn't happen to be an emissary of Ardent Satan yourself, would you? Cusss if you are, I can totally explain that picture that's missing from the top of Satan's Sockdrawer."

"What are you talking about?" Srsizzy raises a brow as Wyvern hides one of his feet under the other. "It's just a segment from one of my stories."

"You sssure?" Wyvern eyes srsizzy suspiciously, then glances back at the story. "Well, it's certainly a well-thought out piece, though we all know that the "Light" element of the Series is gonna get squa-"

"Would you just accept the application already?!" Woody's voice booms louder than before, rife with splinters. "I'm going into full bloom here."

Wyvern makes a quick nod in Woody's direction, then stamps srsizzy's application story ACCEPTED. The lizard strikes a quick bow before darting back out of the Office, not wanting to miss Alaeha's Bachelorette showcase.

;-)

OOC: An ACCEPTED application poem, srsizzy. Welcome to the Mighty Pen! I look forward to reading more of the writing that you have planned, and also look forward to participating with you in community Pen events (feel free to indulge in some of the many Carnival Activities currently underway). I hope you find the Pen a friendly and welcoming community to share your writing with. Welcome, once again.

Wyvern slips across the Double Frappuchino Mocha Latte Grande spread over the floor, lifting his wings for balance and skating in unstable twists. The overgrown lizard spins and slides by Gryphon at a dangerous angle, yelping as the tall stack of paperwork in his claws tilts to the left. He grits his teeth and dips a horn, performing a Triple Salamander Lootz and Tail Twirl that might have gotten a seven in a draconic scale skater competition. The lizard flips into the air in a somersault of flailing arms and paperwork flight patterns, crying out and soaring forward face down. He clutches a couple of remaining papers in his claws as he slides across the slippery Cabaret floor, and conveniently comes to a halt at Yui-chan’s feet.

"Uurrrgh." Wyvern twitches on the floor for a moment, then plants his tail stinger in the ground and lifts himself with a cough. “Hiya *cough* Yui. How’sss tricks?”

Wyvern wipes the sludge from his face and flashes a wide grin, then glances in both directions and raises a claw to Yui’s ear.

“Psssssssst, I think they might’ve finally found out about your secret Bard identity. Jussst givin’ you a heads up in case the news rats try to put a spin on this now that it’s public knowledge. Checking with Grim Squeaker for ‘legal advice’.”

Wyvern distances his snout from Yui’s ear and begins whistling an off-key tune. He stares at the ceiling as he shifts through the miraculously dry papers in his claws, then extends one in Yui’s direction while maintaining his nonchalant expression.

“Petition for a Private Bard Golden Lavatory Tanning Booth?” Yui stares at the sheet with a blank expression, noticing that the list of names signed on it consists of Wyvern’s familiar scrawl repeated five times. “Clause I: amidst the Private Lavatory, the toilet paper shall consist of the softest of ancient writing parchments…?”

“Oh, about Claussse VI.” Wyvern points a claw further down the page. “The scantily clad vixen masseuse – I can add in a sub-Clause that rotates it between a succubi and a Scantavia brother based on daily shifts. Wouldn’t want ya to feel left out!”

“Hmm.” Yui frowns as her eyes skim further down the page, reading over Clause IV’s detailed descriptions of Wyvern-shaped geld donation bins, which are thinly guised as a money-raising method for expensive soap. "Hmm."

“C’mooon.” Wyvern tilts his head over Yui’s shoulder to try to see which passage she’s reading, obstructing her view with his snout in the process. “It might even make the whole Bard thing useful! You did read the bit about the telekinetic lighting adjussstment system that’d be installed, right? I’ll let ya think about it.”

Wyvern grins and winks, then turns to go but stops short. Yui-chan breaths in a sharp breath as Wyvern turns back around and gives her a big Frappuchino-soaked hug, letting the caffeinated beverage trickle down her attire. He smiles a genuine smile.

“Congratulationsss, Yui-chan.”

Wyvern turns again to go, only to slip over a banana that somebody dropped. He sails past Gyrfalcon and Annael with a scream, only to trip over a kneeling Stoomp and roll across the ground until he reaches a halt as Finnius plants a heel.

“Urgh.”

;-)

Interesting poem, Savage Dragon. :-) I found a number of the concepts that you introduced in this piece very thought-provoking, particularly in the lines dealing with the love evoked through the love interest's ability to deal with hardship and imperfection. The biblical references in the first stanza were also a nice touch, and well-incorporated.

There were one or two spots where I felt that the poem could be condensed a bit more, particularly in the seventh stanza where the line "I am not a man of action" just seems to repeat the line before it and felt a little blunt to me.

Nice work, overall. :-) Thanks for sharing this.

Wyvern lets out a long groan as he shifts the position of his head, his surroundings spinning in and out of focus. The overgrown lizard shuts his eyes and shakes his wings, clenching his teeth in an attempt to ignore the thought of his tail being stretched like a used piece of almost heroic knight chewing gum. The reptilian Elder goes cross-eyed for a moment, then rubs a claw across his horns as he finds that a flowery hillside has replaced the dark crags of rock that had onced characterized his cloudy booth. He raises a brow at the soft patch of orange and tan flowers beneath him, and contemplates their ressemblence to grass.... only to deduce fur. Wyvern promptly lifts his other claw from the region of Mynx's breasts and springs up straight, whistling to himself and stepping away from her figure just as the feline begins to awaken.

"Hmmm." Wyvern watches Kaitlyn do her best "Flying Lessons Minta" impression through the air, only to breath a sigh of relief as she lands on the escaping Grax. He glances at the line of string of his booth, still cheap thread under Ayshela's hill illusions, and frowns as he finds that it's been practically grounded and no longer seems to float.

"Dangitall, thissss'll never do!" Wyvern throws his arms in the air with a growl. "Ferrang, cease operationssss immediately, revert to pla-"

Wyvern freezes in place as he notices Sephora at the far end of the booth, still tackling the ride like a true cowboy. But the contraption bucking back and forth no longer took the ressemblence of a cloud. It now bore the illusion of a Cattle's cattle: the mighty bucking bronto.

"Ferrang, a switch in ordersss, keep pulling!" Wyvern races to his sign and scratches out "Smoke Cloud Sky Lift," replacing it with "Bucking Bronco Endurance Challenge." "Give'em the 'ol one-two pull!"

"Yes *gasp* sir." Ferrang continues to frantically pull from his position, his chainmail now transformed into farmhand gear. Nobody notices the knot of string tied around the sleeping bull's horn as it begins to loosen, snapping under the pressure of the pulls...

Here are some pictures from the Edan and Prefuse 73 show that I went too, courteousy of a new digital camera and a certain amateur who has yet to figure out the intricacies of it... ;-)

1) To start things off, here's a snazzy concert poster found posted within the venue. Already hints at the trippy feats to come...

2) Edan the gentleman and scholar, adjusting the distortion on his microphone. Dagha, in equally elegant old-school attire, not pictured here.

3) Whether it be microphone, turntable, or kazoo and guitar, it's all fine music to the Humble Magnificent.

4) The Rap Beautician is in full effect! A definite highlight of the evening and a class move on the part of Dagha. Probably the best pic of the bunch, for the expressions on their faces alone.

5) Whether it be microphone, turntable, kazoo and guitar, or antenna frequencies, all music to him.

6) Dagha shifts through old vinyls as a picture guide to Edan's verse. At this particular point, they've arrived at a line about the Creedence Clearwater Band.

7) Prefuse 73 (pictured at a different angle here) starred as the headliner, but didn't put on as interesting a performance. Still, it was nice to see electronica mastermind Scott Herren in action (he had a pretty cool shirt too).

The mandatory ego-boosting "look at me look like a weirdo next to a music artist" pic: Wyvern and Edan.

I've been visiting D.C for the last couple of days to attend my sister's highschool graduation, and took the opportunity to see Edan and Prefuse 73 live, as they happened to be performing at the 9:30 Club this evening.

Edan was the act that really drew me into seeing the show, as he's been critically acclaimed for his live show from just about everyone who's had the opportunity to see him. After watching him perform, I can safely say that he lived up to the hype. He and his rhyming partner Dagha both came out dressed in suave suite and tie combos, and proceeded to destroy their respective microphones from the beginning to the end of their set. Too many highlights to mention... Edan used a vocal distortion box to occasionally blur his and Dagha's voices at opportune moments, which complimented the psychadelic rock influence of his music. The psych rock approach didn't end there, as Edan also took several moments in the set to sit down, take out a guitar and a kazoo, and perform some improvised psychedelia of his own. He even threw on Velvet Underground's "Femme Fatal" between two songs, and also didn't hesitate to break out a bit of Hendrix, at which point Dagha threw on a long wig of hair and moshed around the stage in true Hendrix fashion. They also kicked a collaborative rap accapela that was so coordinated it was mind-boggling, and really seemed to have perfected complimenting each others vocals on stage. During the song "Rap Beautician," Edan sat down and kicked his verses while Dagha pulled out a bouquet of flowers and began handing one to each girl in the front rows of the audience- smooth! Edan took a moment to spin old-school hip hop records, and even rapped while scratching simultaneously. Perhaps the most stunning highlight of the set, however, was the song that closed the evening... Edan noted that his mom had invited several middle-aged women to the concert, and that he wanted to end his set on a very soft note. He began strumming a very gentle melody on his guitar, then slammed his foot down on a guitar peddle that gave his instrument a huge heavy metal burst, leading into the raucous track "Rock and Roll." In the middle of the track, Edan pulled out what appeared to be a radio antenna, and began playing melodies through the distortion caused by moving his hands towards and away from the antenna. To top it all off, during Edan's last verse in the song, Dagha pulled out a series of old vinyl records referenced in the lyrics, and shifted through the vinyls like a picture guide to Edan's words. Fantastic set! Highly recommended.

Prefuse 73, a psuedonym of the well-known electronica innovator Scott Heron, came out as the headliner of the evening. The group consisted of Scott Heron (who was either on turntable manipulation or on laptop/MPC, I'm not entirely sure), another person aiding on laptop (or turntable, not sure), and a live drummer. Prefuse 73 has definitely made a huge impression on the world of electronica with his music, but unfortunately I didn't think that his compositions translated well to the stage. It was difficult to see what any of the musicians were doing from their respective positions (with the exception of the drummer, who was obviously drumming away), and their music seemed to get tedious after a while. I ended up leaving to catch a metro train after about 50 minutes into their set... More of a headphone listening experience than an act to catch live, in my opinion.

Still, great show on the basis of Edan alone. :-) I took several pics inbetween my dancing, and will try and get them up online to share'em here when I get back to Berkeley.

Wyvern glances in both directions to make sure that Ayshela and Kaitlyn are the only figures "darting" in the area, then takes a deep breath and hops over a small volcanic crevice near the Cabaret Room door. The overgrown lizard squints through the dark clouds that waft through the room and takes a cautious step forward, only to freeze up as a creature more unnerving than any breed of illusionary dragon rubs against his leg. Wyvern jumps with a cry as he finds a cute and innocent kitten at his feet, and rushes forward only to trip over another of the countless minions. He flails his wings and tail as he falls over into a row of three kittens, and immediately jumps up with a grimace of disgust. The reptilian Elder turns to kick one of the minions with all his might, but stops as he notices a rather disgruntled-looking Patrick at his side.

"Oh! Happy B-day, Pat."

Wyvern pauses as he watches a fox tail flash through a cloud of smoke, then reaches into his tunic and pulls out a set of Almost Dragonic Brand Baby Crib Notes™ stolen from a variety of parenting exams. He shoves the sheets into Patrick's hands, and tosses in a "birthday card" that depicts two images. The pic of a stable Almost Dragonic Brand Molten Lava Lamp™ on the left of the card is tagged with a "Use This" above it, while the shakey-looking highschool volcanoe experiment on the other side of the card is labeled with a "don't use that!"

"Hope thesssse help with the exams..."

Wyvern flashes a toothy grin and bows, only to go stiff as a dart sails through the air behind him and lands at his side. The overgrown lizard's eyes widen as he notices the intials "Lil' M" engraved on the dart's oval body, and he dashes through the hell of kittens without another moment of hesitation.

;-)

OOC: Hope you had a good one, Patrick.

Wyvern scurries across the wide flame-design carpet of the highest Pen cupola, raising up a large hunk of fabric as he skids to a halt. The reptilian Elder pants and hunches over, ignoring the red dragon that stares at him from a curving balcony attached to the ceiling. He doesn't hear the large monstrosity as it buzzes with a bout of static, nor does he see the dragon's scales as they pulse and implode for a moment. Wyvern steps around the hunk of carpet in front of him and inspects the chamber, skimming over the twirling dragon mural, kneeling camel statues, and dart-riddled hovering carpets before finding the table of scripture. A worn out keyboard is planted at the center of the cryptic writing, positioned within a drawing of a pyramid adjacent to two dragon claw prints. A green light flickers on and off at the base of the keyboard, like an exotic glowing emerald.

"That sssseemed quick."

Wyvern ignores the bleeping sound that a tall guardian camel statue makes and steps to the side of the twirling dragon mural (which, in addition to depicting images of twirling dragons, actually twirls around in circles). He leans back against a large camel statue that doesn't seem to be doing anything at all and reaches into his bag, pulling out several Almost Dragonic Brand Molten Lava Lamps™ and a couple of "End Sale" stickers. The lizard sets three of the lamps onto the scripture table when a tiny object zips through the air, narrowly missing his horns. Wyvern pauses for a moment as he tries to remember the types of illusionary mosquitos that fly in this temperature, only to jump up as two darts land an inch away from his feet. He drops the rest of his lamps and turns to run as the distinct sound of girlish laughter echoes through the tall walls of the tower.

;-)

OOC: Five days have passed since the Carnival setting was set to Sweetcherrie's "Middle-Eastern Magma" setting, meaning that the setting is now available to change for anyone who hasn't done it yet. The Carnival will remain in the current setting until a post is written here changing it. Have fun!

I went out to the theatre today and saw Spike Lee's latest film, "The Inside Man."

My expectations for this film were high after reading several positive reviews of it, and I must say that it didn't disappoint in the least. The film details a brilliantly planned bank robbery, and is full of exciting plot twists that really keep you engaged as it progresses. I won't spoil any of the movie here, but the it keeps you guessing throughout and still ends up surprising you in the end. The film is also full of social commentary in a typical Spike Lee fashion, but it doesn't get in the way of the fast-paced plot and exciting progression of events. The script is superb, and the dialogue is full of enough wit and style to catch you off-guard. The acting is also excellent, with Denzel Washington (the hostage negotiator), Jodie Foster (the too-chirpy-for-her-own-good real estate agent), Christopher Plummer (head of the bank branch), and William Dafoe (coordinating police officer) all delivering Grade-A performances. I'd rank this film on par with "25th Hour," which was my favorite Spike Lee movie. Even people who don't generally check for Spike Lee's films and simply want an intriguing detective-type crime movie should be thrilled by this. A must-see!

I read through this recently, and thought that it lived up to your usual reputation for excellent stories and scenarios Zadown. One thing that I found intriguing about this story was how it focussed on the perspective of Jankiize for a change, instead of the Dreamer. The switch felt a little disorienting at first, but really worked effectively as the story unfolded and progressed. It was cool to experience Jankiize's worries and fears throughout the various conversations and situations, and her contemplations about mortality were also intriguing. I also found it interesting that it was Jankiize that called upon the Dreamer for help for a change, instead of the Dreamer dragging her off on some mission. My favorite moment in this was the campfire scene before the battle when Jankiize is drifting off to sleep, as the masked exchanges of father-daughter love between Jankiize and the Dreamer were really perfectly done there (and I also loved the Dreamer's typically bad-ass statement: "Those exceedin'ly stupid an' reckless should never be allowed t' breed - 'tis a favor to these Thalkemians, this cullin,'" hahaaa). :-) I also really liked the point when Jankiize was upset over her exchanges with Melenar and Regher, and quickly switched the subject to the weather to avoid talking about it. Great stuff!

In terms of possible things to improve: I think Jankiize's need to drive away the Thalkemians might be made a little more urgent if more backstory was given behind their current crusade, though it could an element referenced from another story that I forgot about. Still, the first few posts felt a little less intriguing to me than the posts after Jankiize's need to drive away the Thalkemians is revealed, and you might want to reference the conflict a bit earlier somehow. On a minor note, I also noticed that this story had more typos in it than Dreamer stories usually do (perhaps it was your mortal side coming out to play via Jankiize? heeheehee!), but they didn't really detract from my reading or anything. :-)

Anyway, great stuff once again Z'down! Sorry to keep getting to your stories late, I hope my tardy responses ain't too disorienting or anything. I'll be checking for your other ones, as usual. :-)

Wyvern knots the last end of loose string using a claw and laces it around what appears to be the horn of a sleeping volcano dragon. The cheap string still looked like cheap string, even under the wave of Sweetcherrie's exotic "Middle-Eastern Magma" illusions, but the rickety seats attached to the line took the shape of billowing clouds of smoke. Wyvern cackles and rubs his claws together, then races back to his patterned ticketing tent (or old blanket on a stick, if you wanna be accurate about the material behind illusions).

"Ferrang, start yer pulling!" Wyvern darts behind the table at his booth and arranges the ugly hats that rest there on display. "Grax, get up here and hold the tickets in yer mouth. C'mon, I ain't payin' you those leftover fishbones for nothing!"

A lizard man dressed in a faux suit of chain mail begins pulling on the string from a far corner of the Conservatory, causing the a line of seat-clouds to move forward in a linear fashion. A midget troglyodyte hobbles over to Wyvern's booth as the seat-clouds begin moving along, and snatches a long line of tickets in his mouth before positioning himself in front of Wyvern's tent like a statue.

Wyvern grins as he eyes the elements of his new ride coming together, then hangs a large piece of cardboard in front of his tent.

----

Wyvern presents... The Summer Carnival Smoke Cloud Sky Lift!

Take a ride on your very own smoke cloud!*

Perfect view of what the rest of the Carnival looks like from a dazzling** height.

First four people to ride get an Almost Dragonic Brand Turbumbrella™ for those dirty ash rains, free!***

10 earned geld for participating.

*(almostdragonicinc.doesnotadvocatetheridingofotherpersonalgaseousclouds)

**(dazzlingfromtheviewpointofatinyant)

***(plus5non-earnedgeldsalestax)

----

On-lookers stare at the booth with suspicious glances. The design of the ride could hardly be called a "ski lift," let alone "Sky Lift" given the six feet above the ground that marked its pinnacle. Never the less, given the billowing nature of the seat-clouds and the shakey claw-handled string, perhaps that was for the better.

"Sssstep right up!" Wyvern adjusts the hideous Turbumbrella that rests on his head and waves a claw. "Most exciting ride since 'Almost Dragonic Brand Xtreem Surfing™'! Grab yer ticket straight outta Grax's mouth and get yer relatively free Turbumbrellas™ while suppliesss last! Perfect for far-sighted dragon spotting and cloudy unstable romance!"

OOC: Feel free to RP and take this thread in whatever direction you want. ;-) 10 earned geld for participating.

Nice poem, Regel. :-) The imagery of the ship crashing and of the stranded crew were both well done, and I really like how some of the language you used reflected the crew's perspective. The rhyme scheme of the poem also worked well, though I felt that the adverbs of the second stanza twisted the flow of the piece a bit (particularly "literally," which is somewhat irrelevent). Also, while the story of the poem is interesting and cool to read, I had trouble looking at it in any metaphorical or thematic sense, though the general notion of tragedy does seem to apply. On a minor note: "groans" should probably read "groaned" in the last stanza to stick with the past tense of the rest of the poem.

Nicely done, thanks for sharing this.