Wyvern

Wyvern swiftly strides into the Cabaret Room, carrying the Decanter of Endless Booze in one hand and a fancy sealed scroll in the other. Turning towards the bustling crowds of Pen members that had packed the hall for the occasion, the overgrown lizard clears his throat of a few ashes and opens the scroll's seal with one of his beer-stained claws, reading: "Hear yee, hear yee honorable members of the Pen... it is time to make an important announcement that many of you have been patiently waiting for. So, without further ado, here are some updates on the Pen's Independence Day celebration arrangements: #1) No barbequed chicken will be served on the 4h of July... we greatly apologize for the inconvenience. The blame is largely mine for going for broke in that "poultry conspiracy" incident... #2) Since the option of cannabilizing Melba was turned down by the rest of the Eldership, we're eating barbequed carrots instead, courteousy of the honorable Mr. Bunny. #3) Since most of our fireworks were used in that "Zool-o-Rama" thread, we're using carrot fireworks instead, once again courteousy of Mr. Bunny. #4) Ofr course, there will be plenty of free Bruteweiser booze... Wyvern stops reading for a moment and glances at the confused expressions on the faces of the Pen members in the crowd, suddenly realizing that this wasn't the announcement they had been waiting for. Blushing furiously and letting out a bit of embarassed laughter while rubbing his scaly head, the overgrown lizard belches a few flames before tossing the fancy scroll he was holding behind him and pulling out another even fancier scroll. Clearing his throat once again, the overgrown lizard exclaims: "Hear yee, hear yee honorable members of the Pen... it is time for the bi-monthly ritual that many of you have been patiently waiting for. So, without further ado, here are the new Pen promotions! The following members are officially promoted: Promoted to Page: Aardvark Elwen Illiana Wolfsong Jareena Faye Nobody of Consequence Smallscale_Mind_Games Sorciere Troubled_Sleep Whynotsin Promoted to Quill Bearer: Alaeha Annael Ayshela Damon Inferel Salinye Vincent Silver Vlad Promoted to a status above Quill Bearer of their choice: Justin Silverblade Valdar & Astralis *Cue cheering from the audience, followed by a hearty sing-along to Greased's "ACID RAIN SEX ENGINE" Wyvern grins at his podium and gives his best to all of the Pen membership when he suddenly notices that people are still looking at him attentively and waiting for another announcement. Shuffling though numerous papers, the overgrown lizard finds another one labeled "July 3rd" and exclaims: "Ah yes... here's an announcement on the subject of Quill Quests. After the lack of success we had with the last quests, the Eldership has decided to impliment a new system for them. The choice of the Quest will be left entirely to the Quill Bearer, who will need to come up with a community project that sparks the interest of the membership. The only requirements are that the project has some effort put into it, and that the Elders are consulted about it. If the community project is executed successfully, the Quill Bearer will be promoted at the next promotion. Valdar and Astralis is the first official example of somone promoted through this new Quill Quest system. His "Writing Exchange Program" is a community project that had effort put into it and that was executed successfully, thus it fufills his Quill Quest and allows him to move up in rank. Congratulations Valdar. (Note: titles of newly promoted members may not be editted immediatly, since it might take a bit of time to get to all of them. Please be patient for your new titles to appear. ) The next promotions will occur 2 months from now, on September 3rd. Thus, if you feel that you should have been promoted but weren't, simply continue to constructively contribute to the guild and we'll be certain to get to you next time. Having said this, Wyvern takes a swig of booze and grumbles something about vegetarian Independence Days as he exits the Cabaret Room...

I just saw Spike Lee's "25th Hour" on DVD this evening, as a few of my relatives wanted me to see it... Though I think that Spike Lee is generally a good director, the last few films I saw by him were disappointing, so I wasn't expecting too much from this... Having seen the film, however, I must say that it was excellent... possibly one of Spike Lee's best films to date, if not his best. The entire thing was almost like a subliminal portrayal of Lee's thoughts on the events of 9/11, though they aren't mentioned once in the film. Plenty of shots of Ground Zero and firefighter helmet symbols alluded to it, though... Edward Norton, who plays the lead role, is great in it as well. It's not the most cheerful movie, so don't rent it if your looking for something to put you in a good mood... On a side note: "28 Days Later" is now playing in the U.S! Based on recommendations, I'll have to check this one out in the theatres some time...

*coughgag* "What is this stuff Racouol?! It tastes almost as bad as Melba's borsche!" *gag* Racouol briefly glances to his rear to make sure he isn't being followed by any purple fuzzy gangs, then turns to Wyvern and shoves the healing potion bottle in his face. Snatching the bottle and reading over it's contents, the overgrown lizard notices that the two main ingredients of the formula are seasonal healing herbs and Melba's borsche, which explained the awful taste. Gagging to himself and briefly shaking a fist at Racouol for using a product associated to Melba, Wyvern proceeds to fully regain his composure and whips out a small map from the left pocket of his tunic. "Hmmmm... which spot should we hit next? We could try hunting down Katzaniel and stuffing her into a pocket, or perhaps we could go for a few Guinea Pigs, or..." Racouol loudly clears his throat and grumbles: "I still don't see how I'm involved in-" "I know... Let's go for one of those multi-colored wiggly cabbages that Gwaihir always seems to be tending to! It shouldn't be too difficult to capture one since they're peaceful beings..." Racouol sighs and shakes his head, deciding that it would be impossible to convince Wyvern that he hadn't signed the contract at this point... Besides, the Lord of Nightmares already had a few animals stuffed in his pockets, and didn't know what to do with them should the mission be forfeited. "Wiggly cabbages...?" mutters Racouol inquisitively. "Would those really be considered animals...?" "Sure they would!" exclaims Wyvern. "And even if they weren't, we could probably pass one of'em off as a plump mouse with the appropriate paints and Disney ears..." Racouol considers this for a moment, unable to envision even a cabbage with fur stuck onto it passing for a mouse... "We'll need to get passed Gwaihir if we want to seperate one from it's pack, though..." hisses Wyvern in an annoyed manner. "Hmmmm... for that, we may need some disguises..." Having said this, the overgrown lizard begins digging through Racouol's pockets in search of a few costumes... --- Elsewhere, in the Pen's central Greenhouse... Gwaihir happily wanders around a large patch of wiggly cabbages, exchanging jokes with them through telepathy and offering them cold drinks from a silver platter. Though the wiggly cabbages didn't normally visit the Pen's Greenhouse, they had come there for the day in the hopes of catching up on their tan... Gwaihir had decided to accompany them, as he always enjoyed communicating with growing things... A joke being told by a bright pink cabbage is suddenly interrupted in mid-speech by the sound of the Greenhouse entrance door slamming open.... Gwaihir raises a brow and turns towards the source of sound, only to be met by two suspicious-looking individuals dressed in Greenpeace® uniforms. Though the Elder of Wiggly Cabbages admired their attempts at disguise, Wyvern and Racouol weren't fooling him for a minute... After all, Racouol's makeshift Greenpeace® badge was a frying pan, and Wyvern's tail and scales completely ruined his nurse disguise... Stopping next to the wiggly cabbage patch and straightening up, Wyvern and Racouol both whip out scripts from the pockets of their outfits and begin reading carefully: "Oh what will we do, Mr. Wannacabbage?!" reads the scaly nurse in a high pitched yet distinctly almost dragonic voice. "We need a plant to stand as a symbol of our organization, yet are sorely lacking one!" "Fear not, Nurse Cabbagesnatcher." mutters Racouol as he grabs the nearest booze-colored cabbage and lifts it from the patch. "This cabbage will work just fine, as long as the others don't..." Racouol and Wyvern suddenly freeze as all of the cabbages wiggle and turn towards them while Gwaihir grabs a garden rake and clenches it angrily. "... mind." finishes Racouol nervously.

Thank you, Yui and NoC, for your comments on the thread thus far! I agree that there's definitely room for improvement, particularly since I think my most recent post may be the weakest yet... ;p I was struggling with it for a while and it still didn't come out nearly as good as I wanted... bleh. I'll definitely be taking your comments into consideration and will probably go back and edit my initial posts sometime this Summer... On a side note: these initial incidents in Ariellas life are kind of an introduction, since the actual story of Ariella's retirement will be occuring in the present. Thanks once again, and sorry for taking so long to respond to this thread!

The first time Ariella Terranzus encountered an assassin, she was 12. It was a windy night outdoors and Ariella lied safely in her spacious room, her quarters dimly lit by two flickering candles that had nearly expired. Shadows of light played across the walls of her chamber, creating fleeting images that vaguely reminded her of the mythological specters and goblins she had feared as a child. The howling wind outdoors seemed to amplify the illusion, imitating the calls of a banshee or werewolf... Ariella no longer had any fear of superstitions, but was never the less awake in bed with worry. Though ghouls and vampires no longer existed in her eyes, the countenances of her Aunt's acquaintances seemed to be every bit as frightening. Whenever they'd visit, Gretha always had Ariella serve them drinks and cocktails... She tried her best to keep her calm when around them, but something about them had always deeply frightened her. Ariella was uncertain whether it was their long gray hair, their gnarled fingers, or the light lisp in their speech, but somehow she had understood that they were malicious people from the beginning. She had often locked herself in her room and begged to her Aunt to avoid the chore of serving them, as their very presence seemed painful to her. Lifting herself from her bed, Ariella noticed that her throat was parched and decided that she needed a drink of water... Walking barefoot into the central hall of her Aunt's large mansion and quietly shutting the door to her room behind her, she briefly straightened out her wrinkled purple nightgown before heading towards the spiral staircase that led down to the main kitchen. Glancing at the pictures of ancient Sherashi heroes that lined the walls of the hall, Ariella abandoned her haunting fears for a moment in favor of pride and comfort. Her Aunt had once told her that the luxurious mansion had been won through the respect of heroes such as Wrendell Fortuna and Ferrien "Hotfoot" Harbinge, who had given the house to Gretha as a gift in honor of her dedication. As a heralded diplomat of the Sherashi, Gretha often received exquisite gifts of this nature... Ariella was too young to understand the politics of her Aunt, and was thus blind to the corruption behind her negotiations and acquaintances... As she briefly admired a fine ink painting of the hero Roricadius Fencefallow, Ariella suddenly heard a moan of pain and stopped in her steps, remaining motionless only a few feet away from the spiral staircase leading to the kitchen. At the far end of the hall before her stood her Aunt, wavering back and forth as she clutched her bleeding chest in pain. Three crossbolts had been embedded in her torso, two directly above her heart and one in her lower abdomen. Staring dumbfounded at Ariella, Gretha opened her mouth to scream, but was unable to make a sound... She hobbled towards her niece clumsily before a fourth and final crossbolt was shot through the back of her neck, causing her to collapse to the ground in a lifeless heap. At a doorway several feet away from where her Aunt had fallen, Ariella noticed a shadowy figure holding a crossbow... For a long moment, the poor girl was frozen with fear, afraid that the man would take her life along with that of her Aunt. Her terror was further amplified as two eyes suddenly stared at her from the shadow, noticing her presence. The figure was like one of the mythical shades Ariella had read about as a child... cold and unseen, yet deadly upon touch. Her short life seemed to flash before her eyes as Ariella took a deep breath that she thought would be her last... But surprisingly, the assassin didn't act upon her fear. He stared at her for a few moments, then turned and walked away from her as if she hadn't existed... Ariella was overcome with relief, thankful that she was still alive... She had reached a point in her life where tragedy no longer brought her to tears, nor did shocking events such as murder and death. The loss of her Aunt seemed like an insignificant occurrence, as if she had accidentally witnessed a play in which a minor character had been murdered. Yet strangely, she experienced another emotion, one that teased her relentlessly... Disappointment. Why had the assassin chosen not to notice her? Was she not fit to be his victim? It was this influence that would lead Ariella down the path of the assassin in years to come.

And a happy birthday goes out to... A sport announcers voice suddenly comes on and exclaims into a megaphone... "ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!" Wyvern clutches his ears in pain and quickly pulls out a bag of Q-tips in the hopes of unclogging them, but is interrupted as he's trampled by a gang of ruthless cheerleaders who happen to be waving pompoms made entirely out of used wigs. The cheerleader squad turns towards Zool and gives him a full frontal display of their wet "Doin' it Because I Can" T-shirts, giving him an ample view of their... errr... "rubber chickens" in the process. As Zool gapes at this, Wyvern slowly recovers from the cheerleader stampede only to be hit directly in the stomach by a man fired out of a high-power cannon at close range wearing a chicken outfit. The human/chicken cannonball plows into Wyvern and sends the overgrown lizard soaring into the air, where he happens to get caught in an enormous barrage of fireworks. Zool looks up at the sky and notices with delight that they're spelling the names of his old threads through lighting effects, but frowns at their inaccuracy when he notices Wyvern being hit in the face by the fireworks for the thread "Clash of the Titans." Wyvern hadn't been in that thread... what were the coordinators thinking?! As Wyvern plummets back down to Earth, things begin getting a wee bit chaotic. The Dallas Cowboys suddenly run onto the stage in tights and begin doing acrobatics with hulla hoops. A troop of mimes steps onto a platform and starts performing a silent version of "A Streetcar Named Desire." Q-tips are suddenly everywhere. A ripple in time-space causes Maryline Monroe to appear in the present, and she turns towards Zool and sings: "Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday to you... Happy birthday Mr. President Happy birthday to you..." ;-) OOC: Happy birthday Zoolio! Hope you have a great one...

1. Cold blade enters deep Fidgets cease, remorseless soul Empowered by death 2. Scars run down her face Streams of horrid memory Paint pale visage red 3. "You call that a laugh?!" Expression impossible Through heartless echoes 4. Calculations cold Every detail plotted out A bitter comfort 5. That heart is granite Impenetrable as steel Sculpture of malice

Dear Journal, It is I once again, your fervent narrator and caring companion Silly the Elder Dwarf. To commence this entry, I would simply like to state how amusing I find it that "Silly" was chosen as my name and title, as the adjective seems to relate far more to the character traits of Greedy or Crazy than those of myself. But then, I suppose that I should have expected nothing more from humans (or large descendents of lazy lizards, for that matter). I guess they'll always be one rung below us orangutans on the evolutionary ladder... Never the less, the thought of my name evoked a most exuberant and fascinating contemplation on my own nature, which led to my seeking the roots of my very character. After planting a few loose banana peels by Wyvern's doorstep as my own form of subtle revenge, I decided to think over the subject while snacking on a quaint breakfast of coffee and a croissant, which I ate hanging upside down from an office air-duct by means of my tail. The bland and unexciting manners that humans use while eating have never ceased to amaze me... for some reason, they insist upon eating right side up, and also seem determined that spitting is a sign of rudeness! But back to the topic at hand... Within the depths of my intricate thought patterns, it suddenly occurred to me that each of the Elder Dwarves had been spawned from an eccentric celebrity. Greedy was the obvious offspring of Bill Gates, Crazy seemed to take after the Three Stooges, Idly spent most of his time idly deciding on which celebrity he should be associated with... and somehow, I fitted into the picture. I actually reached the initial conclusion that I was the crossbreed of Magilla Gorilla and the philosopher John Locke before the truth of the matter dawned upon me... The celebrities the Elder Dwarves were based upon were none other than the Pen's own Eldership, and Gwaihir was the one with whom I shared the most traits! Intrigued by this discovery and eager to learn more about the Elder of Wiggly Cabbages, I decided to do some research on his character by spying on him using the Pen's ventilation ducts along with a slew of handy "Detour" signs. I learned a good deal of information through this expedition, dear Journal, and would now like to share some of it on these pages: Gwaihir is elven, yet stands quite tall in his Elder glory. He has brown hair, which reminds me somewhat of the colour of pinecones in full bloom. I was shocked to notice that his garments are more similar to those of Wyvern the Slob then those of the typical Pen representative, as they seem particularly messy and disordered... This leads me to believe that Gwaihir is rather spacey and eccentric in nature, a notion that's confirmed by the number of times I noticed him trip over his own feet. "Clumsy" may have been a more accurate name and character for me should Wyvern have truly wanted me to imitate Gwaihir's characteristics! Another striking trait I noticed in Gwaihir is his obsession for everything growing. He seems to be constantly tending to living plants, particularly towards a mass of eccentric cabbages that seem to converse with him through telepathy. While I greatly admire the Elder's affinity to these wiggling, multi-colored beings, you can only imagine my disappointment when I realized that he has no special relations towards orangutans... What could I be, then?! In what ways do I relate to the admirable Elder of Wiggly Cabbages...? I'm not tall, or clumsy, or spacey, or dressed in tattered garments (or dressed in anything, for that matter...) Well... I suppose that while I don't share the Elder's eccentricities or physical traits, I share his direct method of commenting and his ability to get things accomplished... In addition, I feel that I have a particular affinity to all growing bananas, and Gwaihir often seems silly in his own way... ----- Wyvern decides to stop reading Silly's private Journal at this point and shakes his head while rolling his eyes, finding many of the things stated within ridiculous... Why did those darn Elder Dwarves always need explanations for their characters, it was absurd! He remembered when Grouchy had come to him looking for answers... every explanation Wyv had tried to give had made the dwarf grumpier! Sighing to himself and turning off the loud speaker that he had used to announce the contents of Silly's private Journal to everyone in the Pen, the overgrown lizard notes to himself what a waste of time it had been considering that none of the details of the orangutan's love life had been brought up. Besides, the information the Elder Dwarf had written on Gwaihir seemed all wrong! After all, Wyvern knew that he didn't like vegetables... though then again, Gwai was always hanging out with those cabbages, wasn't he? Hmmmm... Scratching his chin and muttering something under his breath, Wyvern jots down "spend more time with Gwaihir" in his agenda before casually stepping out of his Office and slipping on a pair of banana peels in the process...

*ahem* 1. The final syllable of her name rhymes with "sincere," "dear," and "fear..." the first two terms being words she's often associated with while the last one might occasionally be evoked depending on ones fear of cabbages and how recently her orangutan companions have been fed. 2. If the rights for cabbages to wiggle were to be considered by the close-minded government as a possibility for supermarket vegetables, he would have certainly won a Nobel Prize for actively leading a movement towards the cause. 3. The Elder Dwarf that takes after her personality is named "Silly," and is actually the wisest of the 8 Elder Dwarves being a particularly cunning orangutan. Anybody who spawns an Elder Dwarf that has an unlimited supply of blank signs and reads books on the philosophy of "sign language" is definitely cool in my book... 4. According to accurate resources (*cough*Orlan*cough*), he once danced the Charleston on top of a flagpole while waving around glowsticks. This incident could very well classify him as a master of dance, though Peredhil's Perfectly Pragmatic Power of Pokey has been known to make people nimble on their feet... 5. She played a large role in the Pen film epic "A Wiggly Christmas," as did her many wiggly cabbages... In fact, without her cabbages, the title of the movie would have probably been changed to "An Immobile Christmas," or (even worse) "A Clueless Christmas." Anybody who's seen the film "Clueless" will know that a change of this nature would have been hazardous to ticket sales... 6. He never bullies Wyvern over IRC, which either signifies that he's incredibly nice or completely insane. Considering that he's been in contact with both the Polite Magi and Angels of Apocalypse, it could be both... either way, he rules. 7. She sparked the first Wyvmettic and Dope IRC freestyle by offering the perfectly eccentric subject of "moles" to rhyme about, and was supportive of the duo when they finished even though Wyvmettic forgot to bring up the underground hip hop producer crew known as "the Molemen" in his verses. Later, freestyle rapping as well as other elements of hip hop culture were fully integrated into the Pen boards. Don't tell anybody yet, though... they ain't ready. ;p 8. He's been with the Pen since day one, and is still constantly looking out for the well being of the guild. Amongst other things, he's volunteered to serve as one of the guides in the Pen's "Help Wanted?" program, has always made sure that issues are clearly dealt with, and is participating in the Writing Exchange program. He was also one of the first Pen members who was promoted to the status of Eldership. Props! 9. Her playing as a character of a different gender not only allowed me to alternate between "his" and "her" throughout this post (it wasn't just another of my gender confusion errors this time!), but also spawned the most constructively confusing thread ever to be witnessed by the RPing-illiterate... 10. His wiggly cabbage companions come in such a broad range of colours that they could easily open a successful cabbage art exhibit or amusement park. Just imagine... "Still Leaf" paintings and Boiler Room houses of horror! Heck, they could even advertise for the cabbage patch kids! 11. She basically owns "Q" on the IRC Pen chatroom, meaning that she can make him do whatever she wants. This includes neat little tricks like making him wave around his tail, making him stand on his head, and making him steal geld for Wyvern before humbly kissing the lizard's feet and jumping off the nearest cliff (a trick I haven't seen him perform yet... but hey, one can always hope... ;p) 12. He's written loads of honest and excellent poetry, ranging from humorous haikus to highly personal and sensitive pieces. "To a Beauty" is one that sticks out in my mind due to the wonderfully morbid twist ending it had, which I still remember despite the work being around 2 years old. It can still be found in the Banquet Hall for those who haven't read it and are interested... 13. She's always very open and acceptant of honest, constructive criticism on her works, and has never failed to kindly thank those who offer it to her. She was actually the first to mention to the Eldership that perhaps a bit of criticism would be good for the Pen, as many members had grown tired of the same old "good stuff"-type responses. She still cares about providing the kind of feedback Pen members want, as she recently made a thread in The Writer's Workshop on that very subject. 14. His orangutan buddies are excellent assets to any lively party. Give them 2 kegs of booze, 3 bananas, a microphone and a text by Shakespeare, and watch them burst into sonnet-form karaoke. It's more fun than a Barrel Full of Monkeys... it's 2 Barrels Full of Orangutans! 15. There was a time when she fooled me into thinking that her real name was actually Racheglio, and that she was a guy. While it might not seem like a significant accomplishment due to my status as the Pen's official Applicant Gender-Confuser, it's important to note that she pulled this trick on several members, proving that she can be very cunning when she wants to. 16. Though I promised myself not to bring the character of Myth into this post (this is a Gwaihir appreciation thread, after all) one might note that he has a variety of characters, and is actually developing an entire world for one character in particular. This particular character, who shall go unnamed throughout the remainder of this post, has also been an avid participant in the RPing epic "Gaze of Eternity." 17. Her wiggly cabbages are actually quite intelligent, and from what I've gathered they've evolved quite a bit. At the current rate of evolution, it's only a matter of time before dancing rainbow cabbages emerge and become a dominant species. Either that or shiny shimmying cabbages might come about, at which point they'd risk becoming an endangered species due to Rydia and Valdar... 18. He's writing up a New Encyclopaedia to provide more information about wiggly cabbages, and has already revealed that they're friendly, telekinetic beings that will help others whenever they can. We can only hope that Slessar rests peacefully in the knowledge that his accidental creation brought about some good to the world... 19. Lumpenproletariat once mentioned in a "thank you" thread that he thought she was "possibly the most wonderful person here, everyday you are like the cool older sister I never had." I'm sure that she'd be a cool person to hang out with in RL... a notion that I'm certain Ozymandias will be able to attest to. 20. He's a Pen member... and Pen members, by definition, rule. ;-)

Found this off of a hip hop site and feel the need to share it... The music video to the D.J Format song "We Know Something you Don't know (featuring Chali 2na and Akil)": Animals Rockin' it! Possibly one of the best music videos I've ever seen... Chali 2na is the shark, Akil is the tiger. Not sure about the others, I think they're just some random breakdancing crew. Daaaamn... the tiger's got the mooooves... ;p Darn good song too.

Very interesting poem... As smallscale_mind_games mentioned, the freeform style is very nicely incorporated, though it requires deeper reading at times to avoid confusion. I like the set up of the poem... Beginning with the image of the pigeons in love and leading from there into the thoughts of the male character of the poem was effective. I also like how the second and fifth stanza share a similar structure, and provide male and female perspectives individually before the two are united in the uplifting ending. My favorite line of the poem was in the third stanza, where it is stated that "She counts the droplets of rain she could have had and reflects." I thought that was an excellent image. Well done.

I really like this poem, Parmenion... As others have said, the rhyme scheme and form are both excellent and definitely add to the piece. I also liked the mood of the poem, as it seemed jovial and positive throughout even the most tragic moments of the narration. I feel that the poem not only drives across the theme of perfectionism's corruption, but also deals with the theme of learning from one's experiences, as it's only after the narrator has taken a shot at love that he realizes that he'll eventually find someone. Good stuff.

It's rather simple, really... This topic will eventually lead into a discussion about the ultimate meaning of life, the universe, and everything... and we all know that the answer to that is 42. ;-) R.I.P Douglas Adams... While I'm at it, I might as well note that I find James' new sig hilarious as well... Never underestimate the devastating power of a smiley epiphany!

Sounds great! A small question: when formatting the titles of our topics, would it be possible to use the "Writing Exchange: Subject Name" format as the subtitle rather than a phrase that comes before the title? I'm afraid that some of my titles might not fit if it were placed before them... Thanks! Wyv~

Wyvern swiftly dashes into the Cabaret Room and bows to Gyrfalcon, wishing the almighty Spoony Bard a very Happy Birthday before rummaging through his pockets in search of something... Pulling out yet another I.O.U for his Conservatory damage debt, Wyvern happily hands it to Gyrfalcon, who then proceeds to add it to an ever-growing mountain of papers labeled "Wyvern I.O.Us" which he owned. Noticing that the Demi-God already has an excess supply of I.O.Us, the overgrown lizard rummages through his pockets once again and quickly pulls out a sealed scroll. Handing it to Gyrfalcon, the birthday Bard raises a brow at the gift curiously and mutters: "What's this Wyvern? A spell of some sort?" Wyvern shakes his head and snickers, responding: "Nope... it's a scroll long enough to keep track of all my debts!" Having said this, the overgrown lizard lets out a sinister laugh and exits the Cabaret Room by means of the nearest window, shattering it in the process... Gyrfalcon sighs and opens his new scroll, quickly writing "broken window" on the top... ;p OOC: Hope you had a great 19th birthday, Gyr. Best wishes.

The first time Ariella Terranzus was kissed by a boy, she was 8 and a half... She remembered him vividly, though their relationship had been a trivial and innocent one. Judeth Marian Walsorru... A well built boy three years over her age who was considered somewhat of a peasant hero by the people of her neighborhood. He had a head of short brown hair and a comforting laugh, with eyes that were light green in color... a trait which had often reminded Ariella of four-leaf clovers. When bullies were harrassing innocent children or someone was about to have an accident, Judeth often arrived on the scene to protect those in need. Ariella had gotten to know Judeth through the errands she had to regularly run for her Aunt Gretha, as he worked in the Friar's Fiddle Market where she went to purchase provisions. She was fond of him as a friend, as his lighthearted attitude and humor always put her in a good mood, no matter how gloomy and desolate her day had previously been. At the time, she had been too innocent to comprehend her own feelings... It was possible that she had had a crush on him at a time, but she would never truly know for sure... The day that Ariella was kissed, a giant festival was taking place in Sherashi... Her Aunt Gretha had decided to join the festivities, and had forcefully dragged Ariella along with her. The young girl was pulled through the thronging crowds of people by her Aunt's firm hand, only occasionally resting when Gretha decided to have a few drinks and chat with some strange acquaintances. Eventually, Ariella was dragged passed a group of torch eaters and yellow confetti to a clearing where numerous people had gathered in a circle, and were yelling obscenities while cheering. At the center of the clearing, three men had been chained to three seperate multicolored posts, shirtless and sweating as the crowd of people cursed and jeered at them. By the tattoos of winged serpents on their chests, it was obvious that the three men were Ashettus... possibly thieves who had been caught, or perhaps previous prisoners of war. They were currently being stoned and mocked by the audience surrounding them... a festivity that Gretha was keen to participate in, and eager to expose her niece to... "These are the people who have defaced the honor of our society, who have been lifelong enemies to the Sherashi." explained Gretha coldly to Ariella while picking up a large jagged rock from the ground by her feet. Tossing the rock angrily at the third chained man of the group, she watched in satisfaction as it created a large gash across the imprisonned man's chest and caused him to cry out in pain... Grasping Ariella's right hand and placing a stone in it, she then said: "Now Ariella, prove to me your worth. Throw this stone at the Ashettu, and feel proud of their pain... Feel proud that you are parading the honor of our people. I will never love you, child... but you now have the opportunity of proving to me that you have a shred of dignity." Ariella's lower lip trembled and her eyes swelled up with tears as she glanced at the rock that she held, and then at the helpless chained men. She was accustomed to being the one who was mocked, who was teased, who was bullied... She felt the men's pain, she cringed at the sight of every rock that hit... their eyes seemed to speak more words to her than all of her Aunt's lectures combined. Ariella sobbed deeply as she dropped the rock that she had been holding, losing all dignity in the eyes of her aunt but unable to commit the act of harming the chained men. "Then you truly are a disgrace to me..." muttered Gretha coldly before angrily departing from Ariella and leaving the poor child alone in the large throng of people of present. Ariella cried to herself, uncertain of which direction to head in to catch up with her Aunt and frightened by being lost in the crowd. As if to amplify her emotional distress, she was then suddenly hit by a rock directly on her right cheek. This projectile had been thrown by a boy around her age, who then proceeded to point at her and mocked: "You couldn't even throw a rock... you're nothin but a dirty ol' Ashettu lover!" Ariella continued crying as the boy picked up another rock and attempted to toss it at her, but was suddenly surprised as none other than Judeth Walsomu blocked the boy in mid-swing and twisted his arm, sending the child running back to his parents... Turning towards the sobbing Ariella with an expression of sorrow on his visage, Judeth approached her and hugged her lovingly, stroking one of his strong hands through her hair and whispering in her ear that it would be alright. Looking over her face, he noticed that her right cheek was bruised, and kissed it in the hopes of making it feel better... That was Ariella's first kiss from a boy... It comforted her immensely and put a cease to her sobbing. Though Ariella learned no lessons from the incedent, it was never the less an important moment in her life which would be forever embedded in her memories... It was one of the few moments in Ariella's life when someone had cared for her.

The first time Ariella Terranzus drew blood, she was 5 years old... The Sherashi Gardens glowed in a particularly beautiful hue of green that day, as the Sun casted it's radiance upon the lush strawberry bushes and dense flower beds of the foliage. A light Summer breeze offered temporary protection from the heat, it's fleeting nature rendering it an irresistable tease to the senses. The laughter of children echoed jovially along the cobblestone pathways conjoined throughout the foliage, and the air was occasionally clouded by the light release of pollen. "Watcha playing...?" managed Ariella softly as she timidly approached a small group of children her age who seemed to be laughing together and playing beside a large bed of dandelions. The young girl lightly bit her lip in apprehension as one of the boys of the group turned to her while scratching his head lightly, unaccustomed to being approached by strangers. Smiling broadly towards Ariella, the boy pointed towards a string of leaves he held in one hand and exclaimed: "Wranderry Man!" This exclamation was followed by many comically grotesque monster poses from several of the other children, which disturbed Ariella a bit. Placing her right thumb in her mouth and sucking on it lightly, she muttered: "Wranderry Man? Whosat?" Stepping out of the group, a plump boy with freckles grinned at Ariella and decided to give her a lecture on the character his friends were trying to immitate, a haughty tone of importance ringing through his high pitched voice: "Wranderry Man issa monster who lives under the floor in yer room... My momma said that the crooked Ashettus put'im there, and that if you don't eat your veggies, he'll snatch ya up in a sack he has an' sell ya to the circus!" "An' he has a great big snout, an' two long teeth, an' red eyes, an'anna great long tail!" chipped in another child from the group. "An' in da circus, you don't get any peanuts an' you're in a CAGE!" exclaimed a short haired girl from the group. Ariella remained silent and continued to suck on her thumb, a bit frightened by the sudden barrage of information. "You c'n play with us if ya want..." chipped in the first boy that had approached her while fiddling with his string of leaves and wandering closer to her. "Wally Wally Wook! You're the Wranderry Man!" With that, the boy slapped the string of leaves he had been carrying onto Ariella's back and let out a gale of laughter as he ran off along with all of the other boys and girls. Ariella's thumb exitted her mouth and she cried in dismay, noticing that the string of leaves was stuck to her back like a tail. The young girl's lips trembled and her eyes watered as she tried to figure out the direction she should run in, uncertain as the boys and girls had all departed down different paths. To the group of children, it was a fun game... an amusing sport. But to Ariella, it was a betrayal of devastating proportions. She was not a social child, and this had been the first time she had deviated from her regular solitary garden wandering to bravely attempt to play with other children. After building up the courage to approach them and speak to them, this was the reception she recieved. Needless to say, the poor girl was heartbroken. Sobbing and yelling to the boys and girls to come back, Ariella managed to catch up with the plump freckled child, who had a hard time escaping due to his physical condition. Grabbing the boys shoulders as hot tears streamed down her cheeks, Ariella pushed him with all her might towards a bush of roses in the anger of her betrayal. The thorns of the bush cut through several of the startled boy's garmets with ease, and before Ariella knew it, the substance was streaming before her... Bright red, hazy in the sunlit afternoon, rolling down his arms and legs... Ariella only had a few moments to gape at it before the boy broke out into a wail that alerted the entire Garden and sent the child's guardians running. It was only a matter of minutes before the ominous shadows of the plump boy's parents loomed over Ariella menacingly. Ariella learned two lessons that day. One was that no action comes without it's consequences, the other was that society is often an unfair and cruel place to live. For her action, Ariella was beaten within an inch of her life by the plump child's overprotective parents... a punishment her guardians could not prevent, due to a significant difference in classes. Not that her guardians would have prevented it should they have had the power... they thought the little brat deserved all the punishment she could recieve. "Ariel doesn't have a mommy... she has an Auntie!" the children used to yell. How she had hated their jeers.

Severely beaten and bruised due to Racouol rolling several times over his left pocket when attempting to evade the samurai sheep, Wyvern notices that the hectic movement inside of his hiding place has stopped, and decides to peek his head out of Racouol's left pocket to see what's up. No sooner has the lizard done so than he is hit right smack in the face by a samurai sheep with fuzzy attachments soaring at 200mph... Racouol snickers to himself silently and thanks Wyvern for taking the impact of the sheep blow as the overgrown lizard collapses back into the Lord of Nightmares' left pocket along with the samurai sheep and the fuzzy attached to one of it's hooves. Swiftly pulling out a sheet of the animals Wyvern wanted to gather, Racouol crosses off "sheep" and "fuzzy" with a spare quill before suddenly getting caught off guard by the second samurai sheep, who had now awakened from his unconsciousness and was charging at Racouol. "Baaaaaaaayaaaaaa!!!" cries the sheep as it utilizes the deadly art of "Death Brandish Hoove Maneuver #79 - Fleece Snow White in the Sheepskin Blitz." Puffing up it's wool and doing numerous backflips and somersaults, Racouol can only watch in horrified awe as the sheep soars into the air and does an acrobatic triple twist backwards. Fortunatly, the samurai is still dizzy from the hit of the frying pan that sent him unconscious earlier, and miscalculates his maneuvers. As a result, he ends up embedding his head in the ceiling before he can manage to whip out his 12 hoove talons of death... Deciding that he didn't want to risk sticking around for more sheep with better aim to arrive, Racouol quickly departs from the samurai sheep dojo area to a calmer part of the Pen. Hobbling into the Cabaret Room, the Bearer of Deep Pockets seats himself down on a rather crowded couch and searches through his lefthand pocket in the hopes of finding Wyvern somewhere in it's depths. His search is interrupted, however, as he comes to a slow realization of why the couch is so crowded... Small purple fuzzies were everywhere...

Elsewhere, at the clearing where Gyrfalcon heals Timothy's wounds, Elena paces back and forth in front of a tree restlessly, taking note of each second of valuable time the party was losing in waiting for Kaleyra's return. Pausing for an instant, the guardian of the isle quietly clenches her teeth and growls in frustration before turning towards Gyrfalcon and Timothy and exclaiming: "This is absurd! I've waited for your companion Kaleyra long enough... we're losing precious time. I'm certain that for each minute the avian has been spending in quiet contemplation, another undead minion has moved a step closer to the Pool. We musn't waste another instant! Let us go find her... now!" Gyrfalcon silently nods as Timothy raises himself to his feet, brushing the dust from his tunic. Kaleyra had spent quite a bit of time in solitude... it was high time the adventurers met up with her and departed towards the pool in the hopes of defending it. Elena leads the two adventurers as she swiftly follows the trail Kaleyra had made towards the small clearing by the stream, agilely dodging several hanging vines and bushes of thorns as she rushes through the overgrown wood. Upon arriving at Kaleyra's previous clearing, Elena comes to a halt and frowns, slowly crossing her arms over her chest as she scans the now-empty grove. Gyrfalcon and Timothy arrive closely behind her, and are both shocked to find that their scholarly companion is missing... "Kaleyra?!" shouts Gyrfalcon, to no response. Turning towards the two adventurers, Elena coldly mutters: "It seems that your avian companion has abandoned you... you needn't be so shocked. Betrayal is a rather common occurence amongst parties who have discovered this isle, as is cowardice. As it stands, with her lack of faith in you all, she would not have been an asset to the party-" "You're wrong." interrupts Gyrfalcon somewhat angrily. "Having traveled with Kaleyra, I know that she's a brave and caring individual... Besides, even if she doesn't represent an asset to the party, she's an asset to us." Timothy nods vigorously to this statement, turning towards Gyrfalcon and then Elena. Suddenly noticing the note that Kaleyra had attached to a tree, the historian quickly rushes towards the trunk and tears the sheet off of it, reading it over carefully...

"I suppose we'll have to ask Orlan to put up those 'Danger- Suicide Squirrel Crossing' signs that we kept just in case..." sighs Wyvern while shaking his scaly head. "Ah well... I'm certain that there's some sort of rule concerning space-time reality portals which allows me to continue to slack off and forget about responding. After all, if the Snypieur of the space-time reality portal came from the future, he would have already been accepted... Besides, this is a no-rifting zone..." Having said this, Wyvern grins and points a scaly figure to a spot in his office where a sign that read "No Cutting the Fabric of Reality - Million Geld Fine" used to be, but is now gone... The overgrown lizard suddenly notices the absence of the sign and frowns, only to realize that several eccentric objects in his Office are missing. Frantically searching through numerous Office corners and desk drawers, the reptilian Elder finds to his dismay that his Ouiji board used for making guild decisions is missing, along with a leftover drumstick, one of his pictures of Cheyenne, and his sanity. Recalling with relief that he lost his sanity a while back when cruising with a certain band of Apocalyptic Angels, Wyvern crosses the meaningless item off of his list of "objects missing" before turning to Melba and angrily exclaiming: "Dang it Melba, how many times have I told you to keep things disorganized when you're cleaning!? I can't find a number of my possessions..." "Don't look at me, you dolt!" responds Melba furiously "I told you that you should come out of your quarters to see Snypieur... It just so happens that he pocketed some of your office supplies before he left!" "You should have told me that material goods were concerned!" whines Wyvern while stomping his feet. "On the subject... did they do anything else?" "Well..." mutters Melba "... they laughed at the concept of a dragon choking. Other than that, nothing much... One of Snypieur's squirrel companions, Pith, was actually a true gentleman... He even bowed to me and kissed my hand!" "Dear Lord..." mumbles Wyvern while going pale at the thought. "... so the squirrels really ARE suicidal..." Melba growls and goes for her Anti-Wyvern Mallet just as Wyvern turns towards a piece of reality still shimmering in the wake of Snypieur's exit. Stamping the piece of reality ACCEPTED, Wyvern also writes "(can I have my goods back now...?)" with a quill before getting clobbered by Melba's hammer... ;-) OOC: Welcome to the Pen, Snypieur, it's great to see you here! As Peredhil stated, being one of the old bards of Terra, you automatically regain your bard status here at the Pen. Still, that was an excellent application, and it's certainly ACCEPTED.

Sayonara Tasslehof, it's a shame to see you go... As others have said, there isn't really any "quitting" the Pen, just extended leaves of absence. ;p We'll be keeping your Quill Bearer position warm should you ever decide to return... Bars thronga, viva brewin (some wierd dialect for "bars throng, live brewing")

Threads like this always make me smile... Anyhow, I just wanted to say that y'all echo my sentiments exactly, and also wanted to thank you for posting this. Never underestimate the power of the occasional simple affirmation... ;-) One love, yo... Having said this, Wyvern reverts back to his sinister self and tries to scheme a way to enter into the group hug, considering using one of those trick cameras with a "blinding light" enchantment cast upon them...

*click clack* *click clack* *click clack* Melba's right hand trembles in rage as it scribbles messy words over a sheet of paper using a fine quill. The Almost Secretary desperatly tries to ignore the annoying sounds as they continue to echo throughout the office, but to no avail... *click clack* *click clack* *click clack* Melba grits her teeth and rubs her throbbing temple as the sounds suddenly speed up drastically... *click clack* *click clack* *click clack* *click clack* Finally unable to take it any longer, Melba tosses her quill to the ground in anger and turns her angry gaze towards Wyvern, pointing a finger at the lizard and booming: "That does it, you overgrown lizard! I've had enough!!! Stop clicking on that pen, or else I'll force you to stop!" Grinning sinisterly at his desk, Wyvern sticks out his forked tongue at Melba and continues clicking on his Pen, only to stop and go pale as Melba whips out one of her many spare shotguns. Aiming the device at Wyvern and growling "drop the Pen," Melba loads the gun with a hollow *CLICK CLACK*

Ironically, just as Ozymandias speaks the blessing of "Nullus Anxietas," Wyvern comes barging into the office through the central doors with a look of extreme nervousness and anxiety on his face. Frantically searching for a place to hide while casting paranoid glances left and right, the overgrown lizard suddenly turns to Hot Soup and makes a frantic dash towards the applicant's chair, jumping and sliding underneath it while trembling in fear. The reptilian Elder's frantic actions only add to Hot Soup's anxiety, and the startled applicant jumps out of his seat, accidentally tripping over Wyvern's tail in the process. Fortunatly, Ozymandias manages to catch Hot Soup before he falls, and tries to calm the applicant with some soothing words: "There there... no need to worry. This is nothing unnatural... the lizard probably just tried to achieve absolute power again and failed, resulting in a multitude of of angry deities being after his scaly hide... or perhaps he's simply afraid that one of the letters in the mail is from the IRS..." After Hot Soup has calmed down a bit, Ozymandias crosses his arms over his chest and turns his gaze to the trembling form of Wyvern, muttering: "What did you do this time, or do we want to know...?" Wyvern whimpers for a bit, then responds: "I m-m-made a deal with a gang of elite bee keepers recently, which I referred to as the "bees nest deal." They promised to give me some genuine honey combs in exchange for some gummi almost dragons, but an unfortunate incident has left me without any gummis to fufill my side of the bargain. Now they've arrived at the Pen, and I'm doomed!" Deciding that there's no longer any use in hiding underneath the applicant easychair, Wyvern crawls out of his hiding place and gets to his feet, quickly snatching Hot Soup's application poem and reading it over in the hopes of responding to it before the bee keepers arrive... Noting that it's a good poem, the overgrown lizard stamps the application sheet ACCEPTED just as the office doors are opened by an ominous figure in a bee keeper outfit. Pointing a finger towards Wyvern and dislodging a comb made completely out of honey from his hair, the bee keeper mumbles: "I have the honey combs, as promised... now where are the gummi almost dragons?!" As Hot Soup and Ozymandias quietly tiptoe out of the office and Wyvern stutters nervously while searching for a response, the bee keeper pulls out a flower-shaped walkie-talkie and growls: "Queen Bee? Yeah, this is Bumbler... It seems our client has buzzed a bluff of the fruit fly calibur... Request to incorporate stinger tactics and call upon hornet militia, over..." Wyvern *gulps*... OOC: On a more serious note: a nice poem and an ACCEPTED application, Hot Soup... Welcome to the Mighty Pen! Sorry that I kept you anxiously waiting for a response, I'll send you some additional Pen info ASAP. Once again, welcome!

Blanketed by a large pile of unfinished paperwork, Wyvern snores fast asleep at his desk, oblivious to the arrival of Illianna Wolfsong and unaware of the sticky situation that has developed in the Office... The overgrown lizard was having a delightful dream... Skipping merrily down the Taxless Trail of the Finance Forest by the Money Mountains just North of the Penny Plains, Wyvern puts down the enormous dollar-sign-shaped lolipop which he had been sucking on and takes a moment to come to terms with his surroundings. Noticing several Big Buck Bushes and Greed Weeds in his proximity, Wyvern joyfully rushes towards a tree that happens to be growing Almost Dragonic Brand Lawnmower/Vacuum Cleaners™ in large quantities. Plucking one of these contraptions off of the tree and happily noticing that it's in season, the lizard prepares to mow through the forest when suddenly, the tree speaks up and says: "... I have already placed the RonCo pocket breath extinguisher on order!" "Excellent!" responds Wyvern as he begins prancing through the forest and putting his lawnmower/vacuum cleaner to use "It's about time those things grew on trees!" Mowing over the Big Buck Bushes, Wyvern savours their every plea... "Meep" squeaks one before being consumed by the fan blades of his device... "Oh no!" cries another as it's sucked into the evergrowing bag of moolah attached to the cleaner. Finally, Wyvern arrives back at his original position, and raises a brow as his lolipop stands up and says: "You never know what will happen when the gummis hit the fan!" "That's what you think!" exclaims Wyvern as he turns to the dollar-sign-shaped lolipop's friend Gummi Bill, who happened to be visiting the Finance Forest in the hopes of getting away from his aunt Chocolate Coin and his uncle Taffee Banking Account Summary Sheet. Laughing evilly, Wyvern sucks Gummi Bill into his device and sinisterly watches him hit the fan blades... Much to the overgrown lizard's shock and dismay, sucking the gummi into his machine causes the bag of money attached to it to promptly explode. The reptilian Elder's horror is quickly replaced with joy, however, as he notices that where the bag once stood now stands a sexy nymph clothed in only a few dollar bills... Offering the lady some Almost Dragonic Brand Cherry-Flavored Lipstick and a brief love poem, Wyvern hisses sinisterly and rubs his scaly palms together in anticipation as his mind races with evil thoughts... Reading over the poem while putting on some lipstick, the nymph grumbles: "Lovely poem... now, to wash off this cherry-flavored gunk." "Gunk?!" Wyvern suddenly awakens from his sleep only to be hit in the face by a barrage of gunk from the ceiling fan overhead... Grumbling to himself and wiping some shredded gummis from his face, Wyvern salutes all of those present in the office and apologizes for sleeping during his working hours. Picking up Illiana Wolfsong's application poem from his desk and smiling towards her, the reptilian Elder reads it over a few times and then happily exclaims: "An excellent poem, Illianna! I wish I had read this before I fell asleep... it might have changed a course of action..." Wyvern snickers to himself as those who have gathered in the room eye him curiously, wondering what "course of action" he might be referring to... Stamping Illianna Wolfsong's application ACCEPTED, Wyvern looks around the Office and sighs that it seemed his "bees nest deal" wouldn't be working out after all... The lizard does crack a grin at the thought of Melba struggling to clean up the mess, however... ;-) OOC: On a more serious note, Illianna, I really enjoyed your poem and your application is certainly ACCEPTED... Welcome to the Mighty Pen! Sorry for the lateness in responding, as well as for the 'random Summer day dream" nature of the response... ;p Be sure to either post your e-mail address in this thread or mail me at elitwack90@hotmail.com, so that I can send you some additional Pen info. Once again, welcome!