Seeing as the Sea collab went out today, I figured I'd better stop procrastinating on reviews of the stuff I read in 975.
Especially now that all the drama seems to have quelled, at least until the next one most likely.What Does It Take for Weewoos to Be the NT Mascots? by
Azusa This was a very informative piece, and it's good to know only the absolute best White Weewoos are chosen to prepare and deliver the NT! I thought it was fairly well written, and read somewhat like a technical article in some place... and like a piece of marketing in other places, haha. I enjoyed it!
(You should do a follow-up piece on what Weewoos should do to prepare for the final exam. The Faulty Mailbox Dilemma sounds especially challenging.)
Special? by
Alyssa This was a nice heartwarming comic.
And probably expresses the Neopets creative contest-goers pretty well -- we're a community that generally encourages each others' weirdness heh.
The crystal Flute by cyber1ofkakoradesert
Yay, I can finally comment on the ending!
(Even though based on the first part I thought this was a story that could go on for a while heh.)
I quite enjoyed the way Aria's mystery resolved, especially considering it required learning knowledge from Neopets older and wiser than her. The final location of the flute was clever, and I especially liked the history as to why and how it ended up there, and for what the spot was originally used.
By the end, I thought the story could almost have been better suited for Valentine's.
Props on an incredibly explicit engagement / ring exchange scene -- a bold and boundary-pushing choice, of which I approve. I also liked the light comedy about that scene.
And I really liked the end. Music for everyone!
OH and I really liked getting to search everyone's names for all the hidden musical meanings. (I learned a lot about Irish/Gaelic names haha.)
Best Friends by _reyah_
Awww what a cute comic.
I really liked the art style, too, it definitely reminded me of games from the mid 90s heh.
975 - A Faerie Number by i_lovee_icecream
I enjoyed the journey Annalisa embarked upon to discern the True Meaning (TM) of the 975 numbers in her life. Though a little cliched throughout, I thought it had a surprisingly upbeat and rewarding lesson in the end. I must also remember to relax and take time enjoy my passions.
Perhaps the hidden message is to enjoy more writing for the NT / creative contests?97.5 Signs That Neopets Players Might Be Insane!!! by indulgences
The title instantly reminded me of a radio station.I mean, I can't argue with a lot of your points, like 1, 2...
However, some were a little too close to others, and I will fight you on Point 8 -- yes I do a lot more than play with my pets but I am definitely not giving them away.
And yes yes on 37.
Overall, a fun read! Thanks for pointing out why I'm here, haha.
Rave Danger by the_creator12345
This comic is perfect, enough said.
Y24 Economic Report: A Year of Change by relationshipper
A well-researched and informative recap of some of the bigger events in Neopia this past year, especially in regards to how they affect the economy. I thought the voices of the interviewees were believable, and especially realistic considering how Neopia's economy functions heh. My favourite expose was on the Hidden Tower
particularly questioning the necessity of the monarchy and Fyora trying to justify the relevance of her position.
The Weewoo's 975th joke by actiontal
OK, the punchline / reaction of the Aisha in the final panel got me, haha.
If it were the STC, there would need to be 3. Can't forget the purely random musings of the Thurday night / 8th slot winner. Time Traveller by leo_flores
I love time travel, and this story was actually hilarious. I really enjoyed the lackadaisical personality of the time traveller, and that nothing was really accomplished by their brief stint in the past -- you subverted a fair number of tropes heh. And the "aw no Wifi" especially made me laugh. The scene could have fit well in the Hitchhiker's Guide.
Neopian Times Paradox by
Lex and luc187
Nice art and excellent joke. I've seen the punchline rehashed over various media/circumstances, but it never grows old, at least to me. About the only thing I could suggest is to make their picture in the NT a lot closer to them in the present (e.g. reading the NT by the stall). But it was still good. And clever use of the math meme.
A Lair of Giving by
Ilona I enjoyed this story, even if I can't recall all the details (especially from the Christmas NT). I recall that I did like how you bridged the multiple themes and made a story both about hunting the Snowager's treasure AND writing an NT story about the experience. I liked Kal, I found him to be a go getter, even if he gets into trouble a lot.
And I liked how, in the end, it was his inaction that led to his saving -- sometimes the MC just has to stop and wait for plot to unfold heh. It's nice that he accomplished most of what he set out to do. (RIP Jelly Negg.)
Dinner with the Scarlets: Another Special Issue by
June Scarlet OK, that was a really clever twist on the pattern you established. I read the first panel and was all, "How will the red Xwee (?) buzzkill character be a buzzkill this time?
" but NO you didn't go there and that made it so much better. Also, really fun to see the headlines based on other NT works, I want to see even more parodies now.
975 Ways to Say I’m Sorry by smart100000
I really liked the glimpses into kid!Xandra.
And the rationale for why Xandra betrayed the faeries was believable -- how a seemingly small event can snowball; I liked that Xandra's idealism was lost when faerie power was used not for evil, but simply because it was not used to the greatest benevolent degree it could be. Fyora was also empathetic, and seemingly stuck between the past and trying to do more for the future.
Numbering Troubles by pequepanda
The innocence of this made me laugh.
They're trying their best with what they got.
Capitulations of the Fae by
Gelquie I liked the story, especially because of its heavy undertones -- an accomplishment for a (relatively) self-contained short story. Echoing what others have said, it really is an industry built on systemic abuses -- and I hadn't really thought of that before. Get bottle, open bottle, get blessed, repeat. It really does sound like it works best when the "get bottle" overhead is minimized, but that does nothing to minimize the potential trauma faeries face.
And I have to admit, I am part of the problem. *glances guiltily at all the unopened bottles in my SDB*
Also, the piece gave me thoughts of the prison-industrial complex, not sure if you were going for that though.
Strange White Sky by roxanna203
Considering how my dad describes passenger pigeon stories from his grandparents, this seems accurate heh.
Panacea by Carolyn by
Carolyn I liked the way you set the tone of the story and kept it consistent throughout -- except for the few times it was broken, which of course caught me off guard in a good way.
The barn dance imagery was particularly funny. I thought Velm and Serian played well off each other, particularly their seemingly shared intrigue regarding the other. (And yay LD character!)
Life Improvised : Weewoos by
Kengplant For me, the best part of this comic was your Neopian version of junk mail. It just fits so well, haha.
What Weewoo Colour are You Based on Your Zodiac Sign? by madiwoo
What a really fun idea for an article.
I'm not super into astrology, but I am a Taurus, and your logic for Taurus made sense to me! I could tell you put a lot of care into selecting an appropriate Weewoo and crafting the corresponding description. It was also neat seeing all the different Weewoo colours.
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By request, other reviews:
A Most Important Day by
Stephanie (swordlilly) (in NT 973)
I remember reading this when the Birthday edition originally came out! I quite liked it.
It really is that way between a parent and their (newly) adult(ish) child. I still live in the family home, and I can definitely empathize with Coconori. She sounds more patient than me, frankly.
Very realistic, very Mom. Heartwarming story.
Avatar Tails by
belleprintemps This comic is very cute! It was my initial inclination, too, that the Lupe will draw and submit the comic itself. Maybe to make it more explicit, say "draw" instead of "write about"? Or put the NT avatar(s) in the corner(s), like what was done in the other panels? Anyway, it's very good art, I hope it gets in for the next one!
Hearsay from Meri Acres: Missus White Weewoo by
Heather I will start by admitting that I found the story difficult to read; it deserves a good proofread for grammar and stylistic consistency.
Yes, I said "deserves", because the general contents/plot are really quite good.
It's funny, gossipy, and the personalities of the MCs are distinct and play well off each other. And, it's informative! I've learned a lot about how the White Weewoo came to be "head-honchoing" the Times, and I'm excited to hear more of her adventures! Or, really, more of their gossip and stories from the crew about random stuff.
But as you say, not everyone can have the whole of a story. I think that is an excellent note to end with.
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And thanks
June Scarlet and
Stephanie (swordlilly) for the reviews of my piece! Your reviews made me happy, and I'm glad I had some readers along for Racka's Wild Ride.
For some quick commentary:
I also mostly stopped following the Metaverse as well, but I did watch the alpha launch videos the Meta team posted just around Neo's bday to prepare for writing the piece. The videos are... welp. I wrote how I felt about it all.
And as another fun fact,
Yeah, I was wondering too just how I would end it.
Even up until the day I knew I had to write the ending if I wanted to have any chance of getting it in for the Birthday Edition (which it did not in the end, sad). Sincerity is a good word to use... I wouldn't have described it that way, but now that the label has been applied, I don't disagree. I think I did strive to make it sincere. In the end, I decided to give TNT the benefit of the doubt. They released the roadmap, it was clear to me they were at least trying.
And I could lean into that while also giving a lot of suggestions to work with heh.Also, I can't take complete credit for the "light pouring out of the graves", I based it loosely on my (mis)rememberings of
a scene from ReBoot.