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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2007 20:36:50 GMT -5
I love you, Nut; you're so polite. I'll be happy to review it, but I think you still owe me a series review from a while ago...How do you feel about reviewing part one of Vanity for me?
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Post by Nut on Mar 5, 2007 21:31:43 GMT -5
I love you, Nut; you're so polite. I'll be happy to review it, but I think you still owe me a series review from a while ago...How do you feel about reviewing part one of Vanity for me? *wateryglomps Luau* ^_^ Thank you. *blush* I'll definitely review Vanity; I've been making a habit of reviewing everything in the Times these past few weeks, so I wouldn't count it towards the reviews I owe you. Indeed, I do owe you a series review from a long, long while back. ^^; *goes to read it* |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2007 23:37:14 GMT -5
Broken Scarabs (Issue 279) You did the artwork, too? Awesome; I couldn't even tell at first.  As always, awesome description. I could feel and taste the pyramid strawberry and the sandy taste in his mouth. Also, telling a story with split view points can be hard when the piece is short, but you pulled it off nicely. And you even added a flashback, which helped the story and didn't distract the reader. The carving of the scarab in the fruit was a great detail and made a satisfying end to Nabile's section. The reader sees it as just a detail at first, then comes to find it is a very big part of the plot. The only thing I was iffy about was why Tomos gave the strawberry over so easily. He was really looking forward to the strawberry--half the story was about his longing for it. I realize he has an attachment to Nabile, but it still seemed to me that he gave the strawberry up too easily. Overall, it was a cute story and I really liked what you did with the different viewpoints of the characters. The title was clever as well, which is always important.
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Post by Freefalldreams on Mar 6, 2007 6:38:18 GMT -5
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Post by Nut on Mar 6, 2007 17:25:39 GMT -5
Freefall, I’ll get to your series soon. I know how it feels to be eager for a review, but a little patience goes a long way. The week’s not over yet, and you’ll probably see a few reviews before it is; in the meantime, you could try reviewing something yourself. ^^ [glow=blue,2,300] Vanity: Part One[/glow] First off, your characterizations are, as usual, very good. I relate to Andrea, and I like the little bits of shyness you’ve slipped into her personality. Sarah is acting like a superficial snob, but she’s a little more than the ordinary snob—her cutting remarks have character in them. It’s nice how she’s more flippant than outright hostile. I particularly like what she did with the tube of lipstick at the beginning. Chastings. That’s a nice name, and seems to suit his appearance. I am glad that Andrea has some support in this. Andrea’s dramatic hug was great. XD And it’s nice to see her making a comeback to her sister’s remarks for a change. *snerk* I like how she just admits that the contest isn’t about thinking… Roffle. XD One thing that seemed slightly odd to me was how Andrea appeared to be threatening to enter the Beauty Contest in order to get her sister out of the bathroom, which didn’t sound like a particularly effective method. I understand she was frustrated, but the exact context it was said in seemed a little off. This is a very small detail, though. At first when I saw the comb, I thought it was just an amusing little detail, but when Sarah mentioned that it was from Princess Amira, my suspicions were aroused. Seeing as the chapter ended on that scene, I’m guessing the comb is more than meets the eye. Overall, I thought the first chapter managed to set things up and establish the characters well. It’ll be interesting to see where this series goes. ^^ |
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Post by Nut on Mar 6, 2007 17:38:44 GMT -5
Broken Scarabs (Issue 279) You did the artwork, too? Awesome; I couldn't even tell at first. As always, awesome description. I could feel and taste the pyramid strawberry and the sandy taste in his mouth. Also, telling a story with split view points can be hard when the piece is short, but you pulled it off nicely. And you even added a flashback, which helped the story and didn't distract the reader. The carving of the scarab in the fruit was a great detail and made a satisfying end to Nabile's section. The reader sees it as just a detail at first, then comes to find it is a very big part of the plot. The only thing I was iffy about was why Tomos gave the strawberry over so easily. He was really looking forward to the strawberry--half the story was about his longing for it. I realize he has an attachment to Nabile, but it still seemed to me that he gave the strawberry up too easily. Overall, it was a cute story and I really liked what you did with the different viewpoints of the characters. The title was clever as well, which is always important. Thanks so much for the review! ^^ *gives you a watery potato* Actually, I had no idea what to draw for the image.  My first idea was something that I didn't think would go over terribly well in the Times--pictures of the three characters arranged in a triangle with a pyramid strawberry in the middle. So then I drew a close up of the strawberry being cut, complete with scarab mark, but it just ended up looking confusing. I finally settled on the most basic of compositions. But I'm glad you liked it. ^^ Thanks for the compliments on the description and viewpoints. And I'm glad you enjoyed the scarab carving. ^^ I wanted to make it seem important, so I'm glad it came across that way to someone. Hrm, yes, he did give up the strawberry rather quickly. My thought was that since Jazan had just told him Nabile used to like eating them, he figured Nabile might be thinking about him and wanted a chance to remind her more. I always saw him as the weaker of the duo under pressure. As for the title, that was something I came up with after staring at the submission form for five minutes. This method is proven more effective than staring at it for only two minutes. *nod* Thanks very much for all the comments! *loves you* |
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Post by troublems03 on Mar 7, 2007 2:20:33 GMT -5
Comics:
NewLife by SsjelitegirlA lovely take on the (somewhat) overused Grey Faerie. This was, however, a nice twist in this faerie's normally fairly dull life. Nicely drawn with individual flair. Keep up the lovely work. Spooky by KomoriAs usual, a lovely, refreshing comic Komori. Beautifully detailed and yet simplistic enough so as not to cramp the panels. I adore your Korbat's expression in the second panel - like a young child learning something new for the first time. Truly joyous work.  QT's Queasies by Mindsend and PatjadeLovely art and a nice script. (Though I did have to go back to the previous comic to really get the joke). It is detailed and just a treat to look at. My only criticism, however, is the font used in the speech bubbles - it doesn't seem to match the smooth, smooth lines of the drawing. It's just small so it doesn't hugely alter the overall effect but I suppose it could be improved even further by adding a less pixelated font. Mutant Doughnut by Sock Hehe. That was really punny. I didn't get the name of the comic at first (series name - right?) but other than that it was lovely. The illustrations were nice and overall it was a good comic.
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Post by Freefalldreams on Mar 7, 2007 5:20:01 GMT -5
Yeah, I would do a review, but never seem to get to it...I'll swap reviews with anyone who wants to!
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Post by Lau on Mar 7, 2007 10:35:48 GMT -5
The Shoyru from Outer Space
By Tashni
The story had a pretty original storyline, with the new creation of a planet and all. The two main characters had whimsical personalities, with a lot of their behavior sort of driftlike and dreamy, and the tone of the story had a light and humourous quality to it.
A few plot elements were confusing, though, and only recieved little clarification -- it was understandable why the Shoyrus wanted to keep a certain secrecy, but then it seemed strange that Aekin was so eager to "prove" himself to Nokura's family. Also, it was wierd that Nokura would just leap right into Aekin's spaceship without sayig good bye to her family.
The family itself was too large for good character development. This might be one story out of many, happening to focus on this particular character, and it's understandable if that's the case. But in general you shouldn't try to add so many characters that some are barely developed at all.
The story was interesting, though, and quirky. I liked some of the subtle humor and the bemused-seeming quality of Aekin's character. Will more of Nokura's advantures with the Alien Shoyrus be told?
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2007 19:41:23 GMT -5
White Sand and Shattered Glass by Lau
Over these past fews days, I have been reading through a few back issues of Realms of Fantasy to get caught up in them. Reading this, I thought how perfectly-suited this story would have been for that magazine if not for its ties to Neopets. And, yes, that is meant as a compliment, as a great one at that.
I had an awesome time reading this. To be honest, though, I didn't find it very...immersing until it was halfway over already. Till then, it was told beautifully, it was imaginative, it was intriguing and written well, but it lacked that je ne sais qua that grabs my undying interest.
The pace was constant the entire time, which was nice (although, I admit, I feel it was a bit slower than I usually enjoy), though, as I said, it was not until halfway through it when I was sucked into the piece and unable to look away; before then, it lacked the tension, the magical curiosity, that drove me forward as a reader. Though this was a wonderful story as it was, it might have been even better if it had been given that curiosity sooner.
The plot did seem familiar, yet you spun the story in an entirely new way, and I feel that that is what truly matters, as the list of clichéd things practically covers everything now (and I've seen some lists...and they really do). I initially had the thought of breaking the glass as well, yet I turned it aside when he went to the castle, so I couldn't help but smile in the end when the answer had been that. The bit after that was lovely as well, with enough intrigue to keep the story in my mind but with enough solidity to end it.
Speaking mechanically for a moment, this was written rather flawlessly. I did notice once where I feel the series of adjectives needed a comma; I also noticed a quotation mark that was merely an apostrophe; and the word "could" was once doubled when it was probably meant to be "could count," though, in truth, that is my being incredibly nitpicky over small things (because, seriously, I find the same typos in the Realms of Fantasy magazines that I've been reading of late...seriously, I do).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2007 20:08:03 GMT -5
[glow=green,2,300]Literary Tales from the Mind of a Bird by Bird_brain312[/glow]
You should feel honored - I read the first paragraph of this on my Wii the other day! ...Then I was promptly kicked off the internet channel because of my younger brother's nagging me to stop reading this aloud and my own desire to play Twilight Princess. *sigh*
My sentiments exactly, though that does pose another puzzling quandary: If crazy people never admit they're crazy, a crazy person who does admit they're crazy would then be sane and would thus be lying. So...from that, I draw forth a stunning conclusion: Sane people are liars and crazy people are...deniers.
The ironic duality in his statement is simply astonishing. In a good way. A very good way.
This was a fabulously written story that was simply...vastly entertaining. I loved reading it. It was a good story, poking fun at stories and in turn becoming one of its own. The entire "Radio Active Pteri Part 1" thing does confuse me, too, and it was great to see it addressed here.
Maybe we should swamp the editorial with letters asking "when will RAP2 come out?" Maybe.
Or not.
Overall, this was quite enjoyable and very well done.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2007 20:31:00 GMT -5
I missed a comic!  Makes me wonder...why's Khestrel always forgotten? ;_;Razzle Dazzle - Episode IX by khestrel^_^ I really like your comics, and this series just great. This one had beautiful art, as they all do, and the buildup at the beginning was not only interesting (and I'm sure, useful for later comics), but made the joke at the end only even more hilarious. This was an awesome comic, it was. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2007 22:01:43 GMT -5
The Adventures of Agent W007 - Episode I by Renrenthehamster
For some reason... I read W007 as "woot." *sigh*
*sigh* I saw the custom and thought Agent W007 would be the Lenny. Guess I was wrong. Now I feel sheepish. *whack'd by author and random strangers and given the "worst pun of the year" award*
Even worse, he'll b1337 them to death! *whahaha!* I crack myself up.
Those angered by my jokes crack me up even harder. Literally.
*must...resist...witty...response* Out of curiosity, though, haven't other great heroes-- such as Link (in the Minish Cap), Bomberman (in Bomberman Max 2, I think, also for the GBA), and the Xioalin warriors on Xioalin Showdown --had the same ability/condition that gave them the ability to save the world?
All of that set shamefully aside...
I really enjoyed this story. It was well-written, with fully-defined characters, a strong plot, and a good conclusion. It all worked out, didn't it? I really like Sheepy: he's humble and honest, yet hardworking and quite the ambitious hero.
Mechanically, I noticed nothing worth mentioning, and that's good.
Overall, you did a great job with this. ^_^
If you ever plan on writing more, as the title would suggest, I'll definitely want to read it.
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Post by nikki on Mar 8, 2007 22:47:57 GMT -5
One Crazy DayI loveedd this story! It was completely original; I loved the idea Just wish I could think of stuff like that. It kept me interested in reading it and was just good :] Nice job! White Sand and Shattered GlassI really liked reading this story. It was a bit slow to get my attention and make me want to read it but once I got into it, I loved it It was creative and I know this sounds stupid but it reminded me of a spongebob episode back in the day....hahaha. When Spongebob drew himself and it came alive...But it's much better than Spongebob! Great job! :] more later!! i promise!
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Post by CV Classic on Mar 8, 2007 22:57:30 GMT -5
Thanks for the reviews, Jason and Wolf. Much appreciated P.S. I did get one Neomail saying a petition for Part 2 should be started. I suppose I ought to reply to that soon. |
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My first idea was something that I didn't think would go over terribly well in the Times--pictures of the three characters arranged in a triangle with a pyramid strawberry in the middle. 
Makes me wonder...why's Khestrel always forgotten? ;_;