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Post by Twillie on Dec 11, 2021 16:44:21 GMT -5
ArticlesAre you like a weewoo? by hallie035 Weewoos, a History: Told Through the Caption Contest by _razcalz_ How to Love Your Old Neopian Times Work Again by Kat The Origins of the White Weewoo by lauren92_k 95 Life Lessons I Learned from Neopets! by actiontal, chezmukey, and travel74147 An Articulate Article on How to Write Articles! by ayakae and xiaolin_fury Gifts for Weewoos by imbitter and latrellstephen 95 Signs You’ve Been Addicted to Neopets Forever by _brainchild_ Counting Calories: A Graphical Analysis of the Daily Food Intake of a Kadoatie by coconut_rat and llttss Neoquest 2 Insane Guide | Pt 4 - Haunted Woods by kittykatally G&B: Advent Calendar by hotneograndma and Gray NT Special Edition 950 - get your hairdo ready! by _annefrank_ and smalvar 9 Essential Items for Reading the 950th NT Issue by alittlewicked and kra096frozen 9 Reasons to Submit a Neopian Times Entry by drgnswor Memorable r95 Items in homage to the 950th Issue by mellody_sou_10 Short StoriesA Slorg's Quest: Neopian Times 950 by seismicfury and xxnovey All That Glitters Is Not Necessarily Golden by pikapi20 950 Shades of Fire - A Party to Remember by nice_collector and _aragorn_ 950 Wishes by milkshakes004 and pandacat838 Marbles & Jewels. by coursework Cocoabears, This Year's Best-selling Gift by kebicorn and joanna_lewis Prisoner 950 by dudeiloled The 950th Battle by myncithemonkey and typlohisioh Dreaming of Song by jaudaran ComicsBlossoms~ Heart to Heart Epilogue by Twillie How Weewoos Became THE Mascots by Euphemia and friends_rock2135 A Good Old Fashioned Negging! by andypopo look for the Neopian Times White Weewoo Plushie by clari_hikari Tallest in Neopia by sophitell101 and starscreamer54 An Eggs-cellent Evening by sheepmad4eva Invitations by _help_de_jaguar_ The Perks of Being A White Weewoo by stargirl089 and t0tor0 Drawn that way by brenda_bbm The Neopian Times Wordsearch! by zed16 Dailies with Larvse and Chuckie! Special 950th! by spinachs and instata The Anatomy of the Weewoo by mikurubeam297 and riparu Imiya's Nightmare by bonitapenguin At Slorg's Pace by victoriathegr8one and xxskyisfallingxx A Hero's Journey: 950th Edition! by keau and imperfectionists Flattery will get you nowhere! Bribery, however... by riggsy_reborn and jenna_lyn_russell A day at the Pound by imneokidd494 A Very Familiar Scene Nowadays, Ft. Aesop by preksolanx It's that time of the year again by javascripter, doug_henrique, and chantili_doce What's It Worth? by geneames1 and rocksysmom Avatar [MIS]Adventures! - Special Edition!! by 4mandy4 Rising of the Weewoo by bea , fishmas, and sunbathr Just a few issues later... by memorerro Good news! by crazy_allstar, squin, and lyteila S950 Kreludan Defender Celebration by fooshfuush This is Why the Weewoo's are the NT Mascot by babihghost, juan_victor, and sppyder2 Where's Weewoo? by belindaword and caiolo WeeWOOHOO! by ghatna, silakbo, and andymanak You just have to do something to fit in by tangamandapiano, hasse_li_37, and gamador Happy 950th Edition Crossword! by eleganza_lights and kimscott11 Spot the Difference! - Special 950th Edition by emilyhunter5034, neomystress, and cisko116 Annual Job by tonyrichard and iam_puma_master Random Oddness: 950th Issue by mistyqee Crossword - Petpets by wendepia and carolina_021 Grand Neopia Scavenger Hunt by verna_, theofloppy4135, and baiuki Some Puns Just Don't Fly by elipsis4k and feraico Writer's Block by truebrony and i_lovee_icecream A gift for a special occasion by lava_lamp_1 and lolamartinez1 We like it giant by smile_hurluberlue and moufle Pet-ception by akezis and akesis Hidden WeeWoo by applefaerie99 950 POTATOES by love_check This Is Fine: Edition 950 by goosesticks, superkathiee, and roxi2rox Find the Correct Web (Activity Page) - NT Issue 950 by pixie_tea Continued SeriesA Hero's Ballad: The Knightmare by Carolyn 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!
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Post by Twillie on Dec 11, 2021 16:46:07 GMT -5
Congrats to everyone that got into this special issue, it's always amazing seeing so many entries at once! I've read through the comics so far, and I look forward to reading stories as well and giving my thoughts! That's one nice thing about the biweekly updates, as it gives more time to read through everything haha.
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Post by Carolyn on Dec 11, 2021 16:48:03 GMT -5
It's so, SO nice to see such a huge NT. <3 If you'd like me to give you work a read/look, tag me. I may not be able to provide a ton of feedback right now, but I'll definitely enjoy it!  |
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Gray
Occasional Commenter
you're alive, so alive
Posts: 20 
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Post by Gray on Dec 11, 2021 17:26:13 GMT -5
Congrats to everyone who got in! It's such a good issue!
I actually worked with my grandma on the article G&B: Advent Calendar (obvious if you read it) but we had some submission issues so I guess my collab credit got left off, hopefully Aesop sends me my avatar on Monday though!
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Post by downrightdude on Dec 12, 2021 1:12:14 GMT -5
*throws star confetti for everyone*
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Post by Twillie on Dec 14, 2021 1:43:42 GMT -5
It's late for me, but I still wanted to kickstart my reviews, so I'm gonna do a few comics for now and catch up on them later! I'm also reading the written pieces from forumers, and perhaps some others that catch my interest, so I'm hoping to get reviews on those out soon too!
Haha, no holding back on the puns with this one xD This feels like a very classic-style milestone comic with the Weewoos, puns, reference to the Editor, and celebratory fireworks, it's almost nostalgic in a way! I love the way Aesop is drawn here, especially the shirt he was given lol. Overall nice comic! A Good Old Fashioned Negging! I'm pretty sure Aesop was asking for no more anything in the last week before this issue dropped rip; if you've got neggs to offer for him, maybe you can try for the festival of neggs issue >w> If we're talking thinly veiled insults, though, then maybe keep those to yourself indeed. Tallest in Neopia A cute gag, and certainly about time Faerieland attempted to get back into the sky xD I wish the comic were larger, though, as it's rather hard to read between the small size and thick marker lining of the dialogue. An Eggs-Cellent Evening The shameless pun-ing continues xD Honestly, though, a white Weewoo costume for a baby Pteri would make for an adorable wearable, I'm sure some people here would love to have one if it existed xD Drawn That Way I appreciate the Jessica Rabbit reference xD Also makes me wonder how many Christmas painted pets are annoyed by this time of year, probably getting countless comments like this one. The art is also nice, I like the soft coloring and shading of it! The use of real water droplets on the background windows is an interesting choice, definitely adds a realistic texture while keeping it subtle. Dailies with Larvse and Chuckie! Special 950th! Aww, I love how all the characters are drawn here ;w; Such a simplistic and appealing style~ All the Weewoos are precious, and I love the baby Buzz's expression in that fourth panel haha. Hopefully the Weewoos don't continue to bother him now that they've gotten a good handful. The Anatomy of the Weewoo I thiiiink this is based off a meme template? I'm not terribly knowledgeable on meme culture, so don't quote me on that, but I'm pretty sure xD It's a cute concept either way, and the little comments got a laugh from me x3 We can only wish for a Neocam 2.0 to comes to us though, lol. Imiya's Nightmare Oh dear, the regular game is already too much for me (not the math itself, but the time limit), so I can't imagine how terrible it would be with advanced math like this xP I'm sure there are people who'd have a good time solving equations like those on a timer though, haha. Imiya looks adorable drawn like this with her concerned expression, and I've always enjoyed this style of shading with the one block of color partially out of the lines. At Slorg's Pace Considering the nature of the Petpet Lab Ray, it's pretty lucky they got a species change in the first place xD This was a fun comic, I love the energy it carries between panels and unique compositions and expressions in each one. The Weewoo having a regular while its beak turns into a little nose in panel 5 is a bit unsettling to see xD Also Yooyu's able to go at speeds of 950mph?? Terrifying to think about xD A Hero's Journey: 950th Edition! Aw, such a cool comic! Great for any Neoquest II fan I'm sure haha, and its art style is really neat! I swear I've seen it before, but I dunno if I've come across the same artist's work on other platforms or if it's just reminding me of something similar. That second panel with Ramtor looming in the background especially stands out to me, I love the painterly style to convey the grand scale and intimidation of the scene. That little Velm comment is also a nice touch x3
I also did all the puzzle comics that I could because why not lol. The only one I didn't do was a crossword about petpet species, since I don't know them well enough to even start guessing. Look for the Neopian Times Weewoo Plushie The Neopian Times Wordsearch! Where's Weewoo?
Happy 950th Edition Crossword! The words in yellow are the ones I couldn't guess and had to look at the solutions lol
Find the Correct Web (Activity Page)- NT Issue 950 |
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Post by Twillie on Dec 18, 2021 19:32:32 GMT -5
Chugging along with more reviews, and yet I'm still not completely through the comics yet xD Definitely appreciative of the extra week we have, although I am growing more and more excited for the last issue of the year. In the meantime, there's still plenty of content to read and enjoy!
Comics Flattery will get you nowhere! Bribery, however...I love how they lay out the panels in this one, it has a very classic comic-y look to it with the different shapes and angles overlapped on top of each other. Same with the expressions and action lines, very much like a manga xD The beginning of the comic feels a bit cramped, I'd have perhaps moved a couple of those panels into their own row to give enough breathing room for the dialogue and that poor Kougra so far in the distance in panel two x3 As is though, the emotion and set up to the joke still works, and I like the creativity behind every panel. Also love the weewoo's hat at the end xD A day at the poundAw, this is a sweet one! It is sad indeed how a pet loses their clothes when pounded, nice to see them being cheered up and getting adopted here :3 Reminds me of the time I put a robot Uni in the pound; I still have their casings, wondering if someone was willing to adopt a naked robot rip... It's that time of year againAw, I wonder what's got the Blumaroo down in the first place. Not sure I quite understand the story of this one (what the Blum's sadness has to do with this if 950 doesn't cheer him up, why everyone is bothering him in the first place lol, etc.), but the general spirit of it is reminiscent of classic milestone comics with its celebratory crowd at the end. It's also cool seeing Chanty's art in the Times, she's the one that designed colors like the Maraquan Kiko and Jetsam :3 What's It Worth?Haha, very true! It's always important to remember the time and effort that goes into each Times, both from the user end and staff end of things. Especially in real life where it doesn't cost anything to read the Times, always good to appreciate those that work to keep it running after all these years~
Avatar [MIS]Adventures! - Special Edition!!That baby Kyrii is adorable, I love how the artist drew her <3 Lovely art in general at that, I remember this artist from this comic especially, so it's always nice to see her in the Times! A pretty straightforward story in this one, but I like the playfulness of it and how the Kacheek Seek avatar was basically made into its own character haha. You can definitely see the work put into this one! Rising of the WeewooAh this one is really cool! It's reference to Flappy Bird is immediately recognizable, the recreation and animation all came out so well! The points going up to 950 is a nice detail as well, love how this came out altogether :3 Just a Few Issues LaterOoh, so many little details to this one! Firstly, I like the cute premise to it, reminds of a similar Spooky comic from Issue 600~ Moreso, I love that for Issue 1, they actually recreated the original NT layout, including the same font style and the tagline, "For an easier life." I'm also intrigued by the panel layout they chose for the futuristic NT delivery. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but the unusual shapes and placement of the panels almost feels like they tried to make the comic itself futuristic, like this is how cartoonists will compose their panels however many years down the road. Admittedly, I did actually click on the last panel expecting some animation to happen xD Good NewsAw, such lovely art in this, everyone looks so cute! That little Weewoo in the corner is also funny, I love his little expression haha. I appreciate as well that, alongside celebrating the special issue and the NT for what is it today, this comic probably helped remind/inform a number of people about this change x3 S950 Kreludan Defender CelebrationHaha, a cute pun, and one I don't think I've seen or considered before. Glad that someone noticed the opportunity and took it! This is Why Weewoo's are the NT MascotI thiiiink this might be a reference to something? I'm not too sure to be honest, as I don't know who the TNT member is supposed to be (or if they're just supposed to be a generic NT editor?). Or maybe it's just joking in general about if Weewoo's are actually more sinister than they let on? Maybe someone else understand better than me, because I do feel like there's more going on here than I'm picking up on xD ArticlesG&B: Advent Calendar GrayAh, this is such a sweet collaboration between you and your grandma, it made for such a nice read! :3 I'm also a fan of Advent Calendar items for their artwork, novelty, and stories behind them, so it also wasn't hard for me to be drawn into the topic. Has me wanting to look back on my own favorite AC prizes over the years, some of which would probably overlap with both of your choices haha. I loved the story behind the Cyodrake's Gaze snowglobe, that it represents how you and your grandma were able to come together through Neopets. And the fact that plot was so long ago and you two still spend time together through the site is amazing! I'm glad that you could form such good memories and a closer bond through it, and it was nice that you could share that here :3 I'm also a fan of wearables, so no complaints here about any bias in the article xD Backgrounds especially are some of my favorite items on Neopets, and I like to collect as many winter-themed BG's as I can. Seeing some of them listed here then got me excited to check if I have them, and if not, hopefully they won't be too hard to get >w> Such a shame that so many beautiful BG's are NC only, but at least I can admire them on Dress to Impress haha. Gotta agree with grandma that you both have good taste when it comes to Neo items! Thank you for sharing even just a little of your story with us, and best of luck to you too! :3 How to Love Your Old Neopian Times Work Again KatThis is a good reminder to have now and then, especially with how many Neopian Times issues we've come to, like you said. I can't think of a single artist or writer, myself included, who hasn't at least once cringed at their old work, but it is true that they still hold value even within that cringe. Part of the pain for me is looking at old work and thinking, "Oh dear, other people read this back in the day, what must they have thought about me from this? Dx" but of course even then, we're our own worst critics xD I'll feel bad for my own ancient comics, but anyone else's comics, be it one from 2002 or 2020, or made in Photoshop, Paint, or on paper, I'll legitimately love for the fact that someone built up the confidence to create something and submit it for publication. That in itself is worthy of celebration I feel, so I appreciate that you mentioned similar here. Reading back on old stuff for plot consistency's sake is admittedly something I should do more of, so this article can also serve as a good reminder to myself to do that without (hopefully) fear xD A lovely article with a good message and humor! |
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Post by Twillie on Jan 15, 2022 23:09:00 GMT -5
A Hero's Ballad: The Knightmare Carolyn I had a good time reading this! I'm not as familiar with all of your NT series, but I didn't feel like I was missing too much information while reading this one. It had a conflict that held up on its own and provided plenty of interesting scenes, imagery, and humor (I noticed all the Chet Flashes you put into each part! x3). The idea behind this series fits well for the Surreal theme, but also just makes for a fun story regardless of collab or not. As this is a very character-driven story, traveling through someone's dream also fits perfectly for a plot as it's all about literally diving into someone's psyche and fighting off inner demons.
The writing itself I think read well, with no real issues with typos or grammar. There was a good contrast in the narrator voice vs character voices, both of which told the story in unique ways. I really enjoyed how you wrote the dialogue, deliberately breaking proper English rules just like someone in real life would do while casually speaking, and extending or italicizing words to really emphasize the inflection a character puts on them. There's a lot of personality behind each line, and I don't remember having any moment not believing the dialogue. I also like how, unlike the narrator, characters will purposefully omit information when talking to each other, usually due to discomfort with whatever they're talking about. It's realistic in that no one is a truly reliable narrator, but it still tells us a story in how the characters are feeling or who they trust.
The main thing I focused on while reading was the characters arcs throughout the series, as there's a large cast here each with their own stories intermingling. I like the ambition you had in balancing so many arcs in the series, and the clear effort to give every character intrigue and a reason to want to read more about them. I divided specific feedback amongst the main characters arcs that I noticed.
Rohane, Jeran, and the Walls They've Built
This is what I identified as the main story and through line for the whole series, as it kicks off the conflict, is referenced throughout, and provides the story's ending note. Rohane has inner demons related to the grief of his father's death, manifested in the form of stage fright due to his father once encouraging his singing voice. Within his nightmare, Rohane must admit to this stage fright, confront it in his mind, and then by the end perform in real life, all of this by extension representing his acceptance of his father's death.
I like the multiple layers to this, and the symbolism behind his stage fright. It helps define a complex emotion- grief- and what it means to Rohane so that readers can better understand and relate. It also creates a more clear roadmap of the actions Rohane must take in order to grow in this story. That it's performing that he's afraid of also makes sense given how emotionally distant he usually is as a character. Getting up on stage in front of people requires a great deal of vulnerability and confidence in one's own communication skills, both things that apply to Rohane dealing with his grief as well.
This contrast of a stoic character needing to be vulnerable is emphasized even further with his only help being Jeran, his both with whom he is most emotionally distant. Really ups the drama when you've got these two characters who are very reluctant to open up to each other, but are forced to in order to confront their shared grief. I think the story of two knights, similar in many ways but staunchly professional in relationship, who are forced to team up and confront their emotions together if they want to survive makes for a solid story.
Like I mentioned, this arc repeatedly comes up and closes out the series, but one thing I'd like to see is more clearly how it kickstarted everything. From what I remember at least, we start the story with Rohane already losing sleep over this inner turmoil, but we don't hear or see what might have triggered said anxiety. Perhaps if Rohane recently had to perform in some way as part of his knightly duties, that might have stirred these repressed feelings? It's unclear right now how long Rohane had been losing sleep and why, and while we don't need to know that it's stage fright/father feels right out the gate, some reference to it at the beginning that readers can look back on later would help tie this arc together and let it bookend the story.
Mipsy, Talinia, and Velm Reunion
Flashbacks and dream manifestations of Rohane's team members also reoccur throughout the story, climaxing with the nightmare Terask fight near the end. There's moments where they tie into the grief arc, such as their dream versions parroting Reuben's old mockery of Rohane, but other times I feel like I'm missing their significance to the story. I think what's happening there is that they switch between symbols of Rohane's inner turmoil, and other times they're supposed to be characters in their own right with their own troubles. The latter happens mostly during the Terask fight, and I think it confuses their place within the overall story.
The impression I get is that they're important parts of Rohane's life, hence them showing up in the dream, but due to the emotional walls he's built, he's become distant to even them. There's evidence of this throughout the dream, and it's those scenes that I think are strongest when it comes to these three. The aforementioned mockery scene reveals Rohane's insecurities, that a part of him fears that even his best friends don't truly understand or care about him. The flashback of Mipsy recognizing Rohane's discomfort at the celebration feast but being unable to reach out also paints a picture of their distance, this time showing how real life events may have informed Rohane's inner turmoil. I do think there could've been more mention of Rohane's real life distance with his team members, though, as it wasn't until the last part that I realized he hadn't met up with them in so long. As is, though, it's moments like these that make it clear how Rohane's emotional walls have affected his real life relationships, and how his perception of his friends got twisted in his mind.
Going back to the Terask fight, this is when Mipsy, Talinia, and Velm feel less like a part of Rohane's dream, and more like characters who are supposed to have their own stories within the dream. There's a lack of tension though, as we know they're not real, and them getting hurt or noticing inconsistencies in the dream won't impact their real life counterparts. Thus, paragraphs like those describing Talinia's wing injuries feel out of place, as they don't contribute to the action at hand or develop anything character-wise. I think perhaps instead of focusing so much on the survival of these characters during the Terask fight, more emphasis should've been put on Rohane learning to see through his insecurities and fully trust them, remembering why they're his best friends in the first place. Because along with Mipsy, Talinia, and Velm's characters getting confused in the fight scene, I'm also left wondering what Terask's place is in the story.
With the context that Rohane's dream follows the basic NQII storyline, it makes sense that things would climax with a Terask fight, but in regards to Rohane's character arc, I'm not sure how this fight or the NQII story ties in. While Rohane's lingering fear of Terask was mentioned a couple times before, it doesn't really relate to any of the main problems he's dealing with in regards to his grief, and I feel like the amount of time focusing on Terask is disproportionate to his significance to Rohane's story. If this fight were to be the climax of Rohane overcoming his friendship insecurities, I'd dedicate more time between him and his teammates. If it were to relate to his grief, I'd change Terask into someone like Ramtor or something else more directly related to Reynold. As is, it feels like there's a separate story happening during the Terask fight than there was during previous dream sequences. I do see the story threads that built up to and could relate to this fight though; there's a lot of moving pieces for this scene, and it's just a matter of knowing whose story it's contributing to and keeping focus on that before any other details.
The Waking World
This is a catch all for basically everything else that happened while Rohane and Jeran were in dream world, so there may be things I forgot/don't include xD But, I'll try to cover the stuff that stuck out to me most at least.
Overall, there were a lot of characters and stories that were juggled here, which sometimes led to interesting stories and moments, and other times making it difficult to keep track of everything going on. The main conflict I remember is Lisha overexerting herself with that energy potion and hurting Serian in the process, and I enjoyed the progression that led to that point. I like that Kayla was much more hesitant to create the potion, showing a shift in her usual bubbly self after what she'd done to Rohane. I think that her grappling with her guilt simultaneously creating tension with her other friends can lead to good drama and character growth, as it forces her to confront her impulsiveness and becomes a greater test of assertion and self discipline.
The consequences of the potion fall more on Lisha, though, and this side story eventually shifts from Kayla completely. Lisha up to this point was the rock the other characters leaned on, and while it can be interesting to remove that stability, this plot point wasn't really about the other characters learning to deal without her, but instead Lisha immediately apologizing for her actions. There wasn't much of a "before" point for Lisha to grow from that I noticed, though, so shifting the conflict to her felt rather sudden. I also wish there was a bit more follow through on her lashing out at Serian, as well as the disdain Jeran has for him. I get the feeling that this bias against the Darigan and Serian is something continued from previous stories and will continue to come up in future series, but for the sake of this series I'd suggest either keeping this conflict to references rather than its own side story, or giving Lisha and Jeran's anger towards Serian more of a final note. Having a clearer ending to these smaller encounters will help them better stick in readers' minds for when they're expanded upon in later stories.
Similar to what I said regarding Mipsy, Talinia, and Velm, I think it'd be good figuring out whose stories are front and center in the waking world, and which characters are simply there to support them. Not everyone needs to have a conflict or arc going on, as it can get difficult weaving them altogether into something easy to keep track of. I do like all the seeds you planted for each character, and it's clear the thought and care you've put behind each of them to make sure that they're all fleshed out and contribute to the story at large. I think you did your job in getting me invested in all of them, as even for story threads I gave critique on I'm still interested to see develop in future stories. The lingering conflict between Serian and his friends makes for juicy content now and I'm sure in the future, and I'm curious to see how they may confront and resolve that. I don't think you have much problem at all with creating interesting characters and developing their personalities on page; everyone is very vibrant and I have no trouble remembering each of them. It's just a matter of creating clear start and end points for their development in each story and making it obvious whose story is being told when, that way readers can better remember the progress made so far and know what to look forward to next. I tried to cover a lot, so if there's anything here that doesn't make sense or you'd like me to expand upon, do please let me know and I can clarify! x3 But yeah, great work with the series, and I look forward to how these characters' stories may continue! :3
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