All that's Pen is Mightier than Sword

     We can interpret the saying in a more literal sense. Is a pen (or a pencil or a quill or any other writing equipment with a long body and sharp end) pointier, sturdier or even more expensive than a sword (or a knife or a katana or any other Battledome equipment with a long body and sharp end)? Let’s put the question in practice by inspecting similar looking items.

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     Starting off with the basics, here we have the Basic pencil and the Sword pencil which look like normal, ordinally wooden writing tools. Both items have a sharp pokey end with the sword being marginally pointier. Even though you would expect the sword to be able to dish out some nice damage, unfortunately it is banned from the Battledome and it’s only categorised as School equipment. In addition, the sword is barely more expensive than the pencil.

     All that’s Pen is mightier than sword?:No, the sword has a marginally more pointy end and is more expensive than its corresponding writing equipment.

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     Two more basic and expected contenders are the Neopian Times quill and Quill sword. Easy to group together, but harmful if you mix them up. Unfortunately, the writing quill has a very small, almost unnoticeable tip, while the sword has not only one, but two razor sharp ends. Furthermore, the sword can be used in the Battledome for some nice damage as a shuriken for ranged or as a knife for short ranged attacks.

     All that’s Pen is mightier than sword?:No, the sword is clearly mightier and can be used with both ends to inflict at least some scarring.

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     Yellow and bendy, ripe and ready to serve their purpose…almost. The Banana pen boasts a respectable tip, which is rather more square than pointy. On the contrary, the Banana sword has a relatively pointy tip albeit at an angle. I can’t imagine how this sword can be used effectively in a battle, the angle of attack needs to be very well calculated and frankly I don’t see this being efficient, despite its very expensive price.

     All that’s Pen is mightier than sword?:Yes, the pen can be used more effectively and easily in an attack, with no need for angled attacks.

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     If you thought banana objects were the only bendy items with sharp ends, think again. Next we have the Bendy yellow pencil and the Bent sword. Both have reasonably sharp tips, however the sword looks stronger and is more expensive, very hard to find and very sought after. The pencil raises the question if it can be even used as a pencil, let alone as a sword. I wouldn’t bend my effort to acquire the pencil…

     All that’s Pen is mightier than sword?:No, the sword is mightier, and it might even prove to be a better substitute for writing.

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     After the storm comes the calm. And the rainbow. That’s exactly what these two items bring to the table, beautiful colours and pointy ends. Both the Crayon pencil and the Sword of elements possess finely sculpted sharp tips which could be used during a battle and paint their opponent a loser. The sword is marginally more expensive compared to the pencil, which can only be the deciding factor.

     All that’s Pen is mightier than sword?:No, despite the beauty and efficiency of both items, they coincide in sharpness thus the sword has to take the win because of the higher price.

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     After the rain, trees grow and from their wood we can make the Wooden spear pencil and the Tiki sword. Two earthy items with varying degrees of sharpness. The sword has a very thick and quite dull end, while the pencil has a pointy sharp end ready for battle, although it seems so brittle that it’s ready to snap into two. Despite the lack of proper hilt on the sword, it can only be acquired for an astronomical price. Is it enough though to win the battle of wilts?

     All that’s Pen is mightier than sword?:Yes, the pen has a sharper end and looks more intimidating than the confusingly expensive sword.

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     Moving on to less literal and more visual similarities, we have the Blue Glitterpen up against the Blueberry jelly sword. On one hand, the pen brings a sharp tip and lots of sass, dazzle and sparkle power. On the other hand, the sword brings a lackluster tip with flimsy hilt and frankly an appetite for dessert. I would suggest devouring the sword and using the pen to glitter your way to victory.

     All that’s Pen is mightier than sword?:Yes, the pen can dish out a stronger attack, provided that you have enough energy after eating your dessert.

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     Continuing with the dessert theme, who’s up for some candy cane? You can taste the Candy cane pen, with its blunt, round tip. On the other hand, you can taste the Candy cane sword with its very sharp, extremely dangerous edge. I would suggest staying away from its sword tip as it can break your teeth, but then again, so can any hard candy. Lastly, the pen is very cheap and easily available while the sword is hard to source.

     All that’s Pen is mightier than sword?:No, the sword has a significantly sharper edge and could easily overpower the pen in a battle on a dessert island, pun intended.

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     In the last and most abstract comparison on the list we have the Heart pencil and the Night Katana. Notice the blue and black checkered pattern at the non-pointy ends of the items. If they look similar, then they can be compared! The sword, despite its bent pointy end, looks intimidating and powerful, albeit its cheap price. In contrast, the pencil has an acceptably sharp end and, even though it doesn’t look valuable, it sells for a lot more than the sword.

     All that’s Pen is mightier than sword?:Yes, despite the difficulty of this decision, the pencil is more valuable and marginally pointier.

     This is just a selection from the plethora of pen and sword items around Neopia. If you got confused by the way these items were compared, remember that this was done in the literal sense, weighing the mightiness of the pens and swords, where mightiness was defined both for strength and for value.

     Out of the eight examples provided, there was a tie in the conclusions, thus the hypothesis is neither confirmed nor rejected at this stage. It is important to note that some conclusions which confirm or reject the hypothesis based on monetary value can be argued further. Now, I shall leave you with a dilemma. Imagine a scenario where you are sitting on your desk, writing your next article or enjoying the milestone issue, and suddenly someone attacks. Someone who was lurking in the shadows and you hadn’t noticed! You grab the first pen, pencil or quill lying around. Could you defend yourself or would it have been better to grab a sword, knife or katana?