The Shadow of Takeryuu, Chapter 1

After I wrote The League of Adventurers, I realized the campaign and characters that the Neoquest crew were cooking up sounded like a really fun story. So I decided to just go all-out and write it as a full-blown narrative.

Since college, I've been really interested in East Asian history and culture, and I wanted to try something a little different here. Shenkuu in canon seems to be very much based on medieval East Asia, such as feudal Japan and the Ming Dynasty, so I thought it would be fun to write a story set in ancient Shenkuu with the flavor of Qin Dynasty China, Yayoi-era Japan, and Three Kingdoms-era Korea. I also wanted to write a Neopets story with the feel of a wuxia fantasy novel, with four intrepid underdog warriors setting out to fight injustice. Also, the prose sounds a more old-fashioned than usual because I wanted the story to have the feel of a Chinese classic translated into English in the early 20th century. Yeah, I put way too much thought into all of this. :)

I think the story is even more fun if you imagine that this is how the actual Neoquest campaign played out--it's honestly pretty easy to figure out which characters in this story correspond to the Neoquest players. Also, yes, the Yuezhi in this story is the same character as in Worth Searching For. I purposely left it ambiguous as to how much of her role in this story Blynn made up. It's entirely possible that she and Yuezhi kept in touch and Yuezhi ended up telling Blynn about some of her past.

I didn't change much in this revision from what got into the Neopian Times, mostly a few minor prose alterations. However, I did completely change Eunji's and Ganzorig's conversation with Takeryuu during the climax to give Takeryuu a little more character development, as well as get a few more jabs in at tyranny and legalism.

Chapter 1

Thousands of years before Neopia’s present day, the Circle of Twelve, with the wizard Jahbal at their head, rule the Great Empire in the area of what is now Neopia Central. But the Circle have overstepped their bounds and begun misusing their power, succumbing to greed and anger. Even now, the southern city of Kal Panning plans for a revolt, but it will not end well for them.

Meanwhile, far to the west, on the other side of the Mountains at the End of the World, lies Shenkuu.

Life at the Lotus Mountain Temple was bliss for Eunji. The faerie Vandagyre could feel the harmonious energies of the area flow and meld with the rocky crags, the ancient pines, the mists that twined through the valleys below, and the merrily painted pillars and roofs of the temple. Bright colours attracted positive energies, Master Cheol always said. That was why Eunji and the other geomancers kept the temple well-painted.

Eunji’s pink wings flittered as she bounded up the narrow wooden steps to the waterfall where the acolytes obtained their daily water. Chores were a joy at Lotus Mountain Temple. Everyone’s work helped keep the place running, and through their joint efforts, harmony was maintained and energy flowed as bounteous as a river.

A pole stretched across her shoulders with large pails on both ends, and Eunji deftly kept her balance on aged steps that wound up the cliff, hugging the sheer rock. Even had she not possessed wings, the distance to the valley below would not bother her. Master Cheol had taught them the importance of being stout-hearted, as immovable as these great mountains.

 

Giving Day at Black Keep, Chapter 1

This story came about because I just had so much fun writing The Spirit of Black Keep that I wanted to revisit Kass and Black Keep and see how they were getting on. It was also the holiday season and I just wanted to write something festive and fun about a group of friends simply enjoying each other's company. 

In fact, this story was originally conceptualized as just what ended up being the first chapter. But as I introduced Celice's dysfunctional family and had Kass tease the prospect of them interacting with Terra's quirky clan, I realized I couldn't just talk about the possibility of that happening and not deliver; hence, the story ended up being about three times as long as I had expected. Not that I'm mad.

I had a lot of fun writing Black Keep as an actual functional castle; I imagine it's actually a rather nice place to live when it's not being utilized as a video game dungeon. Plus, with Celice and her interactions with her family, I wanted to send a message about the importance of putting up boundaries and communicating clearly, and not assuming that your relationships with those closest to you don't need any work just because you've known them all your life.

I had way too much fun writing Celice's terrifying nieces and nephews. Kids are wonderful and unsettling all at once. Also, I'd teased at Celice being a member of the nobility since her first appearance where she introduces herself as "Lady Celice Anfel", so I thought now would be an opportune time to really explore that and show where she was coming from in Draik Expectations, and how family pressures molded her into a workaholic.

Just made a few minor edits to this one from the version that got into the Neopian Times; mostly some prose fixes, as well as a few tweaks to the characterization to better get the story across and make sure it was all consistent with the updated versions of previous fics.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4

“This is fantastic, Kass, just fantastic!” Celice Anfel the white Lupe said to her Darigan Eyrie friend as they strolled down the wintry, holly-bedecked streets of Market Town, laden with bags of groceries.

Lord Kass looked over at her and smiled. Her tail was high and there was a spring in her step as her boots splashed through piles of slush on the cobblestones. Although the sorceress had a penchant for sarcasm, he could detect none of it now.

“I must say,” he said, “I didn’t take you as one to enjoy Giving Day.” Shifting the weight of the groceries in his arms, he adjusted the striped scarf around his neck—an important gift from an important friend. The heavy aroma of warm mince pies wafted up from one of the bags, making his mouth water.

 

Fall From Grace

I always thought Xandra from the Faeries' Ruin plot was a really compelling villain. She's not all "muwahaha gonna take over everything because EVIL" like Dr. Sloth, or avaricious like Captain Scarblade; rather, Xandra is on a twisted social justice crusade. She used to be the faeries' best student, but something happened to turn her against them, and I found myself wondering what that might have been.

I also wanted to take this opportunity to lay out some ideas I'd been tossing around, actually since Worth Fighting For, concerning the ancient history of the faeries and why there are old faerie weapons scattered around Neopia but nobody seems to know why. So, even though this story about Xandra on the surface doesn't seem to be at all related to the adventures of my main Neopets cast, it contains some important lore that plays a role in those stories. That's why I decided to include it here.

There are some important questions raised in this story that I think are even more relevant now than they were when I wrote this, about the ethics of digging up dirt on someone just for the sake of knowing the truth, and about not forgiving people, even when they're trying to fix things. Nobody is perfect - not even very good people - and I think it's wrong to pass permanent judgment on people based solely on their mistakes, especially if they've tried to make things better. (Astute readers will also notice that Fyora never actually did anything wrong and has always been a benevolent ruler, but Xandra decided to detest her because she was a faerie and therefore had to be evil in Xandra's mind.)

This story is also about the dangers of deciding you're a special snowflake who is above the rules. Xandra didn't have any reason to go snooping around the faeries' private business except to satisfy her own curiosity and nurse her wounded pride, both of which are very bad reasons to go sticking your nose where it doesn't belong. Xandra claims the faeries betrayed her trust, but she is an unreliable narrator--if one reads between the lines, Xandra's really the one who betrayed the faeries. Of course, she's completely unable to see it that way because she's so convinced she's right and they're wrong. Hence, the title of the story is a double entendre--while ostensibly the narrative is about the faeries falling from Xandra's high opinion of them, the subtext is that Xandra herself has fallen from being a friend of the faeries.

As to whether it was right for Fyora to cover up the faerie wars, I'll leave that to the reader to think about. Contrary to what Xandra claims in the narrative, Fyora never lied to her or to anyone, but there are certainly subjects she's not comfortable discussing and wishes to remain in the past. I imagine the faerie wars were traumatic for everyone involved, including the faeries, and it's something they don't like to be reminded of (they can't forget the wars, though, for reasons I elaborate on in a future fic). So it's questionable for Xandra to assert that the faeries shouldn't hide anything from Neopets (or, more specifically, terribly clever Neopets like her) if there's sensitive information that isn't actually necessary for them to share.

Lots to think about with this one. That's why I enjoyed writing it.

Also, I know in canon the Library Faerie has been named Seshatia. I wrote this years before her canon name was revealed, and I don't even play the website anymore so I don't feel like changing it. I'm sure there's lots in my writing that contradicts more recent canon material, but I don't feel like trying to make it fit. These fics are kind of an ode to the way Neopets used to be and I don't feel like muddling that with newer franchise lore.

Also, I'm annoyed that recent content shows the Library Faerie using a wheelchair or crutches. It's not that I have anything against characters with disabilities, but a faerie, of all things, really? Aren't they supposed to be magical? And can fly? It's one of my fantasy and sci-fi pet peeves when characters have physical disabilities in a universe where the technology/magic clearly exists to either fix or adequately compensate for those those disabilities. If Neopia has potions that can instantly restore hundreds of health points to a Neopet, imported Virtupets technology that far surpasses that of modern Earth, and a sizeable community of highly skilled magicians, why in the world is someone using an ordinary wheelchair to get around?

It's not that I don't want people with disabilities to feel seen and included in the media, but it's really important that fiction writers keep in mind what would make sense according to the state of technology, fantasy/sci-fi elements, and overall rules of a universe. Think of how much it would break suspension of disbelief if, for example, there was a smallpox outbreak in the Star Wars universe, or Thor broke his leg and spent an entire Marvel film hobbling around in a cast. I think one of the reasons why imaginary worlds appeal so much to people is because they're places where we can temporarily escape from a lot of our real-world problems and let our spirits run free. I don't see anything wrong with a fantasy world where nobody is disabled because the technology and magic exists to fix those disabilities. 

(As a former huge Star Wars geek, I learned that the franchise is very intentional about not having anybody wear glasses in the Star Wars universe because it's implied that the technology to fix vision problems has existed for thousands of years and is ubiquitous throughout the galaxy. And as cute as glasses can make somebody [shameless plug], I have to say that it would be nice to go through life not having to rely on two pieces of glass perched on my nose for the world not to be blurry. It doesn't offend me or make me feel excluded that nobody in Star Wars wears glasses. That's just the way their universe works.)

I'm also just not a fan of the idea of faeries being susceptible to mortal frailties. I liked them better when site lore portrayed them as extremely powerful, mystical, and immortal entities, pretty much akin to demigoddesses, not just sparkly women wearing nightgowns (with wings that only exist for show, apparently). It's one of many examples of things I dislike about the direction the newer creative team has been taking the franchise and why I stepped away from it. It really bothers me when a new generation of writers and artists steps in to take over from the team that built a fictional universe, and proceeds to completely misunderstand what made that universe interesting and fun to begin with. I've been seeing Pokémon kinda struggle with the same things lately and it's worrisome.

“Good morning, Xandra,” said the Library Faerie to the speckled Xweetok who’d just walked through the doors of the royal libraries of Faerieland. The brown-haired, bespectacled Faerie placed one last book on the volumes she was sorting and then smiled over at the young witch.

“Good morning, Sybella,” Xandra said, returning her smile as the Xweetok adjusted her own spectacles. Her arms were full of books, as usual. “I’ve come to return these and check out more.”

Sybella’s eyes widened. “More? But you just checked those out last week!”

“I read too quickly,” Xandra said with a sigh as she placed the books on the front desk.

 

The League of Adventurers

Writing Roll for Initiative was a supremely enjoyable experience, and a few years later I found myself wanting to pen more tales of a bunch of weird geeks doing tabletop roleplaying. I thought it would be fun to get Celice involved because she usually takes herself so seriously, I decided it would be hilarious if she was one of those people who really cut loose when roleplaying and get super into it. I also wanted to show that Pharazon doesn't care for Neoquest and that's okay--it's not for everyone.

This story doesn't really have any Life Lessons or big moments in character development--it's just pure fun. But, it also sets up for a longer story I wrote a few months later. When I wrote The League of Adventurers, I honestly wasn't really planning on doing anything else regarding Blynn's Shenkuu campaign... but the more I thought about it, the more I realized how fun it would be to write the plot of that campaign as an actual in-universe happening. But I'll save the details of that for when I add it to the blog. :)

Edits here from the Neopian Times version are minimal, but I did take out any mention of Hyren and Isengrim still slightly being at odds with each other, because I'd thoroughly erased that part of their dynamic with the revisions I'd made to Worth Searching For.

On yet another cold, rainy afternoon in the month of Storing, Hyren sat in his comfortable library in his Altador villa, smugly ignoring the inclement weather as a fire roared in the hearth and his family and allies relaxed around him.

The blue Grundo’s faerie Draik brother Pharazon and Pharazon’s friend Celice were perched on one of the sofas, reading through a stack of books they’d bought earlier that day, and occasionally making comments to one another about whatever they were studying at the moment. Their sister Blynn was—well, Hyren wasn’t quite sure, but the disco Zafara was probably off doing Blynn things like trying to set a new puddle-jumping record or baking quintuple-chocolate cookies.

Hyren, meanwhile, was locked in a rather intense round of Armada with his owner and the Werelupe King. Hyren enjoyed Armada—it reminded him of his days in Dr. Sloth’s Virtupets military. Virtupets programmers had developed a similar game, and Hyren had purchased it for his electronic devices in order to relax during rare down times in his operations. It utilised the Virtupets information networks to pit players against each other, and Hyren took pride in his elevated place in the rankings. He’d taken naturally to the game because the strategy involved was similar to what he employed as a commander of troops.

 

The Holly and the Ivy, Chapter 1

Time for a little holiday cheer!

I really enjoyed writing the Caxton Bank chapters of Worth Searching For, and it made me want to do more with the characters. I thought it would be fun to write a Christmas Giving Day story that draws less from the Victorian Christmas traditions that much of modern celebration is based on, and more from medieval British customs and folklore, as befitting the Meridell region. "The Holly and the Ivy" (the carol) is based on very old English Christmas traditions, so it seemed suitable as the inspiration for this tale.

I also wanted to follow up on what was established about Caxton Bank in Worth Searching For, and show that although the Werelupes started off on the wrong foot with their vassals, their relationship has grown and improved, and it's making everyone's lives better.

I admit I was pleasantly surprised by how little I actually had to edit this one to bring it up to speed with my newer writing. Aside from just a handful of minor prose fixes, I also slightly altered a few details to fall in line with what I later established as canon.

Have a happy and blessed holiday season, everybody!

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2

“Don’t go outside in winter,” Nan’s mother always told her. “There’s a reason most Techos are born on Mystery Island instead of the woods of Meridell.”

“But Mum!” Nan would say, tracing pictures on their fogged-up windows with her blue reptilian fingers. “All the other children get to play in the snow!”

Her yellow Uni mother would then pause from her mending and stoke the fire. “That’s because they’re warm-blooded, love. If you get too cold you’ll fall into torpor, and you won’t wake up ‘til Running.”

“Running?! But I’ll sleep right through Giving Day!” That was all the incentive Nan needed to stay in their cottage until the snows stopped. And that was how winter went in the little hamlet of Caxton Bank, nestled in the foothills of the Werelupe Woods.

Most years, anyway.

The Spirit of Black Keep, Chapter 1

Rather typically, it seems, for my story construction process, this tale came together from several originally separate ideas that I realized would work really well in a plotline together. 

Pharazon had gone through some very interesting character development during Worth Searching For, which also introduced the idea of him starting to use magic. The fact that his unlocking his magical potential came about during a traumatic experience begged for some follow-up. What to do when you're a budding wizard whose first experience with magic went horribly wrong? Get sent on a quest of self-discovery, of course!

I'd also been writing quite a bit about Terra, Hyren, Blynn, and Isengrim, so I wanted to challenge myself to write a story where they don't appear at all in-person, so I could focus on giving Pharazon some overdue development. I admit I was feeling a bit bad about basically giving him the short end of the stick in Worth Searching For as an utter liability of a protagonist (turned accidental antagonist), so I wanted to write about him overcoming some of his weaknesses, not repeating past mistakes, and becoming the hero of his tale. It was also nice to give Celice a bit more development, as well as being able to write her and Pharazon actually palling around, since in her debut story they got off to a quite rocky start, while they were separated for most of Worth Searching For.

I had also been wanting to try my hand at writing Jhudora; I like the idea of her not being an evil faerie, just a rather grouchy and solitary one. I thought that sort of personality would play nicely against Pharazon, as well as giving him a sketchy mentor figure to offer him vague and frustrating - but ultimately helpful - advice. And no spoilers about the other member of the main cast, but his appearance and character arc came from some musings I had about the Battle for Meridell plot, the abilities of The Three, and what exactly happened to Lord Darigan between Champions of Meridell and Battle for Meridell. I felt like these characters and what I wanted to do with them worked really well in this particular adventure.

I should mention that this fic was nominated for Most Heartwarming in the 2016 Neopian Times Awards. I'm very pleased that people enjoyed it!

As far as revisions go, there wasn't a whole lot I drastically changed about this one from what got into the Neopian Times. Besides the usual prose fixes, I toned down Celice's personality a little in the beginning chapters to make her less snide (she's still plenty bossy, though), and I also slightly altered a few conversations and inner monologues to better bring home the points I was trying to get across.

 Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7

Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11

The reason he’d gotten himself into this, Pharazon decided, was because he could never say “no” to anything.

The faerie Draik perched on the edge of the bed in his cabin in a Shenkuuvian sky-ship, staring at the letter in his claws, not really seeing the words so much as coming to the realisation that he was hopelessly wishy-washy.

He’d go along with anyone just to avoid a quarrel—and even then he’d peter out somewhere along the way, retreating to the safety of merely existing. Really, he just wanted to sit and read all day. No adventures for him. The world was so much safer from the library of his family’s Neohome.

Farewell to Lynwood

Suhel originated as a supporting character in Worth Searching For, and I had no plans for her beyond needing someone to be Isengrim's second-in-command and to fulfill her role in the plot. However, as I continued to write about the cast, I couldn't stop wondering about Suhel's past. In my headcanon, Werelupes usually happen as a result of normal Lupes going "feral", and I wanted to explore another case of that and give Suhel a bit of a different past than Isengrim, but one that still explains her attitude toward the outside world, and why she so highly values being a member of Isengrim's pack.

What I didn't anticipate was that this story would lead to further developments later down the road, but I'll have more to say about that when the time comes.

When revising this story for posting on the blog, I took the opportunity to greatly expand upon just what it was about Lynwood that made Suhel hate it so much, and her evolving relationship with Lexora. Working under the constraints of 4,000 words for a Neopian Times short story, I couldn't go into many details then.

For the record, Suhel has a Glaswegian accent, because I can get oddly specific about my characters.

From the moment Suhel Caradoc laid eyes on the Lynwood School for Girls, she knew she did not belong there.

The little Christmas-coloured Lupe poked out her snout from the window of her carriage, eyeing the grounds with distaste. The low-cut lawns stood behind signs saying “KEEP OFF THE GRASS”. The stately trees had been expertly trimmed to remove all low-hanging branches that might facilitate climbing. The school building itself was the most boring grey monolith Suhel had ever seen, as if not a single Neopoint of the construction budget had gone into trying to make it interesting or beautiful. At least Suhel’s parents’ house contained the expensive things they had bought to show off, but Lynwood seemed to scream dullness—or rather, to whisper it politely.

Suhel’s dark green ears drooped. Barring holidays, this was to be her home for the next seven years of her education, and she felt a pit of dread well up in her stomach.

Create Your Own Adventure

This is definitely one of the less serious entries in my Neopets fanfic corpus, but I'm including it here because it just plain amuses me. I also think it's a good bit of character development for Hyren, lest anyone think he went soft after defecting from Virtupets to save two socially awkward children. :) (There is also a teeny, tiny bit of lore in here that comes into play in a future fic, but my main reason for including this one is that I just think it's funny.)

As for how it came about, well, one day I was feeling nostalgic and was looking at stuff about Neoadventures, a whole sub-segment of the Neopets website dedicated to allowing users to create their own choose-your-own stories. That got me thinking about how they might actually work in-universe. And then for some reason, my next thought was "what would happen if Hyren decided to write one". Maybe because he's chock-full of old war stories.

Hyren may allegedly play the straight man to the rest of his kooky family, but he is quite weird in his own special way. :)

Edits made to this fic from the version that got into the Neopian Times are just a few minor technical fixes. I think I'm getting better at this crazy writing thing!

I always suspected that my Grundo had a sadistic streak. Years of serving as a commander in Dr. Sloth’s galactic marine corps will probably do that to you. But my hunch was confirmed the day Hyren brought home an Adventure Generator.

I was sprawled on one of the library couches in our Neohome, reading, when the little blue guy walked in and spread a scroll of parchment across the table. He looked it up and down and nodded satisfactorily, and uncorked a bottle of ink.

Hyren prefers to let his swords do the talking, so his sudden interest in writing piqued my interest. “What are you doing?” I asked from behind my copy of Destruct-O-Match Basics—that fiendish avatar keeps eluding me.

“Making a Neoadventure,” he said, dipping his pen.

I raised an eyebrow. “That’s new.”

Wildsong

Yes, but do you have a Gnarfas backstory? :)

If you'll remember, Gnarfas makes an appearance in Worth Fighting For, and it got me to wondering just how he ended up with the Werelupes, anyhow (Neopian canon says nothing about it). I decided to combine these ponderings with my weighing in on whether or not Balthazar is a Werelupe. While there's nothing in canon that says he is, multiple Neopian Times authors have written him as a Werelupe, and I decided to go with a little bit of both for an answer. :)

This is the story where I firmly establish the idea that Lupes can turn into Werelupes by doing something called "letting in the wild", which basically makes them into a more bestial version of their species. In my headcanon, this was the original method by which Lupes became Werelupes, and once the Werelupe condition was discovered, it became the object of curses and the like. Thus, while many Werelupes are "natural" Werelupes who just went feral, it is also possible for a Lupe to become a Werelupe by magical means. 

It's established in later stories of mine that Kyrii can also let in the wild and become Werekyrii (i.e. Halloween Kyrii), and that other species, while unable to become full Were-pets, also have the ability to turn feral to a certain extent, explaining Lord Darigan's transformation into the Bat-Thing during the Battle for Meridell plot, as well as the condition of a certain Eyrie in one of my future stories.

Because my inspiration likes to surprise me like this, it turned out that in my headcanon, Gnarfas and Balthazar both have ties to the wild. I also mentioned in Worth Fighting For that Balthazar paid tribute to Isengrim during Isengrim's pack's time in the Haunted Woods, and I really wanted to write a story about them palling around in the Woods, and about the nature of their friendship. (Being a former villain himself, Isengrim has a lot of ties with other canon villains that I find fun to explore.)

Another big element introduced in this story was Isengrim's current, "correct" personality. As I have mentioned several times in previous blog posts about my Neopets writing, in the original version of Worth Searching For, I established a personality and character development for him that, after writing a few more stories with that personality, I realized just wasn't what I wanted for his character. It made him a rather unlikeable person in Worth Searching For, and also someone that I found I didn't enjoy writing.

So I decided his personality needed a major rehaul, and introduced my new take on the Werelupe King in this story, which worked well because I got to portray him among friends and as the protagonist the whole way through. This Isengrim is friendly, compassionate, generous, and deeply concerned with protecting and taking care of his friends and anyone he feels is in need of help. He is much more capable of being a caring, committed, reciprocal friend and family member to his owner and adoptive siblings. And I think he is a much more likable character--I certainly ended up enjoying writing him a whole lot more, and he ended up becoming an integral part of my core Neopets cast. So I'm really glad I decided to make the personality change, even if it necessitated drastically altering a few previous fics.

This story received a nomination for Best Descriptions in the 2016 fan-voted Neopian Times Awards, which I'm really grateful for. I still think it holds up extremely well six years later, and I only made a few minor edits - technical fixes and a few tweaks here and there to line up better with later headcanon - from the version that originally got into the Neopian Times.

Night in the Haunted Woods falls with swiftness upon its victims.

It is not as many stories say—the forest is not rife with yowling spooks and ghoulish spectres at every turn. It is not a scaled-up version of a Neopia Central home’s Halloween decorations, which brashly proclaim frightfulness in the most colourful of fashions.

The terror of the Haunted Woods is quieter, more cunning than that. It lies in wait, never fully asleep, a brooding heaviness of barely-heard echoes and strange feelings in the air that taunt the mind until the Woods decides to reveal its darkest secrets. Something is out there – perhaps many somethings – that makes even the bravest and hardiest Neopet return from the Woods forever shaken.

Unless they are a Werelupe—and then at one time it was home.

Unbreakable Bonds

After spending some time exploring Hyren's past, my thoughts turned to Blynn. I wanted to write something in her point of view for a change and see what was really going on in that kooky little head of hers. Turns out Blynn is a surprisingly deep person, and this story explains the nature of her relationship with her owner, and that of Neopets and owners in general (see: Isengrim's backstory). 

I also had a lot of fun coming up with my own unique interpretation of how creating a Neopet might work. On the website, Neopet creation is extremely nondescript, consisting of just checking boxes and filling out information. Other Neopian Times authors have put their own creative spin on the process over the years, and I wanted to do something kind of cosmic that really hammers home the powerful bond between a created Neopet and its creator.

Terra is inspired by my own experiences as a painfully shy and anxious teenager who had a hard time making friends. For people like that, it's especially important to have friends who unconditionally love you and take you as you are. Blynn is a goofball not just because it's her nature, but because as Terra's original bestie, Blynn has made it her life's mission to make Terra laugh. On Terra's end of things, she learns an important lesson here that friendships aren't supposed to be one-sided, and a true friend won't place all of the responsibility for the relationship on your shoulders.

The revisions I made to this story before putting it up here are mostly minor prose fixes. I did expand Terra's and Blynn's conversation at the park to better explain aspects of Terra's personality and her social struggles. I would have liked to have done this originally, but the story was pushing the 4,000-word limit for Neopian Times short stories, so rather than have to break it up into a two-parter, I opted to try to make it more concise. (Now that I'm no longer working with a word count limit, I can expand things as I see fit!)

Dedicated to all members of the Neopets Team, past and present, whose hard work and creative genius have made Neopia a safe haven and source of joy for so many. Thank you.

Even back in Year 4, Neopia Central was a busy place.

Bustling crowds of shoppers hurried from one store to the next, or stopped to eat, or unfolded that week’s copy of the Neopian Times to read the conclusion to their favourite series. All of them had a Neopet or several by their side, crowded around their owners with enthusiasm, admiration, and sometimes a good-natured snarky comment.

Amid the throng, a young human girl strode with purpose. She was a simple pale-skinned teen, with her long copper hair tied back and her blue eyes hidden shyly behind glasses. Certainly, she did not stand out among her fellow owners.

But one thing made her different.

She was alone.

Never Again, Spiced Apple Pie, Chapter 1

I have this incurable problem where I come up with minor, incidental characters for stories, and then start wanting to know more about them. Virtupets officer Dothan Reebitz from Worth Fighting For was supposed to be little more than a connection between Hyren and Virtupets at a critical juncture in Hyren's character arc, and a personified reminder to Hyren of everything he grew to find distasteful about his position after his adventure with Terra and Blynn. Dothan also ended up helping save the day during the climax because I wanted to give him a little bit of follow-up. But it left me wondering how he was so familiar with Hyren and why Hyren didn't really seem reciprocal.

In addition - for those who have never played Neopets - the site's programming has an intentional quirk where you cannot feed a Neopet a food item that contains the same number of characters in its name as the pet does (much to the frustration of people going for the Gourmet Club high score). For the real (virtual?) Hyren, one of those items is Spiced Apple Pie, a space food from the Virtupets Space Station. I found this a little ironic, and I figured there was probably some sort of hilarious in-universe story behind why Hyren, a veteran space marine, refuses to touch spiced apple pie.

And you know those times when two initially separate concepts click together in your head and you realize they'd be awesome woven together into a plotline?

I enjoyed writing more about Hyren's time at Virtupets and as a mutant, and coming up with ways to effectively challenge a guy who's eight feet tall, a thousand pounds of muscle, commands his own entire branch of the military, and can beat anyone in a swordfight. Turns out Hyren is very susceptible to both food poisoning and emotional turmoil. :) This story also serves as a good lead-up to Worth Fighting For and explains why Hyren reacted the way he did in that story.

It's a testament to Hyren's toughness that he's able to do what he does in this story while also suffering from severe nausea. I experienced some chronic stomach issues for a few years before writing this story, so I guess part of what inspired it was knowing how it feels to have to function while constantly feeling sick to your stomach, and wanting to portray someone who has the willpower to do what needs to be done despite his own body fighting him.

As far as edits go, I didn't actually have to change much here. I think it was a pretty solid story to begin with, and it just needed a few minor technical fix-ups.

I should also mention that this story actually won a Neopian Times Award in 2016 for Favorite Protagonist (Hyren). The NTAs were (maybe they're still going?) annual awards given by members of the Neopets fan community for outstanding Neopian Times publications. I still feel deeply honored and grateful for that award. It was really satisfying to know that the stuff I was submitting to the Times was being enjoyed by others.

Fair warning, this story does contain a few mentions of throwing up, but I tried really really hard to keep it as non-graphic as possible.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

Grundo’s Café was as busy as ever. The canteen on the recreation deck of the Virtupets Space Station held a myriad of Neopets unwrapping their rehydrated chicken dumplings and carefully nibbling their electric nachos. Wall-mounted screens showed the latest in news and entertainment from around the galaxy, including an interview with some Alien Aisha musicians and the latest strike on Sloth’s forces on some far-flung world.

“Order up!” Gargarox, the chef-proprietor, hollered. A light blinked on the overhang above the kitchen, and the mutant Grundo slid a tray of food to a waiting Stopngo 400. The squat robot Petpet extended its mechanical arms to receive the tray, stomping off with it to one of the tables in the expansive diner. Gargarox turned back to the food synthesisers and picked up another dish, lumbering over to the long counter surrounding the kitchen to serve a patron sitting there.

It was at this counter that Hyren the blue Grundo and his owner Terra were perched, enjoying lunch.

“I can never finish these milkyway shakes,” Terra said, swinging her legs as they dangled from her stool. The copper-haired human woman set down a cup still half-full of a glittering dark beverage. “They’re so good… but so filling. Somehow.” She slid the shake over to the Grundo. “Want the rest?”

Hyren looked up from his beef rouladen and smiled. “Sure.”

It had been a good stay on the Space Station with his family. Relaxing, with the occasional chaotic hijinks, and a healthy dose of snark mixed in. It was what made his family the best in the universe.

Dances With Werelupes, Chapter 1

I've finally had the time to spruce up another Neopets fanfic!

This one came about when I was reading old issues of the Neopian Times and came across some stories and articles written about Neopia's annual Chocolate Ball. As I am a chronic chocoholic, I thought it would be really fun to try my hand at writing about Neopia's most chocolatey event of the year. And, hot off the tails of Worth Searching For, which sort of opened up a whole new can of worms for my recurring Neopets cast, I thought it would be really fun to write about Isengrim attending the ball as an attempt to integrate into Neopian high society, and Terra of course going along for the ride to help him out.

If you look this fic up in issues 698-699 of the Times, you'll notice that this revision is quite a bit different. The original version not only involved Isengrim's "beta" personality, but also had a plotline revolving heavily around him being socially awkward and Terra trying to do damage control.

Well, with his revised personality, a lot of that social awkwardness went out the window, stat. And in reading the fic again with more writing experience under my belt, I felt like the whole thing needed a more satisfactory character arc--for both Isengrim and Terra. What was kind of a throwaway bit in the first chapter about her feeling slightly intimidated by all the big names attending the ball, I expanded into a thread running through the whole story about Terra grappling with impostor syndrome. Some of the snooty guests at the ball don't exactly help matters, and Isengrim makes things more complicated when their treatment of his owner piques his ire. Now the story is about Terra and Isengrim both coming to an understanding of how they need to conduct themselves in public, as the heroes and leaders that they truly are.

I feel like these changes, while sometimes drastic (at one point I even rewrote an entire scene so that the incident happens to Terra and not Isengrim), give more meaning to the story and let Terra have her due time to learn some things and come off triumphant.

I also took out all mention of Lupes eating Chias, because that's a very old concept that was pretty much dropped from the official site lore after a few years, and the idea of one Neopet species eating another is just kinda weird. (When Neopets first started out, Neopets themselves were treated more like animals by the website, but time has seen them grow steadily more anthropomorphic.)

I'm anticipating needing to edit stories less and less as I move along to more recent stuff, but since I have the opportunity to revisit these older works, I'm taking the opportunity to spruce them up and make them something I'm really proud of and happy to share.

Also, I hope you all recognize the nerdy linguistic joke in the first chapter. It helps to know Welsh.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3

“This is an outrage!” Blynn said as she backhanded the front page of the Neopian Times. The disco Zafara’s magenta tail lashed behind her in frustration as she paced around the library of her family’s Altador villa.

Her faerie Draik brother edged over her shoulder to look at the headlines. “What’s an outrage?” Pharazon asked.

“This!” Blynn pointed to the largest text on the page: PREPARATIONS FOR ANNUAL CHOCOLATE BALL UNDERWAY. Beneath it was an illustration of the Chocolate Factory shopkeeper overseeing the decoration of an enormous dancing hall.

Pharazon’s brows pinched together in confusion. “Yes, that’s… that’s terrible, Blynn. My condolences. I think.”

Roll for Initiative

I finally had the time to upload another Neopets fic!

There's a bit of a story behind this one. In Worth Searching For, when Hyren and Blynn are in Brightvale, I inserted what was at the time supposed to be a throwaway joke about how Brightvalians are nerds who play Neoquest, which I portray in my body of work as a tabletop roleplaying game akin to Dungeons & Dragons.

However, when I was brainstorming things for Blynn and Hyren to do in Brightvale, I thought it would be great fun - and in-character - if Blynn actually started playing Neoquest.

Then, as I was writing the very emotionally exhausting final chapters of WSF, partway through I decided I just needed a brief change of pace, and I jotted down a cute, fun little story about Blynn starting to Quest Master her own campaigns at home after the events of WSF. It was the perfect breather before I dove back in to the epic climax of WSF. In some ways, this story also serves as an epilogue of sorts in a "what are they doing now" kind of way.

The first version of this story - which got published in the Neopian Times - reads somewhat differently. That version still had Isengrim with what I'll call his "beta personality", and the main gist of the plotline was him and Hyren just barely getting along while Blynn is trying to start a Neoquest campaign.

However, several years later I decided to revise it, and most importantly give Isengrim his current personality. Doing that, I knew the original conflict was no longer workable because he and Hyren now had a very different relationship dynamic by the point the story takes place, and in fact I ended up removing almost all conflict from the story, mostly making it about how everybody enjoys each other's company, and Isengrim and Hyren barely sorta argue about Isengrim wanting to create his Neoquest character his way.

When I took another look at the story in preparation for putting it on this blog--it just sort of fell flat. The depictions of happy fun times playing Neoquest were cozy and all, but it felt like there was no real cadence to the plotline, no sense of rise and fall, conflict and resolution. Obviously that's not something all short stories need, but with my now-vague hints of Isengrim and Hyren disagreeing, I felt like the second version was missing out on a great opportunity for character development and a good Life Lesson.

So I decided to fix this, and I ended up expanding the story a bit and giving Hyren a solid and prominent character arc, and now I think the story reads much more satisfactorily. Now it's about Hyren learning that just because he's the type of person who always wants things done a certain way to his exact specifications, doesn't mean everybody else will want those specifications--but that's okay, and a lot of the time it's more important to just let people enjoy something in the way that brings them happiness and fulfillment, even if it seems nonsensical or inefficient.

It was raining.

It was a crisp Storing evening in Altador, and it was raining, and Hyren was doing his best not to catch a cold.

The blue Grundo hated rain. But he found it easier to tolerate curled up on a plush couch in his family’s library, wrapped in a down comforter, enjoying the blazing heat of the fireplace, and sipping a mug of steaming borovan while reading the Neopian Times.

The rain could patter on the tile roof of their villa and stream down the tall windows as much as it liked, but it could never get to Hyren in here, and that made him feel superior and snug.

Worth Searching For, Chapter 1

I hope everybody's ready for some prodigiously long Neopets fanfic. :)

As per tradition, I'm going to give you a little director's-commentary breakdown on this story first. I started conceptualizing Worth Searching For as I was writing Worth Fighting For. Specifically, the seed of the idea came about when my very helpful editor for that story noted that I didn't really give the Werelupe King any motives in that story. That was something I hadn't really thought about--I just needed a reason for Blynn and Hyren to have to work together, and a turning point for Hyren to realize how much he really cared about the kids. So I decided that the Werelupe King wanted Terra to adopt him because he had actually been created by an owner and then abandoned, and like all tragically abandoned Neopets in Neopian Times stories, wanted to be adopted again super bad. I went more into his psychology in the short story "That Great Hunger".

Well, that made me feel really bad for him (not surprising), and I decided maybe Terra really would be a good owner for the Werelupe King, since she's so good at helping folks with her compassion and patience (see: Hyren). But I knew that bringing them back together again would require some fancy plot acrobatics that would take Terra and her family on an adventure from the streets of Shenkuu to the wild woodlands of the Meridell region, and it ended up giving Pharazon a pleasantly surprising amount of character development besides (which would carry over into later stories).

Incidentally, the story starts in Shenkuu because I was taking a class on East Asian history and kinda fell in love with ancient China, and just really really wanted to write something set in Shenkuu (if at least temporarily... but I would get my Shenkuu fix again in a much later story). Not even mad. I totally couldn't help but slip in Shang Dynasty oracle bones, which may hold the record for nerdiest and most obscure real-world historical reference to ever get into the Neopian Times. You're welcome.

Another reason this story came about was because I was going through a series of rough friend-breakups at the time, and really wanted to write a story about a friendship that worked, despite getting off to a rocky start. Writing can be really cathartic like that sometimes.

That being said, I went through a huge learning process with this story--specifically, with later realizing large parts of it simply didn't work. Whatever you do, don't read the version that got published in the Neopian Times--it's super cringey, and Isengrim and Terra are just not themselves at all, and, ugh. No. It doesn't work. (To be fair to my editor, she tried to tell me, but like I said, I was going through a rough time and not really thinking straight sometimes.) I did some very extensive revisions a few years back (you can find my notes on that under the "Neopets" tag, way back in 2017), but wanted to revisit the story before putting it on the blog because there were still parts I wasn't quite satisfied with (as I've been blogging about lately).

But now, finally, I feel content with it. The characters and their relationships are exactly what I feel they should be, as is the plot (and I think I ironed out all of the prose mishaps). I feel very proud and happy to finally present it on this blog, and I hope readers enjoy it. Because I sure had fun working on it.

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7
Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13 - Chapter 14
Chapter 15 - Chapter 16 - Chapter 17 - Chapter 18 - Chapter 19 - Chapter 20 - Chapter 21
Chapter 22 - Chapter 23 - Chapter 24 - Chapter 25 - Chapter 26 - Chapter 27 - Chapter 28
Chapter 29 - Chapter 30 - Chapter 31 - Chapter 32

“Look out!”

With a whistle and a bang, fireworks shot through a narrow alleyway. Multicoloured streams of sparks twisted over the paving stones, and silk-robed Neopets gave panicked shouts as they dived away.

The fireworks arced into the night sky, where they swelled into the fiery shapes of a Kazeriu, a Dandan, and a Pandaphant. The three phantasmal Petpets cavorted above paper lanterns and tile eaves, eliciting cries of awe from the streets below, before dancing to the roof of the Imperial Palace and fizzling out. A roar of cheers and applause erupted and then died as the crowd was swept into other festivities.

“So that’s what Shenkuuvian potsherds do,” said a disco Zafara standing in the alley as she twanged the rubber of her slingshot affectionately. “Different from the Lost Desert variety, huh?” she asked as she looked over at her companions with a toothy grin.

Terra peeled herself away from the wall. The pale-skinned, copper-haired, blue-eyed owner readjusted her glasses and brushed off the sleeves of her plaid flannel shirt, trying to look unruffled. “Blynn, next time you do that,” the young woman said shakily, “could you at least warn us first?”

“That’s it,” a blue Grundo said, stumbling out from behind Terra. “You get your magic slingshot privileges taken away for a week.” His antennae were flattened against his head as he pointed an accusing finger at his sister. Somehow, he did not quite cut the imposing figure he wanted to. Perhaps because he stood shorter than her by a good two centimetres.

 

Twenty-Four Hours

This short story is not strictly all that important in terms of character development or having a plot that ties in to later stories... but I thought it was cute and a fun part of Terra's family's saga.

It came about because I was reading old issues of the Neopian Times and came across the issue published after the first Mutant Day on Neopets--when the staff decided it would be hilarious to turn everyone's pets mutant-coloured for the day (except for those species who did not yet have mutant forms). I thought it was hilarious too. But other people didn't, so that was the first and last time that happened.

But when I was reminded of the incident years later, it made me think concerning Hyren's backstory which I had recently figured out, and how he'd probably be the only pet on Neopia overjoyed to become a mutant (again). So I think this story is a good bit of character development for him as he reaffirms what he values most in his life--and it isn't being big or strong.

Before putting it up here, I edited this story a fair bit from what got published in the Neopian Times; first off, because I was no longer working under a 4,000-word limit, I expanded a few things here and there to make the story make more sense. I also changed the ending to make Hyren more sympathetic to Blynn's plight because I feel like that's truer to his character.

25 Hiding, Y6

The first thing Hyren noticed when he woke up that morning was his legs hanging so far off the end of his bed that his knees bent and his feet touched the ground.

“What the…” the Grundo muttered. He sat up, wondering who had sawed off half of his bed while he was asleep—and it promptly collapsed underneath him.

The second thing he noticed was that his voice had taken a sharp turn for the baritone, and seemed to almost reverberate off of the dried bamboo walls of his Mystery Island bedroom.

“What’s going on…” Hyren said. He reached up to rub the sleep from his eyes—and froze midway. Because his hands were no longer blue and stubby.

They were dark green and the size of hams.

A bevy of thoughts and emotions whirled through his mind, struggling for dominance, and the one that breached the surface first was jubilation. “I’m back!” the suddenly mutant Grundo roared, leaping to his feet with a wild grin. His antennae brushed the ceiling.

That Great Hunger

I engineered this story specifically to make readers feel sorry for Isengrim, and if you don't then you have no soul. :)

This short story is important because it was really the seed for almost everything that came after Worth Fighting For--and I think the way in which it came about was a really wonderful illustration of how the creative process can work. I had a beta reader for my first draft of Worth Fighting For who commented that the Werelupe King in that story had no clear motives for wanting Terra to adopt him, so I remedied that by coming up with a backstory that he had actually once been created by an owner, and turned into a Werelupe after being abandoned by his creator. That unfortunate beginning gave Isengrim an (un)healthy dose of the Neopet equivalent of developmental trauma, which led to several neuroses.

And then I realized with a backstory like that, he needed a family again--for good this time. And thus I started brainstorming for the next long fic, Worth Searching For (which I will put up here eventually, but it's a whopper, over 30 chapters, so that will be a rather big project).

Anyway, that's why I appreciate this story so much. I feel like after this one I just kept writing about this cast and never looked back. It was a wonderful exercise in how a group of characters that you enjoy writing can just keep building and expanding, and their world along with them. Maybe someday I'll have an original fiction cast where that happens, but for now I'm really proud of what I accomplished with my Neopets characters.

This story was published in issue 639 of the Neopian Times, but I edited it a bit before putting it up here, mostly to make Isengrim's personality fit what I established for him later. It's kind of tough when you have an initial personality concept for a character that turns out not to work, but you only discover that after you've written several stories about them. But I think I did a good job editing those previous stories and helping everything flow more smoothly character-development-wise.

And yes, I know Isengrim's character design doesn't look too much like the canon character design for the Werelupe King. They are one and the same individual, but as I continued to write Isengrim he just kept looking more and more like this illustration in my mind's eye. I'm kind of not sorry about this because I rather like this design better, and I'm a little bit of a rebel when it comes to changing stuff I don't like. :)

Anyway, it's time for sad backstory!

Isengrim pawed through the forest undergrowth, a powerful scent lingering in his nostrils. Dropping to all fours, the Werelupe stalked through the shadows, silent as night itself. His shoulderblades rippled beneath his dark fur. He was on the trail.

“Milord,” said a female voice beside him.

“What is it, Suhel?” Isengrim asked. He did not have to see the other Werelupe to know she was there. He recognized her scent, and his quivering ears picked up every time her bare paws stepped on dead leaves, her bone-crafted armour brushed against branches, or she breathed quickly.

“Aren’t we too far away from the keep?” she asked. “I believe this is Hubrid Nox’s territory, sire.” They spoke in low whispers. Even though their quarry was far out of earshot, in the Haunted Woods, other things could be listening in. Maybe even the Woods itself.

Worth Fighting For, Chapter 1

This story holds a special place in my heart because it was really the turning point in not just my Neopets writing, but my writing career as a whole. Finishing this story helped me realize that I could actually write substantial stories start-to-finish - that long-form fiction wasn't an impossibly daunting task - and it inspired me to keep working on my novels. 

It was also the Neopian Times story that truly served as the catalyst for nearly everything that came after. With it, I tapped into a world and a cast that I became so deeply interested in that I couldn't help but want to explore them further, and the whole thing kept building on itself like some kind of wonderful literary snowball.

Ever since I'd adopted Dark_breed_Hyren as a teenager, I'd wanted him to have some sort of cool mysterious past, probably involving combat training because he was my dedicated Battledome pet. But everything I tried to come up with was kinda lame. After I took a break from Neopets for a while and came back to it in college, I found myself tinkering with the idea again, and settled on something that I actually liked--and that gave Hyren a lot of great character development. (And Blynn and Terra too, I guess. And also the Werelupe King? But that has more to do with "Worth Searching For" so I'll talk about that later.)

Another side note to this story is that I wrote it while going through an extremely rough college semester fraught with health issues and prodigious amounts of unnecessary stress (I don't recommend attempting that, not worth it). Plotting this story out in my head, and writing it down when I had the time, gave me something to cling to when it felt like the rest of the world had gone insane. So I have to credit this story for doing that. (Although nowadays I've learned that it's much pleasanter and more efficient to just take better care of yourself in the first place.)

Please note that this story does not read the same as what got published in the Neopian Times. I edited it quite a bit to bring it more up to speed with my current writing skills, and made it less intense because nobody needs that, seriously.

Enjoy!

Chapter 1 - Chapter 2 - Chapter 3 - Chapter 4 - Chapter 5 - Chapter 6 - Chapter 7

Chapter 8 - Chapter 9 - Chapter 10 - Chapter 11 - Chapter 12 - Chapter 13
Chapter 14 - Chapter 15 - Chapter 16 - Chapter 17 - Chapter 18 - Chapter 19
Chapter 20 - Chapter 21

Hyren woke up to voices outside his door.

“Hey, Blynn, isn’t tomorrow Grundo Independence Day?”

“Oh snaps, you’re right! How could I forget?!”

The diminutive blue Grundo rolled over in his bed to stare out the window of his room. An almost-full Kreludor, high in the sky, cast its silver light across undulating hills and towering cypress trees. His family had moved to Altador some years ago, from Mystery Island. His owner had been ecstatic over the rediscovery of a lost civilisation. Hyren was more excited to live in a place where it didn’t rain several times daily.

“What do you think Hyren wants to do tomorrow?” Hyren’s brother Pharazon asked from out in the hall. “Maybe we should throw him a surprise party!” The faerie Draik spoke in eager but hushed tones, as if not to wake Hyren.

“Ooh! Awesome idea!” their sister Blynn said. The disco Zafara, on the other hand, had a distinct lack of volume control.

Hyren smiled. With Blynn and Pharazon in cahoots, a party for him would be quite interesting indeed.