My first MUSH experience was on a Pern-based game, PernMUSH North Continent, on which I played two characters - Ellia of the Harpercraft, and her younger hyperactive brother, Cheran, who later became Ch'ran, rider to blue Shanth, of Fort Weyr. 'Ran was a joy to play. 'Ran was hyperactive, cheerful, the world's most friendly, outgoing (and eccentric) fellow. This is 'Ran and his small fair of miniature dragons - his firelizards.

Comments received:

• From Rene Marie Brandt (artist), 19 September 1999: Flying rats! Get 'em off! Get 'em off! Those weirdo Pernese like their winged rats... I'll never understand 'em. I'd kick up the contrast on this pic just a tad bit to bring out the detail.
• From the artist, 19 September 1999: Contrast is tricky - I tend to smuge anyway when I draw (which annoys me, but I can't do anything about it) so I smudged this one on purpose to make the colors blend. (You can see around his head where I went into my graphics program and scrubbed some of it white so it would look *vaguely* presentable.)
• From Jessie Clark (artist), 28 October 1999:What medium is this? I love the dragons. Could you shade a little in the really deep shadows? Just take the next darkest shade of whatever medium it is and press really hard on one side of his nose and neck and a line around his face? It would do the same thing erasing parts does. LOVE the lizards! And Pern books!

Artist's note: the medium is very smudged coloured pencil and spit. I'm not kidding. :}