Wyvern

I like this piece and think that it's a good poem, cryptomancer. The stone wall metaphor you incorporate throughout the piece is strong, and I found the antithesis of the wall both protecting and trapping the narrator particularly intriguing. I also think that you open the poem on a very strong note with the line "I write and I know that I can never read my words," as it immediatly interested me and grabbed my attention. The one stanza that I didn't care for in the poem was the second to last stanza, which I felt fell into the realm of cliches. Also, in the third to last stanza, the use of the word "fleeing" struck me as somewhat odd, perhaps because it's such a radical switch from the "flinching" mentioned in the line before it. Very nice poem cryptomancer, I look forward to reading more of your works.

Wyvern screams and runs around in circles upon seeing the multitudes of deranged, psychotic, extraterrestrial smiley faces winking at him. After carefully searching the skies in order to make sure that their mothership is well out of sight, the overgrown lizard quickly locks the thread in fear of their potentially breeding in greater numbers. Having done so, he scratches his scaly chin for a moment, then stamps the thread "Better-suited for the Shoutbox or PMs" before running off to take care of his latest scheme. :yuiwink:

I'm pleasantly surprised to see a new story detailing the adventures of Taleth, and am enjoying "Final Memories" so far Orlan. I really like how you incorporate references to both "Final Death" (Taleth's mentioning of the bar brawl from the original) and "Siege of Agregra" (Uri-Van references) to award those that've read your previous works. I also really liked the manners that you played with Rysabella's transparency in this initial segment, as both the temptress and the feuds that fall directly where she sits were very clevery done. While it's too early to really judge the story for its merits and flaws, one thing I didn't particularly care for in this first entry was the extended paragraphs of telling, particularly the one in the second segment detailing how Taleth is immortal and a genius. I think that these two aspects of his character have already been shown through dialogue and Taleth's ingenius method of assasinating Ikeans, which renders this paragraph kinda irrelevent. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing how this story developes, and am particularly intrigued as to whether we'll find out about that unexplained snippet of memory involving Rysabellas assassination, or if we'll find out who hired Taleth in "Final Death." Good stuff.

Thanks to everyone who participated in this madlib,... time to list the results! The piece of writing used for this exercise was a segment from "Tanuchan's Date with Peredhil" written by Peredhil: This segment was taken and meddled with until it produced the following madlib: --- [Male Member of the Pen] beamed as [Female Member of the Pen] opened the door. “May I pin your corsage?” He held the [Adjective] orchid up for her inspection. [Another Male Member of the Pen], also dressed in a tuxedo, but wearing [Article of Clothing] flashed a [Adjective] smile. “I’m your [Occupation] tonight,” he said [Adverb], before drifting down the corridor a few feet. “Sorry about that, but I’m overly protected.” [same first Male Member] frowned, “Are you ready?” He extended an arm for her and they walked down the corridor toward [same Second Male Member]. As they approached, [same Second Male Member] muttered and made a Gesture. Flexing his fingers, [same Second Male Member] disappeared through the [Noun], then poked his head back through and [Verb, past tense]. [same Female Member] felt a shiver and a tingle as she stepped through into a [Adjective] clearing. Small shimmering [Plural Noun] danced in the golden shafts of sunlight slanting across the [Adjective] place. Weeping willows bent low over a [Adjective] running stream, which babbled happily over a low [Noun] before rushing away to unknown destinations. Tall oak and elm guarded the sides and stood sentinel duty as they [Adverb] [Verb, past tense] with rustled leaves and gently swaying branches. The day was warm without being [Adjective], and a small breeze played [a Game] about the clearing, while a chorus of [Plural Noun] expressed joy in life as background music. --- Finally, when the choices of the participants were plugged in, they produced the following results: Katzaniel's Version Zadown beamed as Salinye opened the door. “May I pin your corsage?” He held the glowing orchid up for her inspection. Merelas, also dressed in a tuxedo, but wearing a turtleneck sweater, flashed a thin smile. “I’m your museum coordinator tonight,” he said oddly, before drifting down the corridor a few feet. “Sorry about that, but I’m overly protected.” Zadown frowned, “Are you ready?” He extended an arm for her and they walked down the corridor toward Merelas. As they approached, Merel muttered and made a Gesture. Flexing his fingers, Merelas disappeared through the humpback whale, then poked his head back through and fell. Salinye felt a shiver and a tingle as she stepped through into a wrinkled clearing. Small shimmering bars of soap danced in the golden shafts of sunlight slanting across the smelly place. Weeping willows bent low over a radioactive running stream, which babbled happily over a low necktie before rushing away to unknown destinations. Tall oak and elm guarded the sides and stood sentinel duty as they nimbly swam with rustled leaves and gently swaying branches. The day was warm without being transparent, and a small breeze played Tribond about the clearing, while a chorus of elephants expressed joy in life as background music. Tanuchan's Version Degenero Angelus beamed as Ayshela opened the door. “May I pin your corsage?” He held the happy orchid up for her inspection. Peredhil, also dressed in a tuxedo, but wearing a dress flashed a long smile. “I’m your teacher tonight,” he said slowly, before drifting down the corridor a few feet. “Sorry about that, but I’m overly protected.” Degenero Angelus frowned, “Are you ready?” He extended an arm for her and they walked down the corridor toward Peredhil. As they approached, Pered muttered and made a Gesture. Flexing his fingers, Peredhil disappeared through the house, then poked his head back through and slept. Ayshela felt a shiver and a tingle as she stepped through into a deep clearing. Small shimmering scissors danced in the golden shafts of sunlight slanting across the light place. Weeping willows bent low over a lovely running stream, which babbled happily over a low lake before rushing away to unknown destinations. Tall oak and elm guarded the sides and stood sentinel duty as they admiringly smiled with rustled leaves and gently swaying branches. The day was warm without being bright, and a small breeze played Monopoly about the clearing, while a chorus of glasses expressed joy in life as background music. Finnius' Version Valdar beamed as Appy opened the door. “May I pin your corsage?” He held the bouncy orchid up for her inspection. Peredhil, also dressed in a tuxedo, but wearing black leather bikini briefs, flashed a shocking smile. “I’m the Dreamer’s psychiatrist tonight,” he said dangerously, before drifting down the corridor a few feet. “Sorry about that, but I’m overly protected.” Valdar frowned, “Are you ready?” He extended an arm for her and they walked down the corridor toward Peredhil. As they approached, Big P muttered and made a Gesture. Flexing his fingers, Peredhil disappeared through a leather-bound copy of “Where Gods Fear,” then poked his head back through and shamelessly plugged. Appy felt a shiver and a tingle as she stepped through into a twinkly clearing. Small shimmering Keys of DOOM danced in the golden shafts of sunlight slanting across the heavy place. Weeping willows bent low over a blunt running stream, which babbled happily over a low baseball bat of DOOM before rushing away to unknown destinations. Tall oak and elm guarded the sides and stood sentinel duty as they absent-mindedly flipped out with rustled leaves and gently swaying branches. The day was warm without being ninjatic, and a small breeze played Dreamer-tag about the clearing, while a chorus of charred corpses expressed joy in life as background music. Quincunx's Version Gnarlitch beamed as Rahsash Geldich opened the door. “May I pin your corsage?” He held the oozing ochre orchid up for her inspection. Astralis, also dressed in a tuxedo, but wearing a big floppy hat with glow in the dark skellies on it, flashed a fashionable smile. “I’m your skellie tamer tonight,” he said totally, before drifting down the corridor a few feet. “Sorry about that, but I’m overly protected.” Gnarlitch frowned, “Are you ready?” He extended an arm for her and they walked down the corridor toward Astralis. As they approached, ‘Stralis muttered and made a Gesture. Flexing his fingers, Astralis disappeared through the zombie slobber, then poked his head back through and slimed. Rahsash Geldich felt a shiver and a tingle as she stepped through into a sugary clearing. Small shimmering candies danced in the golden shafts of sunlight slanting across the more sugary place. Weeping willows bent low over an even more sugary running stream, which babbled happily over a low Nim™ plushie before rushing away to unknown destinations. Tall oak and elm guarded the sides and stood sentinel duty as they fuzzily snorfled with rustled leaves and gently swaying branches. The day was warm without being giant, and a small breeze played TAG about the clearing, while a chorus of pixystix expressed joy in life as background music. Big Pointy One's Version Falcon beamed as Canid opened the door. “May I pin your corsage?” He held the huuuuuge orchid up for her inspection. Finnius, also dressed in a tuxedo, but wearing pilot goggles flashed a sticky smile. “I’m your hot dog vendor tonight,” he said loudly, before drifting down the corridor a few feet. “Sorry about that, but I’m overly protected.” Falcon frowned, “Are you ready?” He extended an arm for her and they walked down the corridor toward Finnius. As they approached, Fin muttered and made a Gesture. Flexing his fingers, Finnius disappeared through the ninja, then poked his head back through and karate chopped. Canid felt a shiver and a tingle as she stepped through into a delicious clearing. Small shimmering chemicals danced in the golden shafts of sunlight slanting across the tiny place. Weeping willows bent low over a shiny running stream, which babbled happily over a low carrot before rushing away to unknown destinations. Tall oak and elm guarded the sides and stood sentinel duty as they quickly hid with rustled leaves and gently swaying branches. The day was warm without being annoying, and a small breeze played Mortal Kombat II about the clearing, while a chorus of pies expressed joy in life as background music. Alaeha's Version Wyvern beamed as Rydia opened the door. “May I pin your corsage?” He held the SHINY orchid up for her inspection. Dean the Adequate, also dressed in a tuxedo, but wearing a Masterwork Studded Sports Bra, flashed a glimmering smile. “I’m your witch burner tonight,” he said cheerfully, before drifting down the corridor a few feet. “Sorry about that, but I’m overly protected.” Wyvern frowned, “Are you ready?” He extended an arm for her and they walked down the corridor toward Dean the Adequate. As they approached, Dean muttered and made a Gesture. Flexing his fingers, Dean the Adequate disappeared through the silicon, then poked his head back through and defenestrated. Rydia felt a shiver and a tingle as she stepped through into a incarcerated clearing. Small shimmering gryphons danced in the golden shafts of sunlight slanting across the backwater place. Weeping willows bent low over a demonic running stream, which babbled happily over a low job before rushing away to unknown destinations. Tall oak and elm guarded the sides and stood sentinel duty as they lightly galumphed with rustled leaves and gently swaying branches. The day was warm without being dangerous, and a small breeze played Nimball about the clearing, while a chorus of Fakeballs expressed joy in life as background music.

Thanks for the observations, everyone... it's fun to read your reviews of recent films. For the record, Stick: I actually really enjoyed "Excel Saga" as well, and would recommend it to anime fans who don't mind some insanely over-the-top comedy. "The Ugly" section of my previous post was devoted to things that could either fall into the Good or the Bad range depending on one's tastes. I didn't care for Gus Van Zant's film "Elephant" personally, but loved "Excel Saga"s genre-bending goofiness. I agree with the reviews that people have posted of "I, Robot" and both the "Kill Bill" films. I just saw "Kill Bill vol. 2" for the second time this evening on DVD, and liked it even more than when I first saw it in theatres. Perhaps the extended dialogues of the film are better-suited for smaller screens... While I didn't see the movie, one thing I found shocking about the adds for "Catwoman" is that Michelle Pfeiffer isn't playing the lead role in it. I thought she was perfect as Catwoman in "Batman Returns," and might have even spent my money to see "Catwoman" had she been in it. Lastly, let me strongly recommend "City of God" to everyone again... it's an incredibly powerful film.

--- "Destiny. A tyrant's authority for crime and a fool's excuse for failure." - Ambrose Bierce

Here's a new Mighty Pen Madlib to creatively vent in. For those who haven't played before and wish to participate, the instructions are listed at the beginning of this thread. 1. A Male Member of the Pen 2. A Female Member of the Pen 3. Adjective 4. Another Male Member of the Pen 5. An Article of Clothing 6. Adjective 7. An Occupation 8. Adverb 9. Noun 10. Verb, past tense 11. Adjective 12. Plural Noun 13. Adjective 14. Adjective 15. Noun 16. Adverb 17. Verb, past tense 18. Adjective 19. A Game 20. Plural noun

I've enjoyed your story so far, Jonathan, and will be looking forward to any upcoming entries. The amount of thought and effort you put into developing the setting of Thalos is very apparent in the numerous details you've incorporated throughout it, and it makes for an interesting and provocative read. The characters of the story also seem to be developing nicely, with Roley standing out as my clear favorite while Chel and James play the roles of the supportive yet ambivalent associates. Though he's only appeared briefly so far, I also like the character of Brigadine, as both his appearence and his tone vaguely remind me of the character Geobaldi from Johji Manabe's manga "Outlanders." In terms of potential ways to improve the story: there were times where I felt that the plot went by a little too quickly and caused the story to become a bit overwhelming, particularly near the beginning when we're immediatly dropped into the heart of the huge siege and battle against the military fortress. Without having developed any attachment to the protagonists yet and with no notion of what it is they're after, some of the battle scenes lacked in excitement to me. You might want to give us a bit of information on the characters and their bonds before the siege starts, or perhaps note in a brief communications dialogue that their objective is to secure the fuel cells, as these things might increase the suspense and excitement of the battle scenes. Also, on a minor note: I was initially confused by the transition from the codenames of the three main characters (Juggernaut, Redwolfe, and Vermillion) to their real names (Roley, James, and Chel), and thought at first that I had somehow missed a character or two. You might want to strengthen this transition a bit (note: one way to do this might be to offer a bit of information on the characters before the siege starts... two birds with one stone!) A good story so far, Jonathan.

"Three point five" Brutal and direct: 15 points Told through a classroom dialogue: 10 points/-5 points if homework is assigned Emma and Jonathan's predictions are predictable: 0 points The notion that Emma and Jonathan's future will not be bright due to their predictability: 20 points Antagonist tries to out-argue a puke-inducingly small child, but fails: -10 points Alien death machines from stories like "Patience" referenced: 5 points Leaves reader with the urge to grab the nearest blunt object and beat themselves over the head for not realizing the merits of 3.5 second clairvoyance earlier: -15 points Overall: (15 + 10/- 5 + 0 + 20 -10 + 5 - 15) divided by the number of times Aardvark has assumed a thread is over and given it a bad review = the rating. "Decision" Brutal and direct: 15 points Told in first person by a demon: 15 points Classy uses of antique revolvers, EvilSchemes, and ruptured stomach lining: 10 points It is revealed that the Prince of Darkness has a "thing" for men in white coats: -5 points Lucifer notes the freezing position of the victims abs: -5 points The man finds that he's risked his life and health to save a purse full of money, thereby proving that he's taken a noble path: 20 points Gunshots compared to noisy, annoying dog barks: 10 points Overall: (15 + 15 + 10 - 5 - 5 + 20 + 10) minus the amount currently owed for "Tales from the Aardvark" including interest = the rating. "ultimatum" Brutal and direct: 15 points Told in third person: 10 points Dignified "no risk profit" muggers, with weekly interval business plans and olde English dialect: 30 points The lead mugger makes the Guiness Book of World Records™ for running time, and is listed only a page away from the bandit in "Background": 20 points Action sequence involving three opposing parties, at different intervals: 5 points Mugger carelessly drops his "bling bling" out of fear: 5 unrealistic points Provides a continuation to "Duel," thereby showing signs of consistancy: -80 points Overall: (15 + 10 + 30 + 20 + 5 + 5 - 80) plus the amount of geld payed to Wyvern in the hopes of convincing him that consistancy is a good thing = the rating. "Canticle" Brutal and direct: 15 points Told in first person: 10 points Old Mother Hubbards secret identity revealed, but deadly curd experiments not mentioned: 0 points Narrator puts the 3.5 second clairvoyance learned from other classes to use: 10 points Deviation from singing results in the doubling of allowance money: 20 points "Incy Wincy Spider" is called wimpy while "Happy Birthday" is thought to be angelic: -10 points Sepultra shamelessly plugged: 5 bonus points Overall: (15 + 10 + 0 + 10 + 20 - 10 + 5) added to the number of Sepultra albums sold through Almost Dragonic Promotions™ = the rating. "Lanner" Brutal and direct: 15 points Told in third person: 10 points Protaganist avoids l33t speak and whines in proper English: 10 points Big ego contests involving riced up computers: -10 points Poetic justice in the gaming death of Battlegrounds 2942: 10 points Portable machete is not part of the narrators computer case rice: 30 points Leaves reader with a cold, sticky feeling and no urge to drink cool, refreshing sodas available at the nearest Krispy Kream outlet: 0 points Overall: (15 + 10 + 10 - 10 + 10 + 30 + 0) multiplied by the amount of Almost Dragonic Brand Spyware™ installed on Aardvarks computer after reading this review = the rating. "Red Light" Brutal and direct: 15 points Told in first person: 10 points Narrator is a pinball-addicted, streetsmart nobody: 10 points Narrator gains the respect of neighborhood kids through their care for money: 30 points Protagonists extra money is wisely spent on chocolate, and evidence is cunningly destroyed: 10 points A "Slightly-Greatly-Critically" large buildup involving the WestLakers: 5 NBA bonus points Beautiful, Wyvern-like crimson red light is replaced with a boring, Kendricke-like proud white light: - 10 points Overall: (15 + 10 + 10 + 30 + 10 + 5 - 10) divided by the number of times Wyvern gets scolded for that last comment plus the number of times Wyvern gets praised for that last comment = the rating. "If only" Brutal and direct: 15 points Told in third person: 10 points Death is given severity levels: 10 points Mrs. Feldman can work a communications matrix on her roof, but doesn't understand that her son is dead: 20 points Failure to mention the more advanced and affordable methods of immortality offered by Galgo corporations: -10 points Blue gelatin is incorporated in the revitalization process, proving that J-E-L-L-O has come a long way: 5 points Intense description of the scrubbing of every inch of David's body: -5 points Overall: (15 + 10 + 10 + 20 - 10 + 5 - 5) to the power of the number of revitilization engines Aardvark allows Wyvern to sponsor = the rating. "Interview" Brutal and direct: 15 points Told through film-fanatic interview dialogue: 15 points Multiple connotations for how many Blood Slaughterfest "grossed": 5 points French alternative title "Le Titty Grabass" is not corrected by the word "freedom," but is described as "yadda yadda yadda": 5 points 3 word one-liners and special effects overrule artistic vision: 10 points Internet piracy is responsible for the death of family cinema: 20 points Laughter comes in "Canned," "Light," and "Real" flavors: 30 points Overall: (15 + 15 + 5 + 5 + 10 + 20 + 30) minus the square root of the cost of licensing Blood Slaughterfest in video game format = the rating. Note: points attributed to Aardvark stories will remain in the low range until "Tales from the Aardvark" recieves a non-negative score. ;-)

I like the latest entry in your story, Salinye, and think that your novel is progressing nicely. The numerous details you use, such as the reference to the goddess of the river L'uinda when the elves feast upon fish and the tone of "obvious adoration" found in Velohna's voice when she examines Ellowyn, really breath life into the story and make it an interesting and accessible read. The twist of Velohna noticing that Lendarion has been born with "Navox's touch" was also very intriguing, as her needing to mask her emotions in order to not upset Lendarion's parents was an interesting conflict. In terms of potential improvements in this entry: there were certain moments where I found that facts were told in a very direct manner when they could be shown through details. An example of this might be in the first paragraph, when it's noted: "The men in turn carried oak leaves, or walked with ceremonial oaken staves. The oak, being the strongest tree in the forest, offering protection as much of their village was housed within it’s branches. It represents the strength and protective nature of masculinity. Together the lily and the oak leaf represent balance in all things." In this segment, several facts are directly told, including how oak trees are the stongest tree, how they offer protection to peoples houses, how they represent strength and masculinity, and how they represent balance when combined with the lily. While it's fine to use telling occasionally to quickly move past elements of setting, it's often far more intriguing when the facts are shown through details. For example, in the segment previously noted, rather than directly telling how the village was housed within oak tree branches, you could describe a few of the houses surrounding the feasting grounds to show it. Instead of telling what the oak leaves represent, perhaps you could offer a bit of dialogue between a younger and an older elf, with the older one explaining elven traditions to the younger one. These are only suggestions, mind you, as telling when used in moderation can work well... but showing always tends to grab peoples attention better, and can really draw them into the story. Interestingly, I noticed that around the seventh paragraph of the entry, you started using much less telling and focussed on showing details more, which was very well done. Very good story so far, I await the next entry with baited breath.

I think that this is a very interesting poem that contains several intriguing details, cryptomancer. I particularly like the metaphor of beauty being only the reflection of a grey world from a shattered prism, as it's a very original detail that gives the poem a morbid and hopeless feel. In terms of improvements, I think the poem could be even better if the first part of it were expanded a bit, as it's currently somewhat unclear to me what the falling crystal holding a person is meant to signify. A detailed and nicely written piece, well done.

-Epilogue- Darkness in the Astral. Shadows bend and weave as the very air whispers in tones of curious purgatorial spirits, and a dim glow begins radiating in the lonesome plane as the spirit of Jagon slowly floats amongst its unseen ranks. The seraphims spiritual form gradually opens his eyes and blankly observes his solitary surroundings, his lips still moving in the final sentence he had wanted to speak before death had stolen the air from his lungs. Jagons words are finally whispered to the empty void of the purgatorial plane, causing shadows to ripple as they slowly slide off the spirits tongue: "I've lost to the infidels." Having spoken these words, an air of determination falls over the spirits visage, and he immediately turns his head upwards towards the endless limbo of the plane. "Father... forgive me." The spirit then falls to his knees. "I, one of your most loyal and committed servants, have lost the battle to blasphemers. But fear not, for with destiny at my side and You as my guiding beacon, I will certainly win the war." A small smile slowly spreads across the seraphims lips. "I haven't the faintest doubt that I will triumph. The peons only know what they see, they remain stranded in their own material visions and fail to consider destinies course. They know not of what I am, or of what I may become." Jagon pauses and cups his hands in a prayer formation, his smile fading as he continues to stare upwards and pleads. "I beseech you, my sovereign... grant me reincarnation, so that I may return to Terra to complete the mission I was sent to accomplish. If it is never finished, all that will be left for me is the shame of my failures." Jagon continues staring upwards, tightening his hands together and ceasing to glow as no response descends from the endless skies above. "Please my soveriegn." continues the spirit somewhat hoarsely, falling from his knees into a full crouching position. "The Pool has been lost, but there are surely other ways to eliminate the sinners. As destiny dictates, you are the last of my hopes." Jagon remains hunched over in a groveling position as a long moment of silence passes, then slowly lifts his head as a dim ray of light pierces through the twisting shadows of the plane and falls upon him. A smile spreads across the seraphims face as two more rays of light fall upon him in this manner, and he slowly lifts himself to his feet as the rays collectively form a radiant shaft that transcends the darkness. Jagon grins broadly as he finds that his deteriotated wings have been restored to their majestic state, and lifts his hands to the sky as he exclaims: "Oh thank you, great Lord and sovereign! From the very depths of my heart, I knew that you'd never abandone one of your loyal servants!" Jagon stretches only to find that his armor has begun to become restored, and smiles triumphantly as he begins walking towards the light. "This time, I shalln't fail."

Just to let people know since a few have asked me about it: "Any Given Moment" is tentatively scheduled to return on Friday, September 10th. It will air every Friday from that point onward at the same place and time as last semester: 10:00 PM - 12:00 AM US EST at http://www.gwradio.com. You can read the new description I wrote up for the show at http://gwradio.com/Links/onairschedule. Though it's still about a month away, the theme for the first show of this semester is tentatively going to be "relaxing Summer jams," so be sure to bring a cool lemonade and some barbequed ribs if you choose to tune in. ;-) Be expecting plenty of call-ins, interviews, free giveaways, and interesting themes over the course of the next semester... I'll write up more details about the first show as the date approaches... holla, Pen siiiiiiide! ;-)

The "Lunging Lobster" continues sailing over calm waters as the adventurers are gradually unified in bonds of sleep, peacefully drifting off into dreams of hope and home. As the mighty ship sails over open waves, rays of moonlight illuminate its reflection upon the vast sparkling waters, forming an elegant and majestic image of what would normally look like a casual merchant vessel. The "Lobster" had undergone much hardship to earn its luminous image, as had the many passengers it carried on board. Each had suffered their own tragedies and rekindled their hopes through bonds of life, striving for an optimistic future. When there is life, there is hope. As the ship sails off into the distance in the direction of Mefferius, a group of three silver sea serpents casually glide through the water a few miles away from it. The serpents ignore the ship and its position on their oceanic territory as they gracefully turn and coil in the water, content with simply being together on a beautiful, moonlit evening. They eventually stray from the ships route as they pass into the depths of the ocean, leaving a faint glimmer on the surface as they vanish beneath its soothing ripples. - Questions constantly plague us... Answers elude us, and shall remain forever out of our reach. Together, we can make the best of them.

I've been seeing a lot of films recently, so here are a few reviews of some of the ones that stood out: The Good: City of God: Wow. This film absolutely stole my breath away and left me speechless. It's a devastating depiction of the gangs on the streets of Rio De Janero that shows the endless cycles of violence produced by a ghetto environment. The film triumphs on every level, as the cinematography is exotic and superb, the plot is complex and intriguing, the music is great, the dialogue is excellent and the characters are all very well-developed. The movie manages to maintain a strong focus on the setting by offering each character their own individual story, and the end result is stunning. A truly memorable and provocative film that I strongly recommend. The Dreamers: This film stands out as an oddity amongst many recent movies, as numerous surreal details and homages to old-school cinema give it a certain eccentricity that's lacking in most films. Directed by the acclaimed director Bertelucci, the movie is semi-serious, semi-erotic (rated NC-17), and completely bizarre. Set during the Paris student uprisings in the years of Vietnam, it deals with three people who seclude themselves in a house and decide not to face the harsh reality of the world. Recommended for those who enjoy artistic and surreal cinema, and don't mind a bit of eroticism. Monster: Though perhaps not quite as good as two films previously mentioned, Monster is also a very good movie that depicts the story of the first female serial killer and how she reached her semi-psychotic state. It's a very sad and harsh film that is difficult to watch at times, but features superb acting from both Charlize Theron (who got an Oscar for her performance in the movie) and Christina Ricci (who's talented and cute). Worth seeing for the acting and drama alone. The Bad: The Manchurian Candidate: Looking back, I'm not sure why I went to see this film... I wasn't a fan of the black and white original, as I found it horrendously outdated, and should have known that the remake of it wouldn't be any better. Despite some nice acting from Meryl Streep as the evil congress women, the plot seemed too fragmented and confusing to hold my interest and the duration of the film bored me. The most disappointing thing about this remake was that they left out one of the few elements that I found interesting in the original, which was that the candidates could be hypnotized through playing cards. A lot of people left the film scratching their heads in confusion, and I don't recommend it. Metallica: Some Kind of Monster: Admittedly, I'm not the biggest Metallica fan, but I do appreciate some of their earlier works like "Enter Sandman" and was told that this documentary would be entertaining regardless of whether I liked them or not. If I picked up anything from this film, it's that the members of Metallica are some stuck-up whiny snobs that write random insignificant lyrics and need to hire an expensive psychologist to talk to one another (note: not a diss to their music). More importantly, however, this documentary was just bland, as nothing stood out about it and it bored me over the course of its duration. Avoid. The Ugly: Elephant: a very realistic film based on the Columbine shootings and directed by the same person who did Good Will Hunting that attempts to capture all of the events that took place that day in as realistic a manner of possible. The film more or less achieves its goal, but in the end I regret having seen it and don't recommend it to anyone. My problem with the film is that it doesn't seem to have any message to it, as it uses practically no dialogue and only focusses on following around students on their daily routines. Strange and somewhat original, but ultimately devoid of purpose and skippable. Excel Saga (anime series): This review to be written Excel-like through uses of few periods (pun intended?!) and many many exclamation marks of super-hyper-enthusiastic-grandeur! See Excel Saga to watch all the pretty explosions and That Man steals the fate of the universe but is stopped by the super anime director and his afro posse! Yummy Mechi dog, side-characters, Lord Ilpallazo, even sub-plots (actual plot not included)! Many many character deaths and the theme changes every show unless the studio is out of inspiration at which point they create highly marketable robot characters to rehash and sing sad songs and Excel visits America and you get to see Sandora and the last last episode is hilarious cus it has gargantuan breasts and signature explosions accompanied by eye candy at a love motel!!! Series comes very very recommended but only if you like super-enthusiastic over-the-top comic hilarity like hair so long it kills people on baseball fields! Watch it watch it now!

I'm really enjoying the story so far, Valdar. I find your humorous approach to the Dreamer's Multiverse setting both witty and refreshing, and already think that many scenes in "Shiny!" are brilliant. I particularly like your spoof on heros, as I found the amount of conformity displayed in the heros' names and habits absolutely hilarious. I also think that Kitanue is an intriguing character in her suggestive manners (i.e that Amazon scene... *drool*), and Valdar is always fun to read. In terms of suggestions for potential improvements: you mentioned that there are many fragments between scenes in the story, and there were a few moments where I felt that things moved by a little rapidly, particularly in the first post. I'd love to see scenes such as Valdar's arrival at the city expanded upon, and would also really like to hear more backstory on the relationship between Valdar and Kitanue. I'd particularly like to learn more about Aurel, as references to her seem to hint at tragedy but are clouded in an aura of mystery. Great stuff so far! In the wise words of the Ogre that's leading the heros into battle: "Me wunt more Vald'r story! Vald'r story guuuuuuud." ;-)

Wyvern rapidly searches through his Office for a gift for Yui's birthday, discarding several torn magazine foldouts and tax notifications as he rummages through an enormous pile of paperwork at the center of the room. The overgrown lizard grumbles to himself when he finds only a long-lost chocolate bar and a colony of ants at the bottom of the pile, and casts a glance towards the grandfather clock at the corner of the room before whining to himself: "Shoot... well, I guess I can always try oragami as a last resort." The reptilian Elder turns to the pile of papers and winces, recalling the number of papercuts he had ended up with when scheming to create Almost Dragonic Brand Handmade Oragami Sculptures™. The lizard slowly approaches the pile and hesitantly picks up a brochure that advertises 0.5 coppers off of a Celes Crusador sandwich with a purchase of 400 geld or more. He hesitantly fiddles with the catalogue and attempts to fold it, but finds himself unable to do so as the thought of creasing a potential money-saver is too much for him to handle. Sighing and dropping the catalogue, the reptilian Elder is about to give up hope when he suddenly notices an unfamiliar-looking book sitting on Melba's empty desktop. "Hmmm..." hisses Wyvern to himself, glancing left and right to make sure that Melba's not around before gradually tiptoeing towards her desk. "What'ssss this? A book on Dragonology?" Wyvern curiously examines the cover of the book, which reads "Dragonology" and is bound in red with a picture of a flying dragon on the cover. Opening the book and noticing that Melba has bookmarked the pages on "The Weaknesses of Wyverns," the overgrown scratches his scaly chin before sinisterly grinning to himself and hissing: "Well, I certainly can't let Melba have this, and I'm sure Yui wouldn't mind it for occasional referencing. Two birds with one stone!" With that, Wyvern gleefully tears out a piece of paper attached to the back of the front cover that reads "Propertly of Melba," and crosses the words out before quickly scrawling a birthday note to Yui in his almost dragonic handwriting. The lizard then lets out a gale of evil laughter and grabs the book from the desk, racing off to join the others that have gathered to wish Yui a happy birthday and give her his newly found gift. ;-) OOC: Hope you have a wonderful birthday, Yui-chan.

- 9:00 PM - Yui sighs to herself softly as she exits Ozymandias' Office and begins slowly wandering in the direction of her room, glancing down adjacent hallways and corridors in the hopes of catching Wyvern and exchanging a few final words with him. The huntress was uncertain of which emotion she felt most dominantly in the light of recent events... anger, sadness, happiness and embarassment all wrestled chaotically inside of her head, searching for some sort of organization or clarity in the form of a few words from her former reptilian date. Yui still hasn't reached a decisive emotion when she arrives at the saircase leading up to her hall, and surrenders to ambivalence as she realizes that she probably won't be seeing any more of Wyvern for the evening. As she wanders up the stairway to the hall leading to her room, she notices that the area is bathed in a beautiful pale moonlight, peaceful and oblivious to the many perilous situations she had been involved in over the course of the day. Yui turns her head towards the window and smiles as she walks towards her door, soaking in the half-moons comforting rays and letting the worst of her date experiences wash away in its radiance. The huntress comes to a halt when she arrives at her door, and begins reaching for her keys only to notice a package propped up against the wall. "Hmm? What's this?" Yui kneels to inspect the bag, and raises a brow curiously when she see's that it has a "Merelas Fashion" label on it, similar to the one that Wyvern had stolen from the fashion show area earlier. Finding a note attached to the bag and noticing that it's been marked "To Yui" in an unmistakable almost dragonic scrawl, Yui curiously opens it with a finger and examines the sloppily written letter inside: Dear Yui, Thought I'd offer you this as a little souvenir of our day out, since I sorta promised it to you and didn't quite hold true to my word. I really want you to know that, lack of curly onion cheese doodles and minor emotional breakdowns aside, I had a fantastic time with you today, and hope you feel that your geld was well spent in the bachelor auction. I also hope I didn't stress you too much with activities, and really apologize for the whole 'mass mob trapping you in the shadow planes by accident' thingy. Forgive me, forgive me, forgive me. I hobble in the shadow of your mercy. Yours, Wyvern P.S: Pretty please forgive me! Yui smirks and tucks the letter into one of her pockets, then examines the Merelas Fashion bag more closely. Reaching into the bag, her eyes suddenly widen as she pulls out the elegent formal gown she had worn during the Mighty Pen Fashion Show. Her shock is only elevated when she notices a small piece of paper attached to the gown... a receit, signed by Merelas, with a short phrase in capital letters stamped right below the signature: "PAID IN FULL." ;-) OOC: That marks my last official post in this thread... though if anyone involved in part of the thread feels like posting another entry to draw it to a complete close, they're more than welcome. Thanks for the comments, Peredhil and Mynx... I'm glad ya guys enjoyed it.

- 8:00 PM - By the time Wyvern arrives back at the Pen Keep, his scales have paled to a lighter shade of crimson and his hands and tail have begun trembling in spite of himself. The overgrown lizard frantically dashes into the Assembly Room, and quickly "hides" at a corner where a shadow would normally be in the hopes of catching his breath. Leaning back against a wall and breathing in short, nervous gasps, the reptilian Elder begins fidgeting with the collar of his Hawaiin shirt as he quietly hisses to himself: "N-n-no, I have to get th-these thoughts out of my mind. I-I mean, Yui dying, i-i-it's ridiculous. U-u-unheard of. Noone has died as a result of my sche-" "SQUEAK." Wyvern freezes and pales as he hears the all-too-familiar phrase of the infamous Squeaker, and slowly turns his head only to notice the Death of Rats staring at him from a nearby tabletop. The Grim Squeaker triumphantly taps his scyth on the table as he holds up a sign with one skeletal paw. Wyvern squints nervously as he reads the first few words written on it: ------ I know where Yui is. I saw it happen myself- ------ "N-n-n-n-n-NO!" cries Wyvern in horror, turning his eyes away from the sign and plastering himself up against the corner of the wall. "It's true! Yui-chan is dead! By the love of geld, what have I done?!" The Grim Squeaker stares as Wyvern dashes out of the room as fast as his scaley legs can carry him, and slaps a skeletal paw on his forehead as he overhears the overgrown lizards misinterpretation. He then hunches over and begins shaking his head, reading over the detailed explanation of Yui's disappearence on the second half of the sign and wondering if he had written it in too small a font... Wyvern grows paler and paler as he dashes through several corridors and staircases, completely frantic at the thought of Yui's death as he begins approaching Ozymandias' quarters. The overgrown lizards lower lip begins trembling as he arrives at the door to the Loremasters Office, and he doesn't notice when the shadows get restored as he frantically knocks on the door. The reptilian Elder stands in silence for a moment as the door is opened, and hesitates as he steps into the Loremasters Office. He immediatly notices Ozymandias sitting at his desk reading over several Pen issues and documents, and quietly seats himself in an easychair located in front of his working quarters. The lizard sits in silence for a moment, desperatly trying to hide his traumatic thoughts, until Ozymandias finally speaks up. "Hello Wyvern." says Ozymandias, keeping his eyes focussed on his paperwork as he talks. "What can I do for you this evening? If it's more reasoning for a raise in wages, I won't be listening." Wyvern sits in silence for a moment, digging his claws into the arm rest of the chair and biting his scaly lip. The lizard then clears his throat of a few ashes, takes a deep breath, and blurts: "Ozy, I really screwed up." Ozymandias smirks as he continues reading over his paperwork, then rolls his eyes as he responds: "Another scheme, huh? Well, what else is new. As always, I'll be covering the damage done to the Pen with the latest financial plan." "N-no." mutters Wyvern sadly, digging his claws deeper into the armrest. "No, I mean I really screwed up Ozy, big time. I... I'm honestly not sure if I'm ever going to be able to forgive myself." Ozymandias sets down the paper he's staring at and glances at Wyvern for a moment, then lets out a sigh as he picks up another sheet from his pile of "to-do" work and mutters: "Alright then, let's hear it." "W-w-well." starts Wyvern with much difficulty, taking a deep swallow and choking on his own words. "Y-you see, I was on this date with Yui-chan, and-" At that moment, before Wyvern can continue, Yui steps in through the Office entrance and turns towards the lizard, producing an expression of genuine shock on Wyvern's face and suddenly rendering him quiet. Placing her hands on her hips and glaring at Wyvern angrily, Yui exclaims: "There you are! Listen Wyvern, I've been very patient with you, but we really need to discuss your methods of dating. Getting stranded in the shadow planes for several hours due to a violent mob attack is definitely not my idea of a good ti-" Yui's words are cut short as Wyvern suddenly pounces out of his seat and practically flings himself into her arms, hugging her tightly and burying his face into her cloak. Yui stands motionless in an awkward silence as the lizard lightly tightens his grip, casting a quick glance towards Ozymandias before quietly muttering: "Uhhh... Wyvern?" A long moment of silence passes as Wyvern continues to cling to Yui, softly crying into her cloak and vainly hoping noone will notice. The huntress awkwardly places a hand on the lizards head and doesn't dare to move, uncertain of how to comfort him in such an unusual state. After a long pause, Wyvern softly murmers: "*sniff* A-are you O.K Yui? *sniff*" Yui pauses for a moment, then slowly nods and pats the lizard on the head as he continues crying into her cloak. "Yes, yes I'm fine." Wyvern continues clinging to Yui, and the two stand in silence for several minutes until Ozymandias eventually clears his throat in a deliberatly loud manner, unable to concentrate on his work with the two of them standing there. Wyvern breaks from his grasp upon hearing this, and wipes a few tears off of his cheeks as he murmers: "*sniff* W-well, thanks for the date Yui-chan. I- *sniff* I really appreciate your bidding on me. *sniff* Hope the rest of your evening goes well." With that, the overgrown lizard brightly smiles towards Yui and then quickly dashes out of the room. The huntress doesn't even have time to speak a word as the lizard speedily sprints down the hall and promptly vanishes as he passes down a spiralling staircase.

- 6:00 PM - Wyverns frown deepens when he finds no sign of Yui after a thorough search of the Solistice Carnival area, and an aura of worry begins to envelope him as he spends several hours searching through the Pen Keep to no avail. The reptilian Elder carefully investigates the central hall of the Cabaret Room, the tables of parchments in the Assembly Room, the numerous artistic quarters of the Banquet Hall, the stage and twisting passageways of the Conservatory, the shelves of old tomes and desks in the Library, the deepest oceanic depths of the paperwork littering his Office, Orlans "other" closet, and the Mighty Pens plumbing system amongst many other places... all with no success. With each clueless answer Wyvern recieves from Pen members concerning Yui's whereabouts, he grows a little more worried and a little more desperate. Several hours pass in this manner until Wyvern finally arrives at the only place he hasn't checked yet: the Mighty Pen Couch. Wyvern straightens the scales on his head and breaths an exhausted sigh as he slowly approaches the couch, shutting his eyes and speaking a silent prayer in the hopes of miraculously finding Yui hiding underneath it. The overgrown lizard takes two steps towards the Couch, then suddenly perks up as he hears a faint shuffling sound coming from the tiny space under it. The reptilian Elders aura of gloom is immediatly lifted as a broad grin makes its way across his face, and he happily turns to the piece of furniture and exclaims: "Ahha, there you are. You certainly had me worried, Yui... what are you doing under the-" "SQUEAK." Wyvern pauses and frowns as he hears the unmistakable signature phrase of the Death of Rats, and lifts the Couch only to find the Grim Squeaker where he had expected Yui to be. The aura of gloom immediatly envelopes Wyvern once again. "You again?" hisses Wyvern in a half-desperate, half-disappointed whisper. "Damn it all Grim, this is terrible!" "SQUEAK." answers the Death of Rats, stepping out from his position underneath the Couch and tapping his scyth on the carpet as he walks. The Squeaker turns his skeletal head to Wyvern once again and stares at him. "I-I can't find Yui-chan anywhere, what could have possibly happened to her?" continues Wyvern, pacing back and forth and cursing to himself. "SQUEAK." exclaims the Grim Squeaker, reaching for a piece of charcoal as well as a sign to write on. "There's only one option left." grumbles Wyvern. "One last resort that I never thought I'd have to rely upon, but which may be the only way to find a clue about Yui's whereabouts. An Inspector, the only Inspector I know... Inspector I. M Clueless." The Grim Squeaker turns his head towards Wyvern once again and pauses in his charcoal writing. The Squeakers bones, while incapable of shifting emotional expressions, still somehow hint at shock and disbelief. "Good luck once again in whatever you're trying to accomplish." hisses the lizard as he rushes out of the room, ignoring the sign that the Death of Rats had just finished writing. "I'm going to disguise myself in order to ask the Inspector for his thoughts on the matter. Clueless might be bad, but he's still slightly better than having no clue whatsoever." Wyvern immediatly dashes down the Cabaret Rooms central hall and out of the main entrance of the Pen, rummaging through his black backpack for the Imposter mask he had previously worn as he sprints across the Courtyards towards Clueless' Private Eye headquarters. The desperate lizard eventually reaches a small Office building located on an open field of grass, and pants as he tosses the Imposter mask over his face and knocks on the door. Wyvern pauses as the unlocked door slowly creaks open to reveal an empty waiting room, and cautiously wanders in only to notice Inspector I. M Clueless sitting at the desk where a secretary would normally be seated. The masked lizard clears his throat of a few ashes, then mutters: "Errr, excuse me, Mr. I. M Clueless? My name's Weevern, Weevern R. NowhereNearADragon, and I have a case that I think you might be interested in." Inspector I. M Clueless raps his fingers across his desk, then lifts himself from his seat and strikes as mysterious a pose as he can muster... which is not very mysterious, given the distinct lack of shadows in the area. Turning to his newest client and tipping his detective hat over his head, Clueless cooly murmers: "As you can probably imagine by seeing this room, I'm a very busy man... however, I'll take your case out of the goodness of my heart. Please, describe it to me." "Well." mutters Wyvern, rolling his eyes at the Inspectors massive ego. "A lady friend of mine - we'll call her Wui for the time-being - was strolling with me through a carnival when we were suddenly attacked by an angry mob from every direction. Shadow rifts were opened, Wui and I were seperated, a Dwarf performed a ninja jumpkick, chocolate was spilled, cabbages were everywhere, somebody cried "my spleeeeen!," a garden rake was broken, a story manuscript exploded, and I somehow managed to escape from the mess. Since that event, I haven't been able to find Wui anywhere. I'd like to locate her, which is where you come into play." Inspector I. M Clueless stares at Wyvern in disbelief for a long moment, then laughs and exclaims: "I'm sorry Mr. NowhereNearADragon, but I'm afraid you've come to the wrong man if that's the kind of thing you're looking for. You'll want to pay a visit to the local mortician to find information like that." Wyvern stares at Inspector I. M Clueless blankly, lightly adjusting his mask as he hisses: "L-local mortician?" “Absolutely.” grunts Clueless, seating himself back in his secretary chair and slowly shaking his head. “Honestly, I think you're insulting my intelligence by even asking me to solve a 'case' like that. Everyone knows that a scenario of that extreme can only result in death." "Y-you mean that you really think that Y- errr -Wui is dead?" "You're asking me if I think she's dead?" chuckles Clueless. "I know she's dead, very few could survive something like that. Besides, carnivals are extremely dangerous places... if it isn't angry mobs, it's a runaway rollercoaster or a cheap Almost Dragonic Brand Hotdog. They're just full of death traps." Wyvern shakes his head and gradually begins snickering in disbelief, turning to depart from the Inspectors Office and silently exiting through the creaking door he had used to enter. The overgrown lizard continues snickering at the ridiculous proposal that Yui might be dead as he walks back across the fields in the direction of the Pen's Courtyards, but slowly stops snickering as he seriously begins considering the option. Yui didn't have protective scales like Wyvern did to avoid being injured, she was nowhere to be found, and to top things off the Grim Squeaker seemed to be frequently appearing in his searches for her... "N-n-no." mutters Wyvern to himself, shaking his head as his tail sways back and forth nervously. "I-it can't be." Wyverns lip trembles as he vainly attempts to deny what appears to be the most logical explanation for Yui's disappearence, and his feet gradually speed up in their course towards the Pen Keep as the thought of Yui's death begins seriously haunting his thoughts.

- 4:00 PM - After quietly hiding for several hours, Wyvern slowly peeks his head above the counter of the booth and quickly glances in both directions, breathing a sigh of relief when he finds that the angry mob has departed from the area. Perking up his ears to make sure that no sounds of aggravated growling can be heard and squinting due to the lack of shadows, the overgrown lizard cautiously begins to lift himself from his hiding place, only to jump as he suddenly hears a sound behind him. "SQUEAK." Wyvern frantically turns and reachs for the hammer that Shiny had dropped, only to be met by the tiny appearence of the Grim Squeaker standing near his feet. The overgrown lizard pants and stares at the Death of Rats with wild eyes for a moment before dropping his hammer and hissing: "Geeze Grim, you startled me... What are you doing in this abandoned corner of the Carnival area?" "SQUEAK." repeats the Death of Rats, tapping his toothpick-sized scyth on the ground twice and turning his skeletal visage towards Wyvern. The overgrown lizard stares back at the Grim Squeaker for a moment, then raises a brow curiously and shrugs as he steps out of his hiding place and turns to walk over to the spot where the mob brawl had taken place. "Well, good luck with whatever you're trying to do here. I've gotta find Yui, since we're supposed to be on a date." The Grim Squeaker stands in silence as he watches Wyvern wander down an alley towards the area of Katzaniel and Mynx's booths, twisting his scyth in frustration at being unable to get his message across. Wyvern passes through several alleys and sidestreets until he comes to the near-deserted area where the chaotic fight had taken place. Turning towards the table that he had set up in the free spot for a booth and noticing that it was broken in half in the mayhem, Wyvern taps his foot on the ground for a moment before half-whispering: "Pssst, Yui. The coast is clear, you can come out now." The overgrown lizard waits through a few moments of silence, then speaks in a louder voice. "Hey Yui, it's safe to come out now, let's go have some more fun." Wyvern scratches his chin and frowns when this also fails to produce a response, then cups his scaly claws over his mouth and shouts. "Yui, those angry mob creeps have left, you can come out of hiding now!" The reptilian Elder waits for several minutes as his exclamation echoes hollowly down each of the once-occupied alleyways, then mutters a low grumble of worry and disappointment as no voice calls back. The lizard scratchs his scaly head for a moment, then turns towards Katzaniels Repetition Booth and mutters: "Say, Katzaniel... have you seen Yui around these parts?" Katzaniel shifts from her glum position at the Repetition booth, then turns her head towards the lizard and angrily mutters. "No, no, and no. After that whole mob event, the Carnival hasn't had too many visitors. They've gone off to their quarters, gone off to their rooms, gone off to their Offices, gone off to their-" "I see, I see." interrupts Wyvern, tapping his foot on the ground in the hopes of hiding his discontent. "That's too bad..." "For what it's worth." grumbles Mynx from her Storytelling Booth. "Once upon a time, before the mob attacked, Yui was standing here glumly while you were setting up a booth. That's the last I saw of her... though it's impossible to know exactly what happened in the confusion of that mob." "Hmmm..." mutters Wyvern, rubbing a claw over his scaly chin and thinking. "Well, thanks anyway you two. I guess I'll just search for her around here and in the Pen Keep... hope she isn't too angry at me." With that, the overgrown lizard nods to Katzaniel and Mynx and begins wandering down the street towards the Pen Keep, calling out Yui's name every few paces and checking behind booths and between alleys as he walks.

Crichon sighs and shifts in his applicant easychair, cautiously eyeing the intimidating ogress muse that guards the Office entrance and shuddering as she turns and winks towards him. Turning his attention to the messy floor in order to avoid the sight of the bikini-clad ogress, the eager applicant notices a Naughty Nymph Calendar jutting out of a pile of overdue magazine subscription bills on the ground, and suddenly realizes that he's been waiting in the Office for several days. Grumbling to himself about the laziness of certain lizards, Crichon begins doodling a picture of Salinye with a bullwhip on a small scrap of paper, only to be suddenly interrupted as Wyvern dashes into the room with Salinye's ogress muse dashing in behind him. Wyvern immediatly turns towards Crichon and raises a claw to speak, only to be promptly interrupted as the ogress grumbles: "You answer to Crichon app, or I hit." The overgrown lizard stands in silence for a moment upon hearing this, then slowly turns his head towards Salinye's ogress muse and pales upon seeing her. Wyvern's shade of pale red turns to a dull grey hue when the ogress begins waving a Dior Brand Fine Stone Club™ in the air, and shifts to a ghostly white when the ogress begins bellydancing with her wart-infested tummy. Turning towards Crichon and then back to the ogress, Wyvern stammers: "W-w-who are you?" The ogress stops her dancing for a moment and grunts, pointing at her Club and growling: "Me beeg ogrrrrrrress, wave latest in Club fashion. Smash Wyvern if he don't respond, bellidance till he does!" "So, lemme get this straight." hisses Wyvern nervously. "If I respond to Crichon's application poem at this moment, I'll avoid being hit by you and you'll also stop dancing?" "Well..." grumbles the ogress, waving her arms in the air and batting her eyelashes as she commences an exotic dance. "Can continue dancin if leezard wan-" "No!" exclaims Wyvern, frantically searching through the documents on his desktop and pulling Crichons application poem from out of the mess. "No, that's perfectly alright. In fact, you can stop dancing right after I stamp this." Having said this, the overgrown lizard quickly skims over Crichons poem a few times before flashing the applicant a thumbs up and rapidly stamping the application ACCEPTED. He breaths a sigh of relief as Salinye's ogress muse stops dancing and quickly departs from the Office upon seeing this, and winks towards Crichon as he leans against a wall and relaxes. The reptilian Elder's relaxation is short-lived, however, as Melba suddenly bursts out of the supply closet and exclaims: "Oy, I thought that 'It' would never leave! Ogresses, ugh! Oh great, out steps one monstrosity in steps another... Wyvern, have you gotten to work yet?!" Wyvern casts a glance towards Melba, then turns in the direction that Salinye's ogress muse had headed and begins chasing after her and crying: "W-w-wait, come back!" ;-) OOC: An ACCEPTED application piece, Crichon. Welcome to the Mighty Pen! I apologize for the long period of waiting for a response, and look forward to reading more of your writing on these boards in the future. I also hope to participate with you in community events and get to know you better. Once again, welcome!

Today, I went to see a hip hop show celebrating the 20th anniversary of Kevvy Kev's Stanford radio program, "Bang the Drum," with a friend of mine in San Francisco. The concert was free and advertised a very impressive lineup of M.Cs and D.Js, both underground and mainstream, which included Foreign Legion, Double Life Crew, Motion Man, Third Sight, Felonious, Cali Agents, Heiroglyphics, Paris, RZA of Wu-tang Clan, and Chuck D of Public Enemy amongst others. Upon arriving at the concert hall, my friend and I noticed that it had switched locations and was being held on the other side of Golden Gate Park. We were already running late for the show since we had got off to a late start, and ended up getting a bit lost on our walk through the park, which included such eccentric sights as gangs of pot smokers, Indian Hare Krishna Festivals, and Old School Baseball Games. When we finally managed to find the correct location of the event, we were already about thirty minutes late, and had missed a few of the opening acts including Paris. Never the less, we managed to get to the very front of the stage when Foreign Legion came on, and stuck there throughout the rest of the sets. The acts of the concert were mixed, and there were a couple of disappointments along with a few pleasant surprises. On the down side of things: Chuck D was mysteriously absent, the Cali Agents were arrested on their way to the show and weren't able to perform, and Third Sight stubbornly refused to go off the stage after his boring fifteen minute set. On the up side of things: RZA and Tajai of Heiroglyphics both put on great performances, Double Life Crew brought along L'Roneous Da Versifier as a special guest, and Felionious put on an excellent set which included some incredible beatboxing. Kevvy Kev, who was working the turntables for a few of the sets, also seemed like a really nice guy... I consider 20 years of radio an incredible accomplishment. :-) Overall, it was a pretty good concert that was well worth the free admission, but was from the best I've ever seen.

Whenever there's geld to be found You best believe he'll be around. Very greedy, sparking schemes Ended all with broken dreams. Really quite the lustful type Never telling wrong from right. Terrible schemer Heretic of lost value Endlessly plotting. Like a thief in the night he'll come to sell Insane products he'll claim are swell Zany contraptions, pointless gimmicks And campaigns that'll stretch their limits. Rarely do his products work Don't buy them from him, he's a jerk. Tenacious in his ways He lacks any sense of morals. Advancing plans throughout his days Trying to avoid quarrels. Tongue thin and forked Responds with sleazy hisses Intrigued by hitting the bullseye Enticed despite his misses. Dares ever more to try and try again To gain geld and affection when Others are rained with kisses. Sly might describe his ways as well Tenacious and corrupt as Hell Ever thoughtful of himself And never casting any spells Lest showing off for geld. You can scowl and turn your head Or silence him and claim he's dead. Under your curse he'll carry on Respects few words for long. Gross and evil are his tastes Even enjoys toxic waste Lessens every Office space Doesn't recycle, builds up waste. Born a small schemer Under an Almost Dragon To rise to "loser." Forever indebted to those around him And never able to pay them back Instead he attempts to astound them Lends projects, poems, freestyle raps Ever hopeful they'll accept him Doubtful as he sets a trap. Many consider lizards heartless Insatiable in selfish greed Secretly plotting behind backs Even feeding off of needs Really, lizards ain't that bad And aren't only evil seeds But Wyvern hides it pretty well Losing all to plotting speed Yet coming in the greatest time of need.

- 1:30 PM - Wyvern skips along happily as he darts between numerous carnival booths, pulling Yui by the hand as the two of them rush into the main Solistice Carnival activity area. Yui stumbles along as Wyvern speedily pulls her past Mr. Bunny's Carrot Stand and Peredhil's Poetry Place, barely maintaining her balance as the lizard rapidly turns to avoid the area of Ayshela's Dunk Tank and dashes through the narrow space between Salinye's Kissing Booth and Popku's KISS Merchandise Stand. The overgrown lizard finally comes to a stop as he arrives at an open space nestled between Katzaniel's Repetition Booth and Mynx's Storytelling Counter, grinning broadly at the good fortune of finding a potential spot to set up shop as he turns to Yui and hisses: "Ssssay... check out this space that's open for a booth, Yui. It seems to be right at the center of commerce." Yui eyes Wyvern cautiously as she finishes the last bite of her sandwich, lightly tossing her leftover napkin into a nearby wastebasket and brushing the dust off of her cloak as she says: "Hmmm. Thinking of profits, even on our date?" Wyvern twists the stinger of his tail in the dirt nervously and chokes a little upon hearing this, raising a scaly finger to speak only to be interrupted by Katzaniel in the booth nextdoor as she loudly exclaims: "Hear yee, hear yee, hear yee, hear yee, hear yee, hear yee!" Yui and Wyvern turn their heads towards the booth as Katzaniel whips out a large parchment and points a finger at it, attracting numerous curious observers towards her stand as she exclaims: "Come one, come all! Step right up to sign this Re-Petition for Repetition!" "Where do I sign?" asks one curious and excited observer, looking over the pamphlet that Katzaniel holds. "Here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here!" exclaims Katzaniel, pointing at different places on the parchment and grinning broadly as several people begin signing it. Wyvern stares at the success of Katzaniel's booth with wide and starry eyes before turning to Yui once again and pleading: "Pleeeaaasssssse Yui? Just look at the success that Katzaniel's booth is having in this area." Yui sighs and stares at the ground in silence for a long moment. "I-" "It won't be entirely for profits." interrupts Wyvern, grabbing a nearby table and pulling it up to the open space. "I mean, it'll be quality time that we'll be spending together. Just imagine a shadow puppet sale booth, where you create puppets and I barter with people to sell them for ridiculous amounts of geld!" Yui remains silent and frowns, caught between having to endure participating in one of Wyverns marketing ploys or shattering his ambitions by saying she isn't interested. The huntress spends a long moment contemplating a manner to balance out her two options and consult the lizard, only to be interrupted as another person speaks Wyverns name before she has a chance to. "Wyvern!" Both Wyvern and Yui turn towards the source of the unfamiliar voice, which comes echoing from the righthand side of the narrow street. Yui raises a brow as she notices a large man wearing a "Chocolate Investigation Agency" outfit, accompanied by four other muscular men in similar suites. Her frown deepens as Wyvern pales at the sight of the investigators, and quickly whispers: "Yui, we gotta go-" "Wyvern." booms the investigator again, taking one step forward from his distant position and holding up a chocolate badge wrapped in a golden candy wrapper. "You are under arrest for attempting to maintain a monopoly on chocolate and trying to drown the market with vanilla. You will come with us peacefully to appear in the Federal Fudge Judiciary Courts, or we will take you there by force." "Quick, this way." hisses Wyvern to Yui, grabbing her hand and turning to the left. The overgrown lizard immediatly pauses in his tracks, however, as he notices that the two bouncers from Merelas' fashion show are now occupying the lefthand side of the street. One of the bouncers notices Wyvern and points a finger at him, angrily exclaiming: "Hey, there's da lizard that got away with those lingerie... get him!" Wyvern frantically turns towards the potential alleyway exits to the North and the South, only to find them occupied by hammer-weilding Pen Elder Dwarves and a garden rake-weilding Gwaihir, who is accompanied by a group of angered wiggly cabbages. Stuttering madly and not knowing which way to turn in his surrounded state, the overgrown lizard turns to Yui and frantically stammers: "I-I'm reaally s-sorry 'bout all this, Yui." A resounding war cry echoes throughout the Solistice Carnival as all of the enraged groups scream "get him!" simultaneously and rush in at once from every angle. Chaos ensues. Shadow rifts are opened, Yui and Wyvern are seperated, a Dwarf performs a ninja jumpkick, chocolate is spilled, cabbages are everywhere, somebody hollers "my spleeeeen!," a garden rake is broken, a story manuscript explodes, and Wyvern somehow manages to dash off holding two wiggly cabbages and carrying an Elder Dwarf on his head. "He's getting away!" cries one of the fashion show bouncers, pointing at Wyvern and accidentally getting hit in the face by Bravery the Elder Dwarfs hammer. "Quick, do something!" exclaims one Chocolate Investigator to another. "Don't just let him run off!" Wyvern grimaces and drops the two wiggly cabbages he holds as one of the Chocolate Investigators begins reciting the incantation to a spell, running as fast as his scaly legs can carry him in the vain hopes of avoiding the officers magic. The Investigator exclaims the last words of the spell with a flourish and succeeds at casting Dispell Shadows, which accidentally causes the entire mob to become blinded by sunlight, allowing Wyvern to safely escape. "Arrrgh!" cries one of the Chocolate Investigators, clutching at his eyes in pain. "What'd you do that for, you clutz?! You let him get away!" "You told me to do something to stop him, and that's all I could think of!" exclaims the Investigator that had cast the spell. "I'm sorry... but hey, look on the bright side-" "It's already bright enough as it is, you idiot!" yells a Chocolate Investigator angrily while shaking his fist. "No, no I mean look on the brighter side of the situation." continues the spell-caster apologetically. "That spell dispells all shadows within a five mile radius of here for the next few hours, which means the lizard has fewer places to hide. We'll find him, sooner or later." As the Chocolate Investigators talk and the mob slowly recovers from its blindness, Wyvern sits huddled behind a large abandoned Carnival booth several alleys away, satisfied with his hiding place. The overgrown lizard breaths a sigh of relief mingled with anxiety, and turns his eyes to the sky as he wonders what could have happened to Yui-chan in the chaos of the mob. Rather than seeing clouds or sunshine, the lizard accidentally looks up the skirt of Shiny the Elder Dwarf in the process, breaking her from her fascination of the shiny spell and causing her to promptly plant a foot in his face. Hopping off of the lizard's head, the Elder Dwarf growls "pervert!" before tossing her hammer at him and storming back off in the direction of her cottage.