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Post by Duke Pikachu on Mar 8, 2020 10:17:08 GMT -5
La la la let's see what the faeries ask of me toda- HOLY HECK FOUNTAIN FAERIE! *insert the Titanic "it's been 84 years" meme here* I like the premise. Granted, it's surprising to even see Krawley in Faerieland and would like an explanation why he's suddenly tormenting the Faeries (as it sort of doesn't fit his "character". Krawley seems to be some kind of menacing judgement spirit who punishes people who have taken their good lot in life for granted like what happened with Neovia. That said he's not necessarily evil as 10 years later he did set in the chain of events that cured Neovia of their curse (maybe 10 years was the sentenced amount he thought was applicable?). So why is he messing with the Faeries now? Was Faerieland falling out of the sky, them losing a lot of their power, and last year having to deal with the Wraiths and the Darkest Faerie wasn't enough punishment for them?). BUT with all that said it's good to at least see they're doing something with the character and in an interesting way. I reckon it's as simple as Money Dear Boy, and dude's just making use of the Faeries' hubris to make a mint. He's a classic snake oil salesman and this kind of thing was always their shtick. Show up, sell what you can, take what you can, disappear before you get run out with torches and pitchforks. But as I said, Mr. Krawley doesn't feel like just your ordinary Hissi oil salesman. Sure, he takes the appearance of one, but that's so he can deal out his form of punishment by making those he targeted trust him and his "miracle" tonic before it goes bad. Because remember the other odd things that Krawley did (most which was to setup curing the Neovians after 10 years of their hubris punishment): - He disguised himself as a doctor and worked in the Meepits Oak Sanitarium all so he could give Lucy the magical flower. He may have also very well turned the patients into zombies and set them loose to assure the demise of the staff just so the flower wouldn't go anywhere.
- He completely shapeshifted into a pink Elephante gypsy AND made himself unnoticeable by the other gypsies just so he could tell Gilly the Tale of Woe thus enlisting her in helping cure Neovia.
- After lifting the Spirit of Slumber's curse (and having everyone in Neovia once again succumb to the Hissi Oil's curse), Gilly spots Krawley in the mob who runs off. She gives chase and follows him to Meepits Oak Sanitarium where Krawley tells her what she needs is inside before vanishing.
There's clearly something about him that makes him more then he appears. If he was just a pure malevolent force why guide Gilly as he did? I take him to be some kind of spirit of hubris karma, he senses when there are those who have taken their good life for granted and so punishes them by giving them EXACTLY what they think they want but letting it go to the nth degree. And I guess he also decides how long the punishment goes on for and when time is up he sets forward the chain of events to undo his curse. So in other words I don't think he's in need of NP. Or if he was in need of NP I don't think he'd be so obvious like this. Yeah, tricking a town of Neopets is one thing, tricking ALL THE FAERIES is kind of maybe making him seem too powerful? Though depending on his powers it could just be they're the right amount of deceit needed to bypass the remaining power the Faeries have. Now, we'll just assume that Krawley came in a few days before the Faerie Quest Event and started selling items and at first they worked fine thus everyone deciding to get an item from Krawley (typical con artist trick, that's how he sold the Hissi Oil in Neovia). But the fact that it looks like he's still in Faerieland is very suspect, like why has he not left (unless he has and him being on the Faerie Quest Event page is just to obviously tell us that this is his doing)? Now if he left, well, he's done what he wanted to do whatever that is. But if he's still there either we're supposed to believe that in-world the Faerie Quest event takes place in a single today OR he has some additional powers that are protecting him from the wrath of a city full of Faeries. Maybe the amount of cursed items he sold is giving him some sort of invincibility, or he does have some kind of mental messing abilities (like if an angry Faerie comes back to him he can persuade them into buying another cursed item, though you'd think Faeries would have some mental blocking from obvious deception as that). Don't get me wrong, it's fun to see all the ways they thought up to mess with the Faeries, but considering what we can gleam of Krawley's character is there something more to this? Why suddenly punish the Faeries who just went through some major tragedies. Their city falling from the sky, losing a lot of their power, the Darkest Faerie is freed and already attempted to destroy them; I don't think at this point any Faerie is taking what they have for granted. Like at most maybe they finally got what they needed to do all the repairs to Faerieland which would be cause for celebration, but they still then gotta do what they need to lift Faerieland back into the sky which will probably involve more work. Well, Fee-fee got tricked too which is surprising since I thought she was supposed to be wise or something.
The Faerie Queen appears in a puff of... stinking rose smoke... Yuck! *Sighs* "Yes, I know. Apparently, that Staff Cleaner Spray I bought doesn't have the best odour. Could you bring me Magenorb? That should cover it."
"Oh dear. I smell like a Blorbis who's had an accident. Did you bring the Magenorb?”
And then, when I gave her the item, the site failed to load anything so I never got to see her reaction.  Maybe she was speechless that I was able to help her. Honestly Fyora, how did you clean your staff before Krawley showed up? What’s wrong with soap and water? Sadly that's a glitch a lot of players are getting, another reason why they should change the final prize requirement to be just visiting the main page as who knows if those quests are being counted as completed. And I assume she does clean her staff, it's just that Krawley convinced her to buy this new cleaner saying it probably makes it glimmer more, protect against grime, and has a rose scent... not telling her that said rose scent is pungent. Trust me, there are a few stupid ones that makes you think the Faerie in question is a moron (like an Air Faerie who bought WING CLIPPERS), but I think for maybe most you can twist it enough to see how they would think it was a good idea (or Krawley's persuasion powers twisted the idea enough for them to think it was, combined with seeing all their other sisters enjoying their Krawley items at the very beginning). |
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Post by Geodude 🌻 on Mar 8, 2020 10:59:45 GMT -5
Maybe Krawley has some sort of mind control hypnosis powers that the faeries haven’t developed resistance against. After all, Faerie magic is just a subset of the magic found in Neopia.
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Post by Liou on Mar 8, 2020 12:55:48 GMT -5
Krawley was never fully explained in ToW and likely meant to stay that way, leaving plenty of room for our imagination, like many other things in the sacred, much-revered older plots.
ToW!Krawley reminded me of the very ambiguous supernatural elements of old fantastic and gothic stories. So there's no real way to break canon Krawley except by overexplaining him. Of course this is a light, brief event that doesn't have nearly the same grim tone as ToW, so I don't think there's any point in trying to think of it as a continuation of Krawley's life story. It's been a really long time since then, anyway.
Personally, I'm also quite fond of characterising the Faeries as suffering from hubris this way. Much better than making them flawless all-knowing ethereal beings who do no wrong. Same, and I'm especially enjoying how they seem to be falling for such harmless, mundane things.
Neovian citizens in ToW would have critical insecurities, put all their hopes in a single magical solution and get horribly twisted, while the Faeries are just frolicking around and trying out a new magical product like one tests a perfume sample at a shopping center. It's interesting (though maybe not on purpose >_>) that Krawley's magic is having different, less drastic effects on them, and of course they'd see magic as more of an everyday tool and not a life-changing thing.
Honestly Fyora, how did you clean your staff before Krawley showed up? What’s wrong with soap and water? "Ooh, Celandra was looking for a new cleaner the other day, maybe I could test this one..." I do like to imagine Fyora being somewhat fussy, or just... interested in the most mundane things. Earth Faerie today, her problem was what I expected from the image, flavour text for further reference:
I love to imagine someone digging the faerie out and dragging her around as a potted plant on wheels as they go on a ~*magical adventure*~ to fulfill her quest. That, and woodland pets bonding with her after maybe accidentally using the same product that planted her. |
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Post by Huntress on Mar 8, 2020 13:23:13 GMT -5
Duke Pikachu - mm see, I'd be wary of getting too stuck in a character's one-plot characterization. Even aside from all the obvious considerations of what event mechanics allow for (if they actively tried to write a cute daily quest event in such a way as to allow for Tale-of-Woe-appropriate characterization of Krawley as, essentially, a magical puppetmaster playing a long game, then it's pretty much outright guaranteed to turn into a clunky horrid mess. No amount of writing skill would turn it into any less of a clunky horrid mess either - it'd just be too much unnecessary plot to be stuffing into your cute daily quest event.) ...well, even aside from that, in a setting as varied and long-running as Neopets lore, I find it crucial to allow for some room for characterization to spread sideways in different iterations. Otherwise you end up with stagnant characters who can only ever be used in settings that allow for utilization of their very specific features, which in the case of someone like Krawley would mean that he'd either never be used again (and they would've created Atsumi!Krawley for this event instead :'D Aughpleaseno.) or only ever be used again in Tale of Woe 2: The Empire Strikes Back (which would become a completely unnecessary sequel where the Neovians hunt down Krawley for his crimes, featuring a romance between a grown-up second generation of characters, at least three musical numbers, and voice acting from some aging Hollywood megastar last popular in the 2000s.) In other words, I don't really see any characterization conflicts in interpreting Krawley as some kind of a magical Loki-esque trickster who occasionally surfaces in Neopia to mess with people, sometimes for no reason other than kicks, sometimes to teach lessons, sometimes for mystical reasons of his own unknowable for mere mortals *cue woobly hands*. Bit like Nyarlathotep, minus all the, well, Lovecraft. Although I could happily get behind the idea that he's using some degree of confounding magic. This whole premise with all the faeries getting tricked is also a bit trippy, because I've been writer's-blocking my way through writing a series with a very similar premise for the past two years or so. The way I set it up, there's a guy going around swindling powerful items from powerful Faeries, and those affected won't tell the others because the fact that they could be tricked in the first place hurt their pride too much. So of course that was one explanation my mind immediately went to. Although it's much more likely that the whole thing has an inevitable discrepancy between what happens in-universe and what we the players get to experience, cos it'd be an extremely sucky event if they tried to crowbar realism into the mechanics and only ever give us quests from low-level elemental derpfaeries who probably spend the rest of their time getting into MLMs. Earth Faerie today, her problem was what I expected from the image, flavour text for further reference: ...Okay, I was wondering why she looks pretty blasé about her rooted predicament on the title image, but that dialogue basically makes her sound like a chill yoga hippie. Which is perfect Earth Faerie characterization and I can't believe I haven't thought of it before >>
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Post by Allison on Mar 8, 2020 13:34:22 GMT -5
My grey faerie quest glitched and I didn't get anything, and I saw on the boards that someone's fountain faerie quest glitched. That would be the worst to glitch on, for sure.
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Post by Duke Pikachu on Mar 8, 2020 13:49:15 GMT -5
In other words, I don't really see any characterization conflicts in interpreting Krawley as some kind of a magical Loki-esque trickster who occasionally surfaces in Neopia to mess with people, sometimes for no reason other than kicks, sometimes to teach lessons, sometimes for mystical reasons of his own unknowable for mere mortals *cue woobly hands*. Bit like Nyarlathotep, minus all the, well, Lovecraft. Although I could happily get behind the idea that he's using some degree of confounding magic. And I'd be okay with something like that. To simplify what I'm saying, it's more what I don't want to see happening. Like two scenatios I can think of I don't want happening are: 1. Krawley is last seen leaving Faerieland with a cart full of NP and giggling how we got to mess with the Faeries and made a lot of NP from it. 2. The Faeries due away with him as he shakes his first and swears he'll get back at those pesky Faeries for foiling his plans. That said, some endings I'd be happy with: 1. Nothing is explained. That's right, I'd be okay if they don't explain it. He just appears, messed with the Faeries, and vanishes with no reason for doing it. Did he think the Faeries needed to be taught a small lesson? Did he just get bored and decided trying his luck on relatively harmless pranks on the Faeries? Who knows, but it'll get all cleared up and just be one heck of a story for the Faeries to tell each other. Hey, maybe that itself is why Krawley did it, thinking that Neopia just needed some fun chaos to keep everyone on their toes. 2. Faerieland is right next to the Haunted Woods now, the two magical powers these placed have can't be interacting well with each other. Maybe doing all this small chaos is somehow bringing back balance between the two lands or may somehow be pushing back some unwanted magical influence Faerieland is causing in the Haunted Woods (the Faerie magic essentially being pulled back in to fill in the gaps the chaos is causing). Nothing major, just some damage control and a warning to everyone involved to keep their land's magic in check. Honestly probably ending one would be the best. Krawley is a pretty ambiguous character and I'm more worried JS is going to make him a cartoonish villain. |
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Post by Geodude 🌻 on Mar 8, 2020 16:03:55 GMT -5
Krawley gets turned to stone and joins Xandra as garden decorations  . |
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Post by June Scarlet on Mar 8, 2020 19:35:30 GMT -5
I lost the first bit, but Blueysicle had it earlier. Anyway, I have two ideas on how to use this. One, I create a wraith Neopet, I've had a certain name in mind for a while, and I keep it. Or two, I adopt and paint an Alien Aisha, and try to find someone to adopt one. I'm all for more Alien Aishas, and I can afford a Wraith Paint Brush. But also, maybe I should get someone for me, you know? I have two Alien Aishas now, I don't need a third. |
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Post by doctortomoe on Mar 8, 2020 23:50:21 GMT -5
I honestly say that, if the faeries didn't know who Krawley was, based on everything that happened in Tale of Woe, which lasted for years, (Seriously, how could they just not know that a town vanished entirely?) then this is going back into what Xandra said in Faeries Ruin, about how they have all that great power but never do anything.
I kinda hope this gets them to further pay attention to the goings on around them. Cause dang yo, it really seems like they have a long way to go if that's the case.
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Post by Kat on Mar 9, 2020 7:06:31 GMT -5
Really, Grey Faerie? I come back to Neopets after several years and you give me a quest to find a pair of Black Lace Gloves that I can't find in the auctions or the trading post?
I don't particularly need a Fountain Faerie quest but I would really...just like one.
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Post by Twillie on Mar 9, 2020 7:43:33 GMT -5
Really, Grey Faerie? I come back to Neopets after several years and you give me a quest to find a pair of Black Lace Gloves that I can't find in the auctions or the trading post? I don't particularly need a Fountain Faerie quest but I would really...just like one. I have some Black Lace Gloves on hand I can give to you, if you’d like! |
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Post by Kat on Mar 9, 2020 9:10:08 GMT -5
Really, Grey Faerie? I come back to Neopets after several years and you give me a quest to find a pair of Black Lace Gloves that I can't find in the auctions or the trading post? I don't particularly need a Fountain Faerie quest but I would really...just like one. I have some Black Lace Gloves on hand I can give to you, if you’d like! That'd be great! But only if it's okay, and if doing a Grey Faerie quest is worth it. I have no idea what I'll get. An old Evanescence album? |
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Post by Blueysicle on Mar 9, 2020 9:48:25 GMT -5
Kat : The Grey Faerie basically summons another random Faerie to give you their standard award. (Since the Grey Faerie doesn't have any magic and thus can't reward you herself) That does include the Fountain Faerie, so keep your fingers crossed. 
Soup Faerie for me today, which is the first time in three days that I've gotten someone else besides the Battle Faerie. Not that I'm complaining; saves me a lot in what I would have had to pay in codestones.
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Post by Twillie on Mar 9, 2020 13:45:50 GMT -5
Kat Sorry, I passed out asleep for longer than I should've xP But yeah, I'm totally fine parting ways with it, it was just sitting collecting dust in my closet otherwise! And yeah, like Bluey said, there's a chance at getting a Fountain Faerie Quest, although the Grey Faerie can also call upon other Faeries to bless your pet as well. Might as well go for it, in the chance that you do get a FFQ :3 If you want to PM me your Neo username or post it here, I can friend you over on Neopets and send you the gloves!
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Post by Fraze on Mar 9, 2020 14:39:41 GMT -5
Oh hey it's a Fyora!
Many Faeries drag their feet and droop their wings. The Faerie Queen looks concerned. "My sisters have fallen victim to a terrible potion. I believe it was called "Faerie Joy". It appears to send them into a deep sadness. I fear the effects might be permanent if we don't do something. I need Purple Negg Goo for the spell to free them."
"I cannot stand idly by while my sisters are in this state. Did you find it?"
"You got here just in time. I'll just need the Purple Negg Goo for the spell."
"Oh what a relief. They look like they're on the mend."
Ssssoooo what I get from this is that Krawley was basically selling the Faeries fake drugs. |
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Maybe she was speechless that I was able to help her. 
.
