Wyvern

I definitely found the format of this story interesting... I've actually been considering writing something in the form of internet chat logs myself. I thought that the use of the school.jpg was particularly powerful and effective, and hadn't considered the use of that aspect of the internet in stories previously. I agree with Katzaniel that the story is very disturbing, and I like how the tone shifts over the course of the narrative. If you were to revise this story, you might consider simply expanding it a bit, as the PM from Kyrina seemed to occur very shortly after Marco's mentioning that a girl was kidnapped.

Wyvern grits his teeth and drops the innert form of YanYanGanaffi. His sumbrerro bells flash in various colors as streams of energy begin firing from the double-fisted ruby. The ground begins quaking beneath the feet of the participants, and Wyvern jumps onto his chair for dramatic effect. The half-kitsune platform dancer is too busy getting her foxy tail the heck out of the casino to notice. "Play cards, ya varmits! Game'sss still on!" Wyvern tosses three more bags of 100$ Almost Dragonic Brand Sweet Mesquit Western-Style Potatoe Chips™ onto the table. "I'm upping the ante three more times! What've you got to say to that?!" Parmenion cringes and clutches at his hand, only to trip and drop it as a violent tremor shakes the floor. Wyvern's chair topples over, and the lizard crashes next to the chips. "Ahha!" cries the lizard, trying to ignore the cascading energy beams. "I see you've folded! Sssssucker." A dimensional porthole opens on the dance stage, sucking the metal pole in. "Where my drink?" Wyvern clings to the table with his claws as the tremors continue. "C-c-can't play Texas Hold'em Up onna dry throat!"

The Garden Gnomes huddle together and converse amongst themselves as Sweetcherrie and Appy write out the invitations. Inbi steps back as a Garden Gnome zooms past her. She watches as it prances in the direction of vine-central, and kneels down as she notices that the underling has dropped some seeds... Pollen? "Umm," starts Inbi in her grand tradition. "Sweet?" "Yes Inbi?" Sweetcherrie glances up from a carved cookie of a chicken with rubber frosting. "What's up Inbi?" "Oh, no." Inbi smiles in the direction of Sweetcherrie. "Sorry, I was just observing this pollen. It smells sweet." "Ah, I see." Sweetcherrie lets out a little laugh and gets back to work. Only to pause. "Wait a minute, did you say pollen?" "Uh oh," mutters Appy, suddenly noticing the Garden Gnomes. They zoomed left and right, ricocheting off of each other like bumper cars and spurting heaps of pollen. Appy drops her Akallabeth-shaped cookie. "I knew I shouldn't have hired Flower Garden Gnomes." Sweetcherrie, Appy, and Inbi Infusco all shriek as the vines suddenly come to life again. The large plants toss off their plastic covering and flail about wildly, seemingly allergic to the clouds of pollen. They plummet down and bury themselves in the ground as flowers of all shapes and sizes start blooming everywhere. The three girls stare in awe as what was once a jungle quickly becomes a flower garden. "Well..." whispers Appy. "At least the smells will attract more pennites." Sweetcherrie nods. Her eyes are still wide from the transformation. "I'll get the electric fan." ---- Later, several Pen members mill about the Garden Party, helping themselves to refreshments and congratulating the "Hide and Seek" participants. Near a large rose bush, a slug wearing a badge speaks with a hippopotomus wearing a bow tie. They both speak in haughty, English accents. "Arcty's the name, my good man." The slug's feelers daintily peck at a small garden hors d'oeuvre. "Saved a few of those foolish humans in my day, I did. I got this award from the King of Sweden, you know." The hippo lets out an enormous, jagged-toothed yawn. "Myes, I see your a very distinguished slug indeed." The hippo downs another swamp water cocktail. "Well, old chap, my name is... is... ehhmm, Navelozeus. Myes, that's it." Arcty stares at the hippo oddly for a moment, then turns as a figure clears his throat. Wyvern stands before the two animals in a beggars outfit, a large basket of roses swinging from one claw. "Can I offer either o' you animalsss a boutonniere?" Arcty and "Navelozeus" both stare at the lizards worn roses, then at the blooming rose bush by their side. They politely decline his offer. ;-p

I saw two movies on DVD recently: "Ray" and "Y Tu Mama Tambien." "Ray" was a little better than I expected it to be, but mostly fell into the conventions of Hollywood life documentaries. What made this film slightly better was the interesting life that Ray Charles led, as well as the obvious benefit of a great soundtrack. If you don't know the recordings of Ray Charles, you might want to check this movie out. If you're looking for a "life-of" film that takes chances cinematically and structure-wise, you'd probably be better off searching elsewhere. "Y Tu Mama Tambien" (Spanish for "And Your Mother Too"), on the other hand, was quite an excellent film. The plot revolves around two spoiled rich kids who care about very little other than sex and smoking pot, and hook up with an older woman undergoing marital problems. They take her on a road trip to a beach that doesn't exist, and things get more complicated from there. The cinematography of the movie was excellent, the dialogue was original and evocative, and the message that the film conveyed was very poignant. Two warnings: the film is quite a downer by the end, and is also very sexually explicit throughout (unrated in the U.S). Great film overall.

"Whoa." DeantheAdequate dropped his adequate shades and silently shook his head. "One colour too many for my taste, with the dagger thing. I'm outta here." "Ummm, isss she-?" All eyes turned towards Wyvern for a moment and the lizard stopped his tongue. Jim waved off those that tried to approach him while Ugh the troll bouncer grasped Wyv by a scaly arm, grinning at the thought of punishing him later. After a moment of awkward silence, the crowds of the Quincuinox turned from the area and began to take Dean's lead. "Wash fun while it lasted *hic*. Where'd Vanessha go? I wanna show're how my shtaff is more effective under punch therapy..." "Any of you got a ride for a lonely Knight? My spaceship could sorta use a mechanic..." "Uhhh..." Wyvern bit his scaly lip, glancing left and right with wide eyes. Jim and Ugh blocked him from moving. "I mean she, she isn't...?" "Wadda way to end a party. Still say my tornado was the highlight. *snicker*" "What a drag! I only just got here, haven't even shown off my brand new trenchcoat yet." "W-what..." Wyvern's tail trembled as Jim turned to face him with a cold expression. "I-I-" "As host of this party, yer gonna have to answer to the other Elders about this." Ugh grunted in the affirmative to Jim's comment, and twisted the lizard's arm out of "troll courteousy." ------- Much later, when the halls of the Conservatory had been emptied of all of its guests, two figures crawled out from underneath the draped confines of Buffet Table #5. Verteniun coughed and brushed the stray magic fibers from his tunic as he stumbled to his feet. He glanced around the darkened chambers in a haze, then whispered: "Daliarus... Daliarus!" "Hmm...?" The assistant astronomer raised his cake-smudged face to Verteniun, then broke into a smile. "Vert! Y-you're alive!" "We're alive!" The two clapped shoulders happily and let out a soft collective laugh. "But, did you catch anything?" "What, you mean the eclipse?" Verteniun frowned and shook his head. "Should have thought about bringing some sunglasses. I guess we should start counting our breaths, only a matter of time before Master Calzoo finds out." "Whatever." Daliarus let out a long yawn. "Too tired to think about it now. All that trembling from tryin to dance got me worn out. Oh, for the record, you were a lousy waltzer." Verteniun rolled his eyes at Daliarus, then let out a yawn himself. "It is sorta late, I guess." Daliarus answered with another yawn, then gathered the drape of Buffet Table #5 into a blanket and promptly began to snore. Verteniun sighed and began pacing half-asleep through the halls of the Conservatory in search of a soft place to crash, not wanting to resort to the messy post-party floors. He staggered through the aftermath of the party until he came across what appeared to be a large and comfortable mountain of soft material, which he collapsed into. Safe in the comfort of the fabric, he dozed off into an incredibly peaceful slumber... ... ... unaware that he had just added himself to Tzimfemme's gift pile.

The white pile of fur stirs, almost appreciative. "I had no idea he was that old." Appy shakes her head sadly, patting the fur. "That's some beard you've got there Ozy... just tell me if you need a birthday shave." The pile of fur shifts a bit as Mynx, Tanuchan, and Peredhil continue to hug at it with all their might. A sound akin to a motor boat revving up begins filling the room, causing all of those present to pause in speculation. "Hmmm, sounds sort of like the noise Mynx makes when I scratch her behind the ear." Gryphon freezes as Mynx casts him a quick glare. "Err, amplified! Of course." The sound of the Cabaret Room doors slamming open causes the pennites to turn for a moment. Wyvern saunters into the room balancing an enormous cardboard box on his claws. He sets it down upon reaching Psimon, exhausted. "Finniussss is right." Wyvern wipes some sweat from his brow. "Our beloved Pen founder is fearless beyond a doubt, but furless is another matter." Finnius nods as Wyvern begins tearing a hole in the side of the huge box. "This kitten terror has to stop... Poor Ozy has had it bad enough with Kassie Kurazy as it is..." "That's what this is for." Wyvern pulls out the sole contents of the box: a tiny flat can labeled Almost Dragonic Brand Veterinarian-Flavoured Cat Food™. The lizard then reaches through his pockets and pulls out what appears to be a metal toothpick. "Now all that I have to do is apply my trusty Almost Dragonic Brand Can Opener™. Watch this." Before the can opener can reach the can, it falls apart. Wyvern stares at the metallic can for a long moment, then slowly turns towards Gryphon. "Sssay Gryphon." Wyvern takes out a small mallet and grins. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to lend your beak too...?" Gryphon stares at the mallet, then to cryptomancer, then to epinephrine. The three of them grin to each other and nod in silent agreement. "Excelllllllent" hisses Wyvern, watching as Gryphon approaches with cryptomancer and epinephrine. "Y'know, I'll only need Gryphon for this oper-hey, wait a minute, what'reyou-" Cryptomancer and Epinephrine aid Gryphon in grabbing hold of Wyvern and turning him upside down. The lizard cries out as the three of them lower him and puncture one of his horns into the cat food can. "Nooooo faaaiiiiiiiiiiiirrrr!" cries Wyvern, bobbing up and down like a real almost dragonic can opener. The lizard crashes down once the can has become opened, and the odors of the cat food immediately cause the kittens mounted on top of Ozymandias to disperse from their formation. The cats twist their noses and myowl in disgust as they depart from the Cabaret Room, leaving the innert form of Ozymandias sprawled on the ground. "Happy birthday Ozy... at least it ain't shedding season, eh?" OOC: Add another to the pile... (of birthday wishes, not of kittens) ;-)

I found this an intriguing prologue, Elwen. :-) The surreal image of mists engulfing Karin's memories was vivid, and the choice to begin the story with a nightmare was also very interesting. While I enjoyed this, I felt that the extensive uses of commas may have diluted some of the tension that this intro was aiming to evoke. You may want to consider breaking the paragraphs into shorter sentences, as the commas can be distracting at times. I'm also guilty of relying on dependent clauses too much, so I definitely sympathize with this issue. It's a shame that you won't be sharing the story itself... I'd be very interested in reading it. Perhaps you could consider posting it in the Scarlett Pen forum? :-) Nice prologue, once again.

Two enormous lavender curtains are drawn back at the main stage of the Cabaret Room, revealing a multitude of flashing lights and a single podium hosting a red button. At the center of the stage, several objects rest suspended in the air: plain white underwear, a shiny pearl earing, a dust cloud of pixystick sugar, and a rose that has lost it's petals. The four floating objects are connected by lines of light that form a square, with a small rotating gravity globe levitating at its center. The entire set-up bears a strange ressemblence to a different kind of shape, a.... "Quiiiinnnnncunnnnnnnx ooooffffff Foooorrrrttttuuuuuuuune!" Wyvern steps out in a cheesy gameshow host uniform and flashes a sinister grin to the gathering audience, moving to the beats of Silly's electric keyboard melodies. "Sssstep right up with your gifts and try your hand at a piece of Quincunx trivia. Come one come all, don't be shy!" After a moment of hesitation, a man wearing a detective hat hobbles onto the stage. He looks towards the crowds sheepishly as Wyvern shoves a microphone into his face. "Greetingsss, Contestant #1! And what would your name be?" "Clueless." The man scratches the back of his head. "About what my name would be, that is. I just thought I'd stop by, inbetween searching for that dastardly Wyvern and looking for that dame that stole my trenchcoat, to give this a try." "Excellent." Wyvern snickers. "Please seat yourself at the podium, and just slam on the red button when you've come up with an answer. This should be short and sweet." Having said this, Wyvern takes out a remote control and presses a button on it, causing the gravity orb to rotate. This causes the objects surrounding it to spin while maintaining their square formation, and to gradually slow to halt. The shiny pearl earing rests at the upper-left-hand corner of the square by the time this process has ended, and is promptly illuminated by a small spotlight. "Rydia trivia question #1" Wyvern takes out a cue card. "What alternative form of communication does Rydia frequently speak to Valdar with? You have twenty seconds to answer, GO!" Clueless stands trembling and undecided as the audience begins chanting along with an automated countdown voice. Finally, he hits the red button. "Ummm..." Clueless tugs at his collar nervously. "Magical cantrips...?" A blaring sound goes off in the background. "I'm ssssorry, that's incorrect." The lizard practically shoves Clueless off of the stage, snagging his magnifying glass as a makeshift gift. "The correct answer was 'earspeak.'" Wyvern pauses, then glances at the crowds. "Now, who will be the next contessstant?" ;-) OOC: May be slightly early here, but abusing Pen Standard Time Zones: Happy Birthday Tzimanthydia Rose!

A very nice poem, Zool. I really liked the simile of the fallen star and the imagery of the sunlight dissolving, both of which struck me as original and evocative and stuck with me after reading the work. I also thought the tone of this piece was very interesting, as it initially seems full of wonder and gradually falls with the contemplation of time imprisoning people. In terms of potential imrpovements: while I really enjoyed the specific imagery of the piece, I was less fond of the more general observations in it, such as the "cosmic wonder and delight" and the somewhat hazy distinction between destiny and fate (though I do like how the latter term has a more negative tone). To strengthen these moments, you could consider expanding upon them with more detail... I'm actually very curious as to what elements of the night sky evoke wonder and delight, for example. :-) Nicely done, once again.

Wyvern continues to fold his Two of Hearts card as the other gamblers cast skeptical glances towards one another. The lizard's enormous sumbrerro sways and jingles as he turns his attention towards the dance platform at the edge of the casino, his ruffled collar and stringy sleeves reminding the others of a scaly version of The Ugly (think Spaghetti Western). Wyvern's beady eyes watch a half-kitsune gal as she steps and spins her foxy tail around a metal pole, evoking a brief whistle from Scoof Dog's table. The overgrown lizard glances back down at his half-paper-airplane of a card, its edges nicked by claw markings, and lets out a short sigh of resignation. "Sssssso, we playing cards ponchos?" Wyvern sneers towards the other gamblers and tilts his sumbrerro. Silly the Elder Dwarf, dressed in the garb of a street performer, approaches the table and strums a tiny battered Vihuela to accentuate the lizard's words. "Just to let you know I mean serious business, I'll start this game by raising the bet." Regel and Patrick Durham stare wide-eyed as Wyvern reaches under the table, only to mumble to themselves as he tosses a small plastic bag into the ante pile. Inbi Infusco raises a brow and pokes at the colorful bag curiously. "Almost Dragonic Brand Sweet Mesquit Western-Style Potatoe Chips™...?" Silly attempts to strum the Vihuela to this, but breaks a few strings. "Oooooo potatoe chips!" Sweet reaches out to grab the bag, only to have it pulled away from her by Wyvern. "Not so fast little girl" hisses the lizard, his forked tongue slipping out from between his teeth. "These chips come 100$ a bag. Fork me over the money, and you can graze like the best of the cowgirls do." Sweet crosses her arms and leans back in her chair with a thump, her nose out of joint and her sassafras tea going untouched. Wyvern offers the chips to Guido and Mynx before tossing them back into the gambling pile. "Waaaitresssss!" Wyvern ignores the numerous drinks that Tzimfemme juggles, his eyes dizzying at her tornado of an outfit. "One mixed drink - better make it a Black Rattlesnake Alamo Twister, for a thirsty gambler like myself." Parmenion spits out his gin upon hearing Wyvern order the strongest drink in the house, and the gamblers all turn towards the lizard as if he's crazy. Wyvern simply smiles at them a diabolical grin. "Better make a move, ponchos, before I raise the bet again."

I haven't managed to post in the thread yet as I've been busy with paperwork this week, but I caught up in reading it this evening and wanted to note that I'm enjoying the approach so far. I should be able to post in it around Thursday... I take it that Sweet and I are the first ones up for a round of Texas Hold'em given the line-up? A question concerning bids: is there any specific amount that characters are given as a starting bid, or should we just make up our available spendings? Looking forward to writing in this story with you guys. :-) To echo Mynx: yee to the haw, Wyv~ - who will try to stay unbanned for as long as possible, but no promises... ;-p

Nice poem, Yog. I particularly like the subject matter of the piece, as it's one that's rarely dealt with yet which remains very close to home. The second stanza was my favorite with its imagery of wiring and binary code, though I also liked the structure of the first stanza. The third stanza struck me as more general and direct than the others, and was my least favorite for this reason. I'd really like to see specific friendships and cultures rather than vague outlines of them in that stanza, as the concept behind them is very intriguing. Once again, nice stuff. :-) And good to see you browsing around the Mighty Pen, I might add.

Wyvern barges in through the infamous Recruiter's Office door just as MinimondoT finishes the last of the cookie refreshments. The overgrown lizard carries a large bottle labeled "Molasses," which swishes in his right claw as he strides towards the sandwich on his desk. Pouring the contents of the bottle over his sandwich, Wyvern turns his head towards the others in the Office. He sneers at their disgusted stares and perks up upon noticing MinimondoT. "Awww... Peredhil, Tanuchan, you shouldn't have!" Wyvern begins sorting through the endless mess next to his desk until he comes across an Almost Dragonic Brand Jumbo Bib™, which essentially amounts to several tax forms taped together. "My peanut butter and curly onion cheese doodle sandwich with extra molasses is pretty good as it is, but I can't turn down an offer of free food. I guess I could have a little faerie on the side..." Peredhil and Tanuchan stare at Wyvern blankly as he sneers maliciously towards MinimondoT. The lizard licks his scaly lips with a forked tongue as the applicant backs away. "Ummm, Wyvern." Tanuchan glances towards the frightened MinimondoT, then glares at the reptilian Elder. "That's not a snack, that's our newest applicant." "Ah." The lizard's face droops in disappointment, and he bows apologetically. "Eheheh. Sorry for the confusion... Lemme see that application." Wyvern snatches MinimondoT's application from her tiny hands and begins reading over it, undoing his bib with one claw as he does so. Once he's finished with the sheet, the lizard grins and hisses: "Flight huh? Never could manage it myself, these wings weren't made for flying. I've been trying to patent a set of Almost Dragonic Brand Gravitation Limbs™ for those who lack the privelege, though. Take a look-see." Wyvern reaches under his desk and pulls out a large sack of prosthetic limbs, which have tiny wings attached to their plastic heels. He then proceeds to toss the sack into the air with all his might, only to watch as it fails to hover and comes collapsing down on Tanuchan. "Drat" grumbles Wyvern, cringing at the pile of limbs and avoiding Peredhil's stare. He immediately wanders towards his desktop in search of an application stamp, hoping to switch the conversation. "I like the whole idea of leading that you bring up" says Wyvern, pulling the stamp from its hiding place. "In fact, I could help you out if you ever feel like executing a plot for Pen domination. I'm an expert schemer and strategist when it comes to that sort of stuff, in fact I even have the paperwork to prove it. All for a reasssonable price, of course." The lizard shifts through a strange folder on his desk and begins muttering incoherent rhymes to himself. MinimondoT watches this in confusion, and cringes as the lizard curses and tosses blank papers from the folder. She relaxes, however, when he stamps her application ACCEPTED. ;-) OOC: An ACCEPTED application piece, MinimondoT, welcome to the Mighty Pen! I'm glad that you finally decided to apply, and hope that you'll find the Pen a very welcoming and friendly writing community to post in. I look forward to reading more of your works and participating with you in roleplaying projects. Once again, welcome!

I found this hilarious and far too good to pass up linking here... If you skim through the first page of this thread, you'll find my concert review of Dangermouse and Jemini in San Francisco, which I went to last Summer with two of my friends. Well, it seems that I wasn't the only reviewer present, as this journalist for the IGN Insider had a few things to say about it. What's more, it seems that our dancing made quite an impression on him: http://music.ign.com/articles/525/525197p1.html?fromint=1 The "tall and gangly" kid that he refers to as "Screech" in the review is me, and the "couple who looked like they were still in high school" are my friends. Notice how he not only dedicates half of a page to our dancing, but also strings "Screech"s exploits throughout the review... Falls over laughing!

Epinephrine, I'm enjoying your story "The Joy of Teaching" so far, and think that basing it on real life has resulted in a very realistic and engaging work. I find the conflict of epinephrine in the story particularly intriguing, as Loren offers an interesting alternative to his generalization of students that may end up evoking a change in his attitudes. I look forward to seeing more interactions between epinephrine and Loren, and am intrigued as to where the interactions will lead their characters in the story. I also found epinephrine's emotions very well-developed in the piece, and thought that your uses of interiority worked well for the most part. The story seems very mature in it's themes and ambitions. :-) For this reason, the one thing that seems oddly out of place to me in this story is the fantasy setting. Given the excellent realism that courses through the story's interactions and emotions, I feel like the piece might actually work better as a piece of literary fiction than as a fantasy story. The fantasy elements in it currently strike me as unnecessary tag-ons that add ambivalence to the otherwise realistic elements of the story, and I actually think the story might work better in a realistic modern setting. Anyway, very good stuff. :-) I'm looking forward to more.

Neon blue, neon green, and neon yellow flooded the party as the equinox passed in waves of colour. Rooftop runes glowed until they became mirror images of themselves, and the chocolate that remained in the mud wrestling arena mysteriously turned into milk chocolate as sparkling light washed over it. Many pennites stood motionless in awe until the bright lights had completely faded from the area, at which point an uncomfortable silence settled over the Conservatory. "My, that was... interesting." Appy adjusted her Louis the XIVth wig, only to find that it was now glowing as a result of the light display. "Indeed." Peredhil shifted from his spot on one of the Twister board tiles and carefully withdrew his Armani sunglasses. "Quite the spectacle." Wyvern lifted himself from his curled position in a daze, turning towards DL Snake and Wrenwind who appeared to be chatting quietly about the patterns of the eclipse. He hobbled unsteadily towards the group, sparkles of light still twinkling in his vision, only to pause as a horrific sound caught his attention. Sorciere's scream, coming from the Conservatory rooftops. A large crowd of people flocked towards the staircases as Sorciere's screams continued, growing louder. The group huddled around the observation deck upon reaching the rooftops, murmering amongst themselves as they found the sorceress' discovery. The innert body of Rosemary was still, Minta's dagger jutting from her chest. "'Scuse me, comin through!" Jim the security guard jostled his way through the crowds, passing by Peredhil hugging Sorciere. "Calm down people, just be calm and remember that this is not a Werewolf-related event. Security is here, and we're always on the lookout." Jim paused as he noticed the body of Rosemary, his face twisting into a contorted expression of shock. He carefully approached the corpse, not daring to move less than three feet away from it, and extended a hand as if examining the dagger. "Must've been natural causes." Wyvern's head jittered as he viewed the scene from over the Dreamer's shoulder. His beady reptilian eyes seemed smaller and more sensitive than usual...

A somewhat belated notice: this Thursday (4/28/05) will be the last episode of "Any Given Moment" in this semester, and will feature none other than the Mighty Pen's own reverie live in-studio for the whole show! :-) The theme of the evening will be posse cuts (i.e tracks filled with entire line-ups of M.Cs) and since reverie will be around you can bet that we'll be chatting about "The Mighty Pen Posse" quite a bit. Same place, same time... be sure to tune in if you can, and feel free to give us a ring!

The next morning, each of the selected soldiers was awakened early by a formal escort. Their breaths steamed in the drafty morning air as they passed through empty Gremsdale courtyards, watching as shop windows lit up to prepare for another normal day of business. The rain no longer fell, but its smell stuck in the moisture of the air and lingered in limp tree branches and puddles of mud. A faint fog weaved its way through the Confederate Stables by the time the soldiers arrived, and Gerald rose from a bench to meet them. "Right on time." Gerald yawned, then nodded a greeting to each of them. "I'm assigned to saddle you people up and see to your departure. Come on, let's get this over with." Gerald gestured to the adventurers and they followed him into the enormous rows of the Stables. The familiar scent of animals mingled with the dampness of rain as they passed by numerous compartments, and Gerald paused at a particular stall with a red ribbon tied to the front of it. "You'll have five horses to work with." Gerald reached through a ring of keys and turned one on the stall's lock. "We would give you six... but I'm sure you'll find that Haste here could carry three, let alone two." A large black horse stepped out from the stall, led on a leash held by Gerald. The great horse's hooves trotted hungrily in the mud with heavy steps, and it snorted a large cloud of steam in the morning air. "This is Haste, one of the prized horses of the Confederate Stables." Gerald patted the horse's mane affectionatly. "You could say that he'll set an example for the other horses you choose to ride on. Up to you all who decides to-" Gerald paused suddenly as he eyed the team of soldiers. "Five of you?" The adventurers turned to one another, glancing about quizzically. Gerald frowned. "Great, so much for being on time. Where is Merlyn Avogadro?"

"Dat be Grock's." A large, muscular hand lands on the shoulder of DoctorEvil, causing him to turn. The cerebrial fluids in the Doctor's brain jar ripple as Grock the troll bouncer snarls at him, his menacing eyes directed towards the wimpy-looking undies. "Grock want back before other trollsies see. Could no afford chain mail undies." DoctorEvil fidgets as the troll bouncer reaches for the underwear, scowling at the thought of losing a unique Brainiac Underwear entrance fee and stammering: "H-haven't you ever heard of intellectual property?!" ---- Sweetcherrie stammers as what appears to be a red streak of lightning flashes by her, shoving a pair of quafter-fur sunglasses into her hands. She watches as the crimson ball of energy surges through the crowds, tossing sunglasses left and right. "Incoming eclipssse! Incoming eclipssse!" Happybuddha turns and finds himself gripping a pair of XXXXXXXL sunglasses, catching only a glimpse of the red lightning as it bounds towards the dance floor. Knight catches a pair of steel sunglasses while Finnius finds himself with some classic blue shades. "Loook out for the ecliiiiiiippppppppsssssse!" Mira's jaw drops as a pair of circular silver shades lands right on his face, darkening his vision. Gyrfalcon catches an entire bundle of sunglasses and begins distributing them left and right, while Yui-chan concentrates the shadows to create a powerful aura of shade. "Ecllliiiiiippppppppsssse!" Grimmael doodles some makeshift sunglasses on the Portrait of Zool while the Wyvern-streak zooms by in an open display of Sucker Punch potency, tossing a pair of glittering sunglasses to Starlight and some shaded diving goggles to Boaz. The blur of a lizard bounds into the dancefloor, flashing by Orlan and dropping off some extra-stylish shades. Xaious slows time as a pair of sunglasses with clocks for shades heads in his direction, and plucks it out of the air with the greatest of ease. "Get reaaadddddyyyy for the ecccllllllllllliiiiiiippppppse!" The lighting in the room begins to undergo a change as a sliver of moon becomes dark, reflecting through the crystals of the rooftops, bouncing off of Happybuddha's XXXXXXXL sunglasses, and causing Minta's slaad to get covered in an odd hot-pink light. Wyvern bounces off of walls, Twister boards, and non-pirahna-oriented Buffet Tables, throwing sunglasses in the air like confetti. 0:00:05 The lighting shifts drastically as a count down is chanted by the audience, started by Ayshela. Wyvern shoves on his very own pair of trusty Almost Dragonic Brand Substitutional Sunglasses™, only to watch as the shades fall right out of their frames. "eep" The lizard ducks and covers as the Conservatory begins filling with light...

I went to see Louis Logic, Glue, Educated Consumers, Mic the Finite, and the Echo Boomers at the Jaxx Nightclub in Springfield, VA this evening. I immediately went to the merchandise table upon entering the club and got to meet with Maker, one of my favorite producers, there. He looked like a very large and menacing dude from a distance, but was actually a very friendly person when it came to chatting about stuff. I picked up a Glue tour CDR from him, "Snaps on the Petro," and then went to take my place in the front row next to the stage. There were a few people there who recognised me from dancing at other concerts, which was cool. The first act to perform was the Echo Boomers, a local Virginia act that consisted of two very young-looking M.Cs and a D.J by the name of Throw Down. The two M.Cs of the group demonstrated an energetic teamwork that got the crowd hyped, and seemed to be personally known by several people in the audience. D.J Throw Down also did some nice scratching between songs, and it was a decent set overall. Mic the Finite was next to perform, and was also a young-looking Virginia act. His set was not too bad, but there was nothing that really stood out about it that I can remember. He seemed to be having ego issues as a number of people in the audience knew him personally and gave him props, and his frequent uses of crowd participation became tiresome. The only real positive thing I remember about his set was dancing next to a girl and getting her to giggle, plus chatting with her afterwards. Educated Consumers came on after Mic the Finite, and they put on a fairly good set. One problem I have with their performances is that they're pretty much the same every time I see them, and have very few variations in their set. It was a decent, though predictable, performance. Seez Mics, the group's M.C, singled me out for dancing near the end of their set and gave me props, which is always nice. Once the Educated Consumers finished, Glue took the stage. Glue, comprised of ADeeM (the M.C), D.J DQ (the D.J), and Maker (the producer), released one of the stronger albums of 2004 and were one of the main reasons I went out to the show. They came all the way out from Chicago to perform, and are very rarely seen around the East Coast due to their position on the map. Well, to put it quite simply, Glue tore the house down with one of the most mindblowing hip hop sets I've ever seen in my measly little existance. There are just too many highlights to list here... The set started with ADeeM doing some impressive beatboxing and D.J DQ mimicking his beatboxing with some even more impressive scratches. Once this was finished, ADeeM cleared his throat, said hi to everybody, shook hands, and proceeded to burst into one of the most ridiculous flows I've ever witnessed in concert. The crowd was so hyped and awe-struck off of the group that they performed songs with complicated choruses that noone had ever heard before, and had the entire crowd chanting them by the end. At one point in the set, D.J DQ went into an amazing scratching solo, only to have ADeeM challenge "yeah, but I bet you can't do that backwards." DQ proceeded to do the same amazing set backwards. Another highlight was when ADeeM decided to freestyle to the tune of D.J DQ's scratches, and made up an incredible number of lines and flows on the spot. Perhaps the most memorable moment of the evening was the last track they performed, the powerful single "Haunt," where ADeeM entered into the crowd and rapped while a circular mosh pit ran rings around him. I was in the mosh pit and moshed harder than I ever have in concerts previously, actually pushing people around which is unusual for me. Glue's set was one of the best, if not the best, hip hop set I've ever experienced. After the incomparable Glue set, the headliner Louis Logic took the stage. He was the other reason I went out to see the show, as he's released a number of great tracks and is a very good M.C. The set started with the D.J Jay Love tossing on The Doors "Whiskey Bar Song" (Louis Logic is known for his alcoholic tendencies), and Louis Logic came out on stage with a huge head of frazzled hair and a semi-formal brown down jacket. It was quite a way to open the show, but unfortunatly the set took a drastic turn downhill from there. Louis' rapping seemed sort of half-hearted, which may or may not have had to do with the amount he had to drink. Furthermore, he spoke a bunch of vulgarity between songs, which oftentimes lasted longer than the songs themselves and quickly became annoying. When Louis Logic decided to D.J for a bit and let Jay Love take the microphone, I had just about had enough of the set and decided to walk out on them. A very disappointing and uninteresting set from Louis Logic, which is a shame since he has a fair share of good recorded material. Glue made the show more than worth the eight dollars that I paid for it, though. :-)

Wyvern hobbles towards the Tourney Sign Up Sheet tacked to the wall, hissing a traditional saloon melody under his breath. Decks of cards jut from the lizard's pockets as he reaches for a peacock feather quill, and a number of hidden Aces fall from his sleeves as he scrawls his name over the page. Grinning to himself devilishly, the reptilian Elder tacks the loose decks to his horns and turns to Mr. Ganaffi "Sssssay YanYan." Wyvern begins rubbing his claws together. "I was wondering... in addition to the obvious inclusion of geld, what're the chances of some strip pocker matches? Well, minus any games involving Tzimfemme that is, since that would probably involve putting on articles of clothing." YanYan Ganaffi frowns at Wyvern's evil expression, and darkens as he notices the cards attached to the lizard's horns... ;-)

Just to give a small heads up: "Any Given Moment" will be on at its usual this week, Thursday (4/21/05) from 8:00 PM - 10:00 PM US EST. Last week's successful show revisited the unbeatable theme of positivity, and this week's show will be revisiting the theme of chill hip hop, just in time for the switch to warm weather in Washington D.C. Plenty of relaxing Summer jams to sip lemonade and sunbath to... I'll be having four guests on the show as well, though no pennites this time unfortunatly, only folks I know from WRGW. Still, I'll be giving shout outs as usual and it should be a very fun and moody listen. There's a chance that next week (4/28/05) I might reel in some more D.C area Pen people to participate on the "Any Given Moment." Stay tuned.

"See Pilocanssci?" Wyvern waves a claw over the shakey Almost Dragonic Brand Catapult.™ The cheap firearm juts from Pillow's giant spaceship like a jagged piece of meteorite leftover from a turbulent flight. "It'sss a perfect fit! And just wait until you hear about the discount prices..." "Hmmm..." Pilocanci stares at the catapult in mock consideration, having already made up his mind about it upon hearing the product brand tag. "I don't know Wyv, it looks a little unstable to me. Y'know, taping it to my spaceship like that is gonna cost you if there are any de-" "Unstable?" Wyvern lets out a loud hiss and jumps onto the tip of the catapult, hopping up and down on it as Pillow cringes and protests. "Unstable? There's nothing unstable here! Just imagine Pillow - an additional cannon to fire big rocks and-" Pillow ducks down as the catapult suddenly swings into motion, unable to sustain Wyvern's continual jolts. A girlish scream rings out through the courtyards of the Pen as Wyvern goes soaring through the air, headed on a rapid collision course towards the Conservatory roof... --- "This is the Song that Neeevvverrr Eeeeeennnnnds... It just goes ooonnn and ooonnn myyyyyy friiiiiieeeeeeennnnnnnds..." The hundred-legged-beast-crowd begins murmering as the sound of girlish screaming is faintly heard in the background, ignoring Zool's portrait for a moment in order to focus on the two competing girls. Kaitlyn's mouth was busy with her song, while Minta's seemed focussed on ordering around her zombies. The spectators turn to one another confused, even ceasing their humerous comments about Belchfire's Chicken Viscus suite as the screaming grows louder. "Aiiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeee!!!" The crowd jumps back as a large piece of the Conservatory ceiling caves in, crashing down upon the Conservatory walls yet miraculously missing Zool's portrait in the chaos. Wyvern plummets down head first, several flattened birds fluttering away from his form and a classic yellow rubber chicken kite caught on his tail. The lizard smacks the ground with large *CRACK,* letting out a loud cry only to find himself upside down with his horns embedded in the floor. "Oh great" coughs Wyvern when he realizes his situation, fidgeting and struggling but unable to move. "Hey, could somebody help me out of this?" The crowd takes a collective step back, turning to one another and whispering in a mixture of reluctance and hidden glee. Nearby, Minta's zombie assistants ignore Wyvern's requests as they busy themselves with removing chunks of ceiling debris from their already-disfigured heads. "Somebody? Anybody?!" ;-)

The unusual emptiness of the Cabaret Room is shattered as Wyvern barges into the chamber, grumbling a long string of curses at the notion of possibly missing out on the good spells due to his tardiness. The overgrown lizard trips over Helga Hurtle as he races towards the sign up scroll, nearly getting his horns embedded in the wall as he skids to a halt. Examining Gryphon's scroll and rereading the word "free" several times, Wyvern scrawls his illegible signature over the length of the parchment, then sneers and departs from the room just as quickly as he came. Several minutes later, Wyvern reenters the Cabaret Room wearing a loosely waxed moustache over his face, as well as a cheap immitation smoking jacket. The lizard moves towards the scroll in a not-so-elegent manner, tripping over Helga Hurtle on his way there and practically crushing his plastic watch and chain against the wall in the process. Scratching his scaly chin with an air of mock-consideration, the overgrown lizard scrawls the name "Wyvernichi" on the sign-up parchment before turning and exiting from the room. After another few minutes, Wyvern reenters the Cabaret Room again wearing googly eyeglasses and a doctor's white lab robes, along with a ridiculously large stethoscope hat. Mumbling some false scientific 'facts' revolving around alchemy, the lizard moves forward and trips over Helga Hurtle, causing his science robes and googly glasses to flail about for a moment. Arriving at the sign up sheet, the reptilian scientist lets out a cackle as he scrawls the name "Dr. Wyverkian" on the scroll. "Uhhh, Wyvern-" mutters Gryphon as he watches Wyvern depart, cringing as the lizard reappears again several minutes later in a military uniform with dark sunglasses "-only one sign-up per participant, please." "That's Major Wyvernesh to you!" exclaims Wyvern, firmly marching towards the parchment before tripping over Helga Hurtle and falling flat on his face... ;-)

Akallabeth: thank you very much for trying to record the show, it means a lot to me. Whether or not you successfully recorded it, the supportive thought is still there and I greatly appreciate it. For the record: I also tried to record the show by way of minidisc recorder in the studio, but I set it up completely wrong and didn't manage to record it either. There's no need to feel so bummed out about it, and I hope you realize that your efforts are greatly appreciated regardless. Thank you for calling into the show as well, your shout outs were awesome! The "Pen Positive" show of "Any Given Moment" went well this evening, as Zariah guested in studio as promised along with two aspiring WRGW D.Js I know: Pete and Zane. One thing that made me happy was that the guest caller goal for the evening was met, as no fewer than five pennites called into the show. Alaeha (who gave shouts to Peredhil and Orlan amongst other things), reverie (who helped come up with Zariah's D.J nick, D.J Z.U.J... though I think I still like D.J Ah more!), YanYanGanaffi (a sentence or two got through... I apologize again for the hybrid not picking up your call well), Akallabeth (props for the shouts and all the love), and Peredhil (definitely a pleasant surprise, great to hear from you) all called in and chatted over the air over the course of the show. Peace goes out to Katzaniel, Mira, and reverie for staying in touch with me over AIM during the show and coordinating things. My only regret is that I didn't manage to get Zariah, Pete, and Zane quite as hyped and energetic as I wanted, though I thoroughly enjoyed the upbeat music that I strung throughout the show. We discussed several positive things as a group over the air, including supportive families, the notion of home being where the heart is, and of course many, many, many dedications and shout outs (far too many to list here). Amongst other things, Ayshela was given a dedication track and the Wilson and Bamblette families were given mad props. The funniest moment of the evening was when other D.Js that happened to be around tried to answer the many phone calls that scattered the evening, only to become confused when the callers asked for "Wyvern." ;-) Overall, it was a lot fun, and I hope it was enjoyable despite a few awkward moments and slip-ups. Thanks to everyone who tuned in and supported it, here's hoping it lived up to most of the hype!