Issue 931 - Illusen Day

[June Scarlet]

Issue 931 - Illusen Day

Ash. The air smelled of ash everywhere. The smog is so thick, it practically blocked out the glow of the moon. Set amidst the rolling grey clouds, a castle pierced through the fog and stood defiantly against the dark night sky, emitting an aura of menace and otherworldly power. The grey stone bricks were covered in creeping vines, like millions of spindly, twisted fingers reaching across the slate façade, consuming every surface with its dark green leaves. Turrets jutted out from every wall, each one perforated with round windows that are framed by a row of sharpened spikes.

—iamnotaaron

Articles
Neocash Redemption Prizes Starring Illusen! by _brainchild_
Exclusive Neopian Interviews: Kauvara by scorchi123
A Conversation About Comics by June Scarlet and Twillie
Unsolved Neopian Cases by omgsinho

Short Stories
Paddy's Unlucky Adventure by kathleen_a_b
The Pest Professor by 77thbigby
The Tale of Everblaze & the Earth Faerie by honorrolle

Comics
Lucky Latte by lava_lamp_1 and faeriemelly
Favorite Faerie by linnipooh
Fabled - Illusen Day by dylan_the_ninja
Baby Food Farm by baiuki
Curses, Countercurses, and Queela Fruit by victoria_iii
Lab Fears by pequepanda
Happy Illusen Day! by eleganza_lights
Well? by natashabelx
Witches! by Herdy
Illusen's Word Search! by muddywater1, itaela, and the_gecko_dude_ii
Free Codestones by akezis
Loyalty Issues by rescur
A Cancelled Comic by ngf57 and varshajoseph
Happy Illusen Day! Can you find the 7 errors? by mimiweasley, twillla, and javascripter
Grave Danger by nico_andresss
Random Oddness: Phantom Pet by mistyqee
Anthie vs. Avatars: Dice-a-Roo by wonderlandcomplexx
Find The Fish Negg! Math Puzzle by mikurubeam297 and 1337_masta
Weather Forecast by squin

New Series
The Curse of Geraptiku Tombs by asnu
The Royal Axis: Pushing Back The Dark by iamnotaaron

Continued Series
Trouble in Paradise by Carolyn

And don't forget The Editorial.

All reviews of all pieces are welcome! However, if you would really like your piece to be reviewed, post and let others know!

[June Scarlet]

This collab with Twillie was not only great fun to write, but also marks my 100th submission to the Times! Yay!

[Liou]

A Conversation About Comics by June Scarlet and Twillie
This was lovely and fun and felt like hanging out in chat with the two of you, though I probably had a different read of it because I am used to seeing you in chat!
I really like that you mentioned your beginnings and first entries before the big series, along with all the practical advice, I know this would have been very encouraging to me back when I was hoping to get in for the first time.
I also like how you talked about your lives outside Neopets, it gives interesting perspective to anyone who might be wondering just what kind of people are behind those long, cool-looking series - I know I used to wonder x3
It was really nice to read an entirely collab'd interview. It made me a bit nostalgic for epic collabs of the old days between various established NT artists. I think it was also a special read because most, if not all interview-type articles in the Neopian Times are between fictional characters, and either fictional interviewers or users' personas, and this was much more personal. I'd really like more such articles or other forms of collabs, to bring back that old sense of community.

[June Scarlet]

Liou Thanks! This was really special to write as well. It's a concept I've had for a while, and I'm glad Twillie agreed to write it with me.

As with the Villain's Editorial, I hope this spawns more articles in the same vein. That didn't happen with the Villain's Editorial, I didn't see a wave of editorial spoofs like I was expecting, but that doesn't mean that the same will be true of this project. I hope to see more conversation/interview pieces in the Times.