Wyvern

As more Pen members begin heading towards the mysterious entrance of Custos Manors basement, the majority of the punchbowls in the area undergo a disturbing transformation. The glass containers disappear at calculated intervals as they're quickly snatched by a scaly arm and taken underneath tables, only to reappear a few minutes later in a bubbling state, furiously frothing with the foam of alcohol and occasionally trembling in a near-explosive state. The new smell of the punch is so strong that it causes Celes Crusadors pumpkin sylphs to wobble and faint as they pass over the bowls, despite their being illusions. Wyvern pauses in his quest for public intoxication as he grabs a new punchbowl and pulls it under his table, only to notice the sign "Please spike this punch only!" attached to it. Reading over the sign and scratching his chin in confusion, the overgrown lizard steps out from his hiding place and stretches as he silently contemplates its meaning. He casts a quick glance towards the numerous bowls of punch that he'd already tampered with, then slowly breaks out into a grin as his diabolical mind reaches a conclusion. "Ssssayyyyy" hisses Wyvern gleefully as he carefully positions the bowl in his hand and aims it at the table. "Katzaniel and co. really went to town with these party activities... this should be fun!" With that, Wyvern tosses the bowl into the air, jumps, and quickly smashes it with his fist, shattering it instantly. Many Pen members in the party turn from their dancing and curious investigations as the sound of breaking glass quickly catches their attention, and all eyes angrily focus on the lizard for a moment. Wyvern rubs a claw on the back of his head and glances at the shards of glass surrounding him, then lets out a nervous laugh and stammers: "Awww, c-c'mon guys, don't stare at me like that... I mean, it was a punch bowl right? Right?" The Pen members shake their heads and sigh, uncertain about which aspect of the lizard they should feel more revulsion towards: his actions or his poor attempt at humor. Wyvern hunches over and whines quietly as people turn away from him and go back to what they had been doing previously, uneasily shifting a few shards of glass with one of his feet. "Rats." grumbles the lizard, glancing around the party and suddenly noticing Yui and Guido in costume. "Guinea pigs, even. I guess that takes care of that activity, I wonder if there are any drinks that haven't been-" Wyvern suddenly stops speaking and perks his head up as he overhears LeiftheBunny discussing Vahktangs political campaign with Xaious, attempting to sway the Master of Time into voting for the Candidate. An evil grin spreads across Wyverns face as he notices that Vahktang is absent from the central party area, having ventured into the depths of the Manors basement. The lizard rubs his scaly palms together and plots for a moment, then snickers and decides to take action. "Attention." exclaims Wyvern, wandering over to the turntables where Dean currently sits and rudely ripping the spinning record from its rotation to catch peoples attention. Raising his arms in a Nixon stance and flashing a discomforting razor-sharp grin, the overgrown lizard exclaims: "Attention, one and all. I, Wyvern, would like to announce that I am entering the political race as the Other Candidate, and will be competing against Vahktangs campaign. While the Candidate has left his alleged people to search the basements of the Manor, I, the Other Candidate, have yet to make a claim about any crowd being my people, thereby making my selfish behavior justifiable! I would also like to point out that, while the Candidate has a detailed political plan and speaks in a civil manner, I dress like a bum, have no particular plan, and wish to obtain the position out of selfish greed. In other words, I have all of the ideal qualities found in the popular politicians of today!" Wyvern proceeds to wander around the room, flashing sleazy grins at people and shaking their hands. "When I'm enstated in office, I swear that I'll use it to as a permanent vacation spot. Remember: the war on gaming will not be won until the gamers have become completely assimilated and rendered powerless. Do you trust Vahktangs authority with his ambivalent stance on that current political issue?" ;-p

I haven't had too much time to post things for the last few days due to a hectic workload, but I just wanted to drop a very quick note to tell people that "Any Given Moment" will be airing at the same time as usual on 10/22/04. With Halloween rapidly approaching, I've decided to make the theme of this week "evil" hip hop, so expect plenty of dark and frightening vibes if you plan on tuning in. This show will also not be recorded, so be sure to check it out if you can... particularly if your Pen character is a creature of the night, or is evil in some way. You can also feel free to share any scary stories you might have with me over the air by calling in at (202) 994-9749, though I can't promise that I'll be able to get the stations new telephone hybrid working... I'll try my best, regardless! For those of you waiting for responses from me in threads or personal messages, I should be able to get back to writing things tommorow. Apologies for my erratic schedule/post, and thanks in advance if you plan on tuning in!

Wyvern arrives at the scene of the celebration dressed in a Utopia's Twilight-inspired makeshift mecha suite, and uneasily hobbles his way towards Jonathan Wolfe. He narrowly avoids collisions with Izabella and Ayshela as the one-way plexiglass used as his visor completely obstructs his vision, and is fortunately halted by Gyrfalcon upon arriving at Jonathan's area. Wyvern attempts to perform an appreciative nod in the direction of Gyrfalcon for his helping hand, but doesn't quite manage to do so due to the nature of his tightened-Signe-collar mecha neck brace. Turning towards Jonathan Wolfe and grinning a smile full of razor sharp teeth, the overgrown lizard bot exclaims: "Happy Birthday J-Wolfe! I got you this makeshift mecha suite as a gift... now if could just manage to take it off." Wyvern grumbles as he attempts to remove his "body armor," only to fall head-over-heels as he misjudges his weight and collapses. The reptilian Elder squeals and frantically fidgets on the ground in his suite, unable to lift himself or even turn on his back due to its cumbersome nature... ;-) OOC: Hope you have a great one, Jonathan.

Drummondo looks over his numerous application poems, then turns towards Tanuchan and smiles, thankful for her company and deeply appreciative of her comforting poetry. Leaning back in his applicant easychair and sighing to himself, he begins penning a new sonnet on the extremely inconsiderate nature of the Elder of Initiates when suddenly, the sound of a turning doorknob catches his attention. Drummondo and Tanuchan simultaneously turn their heads as the front door of the Recruiter's Office swings open and Wyvern strides in, looking over several pages of legal documents and whistling to the last tune that musicevangelist had played him as he does so. Upon noticing Drummondo and Tanuchan seated in the Office, the overgrown lizard drops his paperwork on the nearest mountain of unifinished business and hisses: "Greetingsss Drummondo, and apologies for my rather late arrival. I hope that the wait wasn't too hard on you?" "See for yourself." grumbles Drummondo, handing Wyvern his four application poems and smirking. The reptilian Elder curiously takes the papers from him and looks them over, then frowns slightly and scratches his chin for a moment. Snapping a scaly finger, the lizard then grabs a few sheets of dirty paper from one of the many piles that litter the Office, and scrawls on them: Warm Welcomes Well-Rounded, with Wyvern's Wigwams! Are you having trouble welcoming folks to parties when there just isn't the space? Or have you been at the center of jokes when they think your bedding's a disgrace? Fear not, cus Wyvern's got the solution: a new kind of tent, that looks kinda neat. You set it up outside, amidst the pollution and hang out with folks in the street. Oh don't look so stingy, it really is cool, just try it out, you'll never go back. Some might claim that you'd look like a fool but you wouldn't pay no housing tax! Almost Dragonic Brand Wigwams for sale Buy them with house keys and an ale. "Errrr..." mutters Drummondo, raising a finger. Musings made Miraculous, with Magical Meditation! When waiting rooms fail to have life boredome floods the lonely soul. But now, there's means to end the strife and take complete control! The lastest in Almost Dragonic: Meditative Wood Brand Stances™! Be trained in Wyverns faulty logic and enter into trances. Through the lizards many tips you shall learn to watch the door, until it comes to life and grips the walls down to the floor. Don't mind the way the door is staring, it's not alive yet... just preparing. "Ummm..." starts Drummondo. "I-" Bored Belligerence Belated, with Beautiful Bikinis! Ever wonder what some Pen babes would look like lacking any dress? The next best thing to getting l- "Wyvern!" exclaims Drummondo, blushing furiously and glaring at the lizard. "Enough is enough, are you getting to my application or what?!" Wyvern grumbles and nods, then quickly stamps Drummondos application ACCEPTED. He then turns to hand the application back to Drummondo, only to accidentally slip on a couple of loose leaf sheets of paper, which send him careening into the applicant. Drummond is knocked back with Wyvern, and the two of them collide into poor, innocent Tanuchan, which results in an enormous tangled mess of arms and legs. ;-p OOC: An ACCEPTED application, Drummondo, welcome to the Mighty Pen! I look forward to reading more of your writing, in addition to participating with you in various community projects. Hope you enjoy your stay at the Pen.

Wyvern enters into the Cabaret Room carrying a bat-shaped platter with a glass on top of it, casually whistling to himself as he moves towards the area where Black is chatting. The overgrown lizard pauses and perks his head up as he overhears the part of the conversation involving Veneonlygodknowshishorridlylongandhardlyspellablename, and quickly takes out a notepad to jot the name down as a potential target for Almost Dragonic Brand Last Resort Nicknames™. He then rudely steps in front of Tamaranis and Katzaniel, interrupting their greetings for a moment as he hands Black the tall glass on his platter and hisses: "Greetings, Black! It has indeed been a long while since we last spoke... Sorry that it took me so long to get here, I was preparing you this Really Bloody Mary over at the Bloodbanks of the Pen, and it took me longer than expected. Hope you enjoy it." Wyvern casts a quick glance at Tamaranis, then nudges Black slightly and whispers in his ear: "Psssst, I tapped into Vlad and Tamaranis' extensive blood supplies to make this, so it has type A, type B, type O, type AB, the works... it even has hints of the positive and negative varieties." With that, the overgrown lizard winks, pats Black on the back, and quickly departs from the scene, fearful that Tamaranis or Vlad might pick up on the blood theft through their supernatural senses. ;-)

I really like this poem, Sorciere. The subject of awakening and realizing the beauty of life only at the moment of death is original, and several of your details and observations are evocative and intriguing. The poem also carries your trademark style of directness, which gives it a unique feel and seperates it from other poems. I think that this poem could be made even better if it were expanded upon a bit, as I wanted to learn more about the hundreds of emotions that the narrator experiences, the millions of scents she smells, and the specific tastes of the bullet. I also think that "frosting" is a somewhat awkward adjective to use to describe the air, and you may want to consider replacing it with something else. Great to see you writing here again!

A sluggish melody echoes throughout the Recruiter's Office as musicevangelist lets out a dismal sigh, turning his attention towards the grandfather clock that rests in the corner of the room and silently watching as the minutes go by. The applicant was feeling kind of blue in his wait, as Wyverns lack of respect for applicant waiting times caused him to question his commitment as an Elder. Shifting uneasily in his seat, he decides to cue up another tune to pass the time, only to be interrupted as the front door of the Office suddenly slams open with a cacophonous bang. Musicevangelist jumps back as Wyvern soars into the room like a bat out of hell, crash landing a few feet away from an applicant easychair and going still in a mangled heap of scales and metal. Wincing at the overgrown lizards painful-looking landing, the eager applicant attempts to untangle him and help him to his feet, only to pause as he notices the reptilian Elder's attire. The lizard was dressed in a cassock with musical notes written on it similar to that of musicevangelist, only his almost dragonic scrawl caused the notes to look more like codes from aliens inhabiting the dark side of the moon than music. Raising a brow at the lizard, the applicant takes two steps back as Wyvern regains his composure and apologetically hisses: "Sssorry about my long absence and abrupt entrance, Mr. Evangelist. I would explain myself, but it's a rather long story involving pittances, armpits, orchestra pits, pitiable sounds, and pit bulls... not to mention music hall security guards that once played roles as professional baseball pitchers. Yeesh, I wish they could have just dragged me in..." Grumbling and casting a glance towards the now-empty hallway outside of the door, Wyvern immediately picks up musicevangelist's application and carefully begins reading it over. Once he's finished with the story, the lizard grins a discomforting grin of razor sharp teeth and hisses: "A very good story, musicevangelist. Your background is touched upon well, though it's not exactly a suspenseful thriller... then again, the parts about Aukland taking over did leave me trembling." Musicevangelist stares at Wyvern blankly, silently fidgeting. "I'll certainly accept it." hisses Wyvern while reaching for one of the metal instruments he had previously been tangled in. "But first, I'd like to offer you to take a walk on the wild side with Almost Dragonic Brand Alternative Musical Instruments™. Take this wonderful item for instance." Wyvern hands musicevangelist what appears to be a metal rod with strings attached to it. The applicant takes the instrument and examines it for a moment, then mutters in a confused tone: "I don't get it... it looks sort of like a harpsichord, but I honestly don't see anyone playing music with this. The strings are far too sharp." "That's because it's a Harpysickord." hisses Wyvern gleefully. "You can use its strings to cut an unworthy foe into tender cutlets, and the bottom of it acts as a salt shaker for when you're ready to dine! It also played a major role in the film Gone with the Finn... I think it would look great with your outfit if you painted it black, and it only costs two hundr-" "Errr, that's alright." interrupts musicevangelist, glancing at Wyverns "musical instrument" nervously. "I don't think I'll be needing any Almost Dragonic Brand Alternative Musical Instruments™ today, though I'm sure the Harpysickord produces some very provocative howls of pain." Wyvern sighs as he takes back the Harpysickord, and decides not to advertise the Vladolin or the Ciodenthysizer as he stamps musicevangelists application ACCEPTED. ;-) OOC: An ACCEPTED application, musicevangelist, welcome to the Mighty Pen! My apologies for the long wait, I've been very busy lately outside of the Pen and haven't been able to post in quite as timely a manner as I'd like. I look forward to reading more of your writing, as well as participating with you in community projects. Expect Wyvern to add musicevangelists divine music to future schemes. ;-) Once again, welcome!

Just to drop a quick (though somewhat latework) reminder: "Any Given Moment" will be aired this evening at the same time and place as always. This episode is subtitled "Wild Card," and will be based on music that I've never heard before. The show will likely lack the flow of some of my other shows since there'll be no quality control or prior knowledge of the music, but to make up for it I'll be reviewing the new CDs and songs on the spot over the air. I encourage people to tune in and call or AIM me so we can discuss the quality of various tracks. :-) Note also that this show will not be recorded as an MP3, so try to tune in if ya can! Peace, Wyv-

As several Pen members curiously examine Jechums recruitment poster and start signing themselves up to join in his crusade, Wyvern observes their actions through a crystal ball from the sleazy comfort of his dimly lit quarters, cackling to himself evily and rubbing his scaly claws together in glee. The overgrown lizard turns towards an ancient chess board that rests adjacent to his crystal ball, and gleefully adjusts the positions of the hollographic Queen and the framed picture King on its surface before turning towards a scoreboard hanging on a wall crowded with scheme proposals. The lizard chalks a few numbers onto the board, then grins from ear to ear and turns once again towards his crystal ball, closely examining it and rubbing his claws over its surface. After several minutes of watching the ball, the lizard quietly hisses: "That'ssss right my pretty little rabbits, make your way to Caerbannog and build your nessstsss there. And don't forget that you need mana to hatch those little eggsss you lay, and guard those little nestsss you make. Mana... plentiful, plentiful mana." Having said this, the lizard grins a discomforting grin of razor-sharp teeth and turns towards the scoreboard that he had previously attended to, proudly examining its title. "Almost Dragonic Brand Caerbannog Mana Troves - charge'em for their energy without them even knowing about it!" "Exxxxcellent" hisses Wyvern as he watches another member join, completely ignorant of the hidden geld charge set on mana. "Go, my little bunny rabbitssss, scurry around about in your little Almost Dragonic Brand Metaphorical Cages™. You're going to make your uncle Wyvern a fortune!" With that, Wyvern lets out a gale of evil laughter and swiftly departs from his chambers, not wanting to miss out on the plentiful parties and member projects that demand his attention. ;-)

As cheerleader-Mynx directs her new pet Death of Foxes towards an area where more pretty pumpkin sylphs are hovering, a familiar-looking almost dragonic figure enters through the open front doors of Custos Manor. The overgrown lizard is dressed in a hawaiin shirt and bermuda shorts, as well as an unfashionable pair of sunglasses that rest awkwardly on his reptilian snout. Observing the party scene at hand and grinning at the prospect of sipping spilt alcoholic punch from the floor, the table cloths, and the dresses of Pen babes, the lizard gingerly steps into the hall and proceeds to make his way towards the beverage tables. Tanuchan perks up upon noticing the Wyverns entrance, and frowns when she see's that the overgrown lizard is dressed in his typical Office attire. Abandoning the amusing spectacle of Mynx and Katzaniels entanglement, she decides to make her way towards the lizard to inform him of the costume policy, and steps in front of him just as he's about to reach the beverage tables. "Wyvern." says Tanuchan in a half-enthusiastic, half-hesitant manner, blocking the lizards path. "Glad you could finally make it. Ummm, you know about the costume policy at this party right?" "Yesss, I'd like to think so." hisses Wyvern, poking at Tanuchans dark blue dress and examining it closely. The reptilian Elder sniffs at her garmets and leans his snout dangerously close to the curved dagger at her waist. "You're looking pretty dressy after all, I'm liking the leaves. Say, could I maybe lick the spilt punch off of your dress, I'm sure the leaves will give it extra flavo-" "W-w-what?!" cries Tanuchan, taking two steps back from the lizard and blushing furiously. "What do you mean? No, that is to say there's no punch, I mean not that it would matter. On it, that is. Uhh, you have no costume Wyvern, where's your costume?" Wyvern considers the question for a moment, then stands up straight and triumphantly pokes a finger at his hawaiin shirt, letting out a sinister laugh and hissing: "No costume? Come on, look at me, I decided to come as a lazy red gecko in search of alcohol!" Tanuchans face goes blank and she opens her mouth to speak, only to jump as Wyvern darts around her and quickly dives underneath one of the beverage tables, his scaly tail sticking out from under the tablecloth as he begins sipping alcohol that the servers have yet to clean up from the floor. The wolf maiden sighs to herself glumly as she suddenly realizes that forcing the lizard to dress up specifically for the event would take more than words alone...

Epinephrine quietly sips from the coffee mug that Mynx had given him and happily glances towards each of the Pen members that had decided to keep him company in the Office, contemplating cryptomancers cobweb statement as he wonders what could be taking the Elder of Initiates such a long time to arrive. The applicant observes the intricate patterns of the spider webs that now occupy the corners of the reptilian Elders desk, and slowly reaches for his alchemist handbook as he considers the potential that cobwebs might have for being an ingredient for gold. His thoughts are interrupted, however, as the delicate cobwebs collapse when the Office door slams open and Wyvern comes barging into the room. Wyvern dashes into the Office only to come to an immediate halt as he's immersed in Gryphons beautiful display of golden lights, his eyes widening in awe at the spectacle as his ears pick up on musicevangelists soothing tunes in the background. Sniffing at the air and smelling the pleasant aroma of freshly brewed coffee, Wyvern scratches his scaly head and slowly walks towards Melbas desk, only to find that the Almost Secretary of Initiates is absent from the Office. On the desktop next to where Melba would normally be seated lies a note written in elegant female handwriting, which seems to detail an admiration for Wyverns "tale/tail" and seems to express a desire for his presence. Wyvern stutters to himself and pockets the note, shaking his head in disbelief as he wanders towards his desk and pausing as he notices epinephrine sitting in an applicant easychair next to it. "Wh-what is?" stammers Wyvern, his eyes growing wider by the minute. "Wh-who are?" "I'm epinephrine." says epinephrine confidentally, extending an arm and shaking one of Wyverns claws. "And I'm an alchemist that has come in the hopes of making your aquian-" "An alchemist?!" declares Wyvern, his head spinning and his jaw going agape. "You mean like someone who can turn ordinary materials into gold?!" "Well, errr" mutters epinephrine. "Yeah, sort of." "I don't believe it!" cries Wyvern ecstatically, catching epinephrine off guard as he suddenly breaks into a merry jig and begins dancing around the Office. "Ozymandias actually came through with every one of my demands! The room is immersed in the color of geld, Pen babes are leaving suggestive notes of admiration on my desktops, the Office is equiped with its own symphony in the background and a diner for freshly brewed coffee... I even have my very own alchemist for all of my geld demands! This is amazing, I wonder where the swimming pool of geld might be located?" Epinephrine, Mynx, cryptomancer, Gryphon, and musicevangelist all stare at Wyvern oddly from their positions as the overgrown lizard hops, skips, and jumps towards the door to his closet, joyfully humming to the tune of "Money, Money, Money" as he unlocks it with his key and shouts: "Xanthus, you are now officially free from my captivity, as Ozymandias has come through and complied with my long list of demands. Now go, make your way to the wonderful freedom of the Pen and enjoy an open social life with the rest of the membership. I want to welcome you once again to the Pen is Mightier than the Sword, and hope that you enjoy your stay outside of its closets." Xanthus grumbles meekly, then slowly crawls out of the prison of the closet. He gradually makes his way across the floor of the Office and has just enough strength to turn the knob of the entrance door, which aids him be easing itself open. Smiling to himself, Xanthus exits into the freedom of the central halls of the Pen as Wyvern continues to dance about happily. "Umm, Wyvern?" says epinephrine, turning towards the lizard and signaling with a hand to get his attention. "Will you be accepting my application now?" Wyvern comes to an abrupt halt in his jig. "Y-your application?" At that moment, Gryphons illusion wears off and the Office becomes normally lit again. Wyvern frowns as he notices that there is no diner built into the Office and that the coffee was made for epinephrine, and goes sullen as musicevangelist stops playing his melodies in the background. Epinephrine cringes slightly as the overgrown lizard spends a long moment tearing the scales off of his head in frustration, then sighs in relief when the reptilian Elder briskly stamps his application ACCEPTED. ;-) OOC: An ACCEPTED application, epinephrine, welcome to the Mighty Pen! I'm sorry that it took me such a long time to get to responding to this piece, I've been very busy with papers and projects recently and haven't had too much time to post. I look forward to reading more of your writing, as well as participating with you in several community activities. Be forewarned that Wyverns deep-founded devotion towards geld will probably cause him to follow epinephrine around like a moth to the flame. ;-)

Lumpen, I just wanted to say that I tuned into "Crossroads" again this morning, and enjoyed it while it was on. The Taj Mahal special that Jono started it off with was good, and you did well with your announcements and choices of music. I liked your comments and interjections slightly more than those of Jono, as while he was good he didn't seem to be quite as comfortable on the mic. On a random side note: I didn't realize that you guys pronounce "death" as "deeth" over there... ;-) Unfortunatly, about an hour into the show, the blues and rock music was suddenly replaced by a techno mix and the announcements stopped. I waited for about twenty minutes to see if your show would come back on, but when it didn't I decided to stop listening. Out of curiousity: was it the stream that wasn't broadcasting correctly, or did you guys end the show an hour early?

YanYan Ganaffi grumbles a few curses under his breath as he adjusts the position of his applicant easychair, shifting it a few inches closer to Wyverns incredibly messy desk and carefully avoiding the mountains of paperwork surrounding it. Frowning to himself and glancing at the grandfather clock in the corner of the Office, the anxious applicant considers chalking his days of waiting on the armrest of his seat, when suddenly the faint sound of a familiar reptilian voice catches his attention. "YanYan." pleads the voice in a half-whisper. "Help me...!" YanYan Ganaffi curiously glances up at the ceiling from where the sound is coming from, and jumps back as he finds Wyvern plastered there, wearing a strange inflated suite that makes him look like the fattest reptile this side of anacandas digesting tourists. Wyvern stares down at YanYan helplessly, biting his scaly lip slightly as he hisses: "Hi there. Listen, YanYan, I'm in a bit of a predicament here. I was testing out a prototype version of the latest in Almost Dragonic Brand Stealth Technologies™, the Almost Dragonic Brand Reverse Parachute Inflatable Stealth Suite™, the only technological suite capable of effortlessly elevating forms to new heights using Gravitechnology™. Unfortunatly, I got a little stuck... can you see my desk?" YanYan stares at Wyvern blankly, then glances at the area which he had been moving his seat towards and mumbles: "Sort of." "It's that kinda rectangular shape at the center of the Papercut Peaks mountain range..." hisses Wyvern, desperatly trying to motion with his arms but unable to do so. "...cutting over the Valley of Discarded Chocolate Wrappers and adjacent to the Melba Halls of Hell." "I see it" says YanYan Ganaffi, walking towards the desk carefully in the hopes of not causing any paper avalanches. "What would you like me to do?" "There should be a handheld remote control somewhere on the desktop." hisses Wyvern. "All you have to do is press the large red button on it and this suite should automatically deflate." "O.K" mutters YanYan, searching through garbage and paperwork on the desktop until he comes across a remote control with a red button on it. Grinning happily at the good fortune of finding the remote so quickly on such a messy desk, the applicant confidentally holds it up for the lizard to see and presses the red button on it. Nothing happens. Wyvern is silent in his ceiling position for a moment, then nervously cries out. "N-no, could it possibly be that the remote is defective?! It can't be... I'll be doomed to spend the rest of eternity as an Almost Dragonic hot air balloon! *sob*" "You were already full of hot air." mutters YanYan Ganaffi under his breath, turning back towards Wyverns desk for a moment and suddenly noticing a curious shape on it. Rummaging through several used magazines in order to give the shape further inspection, the applicant is surprised to find another remote with a red button on it sitting there. Picking up the remote, YanYan presses the button on it and watches as Wyvern immediatly deflates, sending him plummeting down to the Office floor for an unexpected crash. Once Wyvern has recovered from his fall, he thanks YanYan Ganaffi for his help and stamps his application story ACCEPTED. The reptilian Elder then scratches his scaly chin in curiousity, and examines the first remote control that YanYan had used... only to suddenly go tense as he immediately recognizes it as the Almost Dragonic Brand M4 Landmime™ detonator that he had tried to sell to Ghost of the Dawn. Elsewhere, in the beautiful Courtyards of the Pen... Tanuchan strolls along happily and hums to herself, thoroughly admiring the beauty of nature around her. The wolf's day was going extremely well ever since she had avoided becoming tangled in a mess of arms and legs at Wyverns Office, as it marked a significant change in fortune and put her in very good spirits. Grinning at a passing butterfly and following its path with her eyes as it passes over the clearing, Tanuchan's smile is shortlived as the ground suddenly begins quaking beneath her. The wolf poet stares left and right in confusion, then cries out as an explosion of mannequin arms and legs suddenly rockets out of the ground, entangling her in a rain of limbs... ;-p OOC: An ACCEPTED application, YanYan Ganaffi... Welcome to the Mighty Pen! I look forward to reading more of your writing, as well as to participating with you in community projects and events. Once again, welcome!

The "Generation Lex" episode of "Any Given Moment" went very well this evening, though around halfway through the show I turned the microphone and DJing over to a friend of mine who wanted to do an impromptu interview with PMD. The interview and freestyle session that ensued didn't really fit in with the vibe of my show and lasted a pretty long time, but it was cool to get some live performances in the studio. I'm very happy with how this show turned out overall, however, and would recommend it as a good example of "Any Given Moment". Thanks to Jonathan Wolfe (J-Wolfe!) you can listen to the show in full in MP3 format: http://apheliondesign.net/anygiven/agm02.mp3 Finnius was shouted out, as were Jonathan Wolfe, Ayshela, Valdar, and Izabella at his request. Tracks were also dedicated to Yui and Aegon (Subtle's "I *Heart* L.A") and Salinye (Subtle's "Eyewash"), and the Mighty Pen was given many praises over the course of the show. Check it out if you get a chance, and skip over the interview if you're not feeling it.

The next episode of "Any Given Moment" is subtitled "Generation Lex," and will be aired Friday 10/8/04 (today) at the same time and place as always. The show will be based on my current favorite record label, Lex Records, which is a London-based "hip hop" label that experiments with all kinds of alternative music. Last year, Lex released my favorite album of 2003, Non-Prophets' "Hope," as well as one of my runners up of the year, DM & Jemini's "Ghetto Pop Life" (which also had my favorite production of 2003). They've continued to put out several excellent CDs in 2004, and are incredibly diverse in their consistancy. Lex's foundation is in alternative hip hop, but they've never limited themselves to a single genre of music and have released everything from avantguard electronica albums to lo-fi folk pop records, each of them excellent and unique in their own way. Even the rap records they've released have been incredibly diverse, ranging from experimental M.Cing to grooving party records filled with club bangers. This is bound to be some of the most innovative and progressive music you hear on my show, as well as some of the most diverse, so I hope that some people will consider tuning in.

Ghost of the Dawn taps his fingers on the armrest of his applicant easychair, shifting in his seat uneasily as he silently sighs over the departure of Tanuchan. With no Pen member to keep him company, no sense of the remaining waiting time, and no heat sensor device to calculate the approximate distance of other living organisms from the Office, Ghost of the Dawn begins to feel a bit lonely and abandoned. The anxious applicant frowns and turns to glance at a grandfather clock that rests at the corner of the Office, but doesn't have a chance to read the time as the cacophonous sound of an enormous crash causes him to leap out of his seat in shock. Ghost of the Dawn immediatly turns towards the source of the sound, only to breath in a sharp gasp as he discovers Wyvern crushed in a mangled heap, dressed in what appears to be an poorly-fabricated yellow gymnastics outfit and covered in shards of glass from a newly-broken Office window. The reptilian Elder curses as he lifts himself from his painful position, and brushes the glass off of his hideous outfit as he hisses: "Greetingsss Ghost. *cough* My apologies for being late, I was busy testing out the latest in Almost Dragonic Brand Stealth Technology™." Ghost of the Dawn raises a brow upon hearing this, and firmly glues his eyes on Wyvern's horrendous outfit as the overgrown lizard snatches up his application story and begins reading it over. Once Wyvern has finished with the application, Ghost of the Dawn hesitantly clears his throat and mutters: "Ummm... Mr. Wyvern, I'm curious, what is the errr... the outfit for?" "Oh this?" hisses Wyvern, pointing at his yellow gymnastics outfit and grinning a razor-sharp grin. "This is an Almost Dragonic Brand Stealth Suit™, ideal for covert operations and raids. I'm glad you asked, since I was just about to offer you some of the latest in Almost Dragonic Stealth Technology for cheap cheap chea-" "So..." interrupts Ghost of the Dawn, squinting his eyes to examine the "suit" more carefully. "I take it this Suit is used to distract guards while your campanions stealthfully infiltrate into the enemies base?" "Not quite." hisses Wyvern while sorting through his desk for other products. "It's actually used for camoflauging with your surroundings, since it's usually used in situations involving large amounts of gold." Ghost of the Dawn stares at Wyvern blankly and goes silent. "If the Almost Dragonic Brand Stealth Suit™ doesn't interest you, allow me to offer you this genuine Almost Dragonic Brand M4 Landmime™" hisses Wyvern, whipping out a small remote control. "It's going at the low price of two hundred and fifty geld!" Ghost of the Dawn raises a brow and examines the remote control. "Landmime? What's that?" "Well." answers Wyvern, twirling the remote control in one claw. "It's like a detonatable landmine, only it's made using leftover mannequin arms and legs that were once used by mime troops." "No thanks." mutters Ghost of the Dawn uneasily, brightening as the reptilian Elder stamps his application ACCEPTED. "How about an Almost Dragonic Brand 40 Pony Power Pattywagon™ then?" hisses Wyvern hopefully. ;-) OOC: An ACCEPTED application, Ghost of the Dawn, welcome to the Mighty Pen! I look forward to reading more of your works as well as participating with you in community events and activities. Apologies for the rather late application response, life has its intervals of intense time management...

Wyvern scurries into the Cabaret Room as fast as his scaly legs can carry him, cloaked in an unfashionable-looking cooking apron and weilding an iron frying pan dropped from Racouol's gift rack. Celes Crusador twists her nose and grimaces as the scent of fresh ash and burnt reptilian flesh fills the room, and she raises a brow as Wyvern arrives at her side, his scales covered in soot. The overgrown lizard bows to Celes Crusador apologetically and grumbles a few curses under his breath, then brushes the ash off of his face before hissing: "Ssssssorry for my belatedness, Lady Celes Crusador! I reeeaaallly wanted to wish you a happy birthday on your actual birthday, but I was too busy preparing your present in the Pen's kitchen and ended up stranded there for a few days." "My present...?" mutters Celes Crusador, a hint of dread falling over her visage. "The Pen's kitchen? Wyvern, have you been using that Scarf of Disastrous Spell Prevention I gave you?" "Errrmm" mumbles Wyvern as innocently as possible, sounding like an almost dragonic parody of Richard Nixon. "O-of course, I mean I have." Lady Celes Crusador frowns. "So, you decided to cook me something for my birthday?" Wyvern grins and rapidly nods, pointing a scaly, soot-covered finger in the direction of a nearby hall and exclaiming: "I decided to bake you a cake, since you always cater to my endless food needs at your Cafe. It took a while to make it and there were a few near-fatal incidents involving flamable icing and trick candles, but it passed the Almost Dragonic Brand Taste(less) Test™ in the end. Wait until you see it, it's sorta unique-looking." Celes Crusador stares down the hall towards the Pen's kitchen quietly, still frowning and nervously fidgeting at the thought of having to try Wyverns cuisine. Her frown deepens when she hears Izabellas voice scream "what's this, toxic waste?! Oh my God, it's ALIVE!" from the kitchen. Wyvern clenches his teeth and directs his eyes towards the ground nervously, quietly hissing: "Darn, I knew I shouldn't have added those twelve gallons of Red Bull Energy Drink to the cake mix..." ;-) OOC: Happy belated, Celes Crusador! A happy birthday goes out to Starlight (to whom I now owe a shiny/Rydia magnet) and Damon Inferel as well. Hope you all had a great one!

They have Strawberry Kit Kats, Mint Kit Kats, and Mint M&Ms? Wow, I've never seen or heard of any of those flavors... will have to be on the lookout for them the next time I walk by a CVS. Blondemoon - Ben & Jerry's "Dublin Mudslide" ice cream was a limited edition flavor that came out around St. Patricks Day, and contained chocolate cream liquer ice cream, coffee swirl, and chocolate midnight cookies. It was basically Irish coffee and midnight cookie ice cream, and it tasted incredible. Here are some more new candies that I decided to try out recently: Peanut Butter Mazing - This recipe is the same as that of the previously-mentioned Mazing bar, only instead of crunchy M&Ms they put peanut butter M&Ms inside the chocolate bar. I thought this bar was slightly better than normal Mazing, though the questionable quality of M&M peanut butter drags down the promising connotations of the title. Mini Reeses Pieces - This candy combines the recipe for Reeses Pieces with the addictive size reduction of Mini M&Ms. They're not quite as addictive as Mini M&Ms, but are still quite good as long as you enjoy the taste of normal Reeses Pieces. Kit Kat Inside Out (limited edition) - This candy takes the concept of Kit Kat - White a step further by making the coating on the outside of the bar white chocolate and the wafer in the inside dark chocolate. This new variety Kit Kat is good, though the difference in taste in the wafer is almost too miniscule for one to really notice. Indulge only if you enjoy Kit Kat - White. Milkyway Midnight bar - This alternative flavor of Milkyway is surprisingly good. It bares a ressemblence to normal Milkyway only in its basic structure, as the chocolate, the nougat and the caramel are still there. The difference is that in Milkyway Midnight, the chocolate is dark chocolate and the nougat is vanilla nougat. This may not sound like much of a difference, but it turns out that Milkyway Midnight tastes quite similar to some of the more expensively packaged chocolates out there. Recommended. Overload S'moores - I was skeptical upon purchasing one of these as my initial experience with Overload (a candy that advertises peanut butter cups with cookies on the bottom of them and different varieties of candies on top of them) was one of horrendous disappointment. Overload S'moores advertise the same type of formula, only with marshmellow instead of peanut butter and graham crackers instead of cookies. Unfortunatly, this variety is every bit as bad, so don't be fooled by the tantalizing pictures they use for the packaging. Really disgusting stuff.

As Pen members continue to file into the Cabaret Room to wish Peredhil a happy birthday, Wyvern attempts to sneak towards the birthday elf through the crowds, brushing by Finnius and accidentally stepping on FrozenWombats tail as he quietly pushes a clothing rack packed with enormous shirts in front of him. Arriving at the area where gifts are being distributed, Wyvern notices Zadowns gift and frowns, casting a quick glance at his rack of remaining shirts and grumbling curses under his breath. The overgrown lizard then raises a brow as Zadown and Gyrfalcon give Peredhil their explanations of the XXXXXL of the shirt, and fiddles with his scaly claws in nervous glee as noone remarks the D, R. E, V, and I hidden underneath the crosses, or the vague remnants of the words "property of" listed in front of the letters. Wyvern scratches his scaly chin as he considers a different gift to give Peredhil, and rapidly sorts through his pockets for any potential last-minute presents. Coming across a torn half of a Naughty Nymph magazine in one part of his breaches, the overgrown lizard grins and pulls it out, only to pause as Gyrfalcon begins listing the numerous excellent works he's decided to give Peredhil as gifts. Frowning to himself, the lizard proceeds to stuff the magazine-half into a pocket of one of the enormous shirts, and begins tapping his foot on the ground in a mixture of anxiety and contemplation. The reptilian Elders foot stops tapping after a few minutes as he slowly breaks out into a sleazy grin, immediatly turning towards his rack and rubbing his scaly palms together. The lizard then begins to rapidly remove the shirts from it, dumping them into a large pile next to Valdar. Once the rack is empty, he starts pushing tit towards the gift area and comes to a halt as he reaches Peredhil. "Happy birthday Peredhil." hisses Wyvern enthusiastically, winking and pointing towards the empty clothing rack. "I got you a new torture accessory for your polite Dungeon, I call it 'the rack.' It also comes complete with some bonus XXXXXL clothes hangers..." Peredhil stares at Wyvern oddly as the lizard swiftly bows and scurries away. ;-)

The "Wanna Battle" episode of "Any Given Moment" went well this evening, though I occasionally stumbled with my comments and had a bit of difficulty inserting eight tracks from the top ten indie hip hop releases into the theme of my show. Never the less, a number of excellent hip hop battle tracks were touched upon, and the Mighty Pen was represented as usual. Jonathan Wolf, Katzaniel, Tamaranis, and Orlan all got shout-outs, a track was dedicated to the character of Myth ("So Cold," heartless and murderous hip hop), and Peredhil was given much love for his birthday. I'm also happy to say that the show was recorded and transfered into MP3 format, courteousy of Jonathan Wolf. If you missed the show and would like to check it out, you can listen to it here: http://apheliondesign.net/anygiven/agm01.mp3 Thank you once again for recording the show, Jonathan! I really appreciate it, and hope that other Pen members will benefit from it.

Just to give people a heads up: the next episode of "Any Given Moment" will be aired tommorow (Friday, 10/1/04) at the same time and place as always. This weeks show is subtitled "Wanna Battle," and is based completely around battle raps and vicious punchlines. Expect many tracks of brutal and hilarious disses, as well as a bit of dope hip hop from the current top ten indie radio releases. In other radio news, I'm happy to announce that the station finally has a production studio webcam up, which means that you can actually watch me while I'm hosting the show if you'd like. Granted, I usually don't do that much in terms of physical activities while hosting, though I do break out into dances every now and then in spite of myself... ;-) Thanks to everyone who's planning on tuning in and supporting!

Items The Devil's Advocate(Written by Kasmandre) This item, highly sought after among assassins, forgers, and disguise artists, appears to be a small leather-bound folder of the type used for carrying important documents. The leather has a slightly reddish tint that is disconcerting to anyone who inspects it for too long. Any documents that are put inside have the annoying habit of becoming lost. The actual use of an item comes into play when it's owner has need of a false identity, or needs to impersonate a real person and whispers to it: "Advocates, They're hard to get. Associates, Food on my plates, I'm in a state And need someone to take my side. I have a plan That needs refining. I'm just a man And slowly pining. But with help This little whelp In plain sight can hide." The Devil's Advocate will then contain a complete set of identifying papers including birth certificates, deeds to property, and any other papers the user needs to fill his real or fictitious persona. It will also contain directions to places where the user can acquire costuming, weaponry or anything else he may need to fill the role. Once the user is finished playing the part he simply has to destroy the papers and the Devil's Advocate will be ready to craft another identity. The Devil's Advocate was created long ago when an assassin told a mage he'd been contracted to kill that he'd spare his life in exchange for a powerful magical item. The mage bound a spirit of trickery into the folder and handed it over to the assassin. The assassin then killed the mage anyway, accidentally getting a little of the mage's blood on the folder. This is where it's reddish tint comes from. Some who know the Devil's Advocate's history suspect that the spirit of the mage is somehow also trapped in the item. They have good reason for suspecting this because anyone who uses the item for an extended period of time will begin to believe that he actually is the person he claims to be. If he is impersonating a real person as this happens, the urge to kill his "impostor" and properly take his place will also grow. As this takes place, the certificates and papers in the Devil's Advocate will begin to disappear, giving the user less proof of his identity even as he becomes more sure of his delusion. If the papers in the DA are destroyed or all disappear, the user will slowly regain his rightful identity although he may retain some little aspects of his delusion (answering to the false name, speaking as if he were that person occasionally, etc.) This situation can usually be avoided by not using any identity from the DA for more than a couple of days. Although someone who uses it in short spurts a great deal may still receive some residual effects... The Fake Tear Tissue The Fake Tear Tissue was handed down to Wyvern by Sorciere upon her acceptance to the Mighty Pen. The Tissue can be used to create fake tears on ones face or elsewhere, and is perfect for faking emotions in order to ease ones way out of difficult situations. Wyvern maintains a love-hate relationship with the Tissue, as on one hand he loves using it for business endeavors while on the other he's always had a distinct hatred for water. The Ring of Wondrous Hallucinations The Ring of Wondrous Hallucinations was given to Wyvern by Lady Celes Crusador as a gift for his last birthday. The item grants its wearer the power to transport him or herself into a world of hallucinations for no more than an hour a day. While the intended effects of the ring are parties, fun, and general headtrips, Wyvern experienced a terrifying vision the one time he wore it at Appy and Sweetcherrie's Garden Party. The lizard has refused to place the Ring on his claw since, and seems thoroughly convined that it's haunted. A Miniature Golden Camel The miniature golden camel in Wyverns possession was given to him by Cerulean as a birthday gift a few years ago. On the camel is written the phrase Eid Milad Sa'eed Habibi, a birthday greeting in a distant tongue. While the camel possesses no special powers or abilities, it stands to Wyvern as a momento of his time with Cerulean, and he values it just as much as his other items, if not more. The lizard often reminisces over fond memories of one of his all-time favorite Pen members when he views the camel, and often questions how she might be doing today.

Thanks for the observations and comments, all. I didn't realize they had a Ketchup-flavored variety of Pringles... the concept sounds strange but I might want to check for them if they get Celes Crusadors seal of approval. Similar goes for that Zero bar, which I've seen but haven't tried, as well as Not-Cream (is this similar to Nutella? And is it available in the U.S?) Runts and everything Cadbury-related get my seal of approval, though I haven't tried that Dream chocolate you mentioned Aardvark. Here are a few more more reviews of some other recent junk products I've tried: Hersheys - Double Chocolate (Limited Edition) - Mmmm... Double chocolate. The manner that this new brand of Hersheys bar is advertised on the candywrapper makes it seem as if it can do no wrong: "Creamy milk chocolate with a dark chocolatey filling." Unfortunately, the bar disappointed me, since the "chocolatey" filling tastes like little more than Hersheys Chocolate Syrup. Ewww. No wonder they couldn't use "chocolate" to describe the filling... Reeses Peanut Butter Cups - Extra Smooth and Creamy (Limited Edition) - Man, these recent "limited edition" candies have had such promising advertisements on their covers and such little content. An "Extra Smooth and Creamy" Reeses cup sounds promising, right? Well, unfortunatly the only difference between this and normal Reeses Peanut Butter Cups is that the peanut butter is not chunky, which kinda takes some of the texture out of it. Not as good as the original, though it's for only a minor difference in texture. Ben & Jerry's "Peanut Butter Cookie Dough" Ice Cream (Limited Stock) - I'm actually surprised that Ben & Jerrys ice cream hasn't been mentioned in this thread yet, since they can really do no wrong. Their new flavors of ice cream are always innovative and creative, yet somehow manage to remain consistant in the quality department (with a few minor exceptions). Their latest limited run flavor, "Peanut Butter Cookie Dough," maintains this tradition of excellence. The ice cream contains peanut butter and chocolate ice cream, fudge chunks, and dough used for baking peanut butter cookies (which, truth be told, tastes pretty much just like peanut butter, but I ain't complaining). This is a darn good flavor, but not as good as some of their previous limited runs, such as "Dublin Mudslide" (which I thought was absolutely phenomenal). Mountain Dew - Pitch Black (Limited Edition) Soda - what's with all the "limited edition" labels on junkfood nowadays anyway? Darn marketing campaigns. Anyway, Mountain Dew - Pitch Black is the latest flavor in the Mountain Dew remix catalogue. After the amazing Mountain Dew - Code Red (probably one of the best mainstream sodas on the market) came out, they followed it up with the heavily disappointing Mountain Dew - Live Wire (which was supposed to have orange flavor, but it wasn't very flavorful). The most recent edition to their catalogue, Pitch Black, is advertised as having "A Splash of Black Grape," and is actually a striking success. I personally think that Mountain Dew - Pitch Black is on par with Mountain Dew - Code Red, as it has a very distinctive grape flavor that doesn't taste completely like grape tylonal for a change (see: Fanta Grape). Highly recommended to soda fans. 7Up Plus (Limited Edition) Soda - Uh oh, 7Up with 10% vitamin C and calcium? You know it sounds sketchy to begin with, and unfortunatly the sketchiness is confirmed when you taste it and realize they had to sacrifice a thing or two to add a bit of "healthiness" (a healthy soda? Yeah right) to it, namely "taste." Thank God it's "limited edition." ;-p

FrozenWombat fidgets uneasily in his applicant easychair as he waits for the infamous Elder of Initiates to arrive, grumbling curses under his breath as he glances at a nearby clock and notices how late it is. Tapping his marsupial feet on the ground and wondering what could possibly be taking the overgrown lizard so long, he shifts in his seat and proceeds to reach into his pockets for a 20-sided die, hoping to test his luck in order to determine how many more days he might have to wait in the Office. Tossing the die along the surface of desktop, the wombat frowns as it lands on "1" and Wyvern promptly bursts into the room through the front entrance. Wyvern wobbles and hesitates as he enters the room, gripping an enormous bucket filled with Almost Dragonic Brand Substitute Mannequin Arms and Legs™ and barely managing to maintain his balance with it. Upon entering the room, the exhausted lizard immediately turns and fumbles towards a lesser-used corner of the Office, not noticing Tanuchan resting there as he quickly dumps the arms and legs over the area and drops his bucket. The lizard then breaths a sigh of relief, letting his shoulders go limp and dusting his claws off only to perk up his head curiously as he notices something odd. "Ssssssaaay" hisses the greedy Elder happily, flashing a toothy grin. "It's actually sort of cool in here for a change, Ozymandias must have started complying with my wage demands! Air conditioning, who'd of thou-" At that moment, FrozenWombat interrupts Wyvern by loudly clearing his throat, rolling his eyes as the overgrown lizard turns towards him and gapes. Wyvern scratches his scaly chin for a moment, then hisses: "Ssssssaaay, they're really upgrading air conditioning systems nowadays. Used to be just mana-generated... I wonder how they got passed the animal rights associations with this new system and desig-." FrozenWombat frowns and glares at Wyvern, immediately silencing the lizard and causing him to take two steps back. The applicant then picks up his life story, and rolls the manuscript up in an official manner before handing it to the lizard. Wyvern accepts the application, and glances at it curiously before saying: "Sssssaaaay.... a popsicle?" FrozenWombat jumps up from his seat just as Wyvern begins stuffing the application story into his mouth. "That's no popsicle, that's my application!" cries FrozenWombat furiously, running up to the lizard and snatching his story back. "And I'm no air-conditioning system, I'm an applicant!" With that, the wombat unravels his story parchment so quickly and angrily that he almost tears it in half. "Here, read, the details are all here!" Wyvern quickly takes the application and cringes, bowing and profusely apologizing to the angry applicant as he carefully reads over his life story. Having finished with it, the overgrown lizard sets it aside on his desk and grins as he hisses: "I see, that's quite a story Mr. FrozenWombat. It's almost as if the Universal Law of THAC0 has never applied to your life, interesting indeed. That telemarketing campaign was also quite a strategy." Having said this, the lizard stamps FrozenWombats application ACCEPTED, then mumbles: "Oh, and if you need any quick NPCs, those Almost Dragonic Brand Substitute Mannequin Arms and Legs™ are going for cheap cheap cheap!" ;-) OOC: An ACCEPTED application, FrozenWombat, welcome to the Mighty Pen! Sorry for my lag in responding to your application, real life has been keeping me pretty busy this week with exams and papers. I really enjoyed your story, and look forward to reading more of your stuff in addition to participating with you in collaborative threads. Once again, welcome!

I've noticed that lately, a number of the large American brands of junk food have been expanding their catalogues by adding in new flavors and varieties of candy. Being a curious connaiseur of sugar and anything labeled "chocolate," I decided to experiment and try out a couple of the new gimmicky products being offered. Here are a few of the things I tried, and the conclusions I reached about them: Mazing - This is a new chocolate bar that contains crunchy M&Ms inside of a Hersheys-clone length of chocolate. I was skeptical upon viewing the cover, and my worst fears were confirmed when I tried it and found it to be a bland replica of Nestles Crunch. Not terrible, but nothing exciting and there are far better candy bars that you can spend your spare change on. For die-hard M&M enthusiasts only. Snicker's Munch - I actually decided to try this bar specifically for the purpose of this thread, since the wrapping which advertised what appeared to be just peanuts in caramel didn't entice me much (if it doesn't have chocolate, I usually ain't messing with it). Upon trying it, I found that it wasn't in fact caramel that surrounded the peanuts, but was toffee. Never the less, it didn't excite me much and was pretty bland, plus it was difficult to chew. It should also be noted that a single bar of this stuff contains a whooping 3.5 grams of transfat, which probably marks it in the "avoid" territory when all's said and done. Kit Kat Big Kat - White - For those who don't know, Kit Kat Big Kats are an alternative variety of Kit Kat bars that contain a single bar of chocolate with wafer inside of it, as opposed to the series of smaller bars found in normal Kit Kats. Kit Kat Big Kat White follows that same schema, only it uses white chocolate instead of milk chocolate on the outside. Well... I'm a sucker for white chocolate, and I've always enjoyed Kit Kats, so I'm a fan of this new flavor. Mmmm... chocolate. Yorkshire Chocolate PepperMint Patty - Dark Truffel Limited Edition - I've never been the biggest enthusiast when it comes to York's Peppermint Pattys (though I have been in the mood for their flavor at times) but I was enticed by the "Dark Truffel" headliner in the title and decided to try it out. To be honest, I couldn't distinguish much of a difference between this flavor and the normal Yorkshire Patty, since the Peppermint really takes the forefront when it comes to this candy. Like Mazing, it was not terrible but not exciting either. JBz - This is definately the strangest and most eccentric new variety of candy I've tried in recent weeks, though I can't whole-heartedly recommend it. JBz are basically M&Ms with shells that taste like different Jelly Belly jelly bean flavors. o_O The results are widely ecclectic, ranging from excellent (marshmellow shells with chocolate evoke fond memories of s'mores, cherry and chocolate go well together) to less-than-satisfactory (buttered popcorn and chocolate?! o_o). It should also be noted that this candy, like most things Jelly Belly-related, will probably cause massive stomach aches if consumed in large amounts. Worth trying out, but they're not something I'd frequently consume. Reeses Snack Bar - Don't let the nutritious-looking drawing and "0 transfat" boast on the cover of this candy decieve you, Reeses Snack Bars are actually surprisingly good! It's a fairly large bar composed mostly of rice with Reeses peanut butter in the middle, and a thin layer of chocolate on the bottom. The peanut butter works really well in it, and overall I'd have to say that this bar is a success. It's still not quite as good as Nutrageous though, or Reeses Fast Break for that matter. Has anyone else had any interesting experiences with junk food recently?