|
|
Post by Twillie on Jan 18, 2017 17:16:19 GMT -5
This has been running through my mind all day, so I thought I'd search the board and find a thread about it, but I uncovered no such thing =o (one may still exist and I'm just not the best at searching, but chances are it'd be a pretty old thread anyway x3)
But yeah, what are everyone's favorite plots? Is there one that sticks out above the rest for you? Are there a few that you can't choose between? Maybe you don't have a favorite at all and appreciate each plot for their own reasons (or perhaps you just don't like plots in general x3). I'm curious to hear!
For me, there's certainly a number of plots that I love thinking back on or rereading (I even occasionally check out Atlas of the Ancients just for its awkward charm XD), but I think I have an overall favorite. Although I wasn't around for it, I adore the Ski Lodge Murder Mystery that took place in 2001. It's set in my favorite land, isn't afraid to get dark, and has an ingenious set up: a group of people are trapped in a lodge with no way out, and one of them turns out to be a murderer. Will they find the culprit in time, or will insanity take over first?
Being about fifteen years old, it definitely has the awkward art of Neopets' early days, but that just adds another level of nostalgia and charm for me x) It also feels a little more personal to me as not many others remember or read it nowadays. Also, similar to a lot of other early Neopets plots, this one got a bit darker than what you'd see on the site nowadays. I mean, the death count by itself is impressive, but how some of the TNT staff members die is rather gruesome x) In my opinion, though, it never goes too far in what it shows, and there's still a sense of humor kept throughout the story and narration.
The atmosphere really sells it for me as well. The ski lodge by itself feels very vast and intimidating, and the backgrounds are full of details that show you some of the lodge's history without actually saying anything. That, added with the age of the plot, just makes me wonder all the "what if's." What could this ski lodge have been, where is it now, and did TNT have any other plans for it back then? The plot overall gives offers a lot to speculate about, something that I'll gladly do ;3
|
|
|
|
Post by Shinko on Jan 18, 2017 17:33:05 GMT -5
Muuuuh, it's probably cheating to answer with that PS2 game "The Darkest Faerie" isn't it? >.>
Yeah it is. Even though I've played the game through legit like, twelve times. 8'D
In terms of actual onsite plots, Curse of Maraqua will always hold a special place in my nostalgic heart for being the first plot I was actually around for (although I was too late to join). But my favorite? Probably the Tale of Woe. Even if a glitch kept me from being able to get past the first stage of it. =C But I really liked the plot and the characters, and bonus points for getting to see Sophie the Swamp Witch (who was a minor shopkeeper NPC in The Darkest Faerie!) get a backstory and some character development.
|
|
|
|
Post by PFA on Jan 18, 2017 17:44:52 GMT -5
Tough pick, I enjoyed a lot of the plots. XD Maybe the Altador Plot, though? Does that one count? Though I also have fond memories of Tale of Woe, largely because it was the first one I really got to participate in—with NTWFers no less! Such fond grave digging memories.  |
|
|
|
Post by Twillie on Jan 18, 2017 17:57:04 GMT -5
Shinko To be fair, I've met a number of other people that really enjoy that video game, so I don't think anyone would fault you for counting it x) Tale of Woe is also a really great one! That one came around too soon for me, but there's hardly any plot that I've participated in, so... XD I like to judge plots based on their stories anyway, and that one is a gem for Neopets lore :3 To say the least, it introduced a new land and fleshed out a fan favorite site character. PFA Ooh, the Altador plot! Yeah, it definitely counts :3 (and I'm not just saying that because it's the one plot I've actually done XD) What about the plot makes it a favorite for you?
|
|
|
|
Post by Moni on Jan 18, 2017 17:57:25 GMT -5
this is goin to be a surprise guys.
BATTLE. FOR. MERIDELL. (and its companion, Champions of Meridell.) It is objectively the best plot. Whoever disagrees gets burned at the stake.)
Seriously, it's one of those plots that adds so much character to a land (or series of Neo lands, as it were) that it just lets your imagination run wild with the stories of these characters. Most characters involved in the plot itself are not particularly deep with how their arcs play out, but I guess that's the appeal of it as a fan and why it jump-starts people's imaginations in the first place. The story itself is well-paced and written, with conspiracies and spies galore both playing a part of the plot and hinted at, and for Neopets Champions of Meridell is actually fairly ambiguous and features a few abnormal element from what you would expect of a typical fantasyland for kids.
|
|
|
|
Post by PFA on Jan 18, 2017 18:43:09 GMT -5
PFA Ooh, the Altador plot! Yeah, it definitely counts :3 (and I'm not just saying that because it's the one plot I've actually done XD) What about the plot makes it a favorite for you? Good question. XD Um, well like Shinko I really enjoyed The Darkest Faerie, and the Altador storyline in general, so I guess that's a big part of it. It was also one of the plots I got to experience as it came out so that's probably a big part of it too. I just thought it was a lot of fun. |
|
|
|
Post by Tudor Rose on Jan 19, 2017 12:13:56 GMT -5
I'd have to say the Tale of Woe is probably my most favorite as far as "real" plots go, as I love the story and characters, and as I'm a fan of all things Victorian, it instantly appealed to me. Neovia has always been my favorite land since then.
There is also a special place in my heart for Hannah and the Ice Caves, as I have fond memories of collecting the TCG packs and looking forward to the comics as they were released. I wasn't able to participate as much as I would have liked as I was a kid who didn't really have a proper Battledome pet at the time, but overall I loved the experience.
Though the event itself was kind of lackluster (and the "ending" was disappointing and never really resolved anything), I adore the characters that were introduced for the War of the Obelisk plot. They've inspired the most creativity in me of all things on the site. The Awakened and the Seekers especially are favorites of mine. I wish more would be done with them, as they have such potential and I think it has thus far been wasted by TNT.
|
|
|
|
Post by Serene on Jan 19, 2017 13:16:01 GMT -5
There will always be a special place in my heart for Champions of Meridell as it was the first plot I took part in. (I actually joined Meridell the day I registered for Neo.) It was simple and truly felt community driven. It was heartbreaking when Meridell was destroyed.
However, when The Faeries' Ruin plot was released it quickly became my favorite plot for various reasons. I had had a similar idea for a NT series that I never got around to making and I really enjoyed the relationship that was built between Brynn and Hanso. There some twists and turns, but I really began to care for those two. The scope of the story seemed very important as it impacted all aspects of Neopia. I also loved the way it played out. Playability wise- I also feel like it is the only plot that managed to really balance the puzzles and battles well.
|
|
|
|
Post by Liou on Jan 19, 2017 13:29:17 GMT -5
I missed most of the older plots simply because I was too young and didn't play seriously enough to have any idea of what was going on. ='D
(I loved the Tale of Woe comic, but gave up on the puzzles around the first stage and was very annoyed at missing most of it.)
Favourite plot to actually play:
the Altador plot. I played it long after it had come out, and I had plenty of time to figure out all the little details. It was relaxing and allowed me to squee over TDF characters despite not having TDF game.
Favourite plot for the story:
the Faeries' Ruin. It was quite a doozy. TNT themselves still don't seem to be over it, either. x3
Favourite plot for the community aspect:
the Obelisk. It sadly lacked much of a story and seems more like a plevent, but I was so into it. I was finally savvy enough to participate, I was totally into the Sway, chatting on the official Sway board with my Sway agent codename. x3 We sipped cocoa, enslaved Meepits, and... I don't even remember where the sunflowers came from. Autocorrect, probably.
Everyone in the other factions also seemed so thrilled with their own teams and team-memes. Sometimes we'd invade each other's boards and trade memes. (the Thieves' Sockager and Panriks and glitter bombs...) And I still remember the Boss battle.
This plot also provided some of my favourite characters (the Bosses in question 8D)
|
|
|
|
Post by Reiqua on Jan 19, 2017 15:56:37 GMT -5
Well it's nothing that hasn't been said here before, but since you asked for my opinion, I'm going to share it anyway. Though I've been around neopets for many years on and off, I always managed to miss the plots as they happened  Right up until TFR, that is. So it has a special place in my heart as it was the first time I experienced the hype and interest of it as it came out xD (and it seems to have been a good one too) Story-wise I love ToW. Sophie is the greatest character and I have plans for so many NT articles featuring her which, being totally honest might never come to fruition, but the plans are there! And I just really appreciate what the Obelisk war gave to Neopia. Some great characters (especially the Duchess and the development of Kanrik), and some great factions. Both in universe, and factions among the userbase! Again, I missed it when it was actually happening, but I think the great thing with it is that TNT did so little with those characters and that storyline, and the users did so much! In a way, those characters and factions belong to us more than they do to TNT. Anyways, a lot of plots had their good points, but those three stood out to me (: |
|
|
|
Post by Tudor Rose on Jan 19, 2017 16:38:27 GMT -5
Again, I missed it when it was actually happening, but I think the great thing with it is that TNT did so little with those characters and that storyline, and the users did so much! In a way, those characters and factions belong to us more than they do to TNT. You know, you're right about that! There's much more of an empty canvas to work with. I know one of the major reasons I write so much about the Obelisk characters is because I enjoy taking the brilliant basic ideas that TNT came up with, using them as a springboard and developing them as I'd like. |
|
|
|
Post by doctortomoe on Jan 19, 2017 17:47:23 GMT -5
Tale of Woe.
|
|
|
|
Post by Twillie on Jan 19, 2017 21:45:44 GMT -5
It's interesting, when I first made this I sort of expected a lot of TFR's, and while it is popular, it seems like TOW is even more so =o I wasn't around for that one and only discovered it years later, so I never really got the community feeling that added to the experience.
I think the only plot(ish) where I had a taste of that was the Obelisk War, although I dropped out of participating pretty early into the event. It was nice, though, actually getting to see the speculation and excitement around it. For once I didn't have to just imagine what it was like x)
|
|
|
|
Post by Ian Wolf-Park on Jan 19, 2017 23:56:53 GMT -5
I have two: One from my deleted account, a couple from my current one.
From my deleted account, the Ski Lodge Murder Mystery. Mainly because of the characters, which were staff members like Pop Tart, Borovan, Dom Dread, and Snowflake. Two, well, because of the twist ending. As it turned out, Maverick (the killer) was dead prior to the gathering, replaced by a robot clone created by Sloth.
The first one from my current account has to be The Return of Doctor Sloth, even though I missed most of the participation ones as I was stuck on one puzzle from the Resistance HQ. Probably because this was my first time participating in a plot like this as I missed out on Tale of Woe.
The second one? The Faeries' Ruin. Enough said.
|
|
|
|
Post by Coaster on Jan 20, 2017 2:17:29 GMT -5
Champions of Meridell, as the first one I participated in (on an old account now deactivated, and got like 1 point for the side of Meridell but loved the comics);
Altador Plot (for the one I got most into the mechanics of, as I was following along as it came out and everyone at first figured it was a plot-plot and not a permanent plot);
Tale of Woe (for the one that drew me the most into the story);
Cyodrake's Gaze (still the best plot avatar ever).
I regret that I was into too many different games at the time to get into CoM and LDP in time for participation memorabilia.
|
|
Right up until TFR, that is. So it has a special place in my heart as it was the first time I experienced the hype and interest of it as it came out xD (and it seems to have been a good one too)
Quintessential
