Shadow Play, Chapter 6

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

The wind swirled again, and this time it did not stop. Deep purple magic sliced through the air in front of them, the shadows seemed to shimmer, and from out of nowhere stepped a Halloween Kyrii.

This, however, was no ordinary Halloween-painted Neopet. He was a hulking beast who stood almost two and a half metres tall, shorter and a bit leaner than Isengrim because Kyrii were naturally smaller than Lupes to begin with, but that did not keep him from being imposing. He looked rather like the Kyrii equivalent of a Werelupe, and Terra wondered if that was exactly what he was.

But that was not the strangest thing about him. His fur and mane were laced with veins of glowing violet magic that surged with energy and seemed to be a manifestation of the power running through him. Even his bright green eyes contained purple streaks. Unlike Isengrim’s breeches made of skins, this Kyrii wore an old-fashioned shirt and trousers, an equipment harness, and a heavy cloak lined with thick fur. The topside of the cloak was curiously decorated with elaborate embroidery in floral designs, and Terra wondered about the strangely ornate apparel.

“King Isengrim,” the Kyrii said with a nod before surveying the others. “Is zhis the family you wrote of?” His voice was deep, but quiet, as though he knew he did not have to be loud to be heard, and he had a rolling accent very reminiscent of Count Von Roo’s.

Isengrim put a paw on Terra’s shoulder. “It is,” the Werelupe said. “It is good to see you well, Zoltan.” He extended his other paw to the mage. “This is my old ally, Zoltan Arnyek.”

 

 Having your mom save some of your prize money seemed like a good idea on paper, but...

 I was listening to an episode of a paleontology podcast where they were discussing the possibility of dinosaurs having eyebrows, and this was where my mind went and then I just had to draw it.

The discussion was an offshoot of the (more plausible) possibility that dinosaurs had "whiskers" (actually feathers that function similarly to whiskers as seen in quite a few modern birds and eyelashes (as the ostrich famously does). I have drawn both, actually. I love a good fluffy dino.

 Someone once asked game director Junichi Masuda what would happen if a human ate a Rare Candy, and he said Rare Candies were probably edible for humans but wouldn't taste very good to us.

I suspect if humans tried eating supplements meant for Pokémon, there would be... side effects.

 After drawing that first clickbait cartoon, I just got hit with a flood of ideas for more questionable science news articles. First off, another one making fun of how news outlets feel the need to shoehorn T. rex into absolutely every paleo news story. And making fun of how undeservedly overlooked invertebrate paleontology is. Squishy things and things with exoskeletons need love too! <3

Another level of joke here is that this creature appears to be the first known bilaterian, which is a huge deal if you know what bilaterians are and how invertebrate paleontologists are trying to trace the origins of animals. But savvy news websites know the lay public only cares about T. rex. ;)

 One last cat scientist (for now)! Given Benjamin Franklin's famous kite experiment (which, contrary to popular belief, he conducted as safely as possible), I just knew his cat equivalent would use the opportunity to do something incredibly dangerous, as cats are wont to do.

Cats need to just stay inside and let me spoil them.

Shadow Play, Chapter 5

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6

Terra woke up rather later than she would have liked, but given what had happened last night, she would allow herself all the sleep she needed. Blynn was not in her bed, but the girls’ luggage had been brought into their room. Terra wandered groggily out of the bedroom to see her Neopets sitting at the table in the flat’s dining nook.

“Gooooood morning!” Blynn chirped. “I brought you your stuff!”

“Thanks,” Terra said with a tired grin. “I’m guessing that means the Defenders made it back okay.”

Isengrim nodded. “It took them an hour to return,” he said. “There was an… altercation at the hotel. Vile had sent more henchpets, as Tally predicted.”

Terra’s smile dropped. “Fantastic. Is everybody okay?”

“Thankfully, yes,” Hyren said. “The henchpets escaped, but the Defenders were able to protect all the civilians—and get our belongings back to us unscathed. I guess these guys really are more than just colourful costumes and corny catchphrases.”

“Of course they are!” Blynn said, pounding the table with a paw. “Don’t you read the comics?!”