Quoth the raven, Nevermore.

Thursday, 5 July 2012

COME HITHER FOR QUEST 11

How Now My Pretties - doth the subject matter of the last Quest chill thee to the bone and frighten thee so that thy creative juices fair froze ????? Doth not the Prize urge thee to formulate some small token of succour to the Master ?? Ah, me - 'tis a thing that cuteth deep to the quick..Alack !!
Alas, just 4 Accolades made offerings to the Master this past Quest so please take thee all thy Badge of Honour.

<img src="http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i163/Loser_Li/Quoth%20The%20Raven/Top3button.gif" />

Mayhap, a soothing poem might still thy beating hearts a little and bring forth thy artistic bent ?

For thy Quest 11, I offer thee a sweet, sweet poem, whose question I fear will, alas, go unanswered ...........

A DREAM WITHIN A DREAM.

Take this kiss upon the brow

And, in parting from you now;

Thus much let me avow -

You are not wrong, who deem

That my days have been a dream;

Yet if hope has flown away,

In a night, or in a day;

In a vision or in none,

Is it therefore the less gone ?

All that we see or seem

Is but a dream within a dream.

I stand amid the roar

Of a surf-tormented shore,

And I hold within my hand

Grains of the golden sand;

How few ! Yet how they creep

Through my fingers to the deep

While I weep - while I weep !

O God ! Can I not grasp

Them with a tighter clasp?

O God ! Can I not save

One from the pitiless wave ?

Is all that we see or seem

But a dream within a dream ?

Go now, and create thy masterpiece in whichever manner that doth please thee, to return herewith within 1 month - thence to see the Victor.

For thy inspiration, the Minions of the Master offer thee these creations upon which to feast thine eyes.

Ike

Blackdragon

i dont do straight

outside

inside

Gaze here upon the prize

NON-SEQUITUR RUBBER STAMP.

Perchance to place thy offerings here (In the interest of fairness - NO backlinking)

Collection Closes 1st August at 1700 hrs BST

Thursday, 14 June 2012

QUEST 10..... THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE

Ah, Beloveds - how the plagues of the technology of man doth smite us !!! For sure the crankings and whirrings of the damn- fangled electrical contraptions vex us when they doth not work !! How we wail and cry and rent our hair from our scalps. Forsooth - I have been beleagued by imps and phantoms of the 'wires' that hath rendered me without the trappings for communication with friends and foe. ! Aye, now I work with frantic determination through the tiny window of succour that it hath accorded me and I rush to complete my writings before the dread phantoms again steal it from me !!

Firstly - the Accolades -
Hail the Victor of Quest 9.............Tori
Take thee thy Badge of Honour and convey thy details to the beloved Black Dragon, that she may bestow upon thee thy surprise gift.

The Master also blesses these 3 (in no apparent order)......

Jacki
Coleen
Monique

Take ye also thy Badge and display it proudly within thy realms.

<img src="http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i163/Loser_Li/Quoth%20The%20Raven/Top3button.gif" />

How now, my creatures of the dark - I offer thee this time a cautionary tale. Let thee not think that man be the only creature that hath the wherewithall to learn and then act upon that knowledge - albeit with behaviour that we would not expect nor which may be acceptable to ourselves. !
Such is the case with the poor creature in my tale this time -

MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE

A sailor keeps as a pet, a large Ape - a creature not much far removed from the likes of thee and I. Unbeknownst to him, his daily actions have been acutely observed and absorbed - albeit their purpose not fully comprehended.
Alas - upon the subsequent escape and new found freedom of the aforesaid - it doth attempt to re-enact that behaviour it hath previously assimilated - but with dire consequences. !!
The works of the Master regarding this tale can be found in entirety HERE.

Now that thy mind is acquainted with the tale, thy task is to create a masterpiece which doth it illustrate, by whichever form that doth please thee.

Think on then of the next occasion thou art studiously observed by thy beloved Furry Friends as thou art involved in some task, and be thankful that they hath not the opposable thumbs !!! Bwaahahahahahahaha

Herewith to inspire you - the works of the Master's Minions... alas IKE is again unable to furnish the goods :-(

Blackdragon

i dont do straight

The Master giveth thee 14 days hence to complete thy Quest - unless the trickery of man's inventions doth again intervene, and thusly alter the master plan !!!

Gaze here upon thy Prize....

Perchance to place thy offerings here (in the interest of fairness - NO Backlinking please)

Collection closes 4th July 2012 at 17:00 hrs BST

Thursday, 17 May 2012

QUEST 9 - THE MASQUE OF THE RED DEATH

Beloveds, with deepest regret we must continue with the RED DEATH for a further 2 weeks, the new closing date for your entries is JUNE 13th.
His Minion IKE has been struck a blow which renders all crafting skill as useless, so alas, she is still unable to offer you some creative inspiration. However, such a blow was naught compared to the creeping insidiousness of The Red Death.
But first - the Accolades..........
Hail the Victor of Quest #8.........WendyLynns Paper Whims
Take thee thy Badge of Honour and give thy details to the illustrious Black Dragon, that she may bestow upon thee thy reward.

The Master also blesses these 3 (in no apparent order) .... Kapree, Jane and Susan G Take ye also thy Badge and display it proudly within thy realm...

Now - a tale of dread horror I tell to thee. Oft said that the Plague creepeth into every nook and cranny and that no man escapeth Death, regardless of age, creed or wealth.
The tale is of Prince Prospero. He hath organised a Masked Ball for the entertainment of his friends. Outside, the Plague is all around, but he hides within his castle with his friends and doth lock the doors against the dreaded pestilence. Therein lie 7 coloured rooms, the last of which is black and red and contains a clock of purest ebony, which striketh upon each hour with a clamourous din. Each other room is bright and dreamy and filled with music, but the last is avoided by his guests due to it's ominous ambience and the clock. All is well until the strike of midnight and a new Guest appears. His mask- the face of a corpse, and his garments are a funeral shroud. Prospero is angered that someone of such little humour would arrive thusly, but the guests are in dread fear of this stranger and fall away from him. He walks through each room and Prospero catches him at the last - the black and red room with the ebony clock. When he confronts the figure, Prospero dies. His guests enter the room to attack the figure but find that there is nothing beneath the costume and mask. They all then die, for the Red Death hath infiltrated the castle. Darkness and decay, and the Red Death have at last triumphed.
Read Ye the dread tale HERE.

And so, thy Quest is set - many an image must spring to thy mind for a fitting portrayal of this dread tale.
He shows here, for your delight, the offerings of his Minions.

BLACKDRAGON

i dont do straight

IKE

The Master giveth thee the allotted 14 days, and - barring mishap - will return hence at that time to judge thy offerings.
Perchance to place thy offering here (In the interest of fairness - NO backlinking)

Collection closes 13th June 2012 at 1700hrs GMT.

Thursday, 3 May 2012

QUEST 8 - THE PIT & THE PENDULUM

Beloveds,
How generous was the Master to give thee past the allotted time to complete thy quest ? Happenchance life struck his Minion IKE with a blow that stemmed the flow of inspiration and creativeness.
Today I bring you tale of terror and suspense - but first the Accolades.....

Hail the Victor of Quest 7 - To Helen.............Nancy
Take thee thy Badge of Honour and give thy details to the illustrious Black Dragon, that she may bestow upon thee thy reward.

The Master also blesses these 3 (in no apparent order) .....
Croms

Jacki

Colleen
Take ye also thy Badge and display it proudly within thy realm...

On now to my tale......THE PIT & THE PENDULUM.

Think ye lucky that thou are not living in the time of the dread Inquisition ? Such a tale I relate of one poor soul who had the misfortune to have been in very close quarter with them.

Imagine finding thyself in a dark and dank pit having been on trial with The Inquisition. !! Thou knowest that thy death is inevitable but thou knowest not How - only that it will be slow and painful. !!!

The soul within the tale has but 3 choices - to be sliced by the slowly inching, swinging blade of the Pendulum or (having broken free of his bonds) to be either crushed between the slowly advancing, red hot metal walls of his chamber or to fling himself down in the chasm of horror ... The Pit.... and the horrors it may contain, should death not follow instantly. Which choice would thee make I ask ???

The complete story of the tale can be found HERE.

Read then and make for the Master a creation representing this tale...... If ye dare !!!!!!

For your delight and inspiration, I give thee the works of the Minions..

Blackdragon

i dont do straight

And how shall He reward thee? ..... Thusly ...... 2 beautiful collage sheets of your choice from ............... MOONLIGHT JOURNEY .COM

The Master giveth thee the allotted 14 days, and - barring mishap - will return hence at that time to judge thy offerings.
Perchance to place thy offering here (In the interest of fairness - NO backlinking)

Collection closes 16th May 2012 at 1700hrs GMT.

Thursday, 5 April 2012

QUEST 7 ...... TO HELEN

CHALLENGE EXTENDED UNTIL 2nd MAY.

Ah, Beloveds,

With such scant offerings this occasion, the Master bestows upon all supplicants an accolade. Hail the Victor...............Jane
Take thee thy Badge of Victory and give thy details to the illustrious Black Dragon, so that she may bestow upon thee thy Gift.

The Master also blesses these 3 supplicants (in no apparent order).......... Jackie, Yvonne, Susan

Take thee also thy Badge of Honour, and display it proudly within thy realm.

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The Master invites thee to create with love and beauty on this occasion and produce an offering To Helen.
A poem to honour her, he wrote thusly:

Helen, thy beauty is to me

Like those Nicean barks of yore,

That gently, o'er a perfumed sea,

The weary, wayworn wanderer bore

To his own native shore

On desperate seas long wont to roam,

Thy hyacinth hair, thy classic face,

Thy Naiad airs have brought me home

To the glory that was Greece,

To the gandeur that was Rome.

Lo! in yon brilliant window niche,

How statue-like I see thee stand,

The agate lamp within thy hand!

Ah, Psyche, from the regions which

Are Holy Land!

Fly then and create a thing of wondrous beauty to behold as aforesaid He portrayed his Helen.

As is His wont - the Master giveth thee 14 days to complete thy task and for thy delectation, shows thee now the offerings of his Minions.

BLACK DRAGON

IKE

i dont do straight

How shall he reward thee ???...................... Thusly......

from

Perchance to place thy offering here (In the interest of fairness - NO backlinking please !! )

Collection extended, now closes 2nd May 2012 at 1700 hrs GMT

Thursday, 22 March 2012

QUEST 6 - THE TELL-TALE HEART

Hail the Victor of QUEST 5 .......Jacki
The Master bestows upon thee thy Badge of Honour. Fly thee hence and give the details of thy habitation to the illustrious Black Dragon, that she may bestow upon thee thy Gift.

The offerings also of these followers were also to the liking of the Master (in no apparent order).......

Yvonne, Jane, Dont be a Prude

He giveth thee also a Badge:

How then must we proceed with further tales of darkness and horror ? - How other than a tale of Guilt and how it doth yet eat away within our mind until, at last, on the edge of madness, we must give ourself away and confess all. !! 'Twas such that our next tale reveals.... "The Tell-Tale Heart".

Quote "It is impossible to say how first the idea entered my brain; but, once conceived, it haunted me day and night. Object there was none. Passion there was none. I loved the old man. He had never wronged me. He had never given me insult. For his gold I had no desire. I think it was his eye ! Yes, it was this ! He had the eye of a vulture - a pale blue eye, with a film over it. Whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold; and so by degrees - and very gradually - I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever" end quote Read the whole story HERE.

Thusly, the theme for thy Quest is set and again - the Master giveth thee but 14 Days to complete it

For many a thought and - with hope - some inspiration, his Minions offer you these;

Blackdragon

i dont do straight

IKE

How shall he reward thee - thusly.......

from

Smeared Ink Stamps.

Perchance to place thy offering here. (In the interest of fairness - NO backlinking please !!)

Collection closes 4th April at 17:00 hrs (GMT)

Thursday, 8 March 2012

QUEST 5 - ALL ENCOMPASSING DARKNESS

Ha !! Oh producers of such feline fatalities - the poor kitties portrayed in such manners - but of all, appeared to have exacted their revenge !!!
Hail the Victor of the quest...........Jane's Crafts and here is thy Badge of honour, and forthwith give details of thy habitation, that the beloved Black Dragon may bestow upon thee thy gift

The Master was also most fanciful of the offerings of these followers (in no apparent order)........

Croms

Yvonne

Susan G

and here is thy reward:

The next Quest..... Of such a gruesome thing this time we remind thee.!! The Master wrote of such....

Quote "To be buried alive is, beyond question, the most terrific of these extremes which has ever fallen to the lot of mere mortality. That it has frequently, very frequently, so fallen will scarcely be denied by those who think. The boundaries which divide Life from Death are at best shadowy and vague. Who shall say where one ends, and where the other begins?" end quote

Fancy then, to awaken in darkness so black as to think that thine eyes are yet shut, but upon dread realisation that they are not - to have the utter desperation of thy situation become firm in thy brain. ! The Master, having written of such cases, now challenges thee to open thy imagination and produce for him an image from the dark, tormented depths of thy soul.

Alas, the grim legion of sepulchral terrors cannot be regarded as altogether fanciful-- but, like the Demons, they must sleep, or they will devour us -- they must be suffered to slumber, or we perish.

So, hurry and return 14 Days hence, whereupon the Master shall again decide the Victor. Herewith - I offer for thy inspiration - the depraved workings of his Supplicants...

Blackdragon