Issue 946 Discussion

[June Scarlet]

Issue 946

Backstage seemed to drag on for miles. Fragments of different worlds, like a piece of Meridellian farmstead or a chunk of desert, peppered the otherwise dark wall. Upon approaching the spotlight, Jeran noticed a shaking, huddling form. They had ceased their squalling, perhaps from wearing themselves to the point of exhaustion. As bad as it made him feel to think it, he was thankful for the moment of quiet. He studied the creature with caution. A blanket wrapped around their body like a tunic; even then, they still quaked like a leaf in the wind. Perhaps they were cold? But no, that wasn’t it. The room felt pleasant, almost comfortable, compared to the frigid conditions in Terror Mountain. The fact that Jeran could not see their eyes made him uneasy. Who knew what or who from their childhood could be beneath the shadows? Jeran turned his head this way and that to get a better look, but they held their head between their knees. Long ears came up in stalks from the figure and flopped down towards the middle. And from behind their blanket tunic, there was a long, thick tail that lay flat across the ground. A Blumaroo. They were a Blumaroo.

—Carolyn

Articles
How to Write a Storytelling Starter by Kat
Haunted Woods Travel Guide by catapult1718
Stunning Marble Pets by darkobsession
Neoquest 2 Insane Guide | Pt 3 - Lost Desert by kittykatally

Short Stories
The Grumpy Ruki by 77thbigby
Oohee's and Claude's Mystery Island Adventure! by zed16
Pride of the Citadel- An Interview with Kep Bonnefie by skatabo

Comics
Blossoms~ Heart to Heart Part 9 by Twillie
[REDACTED] by bohneevair
What's happening here? by romina_r and starki_stal
Mischief by preksolanx, corrina404, and theguy2020
Bonds: a short comic by hasse_li_37, carolina_021, and gabi100pitty
Avatar [MIS]Adventures! by 4mandy4, rodel_27phoenix
Neopia at it's Best by pumpkin_700
Underwater Fishing by bonitapenguin
Mystery Meat by caseybear205
Find the Chia by _kankuro and varshajoseph
3D Bori Pop-up Card (Printable Craft) by jaylahcat
For Today's Agenda by mikurubeam297 and riparu
Pea's first Trick-or-Treat! by baiuki, cisko116, and feraico
Dome of the Deep Breath by verna_, myncithemonkey, and timothy1692
To Battle! by emilyhunter5034

Continued Series
A Hero's Ballad: The Knightmare by Carolyn
The Power of Twelve by Herdy
For the Love of the Game by 77thbigby
Rosalina and the Way-Weird Beast by downrightdude

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!

[Twillie]

Some notable comics that I enjoyed:

Avatar [MIS]Adventures got a genuine laugh out of me, all thanks to the Pant Devil's face in the last panel xD I wasn't expecting it, and the overly detailed sorrow and timing of the avatar pop up was perfect lol. I also love the way his face presses against the glass in earlier panels, and the Faerie Draik is drawn gorgeously. Punchline still gets me to laugh when rereading, overall great!

Bonds has a nice message to it, and I like the scenario it's told in. There's always that classic excuse people like to use that "It's just a joke" when they accidentally upset someone, and it's nice how the red Wocky is still mindful of the other's feelings regardless of their own desire to prank them. The dialogue was a bit clunky to read, but in the end has good things to say!

Neopia at its Best takes a sudden dark turn and I love that for it xD The Kiko's explanation sounds like some obscure fairy tale or something a child would come up with, it comes so out of left field. Great stuff!

Mystery Meat takes the classic Blumaroo Steak joke an extra step further, which was cool to see! Not sure I've heard the "imitation meat" punchline for it before, and it was nice to see a new take on haha. Artwork is also beautiful, I hope the artist continues to submit to the NT!

For Today's Agenda made me think of how Carolyn specifically would like it, with both Meridell characters and puns being involved xD The punchline got a good chuckle out of me lol.

Pea's First Trick-or-Treat is adorable, and it's always cool seeing an animated comic! A bit earlier than the Halloween issue, but never too early to get in the Halloween spirit! I liked the word play here, it was quite clever, and the artwork is great!

I'm also open for reviews of my comic (or any other Heart to Heart comics) if anyone has any comments! I feel like those who would have anything to say might've already done so when I first posted it here a while ago, but just in case, I'm happy with any feedback people may have! x3

[Gray]

This was such a good issue!!

How to Write a Storytelling Starter -
I loved this, I've been trying to get a starter in for October so we could have a spooky STC and I appreciated getting advice from someone who's experienced. I like the advice to go back and look at the starters from the old judge, I remembered that being a thing but I've only been really reading it for a few months so that's excellent advice!

Haunted Woods Travel Guide -
This was good. I'm considering a series of articles on Neopia's landscapes too so I liked seeing someone else's perspective. Question, should Neopets be capitalized in the way the author uses it in here? I'm always unsure, idk.

The Grumpy Ruki -
I think utilizing Althea's inner monologue would've added to the drama of everything but it was good! Who hasn't thrown a party for bad guests?

Oohee's and Claude's Mystery Island Adventure! -
This was like the travel guide but with some characterization. Mystery Island is my fav world in Neopia and I'm weak for Kadoaties so I was pleased enough. I would have had a little more plot to their adventure.

Pride of the Citadel- An Interview with Kep Bonnefie -
This was alright it just wasn't to my taste, I'm iffy on interviews but I like giving the AC players more character and thinking of them having games they remember specifically. The joke at the end was good.

Blossoms~ Heart to Heart Part 9 -
I really liked this! I hadn't been following it so I went back and read the first eight Heart to Heart episodes but I saw there's a lot more Blossoms so I'm sure I'm missing a lot of characterization/worldbuilding from the story but I liked it! The art in particular is really freaking charming and I'm super intrigued in this Fyora journal.

[REDACTED] -
I am absolutely weakkkk! this was so good but also the author is in my guild so I'm biased toward them haha. I loved it and from what I see elsewhere on Neopets it was a stand out of this Times.

What's happening here? -
I loved this one!! Similar theme to [REDACTED], poking fun at the site is usually funnier than character antics but that might just be my taste??

Mischief -
Well, I said that but this is a pretty good comic for character antics. Idk maybe this is just an exceptional issue. I thought the art shortcuts in this were interesting actually.

Bonds -
Cute, I liked it. I may show it to my little sister cause she'll love the wocky art haha.

Avatar [MIS]Adventures! -
SO GOOD

Neopia at it's Best -
Is that a Disco Chomby?? Obsessed. Other than that.... what the fork

Pea's first Trick-or-Treat! -
So freaking cute! But I have a pea chia so I'm biased

Dome of the Deep Breath -
I like the usage of screenshots and real art so good collab and it's very clever!

To Battle! -
Cute! I hope we see these two for Pirates v Ninjas edition!

The Power of Twelve -
bruh, what an ending. i followed this series from the start and really enjoyed it but i'm going to talk about the finale here with basically no structure just pure chaos so let's go.

I enjoyed the action, I actually wish there had been a bit more but I know that's not to most people's taste.
I loved the image of Altador/Xantan flying across the landscape to them like an anime villain hahaha.
I LOVE THAT THE DARKEST FAERIE JOINED THE TEAM... briefly.
Xantan's fear being a failure/forgotten reminded me of the Joker for some reason?
The feedback loop simile really stood out to me for some reason? I liked it but idk.
I wasn't the biggest fan of TDF dialogue in this episode/part?
really like that you didn't wait for a sequel or anything to reveal that she would betray them again like yes finale double feature let's get it over with
Siyana and Psellia finally get to do something which is nice! I've always wondered why we didn't hear about them fighting TDF or for Altador at all really. Siyana always getting injured though lolol.

[Carolyn]

For Today's Agenda made me think of how Carolyn specifically would like it, with both Meridell characters and puns being involved xD The punchline got a good chuckle out of me lol.

Oh, I was absolutely delighted by this comic. Meridell characters and puns? Perfection. Pure perfection.

[Twillie]

Oct 18, 2021 13:00:46 GMT -5 Gray said:

Blossoms~ Heart to Heart Part 9 -
I really liked this! I hadn't been following it so I went back and read the first eight Heart to Heart episodes but I saw there's a lot more Blossoms so I'm sure I'm missing a lot of characterization/worldbuilding from the story but I liked it! The art in particular is really freaking charming and I'm super intrigued in this Fyora journal.

Thank you, I'm glad you're liking the series so far! ^^ Each arc does indeed build on the last, although of course you're not obligated to read it all if you don't want haha! I'd also be happy to answer any questions you may have or give summaries if you want :3 I also have a petpage with all of the comics (plus some bonus and revamped ones) in full quality (although a warning that the full Heart to Heart arc is on there, in case you don't want to be spoiled lol).