This is the promised thread where you are to post your responses to Maryland's DARES: Poe and Ravens.
As an example:
Charles turned back from the window with an air of dejection. The view from the thirty-fifth floor of the E&E depot had never been inspiring, and the briefing room had been decorated by someone whose humor tinged on the morbid. Over the door, a bust of the ancient Grecian goddess Athene was decorated with a large stuffed raven, and beneath both,traced along the lintel of the door, was the single word: NEVERMORE.
Kinda made you think twiceabout the whole thing, really.
Good luck!
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21,599 / 50,000
Nov 1, 2007 - 19 42
Okay, here we go. I've got the first three and now I just need MVA which shouldn't be too hard and EA Poe which I'm not sure about yet.
As she turned onto the grounds of the Maryland Renaissance Fair she slowed down. The road was a dirt and gravel affair that kicked plumes of dust. Looking at the tall white walls with flags waving from the ramparts, her heart gave a little thump.
As they walked through the gates a breeze picked up causing the limp flags to flutter sullenly. For the millionth time Kat thought to herself that she should take up heraldry and see if the coat arms on the flags were accurate.
Word Count: 2419
52,247 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2007 - 13 39
The bird landed, later, on the shoulder of a man who seemed to be waiting for just such an occurrence. The man managed somehow to seem both incredibly ancient and ageless all at the same time. His face was careworn and lined with more than a few scars. His left eye socket was completely, utterly empty. His right eye was a piercing, pale blue that would remind anyone who saw it of winter in an instant. His hair was long and pulled back away from his face and looked like pure silver under the flickers of the heat lightning. If anyone were there to see him, one might think they saw the powerfully built man listening to what the bird had to whisper into his ear. After a few moments, the man stroked the raven's head with one finger, “good, Huginn. You have done well.” He rewarded the bird with a scrap of meat and stood silently in thought for several long moments.
“So, he's finally decided to make a move. I'm surprised it took him this long. This girl of his will bear watching, I should think.”
The raven nodded and once more took to the sky, winging it's way back toward the faire campground.
And still, if anyone were there watching, they might have seen an especially bright flash of lightning where the man stood and when it was gone... so was he.
Still thinking how to do EA Poe. :)
7,958 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2007 - 10 08
OK, here's mine for raven:
Still figuring out how to drop Mr. Poe in as well as figure out to put Lee's DARE from the Columbia write-in -- to use the word imp -- and not make it too bloody obvious. :-D
21,599 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2007 - 19 53
Darn double posts
21,599 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2007 - 19 44
Alright, here's my entry for MVA. That just leaves EA Poe.
21,599 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2007 - 19 50
Darn triple posts.
50,031 / 50,000
Nov 2, 2007 - 23 17
So the dares this year are Poe, Ravens and MVA?
Sorry for the silly question, I can't seem to find the dare thread.
518,335 / 50,000
Nov 3, 2007 - 05 48
Just Poe and ravens; the MVA didn't make the cut
50,064 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2007 - 01 32
Here's mine for Poe and Ravens:
A deep bell rang out slowly as the casket was lowered into the grave and for a moment I had felt like I was trapped in something written by Edgar Allen Poe, almost expecting a raven to land on the headstone and scold us for failing to take proper care of one of our own.
52,496 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2007 - 03 29
Ok, I had planned to use both ravens and Poe in this one, but Poe walked away from it -- I'll try to catch up to him later!
Taking a deep breath, she stepped to the railing, glad that instead of the openwork of the lower stories, her own apartment had a solid lower wall shielding her from the view to the parking lot. She kept her eyes trained straight ahead, not looking down. She could see the brightening of the sky along the horizon, feel the air around her starting to warm, dispelling the nighttime chill.
She glanced to the side, to one of the tall holly trees framing the balcony . . .
And jumped backwards as she noticed that two eyes stared back at her.
“A raven?” The question came to her lips unbidden. Of course, the bird was black and big, and wasn’t that the description of a raven? Yes, that might be stereotyping of big, black birds, but why not? She had seen several “duck crossing” signs near her house, knew that they were duck crossing signs because she knew the general shape of a duck, having lived in a rural area. She hadn’t seen any ducks, just geese. If the people who had placed the signs considered all birds that swam to be ducks, then she could label all big, black birds as ravens.
“Nevermore,” she said softly, as she stared back at the beady black eyes.
The raven said nothing, though a wad of gooey white wetness hit the branch below it.
“How rude,” remarked Marcie, taking that as her cue to go back inside.
12,283 / 50,000
Nov 4, 2007 - 21 54
Creativity and a brutal pragmatism forced those on The Wall to think outside the box for their draft animals. Normal horses and oxen would not go near the Wall much less cross "the line", so coalition forces managed to capture and subdue undead horses. They were more aggressive than their living counterparts, but less so that humans or dogs that had been caught in the cataclysm.
One theory put forth by the mag-gi was that the change from life to unlife aggravated any aggressiveness inherent in the creature. So what had been an carnivore in life was more likely to be murderously bellicose than an herbivore. Even still these "bony ponies" had to be securely muzzled and completely blindfolded lest the sight of the living enrage them into attacking everything they saw. Neutralized in this way, they settled willingly enough into the traces and were steady, hardworking beasts that needed neither food nor sleep. Of course the downside was they looked pitiful with their sunken features and coats that remained matted and dull no matter how much they were brushed. And, too, they had to be watched when outdoors lest the ravens try and peck at their flesh. It didn't bother the animals, but the sight of the naked bones and bloodless wounds bothered even the most battle-hardened veterns.
**
Further on in Chapter one:
As (name) squad drew closer to the gate Penn could hear the clatter of the wagon, the jingle of mail and harnesses, as well as a steady stream of rather inventive profanity from Corporal Poe. This was definitely unsualy because the man tended more toward somber melancholia than anything else. As they drew closer, Penn could hear him growl, "Let go you festering, maggot buggering, son of a-" He was riding inside the wagon with the captured zombies, gritting his teeth and shaking his right leg vigourously. There seemed to be something affixed to his boot. The men in Penn's squad looked at each other and were quite grateful when there own Sargeant Sentjohn indicated they should wait. Clearly he was curious as to what had happened too.
****
Tracy / tlday13
50,082 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2007 - 05 22
I named a character "Poe".
"Poe stood next to the boys, though he was already alert and frowning. Of course, Poe was pretty much always frowning about something, but this time it was definitely justified. "
I am still thinking about how to work in Raven.
Linda
74,310 / 50,000
Nov 5, 2007 - 13 34
In my first scene:
"Sure you want to go back to HQ?" Ronan's question caused Dani to smile, the corners of her mouth twitching. "We could vacation somewhere else."
Danica shook her head. "Obviously we are about to get saddled with a troublesome planet. As if that is anything new--we always get picked for the rough assignments. Did you notice Armstrong signed off without telling us where we are being sent?"
"Yeah. I meant to ask. Got distracted by thoughts of the finest computer for our lovely ladyship, and coffee. Sorry."
"I forgot too," said Danica, and sighed. "What is that old quote, about screwing up your courage? Was there a raven in it?"
Ronan laughed. "How bad can it be?"
21,599 / 50,000
Nov 6, 2007 - 12 29
And finally, Poe. I managed to get the top five dares in. Yeah!
52,723 / 50,000
Nov 8, 2007 - 05 41
Whatever it was, he did not like it. He could sense no substance to the shadow, only ethereal qualities. The wisp passed around the room, circling Winnie and him. It seemed to grow darker and heavier and moved faster as it grew. The sudden sounds of ravens in the trees at the bottom of the garden and beginning to wheel around in the night sky startled him and sent him into his own race around the room. ...
Yowling at the sky from the top of the arbor, he was heard far beyond the range of his normal territory. As more ravens blackened the sky, he kept shrieking, trying to get above the noise of the cawing birds. ...
52,723 / 50,000
Nov 15, 2007 - 07 16
Nodding her head in agreement, Kate stood and wandered around Joe’s few rooms in which he lived behind his pawn shop. Picking up a book, she sat down on a small settee near the lamp and began to look at it.
“’Tamerlane and Other Poems,” by E.A. Poe,” she read. “It’s a little book of poems printed in America, in some place called Philadelphia. I wonder how old Joe got ‘is ‘ands on this little tome.”
“Knowing him, anything is possible.” Maggie said, beginning to nod off in her chair.
“Here, old lady,” Kate said teasing as she made room for her. “I’ll read to you and you can fall asleep like a little babe.”
“Old sot,” Maggie retorted. “You are as tired as me, but I will let you read to me. I do not think the boys will be back for some time, because it sounds like quite a melee out there.”
With that, the pair made themselves comfortable and Kate began to read.
“I have sent for thee, holy friar;
But 'twas not with the drunken hope,
Which is but agony of desire
To shun the fate, with which to cope
Is more than crime may dare to dream, ...”
11,537 / 50,000
Nov 16, 2007 - 07 45
I have been ordered to admit here how I have incorporated raven into my novel. Here goes, with a little censoring
Sarah, luxuriating in Brad’s warm hard chest and soft strong lips, completely forgot where she was, she only knew she had to have *******************. It had been so long since she had felt protected and desired. And she was ravenous for his touch and taste and smell.
74,310 / 50,000
Nov 16, 2007 - 08 09
Oh My! Well, you certainly followed direction! Brown, or is it Thin Mint, points to you!
Lee
21,599 / 50,000
Nov 16, 2007 - 08 35
Nicely done bowedy. :)
68,034 / 50,000
Nov 18, 2007 - 03 51
my characters are on the run from suburban maryland & are living in their car in baltimore - after spending the morning in the library, they see a poster about poe house - one of the characters, who's never been to baltimore before, says she loves poe & wants to visit - quotes the first few lines from 'the raven'
50,025 / 50,000
Nov 18, 2007 - 18 21
One of my character is Julius Booth, a homicide detective, nicknamed the Raven because of his dark mood and his proximity to death. So far every scene he is in I have managed to include some phrasing from Poe's poem "The Raven."
e.g. "What a wild goose chase, Julius pondered, weak and weary from the lack of sleep."
50,479 / 50,000
Nov 27, 2007 - 08 53
[This is part of a stream-of-consciousness dream sequence (set in medieval times, weirdly enough, in a contemporary novel with a high-schooler protagonist). No, my entire novel isn't written like this, though that'd have been good for word count :-D]
And the Lady Queen Judith looks down and sees her faire all in ruins like a Gothic novel like Dracula’s lair or Poe’s House of Usher with the ravens and the vultures circling And she sees the bodies of her knight and her bard laced together at the last – patronized by the same birds of prey even And the music has turned to the dying twang of broken strings from dulcimers and the popping chanterbags of pipes No more Scarborough faire here nothing but the dead and the dying And the Lady Queen Judith is sad but flying through the sky watching the blue water vapor horizon she cannot cry
3,775 / 50,000
Nov 27, 2007 - 14 49
This takes place in futuristic Baltimore:
Baltimore was nice in the late summer as it usually is. Connley liked to take his lunch at the Westminster Burying Grounds, which were preserved as a means to show today’s young people what a grave looked like. Of course, there were other cemeteries that were preserved as well, but this one was interesting. A writer of a few centuries back was laid to rest with a huge “penny” bearing his face on a large white marble tombstone. His name was Edgar A. Poe and it was said that he would bring luck to any Baltimorean that left a penny on his grave.
50,144 / 50,000
Nov 29, 2007 - 13 49
This is part of my YA thriller:
Allison turned to Marty, in case he wanted to know her life’s story. “My father is an architect and he donates his time to charitable projects for a couple of weeks every summer.” Marty acted so much like this was the most interesting information he’d ever heard, Allison couldn’t miss the sarcasm. “I restored a sailboat,” she said to me.
“You restored a boat,” Marty acted like it was the most wonderful thing he’d ever heard.
“Well, actually a three sail bateau. Me and my parents, plus a whole crew of volunteers. I can’t take all the credit personally,” Allison joked. “It’s called the Raven. You know, for that Edgar Allen Poe poem. And the city of Balitmore is going to use it for sailing trips for underprivileged children.”
“That’s amazing.” Marty looked at me. “Trish, isn’t that amazing? Isn’t that the most amazing thing you’ve ever heard. Allison here is out there doing good work and I spent the summer pumping gas and fooling around with you.” He elbowed me, but I tried to ignore him.
50,031 / 50,000
Nov 30, 2007 - 04 16
Well, I got Raven and Edgar Allen Poe.
Didn't know what the other dares were, but, oh well.
50,479 / 50,000
Nov 30, 2007 - 07 42
Oh, and I also put a thinly disguised version of the Renfest in there... does that count?
22,325 / 50,000
Nov 30, 2007 - 20 30
I wrote this like two weeks ago and just kept forgetting to post so here goes:
Lev waved his hand. “They wish to remain a silent partner.” He said, eyebrows raised. “So, open the last one. I’m anxious to see what it’s in the mystery box.”
The room laughed as I picked up the UPS box. It was about the size of a hardback book, I ripped on the easy pull tab, reaching inside to slide out the slightly smaller box shaped object. It almost resembled a hardback book, but was more like a music box.
It was black, hard wood and looked hand made. On the surface was words, in gold script.
I read the words out loud:
Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.
'Tis some visitor, I muttered, tapping at my chamber door --
Only this, and nothing more.
“It’s Poe, right?” Ares asked. “The Raven?”
“It’s Mo’s favorite poem.” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. I lift open the lid, and drop the box in surprise. It clattered to the table with a thud.
Inside, the wooden skeleton shape danced in a wire. It jiggled and rattled. A single word was scripted on the lid inside.
Nevermore
The hangman was all wood, like the box but for the small face glued to it’s own skull. It was of the latest victim of the hanging. His mouth agape, he was alive in the picture.
A piece of paper was glued to the long, wooden bony fingers.