Well, I was even unsure as to whether or not I would get this finished by the end of the day, but I did manage to squeak under the wire with this piece.

Battered and bruised (mentally), I'm looking forward to seeing what people think of this one, as I personally think it was better than the entry I gave for the June contest.

I'm knackered, and I'm off to watch the World Series.

4/4

"Ladies and Gentlemen, esteemed members of the Society. I have been working on a project that could change the face of machinery forever. The amalgamation of steam, clockwork and fluid hydraulics has been proposed before, but on a much smaller scale. I propose to make it bigger and better." He droned on for a few minutes more, regarding how the fluids could not be compressed like steam and in combination with clockwork could be made into much more intricate systems.

"I did have a working prototype, but alas, with innovation as it is, there were always issues, so the project could not be brought to fruition."

"UNTIL NOW!" A voice to the side drew everyone's attention from the lectern and a few gasps were heard, as the full plate suit of Doctor Smith walked into the auditorium. Standing slightly to the left of the lectern, Smith raised his visor. "Good evening, honoured members. A slight issue befell me recently and, without the quick actions of Doctor Weatehrspoon and the Royal College of Surgeons, I probably would not be here today. You see, the technology that the good Doctor alludes to is what keeps me alive today." He nodded to his right and Horgan came out, assisting, by removing the Doctor's left arm. He walked back to the door and pulled a large trolley out, containing an array of the pieces that were a part of the works completed.

Slowly and methodically, Horgan pieced together a second body from the parts - two legs, a lower and upper torso formed in front of the members, who were intrigued. "Now comes the real science, ladies and gentlemen. Technically, we must cease the life of Doctor Smith momentarily."

"I do so voluntarily, do not fear, dear viewers." He nodded to Horgan, who undid two bolts, before removing the head and shoulders of smith from the first body and placing it on the second, before replacing the connections with surgical precision. He opened the chest cavity and moved the pendulum, which started the machinery working. Smith raised his head "You see, there is nothing to fear, as I am still here among us all." Horgan busied himself with attaching the arms of the piece, before finally removing the protective head plate and replacing it with one more befitting to the black and silver livery adorning this menacing piece.

"Of course, now that we have dealt with that part of the business, we can state that this piece of work here," he gestured with a sweeping gesture towards the part constructed body in the suit of armour, "is Doctor Weatherspoon's work, so please judge him on that. My work, in conjunction with Mr. Horgan, is on display here." His arms indicated himself and as he moved, he seemed to be enjoying more precision and freedom to move.

Slowly, the members of the society got to their feet, applauding the mechanical man standing before them, like a conqueror. His smile was broad and while he was now nine feet tall, he still stood, humbled by the honour of the society. Taking in the applause, he turned to his former colleague.

"You tried to laud me as your finest creation, Marcus. I am only the creation of God. I have merely taken his work and yours and have... improved it." Visibly shaken, Weatherspoon took a handkerchief from his pocket, wiping the sweat from his brow and retired from the stage.

After spending several hours answering questions about how this would affect mankind and how it could be applied, Smith called the evening to a close and, stunned by the positive reception, left the Society. Having helped Horgan to load the cart up, he stood on the back, pulling the tarpaulin over his head. "Could you take me to the park. I feel like taking a quiet stroll for a while?" Horgan agreed to this, as the recent weeks had been long and tiring, even for a human, but for a machine, such as Smith, he could only speculate. Smith dropped off the cart when they reached the park and he bid the Metallurgist a good evening.

"I believe that I shall see you tomorrow, Mr. Horgan. Your fine talents will make you a lot of money in the near future, I can say."

"Thank you, sir. When should I return to fetch you?"

The scientist shook his head, with a smile. "No need, my friend. I will walk home myself from here." As the carriage drove away, Smith walked across the park and started walking up Westminster Drive. "One last thing, before we make the world better..."

3/4

"Good evening, officer, I trust that everything is in order."

"That it is sir. Just a few routine enquiries, so if you could be about your business, all will be well." The Doctor was taken aback by the standard response of one of the constabulary.

"I will sir, just as soon as you stand aside and allow me to enter my own home!" The constable visibly bristled at this and tried to recover.

"Is that so? Could I please ask your name, sir?" The constable flicked open a notebook and licked his pencil, ready to note down this for his report to his senior officers.

"Doctor Marcus Weatherspoon. I live here at number 72 Westminster Drive." He waited patiently, as the policeman painstakingly wrote this all down.

"Very well, sir. Please, follow me." The constable turned and walked in through the door. As Weatherspoon followed, he noted that the door handle had been crushed out of shape and the door frame showed signs of a forced entry, with the frame being broken to splinters near where the locks had been located. They walked to the dining room, where a small group of officers had taken up residence, spreading bits and pieces of paperwork across the table.

"Sergeant Taylor, this is a Mister Weatherspoon to see you. He claims that he lives here."

"That's Doctor Weatherspoon, for your records, constable." He took off his hat in disgust, and handed it with the cane to the butler, who walked off slowly, to deliver them to their proper place.

"Well, Doctor... It seems that we have a strange crime on our hands here. It seems that someone, or something broke into your house in order to deliver something, as opposed to stealing something." The sergeant stood up and approached the Doctor, looking him up and down, regarding the large moustache that joined up with his sideburns, making him look more or less like he was permanently frowning. The fact that the Doctor was not happy did not help the look at all.

"Well, that about sums up the Royal Mail for you, doesn't it, sergeant?" The sergeant took the mocking tone as an insult, but ploughed on nonetheless.

"Apparently the thing looked like," The sergeant consulted his notebook "'A suit of armour from the middle ages'. It broke in through your front door, caused your scullery maid to faint, walked into your study, deposited a note addressed to yourself on the desk and then left. You wouldn't happen to know anything about something like that, would you, sir?"

"A suit of armour, you say? I can't say that I would know much about one of those. Not my field or expertise, I'm afraid. Where did you say it went to when it left?"

"Well, it walked out of the door and mounted a carriage, which drove off, so there were at least two persons that know something about it. Might I ask what you field of expertise is, sir?"

"Fluid dynamics. If I were trying to break down a door, I would have just used a compression piston to force my way in. Better yet, if I were delivering a letter, I would have used the letterbox."

The sergeant's eyes narrowed at the Doctor's description of how to break into his own home. He flicked the notebook shut and replaced it in his pocket. "If you do think of anything that might assist us with our enquiries, please do not hesitate to inform us. The station is at the corner of Saint Georges Way."

When the officers had left, the butler made a good job of shutting the door and bracing it for the night. When he walked into the study, he found the Doctor sitting at his desk, clutching a large glass of Brandy and reading a simple note.

"Things may have just passed beyond my control, Wilson."

"Sir? Are you feeling alright?"

"Not really. I think that something life changing is going to happen on the 12th at the Royal Society." Doctor Weatherspoon stood up and left the room to retire for the evening. The note drifted across the writing desk, fluttering to a stop under the lamp. As the butler went to switch off the light, he looked at the note that was written in a child-like script, as if the author had not had much practice.

"Marcus,

Do not fear, I will be at the Royal Society, as discussed. I wouldn't miss it for the world.

MS.

* * *

Plans had been prepared over the course of a few days and with the expert craftsmanship of Horgan, Doctor Smith was satisfied with the results. He walked past a rack, containing what looked like parts of his armour, but slightly different. These were highly polished and were only recently constructed. Pistons and linkages protruded from spare limbs and inside his metal helm, Smith smiled to himself, sensing that he had found someone able to fulfil his wildest dreams. He looked at the calendar, which had the numbers crossed out to the 10th of the month.

Grasping a pen awkwardly in his gauntlet, Smith crossed through the number 11, marking that in a few hours time, it would be his chance to show the Society what was the biggest development in human history since the advent of fire.

"Do you never sleep, Doctor?" Horgan paced across the room, rubbing sleep from his eyes and idly swigging a mug of black tea.

"My dear Mr. Horgan, I have not slept a wink since my accident. I need no rest, save only an occasional hour or so when I can allow my mind to wander." Smith brushed a speck of dust off his shoulder. "I think that we are finally ready to head to the Royal Society." The young man's face was a triumphant grin, although over the last week, he had visibly aged. The man and the machine both loaded the collection of gadgets onto the cart in solemn silence, realising that this could be the end of their brief tenure together. Stepping into one of the crates, he pulled the side closed behind him and lowered the visor of his helm, resuming his disguise.

"Mr. Hogan, if I still drank, I would propose a toast to the future." He bowed his head, as if there was nothing substantial within the armour.

"We shall wish it in, Doctor. God speed, my friend." He placed the lid on the crate and nailed it in place.

* * *

The Royal Society was already bustling by the time a rather pale and anxious Doctor Weatherspoon arrived. He shook hands warmly with a few friendly members, but could not shake the feeling of worry from him. He had not heard or seen his former colleague since the incident at his home, but he was sure that the demonstration was performed at his home for a reason. Having checked Smith's home daily, he was somewhat surprised to see that there was no sign at all of his presence. He took his place, careful to keep his emotions in check, as he was still in good stead, with a detailed presentation ready.

As the evening wore on, various people presented unspectacular pieces, which Weatherspoon found thoroughly boring. As his speech approached, he walked toward the stage and out into the corridor to the rear, to get some fresh air. As he passed into the local alley, he bumped into a middle aged man, who was rushing around the area, attending to some last minute preparations of some sort.

"Oh, I am sorry. Dr. Weatherspoon, isn't it?" The man caught Weatherspoon, just as he was about to move past him, not wanting to cause an incident.

The Doctor blustered as the man recognised him almost instantly. "It was. How did you know my name?"

"You are a much talked about member, sir. I create parts for some of your colleagues. David Horgan, of Horgan Metallurgy." The man smiled, as he gave his business patter a quick run.

"Ah yes. Forgive me, I must make a few last minute preparations of my own." Horgan nodded, as the Doctor hurried off for a last minute panic.

When Weatherspoon returned, he was announced to the stage and swiftly moved to the lectern, where he received a rapturous round of applause. When this had died down, he cleared his throat and smiled nervously toward the crowd.

2/4

"Well, boys..." one of the three had stopped to lean on his shovel and was directing his scornful approach to the young apprentice. "I guess that means we've got some work to do. Just leave the florins by the tea stove and we'll get to work, Master William." As Billy approached the bench and set down the three coins as instructed, one of the other men went and pulled a large lever, closing off the feed for the fire that the men had been working at, before opening one a little further along. A large hoist was used to manoeuvre a pile of coal into position and in no time at all, the boiler began to steam.

Back in the room where the cart had been parked the night before, Horgan locked himself in, removed his jacket and absent mindedly tapped on a gauge, checking the pressure of the steam, as it started to climb slowly. Putting on a pair of large work gloves, he climbed up onto the cart and started to sift through the boxes of discarded materials that had been left to him by Dr. Smith.

Bent pieces of metal sheeting and pipework were tossed aside into piles for reclamation. The first two boxes yielded a fine haul, so Horgan retired from the cart and loaded up the copper pile into a large bucket, before moving the cargo above the furnace, to begin the process of melting down the metal. Leaving that to work away, he returned to the third box and pulled a large cast of iron that had been shattered away from the top. As that hit the floor with a clang, he turned his gaze back, to be greeted by what looked like a suit or armour from the medieval age. As he cast an appraising gaze over the suit, a modification caught his eye.

"Hmm... someone has been working on this... It looks like the plates have been welded together. Why would someone want to throw this away?" He climbed back down and found some heavy duty straps to wrap around the armour, enabling him to hoist it out in one move.

"I didn't want to 'throw it away', Mr. Horgan. I wished to show a craftsman my handiwork." Horgan's blood froze, as he turned slowly around to look at the box on the cart where the familiar voice had come from. He looked on in horror, as a gauntleted hand reached out of the box and took a grip on the side, heaving itself up. The helm turned towards the figure with a sound of metal passing over metal with a screech. "I do hope that you admire the work, Mr. Horgan."

"Bu-b-b-but why, Doctor Smith? Why?" Hogan's arms dropped, still carrying the heavy duty sash, now no longer required for such a hoist. The mechanical creation stepped over the edge of the box, delicately lowering itself off the cart and walking jerkily over to Horgan. Slowly, the helm was lifted, revealing the fact of Doctor Smith, recognisable, despite being shaven of his trademark moustache and mutton chops.

"You may wish to be seated for this tale, Mr. Horgan." Obediently, Horgan pulled up a chair, still fingering the coarse material between his fingers.

"You see, about six months ago, while I was conducting some research with a now former colleague of mine, Doctor Marcus Weatherspoon, I decided that I was going to look into the physical principles of clockwork. You see, we believed that the steam age is coming to an end. Our principles revolved around the simple clock and replacing complex steam drives that may enable us to make smaller, more intricate machines. Steam still has quite an advantage while lumbering with great cargoes, in industries such as your own." Horgan raised a smile half-heartedly, still in a state of shock.

"I was in the library, at the top of a ladder. I found the book that I was looking for, but alas, it was not within reach of where I stood. In too much of a rush to descend, move the ladder and try again, I reached across. I grasped the spine of the book, but as I pulled it, I lost my balance and the ladder slipped from my feet. Clutching to the bookcase, I clung on for what seemed like hours, before the whole case slowly tipped toward the centre of the room."

"How are you still here today, Doctor? A fall like that should kill a man, surely."

"That is indeed so. When I awoke, I was confronted by Doctor Weatherspoon, who probed me with intense questioning before even revealing to me what had happened. When he found me, my body was broken and crushed beneath the oaken bookcase. I was apparently in a very bad state and had lost a lot of blood. With a few colleagues from the medical profession, Weatherspoon worked quickly, removing my legs and most of my arms, to prevent further loss of blood. I was still in a very bad way, so he decided to apply our works to my soon-to-be corpse." Smith moved a hand to a part of the breastplate, covering his chest and opened a small door, exposing a mechanism within the armour. No human element was in there, just a set of cogs, wheels and a small pendulum.

Tick tock tick tock tick tock, was the only sound that became painfully obvious above the fires melting the copper back into the raw metal.

"And now, I stand before you with a proposition, Mr. Horgan." Smith closed the hold in his chest. "Doctor Weatherspoon has gotten too big for his boots and now regards me as his property. He may have saved my life, but underneath all of the machinery, I am still a man."

"I cannot fault that logic, as you still stand there before me, Doctor. What do you need from me?"

"I am sure that we can come to some sort of arrangement, Mr.Horton."

That night, the sound of hammers echoed through the workshop and the stokers worked hard to earn their additional florin bonus.

Across town, Doctor Marcus Weatherspoon sat at a desk, writing a letter to a colleague at the Royal Society.

"I have completed my latest research project and can present a copy of the results at the forthcoming seminar. I believe that these findings will cause quite a stir and as a result may well change the way that we look upon technology for all time. Using the principles of steam and fluid dynamics, we can make our technology more compact and even replace amputated limbs.

I look forward to receiving a slot for presenting on the 12th of next month."

Weatherspoon signed the document and called forth a servant to have the letter delivered.

"Perhaps I should go and pay my dear old friend Michael a visit. After all, he will need a chance to prepare for the big show." With that, he stood up, and was helped into his overcoat by his butler, who handed him his top hat and cane.

The journey by carriage was a short one. Great clouds of steam billowed into the evening mist with a hiss, as Weatherspoon stepped into the street. As the Doctor unlocked the front door of Smith's house, before entering, the butler stepped out of the car and lit a cigarette, grateful for the chance to relax. Rubbing his hands together against the cold, he almost swallowed the cigarette when Doctor Weatherspoon returned from the house, flustered and panicked.

"He's gone! Come on man, we've got to find him, and quickly!" The butler dropped his cigarette and ran to the house, where both men searched the house from top to bottom.

"Well, did you find anything that might show where he could be?"

"No sir. He can't have gone far, surely. Where should we look?"

"I think that the best course of action is for me to retire to consider my next move. If you think of anywhere that he may have gone, please tell me." As they drove back to the Doctor's residence, Weatherspoon's mind raced, as to where his former colleague could be.

As they arrived at Weatherspoon's home, a black, marked police carriage was present and an officer stood at the door, impassively. The Doctor climbed out of his carriage and approached the officer, tipping his hat in a gentlemanly fashion.

The Good Doctor
Genre: Steam / Clock Punk
Word Count: 4,964

The rain hammered down on the corrugated iron roof, an ill-fitting accompaniment to the crackle of the fire and the beating of a hammer on an anvil. As the cold air mixed with the smoke billowing from hundreds of chimneys, a young, well built man worked tirelessly by the forge. He beat a sheet of metal into a roughly rounded shape and checked it against a set of measurements. He placed the piece on a cart, loaded with other pieces of similarly shaped metal.

Walking over to a sand box, he knocked the sand away from the castings of a new set of cogs and gears. These received a cursory brush off and were added to the cart as well. He wiped his hands on an oily rag and walked out of the forge. A few minutes later, he drove a smoking behemoth of a horseless carriage to the doors. This beast is a harsh, unforgiving lump of machinery that throws yet more black smoke into the atmosphere, contributing to the sulphurous overtones in the air. He pulled a tarpaulin over the equipment and hooked the cart to the machine. His goggles were covered in raindrops and he draged the back of his sleeve across the lenses, before mounting the carriage and driving off into the night.

A little time passed and a large house on the outskirts of town is the destination. The man pulled up and dismounted, before running to the door and pulling a chain. A klaxon sounded in the distance and the gates swung open on well greased mechanisms. As the carriage and cart made their way down the driveway, a door opened in the building and the heavily laden vehicle descended deep into the bowels of the stately home.

"Horgan, your time between trips is increasing. I do hope that I am not driving you to exhaustion." A deep, booming tone crackled out of a speaker tube that the carriage was driving past. Horgan stopped the carriage and looked over at the speaker tube, before raising his voice to speak to it.

"Not yet, sir. I have another consignment of parts for you."

"Clearly you do. Bring them to room six." There was a hiss from the speaker tube, signalling to Horgan that the conversation had ended. He climbed back behind the steering wheel and released the brake. A sharp hiss of steam from the pistons set his machine back in motion and he proceeded to a room marked with a large white 6 painted above. The smoke from the fires of steam boilers had caused the whitewash to darken over time, but it was still serviceable.

Horgan hauled on a lever and the two doors swung inwards, revealing what looked like a large workshop. He drove his carriage into this room and used a small crane to hoist the parts making up his consignment off the cart. As he returned to his vehicle, he noticed a white envelope sitting on the front seat, where only a few moments before, he had been sitting. In an impressive script, the name "Horgan" had been scrawled.

"Where did you come from?" Asked Horgan as he flicked open his pocket knife and slit the envelope.

"Mr. Horgan,

Thank you for your diligent work in supplying me with lots of spare parts over the years. My people have had the payment delivered to your bank, as per our usual agreement. Please could I request that you remove the three boxes of waste materials on the right as you enter the room. They may require the use of the hoist to remove them, however, I am sure a man of your means will be able to find a use for the materials within.

With thanks,

Dr. Michael Smith."

"Thank you, sir." Horgan folded the letter neatly and placed it in the inside pocket of his jacket, then walked over to three large crates that appeared to be full, covered in an oily tarpaulin. He hauled back the tarp and cast an appraising eye over the contents, impressed with the mighty haul of scrap that had been gifted to him by his most mysterious client.

Quickly rigging the hoist and loading his cargo, he threw the tarpaulin back over the crates and secured them with a number of chains. "I wonder when I'll get to see you again, Doctor?" Horgan posed the question half heartedly to himself as he climbed back aboard his carriage and suddenly he stopped, an icy-cold feeling gripping his spine. Maybe it was his mind playing tricks, or perhaps the atmosphere, rich with sulphates affecting him. He could have sworn he heard Doctor Smith's voice saying "soon enough."

"Doctor Smith?" Horgan called out toward the darkness, to be greeted with no answer. As he turned to ask again, a great piece of metalwork creaked overhead and to his left, a piston let out its spent steam charge. "Maybe he's right. Maybe I am exhausted," he told himself, as he climbed aboard once more, driving back to his metallurgist's shop.

When he arrived back at his shop, he parked the carriage in one of his larger smelting works and unhooked it. He backed the vehicle out and shut the massive double doors behind him, before walking to the house front, which was effectively his own home.

"Billy!" Horgan bellowed as he entered the room, causing the cat to jump excitedly. A young man came up from the cellar, brushing sleep from his eyes half-heartedly. "Go and park the carriage and take the fire out of it. I've had enough for one day."

"Yes, Mr. Horgan." Billy tried to stifle a yawn. "How is the good Doctor?"

"You'll be able to go and ask him yourself if you keep standing there, idling about, my lad. Now get!" Billy ran off towards the carriage, to carry out his master's wishes. Horgan climbed the stairs and went to bed, his mind troubled by a few niggling doubts.

The next morning, a fog blocked out most of the light and Horgan awoke from a night's broken sleep, having been unable to stop his mind from racing. He washed and shaved, before dressing and heading downstairs for breakfast. There was a pot of tea on the range when he entered the kitchen and neither Billy, nor his lady companion, the widow Harris, were anywhere to be seen. He poured himself a strong black cup of tea and sugared it generously, before walking to the front of the shop, to collect his morning's order book.

The day passed quite quickly, preparing parts and new contraptions for people that paid well for a man of Horgan's skill. It must have been the reason that Doctor Smith employed him, as he was the best in the city at his trade, without question or doubt. At about half past four, Billy returned to his master's side, the young apprentice bearing a plate of food and more tea.

"Mr. Horgan, you have not stopped all day and you barely touched your tea this morning. Please, eat something and stop a while." Horgan was sketching idly on one of his larger drawings marked "21" - the customer number for Doctor Smith. He bit a large chunk off the bread roll that was on the plate and smiled at Billy, a spark of triumph in his eyes.

"Thank you, Billy. Go and tell the stokers to fire up the number 2 smelter. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a timepiece, checking the hour of the day was still reasonable. He pulled out six one-inch silver coins and handed them to Billy. Give one florin to each of the stokers for their time this evening and the other three are for yourself. Have a pleasant evening tonight.

Billy ran as fast as he could through the corridors, until he reached the boiler room, which kept the master's steam pumps powered in the workshops. As he opened the door, he was greeted by three burly men, stripped to the waist, covered in soot and sweat. "The boss wants you to fire up the number 2 smelter. Says that he's got some important work that needs taking care of and that you men can have a bonus of one florin, for stopping."

At 11/1/09 03:57 PM, Bahamut wrote: 025) 66073 0000 000.0 Rabindarath
026) 65271 0436 062.3 Coop83

Thanks for the update, Bahamut! Excellent updatage :)

Well, as we can see, I've had a really good week. Now to press home the advantage, as I sit up for at least a few more nights to watch the World Series. I'm not going to pass Rabindarath over the next week, but I can certainly move myself a lot closer.

Now, I wonder if there's any more achievements I can manage over the week... Proabably not, but you live, you learn :P

1,500 Flash Reviews

Now that's a big achievement!

At 11/1/09 01:18 PM, Bahamut wrote: Pentalist update #17 is up!

Thanks for the update, Bahamut. Very nice, as always.

Well, I'm shaping up for a pass of XwaynecoltX over the next month and then it's only fresh air between me and gfoxcook - talk about legendary users! I've still got one hell of a long way to go before getting pentalisted, so I'll just keep on going and hope to get there one day, as with most things statistics wise.

At 11/1/09 02:54 AM, Rainfallen wrote: I love reviewing other peoples music and creations! May I join?

Your reviews are passable, so long as you don't slip back into the situation of the one line comments. It can be difficult, but if you can't come up with something for a review there and then, give it a break and then come back later and try again.

I've gotten all of the reviews for this week done. It took me most of Game 3 of the World Series this time, but I've got through that and 6 hours sleep later and I've finished.

Time for the pub.

At 11/1/09 01:35 AM, Metal-Therapy wrote: After much thought I've decided to start updating this list once a month. This change will take effect at the first of the year, NOT next week. I feel like the speed at which progress happens in this list doesn't demand a weekly list. 12 updates opposed to 52 per year will give each update more meaning and also make things much easier on me.

Thanks for the update, Metal-Therapy. I understand your position when it comes to the updates only being monthly. I think that for this list, it would be for the best, but it's going to put some pressure on me to get that kind of pace maintained for four weeks now. I'll look forward to the challenge.

029.) 1528 ||--001|| Chris-the-stick2
030.) 1498 ||+010|| Coop83

Well, next update, I will have 1,500 Flash reviews. Perhaps I've got a chance of catching Chris-the-stick2, but let's just focus on the more immediate of goals.

Coop recovers from a late finish (5am), while congratulating:
gamejunkie: 9,000 Saves
Helloween: Top 1,000 Experienced
FroNickProductions: Level 18
Raizen-Pyro: 7.00 Total Voting Power; 3,000 B/P
jake-thesnake: Level 10

At 10/31/09 02:09 PM, reverend wrote:

At 10/31/09 06:45 AM, Coop83 wrote: Well, we'll see. I just get a feeling about the Dodgers for next year with Pedro.

Really? I thinking he might stay in Philly. Does his contract end this year?

I thought he was only signed as a 'mercenary' for the end of this season / postseason.

Well, this is one of those things that you can't call the game before it happens. I think the Yanks can win and we will do that.

So says the undying Yankee fan. :)

And we got some good hitters going, to boot. A-Rod's 2-run Homer started it, thanks to our friends in the Instant Replay booth in... New York, and then Swish and Godzilla's homers left no doubt at all.

Pinch hitting? Girardi might have him field left, you never know.

And take out Damon? We shall see.

Well, he was pretty good as a pinch hitter last night, but you've got to consider that Joe Girardi might call on him for one game (tonight?), because his meddling with the squad has come up pretty good so far :P

2 more wins to go. As a Yankees fan, bringing CC Sabathia to the mound tonight, against Joe Blanton, you can't help but feel confident.

At 10/31/09 05:10 PM, Bahamut wrote:

At 10/30/09 07:52 AM, Coop83 wrote:

At 10/29/09 07:01 AM, Bahamut wrote: I sure want to see it. It must be hot.

Well, maybe I can just download you some and make a dvd for you.

I'm so fucking excited for this!

So, I was too busy watching the baseball last night... perhaps tonight... no, there's baseball. Monday is baseball and Tuesday I'm at friends, but we'll see.

Yes we have and now Poozy won't be able to kill me with any cranes.

That's it, Poozy, you're done.

Save that for the Poozy haters.

Already saved, my good man.

At 11/1/09 04:50 AM, schneelocke wrote: Maybe I should work on getting more medals from William and Sly, too. I don't think I'll manage the "get 35000 points" one (and I think having to stay under a certain amount of time, much less one you don't even know, is absolutely counter to the approach and atmosphere of this game), but the other two that remain should be doable...

Great game - good fun and if you've got the right tools, you can get through the game in under the time limit quite easily.

At 10/31/09 05:17 PM, Buddhist wrote: Credit to Burnett. I really didn't think he'd be able to be on his game on such a grand stage. Touche, you contract-year anomaly, touche.

He pitched really well and it's a great way to win your first Postseason decision.

(8/11, since I forgot it after game 2)

Hamels-Pettitte tonight should be interesting. Probably going to get into another fight with my girlfriend...the only thing we fight about is Yankees-Phillies because she's a big Yanks fan. Bleh.

Well, she wins tonight :P

Some big hits from sleeping Yankee bats and don't look now, but we've taken a 2-1 lead in the World Series. Andy Pettitte came through, not necessarily with his best stuff, but he did enough. A-Rod clawing us back into it with the camera-assisted Home Run was what got the Yanks going, but big hits from Nick Swisher and Johnny Damon countered the Home Run threat of Jayson Werth.

Philly's big fall down was Ryan Howard misfiring and Chase Utley's 27 consecutive games being on base streak being broken. (Only his second career postseason game that he hasn't been on base in, I might add.) Cole Hamels isn't the pitcher he was this time last year and Joe Blanton goes against CC on short rest tomorrow. Should be real fun to watch.

9/11

At 10/29/09 04:57 PM, SpiffyMasta wrote: How bout them Avs! Holy shit, I haven't love a start of the season more since the last time we won a Stanley Cup.

We haven't had a start to a season like this since we've been the Avs. That could bode well for the rest of the year. Lost last night to San Jose, but we're still here and still a threat with this young team.

At 10/31/09 07:12 PM, michelinman wrote: Grumble grumble. Can't win em all I guess. Better luck against the Canucks hopefully.

You're getting ahead of yourself again. We will win more games than last season, that's not guaranteed, but you've got to feel positive about the steps that this very young team and young coach have made.

At 10/31/09 03:48 PM, XwaynecoltX wrote: Aww i remember this place, ill have to get caught up in here eventually :) how has everyone been btw??

Yeah, not bad thanks - still got to plough through this week's reviews, but between innings, I think I can manage them. Should be fun to attempt, anyway.

At 10/31/09 12:37 PM, EagleRock wrote:

At 10/29/09 11:55 AM, Coop83 wrote: Then my plan was successful!

*sigh* Punk'd again.

I just hope Andy Pettitte can do the same to the Phillies hitters tonight :P

While Rage's Thread was established with the most honourable of intentions and at first worked, the meaning was lost and people became whistle-whores and just flagged indiscriminately. Now, it's best if we don't go there.

My spidey senses detect a sore point there.

Meh, it was locked before I was modded :P

But yeah, so goes the way of the Rage's Gift thread. Anything can ultimately get out of hand and basically implode itself, no matter how noble the cause at the start.

Exactly... in fact, that's pretty much the entire plot surmised for my MWC9 October entry. Better get that finished ASAP, the deadline is tomorrow...

At 10/31/09 10:57 AM, TomFulp wrote: This is a must-have item for anyone who likes posters. I would like to release at least one triple pack each month featuring different artists, but we need to move a lot of these to make it possible!

I move that the winners of the Halowe'en Flash competitions get posters signed by JohnnyUtah himself!

Coop tries to win his first trophy with his Lizardmen Team, while congratulating:
Bahamut: Level 42; #222 Experienced
Sanjay: Level 42
juansolous: Level 27
gamejunkie: 2,000 Medal Points
bifgis: 12,000 Experience
Pokemonpoeguygcn: 16,000 Medal Points
XIII13: 1,000 Posts. No.

Listening to:
Foo Fighters - Overdrive
Alice Cooper - Hello Hooray

At 10/30/09 02:04 PM, reverend wrote:

At 10/30/09 07:52 AM, Coop83 wrote: Well, Pedro is a wily old fox that has a lot up top, despite not having so much in the tank. I feel he's been talking to Jamie Moyer and could pitch next season as well, when the contract offers come rolling in.

I have a feeling he'll be back, but I don't see him in the starting rotation as much.

Well, we'll see. I just get a feeling about the Dodgers for next year with Pedro.

We're still his daddy though :P AJ pitched really well and at about 3.30 am, I was standing up in my lounge, calling the Home Plate calls for each out that Mo recorded. Nervous? Perhaps. Victorious? Most certainly.

They were really letting Pedro have it; I see there is still no love lost between the NY fans and him.

Yeah, I was standing, joining in with the chant of "Who's your daddy?" after Tex's blast.

Game 3 probables: Pettitte v Hamels. I think this really depends on how Hamels does; he has been up and down a lot this season, but has done fairly well in the postseason.

Well, this is one of those things that you can't call the game before it happens. I think the Yanks can win and we will do that.

And of course, there is no DH for this game, so no game-changing homer for Matsui.

Pinch hitting? Girardi might have him field left, you never know.

At 10/30/09 02:44 PM, schneelocke wrote: Yeah, but just one, and it's only worth five points - and it'll likely be the last one, too, as I didn't really enjoy the game.

Fair enough. I think that it's one of my favourites, but that's the thing - one man's junk is another's treasure and vice versa.

Picking up other weapons the enemies packed didn't seem to work; I'm not sure it's supposed to, but... well, I just didn't enjoy it that much.

You can get a medal for just throwing the weapons at them until they die as well. That was quite a funny medal.

At 10/28/09 09:05 AM, Fro wrote: And the American version of the Office is qutie funny. :P I'm not sure which one you were talking about. Oh well, when we start denying non-spam submissions for review it's my team to leave.

Steve Carrell is a great actor, but the original with Ricky Gervais is just something that makes me cringe.

At 10/28/09 11:35 AM, JasonCD2009 wrote:

At 10/28/09 07:24 AM, Coop83 wrote: Perhaps you should submit some of your own solo guitar work, to show how good you have become?

I already have submitted my own work.Sort of.It was a cover actually, and a good portion of the club reviewed it. No complaints over here.

I'm glad there are no complaints, but I'm not sure that I believe you - withholding the account name just says to me that you have something to hide.

At 10/28/09 02:32 PM, Haggard wrote: The thing with the Jason songs is, that they are more or less all the same. It's always "Jason, you are fat" or "you are dumb" or "you are a dick girl". Some songs are amusing, yes, but the same joke is only funny for a short length of time.

I agree with this sentiment - I don't think that it is Spam, it is however quite annoying that the artists involved here can't take advice from a core of good reviewers here, coming to a head when there is a disagreement over my review moderation.

At 10/28/09 04:36 PM, JasonCD2009 wrote: No spammer would go through the lengthy process it takes me, just to spam.Its not exactly a walk in the park to create drum beats that are in time with a guitar riff or to have the levels on all of the instruments at a reasonable volume.

Actually some spammers and hackers go to extreme lengths to reach their own goals. I;m just being Devil's Advocate here.

At 10/28/09 06:35 PM, Haggard wrote: I wasn't saying you submit spam to the audio portal, I was just trying to make clear that people MIGHT consider your submissions as spam.

Let's break down the acronym SPAM, shall we?

Stupid - well, the humour in there is puerile and sexual based. It's a song about bullying, so I'm not a fan, to be honest.

Pointless - I don't believe that there's much point to these songs - how many copies of this 'album' have you sold?

Annoying - Yes, I think we've covered this and I do feel that these tracks are an annoying blemish on the Audio Portal

Message - Is there much of a message to these things? I can't find one.

So I'm 50/50 on it, to be honest, but my opinion is that these submissions should not be reviewed by this club, as the authors cannot take constructive criticism from this member. If they are requested, I will continue to review them, but as long as my protest is noted, I am happier.

Coop readies himself for an assault on another milestone, while congratulating:
Lizzardis: 2,000 Blams; 10,000 B/P; 8,000 Saves
1337UMD: Level 13
idiot-buster: Level 30
aldlv: 11.00 Total Voting Power
LynchedJohNNY: Level 25; Staff Serrgeant; 6,000 B/P
Haggard: Top 400 Experienced

Thank you to:
Odyssic (x4)
Auz (x4)
Hacsev (x4)

At 10/29/09 07:01 AM, Bahamut wrote:

At 10/29/09 06:41 AM, Coop83 wrote:

At 10/28/09 07:41 AM, Bahamut wrote: One question: Any ultra dragon porn?

Probably - I just don't want to look, as it would be that nasty.

I sure want to see it. It must be hot.

Well, maybe I can just download you some and make a dvd for you.

Yes, I'll be your Ultra Dragon Porn mule.

I will squash you like a bug!
</TF2 Heavy>

Alternatively, there's the crane (bird), but I think I've now worn this metaphor out...

Yes we have and now Poozy won't be able to kill me with any cranes.

That's it, Poozy, you're done.

At 10/29/09 05:19 PM, schneelocke wrote:

At 10/25/09 04:21 AM, Coop83 wrote: http://www.newgrounds.com/portal/view/48 5863

Ah, right, that was it. Hmm, I have some time to kill right now - I think I'll check it out once my pizza's done.

Cool - I see that you've gained a medal off that already.

Your appetite for medals appears to be voracious and tenacious at the same time.

Bodacious!

Okay, I'm out of 'acious' ending words now.

At 10/29/09 09:36 PM, reverend wrote:

At 10/29/09 06:41 AM, Coop83 wrote: I predicted Lee would be a stumbling block, but he can't win all 4 games of a World Series, so I;m still confident.

Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see what Pedro still has in the tank and how soon the bullpen has to step in. Right now they are tied 1-1 end of 4th. Teixeira just nailed one out of the park. I'm sure game one got the Yanks' nose bloodied; lets see if they have a counter punch.

Well, Pedro is a wily old fox that has a lot up top, despite not having so much in the tank. I feel he's been talking to Jamie Moyer and could pitch next season as well, when the contract offers come rolling in.

We're still his daddy though :P AJ pitched really well and at about 3.30 am, I was standing up in my lounge, calling the Home Plate calls for each out that Mo recorded. Nervous? Perhaps. Victorious? Most certainly.

At 10/30/09 04:26 AM, iscrulz wrote: Coop83 (Having fun trying to pass me in blams or EXP?)

Yeah, the Blams is something that's happening, while the Flash Reviews is something else that I'll catch you for.

Given time, I'll make sure I can pass you for that as well. You're not the only one suffering butthurt from me of late :P

2am yesterday morning - I got fed up with Cliff Lee dominating the game, set the V-Box to record the rest of the game and watched it this morning.

3.25am this morning - I watched the Yanks win Game 2, evening the series. If we hadn't have, I'd have been complaining about the umpiring, but since we won, we don't need to go there, as it was a difficult call to make. Face it, we deserved this victory and now it's off to Philly with 3 games to play over there.

Time to break out the bats!

AJ was spectacular, as was his battery-mate Jose Molina - that play to pick off Jayson Werth in the 4th gave us the impetus to win, with Mark Teixeira the chance to prove that he belongs here with the rest of the Yanks. A great all around performance, with everyone making a performance in the game and I can go to sleep happy.

At 10/29/09 07:38 PM, Pounce wrote: You wouldn't believe what it is either, it's quite amazingly simple, and it's been around so long I'm amazed nobody has managed to exploit it somehow.

As a conclusion, I regret to inform you that I cannot tell you what it is

I already know the greatest aphrodisiac :

At 10/29/09 11:32 AM, Sonofkirk wrote: Coop83 - Huh, where are my reviews gone?

Have you tried down the back of the sofa? That's usually where I find the stuff that I'm looking for...

023) 760 || + 015 || Wyze-Stingray
024) 754 || + 025 || Coop83 1
025) 738 || + 000 || ImperfectDisciple -1

Thanks for the update, Sonofkirk. Very nice.

Wow, I gained the most this time around? That's shocking, but flattering at the same time. Perhaps I can keep a decent pace up and I'll find a way forward. Thanks to ImperfectDisciple gets Cooped this week, and Wyze-Stingray seems to be wanting a duel over position #23. I'm up for that for now.

At 10/29/09 01:35 PM, michelinman wrote: Same here. I was going to post a comment about it, but I looked, and ever other person that posted something was an Avs fan bitching about how he dropped them because of a "feeling." Haha.

Well, I've got a "feeling" that the Avs are going to have a better season than last year. 47 points to go, and we're not even out of October.

Tomorrow will be a good game. Off to the Shark Tank, where we get to see two of the division leaders going head to head and putting decent winning streaks on the line as well :)

At 10/29/09 12:02 AM, SlipperyMooseCakes wrote: What an Ut-Lee game :o

Right, last night was a humbling experience, but not a surprising one. So we've seen that CC can have playoff problems, but we are yet to see any for Cliff Lee. I tip my cap to him and the Phillies, as we were well beaten, but no-one ever won a world series by the end of game 1.

I'm still refusing to make predictions, but tonight's game will be a lot different from last night's. I don't think that we deserve to go to Philly down 2-0.

Anyway, enough smack for now, bring it on!

At 10/27/09 12:29 PM, michelinman wrote: For all the guys watching the Avs, I'm sure you'll smile when you see this. Scroll to the bottom. The VERY bottom. We've come a long ways.

I was quite disappointed to see Pierre LeBrun drop the Avs down two places after posting a 2-0-1 record in the previous week.

Still early days, but it's looking a lot more rosy than it was at the start of the year, I'll be the first to admit.

At 10/28/09 11:47 PM, EagleRock wrote:

At 10/28/09 07:27 AM, Coop83 wrote: This gives me an idea. TO THE BATCAVE!

?!?!? I'm confused, lol.

Then my plan was successful!

At 10/28/09 12:57 AM, Turkeybean wrote:

This is not Rage's Gift to you : Abusive Reviews. Please do not treat it as such.

Mark the review as abusive and move on. If you feel that you need to alert people to it, PM a Review Mod, like myself.

Agreed. Thanks for the quick response, Coop! Mods specifically locked the Abusive Review thread because they stated that "sharing" reviews on the BBS as such tend to cause more harm than good.

While Rage's Thread was established with the most honourable of intentions and at first worked, the meaning was lost and people became whistle-whores and just flagged indiscriminately. Now, it's best if we don't go there.

While TurkeyBean had the best of intentions, moderators have expressly stated that no more posting of that kind would be allowed, and no attempts at recreating the thread would be tolerated. Thanks for the understanding!

While we're not going to get the post deleted and a ban issued by speaking to mods, we'll just accept that it was done with well intentioned innocence

Anyway, to change the topic a skosh, I've finally released Chapter 1! You can read it here: Back in the Barracks - Chapter 1

Talking of which, I have my newest chapter out:

Blammer 23

After a long night watching Game 1, Coop congratulates:
gamejunkie: 8,888 Saves
Greenfrost6: Level 16
DumbassDude: 7,000 Experience
Hybrid-of-Souls: 10,000 Medal Points
Overtired: Level 50
life: Level 44
wismty: Level 48

Thank you to:
reverend (x4)

At 10/28/09 06:47 AM, Odyssic wrote: Congrats to:
FurryFox: Level 18
Emlfuryoflion: Level 30

At least I've given you something to congratulate this morning :P

At 10/28/09 07:41 AM, Bahamut wrote:

At 10/28/09 06:31 AM, Coop83 wrote:

At 10/27/09 07:31 AM, Bahamut wrote: Now that's an awesome Futurama reference. I'm way too young for this. :P

Trust me, it's worth the wait - makes 2 Girls, 1 Cup look quite tame :P

One question: Any ultra dragon porn?

Probably - I just don't want to look, as it would be that nasty.

Crane? Fly? Please explain.

The Crane Fly is also known as the Daddy Long Legs. It has a powerful enough venom to kill a human, but it's teel are not strong enough to pierce human skin. How fortunate.

I will squash you like a bug!
</TF2 Heavy>

Alternatively, there's the crane (bird), but I think I've now worn this metaphor out...

At 10/28/09 08:57 PM, reverend wrote:

At 10/28/09 07:50 PM, Coop83 wrote: Almost 14-hour triple post FTW!

And there it shall end. :P

All things have to at some point - I didn't get my fifth achievement within the 24 hours, but I can work on that today.

Just settling down to watch the Yankees and Phils get the World Series underway. I might be back later, but that depends on how the game goes, I suppose :P

It's turning out as I expected so far. The Yanks were close to getting run up in the first but since has calmed down.

... And just as I typed that, Utley single HR.

It was a long night and it kinda hurt me to watch the Yanks being outplayed. Mind you, if there's any team that can bounce back, we can and against Pedro, we're going to split this homestand and head back to Philly on a high.

I predicted Lee would be a stumbling block, but he can't win all 4 games of a World Series, so I;m still confident.

Almost 14-hour triple post FTW!

42,000 Saves

Just settling down to watch the Yankees and Phils get the World Series underway. I might be back later, but that depends on how the game goes, I suppose :P

At 10/28/09 03:29 PM, TomFulp wrote: Leaving no stone unturned, we're planning an even crazier event around the production of movies. It will combine writers, artists, animators, musicians and voice actors in a structured competition that spans several phases.

Holy shit, that's awesome! Maybe I'll have even less free time available to me, but considering that I can do stuff like write and voice act, I've got multiple chances of entry :)

It's something I've been keeping tucked away in anticipation of a Writing Portal, but for now we might just have to settle for opening a Writing Forum, much like how the Art Forum prepared for the Art Portal. More on that in the coming weeks, we still have our massive summer/fall project to complete.

Now I won't just have to keep posting my works on my News Posts and the occasional jaunt to the Writer's Club / Late Night Lounge in the C&C!

Good luck with finishing the project, keep this stuff coming :)

Well, time for another two achievements now:

65,000 B/P

16,000 Posts

I can see at least another achievement before the day is out, so watch this space.

Also, that's more achievements for me than were on Odyssic's entire list this morning :P