Gelquie's Neopia Spot

[Gelquie]

Sometimes I write stuff for the NT. And I used to write stuff for Storytelling, and maybe I'll do so again, but that's just not where my focus is right now. Still, I don't quite have a pet page, I don't want to spent too long formatting one when I don't even know what I want, and while Discord is a great venue for discussing things, it often leaves big information that can get lost.
Maybe I will have a pet page. But for now, here is...

Gelquie's Neopia Spot!

Here is where I talk about my Neopian plots and OCs in a bit more of a handy-dandy section. I'll leave character bios here, tidbits, snippets (particularly things that didn't or will never make the NT), and basically whatever comes to mind that is relevant.

Currently I have two main story arcs going on.

Neofam:
Short for "Neofamily", it's my shorthand for my pets that I've adopted. Their owner (me) left the picture ages ago, but used to be in their lives. Now they live more or less alone in Terror Mountain, as a bunch of misfits just trying to make their way. None of them are related to each other, but they are siblings.

The Neofamily arc discusses themes of found family, trust, abandonment, hopes filled and unfulfilled, PTSD and their impacts, coping and processing past events, dealing with those you don't understand, secrets, lies, protection, familial and platonic love, and more. It's basically a drama, though there are plenty of light moments. Stories often include them just going out and doing things, often related to current Neopian events.

The Fae of the Lost:
Aurelia, the Fae of the Lost, is a light faerie. She has seer powers that allow her to find those who are lost, and uses her powers to find those Neopians and bring them back on track. However, it's never quite so simple as that. Further, she has past trauma as a former bottled faerie, and she often finds herself contending with the bottled faerie trade, to mixed success given the deep systemic nature of the trade. She is young and has high hopes, but ultimately she can only tackle all of these issues one at a time. If she doesn't lose herself so much in the work that she becomes out of touch with Neopians.

Aurelia's arc discusses activism, systemic harms, faerie trafficking, PTSD, dealing with performatism, search and rescue, hopelessness, depression, adventure, interpersonal conflicts, youth, isolation, and more. This arc is more dramatic compared to the Neofam arc, frequently covering serious issues and people in serious trouble, from the outside and the inside.



All stories can be found in the NT archive under my username. (Except my very old ones... they can be found, but you're better off not as the writing is poor; all old stories will be summarized or told better in the new stories.) If this changes (such as if I publish a poem about any of them), I'll add them to the list.

In the next post I will post character bios that I have so far, for each of these arcs. There may be more edited in over time. And there may be more story arcs or stories over time. First post may be subject to wholescale edits.

[Gelquie]

Character Bios

Characters are divided into their primary subsections. All characters are canon in the Gel-Neopia universe, and so they can, may, and will cross over into other stories. Arcs are ideally self-contained; you shouldn't need to know the details of one arc to follow the other.

Neofam:

SPOILER: Click to show

Daydreamer_Daydream ("Daydream"): Second eldest family member, adopted as a pteri shortly after Gimmer, so the two consider each other close siblings. Can be vain and cares about her appearance, specifically anything fae-aligned. She considers herself closest to the faeries, and dreamed for ages to become faerie pet so she could fly with them. Faerie pterii didn't quite suit her style, and she was tired of freezing in the cold of Terror Mountain where the family home resides, so she became a Faerie Bori. She's a good singer, taking advantage of her high trills she learned from her time as a pteri. Her attempts to turn it into a career never took off. So she does odd jobs and occasional commissions such as weddings. She's one of the main leaders of the house, along with Indal, ever since their owner disappeared many years ago. Daydream is the biggest skeptic of the household, slow to trust others, and quick to question others' questionable logic or motives, or confront someone if they did something hurtful, real or perceived. Basically, she's assertive, though she has moments where she comes on strong, particularly if she's stressed. But she cares a lot for her family and their sustained survival and well-being, though she pays particular attention to Gimmer.
Physical Description: Female Faerie Bori. Ensures a good appearance that highlights her fae body and accessories. Average strength, faster than she is strong.

Gimmer_Shimmer ("Gimmer"): The eldest family member, adopted shortly before Daydream, so the two consider each other close siblings. She's a very self-conscious pteri and has poor self-image, especially following a traumatic event in her youth. She has spent years "floating through life", not entirely sure of her self image or what it should be. She mostly helps maintain the family store and keeps house, not really sure of what else she wants. Despite being so reliant on her family, she likes to encourage others to follow dreams that make them happy. Her conversations border on sentimental, though she's quick to set boundaries if needed. She feels indebted to her family, and with Seep in the picture, she has a constant plushie-ish companion. Recently she's been edging her boundaries to explore more. Some of her family worrying about her over-exerting herself. She wants to progress and be better. Whether she'll make it and what version of her will be on the other side, time will tell.
Physical Description: Female Spotted Pteri. Overweight; does not impact her ability to fly. Overall kempt unless she's having a really bad day. Average strength.

Sentient Sleepy Shadow Cybunny Plushie ("Seep"): A plushie that Daydream bought for Gimmer for her birthday, which inexplicably came to life. Technically they're not a plushie, they're something mysterious inhabiting the plushie, and they can technically inhabit any plushie they want. However, they can go dormant for intermittent to long periods, where nothing seems to reach them. They're generally active, a bit impulsive and far too curious. Often, they want to explore many places "just like before," do random impulsive experiments "for science!!", or just hang out with their newly claimed family. They're a source of support, comfort, and perspective for the family, which is the only reason why Daydream didn't throw them out when they were discovered. That, and Seep promised to leave if they ever tried the family's patience too hard. They generally hang around Gimmer due to her desire for support. It seems the support is different from the support the rest of the family has given her. Time will tell what that will mean. Currently they've been dormant for months, but there is promise that they may return.
Physical Description: An shadow cybunny plushie. Usually. Non-binary.

Indalabray ("Indal"): The third member of the family who arrived shortly before Flower. They had a full life before their adoption by the Neofamily, having done various odd jobs and adventures before and generally living alone. They also underwent Lab Ray experiments for a long time, in order to better serve their adventurous jobs, and thus they have experience as several different species and beings. They're thus pretty open to changes. Their adventurous itinerant lifestyle served them for a long while... Until something changed, they changed, and they decided they wanted something more stable. They only meant to stay with the family for a while to recover physically and mentally from their struggles at the time. Gradually, they grew close to the family, gave support including emotional support, served as a mediator as needed, and they felt accepted in a way they never felt elsewhere. They realized this familial support was something they were missing that they never knew they needed. Thus they opted to stay, along with Flower, and they serve as the primary breadwinner and support for the family. They still go on adventures or out for training, but they always return, and they will always protect the family from the Neopian worldly threats.
Physical Description: Depends on their mood, but always Darigan-colored. Genderfluid, uses all pronouns. Normally presents as a Darigan Lupe, but currently presenting as a Darigan Peophin. It might change again. Very strong; family fighter.

Lil_Flower_Gal ("Flower"): One of the quieter members of the family. In fact, if Indal hadn't led them to the family during a time of need, she might never have found this family. She is the most closed about her past, and never talks about it. In fact, she often goes off on her own without telling anyone what she's doing, for some sort of work to which she never elaborates. She is sneaky though, and tends to find information that would have been unknown to her otherwise, to the annoyance of some of her family members. She doesn't actively pry though, as some family secrets are still unknown to her; it's more like she doesn't see the problem in eavesdropping. In direct confrontation and conversations, she tends to struggle socially, and in this case she relies on those who understand her better to help her out. She always says that the work she does is either secret or for the good of the family. While there's no evidence to back this up, no one believes that she means ill will. Indal believes she does care, and she just struggles to show it. After all, she could have left and never returned at any time. But she keeps coming back, and she keeps contributing her part to the needs of the family.
Physical Description: Faerie Ixi. Female? (Presents feminine but overall doesn't really care.) Has a generally placid expression most of the time. There are moments when it breaks, but she seems to recover quickly.

Fae of the Lost:

SPOILER: Click to show

Aurelia: "The Fae of the Lost." A wandering Light Faerie. She has seer-like powers that specifically lead her to Neopians who are lost in some way. She considers it her duty to use these powers to find those Neopians and lead them back to their path. When she was a young small faerie, she saved a group of faeries at a Faerie Festival from an elaborate kidnapping by Balthazar. Balthazar retaliated and kidnapped her, shredding her wings and stripping her powers before bottling her and leaving her in a place where no one would find her. So he thought; some Neopians found her and helped her return to Faerieland, where her abilities and power were restored. She has significantly grown in size and power since then, wanting to be a guiding light for others who are also in a bad situation. Recently, she decided to get more in touch with general Neopian society upon realizing that her years of nigh-unending work have left her out of touch. In her first attempt, she found herself horrified that the bottled faerie trade is still going strong. She advocates strongly for the end of the trade and the freedom of bottled faeries, though the deeply systemic nature of the problem and the nigh untouchability of those responsible for the trade often leaves her frustrated.
Physical Description: Light Faerie. Young; faerie equivalent of a 20-something adult. (I don't know what her outfit or hair should be.)

Mr. Oriol: A smooth/slimy-talking businessman, and one of the middlemen for the faerie trade. Often acts as a "voice of reason," arguing for a middle ground between the faeries who are impacted by the faerie trade and Balthazar who strives to capture all faeries. He sees himself as compromising, seeing the trade as something essential and insists on views indicating that the trade actually benefits the faeries, or at least doesn't overly harm them. And he convinces Balthazar to go along with the trade so he can continue the business. Ultimately helps operate the trade, going so far as to buy his share of bottled faeries for mass distribution. But he plays the game, and he never breaks any unspoken social contracts, nor does he seem to have any scandals following him. There are plenty who don't like him. But he's so friendly, and so easy to talk to. Who could deny him a seat at the table when discussing the faerie trade, or deciding laws about it?
And what is he doing since Balthazar's capture? Well, apparently he's been very active, and still very successful. And there's still plenty of faeries to go around. Mr. Oriol seems to still be doing well at running his business.
Physical Description: Fire Bruce. Like a sleazy 80s guy car salesman.

Misc/Unconsolidated/Not (yet) an arc:

SPOILER: Click to show

Brisa: An Air Faerie, which she takes very seriously. She has a scientific approach to her weather magic and analysis. She's often sent as a weather-magic detective to investigate strange occurrences and explore their impact, and give ideas on what or who may be responsible. She was first seen investigating strange weather disturbances that caused bananas to inexplicably appear everywhere, at high magical cost that robbed a small section of the planet of its energy. That's the kind of stuff she deals with. Often works with a team of Neopians in each investigation.
Physical Description: Air Faerie, Latine in appearance. Dark curly hair. Has a more practical outfit, but still not lacking in flowy sections.

The Chaos Faeries: A group of four faeries: Earth, Light, Water, and Air. Their identities are otherwise unknown. What is known is that they go around Neopia causing strange and confusing events, such as a storm of bananas. There are apparently more to follow. Their motive is unknown, but it's currently highly suspect that they do it "for fun and excitement." If nothing else, huge sections of Neopia are certainly impacted by them, leading to widely discussed events, to the joy of the culprits. And to the detriment of groups that are concerned about their environmental impact and those who have to clean up the inevitable messes, and to the annoyance of the groups trying to investigate them.
Physical Description: Don't be silly, they haven't been caught. No one outside the group knows who they really are.

[Gelquie]

List of Stories by Arc:

(This does not include very old stories. I'm not linking them. I'll write the stories so that you shouldn't need them.)


Neofam:
A Surprising Present
Where we meet the Neofam as they are now, and Seep is introduced.

Weathering the Bananza
On a trip to Tyrannia, Neofam finds themselves in the midst of a strange weather event; everything has become bananas. They casually speculate and investigate.

A Day for Siblings at the Altador Cup
Where Indal and Daydream go to the Altador Cup to cheer on some teams, discuss some family members, and discuss Virtupets ethics. Several past events are alluded to, Daydream demonstrates some of her cheering skills.

Fae of the Lost:
Capitulations of the Fae

Other:
Weathering the Bananza
We also meet Brisa and first investigate some weird events that aren't due to a whole-site plot.

[Gelquie]

(Reserved post. Don't know what would be here, but just in case.)

[Gelquie]

So there's occasionally something I've been wondering, which I'll post here for input, or to at least say it. I might also occasionally post story snippets that didn't make it. But for now, a question.

I've been calling my Neofamily "Neofam." But I feel like I should have some other sort of title or even surname attached to them that's a bit more meaningful, or at least unique.
But I'm also terrible at these, so I have no ideas.

Brain: "Make the surname 'Queen'. Call them 'The Queens.'"

Brain, what.
...I don't entirely hate it, but they aren't all female.

Brain: "Aren't they? Look at your pets' gender ratio?? Even if they were, if it's a surname, so that would encourage people to see the "Queen" part of your username as a surname and not as some gender thing you don't want."

...My brain is making an annoyingly valid point. But I want to crowdsource opinions if people have them. Ideas on names for the family? Or your opinions on the "Queen" thing?

[Kyn]

Jun 28, 2024 21:59:30 GMT -5 Gelquie said:

Ideas on names for the family? Or your opinions on the "Queen" thing?

Maybe you could call them "the Queen family" instead of "The Queens"?

Or you can consider The Quins/The Quinns, either of which looks and sounds similar to "The Queens". "Quin" means "five" and matches the current number of members in the family. But if you want an option that's not tied to a specific number then "Quinn" has the advantage of being an actual surname.

[Gelquie]

Kyn -- Hmm I think "the Queen family" could be a good compromise! And "Queen" as a surname for them is honestly growing on me, for the reasons my Brain gave. Then I can associate it as a surname rather than a gender thing.
"The Queen family" isn't really a shorthand though. Maybe "Queen fam"?. But maybe I'll make a reference to their group surname at some point in a story.

Quinn doesn't quite have the right feel to me, alas, though that's a good point that it would encompass the main five! I plan to generally keep it to the 5 mains, but I don't want to restrict myself either.

Queen is an actual surname too though. And even if it weren't, it's Neopia, I can make up the rules. \ o /

Thanks for the input!

[RielCZ]

Admittedly, I just like "The Queens"! But Queen Fam works too.

(Also, an origin story comic idea ran through my mind so let me know if you want to have an unsolicited comic idea. )

[Gelquie]

RielCZ - Well, there's a non-zero chance I won't be consistent about it and use one or the other somewhere. xD But probably "The Queen Family" will be closer to canon.

(Ah, to clarify, these won't be comics as I have 0 art skills. xD Currently these exist as short stories. Might have a couple series too, but I'll try to avoid those when possible.

Might be cool to read the idea, though! It might be trickier with Indal and Flower as while I have the general idea and many things worked out, I'm still working out some of the details of their backstory prior to joining the family, and I want a firmer idea on some of those details before taking in influence. (I'll probably work on those relatively soon though; what I do have so far is stuff I'm excited for! And I like having more solid ideas for their backstories.) Daydream's, Gimmer's, and Seep's backstories and arcs are all figured out though, so if it's about one or more of those three, fire away!)

[Moni]

no reason why "king" can be used as a general surname but "queen" can't be, except for patriarchial tendencies that place maleness as the default. idk that all your pets have to be women or whatever. i certainly wouldn't assume everyone with the last name "king" has to be male. "the queens" is a good name for a neofam imo. i wouldn't bat an eye at "the kings."

(also queen is sometimes a version of i think mcqueen? so it actually exists)

[Gelquie]

Queen also is a surname used by a lot of people, as shown in a list here: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_(name)
So the veracity of using Queen or Queens as a surname is not in question for me. xD

Anyway, those are good points on the gender aspect. Maybe I overthought that aspect due to how it impacts me and concerns of perception, but yeah, it sounds like "Queen" or "Queens" would work. Will probably go with "Queen" so that it matches my username better and so there's fewer questions on what "Queen" means in my username.

Main reason for not using "the Queens" is so people don't see it in (for example) a story title and go "oh, stories about royalty!", when noooope. (I may or may not have made that assumption before on other new stories. xD So I try to avoid it when I can.)

DeQueen
LeQueen
No. xD The second one is slightly closer to "lil", but still no. xD

[RielCZ]

Jun 30, 2024 12:27:04 GMT -5 Gelquie said:

Might be cool to read the idea, though!

It's a silly idea; apologies in advance for butchering characterizations and/or tone.

SPOILER: Click to show

Panel 1:
Gimmer bursts through the door.
Gimmer: "Hey Queens!" =D 

Panel 2:
Daydream: Hey!
Flower: Hey.
Indal: Slay!

Panel 3:
Seep (uncertainly): Queen? IDK, I don't present as--
Indal: I'm just glad someone finally recognizes my FABULOUSLESSNESS *hair flip* 

Panel 4:
Gimmer (reassuringly): No, it's OK, it's not queens as in women, or even royalty. It's just, that was the surname of our ex-owner, and I think it would be nice to give us all a unifying moniker. 

Panel 5:
Gimmer: And, after some discussions, it would be more on brand than "Neofam".
Gimmer winks at the camera.

Panel 6:
Daydream (excitedly): I like it! So, what's our first order of business today, Queens?

Panel 7:
Indal ((faux) combatively): Let's go challenge Queen Fyora for her throne! 8D
Gimmer: :/ Again, not that kind of queen.