Patrick

What about getting rid of join date?

Nice shout-out at the end there Wyv. One more review from me: November 14 - Lyon - Sonata Arctica This was definitely the biggest crowd I have seen at a metal concert in Lyon. When I got there the queue of people waiting to get in stretched from the entrance to the corner of the parking lot, which is about 200 meters. Naturally all the waiting made me miss half of the first opening act, a band called Ride the Sky. I had never heard of them before, but the short part of their set I managed to see was pretty good. Second opening act was Epica. I've already seen them playing a main act of their own in Lyon. They played a great set, only problem with it was it being too short. Then came Sonata Arctica, whom I had never seen before live. Hugest crowd I had ever seen provided quite a nice mosh pit on occasions, add to that the great performance the band had put in and it was a pretty good evening all in all.

Heh...I totally hadn't noticed those anagrams.

Chapter 8 17 months before Grimfalk’s return “Hell on earth can be cold. Extremely cold.”- The Prophecy Day after day of artillery shells smashing against the fortifications had achieved the desired effect of playing with the defender’s nerves. The fact that no one had deserted was a clear sign to the influence and the respect that the rebel leader evoked in his men. Jorgen was as unlikely a figure as one could find to lead a rebellion. Married, father of six children he had everything to lose. His whole life he had been an engineer building things. Yet when conflict called he had been ready to destroy. Ironically the first bridge he had blown up during the rebels guerrilla campaign had been the first one he had designed. In his own words, it had helped to know where he had to place the charges. When the first rumours of the Imperial Army being called in had reached the leadership of the rebels, Jorgen had been named the commander of the northern sector. It was barely more than a strip of land connecting the two great landmasses of the planet, but, strategically, no other sector was more important. Almost the whole sector’s defensibility depended on Halmand Castle. The rebels knew it and the imperials knew it. Three thousand defenders faced off against a full Imperial Army of twelve thousand men and their superior equipment. Being one of those three thousand had introduced Sean to a life different in many ways than the one he had been used to in the comfort and warmth of his home. Meals were never in regular times for fear of imperial shelling, it was almost never warm, even with all the measures taken to keep the defenders out in the cold for only the necessary time. Once his hand had sufficiently healed he had been transferred to the messengers. His youthful speed and his wounded hand together had been enough to keep him out of fighting duty, much to his own chagrin. Little did he know that he’d very soon have more than his own share of fighting. “Sean!” came the voice over the wire transmitter in his quarters. The rebels did not use any wireless communications, knowing full well the imperials prowess in intercepting and decrypting those signals. He did not need more than that to know that he was needed. Reluctantly scrambling from the relative warmth of his furs and covers he put on the warm clothes given him after his arrival and ran the short length to the dispatch room. “Message for the Northeast Tower,” the same voice as over the transmitter greeted him and Sean took the data unit from his superior. “Be careful,” the elderly man cautioned, “Sniper activity is high around the bridges today.” Halmand Castle had been built in a very peculiar way. Sitting on an island in the middle of the Halmand River four artificial islets were raised in the river surrounding it and its four towers were built on these heaps of reinforced concrete. The towers were connected to the castle itself by thin, fragile bridges. In case of destruction of the bridges, new, temporary ones made of steel, could easily be deployed from the castle. In peacetime there were three ways of entering the castle. The castle itself was connected to the west bank of the river, joining the main North-South road about half a mile from the river. The two eastern towers were connected to the eastern bank of the river, by sturdy bridges. At the beginning of the siege Jorgen had ordered those two bridges destroyed. Their slabs of concrete still littered the frozen river. The Northeast Tower had been given particular attention by the opposing artillery. Merely two days after the beginning of the siege they had scored a lucky hit on the bridge connecting it to the castle. In the three weeks that had passed since then seventeen temporary bridges had been also hit. Sean accepted his assignment without complaining. It was the second time in twenty-four hours that he had to take a message there. He never knew the contents of the messages he transported, but he could guess that the rebels were having troubles in the Northeast Tower. Getting to the north-eastern corner of the castle was easy. Hundreds of shelters existed where one could duck when hearing the whistle of an incoming artillery shell. The difficult part was getting over the bridge. Getting there he saw that there was no bridge. The engineering crew next to the opening had however been waiting for him. As soon as they spotted him they started deploying the temporary bridge. Almost immediately artillery shells came raining down. Two bridges were wasted before finally the third reached the tower on the other side of the gap. “Good luck,” the leader of the engineers whispered to Sean. “Nice kid, hope he fares better than the other messenger two hours ago,” he added as soon as Sean had set out at a sprint across the bridge. He just made it. Seconds after he reached the other side of the bridge an almost direct hit on the fragile steel structure sent it tumbling down onto the hard ice to join many others already down there. Watching it fall, Sean noticed the body of a messenger he had come to know, who had not been as lucky as him. Frozen traces of blood showed that he had not died a quick death. As Sean handed over his message tube to the Sergeant in charge of the tower he heard retaliatory artillery shells, fired from the castle courtyard fly overhead. It was the first time that the defending artillery had opened fire. Ammunition was short and only the surest shots were taken. That day they hit fourteen of the high-technology pieces of artillery the opposing army used. “Well, well, well,” the Sergeant said upon reading the letter. “My name is Jack Brown. It seems that you shall be staying with us for a bit, my boy.” He handed the message to Sean for him to read it. Losses in men, equipment too high to resupply NE T. Evac judged too risky. On your own. Best of luck. – J.

At the start of the piece the phrase "aching acuteness" painted a very acoustic picture with its alliteration about the cold. I really liked that. The piece as Silver Wind has already said is pretty vivid and I'd also add very sad.

Interesting short piece. I read it with an eye of looking for humans like you had asked. From a strictly racial point of view, the humans are obviously the Ancients the main speaker refers to. Looking at it from a personality point of view though...the question is much more interesting. In that case I'd say that everyone acts like one. Pillaging of resources, conquering everything you can get away and needless destruction have been seen all too often in human history. As to what it means to be human...it might be the greed and fear that you mention in your story that makes someone(thing) human. The story does pose quite a few interesting questions though.

Interesting little piece Sora. It feels like it is part of some greater story and as such is begging for a continuation. Even if it is a standalone piece it is nicely written and uses good descriptions.

Nice to see you posting again dragonqueen. Interestingly written poem, nice use of soundeffects. I can relate to the subject matter too.

I can only react to content not form, but content-wise it is very well said. Alcohol is so much more dangerous than most people of my generation particularly realise.

In no order whatsoever and forgetting many who deserve a mention. Peredhil: You are a great guy, much better than I feel you consider yourself. Thanks for all the chats and listening to my occasional rants. You understand people so much better than I do. Wyvern: Your posts are always there when I need a smile. Stay how you are. The Pen wouldn't be the same without you. Tanny: Hours and hours of fun on MSN. Thanks for all the fun, all the listening and all the fun. Gwai: You are such a great listener and always offer good advice. Thank you. Salinye: MSN issue sorted out. Glad to finally be talking with you again. I really missed our chats. Mynx: Along with Tanny or even on your own you are also quite capable of brightening up my evenings. Cyril Darkcloud: You'll probably not see this or if you do it will be a long time from now, but thank you for introducing me to the Pen.

If I'll be able to be around it'll definitely be after 12am GMT. Family Christmasy business to take care of before that.

I finished two books recently. O Jerusalem! - by Dominique Lapierre and Larry Collins retraces Jerusalem during and before the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Tells the events that happened from all the points of view concerned. Well-written interesting book. Hilton Assignment - by Patrick Seale and Maureen McConville shows a failed plot of toppling Qadhafi in Lybia during the 70s. Not very exciting book.

Chapter 7 18 months before Grimfalk’s return “Who does not want to control the crucial piece in a puzzle apart from those who ignore the puzzle?” – The Prophecy Halmand castle was an imposing structure, built several centuries earlier, but through renovations and extensions still a commanding fortress, towering over the surrounding valley. Built on an island in the middle of a fork of the Halmand River, its strategic position had allowed it to become the most important military establishment on the whole planet. The Dukes of Halmand, once an important family, ruling a vast swathe of land had called the castle their home. But the Halmand family had long since died out and the castle had been a museum until seven years ago, when the inhabitants of the planet had rebelled against their imperial rulers. Building on the initial success of the rebellion, the defences of the castle had been brought to the modern standards and a large garrison was stationed inside. Given its strategic position and its undefeatable status in the minds of the rebels, it was one of the first objectives of the imperial assault. “Even more imposing from down here than it had been from the air, isn’t it?” The three men stood on the thick snow covering the frozen river, three miles upstream. All three of them wore thick uniforms, and two were heavily laden with various medals and insignia. The third puffed rapidly on a cigarette, trying to keep his bare hands out in the cold as little as possible. “Smoking is-” the older officer started, but was cut off. “I don’t care. As an observer I am not under your command here.” “What is the Mage’s Guild’s purpose in sending you here anyway? It has been decades since the Guild called upon its privilege of observing the Imperial Army’s deployments.” It was clear that for him the observer was unwanted baggage, attention he could do without. But he was in no position to contest Imperial High Command having dumped the observer onto him for the duration of the mission. “None of your business, general. I am here to observe. Put that into your report.” He shot an icy glare at the officer commanding of the imperial forces in the valley. The general turned, spat in disgust, and walked towards the left bank, where the artillery was setting up. “Are you sure that this is the place?” the younger officer asked once the general was out of earshot. “There is no doubt. It is the right place, and almost the right time. The prophecy has never been wrong,” the mage replied. “Just keep close to the general, listen to whatever he says, and act like the officer that you have replaced. And be very careful not to draw attention to yourself. You can never know who reports to him. His men seem to be everywhere nowadays.” “Understood. What about the boy?” “He got to the castle before the perimeter was fully secured. He’s safe for now.” The middle-aged mage brought a pair of binoculars from his pockets and turned them towards the castle. “I don’t understand why he is so important,” his accomplice asked. “You don’t need to know the exact reason. Knowing that he is key in the return of Grimfalk should be more than enough to satisfy your curiosity. Now leave me. I need to think.”

Please note that warn level is only visible for moderators. I voted to keep Group and guild image and do away with the rest. Group is useful, since the whole forum is built around advancement through the groups and it's useful to know who is an Elder. We should have the guild image while we have the guilds.

A few ideas (you don't have to follow any of them ) it would be nice to see how the girls try to achieve a normal life after all that has happened to them. I could foresee some major difficulties that they would be facing, some coming from themselves you could play off some very interesting situations if you introduce a male character who becomes possibly the love interest of one or both of them

Congratulations all!

*hugs* Always great to see you.

Some pretty resistant twins we had there Vene. Now I just wonder...what would happen to them now that the wolves have won?

Well, if you're leaving it up to your fans to decide where it goes from now...actually I'll have to think on that. ;p I'll get back to you on it.

Woo, the story continued. I'll have to reiterate some of my comments on Rogue, which I made here. I still feel that there is a lot of potential left in exploring the feelings of the different characters. Your descriptions are top-notch as usual though. There were a few times when you mixed up Mouse and Fallen and a couple of times you used I, me and we, which did not fit the third person perspective of the whole story. The reoccuring characters from Rogue, also proved to be slightly confusing, as it had been some time since I read Rogue and I did not fully remember everything that had happened in there. Maybe small reminders when they were seen for the first time in this story could have helped. The story definitely has me hooked though, so I do hope you are planning on writing more.

Whatwhatwhat? Is that all? Just as it was getting even more interesting, it ended. Very intriguing (start to a) story Yui! I do hope you plan on continuing this.

OOC: my in character posting is hampered by the absence of Vene on MSN, so, with Mynx's authorisation, here is just my vote. Accusing Cryptomancer - James 'Jimmy' Elliott Johansen

I'm currently reading the Hilton Assignment (link). Not too good, but I'm forcing myself to finish it.

I'm sorry if what I said could be misunderstood. What I was trying to say was: - it can be placed next to each post instead or under the geld thingy. - it can be made in such a way that everyone sets it in their own profile - it can't be made in such a way that you set it for every post you make

Tanny, in her CheerMynx costume, giggled and pointed at a flower. "Pretty!!" Mynx' voice was amused as she commented, “Close, Wuffie. Just remember to add the word totally or like beforehand. Or both!” she grinned. The wolf-feline grimaced, and mumbled. “I’ll never get it right! I’m not a blonde, to start with!” “You’re doing rather well, Wuffie.... or should I say CheerWuffie?” Tanny laughed, and glanced at her friend. “Careful with the hem of your dress, Kitty. You’ll get them either soiled or all trampled” As the feline sighed and picked them up, Tanny shook her head,”No no.... you seem to be grabbing a mop in each hand! There, like this...” she corrected Mynx’ hands, “Now graciously lift your dress just enough to not let the hem touch the ground, and just enough to show your shoes.” “Shoes?” Mynx lifted the dress higher to display her noticeably feline paws. “I’m not exactly designed for shoes.” “We could make some?” Tanny suggested, receiving only a growl in response that made her laugh. Giggling, they passed just under the oak at the Courtyard. A soft, querying “Hoot?” greeted them, and Tanny looked up. “Heya, Patham!” Mynx waved, grinning, “Aren’t you coming to the Halloween party?” Patham blinked sleepily, making Tanny grin wickedly. “Pretty!! Awww, you’re totally, like, soft and fluffy! You’ll have so totally fun in there!” Patham blinked faster, completely taken aback, and couldn’t react in time as Tanny jumped lightly and grabbed his feet. He flapped his wings, gasping, but soon found himself held tightly by four hands. “A pink bow!” From a pouch, Tanny produced a length of bright-pink ribbon, and deftly tied it around Patham’s neck. Mynx giggled, adding some sparkling effect to it. The loops of the bow appeared right above the owl’s head, and the tails fell daintly across its chest. “And I’ll call you Fluffy!” Tanny petted Patham, who started to protest but was muffled by a tight hug. “That does remind me of foxes...” Mynx winked at Patham, who was finally coming out of his dazed state. “Hoot? Hoot hoot hoot!!” He protested, flapping wings so wildly that Tanny sneezed. Mynx grabbed him before he could fly, and sensed him trying to shapechange. “Oh, not right now, Patham.... I think you need some fun, you’ve been too attached to your perch in that oak lately. C’mon, this will be a perfect opportunity! At the very least, hopefully you won’t end up attacked by flying tangerines. Death of Rats will find something else, I’m quite sure of it....” “Mmm... we can’t harness an owl, can we?” Tanny pondered, and Mynx nodded. “Maybe tie his feet?” “Jesses!” Grinning, Mynx added bright pink-colored leather jesses to Patham’s feet, and Tanny clapped her hands. “Cool! That’s so totally fun, Fluffy! We can play as falconeer and her bird!” An unenthusiastic “Hoot” from Patham confirmed that he was not yet as excited as Tanny and Mynx. Or maybe he was still just half-asleep. Fully waking up for an owl was never something easy. But still…it could be fun.