So I got a random evoke message:

"You attempt to evoke memories of the past, but nothing seems to have left a strong enough imprint on you."

And the crazy thing is that I didn't even put in a command. Here's the log, with nothing edited out. I wasn't playing a song at all, since I had just been to the bank and my song auto-stopped while I was there. I included the power perceive so you could see what spells were active. I was standing right outside the bank in Crossing.

>pow
>
You reach out with your senses and hear pulsating streams of harmonious Elemental mana coursing through the area.
Concentrating harder on the sounds you hear, you can sense incredibly less mana to the northwest, immensely less mana to the southwest, and moderately less mana to the east.
You sense the Eillie's Cry spell upon you, which will last for about fifty-four roisaen.
Roundtime: 6 sec.
R>
The guard searches the area with a wary eye.
R>
A town guard ambles northwest.
>prep dema
Since you're not feeding enough power into the spell pattern to make it coherent, you quickly work your way to the minimum required.
That won't affect your current attunement very much.
You infuse your voice with the elements as you begin to recite the opening notes of Desert's Maelstrom.
>
You've gained a new rank in first aid.
>chat Well, just jumped back to Crossing to circle.
You chatter away..
>
[21-Jan-2013, 11: 30: 00 PM]
>chat But I'll be back to tier 3 snow goblins.
You chatter away..
>cast
Currently lacking the skill to complete the pattern, your spell fails completely.
>
You attempt to evoke memories of the past, but nothing seems to have left a strong enough imprint on you.
>prep gj 10
That won't affect your current attunement very much.
You infuse your voice with the elements as you begin to recite the opening notes of Glythtide's Joy.
>

Just had it happen to me, too, as a non-Bard. I was using Lilt at the time if it matters.

---

A strident theme keeps this normally sedate tune lively through the chorus, skipping from note to note with the stern rapidity of a beating heart.

You harness a small amount of energy and attempt to channel it into your cambrinth armband.
You are able to channel all the energy into the armband.
The cambrinth armband absorbs all of the energy.
Roundtime: 4 seconds.

Lacking Bardic training you find yourself at a loss for how to proceed. After some internal debate you settle for reminiscing about your childhood.

The cambrinth sphere pulses with Arcane energy. You reach for its center and forge a magical link to it, readying all of its mana for your use. By directing your focus, you ensure that mana is drawn only when spells are cast.
Roundtime: 1 sec.

The bronze-hued coat pulses with Arcane energy. You reach for its center and forge a magical link to it, readying all of its mana for your use. By directing your focus, you ensure that mana is drawn only when spells are cast.
Roundtime: 1 sec.

The cambrinth armband pulses with Arcane energy. You reach for its center and forge a magical link to it, readying all of its mana for your use. By directing your focus, you ensure that mana is drawn only when spells are cast.
Roundtime: 1 sec.
>
A cascade of low tones provide a dark contrast to highlight the light melody as you sing Hodierna's Lilt.

Your voice soars to the high reaches of your range, each note ringing pure and true as you perform this verse of Hodierna's Lilt with quiet confidence.

You gesture.
Your bronze-hued coat emits a loud snap as it discharges all its power to aid your spell.
Your cambrinth armband emits a loud snap as it discharges all its power to aid your spell.
Your cambrinth sphere emits a loud snap as it discharges all its power to aid your spell.
The force previously protecting you shudders as it is displaced.
The air around you shimmers with a blinding yellow luminescence (8/8). The scintillating light writhes and twists, abruptly coalescing into a translucent field before blinking out of sight.

---

The teeth lands a solid (5/23) hit that pokes the teeth into Turul's rear end (more embarrassing than painful!).

> So far as I know it is intended that cyclic spells do not have a prep time.

So it looks like this means we can prep them and then immediately cast them. In that case, what's the point of making us prep them in the first place? If it's not too difficult, how about letting us start them with only a single command? Either "prep" or "cast", whichever is simpler.

> what you're seeing is the result of me correcting some of the technical information on the spells.

Then you might want to have a look at Nexus. It's still acting like it has a prep time.

>>So far as I know it is intended that cyclic spells do not have a prep time.

For Bards or for everyone? Because Bard spells are the only ones I'm seeing that don't have a prep time.

---

The teeth lands a solid (5/23) hit that pokes the teeth into Turul's rear end (more embarrassing than painful!).

>Steps of Vuan and Moongate both have zero prep-time. Last chance I had to check, SLS had zero prep-time as well.

Cyclic spells don't have a prep time.