Wyvern

Wyvern barges into the Conservatory with a half-drunken swagger, waving his bottle of Almost Dragonic Brand Gaseous Bruteweiser Absinth™ as if it were some kind of pricey holiday beverage. The overgrown lizard collapses into a seat at a large table where a banquet has been set and lets his tongue hang loose. He drags his ribbon-covered tail under the chair, then raises his bottle to the pennites in attendence. "Another year, n'you guysh are shtill the greatest *hic!*" Wyvern places a large wrapped package on the tabletop and begins unraveling it. "To shelebrate, I thought we might make holiday ornamentsss to commemorate Pen eventsh this year, usin only household items to make'em. Exsssample in *hic* point." Wyvern finishes unwrapping the package, leaving a mountain of crumpled paper wrap around a smaller ornament. The decoration features a statuette with a tiny castle made of Lego bricks standing on its head, as well as a series of brown tea bags padding its chest. On top of the Lego castle stand five toothpick stick figurines, a seperate receit attached to each of their toothpick hands, their legs and arms bent and tied into dramatic positions. The arms of the larger statuette extend and clasp at a poorly fabricated origami lizard, bending the red giftwrap that it's made out of at the head. A wire extends from the base of the statuette and causes a tuft of Mynx hair to hover over the entire scene like an angelic deity. Two feathers extend from the hair like wings, with two shiny silver pieces dotting each of the feathers, giving off an eerie owl eye effect. On the side of the base of the ornament, the title is written in a messy scrawl: Mighty Pen Slam Quest, '05 Wyvern looks over the ornament in silence for a moment, then breaths a silent prayer for Shiny the Elder Dwarf and smirks at the thought of Mira's generous bribe and "dynamite" performance. The lizard swoons and dips his face into the tomatoe soup bowl near his seat, then gurgles and slurs: "Plenny more where that came from *hic*" Wyvern raises a claw in the air. "Anyone else got'em? I figuresss we can sell'em at ridiculoush pricesss... even if 'dey are priceless!" OOC: Add your own!™ ;-)

Nice little piece of flash fiction, Patrick. :-) I thought that the subject matter you chose to tackle in this was mature and thought-provoking, and found the realism of the piece very strong. I really liked the choice of the hospital ruins as the main setting for the kids playing their game of ball, and thought that your uses of colour were effective at giving the feel of devastation that war produces. The final situation with Dasha was also tragic in an appropriate way, and drove across the theme of the piece well. Having said this, I'm not sure if this piece conveyed a sense of cruelty to me. I think this may be due to the emphasis on telling in the piece, since many elements of the situation are told and repeated to the reader rather than shown. I think that in a piece this short, a strong eye for detail is very important, as you need to draw the reader into the piece and make them experience the situation to show that it's cruel. What I might recommend is to include more specific details on the devastation that the war has caused: especially things that the reader wouldn't want to see. Some spots where you could elaborate: Dasha's last memory of her parents, her memories of her shelter families, a description of Dasha herself and the boys she plays with, the description of the ruined reception area of the hospital, a more vivid depiction of Dasha's death. Give the reader more details to wince about, and I think the sense of cruelty in war should become much clearer. :-) Anyway, still nice stuff. Keep up the good work.

Certainly a depressing piece, I can sympathize with the loneliness expressed here as well. What really gets to me about it, though, is that the tiny glimmer of hope that the second person of the piece expresses at the end is just taking her back to where she started from. :-( I guess it isn't only "the first little while" that one can fool themselves into thinking that they don't need to be loved. It's also interesting how the ambitions of popularity and success in this are equated to the feeling of being loved, since many popular celebrities are very lonely people at heart. Anyway, just know that the Pen is always here as a place to receive love and respect from. :-) There are plenty of people here who will always care about you and your endeavors, and creativity will never be a requirement for checking in with us and just letting us know how you're doing. I realize it probably sounds general written down here directly, but we do care. ;-)

Wyvern licks a claw, then flips to page 666 of his Almost Dragonic Brand Wickedipedia™, removing the counterfeit gift receit that rests there as a bookmark. The lizard holds the page out with a sneer, pointing at the title and the table of contents. Arrestuvus ("can happen to the best of us") The holiday of Arrestuvus originated as part of a recent Almost Dragonic Brand Xmas Sucker Sales Campaign™, in the hopes of selling a wider variety of products and of brainwashing people through Racouolette Christmas Jingle advertisements... Contents 1 "The Scheme" 2-50 Almost Dragonic Brand Advertisements™ 51 The Main Element of Arrestivus 52-100 Almost Dragonic Brand Advertisements™ 101 The Miracle of Arrestivus "The Scheme" In order to participate in the holiday of Arrestuvus, all participants must first become involved with a far-fetched scheme that has no higher than a 10 percent probability of succeeding. The scheme must be of a magnitude to alert authorities, who will intervene and bring the special occasion to life. The holiday was first brought up in the following dialogue between Wyvern and his reflection in the mirror: Wyvern: You're ssssuch a brilliant schemer, did you know that? Wyvern's Reflection: ... Wyvern: A holiday based around the poor fortune of your schemes would make an excellent scheme in and of itself, don't you think? Wyvern's Reflection: ... Wyvern: By the way, did I mention how great you look in a Santa outfit? Wyvern's Reflection: ... The Main Element of Arrestuvus: Arrestuvus revolves around a series of questionable actions that gradually elevate to a "less than legal" state. The following components can be used to achieve a festive Arrestuvus occasion: The Arrestuvus Pole: A silver pole used for lapdancing, originally stolen from YanYanGanaffi's Cabaret Room Poker Bar. During Arrestuvus, the pole is openly displayed and used for its original purpose. Should the authorities that arrive prove to be violent and hostile, the pole can also substitute as a club/battering ram. The Arrestuvus Dinner: Almost Dragonic Brand Yack-oroni and Cheesyness™, Green Eggnog and Hamphibian, and a big ol' platter of curly onion cheese doodles. Should the dinner occur after the authorities arrive: bread and water. The Airing of Jingles: After every Arrestuvus dinner, the Racouolette's "Greatest Christmas Smash Glass Hits" will be played in full with the volume on 13. This piece of Christmas fear can be bought at all outlets that stock in Almost Dragonic Brand Products™, and participants are encouraged to sing along... or at least scream in unison in the hopes of drowning out the sounds. The Feat of Strength: See "The Airing of Jingles." The Arrestuvus Miracle: People tend to survive this holiday. ;-)

Wyvern slithers from his corner of the Cabaret Room, his tail freezing up at the sight of Signe's "silver bells." The lizard lets out a nervous jitter, and tugs at his tight shirt collar (or is it his shirt collar?) as beads of sweat trickle down his scaly neck. He lets his forked tongue fall loose as his head sways to the motions of Signe's walk, only to snap out of it as he remembers the half-finished product in his right claw. Almost Dragonic Brand Egg-Yog™, minus the egg... and the troll toe jam spice. The overgrown lizard wavers, caught somewhere between anxiety and excitement. She'll hinder your schemes, that one, remember? Wyvern nods vacantly to his conscious, his eyes fixed on Signe's fingers as she tugs her santa cap over her horns. You're working on a project, remember? Egg-Yog? Cooked using clubs? Next big troll sensation? Helllooooooooooo?! Anybody home?! Wyvern stares at the shapeless statuette in his claw for a long moment, then lets out a quick sigh and drops it, running out of the room. The lizard returns wearing a billboard surrounded by flashing neon Christmas lights and large arrows. It reads: HAREM ASSOCIATE #36 - WYVERN XXXMAS 4 LIFE! ;-) OOC: a happy holidays to you, Signe. It's great to see you around.

The invisible Hell imp is squashed with a *splat* as Wyvern slams his large calculation device onto the desk of quizes. The lizard bites his lip as he begins typing in the answers, his claws causing an irritating clacking sound as they work the keyboard. "Yeeeeesh, thisss is tough... my favorite sin?" Wyvern waves a claw at the jumbo-calculator in disbelief. "Why don't they just ask me which bag of geld is my favorite while they're at it?! God damned impossible quizes." Wyvern pauses and mulls over the question, then types in "Greeavarealousvyust" and enters it with a satisfied grin. Steam seems to rise from the calculator as numbers are added up at a staggering rate. "Man, I hope that pic I stole from Satan's sockdrawer won't count against me in this." The lizard licks his lips as he types in 'part-time succubi pet' for his occupation, causing the calculator's asterix key to explode in flames. "After all: if I get below a four, I'm gonna be disappointed!" Wyvern types in his final response as "What's chastitty?" and slams down on the enter key. The device seems to tremble for a moment, then prints a number from the side. Wyvern frowns as he examines the '2,' only to pause as he notices the series of zeroes after it. The lizard pulls at the paper, only to find that the series of zeroes continues with each five feet of paper pulled from the calculator. After thirty feet of paper have been removed, the colossal number ends at half a zero. "Jussst my luck." Wyvern tugs at the loose end of paper, removing the last of it from the calculator. "The damned thing had to run out of paper." "Don't worry, that isn't even the right quiz. That thing just calculates the number of lawyers you're likely to meet in the afterlife." Wyvern turns to the sound of the familiar voice, only to be met by...

Annael, I'm sorry to hear that this occured. If it's any comfort to you, I think that it was probably an accident on somebody's part. I'd wager that somebody saw your signature, thought that you borrowed it from some other poet, and decided to use it as well. I don't think that anyone would go into the actual writing that's been posted on these boards under your name and steal from there, because plagiarism is a crime that is enforced by law on the internet just like it is in real life. I'm sure that if you found the person who originally borrowed the quote and explained that it's your writing, they would apologize and remove it or give you credit for it. :-) Out of curiousity, though: how are you sure it was somebody from these boards? How do you know that it wasn't someone who was just browsing here on a one-time visit and noticed it, and decided to borrow it? I must say, you're pretty quick to jump the gun on us Ann. ;-p *sniff, sob* Wyvern winks and sticks his forked tongue out with a pttthhhbbbbbtttttttttt, then sets up a bet booking stand, placing his money on the artist that drew the angel avatar that Annael once used as the culprit! Hope the issue's resolved, Wyv-

Wyvern lets out a ruthless cackle as he screws the final beady sprocket into place. He ignores the pain in his tail as the "mousetrap" creaks and groans, his face frozen in a wicked grin as it moves a trembling metallic paw. Wyvern ties a stray coil of electric wire to the beast's back, jumping as it springs to life in a shower of sparks. He raps on the "mousetrap"'s snout with a claw, then listens to the hollow-yet-sturdy clang with a victorious grin. Several hours later, Wyvern treds into the Conservatory with what appears to be a large lump of purple curtains tredding behind him, connected to a metal chain and leash that the reptilian Elder holds. The lizard comes to a stop as he arrives at the podium that he had spoken at earlier. The pile of curtains coming to a clanging halt behind him. "Ladiiieeesssssssss and gentlemen." Wyvern spreads out his claws in a proud pose. "The era of magical Pen mousetraps that turn rats into matchstick figurines shall soon come to an end! Allow me to introduce the next generation of Mighty Pen mousetraps." Wyvern reaches into his pouch, and pulls out a remote control along with a miniature loudspeaker. The lizard flicks a switch on the loudspeaker, and exclaims something inaudibly. He then frowns and glances at the switch for a moment, and flicks it the other way. "ALMOST (Almost) DRAGONIC (Dragonic) BRAND (Brand) MOUSEKETEER™ (Teer-Teer-Teer...)!" Wyvern hits the big red button on his remote control and the curtains drop from the lump's form, revealing a hideous metallic rat made out of junkyard scrapmetal, twisted wire, and leftovers from Patham's last carnival swapmeet booth. "YES (yes) YES (yes)!" Wyvern stares at the echoey loudspeaker and frowns for a moment, then drops it with a clang that echoes loudly and makes the room tremble for a moment. "The first Mighty Pen mousetrap designed specifically with the intention of catching the Grim Squeaker! Obssserve." Wyvern clicks another button on his remote, causing the deformed robot to move forward in uneven jerks. The rat speaks in a monotone robot voice. "Squeak. Squeak. ... Oh. Help." The rat-bot pauses and turns its whiskers to the ground. "The. Cheese. That. I. Ate. Is. Not. Settling. Well. ... Oh. I. Am. Dying." Wyvern grins and strikes a claws up to the crowds as the mousetrap keels over and collapses. The crowds move their feet as the mouses used aluminum plate ears go rolling across the ground. A flare of sparks flies from the rat-bot's tail for a moment, then goes dead. "When the Death of Rats tries to pick it up, he'll get paralyzed by the sparksss!" Wyvern jumps and down with excited glee. "Isn't it marvelous?" "Errr." Katzaniel moves out of the crowds and taps the defunct rat-bot's head gently with a foot. The head rolls off in an instant, its wire whiskers becoming embedded in the ground. "Does it uhhh, does it work twice?" Wyvern grins and raises a claw to respond, only to freeze in place for several minutes. The overgrown lizard's grin gradually fades, and he scratches the back of his head with a nervous twitch. "Eheheheh." The lizard clears a few ashes from his throat. "Well, errrr, I guess a backup mousetrap might be good. Watcha guys got?"

A cold draft of air breezes through the Pen as the Cabaret Room door swings open, revealing a disfigured snowman in a blinding cloud of snowflakes. The snowman nudges forward, miniature stalactites of ice hanging from its party hat nose and used spear arms. The snow slowly melts as a curious Bravery rolls a scarf around his face and waves a hair dryer in its direction. Pennite eyes widen at the sight of Wyvern underneath the snow, shivering and speechless, his scales blue from the cold. The frigid lizard removes the spears from his behind with a wince, then jerks forward towards Finnius and lays an icey claw on his shoulder. The Blue Man goes pale. "H-h-h-h-happy b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-birthday F-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-f-Finnius." Finnius raises a brow as the blue lizard hands him what appears to be an ice sculpture of a rabbit with a spear sticking out of its chest. The "sculpture" dethaws a bit as hunter war cries echo outside the Cabaret windows. "H-h-h-h-h-h-hope y-y-y-y-y-y-you h-h-h-h-h-have a g-g-g-g-g-g-oo-g-g-g-g-g-g-good one." With that, the reptilian Elder collapses to a shivering heap on the floor. ;-) OOC: Happy birthday, Finnius. :-)

Nice poem, Beautiful Nightmare. :-) I found the self-destructive images effective at driving across the desperation and numb feel of the poem, and the thought of blocking out screams and shouts by physically cutting them off was as intriguing as it was disturbing. I stumbled a bit on the rhyme scheme of the second stanza, which didn't follow the ABCB rhyme scheme of the rest of the poem and broke the rhythm a little. I also thought that the last two lines of the piece were a little weak when compared to the rest of the poem, and you might consider replacing them with something less direct. Nicely done, once again. :-)

An interesting poem, Tavarilyn. :-) I really like how it plays with modern language, and definitely think that it drives across the annoying tone and eventual disruption of meaning that slang can cause. I liked how the stanzas maintained a fragmented structure and rhythm, as I thought they reflected the manner of speech well. I wasn't entirely satisfied by the ending of the poem the first time I read it, but after several reads I think the use of elipses and more obscure abbreviations in the stanza bring the poem to a meaningful close. Message sent. ;-) Nicely done.

Read through this recently, and I think that it's another excellent story from you Zadown. :-) I found the imagery of the drow army really captivating, and the images of the floating tree fortress and giant weaver spider are sure to stay stuck in my mind for some time to come. I really liked Lady Tanjako Awo and Festion as supporting characters, as they both had very original characteristics and personalities that stood out to me, regardless of their lack of story time. The Dreamer was a pleasure to read as always, and I thought you conveyed his emotions and impressions really well in this story through details like the color of his eyes and his facial expressions. I even felt the Dreamer's joy when he led the last of his old minions on their final suicide rampage. ;-) It was also interesting to see the Dreamer lose in battle for a change, and there was definitely a sense of sadness and loss by the end of the piece. Great job with fufilling the fates... the leader of the drow army is sure to give lesser planewalkers nightmares at the mere thought of her power. ;-) In terms of nitpicking: I thought that the slanged planewalker dialogue was a bit overused in this piece. The slang has always struck me as a unique and identifiable characteristic of the Dreamer, and to hear everybody use it made things a bit distracting and confusing at times. Also, while I had a good sense of Phacyra's relation to the Dreamer, I kind of wanted to get a better sense of his physical appearence, though the daggers were a nice touch. Is there an earlier story where Phacrya is described more thoroughly? Anyway, excellent stuff once again, sorry that it took me so long to get to reading it. :-) I have some catching up to do, and am looking forward to reading "Descent" and "Solitude..." as soon as I can shake that disturbing image of angels and demons with distorted/similar faces from my mind. ;-)

Sweetcherrie turns to reverie upon hearing his voice, having not noticed him enter with Patham yet feeling the warmth of his smile before spotting him. She smiles back to him as the puppy taps her wrist with a paw and waggles its tail. The red ruby chain sways back and forth with each excited "yip!" "Wow," stammers Sweetcherrie, staring back and forth and grinning. "Thanks you guys! It's so late, errr, early, or-" "Well," says Patham with a cool shrug. "A full moon is out, so it's a nice night to be awake, and I just sorta figured..." Sweetcherrie turns her eyes towards the window and stares out at the clear midnight sky. Her eyes widen a bit at the perfect shape of the moon, then squint when two narrow triangular shadows seem to obscure it. She tilts her head, wondering if the light of the room is playing tricks on her eyes, only to jump back as a scaly head seems to appear out of nowhere. "Aaaah!" Patham and reverie both jump and turn at Sweetcherrie's scream, then squint in disbelief as they notice Wyvern's head hanging upsidedown outside the window. The overgrown lizard's face is partially covered by a pair of Almost Dragonic Brand Pitch Black Midnight Vision Goggles™, and they watch as he slowly extends a suction-cup-enhanced claw down towards the window. "Who th-?" Sweetcherrie places a hand on her chest and catches her breath for a moment as she watches the familiar shadow of Wyvern hesitate and dangle, his claws obviously not the perfect fit for suction cups. "Oh geeze, what's he-? Reverie, open the window." Reverie nods and twists the lock on the window. Wyvern tumbles into the room and rolls across the floor, coming to a halt as he bumps into Sweetcherrie's feet. He lays still for a moment, then lifts his head in a dizzy motion. "Yesssssss." Wyvern gropes around with his claws, his vision obscured by the goggles. "Open, what luck! Now then, onto the important matters of business, HEEheeheeheeheeeeeeee." The lizard hisses in whispers and taps around with his claws until he finds Sweetcherrie's leg. He taps at it twice to make sure that it's solid. "Ohhhhh, this must be one of the drawers." Wyvern snickers to himself wickedly as he moves his claw up the leg, oblivious to Sweetcherrie as she frowns and glares. The lizard stops short upon reaching her waistline, at which point Sweetcherrie reaches and pulls off his goggles. Wyvern's jaw drops and his face straightens back as he notices Sweetcherrie and her merciless expression. "And what might you be doing here?" Sweetcherrie glares down at the lizard and taps a foot on the ground. "Oh, ahaha. Well, I uhhhh..." Wyvern bites his scaly lip and glances towards reverie, only to perk up as he notices the "Happy Birthday" banner that he carries. "I thought I might drop in to wish you a happy birthday, y'know, if you were awake." The lizard pauses and tugs at the neck of his shirt as Sweetcherrie continues to glare at him, her expression unchanged. "No, really." Wyvern removes a black bag dangling from his back and digs into it. "I got you a present, see? It's a cute and innocent kitten that somehow managed to evade Almost Dragonic Brand Experimentation™." Wyvern holds the kitten out for Sweetcherrie to see, only to watch as the puppy cradled in Sweetcherries suddenly turns from cute to "vicious attack dog mode." He jumps as the cute and innocent kitten lets out a gutteral myowl-hiss and straightens its hair into a ball of fluff. Troy awakens from his slumber with a start at the sound of a cat, and begins screeching at the sight of the kitten, awakening just about every pennite in the Keep. "Errrrr." Wyvern twiddles his claws and forces a smile as Sweetcherrie approaches. "It's the thought that counts?" OOC: Happy Birthday, Sweetcherrie. ;-)

Wyvern barges into the Cabaret Room wearing a long white wig of aristocratic curls and a pansy diplomat's wardrobe. The 18th century gecko reaches into a small tin he carries and dots his snout with "black snuff," a Almost Dragonic ash equivalent of the traditional noble accessory. The lizard's snout twitches as he approaches Tyrion, and he snatches his "Unanimous Declaration of the United Students" with a "hurmph!" "More foolish upperclassman rhetoric, I see." Wyvern crams a cracked monacle next to his right eye as he reads, sticking his snout as high as possible and holding the sheet above his head. 'They'll fall to their lack of geld incomes, though I'm mosssst curious as to what will come next. A Extracurricular Consitution? A Second Ammendment on the right to bear crib notes? An eventual disbandment and system collapse at the rise of Almost Dragonic Brand Lumpenproletariat Socialist Manifestos™?" Wyvern pauses for a moment as he considers the possibilities,. He breaks into a grin at the thought of a law restricting paintings that don't include Wyvern with a long white wig in them. The overgrown lizard ignores Tyrion's blank stares as he reaches for the peacock quill tucked in a plush pocket of his diplomat suite. "Y'know, on further consideration, this actually ssseems like an endeavor worth supporting." Wyvern scrawls his initials on the upper-righthand of the page, next to the word "United." "Just be sure to get lumpenproletariat's signature. And remember: you can always count on the crimson red of Almost Dragonic Inc!" With that, Wyvern cackles and slaps Tyrion on the back, holding out the tin of ash in the hopes of offering him some. The lizard pauses and twists his snout, however, as a wift of ash circles in the air. He takes two steps and raises a claw to his nostrils, breathing deeply as the lethal sneeze approaches... ;-)

I'm liking how the prologue of your story is shaping up so far, Big Pointy One. :-) The plot seems to be advancing nicely, and Stahl's character seems to be easy to sympathize with. I particularly liked the post detailing the first encounter of Stahl and Aemi, as the situation struck me as very human and Revelat's presence added an interesting element to their interactions. I'm looking forward to seeing how the story developes, and am interested in seeing how Stahl's story will connect with Stick's origins. In terms of potential improvements for what you have so far, I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more scene in the first segment, with more details about the people in Stahl's batallion. I was not sure if the second post summarizing the goblin battle was really needed, as I think you could start the next part of the prologue with the victory celebration and reference details from the battle to achieve the same effect. My last little piece of nitpicking is that Revelat's speech to the soldiers struck me as a bit of a "typical fantasy war captain pre-battle seminar," and you might want to add some odd or quirky detail to it to make it a bit more original. Once again, very well done so far. :-) I look forward to seeing what you've got in store for the continuation.

"Innnteressssssting." Wyvern squints at the tiny column of the "Weekly Spammer" to make sure that he's reading the article correctly. The lizard shifts the pages with one claw while motioning to Bravery with the other. "Hey, Bravery, you seen this?" Bravery grunts as he surfaces from the paperwork crowding Wyvern's Office, his trusty paper shredder jammed and overflowing with trails of receits. "Hmmm?" "This clown guy." Wyvern snaps a claw at the page in disbelief. "Crazy story. This guy escapes from jail after gettin a murder charge, then decides to take up an honest job as a clown. And apparently, he's really good... This babysitter is quoted as sayin that his routine was murder!" Bravery sighs and gives the paper shredder a final twist, then tosses it to the side and peers over Wyvern's shoulder at the article. His face promptly goes blank. "What's this about him being taken to the hospital...?" "Well, that's the craziest part of the whole thing." Wyvern shakes his head. "Seems that the routine wasn't intentional. The clown wanted to surprise them with a free performance of jokes, but his back went out before he could do them and he ended up frozen in place. The babysitter and kids sure found it funny, though..." "Greeze." Bravery cringes. "How humiliating. Poor guy." "Yah, they had to hire Big Pointy One just to dislodge him from the area." Wyvern takes a sip from the mug of booze at his desk. "I guess they're payin for the hospital bills though. Paying for somebody elses bills... how horrific can you get?!" Bravery rolls his eyes and goes back to rummaging through the paperwork clutter, reaching for his axe as he notices a pile of discarded scheme outlines. "All I can sssay is that it's a good thing that 3 AM isn't five minutes from now." Wyvern crumples the paper and tosses it into the rest of the mess, causing Bravery to fume. "This Office isss crowded enough as it is, and I'm sure I'd prefer a Zool routine to some spineless statue of a clown." "Would you mind." Bravery picks up the crumpled paper and tosses it back in Wyvern's direction with a scowl. He then digs into another pile of paper, only to pause as he feels an unfamiliar object within it. The Elder Dwarf pulls for a moment, only to drag out the unconscious body of Vigil Stargazer from the mess. Bravery stares wide-eyed at Vigil and twists his nose at the strong scents of ink and paper shavings that waver around him. "What's this doing here?" ;-)

A powerful poem, drummondo. I think that the imagery of the cat dying and the veterinarian's procedure were particularly effective in driving across the emotions of the piece, as they really drew me into the experience of the poem and made me sympathize with the narrator. The comparison of the cat to a lion also struck me as very appropriate, as there seems to be an intriguing struggle for pride going on in the cat's death. The details of the poem were also very evocative, and the discomfort in the reactions of the mother and sister really enforced the tone of the piece. In terms of potential improvements to the piece, the comparison of the veterinarian to Death struck me as more vague than the cat-lion comparison, and I didn't think that the references to Death in the piece were evocative. You might consider dropping that aspect of the poem, or perhaps replacing it with another comparison that the reader can visualize better. Also, I thought some of the narrator's interjections in the poem, such as "I've always prided myself on being emotionally unaffected" (l. 44) and "How nice of them" (l. 76) felt a little out of place, as they seemed more focussed on portraying the narrator than they did on conveying the themes of the poem. On a minor note, there were also one or two points where words might be condensed more, like in line 53 where the phrase "And it was at this point" doesn't seem to add anything. Once again, great poem drummondo. :-) It can be difficult to convey strong emotions on the death of a pet in poetry, and I feel that you did an excellent job with it here.

Well, that's the end of that. I wanted to make a final post in this thread just as a reminder that the show is gone for good, and wanted to thank people who have contributed to this project over the years. Believe it or not, the main motivation I had for starting up "Any Given Moment" four semesters back was to be able to chat with some of you people over the air and to give lots of Pen dedications, and I think I was fairly successful in these regards. :-) So first: a big thank you to the entire Pen for motivating me to get involved. You effect me in more ways than you'll ever know. I really appreciate everyone's contributions and feedback regarding the show, but wanted to give a few special props to people who have really stood out in their contributions: To those who have recorded and hosted "Any Given Moment" online in the past: Degenero Angelus, Jonathan Wolfe (J-Wolfe), Akallabeth, and Zool. Thank you guys so much for putting in the time and effort to record "Any Given Moment." It really means a lot to me that you guys would do so much work just to let those at the Pen with scheduling conflicts hear the show, and we have you to thank if there are still archived episodes of "Any Given Moment" available for download in this thread. Know that I really appreciate it, and that your valuable contributions will not be forgotten. Mini-shout to Yui for helping Degenero host that "Third Rocks From the Sun" show online. Respect due! To those Pen people who have guested in-studio on "Any Given Moment:" Zariah, Happybuddha, and reverie. Thank you all for dropping by the station to help me host those shows, they were very good times that will remain engraved in my memory. :-) Katey - O.K, next time, we'll have to aim for dancing on the tables. Robert - Mariah Carey on the next record! "Say whhhaaaaaaaat?!" Sean - keeping it real means using spaceships AND russian spies, and you embodied both. Thanks to all of you for hopping in the studio with me, I couldn't have asked for a better reward for hosting the show. :-) To the Pen people who have called in to "Any Given Moment" and chatted over the air: Falcon2001, Zool, Yui-chan, Orlan, Big Pointy One, Tamaranis, YanYanGanaffi (Pillow), Happybuddha, Alaeha, reverie, Akallabeth, Peredhil, Gwaihir, Silver Dragon and Xradion. Thank you all so much for fufilling the dreams I had behind hosting this show, you guys are the best! I enjoyed chatting with each and every one of you, and it was a thrill to hear your voices, comments, and creative writing over the air. Thanks for being brave and calling in. A thanks also goes out to Wrenwind for trying to call in to my first romantic show, I'm sorry that I missed the call. To those pennites who have been frequent listeners and "Any Given Moment" commentators: Katzaniel, Appy, Tamaranis, Sweetcherrie, Lady Celes Crusador, Mira, Lord Panther, Vlad and many others. You all also deserve thanks for giving "Any Given Moment" the Pen orientation that I dreamed of it having. Thank you for all of your AIMs, your posts in this thread, the pics that you took, and the general love and support that you've shown. It means a lot to me, and was really the foundation for my hosting this show for several semesters. One love. And that's pretty much a wrap. :-) There are a few archived episodes available in MP3 format in this thread for any people that missed the show and are curious to check it out. Also: I know that I mentioned gifts and prizes to some of you callers and recorders but never pulled through with them. If you were expecting a gift or prize from me for your contributions but never recieved one, please PM me your address so that I can send you one ASAP! I'd be more than happy to do so, as you definitely deserve them. :-) Anyway, thanks again to everyone. This project's been a blast. Yours, Wyv~ P.S: I'm still lookin for someone to host that "Eros Literate" recording on a more stable site, if anyone's interested. P.P.S: Here's a final D.J-related pic to sink your teeth into: Left to right: D.J Southside (WRGW), me, Blueprint (Weightless/Rhymesayers), DJ Pauly Paul (WRGW), DJ CRALEE (WRGW), and P.O.S (Rhymesayers)

The branch fingers slowly curl their way around the crack in the Office door, looking like something out of a Tim Burton flick. Peredhil and Happybuddha jump back at the sight of the Yulebesorry Treenet™ while Kirja sits in place, having already witnessed the Almost Dragonic plantlife's range and scope. Wyvern trods behind the gnarled tree and twists at the control branch at its root, cackling with glee as one of branch hands waves back and forth to those who have gathered. "Greetingsss all." Wyvern sneers and shoots Kirja a quick wink. He turns the crank of the Treenet so that the arms extend like a peacock feather display, showing off the large giftwrapped boxes clutched in each of their nets. "X-mas shopping has been goin' pretty good, considering how well this thing blends with forest trees near log cabins..." Kirja, Happybuddha, and Peredhil all cast Wyvern blank stares as he meddles with the stump crank, causing a spare tree branch hand to zig zag across the room towards Kirja's seat. Two twigs gently pluck the new application poem from her hands before pulling back towards Wyvern. "Hmmmm." Wyvern grins as he snatches the sheet from the branch, and scratches his chin in a thoughtful manner as he reads it over. He strikes another toothy grin in Kirja's direction as he folds the application and tucks it into the soil of the Treenet pot. "A wandering ssspirit I see, you'll definitely need to meet Xaious at some point. Y'know, with this Yulebesorry Treenet™, anyone can be caught within the currents of air. Observe!" Wyvern tweaks the control crank sideways, causing one of the larger branches to drop the box that it's carrying and crawl in the direction of Happybuddha. The giant buddha raises a brow as the branch nets stretch themselves to extremes in the hopes of encircling his legendary belly. Wyvern frowns as he hears a snapping sound, but bites his lip and ignores it. The long branch arm seems to tremble and waver as it attempts to lift Happybuddha, but eventually snaps under the pressure. Wyvern's jaw drops open as stray sap fuel splatters in his face. "Eheheheh." Wyvern strikes a nervous grin as Happybuddha glares at him and picks up the severed branch like a club. The overgrown lizard quickly stamps Kirja's application ACCEPTED, then attaches it to a shakey-yet-functional branch and begins directing it towards her. "Well, errr, the tree's still useful for, uhh, y'know-" *Ahem* Wyvern turns, only to find a group of muscular lumberjacks at the Office door behind him. The overgrown lizard stammers when he notices the large axes and saws that they carry. The Yulebesorry Treenet™ seems to wilt in their mere presence. "These yer presents, salamander?" ;-) OOC: An excellent poem and an ACCEPTED application, Kirja. Welcome to the Mighty Pen! Sorry for the long wait and for the application process confusion before. I hope that you find the Pen a very friendly and welcoming community to share your writing in, and look forward to reading more of your poetry and other works. Once again, welcome!

A few new entries to one of the unhealthiest threads of the Cabaret Room: Hershey's Take 5 Bar - White Chocolate/Peanut Butter Editions - This is a two-in-one review for two slight varients of Hershey's excellent "Take 5" candy bar. These versions replace the milk chocolate coating of the bar with white chocolate and peanut butter coatings respectively. The white chocolate coating didn't seem to mesh with the pretzles and peanut butter that form the base of the bar very well, and I wouldn't recommend it. The peanut butter coating proved to be more interesting, however, and is well worth giving a shot if you're not in a chocolate mood and just feel like peanut butter, pretzles, and caramel (though in my case, non-chocolate moods are somewhat of a rareity). Kit Kat Big Kat - Extra Crispy - This version of Kit Kat's Big Kat bar advertises more crisp wafers in the bar. Upon biting into it, I only noticed a very slight difference from normal Big Kats, but couldn't complain since it's still a damn good candy bar. I think I prefer Big Kats to normal Kit Kats overall; the single candy bar format makes it easier to eat, and there ultimately seems to be more chocolate and wafers in them. Reeses Pieces with Nuts - Think "Peanut M&Ms with Reeses Pieces filling instead of chocolate" and you'll have this candy in a nutshell (no pun intended). I didn't think that the flavor of the Reeses Pieces peanut butter complimented the actual peanuts very well in this varient, which is a little disturbing once you think about it. Then again, as I mentioned before, I'm a man who loves his chocolate, and the M&M comparison was inevitable. Hershey's Kissables - Speaking of M&M comparisons, this is the most eyebrow-raising of the new candies in this listing. It seems that Hershey's have been distancing themselves from sentimentality with each new release of a "Kisses" product, going from "Kisses" to "Hugs" to "Kissables." This candy is oddly a package of miniature candy-coated Hershey's Kisses. Aside from a slight variation in shape, there really isn't anything to distinguish this candy from M&Ms. The underlying question: WHY?

Azuran sighs and shifts in his applicant easychair, digging a hand into one of his pockets and reaching for the jade fairy lantern. He stares at the tiny orb with a glum expression and turns it in his fingers, wondering how much time a green shaded shadow puppet contest might kill. He knocks over a stack of paperwork as he lifts himself from his seat, and pauses for a moment as he examines the avalanche disaster of an Office. "I don't suppose there's anything worth reading or studying in here?" Azuran brushes his hand across Wyvern's desktop, and raises a brow when he finds a book entitled "3001 More Geld-Related Schemes" with a centerfold from "Naughty Nymph" magazine as a bookmark. "Nothing that would endow you with any new knowledge, I'm afraid." Tanuchan shakes her head and frowns. "Don't worry though, I'm sure that Wyvern will be here eventua-" The slam of the Office door cuts Tanuchan's phrase short as Wyvern bursts in on cue, carrying a small tan pouch that dangles from one claw. The lizard barges through one stack of paperwork after another until he reaches Azuran. He grabs the applicant's hand and shakes it in vigorous jerks, striking a jagged grin. "Sssorry to keep you waiting, I was searching for a certain kind of knowledge and lost track of the time." Azuran crosses his arms over his chest as Wyvern grabs a shovel laying the floor and begins skirmishing around his desk, tossing condensed chunks of paperwork and garbage left and right. "Errrrrr." Azuran sidesteps a large chunk of prosthetic limbs as it's tossed to the side. He watches with wide eyes as the boulder of limbs rolls in the direction of Tanuchan, but breathes a sigh of relief as it hits a bump in the paperwork and scatters in a harmless circle around her. He turns back towards the lizard just in time to duck a chunk of debris from a failed mousetrap. "Wh-what sort of knowledge?" "A knowledge that many people seek." Wyvern pauses in his shoveling as he notices Azuran's application piece lying on the corner of his desktop. "Knowledge of Wealth!" Azuran raises a finger and opens his mouth to speak, but decides to keep quiet as the lizard snatches up his application and begins reading it over. The applicant cringes as he watches the reptilian Elder's snout twist in disgust. "Ssssea sage, eh?" Wyvern seems to freeze up, and his eyes widen. "Quite an horrific piece you have here, with the waterfall and crashing waves and all that aquatic stuff. A well-written horrific piece, that is." Wyvern lets out a gutteral shudder and reaches for his ACCEPTED stamp with a trembling claw, only to pause as he notices the tiny bead-like object that Azuran is holding. The lizard whistles at the mini-orb's glowing green color, and grabs the tan pouch that he was carrying. "Hey, before I accept your application, I'll play you for that green marble." Azuran's jaw drops open as Wyvern pulls several large, transparent marbles from within his pouch. Within each of the marbles is a pixy in a straightjacket. The pixies bump against the transparent walls of their cells in haphazard manner, causing the marbles to roll left and right. "Have been meaning to test out these Almost Dragonic Brand Lost Hiss Marbles™ anyhow." Wyvern grins in Azuran's direction, then notices the uncomfortable position of his jaw and sighs. "Well, at least the psycho pixies see that green light as a sign to 'go...'" Wyvern manages to stamp Azuran's application ACCEPTED before slipping over one of the Lost Hiss Marbles™ and plummeting into an ocean of paperwork. ;-) OOC: An ACCEPTED application piece, Azuran. Welcome to the Mighty Pen! I apologize for the long wait, and hope that you find the Pen a very friendly and acceptant community to share your writing in. I look forward to reading more of your stuff, and to writing with you on collaborative projects. Once again, welcome!

Well, it looks like "Any Given Moment" won't be going out with a very big bang after all, since it seems I've been preempted again for a sports game on Monday. :-( It's a shame because an awesome hip hop group from DC, Shambhala, was going to drop by the station and I even downloaded some tracks from iTunes with the specific intention of playing them on this show... oh well, I guess that's just the way the cookie crumbles. I've still managed to snag an hour time block from 7:30 PM - 8:30 PM US EST to play one final hour of music, so you can tune in then on Monday if you'd like to hear a short final mix and shouts. It's not very long and I doubt many people will be tuning in since it's not my usual time, but it's something anyway. Peace, Wyv~

Kirja taps her fingers on the armrest of her applicant easychair and lets out a long sigh, watching the second-hand of the Office clock as it ticks away in the corner of the room. She shifts in her seat and stretches, careful to not knock over any of the piles of stray paperwork that crowd the floor and beginning to feel a bit cramped in the Elder of Initiates' absence. She stands from her seat just as Wyvern barges in through the Office door, and starts back at the sight of the tall box that the lizard carries. The reptilian Elder sets the box on the floor, then kicks the door shut, causing the stacks of paperwork that Kiria had so prudently avoided to fall over. "Greetingssss," hisses Wyvern, grinning in Kirja's direction and cocking a claw at the box. "Sorry for the wait, had to get this thing patented and cute/innocent kitten tested before stealing the prototype. Lemme see your poem there." Wyvern snatches the application sheet from Kirja's hands and looks it over, his toothy grin broadening with every reference to the yuletree's branches. Kirja stares with a blank expression as Wyvern drops the poem before finishing it, and watches as he rushes over to his box and snaps the tape with his claws. "Oooohh you're gonna love this thing." Wyvern rips at the cardboard, revealing a tall tree sitting in a small pot with a skull and crossbones etched on it. The branches of the tree extend like gnarled hands, one of them clenched around a cute/innocent kitten that myowls in a hopeless tone. "Introducing: Almost Dragonic Brand Yulebesorry Treenet,™ the only festive tree with a purpose that outlasts the month that it's considered special. Observe." Wyvern cranks a small root at the tree's base, causing the available branch-hands of the Treenet to reach out for things to grab. Kirja frowns and steps back as she notices the thin nets that have been constructed between the branch fingers. "By the time you're through using this lil puppy, the branches will be netted with all sorts of things." Wyvern directs the branch hands to a pile of paperwork, licking his lips as he tries to maneuver them to the correct position like a carnival doll game. "Like kittens, and birds... and stars, of course! Yes indeed, this invention is the perfect tool for any Pen celebrity stalker. It alssso tosses stones from its roots as a self defense mechanism, and is great for finding the right Christmas gift if you're cheap and you-" Wyvern pauses as he notices the expression of uncertainty on Kirja's face, and sighs as he abandones the Yulebesorry Treenet™ and scoops back up her application. The overgrown lizard continues to grin as he reads through the excellent imagery and phrasing of the piece, then pauses and frowns at the signature. OOC: An excellent poem, Kirja, I'm glad that you've found your way to these boards. :-) Unfortunatly, an application to the Pen must be a piece of writing written specifically with the intention of joining the Pen, and cannot be a previously written or archived work. Should you choose to write a new piece of writing specifically for these boards, I'll happily accept it for you.

A very interesting poem, Petey. :-) I find the natural imagery of the piece quite striking, particularly in the uses of color in the sunset image of the second stanza. The personification of the darkness was also an interesting touch, and I like how he's a coward at sunrise and a controller at sunset. There seems to be something deeper in this poem, something related to the "locked chill" that signals the return of the darkness, but I can't quite put my finger on it. The dual nature of darkness also seems to hint at a larger meaning, though I'm not quite sure what that meaning might be. Is the personification of nature meant to allude to some human condition in the poem? "Clouds seeded in deep yellow" is an excellent image, by the way, probably my favorite in the piece. :-) Nicely done.

Good poem, Vlad. :-) I really like how condensed this piece is, as I thought that almost no words were wasted in it and that the central feeling of love was driven across very well. The sparsity of the piece seemed to speak on the fascination that the narrator experiences towards his love interest, as he almost seemed overwhelmed by her wondrous presence. Time also seemed suspended in the piece, as each minute the narrator spends with his love lingers. I particularly liked the 10:47 entry, as the notion of being alone in a crowd struck me as intriguing. The only thing I might suggest dropping from this is the final "Exeunt" entry, since the term is synonymous with plays and staged acts, and detracts from the genuine feeling of love for me. Very well done. :-)