17th October, 2024
- Or maybe we’ll have to wait well AFTER Page 14 to see Jennumara or Drakara or whatever her name is. Page 12 of The Widening Void hits us with another curveball!
Baelia jumps right past the juicy stuff with “Then I lost my wings and became a Grey Faerie.” OOOOOOOOOH bless you, Baelia. Why would you keep that from us? Probably for suspense’s sake. The way Baelia words it, you might forget that Jennumara definitely for sure is the one who turned Baelia Grey. You might think “So did it just happen one day?” But NeoRyuuko reminds us that waaaaaaaaaaaay back in Page 8 of A Riot of Colour, Tavi specifically cites “the curse that Jennumara placed on her long ago.” So the mystery of how Baelia turned Grey isn’t that much of a mystery. We know it was Jennumara. And we probably didn’t get to see that part yet because they’re saving the Jennumara reveal for later. We’re gonna see her, and we’re gonna be like “OOOAAAAAH it’s the faerie from the teaser comic. But wait, who is ‘Drakara,’ then? Are they the same faerie?” That’s the “literary” reason. To keep us in suspense, to keep us speculating.
But why would Baelia herself not mention it? Was it not important to the story? Did she not seek out Jennumara to make her Grey and that whole thing was entirely unplanned by her? Because on the one hand, she almost certainly didn’t sign up to be imprisoned on a mountain. But on the other hand, the way she talks about it in the comic? It’s like she chose to become Grey. She definitely entertained the idea that it was a good thing to be Grey. Maybe she was deceived, and only wanted the Greying part, not the imprisonment.
Baelia looked at herself in the mirror. She felt like a loser. She thought that maybe if she looked like a loser as much as she felt like a loser, she would feel like a winner, maybe? But no, she doesn’t feel like anybody. She laments her failures. She keeps slipping up, she can’t get anything right or figure anything out! When suddenly, someone (not Tavi or Juni) shouts THAT’S ENOUGH! But who? Luxinia? There’s light coming from out of frame, and she glows. So maybe it’s her. Maybe after chapter upon chapter of dainty and delicate, Luxinia shows us her ferocity. But it could just as easily be the fire that’s glowing. Luxinia was being very gentle up until now.
So maybe it’s Nyx? But why is she yelling? She’s clearly had it with Baelia’s self-effacing, but from what place is this yelling coming? Again, we got 3 theories. First, maybe Nyx is shouting because she believes Baelia deserves more credit than she’s giving herself. Remember those moments of “emotional catharsis” that Neostaffer Jewel mentioned? Maybe this is one of them. Nyx unloads a Void Blast Barrage on Baelia’s self-hatred, she’s all like “Stop talking about yourself this way! Don’t you know that you’re awesome? You’re better than this and I believe in you, Baelia!” But while that might be nice… what has Nyx seen of Baelia that would make her think she’s awesome? She doesn’t know Baelia beyond these past few days/weeks/months. And Luxinia might not either, for that matter. You could argue it’s just the right and compassionate thing to do, to affirm positive self-esteem (even if by shouting it at people), but would they do that? Say nice things about Baelia because of the self-evident truth that Baelia must be valid and valued by somebody? Or maybe they’re impressed by the courage Baelia’s shown on this adventure. Jumping in front of that Grey Tsunami. “Don’t talk like that! You saved us from the tsunami! You need to start realizing that you’re a hero, Baelia!” Or maybe Nyx’s experience with Ozzy is what’s got Nyx shouting. “You remind of me Ozzy, and just like him you’re capable of more greatness than you know! Greys are not useless! YOU’RE not useless!” These aren’t the most “tactful” responses, but nobody’s perfect on this team. We’ve already established that Nyx is about action first, thinking second.
But SmudgeOfFudge has a different theory: Maybe Nyx will not be compassionate at all. We return once again to the observation that Nyx feels distant and separate from the rest of the group. Yelling at Tavi in Page 2, very obviously left out of the group on Page 5… Nyx has already shown insensitivity with Tavi, even if she doesn’t mean to. So the precedent is set. Maybe she shows insensitivity with Baelia. Because maybe Nyx is consumed by her own problems right now. Baelia probably does remind her of Ozzy. Maybe that ticks her off. Maybe she’s sick of the Greys, and their Grey agenda! She tries so hard, she worries so much about Ozzy. Does that mean nothing? Can’t he and people like him (Baelia) deal with the fact that you can’t always predict the weather? Not every day is gonna be picnic perfect, the rest of us aren’t walking into the Grey Ocean because of it. But instead of cutting her a break, dealing with that and understanding that she’s trying her best out here, Ozzy has unleashed the Neopocalypse. Because Nyx turns her back for a measly 20 years! The world is ending because Ozzy is a whiny baby and now Baelia’s being a whiny baby too??? THAT’S ENOUGH!!!
And finally, NeoRyuuko’s got a third theory, sort of a mixture of the two: Baelia says this is all her fault. But maybe Nyx feels like none of this would’ve happened if she hadn’t taken that space trucker job. If she had taken Ozzy’s concerns more seriously. Wasn’t there a job in Central she could’ve taken? Or at least on this planet? But no, she chose to go as far away as possible from someone who needed her as close as possible. Maybe instead of blaming Ozzy for “oversensitivity,” she blames herself for “insensitivity.” Which she does appear to exhibit. Even now, in whatever she’s about to say to Baelia. As speculated earlier, maybe Nyx is the one who feels like she isn’t contributing enough to the team. The one unable to make the “sacrifice play.” Not like Baelia. Not only did Nyx wake the Grey Painter inside Ozzy, but Baelia is catching Grey bullets while Nyx is trying to run. Tavi is ready to rush off and rescue Baelia while Nyx is trying to hide. The whole team is making sure Baelia’s okay while Nyx is off to the side in her feelings. Baelia isn’t useless, Nyx is useless. Or so she might think.
If Nyx is the one shouting, whatever she’s about to say is probably whatever was on her mind in Page 5. She looked guilty, if anything. Like she only had herself to blame. And with us being done with Baelia’s flashback and having 2 more pages to go, maybe this is where Nyx shares her backstory and how she feels like she let Ozzy down and everyone else down? Fulfilling the promise of the synopsis that the gang learns about “each other,” as opposed to just about Baelia?
Comic Prize is a Light Faerie Mirror, like Baelia owned once upon a time. Maybe she still owns it?
Here’s a wild one though: What if it’s not Nyx or Luxinia? What if it’s some third person who just showed up? Like Ozzy? He probably empathizes with Baelia at least a little bit, feels some feelings, has vested some interest in her. Furthermore, with a new chapter about to begin maybe it’s time for a new battle to start. Ozzy shows up with Vira and she unleashes more of her shades? But then that’s just it, Vira’s pulling the chain here. She might wanna bring more shades and paint to a new land, but how much time in their schedule do they have for Ozzy to stop and have words with the enemy? Also, how much damage do they do, unleashing shades on the Haunted Woods? Talk about fighting fire with fire! Yeah, it’s a wild one.
But if not the Woods, where are our villains headed next? Is the Council still tracking them? Maybe after Team Baelia failed to stop the attack on Central, they’re tagging in Jhudora and Illusen. Oh, to be there… maybe we’ll get to be when the next battle starts. - For now though, we’ve got the same ones we’ve had for the past month. Same battles, same shifts, and the same Essences, really. As these are places we’ve been before.
Moltara Caves
Top of the MountainHaunted Woods
Count as of 5:30 AM: 48,721,226.
From the looks of the Reports from the Front we spent about… 7 weeks in Brightvale, give or take. So depending on whether or not you wanna count the Clash Over Kiko Lake and the Neopia Central Skirmish as attacks on the same general area (Roo Island and Kiko Lake used to be considered “mini-worlds to the large Neopia Central area in the same way Geraptiku is a mini-world to Mystery Island”), we should be getting a new battle some time between “as soon as possible” and “on or around Halloween Night.” If there’s any night we need all hands on deck…
Have you seen the new addition to the Explore tab of the main Neopets menu? It’s got a dropdown menu now. Linking to the Explore map as usual, along with the two places you oughta be visiting frequently at this point in the content schedule: The Void Within, and the NC Mall’s Haunted Mansion. A “world” tab should link to the current “world” events, right?
_Hermes_32 and Orisasda have seen the new dropdown menu. Because they’ve been hitting the streets of Neopia and doing some investigating for you. As of 5:30 AM, Meridell and Moltara are missing. Meridell still has its “Meridell” header, but Moltara is totally blank now. Somebody workin’ on somethin’? Involving Meridell and Moltara? Or maybe it’s just because those two lands are next to each other in alphabetical order and somebody accidentally overhighlighted a string somewhere and hit delete. Maybe while they were putting in the new dropdown menu. Meridell and Moltara don’t have much in common otherwise.
Oh wait, they do have their plotly relevance in common. Moltara holds Moltara Obsidian. And Meridell was the first land to be Greyed out. Probably a tenuous connnection… but it’s also Halloween. Maybe they’re planning the Trick-or-Treat Bag giveaway for the year? Should be happening in just a week from now, if the pattern holds up. They like to give us a week before Halloween itself to get everything.
Anyway, watch this space for the latest on what, if anything, is happening with Meridell and Moltara. - SMALL UPDATE: It is 9:00 AM, and both Meridell and Moltara are restored. Moltara Obsidian is back in business.
Maybe we’ll hear from Monty again one day. Maybe even this Halloween. Are he and Malkus and Balthazar still under the umbrella of Vira and her faerie mistress? Or were they mere contractors for this one freelance job? Malkus has at the very least heard of this head faerie in charge, maybe he’s interested in new work? If the world is ending, you wanna be on the side that’s winning. And right now, the Void is winning.
16th October, 2024
- Baelia mentioned a time before she lost her wings and name, obviously she’s gotta tell us about it. Page 11 of The Widening Void takes us back to the past, to a Faerieland in the sky… and a Baelia with wings???
Also of note? Light Faeries come in other hair colors than blonde now. But Baelia, in her time, was blonde. And she always felt like something was wrong. Whenever she saw herself, it felt like someone else was looking back. Interesting… so Baelia was struggling with self-esteem/identity issues even back when she was a Light Faerie? In fact, this might even be where they started. Kinda turns the whole “Baelia should get her wings back, that’ll fix her” idea on its head. Baelia… while outwardly being a Light Faerie… maybe didn’t feel like a Light Faerie on the inside? A sort of “faerie dysphoria” if you will? But if not a Light Faerie, what did she feel like? Does she even know?
_Hermes_32 has an idea. What if she feels like an Earth or Water Faerie? Remember how last year’s Faerie Festival had Vira and her faerie mistress announcing themselves with the poisoning of Earth and Water Faeries? Why Earth and Water Faeries? This must somehow come back to one or both of those two types. And look at how Baelia stares up at those flying Petpets. Like maybe she doesn’t feel like wings are for her?
And look at her looking at herself in the reflection of the waters… perhaps wishing she were able to take to them like a Water Faerie would?
Maybe Baelia specifically got wings clipped as a sort of “affirming procedure.” Maybe she specifically sought Jennumara out for this procedure, and that’s how she ended up in her clutches! But the procedure was not what Baelia bargained for. She didn’t become a Water Faerie, Jennumara deceived her and she just turned Grey. And maybe now that Jennumara might be back, she announcing herself by attacking the kind of faerie that Baelia feels like/wants to be?
NeoRyuuko is also wondering if Baelia sought out Jennumara for the procedure. But she has an alternative theory: Baelia isn’t sure what sort of faerie she wants to be. She goes to Jennumara and asks her to help her become who she is on the inside. Jennumara then turns her into a Grey Faerie and holds her captive. Maybe this explains why we only see the one faerie even though there are at least two who might be tied to Baelia. Instead of the theory that Drakara is an alias of Jennumara or vice versa, maybe Jennumara isn’t the villain of this piece. Just a shrewd businesswoman. She technically fulfilled her end of the deal, she changed Baelia into a different kind of faerie. But then again, she did also hold her captive. Does she want Baelia back? Maybe that chapter of her life has passed.
NeoRyuuko also speculates that Baelia’s uncertainty about who she is/should be is why she’s still Grey. She and Tavi have been trying everything since they met, and nothing’s taken. Well, if Baelia doesn’t know her inner self, and hasn’t known for all these years? And that’s the one thing that hasn’t changed? There’s your issue! Maybe this is the way it works: Wings make the faerie, but to know thyself makes the wings. If Baelia knew herself, she could just will her wings back. Her “new name” will come to her if she can figure out who she is. Because if that’s not how faeries change form, what do they do when they feel like making a change? A Neopet has access to all manner of potions Strange, Morphing, and Transmogrification. There are no Water Faerie Morphing Potions. Does the Lab Ray even work on faeries? Maybe this is a unique struggle of faeries uncomfortable in their own skin, and what Baelia seeks is something many have dreamt of, but an astonishing few have ever attempted, let alone achieved.
SmudgeOfFudge has a third theory, and it stems from this question: Where did Baelia get those antennae? She didn’t have them when she was a Light Faerie. And what’s with those vestigial feathers? Are those what faerie wings look like when you clip them? Are Light Faerie wings actually feathered like a bird, and not scaly/membranous like a butterfly or other insect? What Smudge suggests is that Baelia went to see Jennumara in search of change, and what Jennumara offered her was a trade. Baelia gives up the parts of her body that don’t serve her in exchange for something Jennumara has that does. Ideally. It obviously didn’t work out, but for instance maybe Baelia didn’t want her wings and gave them up in exchange for something she would want.
But what Smudge also theorizes is that Jennumara probably didn’t benefit much from the trade either. Like maybe she was a Grey Faerie with no wings, traded with Baelia and got all of Baelia’s Light Faerie power and a set of wings, but it didn’t end up quite like she hoped. If Jennumara is the faerie we see in the 2023 Faerie Festival teaser comic, she… clearly got Dark Faerie wings out of the deal.
Leaving both Baelia and Jennumara with results they don’t want, but with different responses to the disappointment.
Three theories, but all agree on one thing: There’s a good chance Baelia went to see Jennumara on purpose. Will we see her in tomorrow’s comic?
Comic Prize today is a Light Faerie Wig. But that’s clearly not just any Light Faerie’s hair.
The synopsis said “the gang learns a little bit more about each other.” We got a maximum of 3 more pages left in the chapter and we seem to be committing to Baelia’s backstory now. “Each other” might be misspeaking a little. We’re learning about Baelia and we probably won’t have time to learn much about anyone else. Unless this is where it stops and we get a comic about Tavi or something? Then Luxinia, and then Nyx wakes up to wrap up the chapter? Probably not. - There is much to do, as usual. Battles, shifts, and Essences.Darigan CitadelLost DesertMaraqua
Count as of : 48,633,101
We’ll be hitting 50 million soon. And some of us will be hitting the final trophy tier, soon. Defying conservative “maximum potential points per day” projections, DiamondJirachi has over 54,000 points to his trophy. By Halloween Night he might be at 60,000. Would be a great night for Jennumara or Drakara or both of them to show up. Or maybe they’re the same faerie. Maybe we’ll find out in the next comic, if it involves Baelia going to see her.
Or maybe they’ll keep us in suspense. They usually do. Yeah, we’ll probably have to wait until Page 14 or something.
15th October, 2024
- Oh dear, looks like it was a “crying” sob, not a “sleepy” sob. In Page 10 of The Widening Void, the weight of Baelia’s responsibilities as the one who will, SOMEHOW if you believe Fyora, save us all from the Grey… break her. And we start to learn a little bit more about Baelia’s past. But only a start.
If you were wondering back during Escape the Grey what Baelia’s actions had accomplished? Well, so is Baelia. As a Grey Neopian, she struggles with self-worth even in the offseason. But now that the world is ending? And it’s her job to save it? For what it’s worth, Tavi and Luxinia and Juni are here for her. It would be easy, and maybe even the right thing to do, to reassure Baelia of her worth. How’d the affirmation go? “Looking inside, gaining hopeful thoughts?” But what’s interesting is, Baelia says she was supposedly “useless” even before she lost her wings. What does she mean by that? Are we gonna start to hear about Baelia’s backstory from when she was a Light Faerie? Or whatever flavor of faerie she was before she lost her wings/name?
And speaking of backstories, Baelia remarks that someone has lost as much as she has. Who is she talking to? It wasn’t clear to us at first, we thought maybe she meant Neopians in general. And the loss of the color in our world. Probably not talking to Luxinia, right? Does Baelia know about Luxinia? Who knows what about who? NeoRyuuko clarifies some things for us. Baelia is probably talking to the person here she knows the best: Tavi. Sounds like Tavi has lost something, and this is a story she’s shared with Baelia but not the rest of us yet. Sounds like this is what the rest of the chapter is gonna be about. Talking about Baelia and Tavi’s backstories. But NeoRyuuko reminds, Luxinia has also lost things. Maybe Baelia knows this, maybe she doesn’t, but Luxinia was frozen in crystal for who knows how long and woke to a destroyed Faerieland and years of her life lost. Kinda like Nyx. Nyx and Luxinia are both women out of time. Yeah, sounds like we’re headed for a group therapy session where everyone dumps their trauma into the campfire.
But will Nyx get to share? There’s still the matter of what was eating her back in Page 5. We’re still gonna talk about that, right? But with Nyx asleep while everyone else is sharing, NeoRyuuko is starting to wonder what The Widening Void means as a title. If not a “void” between Nyx and other members of the team. Her being asleep right now feels like a deliberate literary step. She’s asleep, she’s not gonna be around for the conversation that’s about to happen. And Nyx only grows more distant from the group. It would be a shame, though. As mentioned earlier, Luxinia and Nyx both have losses in common. At the very least we should someday learn why Nyx looked so bothered. NeoRyuuko suggests maybe Juni can bridge that void, if that’s what things come to.
Comic Prize is a Grey Violin? Maybe a little insensitive? Baelia’s baring her soul right now, is the implication playing her a sad song on the world’s Greyest violin?
What do you suppose happened in Baelia’s past that makes her think she was useless even before she was Grey? Is it just Grey hindsight dulling Baelia’s outlook? SmudgeOfFudge thinks it might be that Baelia might’ve been special among faeries even back then. Like maybe she was a Light Faerie, but not that bright. Not as bright as other Light Faeries, but not dark enough to be a Dark Faerie. And this informed her low self-esteem from an early point. Kinda like Nomi from the unfinished and potentially-not-canon Nomi’s Quest. Maybe, like Nomi, she went looking for a way to improve her abilities, that led her to Jennumara, and then she got her wings clipped.
Self-improvement is nice and all, but maybe there’s something to learn from the moral that no one’s perfect. Smudge thinks that might be a lesson to learn from all this. We’ve all got flaws, just look at Luxinia. As radiant as she is, she’s not super handy in a fight. But she doesn’t have to be. And Baelia doesn’t have to be either. She doesn’t have to be anyone but herself. And so we return to the possibility that Baelia won’t be un-Greyed. She’ll learn to be happy as she is. And it starts with tonight’s therapy session. - After story comes dailies. Battles, shifts, and Essences.FaerielandDarigan CitadelBrightvale
Count as of 11:30 PM: 48,305,294
Voidworks isn’t really related to the plot anymore, as far as we know. But if you’re interested, a new “Voidworks Technician” avatar was released recently.
It’s not clear how to unlock it, but maybe try playing every day and see if you get it. Maybe you’ll enjoy the avatar more than whatever you might’ve gotten for completing all of Act II’s Fearless Deeds. You really gotta ask, how long do you expect to keep this up? How long are you meant to keep this up? You might be approaching the final trophy, after that, you’re truly only here for the story, right? And the truly “fearless deed” of standing with Jhudora and Illusen and Orion and everyone else to save Neopia.
14th October, 2024
- Off day between story parts. But plenty of battles, shifts, and Essences.NeoviaMaraquan RuinsKreludor
Count as of 4:15 AM: 47,708,826.
One week left in the The Widening Void, now counting the end of chapter warning. So if today is the 14th… and Chapter 7 starts on the 21st… and the end of chapter warning is on the 20th… then in order to keep up this pattern of all chapters being either as big or bigger than the preceeding chapter, we can skip no more days. Escape the Grey was 14 pages long, in order for The Widening Void to be 14 pages long, the schedule must play out as follows…
October 14th: Off day
October 15th: Page 10
October 16th: Page 11
October 17th: Page 12
October 18th: Page 13
October 19th: Page 14
October 20th: End of chapter warning
October 21st: Chapter 7
But maybe this chapter will just be smaller than the others. If it is, though, when do we get to the part where the group starts finding out about each other? There’s 5 members to the team, and 4 of them can talk! Surely we’re gonna need more cutscenes instead of comics if we’re gonna give everyone a chance to share their backstory.
13th October, 2024
- They put up the Halloween decorations over on the plot hub! True to earlier speculation, the image of the Council at their work has been swapped out. Probably because we’re focusing on Team Baelia right now, we’re not in Altador.
Originally we thought they might change it after some hypothetical assault on Altador that would necessitate the moving of the Headquarters, but what if instead they’re gonna change the hub image to reflect whatever land/area we’re focusing on at the time?
Let’s see what we got here. Everyone’s enjoying s’mores and warm beverages. Baelia sits awake, resting a comforting hand on the shoulder of a nervous-as-usual Luxinia. Poor little Light Faerie. She’s out of her element. Baelia of all people is a source of strength for her. Good for Baelia. Nyx sits up, half asleep, watching over her is Juni is a tree. And in the foreground, bouncing up and down like she’s got a cutscene for us (she doesn’t, not yet), is Tavi. Taking the Fyora role. In case you needed more proof that Tavi is the leader of this team.
But hold on, Baelia sits awake? When did that happen? In Page 9 of The Widening Void. No fire building minigame for us, it appears, as we open on our heroes roasting marshmallows…
…when suddenly, Baelia stirs from her slumber! Tavi is ecstatic. Everyone gathers around to see how she’s holding up. And… she chokes out a sob. What’s that sob about? Is it just grogginess from waking up after getting tossed around by the Grey Tsunami? Not everyone wakes up doing backflips and jumping jacks, even without a Grey Tsunami. Or… is a crying sob? Like she’s sad about something? What’s on your mind, Baelia?
Maybe Baelia could use some today’s Comic Prize, Ghost Marshmallow Smores? Get some calories in your belly, that’ll wake you up.
Speaking of what’s on people’s minds, is anything on Nyx’s mind? She looked worried, as you’ll recall. This is the chapter for getting to know one another, so it is coming eventually. But with us being on Page 9 already you might be wondering when it could possibly come. As NeoRyuuko points out, we’ve only got a week left in the chapter if you don’t count the end of chapter warning. That is, at most, 7 days. Gonna be a cutscene-focused chapter, maybe? - With just a week left in the chapter, we probably aren’t getting any new errands. Just stick to battles, shifts, and Essences.SakhmetFaerie CityTyrannian Plateau
Count as of 4:30 AM: 47,384,287.
So, let’s say we spend two chapters, 6 and 7, in the Haunted Woods. That lets us keep the Halloween decorations up through Halloween. Let’s say Chapters 8, 9, and maybe even 10 wouldn’t be on Terror Mountain, but in the Mysterious Mountains. Following the release of the posters.
It’s still a wintery place, and therefore would fit the season. In the same way the Haunted Woods banner fits the current season. Orion and Reina and Fyora and everyone else works on the Prophecies at Winter Starlight, while Team Baelia returns to Shadow Moses to look upon the scars of yesterday. One really hopes that the team is in contact with the Council. But if that’s what’s happening, if we’re following Team Baelia for the rest of the year, does that mean we don’t get any movement on those Navigating the Void notes until 2025?
There’s a lot that people have been waiting patiently and painfully for. The notes to be deciphered, Kass, a reason for the Solutions tab to exist, the tension is often tough. Someone’s gonna have to wake up TheAmandaFiles when this plot starts to Kass. But it will in time.
12th October, 2024
- No story today! Honestly, a welcome sight. These updates have been more like “nightly news” lately and we need the slow news day. You know the drill: Battles, shifts, and Essences.Ice CavesTyrannian PlateauMaraqua
Count as of 3:00 AM: 47,042,180.
A slow news day calls for a puff piece about exotic tropical getaways. Remember how Dacardia was contributing to the Grey/Void relief effort via its own Donation Drive? Whatever became of that? Any word on those energy readings Ariel was sending back to the Council? Well, not much. Yet. Not in the Tales of Dacardia game, anyway. The Donation Drive is a success, Umbra sends Lania a letter thanking Dacardia for the effort, yadda yadda yadda. But dig this, the letter is covered in PAINT???
Could it be Grey Paint? Maybe not, Umbra deals with paint in general. But even if it was, a little paint doesn’t seem to do much harm. Luxinia was able to carry Baelia, right?
As for Ariel? She doesn’t have any updates regarding the energy readings.
Haha! Us too, Ariel! But maybe, in time, Ariel’s research will be reflected in the plot. As we’ve seen with Orion, the response to the Void is wide spreading. Orion’s work must inevitably reach out from the events and touch the plot, why not Ariel’s? Maybe a quick mention from Honcho, something like “We’ve got some research from our Dacardia outpost, you’re gonna wanna look at this…” If that crystal in the Navigating the Void notes turns out to be Dacardite? That would be a bombshell.
Tales of Dacardia will be moving on to Halloween next. But Halloween and Void stuff go together, right? There’s gotta be a way they can compliment each other in the limelight.
11th October, 2024
- No post-credits scene at the Faerie Festival. But The Void Within has a cutscene for you!
Tavi and Juni are back from the Woods and ready to set up camp. Everybody still alive?
We’re back! Sorry it took so long. I wasn’t expecting it to get so dark so fast… I guess that’s the Haunted Woods for you.
Yip!
Well, good thing we’ve got a Light Faerie with us then! Eh?
So how is she, Lux?
Still unconscious, but I can feel turmoil within her, and it keeps getting stronger. She may wake up soon, but…
What a relief. And Nyx…?
She’s been in a deep sleep ever since she dozed off. I think she’s more exhausted than she’s letting on.
Yeah…
*Whine*…
Well then it’s up to us to make sure we have this fire up and burning before they wake up. Lend me a hand?
…
Yes. You’re right.
I suppose so…
Time to build a fire. Are we gonna get another minigame? This cutscene was on the short side, kinda feels like we’re about to have another minigame. Which would be fun and all, but what’s this turmoil growing in Baelia? A side effect of the Grey Paint? Is she about to start changing? If she does start changing, let’s try and save that for afteer the part where the gang learns a little bit more about each other. Because that’s gonna grab all the attention from the conversation. If Baelia, like, starts un-Greying. All due respect to the rest of the gang. - Until we get this hypothetical fire building game (tomorrow maybe?), your only gameplay obligations are still battles, shifts, and Essences.Moltara CityFaerie CitySakhmet
Count as of 11:00 PM: 46,985,248.
With the Faerie Festival over, and us finding ourselves in the middle of October, you might start to notice the shadows are getting longer. A lot of that has to do with the shades turned loose on our world, but a lot of it also has to do with it being the Halloween season right now. And like the Faerie Festival, Halloween brought us what were probably plot-related teasers last year. In fact, Halloween is an event, right? Not as big as Winter Starlight, no, but maybe that could be an event where Orion receives visions? If he had the artefact to receive them?
Now’s the time to really commit to the Halloween season. Maybe we’ll get another Tales of Neovia thing this year? Then again, teasers aren’t really necessary when the plot itself is happening. But the Halloween season has such potential, the veil is thin and the powers of darkness are probably at their most powerful… our big bad faerie mistress really oughta try and make an appearance. Or the tentacle creature? Keep your eyes on the calendar, something should be jumping off no later than a week before Halloween Night itself.
10th October, 2024
- No story today from The Void Within, but we close out the Faerie Festival with one last(?) cutscene.
Thank you both! Orion has filled me in on what happened and I am so thankful you were able to work together!
Anything to help!
Like I told him, don’t get used to it.
So what now?
That is the question. Isn’t it?
Despite everything, Orion’s visions weren’t particularly helpful in this exact moment.
So I will continue to work with the Council and focus on what we can accomplish there.
What about us?
Well…
Ugh, don’t tell me!
Orion saw you two fighting together. Not against him, but against the shades!
Don’t worry Queen! I will fight!
Ugh, fine. I’ll fight too. Not with her or anything, but if she happens to be nearby I’ll do my best to ignore her.
And I’ll do the same!
I presume that’s the best I can ask for. Thank you.
Twice in a row, Illusen wins. Twice in a row, you get your pick of those final prizes depending on your performance. You get the avatar of whatever team you played for, and a trophy matching the extent of your completion…
Including an upgrade to your Orion’s Prophecies trophy!
For “participating in the Festival every day” (whatever that means), you get each faerie’s Festival weapon.
For watching all the cutscenes, you get one of these two fabulous backgrounds….
…and the Earth Musical Cylinder, the third of what’s probably four.
For donating 30 items a day, every day, you get either Illusen’s or Jhudora’s particles. Fun fact: They can be worn together.
For visiting Faerie Quests every day, you get one of the Petpets, as well as the Illusen vs Jhudora avatar.
And FINALLY, you can visit your respective team captain at their Glade or Bluff for an extra little bonus wearable.
However, people are reporting glitches. Just like last year. So if you’re positive you did these things but didn’t get your reward? Might wanna send a ticket.
Another Faerie Festival has come and gone. And the Lyre is still in disrepair. No way of knowing how Orion’s gonna get any more prophecies. In fact, if you ask Fyora, this particular phase of Orion’s Prophecies wasn’t even that helpful. Yeah, we got another cylinder, but we didn’t get anything we can understand or use. And said prophecy didn’t even come true!Yet. Fyora’s gonna make it come true. She tags in Jhudora and Illusen, and they agree. But will they fight side by side, or has that condition of the Prophecy already fulfilled thanks to that song and dance number they did? Also, we still have no answers regarding the Lyre. So you might think, if last year is anything to go by, we’re gonna get a post-credits scene. And we might, but the difference between last year and this year is, the post-credits scene happened on the actual projected last day of the Festival. It didn’t run an extra day to give us that cutscene. We’re on the actually listed last day of the Festival, and no post-credits scene. Maybe it’s not needed. Last year it worked as a teaser for the plot, but the plot is already happening proper now.
Maybe we just gotta wait until the next event to learn what we’re gonna do about this. Most likely Winter Starlight. But also? With it being the final cylinder, maybe we have to wait even longer. Maybe it’ll be a final hour lifesaver, and we only get our final trophy when the plot itself is wrapped up. It’s up to destiny right now. We’re wanting for strategy right now. - With the Faerie Festival wrapped up, your dailes are back down to a manageable 3: Battles, shifts, and Essences.Darigan CitadelHappy ValleyTop of the Mountain
Count as of 11:30 PM: 46,657,731.
Sometimes the grind gets to you, but maybe just recontextualize your struggle: It’s not a grind, it’s just dailies. You probably do dailies when a plot isn’t happening, right? And if not, what are you doing on Neopets.com?
Speaking of dailies, some unfortunate news, for some. In the New Features today they’ve announced the formal introduction of Voidworks as a daily, and explain that you cannot replay it for plot credit.Dr. Landelbrot’s Voidworks daily update is now live! You can now perform daily maintenance on the void dampener. Please note that your first play of the game ever will be in plot mode and the following in dailies mode. The daily reset time is 24 hours from the last time you’ve played.
Only your first play of the game ever will count for plot credit. A lot of people are gonna be missing out on “Go with the Flow,” and the subsequent Act II bonus for completing all the Deeds in that Act. Brutal.
So, Voidworks is a puzzle daily in the vein of the Mysterious Negg Cave. With this part of the plot basically being “over,” one wonders what the “Solutions” tab on the plot hub is for. It might’ve been for sharing the Voidworks solutions, the first three we all got that were for plot credit. But no, it’s still not active.
Fortunately, this means there are more puzzles to solve on the way. Unfortunately? They all stand the chance of being as unforgiving as Voidworks.
9th October, 2024
- We got not one, but TWO notifications at Headquarters today! More story, and a new minigame. _Hermes_32 must’ve had an inside tip.
But let’s cover the story first. Not much to it though, Page 7 of The Widening Void is another splash page.
Talk about uneasy looks, Tavi and Juni don’t look as excited as they were in our last installment. Which makes sense, you should be afraid in the Haunted Woods. But look at Juni’s little walking stick! He thinks he’s people! In the distance, grey tendrils tower over the horizon. Come to think of it, that’s probably not in the Haunted Woods. It’s probably from Central.
Comic Prize is a Camping Pad, presumably something Tavi brought with her. Did she bring enough for the whole class or will everyone else be sleeping on rocks? Her initial traveling party grew from 2 to 5.
Maybe Tavi and Juni will find more cushioning, as they venture deeper into the Woods… - At comic’s end, we’re alerted to that new minigame we mentioned earlier.
Lend Juni and Tavi a hand by finding materials to build a campfire and ingredients for roasted treats!
Over in the Games section you’ll find the latest addition to the library, Cosy Campfire Collection.
As it stands, it doesn’t seem like any Fearless Deeds can be achieved through this. But launch days are often rough, this game didn’t launch without a few bugs anyway so stay tuned for any changes.
Instructions tell us this is a fairly straightforward scavenger hunt. But if you’re on a computer, don’t listen to that stuff about clicking/tapping on an item twice to select then collect it. You just hover and click on what you need.
But we know better than to stop with the Instructions. No, we need to go through the FAQ before we do anything. Imagine if there were a Fearless Deed to miss out on if we weren’t fully prepared!
The FAQ lays plans for this game even after the plot is over! So that probably confirms that Tavi will not die in this plot.
There are 3 difficulties to choose from, Easy, Medium, and Hard. The FAQ doesn’t tell you, but you get 5 minutes to find everything on Easy, 3 minutes on Medium, and 90 seconds on Hard. It does, however, tell you about each difficulty’s penalty system: If you pick up the wrong thing, you lose extra seconds off the clock. Zero seconds per mistake on Easy, 3 seconds per mistake on Medium, and 5 seconds per mistake on Hard.
When you pick a difficulty, you’re stuck with it until you complete a game on that difficulty. If by some chance you were to close the game and reopen it, you’ll get a new game, but it’ll be on the difficulty you chose last.
But this game is pretty easy. Maybe even to a fault? With no penalties whatsoever on Easy you can basically just pick up everything and finish the level in seconds.
But there’s a little tension to be felt on Hard. As you can see, this is a pixel perfect scavenger hunt. Some items are hidden under other items, so you’ll have to be very precise if you wanna pick up just the items you need. And in some cases you have no choice! Sometimes there’ll be just no way you can get the item without picking up something else first. Probably why they let you refresh the board, just in case you get a rigged one. It’s probably a lot harder on a mobile device, too. Fingers are fatter than mouse cursors.
Get through this, and there’s a tidy 20 plot points in it for you, and an item.
More of a daily than a minigame, which lines up with its post-plot plans. Can you see yourself checking into the Woods every day to grab your quick 2500 NP and an item?
Like Voidworks, this might be a one-and-done until it becomes a daily. Speaking of Voidworks, we didn’t catch this but a couple days ago it started working again! Or so it seems. You can play it now, but it doesn’t seem to be awarding plot credit. Might be a mistake, might be on purpose, might be on purpose but they’ll change their minds later. Keep your eyes open.
With this, a new precedent has been set: Usually new plot steps are released in the first few days of a chapter, but this one was launched a whole 9 days after the start of this chapter. Maybe because it’s so easy? Just goes to show, you can’t really predict much when it comes to this plot. But you are meant to try. - Okay! Final day of the Faerie Festival! Well, the donation drive, anyway. What happens between Jhudora and Illusen??? Is this the end of their feud? The beginning of a beautiful new chapter in their lives?
How are you feeling Orion?
…I feel okay. I’m actually worried it’s too late and whatever it is might be gone-
I’m baaaaaack!
Oh my sweet scholar, what a fascinating trick! You may have lulled me to sleep for a tick, but fighting off your advances – ah of that I will never be sick!
Jhudora, Illusen, now!
Enough of this gross talk! If you want to fight someone I’ll happily take you on!
Get out of Orion and leave us alone!
Oh, poison flower! Doth my eyes deceive me? Are you and the fair, green lady finally able to agree?!
Shut up! I can handle you by myself!
Oh no, no, no. That simply won’t do! For this to work, there must be two!
What is that supposed to mean?
Showtime!
Oooh lady evil, how do you thread that needle? You like to cause upheaval, but I can tell you still like people!
And then there’s lady gleeful, why don’t you get off of that steeple? There might just be some weevils — in you after all!
I don’t know what game you’re playing, but I am not partaking! Give us back our friend now — and leave us all alone!
Can’t you see, won’t you see? This is not for me!
Enough! I don’t care! You will free me from this snare or I will cause you great despair!
There’s nothing you can do! Besides, I’m doing this for you — and you, and you, and you!
Uugh, enough of this! Librarian just try your plan!
This should stop you where you walk, as I hit you with the book of Types of Locks!
Thinner than Sleepy Time, but with a skull-crɑcking lock attached to it.
But this entity deflects it with its awesome powers…
With my words, I make me rubber and you glue, whatever you do bounces off me and sticks to you!
Oh no! Seshatia! She’s frozen in place!
Now, let’s get down to business. You both know what you must do! I need the song of two! — If your songs combine, you’ll no longer have to deal with me or mine!
If you want to stop this threat, you will have to give me your duet!
…
…
Come now. Who’s first?
I hate you. I utterly despise you. There’s nothing in this world that could make me stand beside you!
I loathe you. I totally abhor you. There’s nothing in this world that could make us work as two!
They say I’m bad, I brush it off. They say I’m evil, who gives a toss? But then there’s you…what is one to do?
The two of us, we could have grown… But how could I have known? It was all gone in a blink, what is one to think?
You could think of others’ feelings.
What do you know, with your Dark Faerie dealings!
That’s a low blow, even from you. At least to myself, I know how to be true.
I didn’t know what to do! Of course, I have regrets. I couldn’t possibly forget. But after what I saw…
Ha, yes then you left — but like that’s the worst you’ve ever done! No more twisting of the tongue!
This is not a one-way street! — When it comes to twisting, you would be the one to beat!
Isn’t that a treat, they all think you are just so sweet! — You truly are just a delicate flower, when things get tough all you do is cower.
That’s not true! I have put in hour after hour trying to strip away your power! — But everything has turned so sour… What is one to do?
See, that just proves I’m right! I am not the one who started this fight! — Don’t act like you did not push me to the brink. Oh, what is one to think?
I’m willing to admit, I may been a bit… But after what you did, there’s no putting back on the lid.
And so I hate you! Yes, I utterly despise you! There’s nothing in this world that could make me stand beside you!
I loathe you. I totally abhor you. There’s nothing in this world that could make us work as two!
Yes, I hate you.
I totally abhor you.
And there’s nothing in this world…
No, there’s nothing in this world…
That could bring back what we had.
…but if the world is ending, there is at least one last thing to be said.
You glowy jerk! — I want you dead!
Wait, what?
Haha, yes! She is not wrong! That would be a great ending to this wretched song!
Would it kìll you to just say I’m right?
It might.
Ugh, fine, whatever! We have bigger things to weather!
You ready? Everything we have on the lyre!
Yes! You’ve finally worked together!
*cough* *cough* What happened? *cough*
They did it! Orion, you’re okay!
How is everyone else?
We’re fine! Is it over?
I…I think so, I don’t feel anything coming from the lyr– hey wait it’s crɑcked!! How did that happen?
A volcano has got nothing on me.
And me!
Okay, fine yes. I guess you helped a bit too.
Wait, does that mean what I think it means? You two worked together?!
Don’t get used to it. It won’t be happening again.
But…why was that so important?
Orion! Look at this! I found it at the centre of the scorch marks from the explosion…which you two will be cleaning up!
What is it?
It’s another musical cylinder! This means my hypothesis is correct…I think.
That’s a musical cylinder? It looks like it’s made of dirt and grass.
With little purple flowers!
Hooray, you got a lump of crud. What now?
I suppose, nothing… To be safe I’ll stay here for the remainder of the festival and write a letter to the Queen about all that has happened. As for you two, I think it would be best for you to finish out your respective festivities for now.
After you clean up here!
We were SO CLOSE!!! They ALMOST let themselves FEEL SOMETHING there!!! And then? We bounced RIGHT BACK to the status quo! But we saw a glimpse of what could be. Of what is being denied, but is real nonetheless. NeoRyuuko was keen to point out the similarities between this, and “What Is this Feeling?” from the hit Broadway play Wicked. They even sing about loathing! And so, you could draw parallels between Jhudora and Illusen and Elphaba and Glinda. They do feel for one another. But will they ever face this honestly? Will they ever stop running? NeoRyuuko feels like maybe, MAYBE… 9 cutscenes worth of story isn’t enough to have that kind of breakthrough. This is a brand-defining rivalry, everybody knows Jhudora and Illusen love to hate each other. Even counting what little progress they made last year, though??? What will it take for the world to accept their love??? To believe in their love??? That goes for Jhudora and Illusen especially. They before anyone else need to believe in it.
The Lyre works as a great parallel to whatever it is keeping Jhudora and Illusen apart. It seems eternal. But with time and dedication, it can be broken. But only Jhudora and Illusen can do it. It starts with a crɑck. And day by day they chip at it. And then one day? A dreadful blow destroys it once and for all. But here’s hoping it doesn’t take another YEAR for us to make some progress??? Surely The Void Within, a plot so momentous it lasts over a year, should be transformative enough for Neopia that maybe, just maybe, Jhudora and Illusen give this thing a shot again?
Another shocking development? The Lyre is now broken. Not into pieces, but it is damaged. And yet, we got our third of what’s probably four music box cylinders now. Funny thing, back when we got the air cylinder we were like “These cylinders are nature themed. Fire, Air, Earth, and Water. They’re not faerie themed.” We were kinda right and kinda wrong. A cylinder made of dirt and grass, with little purple flowers. That’s Illudora themed! This cylinder was truly meant to be. Like Jhudora and Illusen together again. So… all according to plan? Jhudora and Illusen didn’t join forces to fight any shades like in Orion’s vision. They joined forces to fight the Lyre. Didn’t the entity want that Lyre? Need that Lyre? Even the entity seemed confused until right before the Lyre was broken. But the thing about destiny is, it has a way of resolving itself in ways no one expects. Especially when people resist it. It likely had to happen this way, though no one had any way of knowing it would happen this way. Not even the entity. Like Mira said when we first met Orion last year, psychic intuition is not a science.
But how now is Orion supposed to continue to get visions? He doesn’t know, but we know that Orion’s Prophecies is giving out trophies, and by the end of this event we should be up to Silver. Where is Gold supposed to come from if the Lyre is broken now? That was where all the visions were coming from. Maybe the Lyre will repair itself? If it can burn up in a volcano but then just reappear somewhere else, surely it can handle a little crɑck? In fact, maybe Orion can still play it. The entity did go away after the Lyre broke, but maybe it left of its own accord? It did promise that, if Jhudora and Illusen could work together, we wouldn’t have to deal with it taking their bodies by force anymore. Whether the entity is friend or foe, at this point that kinda depends on how you swing. But what can’t be denied is, the entity is on some kind of mission. If there’s a fourth cylinder out there, it will at least try to get it to us.
But the entity does not appear to be all-powerful. Nor the artefects/relics associated with it and the visions Orion is getting. Maybe the idea that the entity needed power greater than its own was on the money. With their powers combined, Jhudora and Illusen are mightier than these seemingly unprecedented ancient forces. They could be THE power couple, if they’d only be honest with themselves. - You still need to do your donations today, but if you went to do a Faerie Quest? You’ll find that they aren’t being offered freely anymore. That’s probably by design, the Faerie Quests ended a day early last year too. Mistake or not, no Faerie Quest today.
But plenty of battles and shifts, and 10 Essences.Virtupets Space Station: Recreation DeckAltadorMaraquan Ruins
Count as of 11:30 PM: 46,628,271.
There was a Neopets LIVE tonight, it was mostly not plot related. But only mostly. Make sure to redeem the code “SPOOKYSCARY,” as in the skeletons.
Remember how they wanted to make Seraphina a Grey Faerie but were told that wouldn’t work? We got some more word on that. Rebecca Mix (author of Neopets: The Omelette Faerie) and Andrews McMeel senior editor Erinn Pascal were interviewed, and Pascal talked about the initial concepts for the story. Saying “It was originally two different faeries that were going to be the main characters, and when TNT Aesop read it he said ‘So I can’t let you do that because it’s happening on the website, and you can’t do that here.'” But what did he mean by that? Was it just the part about having two faeries working together where one of them is Grey? Aesop just didn’t want to be repetitive? It does seem like it. But maybe there’s some canon-restrictive reason the Omelette Faerie story couldn’t be about a Grey Faerie and her fae lover.
Maybe we’ll see by the time the plot ends, from the looks of Cosy Campfire Collection, they’re already looking forward to such a future.
8th October, 2024
- We got cutscenes for both The Void Within and the Faerie Festival today, they do what comics don’t: Allow for long form dialogue.
Let’s start with the plot. Fyora’s notification is bouncing, but she actually isn’t even in it. In the Haunted Woods, our heroes continue to gather their bearings and take stock.
Did the Healing Potion work?
Hard to tell… She is still unconscious, but her breathing has steadied.
Baelia? Baelia? Hey, B, can you hear me? Come on, wake up!
Please be careful Tavi. She’s been through a lot…
I know but…
You’re a good friend, Tavi. And I know Baelia knows this too. I can feel something stirring in her… Something warm. I think she knows you’re worried.
Oh, thank goodness…
But she needs to rest now. I think we all do.
What are you… talking about…? I’m fine…
I think you’re right, Lux. We’ll need to set up a proper camp for that, though…
So that settles it! I’m going to go into those woods and get us what we need for a good old-fashioned campfire and some nice, hearty snacks.
You mean… into the dark, spooky Haunted Woods?
You bet I do. You coming?
Um… I think maybe I’ll stay here and look after Baelia.
Good idea. All right then, who else is with me? Nyx, Juni?
Yip!
Zzz…
Good. She’s finally resting.
Looks like it’s just you and me then, buddy.
Yip yip!
If you thought Nyx seemed like she needed to get something off her chest in our last installment, you’re not alone. But now it seems like what she really needs is sleep, after what has been a long day for all our heroes. Maybe after a nap, she’ll talk about what that look of heavy conscience was about?
Speaking of disparities in commitment to the team? Tavi continues to get along with everyone, further developing her friendship with Juni. “It usually takes him a bit to warm up to strangers!” Not with Tavi. She’s really shining. Baelia might be the star of this plot, Nyx might be the star of this plot, but Tavi is the leader of this team. Maybe this was the developing relationship Jewel was talking about, the one between Tavi and Juni. And with the two of them headed into the Woods? _Hermes_32 speculates that a puzzle/minigame step is on the way. Like maybe something in the vein of Fetch or Mutant Graveyard of Doom or Mutant Graveyard of Doom II? Where Tavi and Juni have to navigate their way to whatever it is they need for a campfire and snacks?
This leaves Luxinia to look after Baelia and Nyx. Maybe because 2 out of 3 of them are asleep, the next few installments are gonna focus more on Tavi and Juni and their fetch quest. But Luxinia just now used her empathy powers to feel that warmth inside of Baelia. Maybe they don’t talk, not right away, but maybe Luxinia feels the doubt and guilt in Nyx’s heart offscreen. And then when Tavi and Juni come back, Luxinia is all like “Nyx is sad, you guys.” Let’s say… Tavi is the leader, and Luxinia is the team mom. - Speaking of sleep, how’s Orion doing after his episode with the entity? Scene 8 of the Faerie Festival plays out… without Orion. It’s just Jhudora, Illusen, and Seshatia.
Thank you both for coming back.
How is Orion?
He’s awake and himself, but he’s trying to stay in a meditative state. It seems to help stave off whatever is working through him…but just in case I have prepared some books that could help if needed.
Shouldn’t we just end the festival early? If Neopians stop gathering wouldn’t it get rid of whatever is happening to him?
I asked him about that, but he says it’s very important we see this out. He said that Fyora insisted that the festival was vital, and then said something about needing the next cylinder? He’s been a bit out of it due to the effects of the book I hit him with.
I am not letting whatever that was happen to me again! We need to squash this right away!
Seshatia, do you think there is any other way?
…I’m not sure. I don’t like the idea of letting that thing control us any more than the next faerie, but as much as I have searched I don’t see another ending to this story.
We could try fighting it once it takes over Orion, but if we aren’t able to get past whatever it does to make us sing, who knows what else it might be able to do now that Orion has rested for so long.
If there’s a chance that this could help the greater good…could help put an end to whatever is happening, then I’m in.
Screw that, I’m out!
…
Jhudora, please. I know you don’t like Illusen and that you don’t fully trust the Queen at the moment, but I also know there is more to you than your cover.
You don’t know anything about me! You might be strong in your library, Seshatia, but I am stronger and I know you are not able to read me!
I know, I can’t read you. But I do see you.
There is a reason the Queen still trusts you with something like running the Faerie Festival, and it is that same reason that I know you will do what needs to be done here.
….ugh fine! I am only doing this because I would look terrible in grey, so if there’s a chance of stopping that then I suppose I can *bleh* sing or whatever for a few minutes!
But there better be some sort of plan for if things go too far!
Yes, I’ve got an army of books here that could help!
Could?
It’s the best chance we’ve got… Let’s prepare!
First… we have our answer to the Sleepy Time book’s utility. She just bonked him with it! Is that really magic? Maybe she has “Book Telekinesis” and hit him really hard with it. But more importantly? Our heroes have decided to trust in the entity. Of course it would take new and unprecedented forces in Neopia to get Jhudora and Illusen to work together. But Jhudora wants insurance in case “things go too far.” What does she mean by that? Is she afraid the entity might be dangerous for Neopia? Or just dangerous for her? Dangerous in that she might sing a little too close to the heart? A little heartbreak blues?
Tomorrow is the last day of the Donation Drive. The Festival is coming to an end soon. Do you suppose we’ll get a post-credits scene like we got last year? If so, what might it include? Maybe this year the Festival doesn’t end with Jhudora and Illusen bickering. Maybe it ends with a more tender, honest moment. Or a kiss! Or perhaps… revelation? NeoRyuuko is intriged by that line from Seshatia about “He said that Fyora insisted that the festival was vital, and then said something about needing the next cylinder.” Did Fyora say we needed to find the next cylinder? If so, is she just presuming another cylinder is out there to be found? Or does she know more than she’s letting on? Usually she does. But does she know about more cylinders? And maybe what they’re actually for? Naybe the post-credits scene (if there is one) will be about that. - Only a couple days left! Drop off your donations, do your Faerie Quest, fight your battles, book your shifts, and collect your Essences.Neopian MarketplaceKreludorVirtupets Space Station: Supply Deck
Count as of 11:30 PM: 45,980,448.
Small note, over on Weirdough’s blog, he’s been answering questions. And today we finally got our answer to what was going on between Nyx and Vira in Page 2 of Escape the Grey. Looks like yeah, the shades DO come from Vira’s dagger.
Summoning, he specifies. Good to know. But… this only tells us so little. We don’t know how shades are born. Probably from the Void? Do they come from the tentacle creature? There’s still the possibility they’re all people Vira has seduced to the dark side over the years. We’ll have to wait a little longer for the answer to that, but for now we know: Vira wasn’t spinning her dagger just because it was fun. It probably is fun, but it also serves the purpose of unleashing her shade army.
Ozzy handles the Grey, Vira handles the “shading.” It’s almost like, together, they create art out of Neopia. Ah, that’s probably a deliberate metaphor, isn’t it?
7th October, 2024
- No plot comic today, but the Faerie Festival keeps crankin’ out the cutscenes. Fighting his spells, Orion makes his way to the library/bookshop where he told our leading ladies to meet him…
Orion, you’re back! When Illusen and Jhudora arrived without you I got worried!
I’m sorry Seshatia! I couldn’t move quickly while fighting this thing back.
You were right! I couldn’t control it. I was able to stop it for a time, but not before both Illusen and Jhudora were affected!
Is this true?
…yes
Getting me while in my library is one thing, but to be able to affect two of the strongest faeries in the land…we must call for Fyora at once!
No! We don’t know the reach of its power! If it was able to get its hands on the Queen, who knows what could happen.
Enough of this! I want explanations now! What in the heck was that back there? How did you do that?
There’s no time for that. I need to start preparing for if it returns!
Orion, we need answers! How were you able to make us sing?!
It’s not me. Whatever is in this Lyre is…I don’t know, working through me? Possessing me?
How do we stop it?
I’ll tell you how! We destroy the accursed thing!
No, please! Don’t fire!
But she does. She does fire. But as you probably expected, we’re dealing with forces beyond anything we’ve dealt with before.
It didn’t break? That was one of my strongest attacks! Give it here. I’ll try at close range!
Stop, stop! I have already tried destroying it!
Back when I first found it…it was too much. I did everything you could think of to get rid of it. I even threw it in a volcano, but it just kept reappearing wherever I went.
I think the only solution is to give it what it wants. You two need to work together!
I’m sorry, but that just isn’t going to happen.
As much as I hate to agree with her on anything, in this case, she’s not wrong.
Can’t you just say I’m right?
You’re never right. On a rare occasion, you’re not wrong. But you’re never right.
Ugh, those are the same thing!
You’re wrong.
I swear to-
ENOUGH!!!!
You try and try and all they do is cry and cry! Darlings, this isn’t a debate. If I must, I will drag you to your fate!
Oh no! Orion!
Stand back! I’ve got this!
I’m sorry Orion, but for your own good. It’s time to take a lesson from this Sleepy Time book!
Is that a power Seshatia has? She can make the contents of books come to life? Or did she just throw the book at him?
If no one here can overpower the entity, they can disarm it. Break its weapon. That weapon being Orion. Seshatia successfully puts him to bed.
…I think it worked. He’s asleep!
This normally lasts from 8-24 hours depending on how much sleep someone needs…so you two should be good to return to your festivals for the night.
Tomorrow there’ll surely be another cutscene. Our heroes continue to fear this entity, and rightly so because it intends to impose its will by force. But what does this entity want? Orisasda has a theory: The entity wants to achieve something that it isn’t strong enough on its own to do. The entity might be stronger than Jhudora or Illusen, but maybe not stronger than Jhudora and Illusen with their powers combined? If it’s fighting the shades (something each faerie actually offered to do, but not together), it sounds like this entity is forceful, but friendly. As friendly as you can be while taking someone’s body from them.
Know what Jhudora and Illusen’s problem is? They can’t talk to each other without fighting. That’s what they need to get past first. What they need is a heart to heart. To listen to them talk without fighting, that in and of itself would be something to see. They can kiss after that, but to see them interact and not be hostile would be just as good. Better, maybe! - Before you go, don’t forget to drop off your donations, do your Faerie Quest, fight your battles, book your shifts, and collect your Essences.Darigan CitadelMeri Acres FarmSakhmet
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Emotional maturity can be hard to come by. Jhudora and Illusen aren’t up to talking about their feelings right now, but how about Nyx? We’re dealing with some words unsaid over on The Void Within too. What will she do? Turn around and tell the team what’s eating her? Or maybe run away unannounced? It could go either way. No one is born with emotional maturity, you have to build it doing the hard things. The things that you maybe don’t succeed at the first time. Maybe coming out and showing her honest vulnerabilities isn’t something Nyx can do right now. If Jhudora and Illusen couldn’t do it in the many long years that faeries live, we can expect Nyx to struggle with this.
6th October, 2024
- Remember how we were wondering if Baelia felt left out on the team? Because of how flashy and impressive Nyx seemed? Well, the tables of speculation turn in Page 5 of The Widening Void.
As expected, Luxinia is at a complete loss for answers. Everyone is. But Tavi tries that healing potion anyway. Chekhov’s Healing Potion! A payoff 57 pages in the making!
Luxinia and Tavi tend to Baelia. Dote over her, even. But a distance away, Nyx looks uneasy. She and Juni are physically separate from the group. The odd ones out. What’s on Nyx’s mind? Juni looks like he’d like to know. Maybe feeling like she has less of a connection to the group? Like maybe she isn’t showing enough concern for Baelia’s safety? Well… Luxinia held Tavi back too, so… how much blame can she shoulder for that? But NeoRyuuko speculates that, if Nyx feels like she HAS been selfish and HASN’T shown enough concern for Baelia/the group, it might be rooted in her single-minded pursuit of saving her brother. The world is in peril, but maybe she only ever really ever cared about getting help for Juni and seeing Ozzy again. It’s not wrong to care about these things, but y’know, it’s only natural compassion to wonder if you’ve been doing enough for people.
NeoRyuuko takes this point further: What Nyx might be thinking is that this whole thing is her fault. Maybe none of this would’ve happened if she hadn’t left Ozzy behind to be headhunted by the forces of darkness. No, she had no control over ending up in the Void. But is there still a nugget of truth somewhere in there about Nyx not caring enough about others? As mentioned before, even without the Void as a factor, the job came with risks. And it was very important that Nyx not take those risks so she could continue to be there for Ozzy. And then there was her jumping the gun to go find Landelbrot in Altador despite not knowing where or what Altador was? You’ve got tunnel vision, Nyx. You don’t think. You don’t think about the larger world around you or how your actions might affect it. These are thoughts maybe going through the head of a very insecure guilty-feeling Nyx right now. As she stops to think, “How much of this might be my fault? How much of this is on me? Where have I come up short on my obligations?” These feelings might be misguided, maybe half-misguided, the gang will surely talk about it as this chapter rolls on.
Comic Prize is a Juni Nose Boops Trinket. Juni’s way of consoling his co-workers/staff when the work is getting to them.
What a twist. We were so sure Baelia was gonna be the one who was like “I’m just no good, I keep failing everyone.” But it was Nyx! - Speaking of hurting the ones we love, Orion has to get to the bottom of Jhudora and Illusen’s feud. In the hopes that they’ll stand together and fight the Void menace. How will he do this? By asking them directly to stand together and fight the Void menace. And if they say no, he can ask “Why? Why do you two hate each other so much?” He approaches each faerie at their respective Faerie Festivals. That means two separate but similar cutscenes. Let’s start with… oh, Jhudora this time.
Miss Jhu-
Ugh, just call me Jhudora. Enough with this suck-up behaviour!
Of course, my apologies Mis-…Jhudora.
Whatever, why are you here?
I’ve come because I’ve had a vision…and well I need a favour from you.
I knew you’d be trouble! What? Is the world ending and you need me to save you or some drivel like that?
No, well, I don’t think so at least… No, what I need is…for you and Illusen to…work together again! To fight the shades attacking the lands!
…
…
How dare you lie to me! You said you were here for your stupid research, but no, the Queen did send you to watch us didn’t she?! This must all be some weird plan of hers to try and get us to work with one another again.
No, I promise it isn’t like that! I think whatever is going on with me is trying to show me that we need you two! Neopia needs you both working together like you used to!
You know nothing of our past! Do not use it to manipulate me!
Please…I don’t know what else to do…you need to–
There’s no time to bicker, how about I speed this along quicker?
It happened again! Something we forgot to point out earlier, Orion’s name tag changes color when this force possesses him.
This force once again uses its power to compel Jhudora to sing.
There is nothing to be said here, why don’t you go along and die here! I want nothing to do with her — or those years we spent together!
…what is happening?!
Agh! It’s not me. I…I can’t stop it!
I need your powers to unite, so your inner song must come to light!
If you can’t get a handle, then my solution is to strangle-
No! I’m sorry… I thought I might be able to control this after last time… Please go to the library, I’ll meet you there!
Thousands, maybe even millions have wanted Jhudora and Illusen to end this war or tell us why they fight it. We’ve gone nowhere, until now. When this mysterious higher power says “I’m telling you to bring your inner song to light!” Seems it just took the right authority. The condiitons dire enough. It really feels like we’re heading into sort of a “finale” for this “season” of Neopia.
Now let’s do Illusen.
Hello Miss Illusen.
You can just call me Illusen. No need for any formalities.
If that’s what you would prefer…
Is everything alright, Orion?
Well, I’ve had a vision…and I need to ask a favour of you.
Oh no, I hope you are alright. I am happy to help if I can!
I…I need…you and Jhudora to…work together again! To fight the shades attacking the lands!
…
…
I’m sorry…but I don’t think I can do that. I will of course help with any fight, but being with… We wouldn’t be of much use together. It would be better if I helped alone.
Please! I think whatever is going on with me is trying to show me that we need you two! Neopia needs you both working together like you used to!
Stop! You don’t know what you are talking about… I just can’t.
There’s no time to bicker, how about I speed this along quicker?
I can not even think of going there, when nothing left is sacred there. If there was a place we could belong — it is now… long… gone.
…what is going on?
Agh! It’s not me. I…I can’t stop it!
I need your powers to unite, so your inner song must come to light!
Oh, Orion, you must be in such distress! What can be done to stop this mess?!
I’m sorry… I thought I might be able to control this after last time… Please go to the library, I’ll meet you there!
Now you might be thinking “‘Here’ doesn’t rhyme with ‘here,’ and ‘there’ doesn’t rhyme with ‘there.’ What is this supposed to be?” It sounds like the songs don’t have to “rhyme” in particular, just have to kinda sound like they’re rhyming. Just has to sound musical. You can’t rhyme “here” with “here” or “there” with “there,” but the fact that the focal word for Jhudora was “here” and the focal word for Illusen was “there” highlights their contrasting energies. Jhudora is here, Illusen is there. But both are fiercely protective of the truth behind this bad blood. It’s a deep, personal vulnerability for both of them. The fact that Jhudora would admit that her feelings for Illusen/the past they share could be used to manipulate her? That is telling.
Also telling? The “there” that Illusen is talking about. Some fabled love nest they shared once upon a time? Will we be going there? Will Orion have a vision of another MacGuffin we need that takes us there? Maybe some shared heirloom of their bond that, upon seeing it, will trigger a wellspring of emotions long suppressed. We saw what Ozzy did when he lashed out, maybe you wanna steer clear if this is where we’re headed. - And at last, get your donations in, your Faerie Quest completed, your battles fought, your shifts worked, and your Essences collected.Faerie CityKiko LakeNeopian Marketplace
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The moral of today’s stories? Sometimes you gotta come out and say “I know it might seem like I don’t care. I gotta work on that. Because I really do care and I can’t stand the thought that you might think I don’t.” Turn to your loved ones. Let them know they’ve got your back when the time comes for it. Because the time is coming. Jhudora, Illusen, and Orion will all be with us someday soon, assembled like Avengers: Endgame. Count on it!
5th October, 2024
- Story from BOTH events today! To think, how full all of Neopia’s hands are thanks to a little Grey Paint and a little Grey Yurble.
Let’s start with the plot itself, and Page 4 of The Widening Void. Turns out that sparkles in the air weren’t really “sparkles” in the sense you might’ve meant. They only look like sparkles from far away. But when they get closer…
…It WAS Luxinia! In the air, like a distant star. She does sparkle, but she was, like, in the distance. Not just hanging out offscreen. And look, she’s not even Grey! Her hair’s a little frizzy but she’s no less radiant. So… what does that say about the decision to let Baelia sit there instead of rushing her out of there immediately/ASAP? Also? What does that Talpidat with the Void Neggs say about the spread of Void Essence in the world? Yes, Void Neggs didn’t just show up in the world, we had them in the 2021 Festival of Neggs. But are we meant to see this as a sign of Void Essence spreading? The Void widening? Where do Void Neggs come from anyway, if not Void Essence seeping into the neggs?
With a graceful, gentle PAFF, Luxinia touches down. Tavi runs over. Visibly panicked over Baelia, but also friendly enough with Luxinia that she calls her “Lux.” Is that her nickname? Tavi is really seeming closer to the team as a whole than Nyx. In fact… remember how quickly Juni took to her? In Page 6 of Filling the Void? She just takes to people. She might be the glue that holds this thing together. So… maybe she has too much compassion in her heart and too much foresight for the cohesion of the team to hold grudges. Maybe after this, there’s no fighting. Just togetherness.
In honor of Luxinia’s heroism, today’s Comic Prize is a Luxinia Faerie Doll.
It’s only just now dawning on us, but we should’ve known all along that it was Luxinia. “Hope” on the Horizon, said the background. As in “Faerie’s Hope,” the game she came from.
So, what happens now? The chapter synposis says that our heroes are gonna talk for a while. But how does that work with the situation they’re faced with? Our heroes can’t read the chapter synopsis, they don’t know they’re supposed to talk about each other. What are our heroes thinking they should do now? Probably check on Baelia? Unlike Juni, getting her to the Council for medical treatment probably wouldn’t do any good. With Juni and his Voidly condition, you think “Oh, you know who was studying Void stuff? Landelbrot.” But with this Grey “Curse” (if we can still call it that), Landelbrot and the Council don’t know anything that our heroes don’t. So maybe what happens next is, Tavi tries to give Baelia some of that Healing Potion she’s got, and they sit around waiting for the medicine to take. And that’s when we get our character exploration. - The Void Within has months upon months to tell its part of story. The Faerie Festival only has a few days. In fact, it only has 5 more days left after this. So the fact that we’re getting story again and so soon? Makes sense when you think about it.
At her bookshop/library, Seshatia is hard at work assisting Orion with his research.
So, I was able to cross-reference the book on- Orion, are you okay?
Oh! is Orion having one of his visions?
AH!!! GAH- WHOA, WHAT??? O_O Horrifying. Orion, what’s become of you, man???
Hahaha, yes! Can’t you see, I am finally me!
…you don’t look good.
Well, you look great!
Oh, what a wonderful sight. A vision for the ages, your smile is quite contagious!
You might notice by now, Orion (if we can even still call him that) is talking in rhymes/song at this point.
Orion, stop this at once!
Ah, you are right! I haven’t come just to ask you out for a bite! This raggedy man is needed for my plan!
Whatever is going on. You are in my library and I will not let my friend be hurt!
Ah, is that so? Do you think you can handle me toe to toe?
This force does… something… and now Seshatia is rhyming and singing!
I do not care, I do not fear! Take me on here and you will despair!
Look around, you are in my domain. Do you not know my name?
Ha! What a spark, you must think me such a lark!
Alright gorgeous, I quite like your chorus. But compared to me you would be thornless!
For don’t you see, your sudden melody was done by me!
You seem to be nothing but a crook, so I will not hesitate to erase you from the history books!
So don’t you dare underestimate what you see, as here — your story belongs to me!
Fine, fine. It’s not like I can stay long, I just came for a song. Ah, and now there is no time for revision as I must give this man a vision!
Aaaah!
Orion! Is it you again?!
Yes…yes it’s me…I don’t know what just happened.
You, you weren’t you! Someone else was talking through you…
Who?
I don’t know. As soon as I came into the room I could tell something was off. Your story felt different, and then the entity… It made me sing. Whatever or whoever it was must have been very strong to affect me like that while in my library.
I’m so sorry! Are you alright, did it hurt you in any way?
No, besides being a bit smug it wasn’t really able to do anything else…but it did say something about giving you a vision. It must be connected to the Lyre. What were you doing before this happened?
Nothing in particular. I had just come upon this book labelled Jhudora and Illusen – The Untold Story and then my vision got all blurry…after that, it was like I was nowhere but conscious, wait, no I was with them…
I was watching Jhudora and Illusen fighting.
Well, that’s not uncommon…
No, not each other. They were fighting alongside one another. They were fighting those things, the shades that have been appearing…
Jhudora and Illusen have not worked together in a very long time. Even in the most dire of situations they are found far from one another. If Jhudora is there at all, to be honest.
What happened between them?
I wouldn’t know. Even that book you found only has theories really. To be honest, they used to be very close. Jhudora was still a very secretive individual even back then, but we all knew Illusen could get her out of her shell… It’s a shame that it must have all been a ruse for whatever scheme Jhudora had planned. But still, no one really knows what she did or why they hate each other so much now. I have thoughts, but it’s not my story to tell…
Then I’ll have to go ask them myself.
What? No! That is not a good idea for many reasons, but foremost what if that entity comes back?! I can protect you to some degree within my library, but who knows what it will be capable of if it takes over again while you are out!
I think it should be okay. I feel incredibly drained from whatever it did before, and I think it must be too. I don’t see it coming back to the strength it had before for some time…hopefully. Plus, I have to believe it is not here to hurt me. Why else would it be giving me these visions and trying to help?
We have no way of knowing its plan, or if what it is doing is even helping! So please, just…be careful.
I will. Be back soon!
Okay, wow, so… first of all, Seshatia apparently has some kind of magical dominion in her bookshop/library? Pretty cool. Maybe we’ll see it come into play? Second, as Orisasda observes, the themes of “magical music” continue. Lyres, music box cylinders, sheet music, that G-clef in space that sent Nyx and Juni to the Void… and now a power that compels you to sing. We return to our question from yesterday: Is this force a friend, or foe? If the musical theme itself wasn’t enough to make you consider that the G-clef in space is the same magical force behind Orion’s visions, NeoRyuuko points out that both Possessed Orion and the G-clef both show a bright blue energy. And if Vira’s faerie mistress didn’t send Nyx to the Void as “the seed” she was trying to plant, what else could her seed be? But on the other hand, why show Orion these visions if the goal is to keep us from stopping her?
Well… if the visions were not real, like maybe Vira’s faerie mistress was pulling a “Voldemort in Harry’s mind during Order of the Phoenix” trick, then that would be a solid tactic. But Orion saw Nyx in the Void, and turns out she was in the Void. It was real. Orion saw the path of the Tuffala, and we were able to catch it and the next musical cylinder. Orion saw pieces of the ancient sheet music, and they turned out to be where he saw them. Orion’s visions have all been true and fruitful so far. But… maybe she works in mysterious ways. Maybe she’s playing 4D chess. As you’ll recall from last year’s Festival, she deliberately did all that Earth and Water Faerie poisoning to send a warning to Fyora. Why? To sabotage herself? No, because she knew Fyora wouldn’t tell anybody. A pattern of behaviour from Fyora we’ve seen play out. So maybe these visions are meant to manipulate Orion in some way. And now, Seshatia. She might be part of the 4D chess strategy too. Any of us who know about Orion’s visions.
Which brings us to the other big takeaway here. Orion finally saw that vision of Jhudora and Illusen fighting side by side. But they were fighting shades. We thought this might be a vision of Jhudora and Illusen’s past. NeoRyuuko thinks it still might be, and that shades might’ve shown up in Neopia before. It would go a way toward explaining that serpent in the Navigating the Void notes. But she’s pretty sure this is actually a vision of the future. Otherwise, why wouldn’t Jhudora and Illusen tell anybody about these shades? Maybe because they like to keep vestiges of their past secret? Jhudora might keep a secret like that, and step in if things get too dicey without her contributions. But Illusen wouldn’t let the world be threatened by shades if she had some information that might help. Orion’s visions have all come true so far, you’d be right to ask why no one tried this earlier but it looks like, thanks to Orion finally just asking them what happened between them, Jhudora and Illusen are about to make headway on the issues in their relationship.
Will they kiss??? Maybe after the battle. Maybe what Orion saw was a massive assembly of Neopia’s heroes, standing together like the portals scene from Avengers: Endgame. A grand, spectacular all-out battle for Neopia’s future against the tentacle monster and the darkest forces Neopia has ever known. Oooh! Led by a redeemed Kass? If you come out victorious after a fight like that? You gotta kiss somebody. But for now, let’s enjoy the fact that somebody is finally getting to the bottom of the Jhudora/Illusen mystery. Truly a changing day in Neopian history. This rivalry is about to end. As so many, not all, but MANY, have been longing for. - After story comes activities. Get your donations in, your Faerie Quest completed, your battles fought, your shifts worked, and your Essences collected!Lutari IslandGeraptikuKiko Lake
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There’s a lot that’s probably gonna happen in this plot. But what do you suppose this plot is setting up for the future? Probably a little early to be thinking about that, but when you see people like Luxinia getting to shine, and a new chapter in Jhudora and Illusen relationship about to start, it feels like the groundwork for a new Neopia is being laid. They talk a lot about a “New Era” for Neopia, maybe the real prize isn’t just the story of this plot, but the stories to come. The new mainstays of the brand, of which Luxinia will surely be. Faeries can’t help but be popular. But what fate does the future hold for Baelia?
4th October, 2024
- No story plotside, but we do have story over at the Faerie Festival. Let’s open with that.
It’s the same for both teams, and is set in Faerieland this time! In Seshatia’s bookshop, we join Orion as he is once again stressed and pressed to find any information at all about what the Lyre is or why he’s experiencing these visions.
There has to be something here about this Lyre. I can’t believe we’ve gone through so many books, scrolls, and tomes and yet there is nothing even slightly in reference into what could be happening to me…
Don’t you worry. There’s still plenty more for us to read. We will find something!
I don’t know about tha-
Hey, insomniac bookworm you better start explaining things.
O-oh, Miss Jhudora it’s a pleasure to see you-
Cut it, there’s something fishy going on here and I don’t like being lied to-
Knock, knock. May I come in- oh Jhudora you are here too…
Miss Illusen! Is everything okay with the festivities?
Yes, yes, my festival is going very well. I just came to-
Aha! You were suspicious too, weren’t you?!
What happened to all that “we’ve got to trust the Queen” garbage you were spouting earlier?!
I’m allowed to change my mind on things!
Besides, my being here does not mean I don’t trust the Queen! But I will admit I had some possible concerns that I wanted to discuss with Orion before I jumped to any conclusions!
Which, by the look on his poor face, I can tell you’ve already done! What did you do to him?
Nothing! Talk about jumping to conclusions!
Ladies, if you are going to fight please either step outside or lower your voices. This is still a library!
Sorry, Miss Seshatia. I will handle this. You both have come with questions? How may I be of assistance?
Don’t act all innocent! Why are you really here?! I know there’s more going on than that pathetic answer you gave me the other day!
Umm maybe I should do the talking… There seem to be some discrepancies between what the Queen has told us and what you seemed to have implied upon your arrival, and I was hoping for some answers as to why that may be.
She said you asked to be here, but you implied you were sent? And with everything going on…well to be throwing such a big event, it could be dangerous.
I knew you were worried about that!
Of course I was worried! I trust the Queen, but that doesn’t mean I’m not concerned!
Listen, Orion, if there is something more going on here we deserve to know.
*sigh* I told the Queen that we should have just explained my theory to you from the start.
I’m sure you two have heard about my visions, but if not, for the past few major gatherings in Neopia I have been given visions that seem to be leading me to something…
They tell me of horrible things, but they also seem to want to help possibly. To be honest there are still times when I question if everything is even real…
Either way, these visions seem to only appear when large crowds gather, or at least that is my current hypothesis on the matter.
When I told Queen Fyora of this she insisted I be part of the Faerie Festival to see if any new visions occur. I had the same thought myself but didn’t think to act on it without her say so.
So the Queen decided to throw this event and put all of us in danger just to try and see if you maybe get visions that could maybe help us or that are maybe just the delusions of a scruffy, sleep-deprived man with a toy instrument?!
No of course not! She truly believes it important to hold the Faerie Festival. She had planned it even before I came to her.
And I believe she put you in charge because you are two of the most powerful faeries she has, and she trusts that if anything were to happen you would be able to handle it!
I…
Why wouldn’t she just tell us about you though?
She was worried about garnering false hope.
If I don’t have any visions…or even worse, if any visions I have are bad, then there might be nothing you can do.
And…there’s another potential issue… One that I may not have apprised the Queen on fully.
You see, during the Altador Cup, my visions, while not strong, affected me in a way I have never experienced before.
It was almost as if I was no longer fully myself… If it happens again, I am worried I won’t be able to stop it.
Which is why I will mainly reside here. Sequestered away to research what may be causing this. Only checking in from time to time.
Great, so the problem child who was sent to watch us is now the one we need to be watching.
Unless any visions occur, I promise to leave you be!
Are you sure you’ll be okay here?
Yes, Seshatia is here if anything happens. For now, please return to your festivals. I will come by with any news if need be.
And so, Fyora’s Beany Burpers are spilled. Orion was never there to “babysit” anybody, as believable as it might’ve been that Jhudora and Illusen would need a referee to keep them to their corners. Keeping things secret because she apparently wasn’t super confident that Orion’s visions would be useful, or happen at all. Guess that says something about how confident she is in Baelia. A few high profile episodes with Orion? Not enough to hitch our wagons to. But this Grey Crisis? Oh yeah, we must believe in Baelia. Who knows what Orion might bring us, but Baelia will certainly save us all. If she can’t do it, no one can and no one ever will.
But how about that part Orion is only just now telling us about? That these aren’t just visions, he felt like an entirely different person when he was having his Altador Cup visions. Like he was being possessed or something? That’s what it sounds like to NeoRyuuko. That someone or something is trying to control Orion. Either by showing him things and hoping he acts a certain way in light of them, or just straight up taking his mind and body. For good? For ill? These Prophecies are directly related to the plot, so for all we know Vira’s faerie mistress is doing this. That what Orion is doing is helping said faerie achieve her goals. After all, the theme here is music. Musical instruments, sheet music… and the g-clef that brought Nyx and Juni to the Void. So if that weird music spell or whatever was deliberately cast by our villainous faerie as the “seed” to get this whole thing started? Surely the other weird music stuff is also her doing. But if so, what do Jhudora and Illusen have to do with it? As we know, Orion is gonna have a Prophecy that depicts Jhudora and Illusen from way back when. It will reveal a truth about them that is probably beneficial to their relationship.
Makes you consider that maybe these forces coming into Orion are not wicked and not thanks to Vira’s faerie mistress. Some force opposing her is working through Orion. And that’s why it showed him Nyx in the Void. That’s why it’s going to show him a happier Jhudora and Illusen. Maybe this force AND Vira’s faerie mistress are attuned to the weird primordial musical magic at play here, with one using it to bring the Greypocalypse and the other picking Orion to be its prophet and save Neopia. Revealing to him the tales of a very ancient Neopia, with secrets that will help us defeat Vira’s faerie mistress.
So for everyone’s safety, Orion has quarantined himself in the bookshop. If this power takes over and it is a malevolent force? He might hurt somebody or doom Neopia if he’s left around people or things. But will this event be the event that happens? If it even happens? As NeoRyuuko speculates, after the Faerie Festival our Orion’s Prophecies trophies will be Silver at best. Meaning we’ve got one more event, most likely Winter Starlight. Whatever happens during the Festival, he should be alright enough to join us for the high holidays, right? This isn’t the event where we lose Orion to these visions, right? Well, maybe we do, but he gets better. Especially if these visions are meant to help us. - After today’s episode (or before, up to you), get your donations in, your Faerie Quest completed, your battles fought, your shifts worked, and your Essences collected.MeridellSakhmetMystery Island
The count as of 11:00 PM: 44,308,042.
Tomorrow, hope should be arriving for Tavi, Nyx, and Juni. Hope for their friendship? In the form of Luxinia’s conflict mediating talents? If she can even still probe hearts and minds? Tomorrow, answers to how much Grey Paint you can come into contact with will also be arriving.
3rd October, 2024
- Everyone’s retiring to their separate corners today. Page 3 of The Widening Void has Tavi and Nyx widening their distance between each other. We seem to have jumped ahead a little bit from their heated exchange in Page 2.
Single panel comic today. Visibly sullen (except Juni, Juni is chillin’), Tavi and Nyx are busy with idle distractions. Nyx fiddles with her Dampener, and Tavi digs through her pack. Oh! And apparently she still has at least one hook. But what they’re doing isn’t the point. It’s what they’re not doing, and that’s interacting with each other. They’re avoiding each other. But how angry are they at the other person? The time jump maybe does a slight disservice because you have to wonder, what happened before this scene? Maybe they were like “Know what? I can’t talk to you right now. I’m going over here. This is my side of the Woods, that’s your side of the Woods.” Yeah, split right along that little path that leads into the graveyard. With Juni chillaxin’ over on Nyx’s side. But NeoRyuuko doesn’t think so. She thinks it was more of a respectful calming down. More of a “Let’s both just relax.” After all, they could’ve stormed off a little further from each other if they really hated each other, right? On the other hand, this is the Haunted Woods. Only Juni could relax in a place like this. Sometimes two people who hate each other have to stick together for reasons beyond their control.
But help might be on the way, thanks to today’s Comic Prize: Hope on the Horizon Background.
A background inspired by today’s comic. But how, exactly, does this background depict hope on the horizon? The description of the item reads “Whats that in the sky!” Is there something we should be looking for in the sky? Maybe… these sparkles? Over the Batterfly on Nyx’s side of the Woods?
Halloween can be a night of wonder as much as terror, so magical sparkles might not be entirely out of place in the Haunted Woods. But maybe these sparkles came from somewhere else. Maybe it’s Luxinia. About to land with Baelia in tow. Which means she made the flight over! Which probably means she isn’t Greying and fishing Baelia out of the Grey Paint was a risk worth taking! Is Tavi gonna be like “I told you so?” It all depends on how angry they are right now. - Or maybe, just maybe, the sparkle is coming from that one Light Faerie at Jhudora’s Faerie Festival? Would they cross the events over that closely? Annyway, we’ve got cutscenes today. One for each faerie. Orion arrives to report for his babysitting duties and has a unique interaction with each faerie. Let’s start with Illusen.
Hello kind Earth Faerie Illusen! I have come at the request of Queen Fyora to see how the festivities are going.
Oh, hello Orion it is a pleasure to finally meet you.
Did you say that the Queen sent for you?
Yes, although I wished to be involved already.
Ah, I see. How so?
With the Queen so busy I thought perhaps I could be of assistance during these difficult times.
So I’ll be travelling between you and Jhudora from time to time, but I will mainly be held up in Faerieland doing some research with Seshatia in her library. So if anything occurs please don’t hesitate to swing by.
That is good to know. Thank you!
Ahahaha! How pleasant to be around, Illusen is.
Now let’s see his encounter with Jhudora.
Hel-hello cunning Dark Faerie Jhudora. I-I have come at the request of Queen Fyora to see how the festivities are coming along.
Ah, so the Queen sent her most recent problem child to be our babysitter, huh? How great.
Wait? You’ve come at her request? I thought she said you were the one who requested to come to the festivals.
We-well we both thought it pertinent t-to-
Why have you really come here?
Wi-with the Queen so busy I thought perhaps I could be of assistance during these difficult times…
I’ll be travelling between you and Illusen from time to time, but I will mainly be held up in Faerieland doing some research with Seshatia in her library. If you need anything from me please don’t hesitate to swing by.
Mhmm, I just might!
Ahahaha, Jhudora’s gaze could cook a steak. Similar conversations, but each serves to show what each faerie is about. Illusen is nice, Jhudora is… less so. But also? She’s a free thinker. A “nonconformist” like the “Time to choose” prompt said. She does her own research. She was quick to point out the inconsistency in the story she got from Fyora and the story she got from Orion. And now, as she did with the obsidian emissions last year, she will surely be looking into this. Sarah and Daisy are probably on the trail as we speak.
Oh, Jhudora. Things will make sense in the end! We live in a time of mysteries. By all means, ask questions. But trust that the truth is out there. If you’re willing to find it. Once again she makes us wonder how she might fare if Fyora turned her loose on the Void menace.
Speaking of the Void menace, Orion and Seshatia will be busy researching that, most likely. Will Orion get a chance to look at their copy of Navigating the Void, or is that back in Altador? Is that a separate investigative thread from his Prophecies, or are they throwing everything at the wall and seeing what sticks? Keep visiting the Festival to follow the investigation, it would seem. - In addition to your 30 donations of the day, make sure you do your daily Faerie Quest. And your battles, shifts, and Essences.GeraptikuRoo IslandFaerie City
Count as of 4:00 PM: 43,756,515
Do Fyora, Seshatia, and Orion know how bad it’s going for our heroes? To think, Tavi and Nyx and Juni might very well be within walking distance of Jhudora’s Festival. They could be like “Nyx’s brother Ozzy is the Grey Painter, what can we do, did you learn anything from that book yet?” Even if they don’t have any ideas yet, with our allies spread out around Neopia like they are right now? Everyone needs to work to be on the same page.
2nd October, 2024
- No story today, neither at The Void Within Headquarters or the Faerie Festival. Whew, that lag though… If you can, get your Faerie Quest, donations, battles, shifts, and Essences done.Lost DesertNeopian BazaarIce Caves
Count as of 7:30 PM: 43,428,889.
If Tavi and Nyx are about to fight, you know who might be able to smooth things over? Luxinia. NeoRyuuko is hoping she shows up soon. Hoping that, if Luxinia is part of the character exploration in this chapter, hers also takes place in the Haunted Woods. This would be nice not just because Luxinia can intervene in case things get too heated, but because it’s October it’d be more consistent to keep the Haunted Woods theme going all month. In fact, Luxinia might be a major factor in the discussion if/when she shows up. If she’s not Grey from touching Baelia, then it probably wasn’t that dangerous trying to rescue her. If she is? Then Nyx was right to stop Tavi from stepping in that paint puddle and it was probably the wiser move to retreat while the retreating was good. Or maybe the two of them no longer want to fight. Nyx has withdrawn, and Tavi seems to have withdrawn. No one’s being openly hostile right now. Maybe the heart to heart begins now.
It might be a little early to think about this, but how exactly will we return color to Neopia? SmudgeOfFudge has been thinking about this. If getting the color back comes at some kind of cost, might there be some conflict among Grey victims about who/what gets un-Greyed when? For instance, JoyfulCabbage thinks that, if there is some restriction, it’ll be that the color only returns to one land at a time. Then the fight would be between each leader over which land should get un-Greyed first. Probably some interesting conversations to be had if that happens, but even having to wait your turn to be un-Greyed would be preferable to dealing with the threats to come. If that’s all you’ve got to worry about? Consider Neopia victoruous against the Void.
But whether it be Tavi and Nyx arguing over Baelia, or the Council maybe someday arguing about how to un-Grey everything, we must either love each other, or we must dye.
1st October, 2024
- It’s officially time for the Faerie Festival Donation Drive and the lag has been a fright!
This update comes very late in the day. But yeah! We got Page 2 of The Widening Void where tensions grow even hotter!
Grey tendrils rise in the background, similar to how they they rise off of Castle Brightvale. Where is it coming from? What was Greyed? Nothing on Neopets.com, but maybe Neopets.com will change once it’s revealed in-plot what’s been Greyed. Again, similar to how Brightvale had been Greyed but wasn’t reflected on the site until we caught up to it in the plot.
Anyway, grey tendrils rise in the background. Tavi wants to go back for Baelia and Luxinia. She insists! But Nyx… Nyx gets up in her face! Veins popping out of her face, she shouts “THERE’S NOTHING WE CAN DO!” Tavi drops to her knees. She can’t just leave them. They’re her friends. Nyx draws back, seemingly regretful of her tone.
Things got confrontational there. But Tavi didn’t push back. Not right away, anyway. Was there really nothing they can do? Because if not, what is Luxinia doing? If she had said “Let’s trust that Luxinia can pull this off” then sure. But “You saw what happened, there’s nothing we can do?” The situation clearly isn’t hopeless because they’re doing something right now in sending Luxinia back for Baelia. And this alone validates the idea that maybe, just maybe, they could’ve/should’ve done more to save Baelia in the first place. Maybe Tavi will push back with that?
And does this moment maybe say something about our heroes? Does it perhaps reveal a “real them” behind some facade they put up? Yerimiese thinks it might. That maybe this shows a selfishness in Nyx that might manifest in her becoming a villain down the line. Or if not a villain, an antagonistic element. She’ll be working against the interests of the group for her own concerns. If that’s not what she’s been doing all along. It’s definitely understandable, but her two concerns up until now have been Juni and Ozzy. Perhaps to the detriment of the rest of the team. And right now maybe she’s unbothered more than ever by the rest of the team. Things look hopeless for the thing she’s worried about, getting Ozzy back. Whatever happens to Baelia or Luxinia isn’t really that important to her right now. Contrast that with Tavi, who is not only worried about Baelia, but Luxinia. She says “They’re my friends.” She only just met Luxinia but she’s down for the cause like that? Now you gotta wonder how Nyx feels in comparison. Does she feel like Baelia and Luxinia are her friends too? NeoRyuuko wonders, pointing out that this time of stress is really unearthing some as-of-yet hidden character traits. Maybe Nyx doesn’t mean to be selfish, but in this moment Tavi is willing to make sacrifices and Nyx is giving up.
NeoRyuuko wonders if maybe this is what the title The Widening Void means. No, Tavi didn’t push back right away, but maybe bit by bit the group starts to distance themselves from each other. This would probably mean this isn’t the chapter Jewel was talking about where two characters open up and start to form a relationship, though. Unless the relationship is a hostile relationship.
Comic Prize? Not as spooky as the last one. A Grey Puzzle.
NeoRyuuko also reminds that Dr. Landelbrot said the Void might literally widen. Waaaaaaay back when Void Essence Collection first started. “Conglomerations of void essence may start trickling into entirely new sets of lands as the rift expands over time!” And we are getting Essence in a broad variety of places now. We’re getting it all over. On the other hand, if you’ll recall, we’re only doing it this way now after player feedback. People asked for it to be a little less monotonous. Originally when it was the same 3 maps, the plan might’ve been to drop Essences on more maps to show that the Void was expanding. When Essences on other maps was specifically meant to be a sign of the Void expanding. Essences on other maps right now though? All we know is that it was done to keep us on our toes. So is the Void expanding? We can’t really say “Yes, because the Essences are falling elsewhere” because that might just be happening to keep things interesting. We need to wait for something in the story to happen that shows the rift is expanding. - Speaking of Void Essence Collection, your spots for the day. And don’t forget battles and shifts.Darigan CitadelLost DesertQasala
Count as of 11:30 PM: 43,101,744.
As mentioned at the top of the coverage, it’s also Donation Drive Day at the Faerie Festival. You may wanna get your Faerie Quest(s) out of the way first, then return to the Festival to make your decision.
Just like last year, you get a pendant and a shot at these fabulous prizes.
You might be wondering, did Jhudora include the WoDF in her prize shop this year? No, she did not. Illusen is probably gonna win again. But we’ll cover both sides anyway. As you can see, your captain of choice has some words for you when you arrive.
I’m so glad you are here! Whether you are joining me again or this is your first time I hope you are just as excited as me! This year, bring me any items you wish to donate, and I’ll reward you! Let’s save as many items as possible so that we blow Jhu…the other festival out of the water! I’m looking forward to all of your help!
I’d say thanks for choosing my Faerie Festival, but we all know it was the obvious choice. Since I’ve been forced into doing this again I don’t really feel like explaining much. So just bring me stuff you want to donate and I’ll give you trinkets or whatever as a reward. And listen closely, if you don’t bring me more than those tree huggers over at the other festival I will put my own curse on you that will make you wish you donated your life savings, got it?
The FAQ that the Festival is linking to doesn’t explain how the Donation Drive works. This FAQ does. Same rules as last year, but in case you need a refresher, you get prize shop points depending on the rarity of the item you bring. The rarities, and their assigned point values…
r1-r79: 1 point
r80-89: 2 points
r90-97: 6 points
r98-r100: 4 points
Sticky Snowball: 1 point
r101: 1 point
r102-r179: 8 points
The daily cap is 30 items. So if you’ve got about 300 Cheese Omelettes? All you gotta do is show up every day with your stipend and the hardest part is done. Remember, the drive lasts until the end of the day on October 9th.
If you care, there’s also the Faerie Donating Capsule you get for hitting the daily cap. For donating 30 items in one day, you get this capsule that, when opened, will give you a random item with a rarity anywhere between 90 and 99. 60% chance of it being R90-95, 25% chance of it being R96-98, and 15% chance of it being R99. But what you’re really after are those prize shop prizes. That I-Staff. Because Jhudora once again is not giving her WoDF up. Not that she needs to, The Void Within has armed everyone with one already.
Items, trophies, these are all well and good. But you’re here for the story, surely. You’re waiting for Orion to show up. When might that be? Well, last year the drive started on October 9th, and then we got a new cutscene on October 13th. So maybe 4 days from now? But on the other hand, Orion’s Prophecies has taken anywhere from 4 to 7 days. If Orion was to show up on the 5th, he’d have to get started on his visions pretty much right away to fit all the story in. So past precedent probably doesn’t apply. The Cup and Festival of Neggs are both longer than the Faerie Festival Donation Drive, so they have more room for stuff like that. Expect things to either happen faster, or end sooner. Or both.
30th September, 2024
- October is… basically here already. And spooky times call for a spooky chapter.
The Widening Void? Let’s go to the Plot Timeline to see what it’s all about.
The Widening Void
Sep 30, 2024
There was also an entry added before this on the timeline. Added very late in the night tonight.
Grey Deluge
Sep 28, 2024
Do you still remember how Jewel mentioned in that one Neopets LIVE that two characters would be opening up to one another (a little bit, but not too much), and that a relationship would develop? We thought it might be Filling the Void, and that had its moments, but from the looks of this synopsis? The Widening Void seems like its gonna be specifically focused on it. This, for real this time, is probably the chapter she was talking about. A chapter specifically about character development/exploration.
And because this chapter runs through the bulk of October, it’s set in the Haunted Woods! Let us begin our slow, meditative character study with Page 1.
So, it looks like what happened was, our heroes fled Central to the closest spot that wasn’t under siege by the shades: The Haunted Woods. Then Luxinia went back to try and find Baelia. The rest of the team is here waiting for them. But that kinda sorta clashes with what Grey Deluge says on the timeline. “As the wave of grey overwhelms her, Luxinia swoops down to whisk Baelia away” sounds more like Luxinia swooped in right away. But then, maybe it takes time for the wave to “overwhelm.” Maybe it doesn’t move like water, more like… cement, maybe? Maybe this comic (and the one before it) could use some kind of framing text like “Later, At Such And Such Place…” because however long Baelia has been waiting isn’t clear. But maybe it’s not important.
Our heroes catch their breath after the harrowing escape and disastrous failure of their mission. Nyx is rattled. Her baby brother is now a Grey ghost of a Yurble! But Tavi’s got her own problems. Luxinia and Baelia still aren’t back! Like someone waiting on the bus, she decided to walk further in hopes that’ll help her see them coming/make them show up faster. She doesn’t catch it, it’s kinda hard to see, but SmudgeOfFudge did catch it: There’s Grey Paint here. Ozzy has been around. Is he still here? If so, he and Vira and the Shade Army really know how to get around. But whether he’s here or not, if there’s Grey Paint there’s probably shades too. And Tavi doesn’t even have her hooks!
Nyx grabs Tavi’s hand to keep her from stepping in it, and Tavi snaps at her. It’s clear she’s angry about the choice to leave without Baelia. That’s what happened, right? They left without Baelia and sent Luxinia back much later?
A spooky chapter for a spooky month deserves spooky Comic Prizes. Like this Vira Croissant Plate.
With us now in the Haunted Woods, and with us seeing Grey Paint in the area, you might be thinking about those defaced posters again. NeoRyuuko sure is, and she points out how the path of lands attacked/Greyed out continues to follow the order of the posters released.
Meridell has been Greyed, Brightvale has been Greyed, Kiko Lake has been Greyed (but they don’t have a poster), Neopia Central has been Greyed, and now the Haunted Woods has been Greyed. Not on the site, but something in the area has been hit. Not every land that gets hit has a poster, but every land with a poster gets hit, and in this order… so far. If this continues? In maybe a month or so we should be in the “mysterious mountains.” Might be fun for around Winter Starlight. But for now? Let’s enjoy the Halloween season. - This season also comes with the Faerie Festival and its daily Faerie Quests. Battles shifts and Essences.KreludorMoltara CityMaraquan Ruins
Count as of 11:30 PM: 42,747,436.
As we’ve said before, we only ever get new steps very early in the chapter. And with Grey Paint in the area, we might just get a new wave of opponents. But from the sound of this chapter synopsis, we’re not gonna be doing much (new) battling. And the only puzzles we’ll be solving is the puzzle of how our heroes are gonna get along after their setback in Central. This sounds like a “light on activities, but heavy on story” sort of chapter. Which may disappoint some who are in this plot for the “stuff” to do. But these people might also consider that we have the Faerie Festival for 11 out of the 21 days of this chapter. Aren’t we already busy enough?
If you do like story, this chapter will surely deliver lots of opportunities for character exploration. People who don’t know each other very well are getting to know each other. Tavi and Nyx, for instance. To get into either of their backstories would be interesting. And how about Baelia and Luxinia? Maybe they’ll get to talk to each other? Maybe the Grey Paint will start affecting one of them and they can talk about that? Yerimiese is wondering about the possibility of the Grey Paint reaching Luxinia. What a disaster it would be if she started to Grey while Baelia was in her arms! If Tavi can’t so much as step in it while wearing boots? Luxinia dunked herself in it. Either Nyx is a little overcareful (which Tavi might throw at her when arguing for why they should’ve recused Baelia earlier), or Luxinia is in serious trouble. And what about Baelia? Will she feel any different? That’s what _Hermes_32 is waiting on. As for whether the Grey Paint will make Baelia Double Grey or Reverse Grey, he’s banking on the latter: Baelia becomes a Rainbow Faerie. Instead of having no elemental affinity, she has them all.
A chapter heavy on character exploration will probably be heavy on cutscenes in place of comics too. Or heavy on amount of pages. Or both! There’s a lot to be said between this team.
29th September, 2024
- Closing time for Escape the Grey. A true turning point for this plot. This was the chapter for revelations. And now more than ever, the question of “What happens next?” bears asking.
Of course you’ve got the Faerie Festival, its daily Faerie Quests, the battles that really don’t seem to be achieving much (our heroes are retreating after their failed mission), the shifts tending to the countless victims of these trying times… and Essences.Tyrannian JungleDeserted FairgroundKiko Lake
Count as of 7:15 PM: 42,351,529.
About our heroes making it to the Faerie Festival though? Flavor text from Faerie Quests seems to establish that Baelia will not be present. And it’s not just that Seshatia is taking her place. She says that she heard specifically that Baelia couldn’t be here for the Festival and is very sad about it.
But when did Seshatia hear this? Did she tell her before she headed out for Neopia Central? Because that was back when everyone thought Team Baelia was gonna end the Void invasion with Neopia’s greatest two-‘pet, two-faerie, one-Faellie army. Probably expected her to be gone longer than that. Speaking of plot stuff keeping you away from the Festival, that doesn’t seem to be a problem Fyora faces. Accoridng to flavor text from her, she’s apparently still working with the Council through the Festival.
Is she moving back and forth between Altador and Faerieland? If we return to Altador in Chapter 6, that might let us know. But then, in-universe canon can’t always line up perfectly with the site. Case in point, you can still play Grumpy Old King even though Skarl is, canonically, in Altador. What are they gonna do? Take the game down for a whole year? Some of us might think that’d be fun and cool and they should absolutely do it. But there’s the matter of running a functioning Neopets.com to consider too.
28th September, 2024
- You ain’t NEVER gonna believe… well, we were certainly surprised. “Baelia WANTED to stay! She’s been left in the clutches of our villainous duo! ‘Baelia Retrieval Arc’ begins now!” Page 14 of Escape the Grey debunks all that and goes to show that it ain’t over ’til it’s over.
We specifically speculated that Baelia would not, maybe even could not, be airlifted out. That Ozzy and Vira would collect her from the battlefield and take her back to HQ. The opposite of those things happened: Ozzy and Vira move on to the next spot, and Luxinia finally swoops in and plucks Baelia from the soup. Really pushing herself. Is it the strain of rushing her outta there? Or is she grossed out by the prospect of paint touching her?
Were we wrong for thinking that Baelia wasn’t gonna be saved? Or is that the deft use of suspense, and the subversion of expectations? Were we meant to think that Baelia wasn’t gonna make it? Only for the script to get flipped on us? Again, this is a plot where they ask us to speculate and craft theories. Where they want us to question “What’s going on?” And try and figure that out. Feeding us chapters bit by bit only facilitates this more. Had we gotten this chapter in one lump sum, we wouldn’t have wondered if Baelia was gonna make it. It’s like the format is structured to make us think Baelia might not make it.
But turns out Tavi wasn’t entirely wrong for wanting to save Baelia, it’s just it called for the right tool at the right time. They were gonna get her, it’s just you can’t just jump into rushing rapids. But all’s well that ends well. No need for angry Tavi anymore.
Final Comic Prize of the chapter, a Grey Tsunami Coin.
Wow. So, what happens next? We gotta go back to the drawing board on speculation because this didn’t end the way we thought it would. Well… now that the gang is sticking together, maybe they will go to the Faerie Festival? But also, Baelia getting contaminated with Grey will probably have some kind of consequence. NeoRyuuko thinks so. Cause and effect, everything happens for a reason. Absolute bare minimum? Everyone is very proud that Baelia stepped up like that. But perhaps more likely, this event is “useful” for something. Like maybe they decide here that Baelia is immune to being Greyed so if we just support her sufficiently, she’s the perfect counterpick to Ozzy and his minions. Or maybe Baelia isn’t “immune” and transforms somehow. Double Grey or Canceled Out Grey or something? Or… maybe it’s Luxinia who transforms. Some of that paint probably got on her. How much Paint does it take to Grey you?
Ah, but then… can faeries even be Greyed that way? Spare a thought for Kari again. Now we know how she turned Grey. Ozzy’s Grey Paint got on her.
There’s still the possibility that Kari might lose her wings after a while. But if she doesn’t, we have reason to suspect that Luxinia won’t. They’ll droop, she’ll lose her luster, but she won’t be wingless like Baelia. Meaning this Paint Brush doesn’t turn faeries into Grey Faeries. Baelia was turned some other way. Ozzy’s Paint Brush probably didn’t even exist when Baelia was turned Grey. On the other hand… Baelia was supposedly a Light Faerie once upon a time. Maybe that’s the difference. Light Faeries who get hit with this magical Grey substance turn into Grey Faeries the likes that Baelia is.
And then there’s Luxinia’s special empath powers. Maybe she’s wincing like this because she’s probing Baelia’s heart and mind? SmudgeofFudge thinks Luxinia might be experiencing Baelia’s pain right now. The pain in her heart and her body. Is that… something you should ask to do first? Maybe it happens without Luxinia even meaning to do it. It would be a great opportunity to look into Baelia’s past, if she’s not getting captured by the enemy and confronting old foes.
Cause and effect. What happens next typically has something to do with what’s happening now. Filling the Void opened with Tavi and Baelia showing up in wartorn Brightvale because they were headed to the area in A Riot of Colour and said area was under attack at the time. With a Light Heart opened with our heroes barging in on the Council because the chapter before that ended with our heroes arriving in Altador. A Grey Matter opened with Landelbrot and Scintilly doing Voidworks because the chapter before that ended with… Landelbrot and Scintilly doing Voidworks. And Escape the Grey opened with a confrontation between our heroes and our villains because the chapter before that ended with a confrontation between our heroes and our villains. So where do our heroes go from here? Utterly routed by their opponents? Back to Headquarters to tell everyone how bad things went? Fyora and Seshatia might be out when they get there. The rest of the Council can probably handle it, but maybe Team Baelia oughta just go to the Faerie Festival. - And you oughta go to the Faerie Festival too. And you oughta do your Faerie Quest. And your battles, and shifts, and Essences.Moltara CavesMeridellNeopian Marketplace
Count as of 3:45 PM: 41,956,092.
And if you can, check out Crabby Hopbobbin’s Donation Drive in Dacardia. In an effort to see if there was anything to learn (maybe about Dr. Celandine’s Void studies), we checked it out. So far, Lania (the red Lutari) announces that she got notice from her cousin that there’s a so-called “Grey Curse” that’s on its way to Neopia Central.
Hm. Just a smooch late. Fun fact, Lania’s cousin is Umbra the Styling Studio Lutari. As evidenced by this Lania and Umbra Family Photo you can win from the Donation Drive.
The description reads “Aw, these creative cousins are always so happy to see each other!” This is the main source of knowing that Lania and Umbra are cousins. Dr. Ariel Celandine (the red Ruki) also brings attention to the rift in the sky, which even in Dacardia can be seen.
Another fun fact, the new Dacardia game doesn’t mention it yet but in the old Dacardia game (Island Builders) they reveal that Ariel’s teacher is Chief Adler Honcho. The big Eyrie you saw amongst the Council?
Yadda yadda yadda, set up the Festival Plaza and start donating. Lasts through October 9th at 11:59:59 PM, so… same length as the Faerie Festival’s donation drive. But the important stuff to know so far, Ariel is recording energy fluctuations from the rift in the sky, and intends to send her reports to Altador. Will she actually do it? Will we hear about it on the site?
Everything revolves around the rift right now. Everyone’s doing something about it. Its shadow is inescapable.
27th September, 2024
- No story today. Day of silence, perhaps, to reflect on Baelia’s sacrifice.
Your dailies: Faerie Festival, Faerie Quests, battles, shifts, Essences.Lost DesertGeraptikuVirtupets Space Station: Supply Deck
Count as of 3:15 AM: 41,415,837.
As this chapter draws to a close, we reflect on everything that’s happened up to this point. Remember Page 2 when we were wondering if Nyx conjured a Voidling to hit Vira with? Or if Nyx just threw the Voidling and Vira conjured a portal to send it away?
Well, looking at yesterday’s comic, we see Vira spinning her knife around. Maybe because she just likes to spin it. Or maybe because the nearby Voidlings actually came out of the knife? Note the WHHIRRR! This is no mere background action, this is something we’re supposed to pay attention to.
We’ve seen her spin it around before, even point it at people she wanted her shades to attack. Guess we thought she was just directing them, not summoning them.
So if this new theory is correct, and Vira was making a portal to bring a Voidling out and tank Nyx’s attack, is she summoning them from somewhere or conjuring them? This part we still have no idea of. And it’s this part that truly gets to the root of what these shades are and why they’re so sad about stuff. Considering how these shades seem to be infinite (we’re probably not running out of shades in Brightvale or Kiko Lake or Neopia Central any time soon), they might be conjured or cobbled together from Void Essence or something. But how about this theory? They are the many conscripted souls Vira has been luring in over the years? You’ll recall from her Gallery of Evil entry that she likes to poison flowers and give away talking mirrors. Mirrors that whisper wickedly and prey on people’s insecurities. What if these shades are the army of insecure Neopians she’s amassed? But if that’s the case… why do they look the way they do? Questions to be answered later in the plot, for sure.
The fact that we didn’t get a comic today suggests that the next comic we get will be somewhat removed from the recent events with Baelia being swept up in Grey. Usually when we get story every day without breaks, it’s to illustrate closely connected events. So it looks like this chapter will end with the beginning of something. Will we open on the remainder of Baelia’s team, and a very VERY angry Tavi? Or will Baelia rise from the slop to be reborn as Super Baelia? One thing you can probably bank on, no one on Team Baelia is in the mood for going to the Faerie Festival. - SMALL UPDATE: Over on the Neopets Facebook page, NeoRyuuko was poking around when suddenly they posted another plot-related curiosity. A picture of Ozzy in what might be his house? While the new lady in his life lurks in the shadows, like a phantom living in his mind.
As with the picture of Nyx in Brightvale, we have to wonder if this is even something that’s gonna happen in the plot or if it’s just a promotional image. October is coming, and this is very in keeping with the spooky vibe you need that time of year. But let’s go over it anyway.
The Grey Paint seems to start from the wall, crossing out the Frayed Family Illustration. Maybe this specifically doesn’t actually happen in the plot, but functionally it already has. This appears to be some artist’s rendition of the day it all came crumbling down. The day Ozzy became the Grey Painter. Hence Ozzy’s Journal becoming The Grey Painter…’s journal.
But also, there’s paints and art supplies about. Fine art, probably by Ozzy. Is this a new thing, or was Ozzy an artist from the beginning like people like to speculate? Maybe he was A Grey Painter before he was The Grey Painter? That’s a moment in history that would be interesting to hear about. Maybe we don’t know enough about art supplies, but what’s that red rag with Grey Paint on it for? Just for cleaning? Artists, hit us up with your insights. This could be the de-Greyer we’ve been looking for.
And then there’s the one who made all this possible. The one who sent Ozzy’s Tower of Turnips tumbling down.
Vira did push him, yes. But she likely wouldn’t have been able to make a Grey Painter out of just anyone. Ozzy was born susceptible to wicked whispers. If she and/or her faerie mistress aren’t the ones who sent Nyx and Juni to the Void, that is some insane luck, then.
It’s been over a month since that “Nyx in Brightvale” picture and that hasn’t turned into anything yet. So… maybe just enjoy the picture, for now. We can say this happened off camera. If we’re lucky, we’ll get it as part of a flashback?
26th September, 2024
- Alexa, play “In the Air Tonight” by Phil Collins. If you’re Tavi in Page 13 of Escape the Grey, you want answers and you want them yesterday. Not even yesterday. Two days ago.
It’s not clear how long this sequence is taking, them being split up into separate days might make it seem like this sequence is taking longer than it is. But here we see Tavi fighting against both Nyx and Luxinia to save Baelia from the Grey. They’re holding her back. They themselves are not in the Grey. Ozzy and Vira are not in the Grey. But Baelia is up to her neck in the Grey. Our heroes stare at her while she drowns, and Ozzy stares at his brush. Is that remorse, or is he just naturally gloomy looking?
Baelia did tell them to leave her behind. But if you’re Tavi, you’re asking “Why did we HAVE to leave Baelia behind?” Did Baelia have to intercept the wave to keep them from being hit? Because she hasn’t held the wave back. The Grey Paint flows past her. But… it hasn’t gotten up to the rest of her team. The rest of her team, apparently, is on dry land. So… did she buy them a split second to run further away from the Grey Paint? If so, was she not able to run further from the Grey Paint? What it seems like is, she’s surrounded by rapids now and can’t move. But her friends are on dry land. How far away are her friends that she couldn’t just escape with them? Did they get way out from the paint? In the split second of time Baelia bought them? And even if there was no way Baelia wasn’t gonna get hit with that wave and she’s stuck in the rapids… is flying her out not an option? Are they too afraid of getting touched by the paint? Okay, maybe it’s just too risky. But Tavi is willing to take the risk. Why is Baelia allowed to make the sacrifice but Tavi isn’t? If they can let Baelia go, the hero of this story and the one Fyora specified had to save us from the Grey, they can let Tavi go, right? No?
Maybe there’s something we’re not grasping here. Maybe Tavi can get to the bottom of it because she’s probably livid. She probably wants to know why Baelia couldn’t be saved or why she couldn’t stay with Baelia and she’ll probably ask for us. Then again, like with Ozzy, there’s probably no good reason they can give her for what they’ve done. This might be where the fellowship parts. But all signs point to Baelia wanting to stay. Not even wanting to escape if she could. But then, this would be less about Baelia acting fast to save her friends, and acting fast to get to stay behind to deal with Ozzy and Vira and maybe their faerie mistress personally. Which, to be fair, would save her friends in the end.
Comic Prize du now is some Void Eye Makeup.
13 pages so far, we probably got room for 1 more. Either tomorrow or on Saturday, and then the end of chapter warning, and then Chapter 6. Once again, the chapter size grows.
But what can happen after this? Maybe we end with the rest of the team flying away on Walein with a sad/angry Tavi? And what happens to Baelia? She didn’t part the Grey Sea or anything, but NeoRyuuko still believes in the potential that this Grey Paint is gonna have some kind of effect on Baelia. It’s just you gotta soak her a little. Again, we don’t know how fast this all happened. It seems like, SEEMS like thanks to how comics work, that our heroes were standing around for a good amount of time just watching Baelia struggle. Not necessarily so. This could all have been over in a second. And a second is probably not long enough to transform into a some new “Double Grey” or “Reverse Grey” form. It’s not long enough to dye a shirt, not long enough to dye a faerie.
One thing we know for certain, Baelia wanted this. She decided to stay. She didn’t want to be rescued. If we ever see her again, we should definitely ask her what she was thinking, though. She probably knew something we didn’t? - Another day, another stacked itinerary of dailies. Faerie Festival, Faerie Quests, battles, shifts, and Essences.FaerielandGeraptikuMoltara Caves
Count as of 8:45 AM: 41,170,283.
It’s Invitation Day at the Faerie Festival! So you probably saw Fyora’s cutscene notification when you got there.
But it’s not a cutscene, it’s a set of invitations! You can also see this on the Neopets home page, just like last year.
Join the Event! signs you up for the event, Not now… simply closes the window until you refresh/click Fyora again, depending on what page you’re looking at it from.
But you want that flavor text, as usual. Let’s start with last year’s victor, Illusen. Keeper of the I-Staff.
Woods outside of Faerieland? Our mistake, we said Illusen’s Festival was held at the Glade. Maybe that’s why it isn’t Grey. Must be on that peninsula that almost reaches Meridell.
Jhudora’s Festival could only ever be in the Haunted Woods.
Like last year, you gotta bring your own food. But Jhudora will save a free drink for early conscripts to her side of War of the Festivals II.
Which side do you pick? People tend to make this decision based on the prize shops, which aren’t released yet. Illusen probably won last year because she gave people her Staff. Will Jhudora give out Wand of the Dark Faerie this time around? Prize shop balance, it’s a debate that will probably not see end. But maybe you wanna wait until the prize shop details are public, just in case said shops aren’t balanced enough for your liking.
You remember the theory from KH2Riku_3 that the crystals in the Navigating the Void notes are Dacardite? Well, The Void Within has cast its shadow over Tales of Dacardia now. And so has the Faerie Festival, kinda. A Charity Corner-esque event was announced in the New Features for Tales of Dacardia (similar to the Faerie Festival). The goal appears to be to fight back against the spreading Grey.Tales of Dacardia News: Things in Neopia are turning grey, but Dacardia is ready to help! Help bring colour back to Neopia by participating in Tales of Dacardias Crabby Hopbobbin’s Donation Drive event! Each item you donate will earn Crabby Tickets that can be exchanged for prizes both in Tales of Dacardia and on the classic Neopets site. Be sure to check it out!
And one of the prizes you can get from this event is a book, readable on Neopets.com, entitled “Dacardite and the Void: A Study by Dr. Ariel Celandine.” Depicting what is probably Dacardite, except instead of its usual Icy Snowager Blue, it’s a Void Wyrm Purple.
What did Dr. Celandine discover? Will those of us who don’t have mobile devices ever find out? You also have to be brave enough to get NeoPass, so there’s that. But you’ll recall that Neostaffer Jewel wanted to tie the plot in to Tales of Dacardia. So she probably intended for it to be as consequential as they would allow. They didn’t work on this just for you to not need to play it.
But we are busy nowadays, aren’t we? Aesop once likened Neopia’s lore to the Marvel Cinematic Universe with all the different fronts and all the homework you have to do to keep up with it. This can be a good or bad thing, depending on your taste. But we’ll do our due diligence in helping you with that homework.
25th September, 2024
- The floodpaints have now swept past Baelia! Has the rest of her team gotten to high ground? We’ve reached Page 12 of Escape the Grey and there really doesn’t seem to be any escaping of the Grey for Baelia at this point. Doesn’t look like she’s absorbing it or deflecting it, not going “Double Grey,” not going “Reverse Grey,” just trapped in rapids too turbulent to move around in.
The paint is rising. In the distance we see the Shop Wizard, on a house all but submerged. So the paint can reach at least as high as “almost to the top of that house.” We see a Kadoatie surfing on a raft… and Baelia, of course. The force of the waves are so rapid that it looks like she can’t really move, lest she be swept up. It’s taking all of her strength to stand her ground. So at this point… she can’t run.
Where’s the rest of the team? Where’s Walein? Walein can definitely fly, Luxinia can probably fly at least a little, can she be airlifted out? Like one typically does when people are stuck in rapids? Probably. So why don’t they? Tavi would probably like to know. What it looks like from here is, Baelia wanted to stay. She wasn’t just saving her friends, she was staying behind on purpose. Why? Maybe because Baelia realizes that Ozzy needs to be saved and only she can do it. It has to be done through a Grey to Grey connection. Maybe Baelia braving the Grey will show Ozzy that this world is worth believing in? NeoRyuuko brings up the chapter’s title again. Escape the Grey. Maybe what the title really means is “The Grey should not be escaped, but embraced?” Which pairs well with the possibility that maybe Baelia isn’t going to stop being Grey by the end of this thing. Instead she’ll endure the Grey, thrive despite it.
Comic Prize is…a Grey Kadoatie? Oh, that Kadoatie on the raft must’ve fallen in.
So is this what happens? Baelia willingly gives herself up to the enemy? Yes… maybe she realizes more about Ozzy and Vira than she lets on. Maybe she overheard the dagger, or maybe she (like Fyora) recognizes the signs. The signs of their connection to Jennumara/Drakara. And she realizes “I have to stop this. It has to be me, and it can’t be them.” Does she hope to win hearts? Or does she plan on defeating Jennumara/Drakara with some other kind of bargain? In summary… what is Baelia thinking? - It’s a new story day, and no new maps have gone Grey. So maybe this isn’t gonna spread from map to map throughout Central, culminating in a new set of shades some time around the start of Chapter 6. Who knows, we’ve still got 5 days left. For now, your battles, shifts, and Essences.KreludorWarf WharfMoltara City
Count as of 3:30 AM: 40,712,199.
…and don’t forget the Faerie Festival and its Faerie Quests. October might have you even busier than Cup time.
Speaking of future plot steps, SmudgeOfFudge has been going over the defaced teaser posters. Noticing how Ozzy sort of lurks around in a kind of I Spy/Where’s Waldo way. Noticing these as-of-yet unexplained skulls and flowers seen in some of them.
The Council and its resources were able to track Ozzy’s trajectory from Kiko Lake to Neopia Central. If we’re headed into a “Baelia Retrieval Arc,” in the wake of the failure to stop the attack in Central, finding the villains has never been more crucial. So maybe as a daily puzzle of sorts we’ll have to search for Ozzy. And clues as to where he’s hiding/heading? Maybe we’ll have to look for skulls and flowers like on these posters. Leading to a confrontation in the Haunted Woods, if the order of release for these posters is anything to go by. And then? The mysterious mountains. Yes, we catch up to Ozzy (and probably Vira) in the Haunted Woods, which are right outside of the mysterious mountains, and they’re like “She’s just ahead, if you think you can reach her.” Yeah, something like that.
That “Solutions” tab still hasn’t come into function yet. Not even to show us solutions to Voidworks. The puzzles must come eventually. Though many are eager, consider impatience a nice problem to have. It means you’ve got the goods, you just can’t play with them yet. - SMALL UPDATE: Remember the Neopets Portal? The one that no one checks? NeoRyuuko checked it and found that a new article for the Faerie Festival was added, confirming that yes, Orion’s Prophecies this time around will be a look into Jhudora and Illusen’s shared past…
Dust off your wands and sprinkle some faerie dust, Neopians!
The Faerie Festival is back, and it’s more enchanting than ever! Join us for a month-long celebration filled with magic and mystery from 24 September to 10 October 2024.
This year, Fyora has taken a slightly different approach. Instead of forcing Jhudora and Illusen to work together, she’s given them each complete control over their own festival plans.
As Neopians prepare for the coming festivities, Orion, the wise seer, finds himself with a quest of his own—figuring out the ancient artefact known as the Lyre. But as the festival grows bigger, he is struck by a vision of Jhudora and Illusen fighting side by side.
More chaos ensues, revealing a possibly deeper reason behind the longstanding feud between the two, which Orion is determined to resolve. However, with the Faerie Festival in full swing will there really be a way to do it all? Despite Fyora’s orders, the faerie’s differences threaten to ruin the event once again!
Is the celebration doomed, or can they find a way to save the day?
Find out in this tale of friendship, magic, and epic adventure! Join us for this year’s Faerie Festival, where many will face some of their greatest challenges yet!
A vision of Jhudora and Illusen fighting side by side? So they DO love each other! And Orion is determined to resolve the feud. Way back when, people speculated that this plot would be about Jhudora and Illusen. That the story to resolve would be the one about their relationship. The Faerie Festival isn’t specifically “the plot,” but it’s part of the overarching narrative. So we’re gonna count it.
The end is near. No more “evil” Jhudora. Nothing but hugs and kisses from here on out. It’s a little daunting to think of it, this age-old rivalry finally resolving. But you gotta go big for the 25th Birthday.
24th September, 2024
- It’s Faerie Festival day, and… it seems Baelia will not be joining us. In Page 11 of Escape the Grey, she makes a sacrifice that surely can’t be anything but costly.
Ozzy’s Paint Brush dumps a flood of Grey, the likes unseen until now. The kind that sweep away houses. In fact, that might be his house. But it’s not just going in one direction. It appears to be going everywhere. Or if nowhere else, toward our heroes. And so? Baelia jumps in front of the incoming wave of Grey Paint, sacrificing herself for a scant but crucial moment that only her friends get to enjoy. Tavi cries out, she tries to stop Baelia from doing this. But Nyx and Juni insist that everyone (but Baelia) gets to safety.
The first thing you might notice is, this Grey Paint swept that house away. So surely it can sweep Baelia away. Baelia is already Grey, so taking this attack sounds like a safe tactic at first. You can’t over-Grey, right? But again, how big and powerful is this wave? How big and powerful is Ozzy’s rage? Maybe this is a smaller stream? Does it fork off into ropes and Baelia happened to catch a skinnier, stray stream? The Grey Paint seemed to fork off in Page 3.
See how that smaller stream diverges and splatters that house with relative softness? Maybe Baelia blocked one like that. Buying her friends the time they need to escape without her. And this, as NeoRyuuko points out, is where we get the title Escape the Grey. This is the Grey, and this is how Baelia’s friends escape. Without Baelia. The Grey, in the next few seconds, will surely swallow Baelia up. Whether it sweeps her away or not, you can’t hold off a flood with one faerie. But for another day we’re kept wondering what Nyx would look like Grey. Or Juni, or Luxinia, or Tavi.
Comic Prize is a plate of Grey Cookies.
So what happens to Baelia now??? Well, first of all she probably gets immersed in Grey Paint. Paint, like all fluids, spreads everywhere it can get. And as you might’ve noticed, Neopia Central turned Grey today.
This might be a mistake. Wasn’t this fight taking place closer to the Bazaar? Because the Bazaar isn’t Grey, Neither the Plaza nor the Marketplace. What they might’ve meant to do is have the Bazaar go Grey, and then over the next 3 days the rest of Central goes Grey as the Paint spreads. But in either case, at least one map has been thoroughly Greyed. Meaning the Paint spread. Meaning Baelia didn’t stop the whole flood.
But what did Baelia intend, aside from buying her friends some time? Maybe she figured, as a Grey Faerie, she could not be Greyed any Greyer? But NeoRyuuko asks, what if she CAN be Greyer? Let’s talk a little bit about Seraphina again. As touched on in the Rebecca Mix Editorial interview, the reason they didn’t go with the idea of Seraphina being a Grey Faerie who takes up the mantle of the Omelette Faerie is because of this plot (and other narratives they’ve done and have upcoming). What NeoRyuuko speculates is, in The Void Within, Baelia goes through some kind of major change. Maybe she stops being Grey, maybe it’s something else. But it’s major enough that Seraphina making a similar change would be too repetitive, maybe steal some of the significance of this moment from Baelia.
Maybe this is where Baelia changes. She becomes Double Grey, a “supercharged” Grey. Maybe even gets some special powers she doesn’t have right now? Or maybe she already has the powers but doesn’t know about them? And this is where those powers start to manifest? If a Light Faerie has Light powers, shouldn’t Baelia have Grey powers? Like, maybe she can control Greyness and this Grey Paint? Maybe the Greyness is sentient and will obey Baelia before obeying Ozzy. SmudgeOfFudge thinks its possible. Another possibility, maybe as a Grey Faerie she has special Grey Paint Repelling powers? This might explain why the Bazaar isn’t Grey but other parts of Central are. Like, maybe she activated some Grey Shield that saved the Bazaar, but deflected it toward the the main map. Or maybe she absorbs it? Or Maybe she’s a natural Grey Paint Thinner! Smudge also think it might be the other way around. Maybe the Grey Paint absorbs Baelia’s Greyness. This, in turn, makes her a new faerie with a new name and she gets her wings/powers back. A symbolic death and rebirth in flood of Grey. Maybe that’s what the riddle of getting a new name means. You, as a faerie, have to die and then be reborn.
Or maybe she had no intentions outside of buying her friends some time. The Plot Timeline said “act fast,” not “think fast.” Back in A Riot of Colour, Baelia asked “What use would I be?” Fast forward to now, past sore feet and the struggle to mount and dismount giant Waleins, and we see what use Baelia is. Doing what she can with what she has. It’s not an every day thing, the Grey struggle is still very real. But when the chips are down?
Maybe Baelia gets powers, maybe she doesn’t. But if her friends leave her in the clutches of Ozzy and Vira? She probably gets taken by them back to their lair or something. Probably on that mountain where she was kept last time. Before our mysterious faerie, maybe. There’s your villain chapter. And maybe even the start… of the Baelia Retrieval Arc. Walein whisks our heroes back to Altador, they’re like “Yeah that didn’t work at all, sorry Fyora. We found Nyx’s brother, but he’s Grey now and he took Baelia.” Then it’s time to pursue leads on where Baelia might be. Maybe the notes in Navigating the Void might be where we start? Meanwhile, Baelia finds herself back where she started, but this time with some new “friends.” But despite being surrounded by villains, these villains start to show their potential for redemption and change. Ozzy and Baelia are both Grey, Baelia very well may have been Grey for longer than Ozzy’s been alive. But as NeoRyuuko observes, Baelia is nothing like Ozzy. Will seeing Baelia make this sacrifice give Ozzy anything to think about? If her and Nyx’s words wouldn’t? Both Baelia and Nyx offered Ozzy another way, but he wouldn’t have it. How about now?
And if Ozzy can change, and even Baelia might change, why not Vira? Maybe they don’t want Seraphina’s journey to be too transformative because of the plot. But if all of the people changing are doing so because of the transformative nature of this plot, if all of the people changing are doing so in a plot about change? A change _Hermes_32 would like to see is Vira’s curse being broken. If her cursed form is an extension of her corrupted heart, maybe a redeemed Vira who is capable of love will even look different from the old Vira. But then, there’s always the possibility that everyone changes in every way except physically, and that turns out to be the point. - A new map was Greyed, but no new battles or shifts. You might think “But shouldn’t a new map Greyed mean a new set of shades to fight?” Well, again, these are typically released early in the chapter. On the other hand, as DiamondJirachi points out, maps turning Grey also typically happen early in the chapter. And here one is happening late in the game. So how hard are these rules?
Maybe we need to wait for the rest of Central to get Greyed? Maybe it’ll take the rest of the chapter for the other maps to flood, and then by Chapter 6 we fight the new shades while our heroes plan the Rescue Arc? That big Bori has to make an appearance eventually.For now, here’s your Essences.NeoviaGeraptikuKreludor
Count as of 9:00 AM: 40,462,140.
Earlier we said it was Faerie Festival day. The New Features even said that the Festival page would reset overnight. Hasn’t done so yet, but we’ll keep you posted.
An event that happened already? The Annual Gormball Championship. Not everyone realizes this thing happens every year. Via annual updates to that Neopedia article. This year’s coverage mentions The Void Within, but the Championship was entirely unaffected by the Void crisis. Ursula took 1st, Kevin took 2nd, and Thyassa took 3rd. Nothing else to really report outside of that. - FAERIE FESTIVAL IS LIVE! Took us a while, but we’re officially ready to rumble. Head over to the Faerie Festival grounds and… ah, so Fyora was able to make it in person!
So will she be absent from Headquarters until the Festival ends? When is that, by the way? Let’s check the FAQ to learn that, and more.
Like last year, we will be donating items Charity Corner style. Invitations go out tomorrow, and the race to beat the other faerie starts on October 1st. Our mission this year? To prevent our donated hoard from turning Grey. The Council knows by now that the Greyness comes from Ozzy’s Paint Brush, right? We’re protecting these items from Ozzy? Are we all on the same page about that?
There will also be Daily Faerie Quests, a little from the ones we get in the offseason. But unlike last year, this event isn’t lasting a measley 10 days. We get a whopping 16 days!
So Fyora will be in Faerieland and away from the Council until October 10th at the earliest? Booked and busy.
Now, if you want all of the prizes of the Faerie Festival? Don’t make the mistake some people made and skimp out on any aspect. You wanna visit Daily Faerie Quests every day. You don’t have to take a Quest, you just need to visit. Every day. Don’t miss a single day. And stay on top of Faerity Corner too, if you can. You wanna donate the maximum amount of items each day. And follow the story!
Other than that, same rules as regular Faerie Quests apply. So to wrap the FAQ up, in addition to plot story, battles, shifts, and Essences, you now gotta visit the Festival hub, donate items, and visit the Quest page. Every day, to be safe. And you thought Fyora was busy.
A cutscene exclamation point awaits, let’s dig in.
Hello again you two.
Queen Fyora why have you called us here? Shouldn’t you be with the Council?
I know, but the Faerie Festival is important too. However, I don’t have much time for planning. Which is why I called for the two of you once more.
Please don’t tell me you’re pairing us together again. I think last year was proof we can’t work together!
As much as I would like to see you two get along again, I simply don’t have the time to argue. So no, I am not going to ask you to run the festival with one another again.
Then why are we here?
During these difficult times, communities need to come together in any way they can. This is why I believe putting on the Faerie Festival is vital.
However, there is no time and with many important resources turning grey around the globe, many may be feeling too helpless to attend.
And so I thought of a unique way to solve both problems at once!
We burn down this beacon of false hope and attempt to make change in actually productive ways?
No!
You two will hold your own festivals. Same as last year so there is no need to plan anything new.
And this year you two can compete to see who can get others to bring them as many items as possible!
What sort of items?
Anything and everything!
We must preserve as many resources as possible to keep them safe from turning grey. Even the smallest of items could help out later down the line!
And this is a great way to get the community involved and show them that they too can help even in these dire times!
Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to not have to work with little miss prairie faerie over there, but with everything going on right now wouldn’t our, or at least my, power be better extended elsewhere?
What’s wrong? Afraid I’ll wipe the floor with you again, you sour candy reject?!
Yeah, that’s right. I can do hurtful nicknames too!
Ugh, that didn’t even make any sense!
You don’t make any sense!
Fine then! Screw helping elsewhere, let’s do this thing! I’ll throw a way better event than you anyways!
Not if last year was any proof!
Stop acting like children!
Since this went about as well as I thought it would I will be sending someone to check in on you both periodically.
What? We don’t need a babysitter!
That temper tantrum you both just threw indicates otherwise!
Nevertheless, he requested to be involved so this works out well.
For now, though, I will return to the Council. But I will be back from time to time to participate when needed. I trust you two to prepare on your own. Goodbye.
I don’t like this…something is definitely up with this so-called “babysitter”?
What do you mean?
This all seems like an awfully big risk just for Neopians to “feel included”.
I think it’s a great idea! If communities stop coming together, they are bound to fall apart!
Seriously? You’re not questioning this at all? It’s not like the Queen is famous for always being forthright about all her plans.
We need to trust that Queen Fyora knows what she is doing!
Like you’re one to talk about trust.
…
Whatever. We only have a few days to prepare our own stuff, so I’m sure there are lots of leaves for you to collect for decorations or something. See you never, hopefully!
First… are you SURE you don’t wanna send Jhudora in, Fyora??? The world is in chaos, our heroes routed, and she’s offering to help! When are you gonna get another opportunity like this and when will the situation be more dire??? Which leads into the other point, a good one Jhudora made: Fyora works in mysterious ways. She tends to leave us at “Just trust me, this is how it has to be.” We saw it toward the end of The Faeries’ Ruin where she was like “Y’all didn’t know this but we faeries actually protect the world from wraiths with our magic. I didn’t say anything, maybe I should’ve, I dunno, maybe if I had Xandra would’ve understood that we faeries are contributing in our own way. But nah, she was probably crazy.” We saw it when the mysterious faerie opined that Fyora probably knows more about what’s happening in the world than what she lets on, but she’s gonna keep that to herself.
To this you might say “But we did get warning and we did fortify our defenses. Hence how we’re able to get deployed to shade-heavy areas.” But consider how, for reasons only fully known to Fyora, she insists that Baelia is the best faerie for the Grey Crisis. You don’t wanna count Baelia out, why should she be more worthy of the task than Brynn or Hanso or Roxton or Clara or Jordie or Lilian or Scrap or Rourke or Gorix or Cylara or Scout or Sophie or Bruno or Gilly or Tormund or Roberta or Tomos or Nabile or Garin or Jacques or Hannah or Armin or Jeran or Lisha and her friends? Military training? Only… some of these guys have military training. Sometimes you gotta put your faith in the underdog. But they’re really putting the “under” in “underdog” right now. Tavi is a pretty competent fighter, though. In the end, we just gotta trust Fyora on this. We trusted her on letting Nyx into the Council chambers, and we must continue to trust her. What are you gonna do? Overrule her?
Speaking of trust, there’s still some lacking between our two bestest friends and roommates. But unlike last year, Illusen is starting to feel the sting of Jhudora’s barbs. Sad as she looks, this is probably the only way we can move beyond the catty high school locker room verbal fencing. Someone must let themselves be vulnerable and real. And maybe this mysterious babysitter can be of some use here? Mediate the conversation and guide both faeries to compassion and understanding? Yes, in these trying times what the world needs now is love. Who is this babysitter, by the way? Who would want to be involved in the Faerie Festival? Well, Orion is a great fan of site events right now, it’s probably him. NeoRyuuko seems to think it’s him. But how then do his Prophecies work this time around? The Tuffala Safari lasted 7 days, maybe this year’s story focuses primarily on that? Orion’s visions will look into Neopia’s ancient history? Maybe find some skeletons in Jhudora and Illusen’s closets? They’ve been at this for a while. Their story is long overdue for a resolution too.
While we wait for Faerity Corner (and the inevitable reconciliation of Jhudora and Illusen’s differences), let’s head over to the “Activities” tab to see what else the Festival has to offer.
Every faerie who’s any faerie is represented here. But what we need to focus on is Daily Faerie Quests.
Hello, there!… Oh, it’s kind of you to ask. I just have a lot on my mind. But no need for you to worry! Other faeries and I are offering you daily quests for the next few days. Please do chip in with assistance where you can!
Carrying out these faerie quests will help keep morals high, and while exploring for the items, you can keep an eye out for any items that may be at risk of being turned grey or that you would like to donate in general!
You just need to visit us every day, and one of us will have a quest ready for you. It will free up the two faeries running the events, and make our work easier! Are you ready?
Seshatia is in Faerieland too??? What about the Navigating the Void notes??? Thank goodness sharp minds like Hagan are still in town. Get a look at Seshatia’s neat wheelchair, though. There’s a little Harris decal on the wheel for a touch of personality.
Seshatia is also giving out Quests this year, because Baelia canonically is busy drowning in Grey Paint. Hers are basically identical to Baelia’s, just with a different skin and flavor text.
Lots of fun to be had at this year’s Festival. Lots of work to be done too, but also lots of fun. With other lands in such dire straits, you wonder if we exacerbate the ever popular “the faeries are out of touch and overly privileged” sentiment. Skarl was cooped up and in a losing battle to protect himself against the Void on his kingdom’s special day, how come Faerieland gets its day? You might argue that if Skarl was less paranoid, he could stop over in Meridell and have Meridell Day if he wanted. But Skarl would probably be like “We’re in a crisis! No one is taking this as seriously as I am, except maybe Kelpbeard.” But don’t worry, Skarl. We’re hoarding and dumping those Omelettes for you.
23rd September, 2024
- Ozzy lashes out? It’s hard to tell with Grey Neopians. Theirs is a gentle fury. But how’s Neopia Central looking in Page 10 of Escape the Grey?
In our last episode, Nyx was saying that this situation is complicated. But Ozzy calmly replies that it’s not. In fact, to him? If you was to ask him? If you was to ask him, he’d tell you this situation is “clear as black and white!” Ya get it??? Because Grey! But is this more than a villainous pun? Does Ozzy mean this more literally? Is he saying that he isn’t recognizing any nuance? Suggesting somewhere along the line, Ozzy started “dealing in absolutes.” Again, there is no excuse as far as Ozzy is concerned.
Shades of the first trailer (pun intended), Ozzy raises his brush skyward. Vira appears very excited as a KRADADOOOM of Grey coats the sky. In fact, she looks more excited than Ozzy. Soft, subdued, belying itself, this is Grey “anger.” And Nyx is in point-blank range! With Baelia nowhere to be found! She’s got anywhere between 2 and 5 pages left to intervene (unless we roll over into Chapter 6), but what can anyone do? Now would be a great opportunity for Baelia to bust out a secret power she didn’t know she had. The Weak Bottled Grey Faerie has gotta do something, right?
Comic Prize of the now is Murky Grey Light.
SmudgeOfFudge took notice of how excited Vira looked. “Proud,” even. How does Vira feel about Ozzy? We talk of redemption for Vira, but if there’s love somewhere in her heart, might it manifest in her feelings for him? Well, seeing as he’s the Grey weapon of our villainous trio, their relationship is at least partially manipulative. At least founded on a lie. But maybe, deep down, in places that Vira isn’t even aware of, she cares? What do Vira and Ozzy do when they’re not painting the town Grey? If they ever talk about their feelings, therein lies the potential for a meaningful connection between them.
If Chapter 6 isn’t about Baelia discovering she has some secret power to defeat the Grey, maybe it can focus on the villains for a bit. Show us what they’re going through. - Potentially busy day today! First, as usual, your battles, shifts, and Essences.Neopian BazaarSakhmetLost Desert
Count as of 9:00 AM: 40,091,597.
Second, today’s the day the Faerie Festival switches over to its 2024 season. This doesn’t necessarily mean it starts today, but we did have that tiny bit of downtime on the 21st. Maybe they were uploading the code for this year’s Festival?
But something happens today at the Festival grounds. We’ll keep you posted. For now, it seems like you get one last chance to look at last year’s plot teaser comic before they change everything over. Remember when we were speculating feverishly over the Paint Brush? We know about the Paint Brush now, at least. But there’s still so many questions to answer. Among the most glaring, this mysterious faerie. Maybe she’ll make an appearance at the Festival? Or her fruit?
- FAERIE FESTIVAL UPDATE: Did we say “today’s the day?” We meant “tonight’s the night.” Turns out the Faerie Festival will be switching over at midnight tonight.Only one more sleep until the Faerie Festival begins! As a last reminder, be sure to check out the Faerie Festival Prize Shop as it will be resetting TONIGHT (9/23) to prepare for this year’s Festival, so remember to go use up any remaining points you may have before it closes!
So the Festival will be starting proper tonight. On the 24th at midnight. As opposed to the speculated date of September 30th, when the next plot chapter starts. So our heroes will not be making it to the Festival on the day, as previously evidenced by the two backgrounds. Maybe they’ll show up on the 30th? Or early October? If last year’s Festival is anything to go by, they better hurry. Last year’s Festival lasted 10 days. As in, 9 days plus a post-credits meeting between Vira and her faerie mistress. If this one lasts as long, we’ve got until October 4th for any post-credits fun. Just 4 days after Chapter 6 should start. So how could Baelia make it in time? How could Baelia get her friends out of Central, period?
Well, she likes Petpets, right? She could call Walein for help. Didn’t take him long to make it from Altador to Central. But maybe that’s not as cool as secret powers awakening. On the other hand, maybe that’s the point. Maybe her Petpet whispering talents, built out of good ol’ honest time and compassion, should save the day. Something better save the day.
22nd September, 2024
- Hm, no comic today. So, are we done with the fast track? Does Ozzy have his incident after this?
Your battles, your shifts, and your Essences…Krawk IslandDeserted FairgroundNeopia Central
Count as of 2:00 AM: 39,593,446.
We made a slight miscalculation yesterday regarding the minimum amount of story pages we’re guaranteed for the rest of the chapter. Forgot to carry the “end of chapter warning.” Okay, for real this time, bare minimum amount of pages we’re guaranteed for this chapter as of today…
Page 10: September 23rd
Page 11: September 25th
Page 12: September 27th
End of chapter warning?: September 29th
Chapter 6: September 30th
We don’t think that’s how it’s gonna go down, but usually these “story every day” runs end when a… new and separate thing is about to begin. Like, this might be the end of gassing Ozzy up and Page 10 is when he explodes, and Baelia is left standing alone to shoulder the burden of saving her team. If that’s how it happens, can Baelia do it with just Pages 11 and 12? - SMALL, LATE BREAKING UPDATE: On the off chance that anyone sees this, NeoRyuuko was digging around again and she found that some people are starting to hit the 5th trophy tier already: Hueful Hero.
Looking more and more like the tentacle creature. It’s all purple now, and the eye glows. With just one more tier, how much closer to its image can we get?
Now, it was only a month ago that people were hitting Vibrant Vindicator. At 20,000 points. So from August 21st to September 22nd, people racked up 20,000 points? How? That’s an average of 4,242 points a week. So… 370 from Void Essence Collection, 1,400 from battling, 1,400 from shifts… a miniscule amount from reading the comics… where are these numbers coming from? The cookies aren’t supposed to let people breach the caps, right? At this rate, forget the end of the year. People might max their trophies out by Halloween. - With Nyx now faced with the reality of the world she’s returned to, what’s left for her to do? Brother has fallen in with a bad crowd, is it time for her to dedicate herself to the fight against the Void? Maybe using leads from that book the Council is probably poring over?
Maybe not. Because Nyx isn’t a career hero. It’s not her “job” to save the world, her only real obligation is to herself and hers. So maybe what she does is run away from her problems? That’s what SmudgeOfFudge thinks might happen. Now that she knows she’s somehow come back 20 years later, maybe she figures she could go back through the Void and somehow “go back to the past.” But then she’ll likely find that this isn’t how the Void works. The book is called “Theories of Dimensional Time Dilation,” it’s a time “warp,” it’s not “time travel.” There’s no going back. What happened was, time slowed down for Nyx.
But if she does go back to the Void, time would slow down for her again. 1 week in the Void = 20 years in Neopia. That’s about 1/1040th the speed time goes in Neopia. If we let Nyx go to the Void, but need her to be back in, oh, say, a few months? She’d have to spend less than 2 hours up there. Is our math right? We clearly can’t crunch plot point numbers so check your own facts.
Maybe that couple hours up there is where she sees the tentacle creature encroach on Neopia and she decides to be a hero. Whatever she uses those couple hours for, if she takes them, let’s hope she makes them count.
21st September, 2024
- Another story day? It looks like they’re fast-tracking to Ozzy’s outburst. In Page 9 of Escape the Grey he looks ready to dump his trauma. For which Nyx and everyone else will surely suffer the dividends of.
Much like a Dark Faerie would, Vira hardens Ozzy’s heart with some of those wicked whispers. Negative reinforcement and all that. “You abandoned your boy, Nyx! You were gallivanting around space!” As NeoRyuuko points out, it’s curious that Vira knows this. We’ve never seen Vira or Nyx interact before now. Again, she must’ve heard it from her mistress via dagger. And if her faerie mistress knows this, for one she must be watching via her looking pools, and for two this faerie must have ties or involvement with Nyx that not even Nyx knows about. Like maybe being the one to send her to the Void in the first place.
It also really sounds like Nyx’s promise was made before she left. To an Ozzy who KNEW something bad was gonna happen if she took this job. To an Ozzy who begged her not to take it. Nyx made this promise so that Ozzy wouldn’t have to worry. And it turned out that he did have to worry. He was right to worry. So what can Nyx really say in defense of herself now? Though she tries, Ozzy ain’t hearin’ it. The mood shifts. “No!” he shouts. With an exclamation point! He takes his “painting” stance, you know the one. With him out of frame and a close-up of the Paint Brush. Seems like he’s about to blow. Will it be on the next page?
Comic Prize today is a Bouquet of Toxic Flowers. Maybe a metaphor for Nyx’s cold comfort. Much like Nyx’s apology, it looks to be too late for these flowers.
When Ozzy lashes out, the hope is that Baelia and her team can make their escape. But what if there’s collateral damage? What if someone gets Greyed by whatever it is Ozzy does? Like Nyx, maybe? That’s what SmudgeOfFudge is wondering. Can it even happen, or would the Void Essence within her keep it from happening? And if it can happen, would it affect Ozzy’s feelings? Maybe make him a little more sympathetic? Because this doesn’t seem like an issue of “You better have a good excuse for having abandoned me.” It doesn’t matter whether Nyx meant to or not, the damage is done. If there’s going to be forgiveness, it will probably have to come by some other path. The path of compassion, regardless of what anyone meant or didn’t mean to do. Maybe things do have to get really bad before they get better. Maybe Ozzy, Vira, and the faerie mistress all have to cross their own lines before they realize the error of their ways. - 8 days is plenty of time for story, but not enough to launch a new puzzle or battle or shift. But Essences are a little different each day.AltadorGeraptikuMaraquan Ruins
Count as of 8:30 PM: 39,517,519.
We don’t check social media as often as we used to, because the plot is happening. There’s less need to look for teasers of the plot to come when the plot is here. This is probably complacency on our part, because teasers can still come for future content. Trailers can be released. Or stuff like this post from yesterday about Juni.
Just some light trivia about Juni. We see that he likes Nyx, and… Strawberry Faellie Cake? And the Faellie Handbook? He dislikes the Void and the tentacle creature. Some of his favorite things include his toolkit, and cookies. This… moment… is probably not canon. Because Juni is pink in this picture but he’s talking about how he hates the Void. Unless this scene takes place well into the future after all this is sorted?
Come to think of it… what about that picture of Nyx reading in Brightvale?
This was also released on social media for Brightvale Day, like, a month ago. Maybe that’s not canon either? In any event, these are reminders to keep checking social media for stuff. Anything could be anything.
We’ve got 9 pages of story in this chapter, and 8 days left. So we’re guaranteed to have at least 13 pages even if we go back to skipping a day between story beats. But we probably aren’t. We’re probably fast-tracking to when Baelia has to save her friends. Meaning the pattern of growth continues. How much bigger can these chapters get? Maybe a 21-part chapter? Someday? - SMALL UPDATE: You got roughly… a day, maybe, day and a half, two days estimating generously, to spend all your Faerie Festival points. And images are already live. NeoRyuuko was digging around when she found these.
We see small changes, brought about by the new reality we live in here in Neopia. In Illusen’s background, we see the “Meridell Metropolitan Area” Greyed out. But not Illusen’s Glade itself. Further establishment that places like the Glade and Meri Acres not being Grey yet are not oversights. Ozzy didn’t actually paint these areas yet. Similar to how he also only painted the main Brightvale area but not the outskirts, where the Babaa dine on wormwood and mint.
But the most glaring changes? Certain faeries from last year aren’t here… yet. Last year Baelia was on the Jhudora background. Today she’s been replaced by a Light Faerie. Last year Mira was on the Illusen background. Today she’s been replaced by an Air Faerie. Why are these two faeries missing? Probably because of the plot. Obviously in Baelia’s case. But if Baelia is confirmed to be busy elsewhere, this must mean that Mira is confirmed to be busy elsewhere. You’ll recall waaaaaaaaaay back in Page 6 of A Riot of Colour, Fyora said she sent Mira to explore deep space to make sure that neither Sloth nor any of his minions are up to any bad. Mira not being in this background is a reminder that she’s still searching. She’s not back yet. And if that weren’t an important story thread, she’d be back by now. She’d be all “Well, I didn’t find anything. Now we move on.” But no, if Mira isn’t back yet, that probably means this is gonna pan out into something.
But if Mira and Baelia aren’t in these backgrounds, does that mean they won’t be making an appearance at the Festival? Not necessarily. But it does probably suggest that they won’t be there on Day 1. Which means that Baelia and her team wouldn’t be escaping the Grey and arriving in Faerieland in time for the Festival to start. If they do show up, it looks it’ll be later in the Festival. Which makes sense because we’ve still got 8 days left of chapter to go. Maybe the Festival starts on the 23rd, and then by the 30th our heroes show up?
20th September, 2024
- Another theory goes from speculation to confirmation! Reality finally dawns on our heroes in Page 8 of Escape the Grey. So, what are they gonna do about it?
Despite what it might’ve seemed like yesterday, Vira isn’t really interested in fighting. Seems she’s switched up her strategy even since hearing from her dagger. She holds Tavi and Juni at knifepoint. Nobody make any sudden moves. What Vira wants now is for Nyx and Ozzy to have an uninterrupted reunion. “Guess she kept her promise after all” says Vira. But wait, what promise is that? Is it the promise to find Ozzy that she made back in Filling the Void? And Vira’s faerie mistress was spying on our heroes through her looking pools and overheard? Or… is it something else? Something Ozzy maybe told our villains about? A promise she made waaaaaay back before she left to go get trapped in the Void?
Let’s wind the clocks back to last Winter Starlight and the Virtupets Delivery Pilot Training Manual we got. The manual tells is “Being a Virtupets Delivery Pilot is a dangerous job that can keep you away from your family for long stretches of time.” Even without the Void to interfere, Nyx was likely gonna have to leave Ozzy alone for longer than he’d like. So what if Ozzy was anxious about this? What if Ozzy was like “But sister, what if something happens to you? I’m begging you not to take the job, I have a bad feeling about this.” And Nyx was all like “Trust me, Ozzy. Be strong for me, Ozzy. I will be back and nothing will happen. I just gotta do this delivery and I’ll be back home on such and such date.” Yadda yadda yadda, that obviously doesn’t happen, Ozzy falls in with Vira and her faerie mistress (maybe by their design, depending on what their “seed” is), and he’s all like “My sister left me all alone, she knows I can’t function without her.” The forces of darkness give him the strength to stand on his own. Yadda yadda yadda, Nyx returns to Neopia and then the faerie whispers to Vira via dagger “Hey, you remember when the Grey Painter said he was abandoned by his sister? Well that’s her. And he’s probably busted up about it on the inside. Set me up a nice, juicy confrontation.” And she gets her “Use your depressive feelings, boy/Let the Grey flow through you” moment.
Either Vira’s faerie mistress heard about Nyx and her promise from Ozzy long ago and has been waiting for this moment, or she only just learned about Nyx when she came back to Neopia and started talking about needing to get back to Ozzy, or this faerie was the one who sent Nyx to the Void specifically so that Ozzy would go mad without her. Whatever happened here, it’s clear that Vira’s faerie mistress has been watching Nyx. She’s watching this fight right now. And the tide of battle turned when Vira’s dagger started whispering. As the “Long Lost Siblings” note on the Plot Timeline points out, Vira jumped at the chance to bring up who Nyx was to Ozzy. She made a point of pointing it out. So if you’re still asking what tore open Ozzy’s wound? It was Vira and her mistress, with the dagger.
But Vira knows something even Nyx doesn’t know. She knows that Nyx is late to hold up her end of the bargain. How late, Grey Painter? That’s what they call him. “Grey Painter.” They don’t call him “Ozzy.” Ozzy/Grey Painter drops the bomb: It’s been 20 years… Last Alabriss over the finish line, Nyx finally gets it. But she can’t believe it. It’s not possible. She was only up there for a week, if that! And as the weight of her neglect bears down on her, so do… grey wavy lines. And those mountains, were those Grey before? Did Ozzy paint those back on Page 3?
Perhaps Nyx should look through today’s Comic Prize, a copy of “Theories of Dimensional Time Dilation.” Something Landelbrot has probably read, maybe that’s why he asked how long she had been in the Void.
Another theory proven. Nyx DID go through a time warp, and she was gone for specifically 20 years! Like with the “The Grey Painter is Ozzy” theory, this was posited like 2 months ago. So it takes about 2 months for something to go from “theory” to confirmed.
Also intriguing? They specified the amount of in-universe years Nyx was gone. 20 years. This is why she doesn’t know what Brightvale is. You might worry if this is too beholden to the reality of “Neopets.com the game” as opposed “Neopia the world.” On “Neopets.com the game” it’s been 20 years since Brightvale was introduced. But if we’re saying it’s been 20 years in Neopia the world? Things get more complicated the more you think about that. Are Lisha and friends now 20 years older? How much time has past since the other plots? What about Tale of Woe, when did that happen? Is Gilly older? How about Abigail, Lulu, and Chadley? In the 2017 Daily Dare they said that AAA was enrolled in Brightvale University. Originally we thought that was because he was uncommonly smart, but now maybe it’s because he grew up and naturally progressed through academia. His original Neopedia article says he’s 14, but that was written a while ago. So maybe the implication is that he and everyone else has been aging in real time? Abigail and Lulu and Chadley and Armin and Scrap and Cylara and Scout and Jordie and Timmy and the other Timmy and Professor Lambert’s niece Katie? So many kids and teens who might now be in, like, their late 20s or early 30s. Not unlike the people who play Neopets.
And here’s a question, Nyx not knowing about Brightvale is explained by her spending 20 years in the Void. But does she know about Meridell? Because Meridell and Brightvale are part of the same realm. Now, Brightvale was introduced to the players of Neopets.com on August 11th, 2004. Meridell had been part of the site for a little over a year by this point. But that’s how it was for the players of Neopets.com. How did it play out in-universe? In-universe you can say for certain that Altador was “discovered,” because it was locked in a time bubble away from where we were. But was Brightvale “discovered” canonically? It’s just a 50 mile journey from Meridell, surely canonically there were people who made the trek before 2004. But then there’s the question of how Meridell came to be part of the Neopia we know, and just… see, time and space in Neopia only gets more convoluted the more you think about it. Of all the ambitious aspects of this plot, daring to address the passage of time is probably the biggest hurdle.
Speaking of Nyx disappearing before Brightvale was introduced/discovered, why did Nyx vanish into the Void when she did? You might ask “Well, why not? Things happen.” And they sure do. But maybe there’s a reason, in-universe or otherwise, that it had to happen here. As opposed to it happening earlier. Could’ve happened in 2000 or something and then Nyx shows up like “Wow I literally don’t recognize anything here.” Maybe because they wanted her to have a Yurble brother, and wanted to keep it consistent with when Yurbles were introduced to the site? Grey Yurbles, specifically, were introduced shortly after Brightvale was introduced. Come to think of it… a lot of plot-relevant things were happening around this time. Battle For Meridell had recently ended with Kass mysteriously disappearing, and now we see his sword in the Void. The Grey Paint Brush was introduced in April of 2004. Vira’s Gallery of Evil entry and Baelia’s Neopedia story were both released a year earlier, in April of 2003. Vira’s story a short while before Baelia’s. Maybe the stuff happening on the site and the things happening in-universe are more correlated than we think? Maybe Nyx disappeared into the Void for the same reason Kass disappeared into the Void. Maybe even at the same time. And maybe they disappeared into the Void as a byproduct of whatever Jennumara was doing with Baelia a year prior. Maybe that’s why we got Grey Paint Brushes and Grey Yurbles.
2 months it takes for a theory to be proven. So maybe in 2 months we’ll learn just what, if any of this, was happening behind the scenes in 2003 to 2004. - Know what’s probably the key to understanding the timey-wimey/spacey-wacey stuff happening in Neopia and the larger universe? Collecting Essences. Time is of the Essence. So keep at those bounties. Battles, shifts, and Essences alike.Faerie CityIce CavesNeovia
Count as of 11:30 PM: 39,221,032.
Another “Didn’t think much of it until recently” note about the recent Neopets LIVE. In it, they talked about a new book soon to debut on shelves. Neopets: The Omelette Faerie. Starring Seraphina the titular Omelette Faerie.
In the LIVE they said that Seraphina was a Grey Faerie. But in today’s New Features, an Omelette Faerie Doll was released that… doesn’t look very Grey. She looks like a Fire Faerie.
So what happened? Does Seraphina start out like a Fire Faerie and turn Grey in the book? Or does she start out Grey in the book and eventually regain her firepower? Well, in the Editorial of today’s Neopian Times, there’s an interview with author Rebecca Mix that explains what happened there.
I had the idea of making Seraphina a Grey Faerie initially, but as we worked out the plot with TNT and worked through their feedback and other narratives they’ve done and have upcoming, we realized making her a disgraced Fire Faerie made a lot more sense.
So that’s what happened. “Seraphina the Grey Faerie” was scrapped. But Mix specifies that Seraphina being a disgraced Fire Faerie works (where being a Grey Faerie doesn’t) because of “the plot” and “other narratives they’ve done” and “have upcoming.” Basically, because of something that happens in the plot, Seraphina can’t be a Grey Faerie. Why? Another thing to keep an eye open for. Grey Faeries are apparently special in a way that Seraphina can’t be one.
The lore is rich with this one. There’s no shortage of people on Board 58 wondering “what’s going on?” But if you want big, ambitious plots, this is the cost you have to pay.
19th September, 2024
- Ah, looks like it’s coming back to Ozzy. He didn’t at first, but in Page 7 of Escape the Grey he calls Nyx by her name.
Nyx continues to try and reach Ozzy. He stares blankly ahead, who knows what’s going on behind those eyes? Suddenly, Ozzy gets a hint from Vira. “It’s your big sis!” Now… how did Vira know that? NeoRyuuko would like to know. Because Vira doesn’t know Baelia, there’s probably lots of people in the world Vira doesn’t know. But she knows Nyx. So did she know about Nyx all along and saw an opportunity to drive a wedge between them? Or did she hear about it from her mistress through her dagger? Maybe Vira would’ve spilled the beans earlier in the fight had she known who Nyx was, and it only came from the dagger’s intervention.
In both cases, this probably means that Vira’s faerie mistress has known about Nyx all along. Meaning she was some kind of factor in their plans with Ozzy. Maybe this faerie heard about her from Ozzy way back when they were setting him up to be the Grey Painter. Maybe getting Nyx out of the way was part of them setting him up to be the Grey Painter. Or maybe getting Nyx out of the way was something Vira’s faerie mistress handled on her own, and then through the dagger told Vira “That’s his sister, I sent her through the Void to get rid of her so the Grey would flow through him but now she’s back. So that’s her backstory.” Whatever happened, they planted a seed and it bore fruit. If that’s Ozzy, his life must’ve been in their hands somehow. And if these villains are good, at some point they’ll reveal all their machinations before we defeat them. It’s only fair.
Vira doesn’t say her name (maybe she doesn’t know it?), but Ozzy does. He remembers. He turns to Nyx and calls her by her name. He… doesn’t look “angry,” but he does look to be in some kind of despair or distress. And we know he lashes out eventually, as meek as he might look right now. This is Ozzy coming to realize “Hold on, I’m mad at you. But the hurt I feel is so unbearable, I repressed it until now.” And therein lies the suspense. We know Ozzy is gonna blow, but our heroes don’t. And no one knows WHEN he’s gonna blow. Every night we tell ourselves “Tomorrow’s the day,” and every day it isn’t the suspense compounds.
While that’s going on, Vira and Tavi are still battling in the background. With her weapon reclaimed, Vira holds Tavi at knifepoint! Tavi drops her hooks!!! Luxinia can only look on in fear.
Time for Juni to sidle up with the sneak attack and get Vira in her Achilles heel. How else are our heroes gonna get outta this one? Luxinia is at a loss. You might think that she, as a faerie, could handle this effortlessly. This is not the case. In fact, if you’ll recall, it’s the faeries who were most hesitant to even be in this battle. Note the uncertainty etched in Luxinia’s face compared to the ‘pets and Petpet.
Comic Prize is a Frayed Family Illustration. Looks like one of the pictures from Nyx and Ozzy’s refrigerator. Vestige of how good things used to be, therefore a sign of how bad things have gotten.
So with Nyx back in the picture, and all the bad memories that unfortunately come with her, how does Ozzy act differently now? Up until now, he had buried these feelings so deep that he didn’t even recognize Nyx when she showed up. Up until now, as far as he was ready to admit anyway, it was just about making people feel the pain of his Greyness. But now he’s got these stronger feelings to motivate him. We know they’re stronger because he’s gonna flip out on us now that this wound is reopened. Does he become a greater threat to Neopia now?
It’s almost like Vira and/or her faerie mistress wanted this to happen. That’s what NeoRyuuko thinks, anyway. That Vira revealed this to make Ozzy rage. To push him further. That this might even be what the whispering from the dagger was about. Not just “Hey that’s his sister” but “That’s his sister, make sure to tell him. It’ll break him down and make him even more useful to us.” Maybe we get a more aggressive Ozzy out of this. Faster, more widespread Greying. Maybe he goes straight for Altador to Grey the Council. Who knows what highs/lows Ozzy might reach? - Ozzy’s outburst might be so devastating, we’ll be lucky if there’s a Neopia Central left after he’s through with it. So while the deployment is still active, get your battles and shifts in. No Essences in Central though. Not today.FaerielandMeridellIce Caves
Count as of 10:00 PM: 38,854,138.
As SmudgeOfFudge remarks, a good bit of drama has been set up, and probably by our mysterious faerie villain. Maybe this faerie, Jennumara or Drakara or whatever name you wanna give her, just has a taste for drama? It’s something a lot of Neopians have in common with villains. We prefer conflict to quiet. - SMALL UPDATE: Two new, late-breaking additions to the Plot Timeline have been added. This being the longest plot ever, there’s going to be a little more effort required to keep track of everything. That’s why we have the Plot Timeline.
Neopia Central Confrontation
Sep 10, 2024
Long Lost Siblings
Sep 19, 2024
There you have it. No more “Who is the Grey Painter?” It’s Ozzy. And the joy of knowing it is, we speculated as much waaaaay back in July. As we’ve said before, what you’re really here for is the story. The answers to questions. And though we now know that Ozzy is the Grey Painter, there are still so many more questions and theories about those questions. We’re gonna list them all eventually, but there’s just so many.
18th September, 2024
- No story today. Can’t do it every day, this stuff starts to pile up. That being said, maybe you deserve a break from battles and shifts today. Essences though, you should probably do. Electro178 has already done the heavy lifting.Moltara CavesNeoviaDarigan Citadel
Count as of 8:45 AM: 38,315,784.
Tomorrow seems like a good day for Ozzy to lash out. We mentioned that both he and Nyx had/have an opportunity to cry out “How could you leave me all alone,” but you know what else might be a parallel between them? If an emotional outburst has been building inside Ozzy? Both of their accessories of choice started hitting maximum overdrive as a signal that they were about to pop.
Nyx’s Dampener starts beeping harder before she lashes out, Ozzy’s Paint Brush starts… doing whatever that is… before he lashes out. Now you might point out “Ozzy doesn’t look half as emotional as Nyx did when she thought Juni was dead. Are you sure that’s him approaching an emotional outburst?” You’d be right to point that out. But… if the trauma is repressed, maybe Ozzy doesn’t show how angry he is outwardly just yet? He hears the name, and just feels “something.” He doesn’t understand what yet. But it’s powerful. Like we said before, he’s about to snap but he just doesn’t know it.
Couple that with Vira getting her dagger back? Is she about to cut and run? Things might take a turn for the really bad for our heroes tomorrow.
17th September, 2024
- Ozzy and Nyx meet for the first time in what is probably years in Page 6 of Escape the Grey. Does Ozzy have anything to say? After all these (potential) years? After Baelia’s plea for sanity?
…Another slightly late comic. Probably because of how fundamental this chapter is.
Face to face at last. Nyx looks upon Ozzy. Ghosts of the Yurble that was flicker before her eyes.
With a lull in battle, Nyx finally has time to talk to him: “Ozzy. Is that really you?” And Ozzy responds “How do you know that name?” So far gone is he, Greyness hangs on his very words.
An intriguing turn. Because you know what Ozzy didn’t do? Turn to Nyx and say “It’s you! You’re my sister and you abandoned me for years and now I’m mad so I’m doing villainy now.” It’s almost like Ozzy doesn’t even recognize Nyx. So is Ozzy doing all this because of Nyx? It doesn’t seem so to NeoRyuuko. Not on any obvious, superficial level, anyway. But maybe his resentment of Nyx runs deeper than that? No, he didn’t tell Baelia “I’m doing this because I’m mad at my sister.” But maybe that’s something he keeps close to the chest. Something he maybe doesn’t like thinking about, and “Life is unfair because I’m Grey” is the easier cause to believe in. It’d be so simple: Make everyone else Grey and the pain in his heart should be abated. The idea that it wouldn’t be that simple, that Baelia’s is right and vengeance won’t help anybody, is too complicated a problem for him to deal with.
Maybe the trauma is buried so deep now, he didn’t even remember its roots until now? Especially if it’s been years. Years since he’s seen Nyx. Years since he started becoming the Grey Painter he is now. Years since he went by the name “Ozzy.” Like a Sméagol/Gollum thing. AliOldman thinks it’s entirely possible that he just didn’t remember his name until now. But SmudgeOfFudge would go even deeper: Not only does no one call him “Ozzy” anymore, but he goes by a different name entirely. You’d think he must go by some kind of name, right? Well, not necessarily. AliOldman reminds that he could just go by no name. Either way, it fits this whole theme of Grey people grappling with their identities. If you’re Grey, you’re “nameless.” If you were to take it from Vira. If you’re a Grey Faerie, you’re probably looking for a new name if you want your wings and powers back. Ozzy isn’t a faerie, but his journey lines up with what a Grey Faerie’s journey might look like. Whatever they call him nowadays (Grey Painter?) he’s a Grey Neopian who shed his old identity for a new one. And with it came all these powers and this whole new vibe. As the FAQ said/warned, we’d be dealing with themes of identity.
Ozzy hits ’em with the “WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME???” Very Batman. Vira, on the other hand, is channeling Thor. Her dagger starts making these noises, see? And like Mjölnir, it returns to Vira’s hand. Unbeknownst to her captor Tavi. A neat trick, with a neat animation…
Note the pinkish/purplish aura of the dagger, alongside the toxic green associated with Vira. Does it come from the Void? It’s a similar shade (pun intended) to the color coming off of Ozzy’s Paint Brush. But you know who else is associated with pinks and purples? Fyora. But you know who ELSE is associated with pinks and purples? Dark Faeries. We didn’t catch it the first time, NeoRyuuko pointed it out to us: The sound coming off of the dagger? It’s going right into Vira’s ear. Like it’s whispering. Calling out to her.
What it seems like is, Vira’s dagger (specifically this new one with the chain on it) was a gift from her faerie mistress. And through this dagger, she can communicate with Vira. On that note, maybe the pinkish/purplish aura of Ozzy’s brush is thanks less to the Void and more to their faerie mistress too? In either case, it would appear that she’s watching. As those who deal in darkness do, our villains have tricks up their sleeves. There’s more to them than meets the eye.
Speaking of whispers, today’s Comic Prize is a copy of the book “Wicked Whispers.” A book specifically about the Dark Faerie talent of influencing others with their wicked whispers.
Note the Dark Faerie whispering something wiked to the Light Faerie. Like Vira’s dagger appears to be whispering to Vira. More sign that Vira’s faerie mistress is whispering to her through it?
But also note that this is a Light Faerie being whispered to. Could it be that these wicked whispers have an effect on Light Faeries? Maybe it’s just a coincidence that Luxinia looks like she’s overhearing something while Vira’s dagger is talking. Or maybe it isn’t.
You wonder if maybe Vira learned her talents for manipulation from her faerie mistress. Another example of identity being played with. The Acara named “Vira” was maybe born from her mistress’s intervention, from the wings to the horn to the dagger to the personality. But what is the takeaway? That finding oneself can take you to some dark places? Because this struggle might stretch as far as said faerie mistress. They all might just be trying to feel comfortable in their own skin. Maybe, just maybe, Baelia can help with that. But then she’d have to find comfort in her own skin. - Maybe at some point we’ll get to fight Vira now that she’s got her magic flying dagger. And Ozzy, and the mysterious faerie, and every villain from Tales of Neovia and their many minions! Or maybe not, unless the Acts expand drastically. For the time being, battle the shades you’ve got, work the hospital shifts you’ve got, and collect the Essences you’ve got.Haunted WoodsFaerie CityNeopian Plaza
Count as of 11:30 PM: 38,135,746.
We’re kinda committed to The Void Within right now, so as fun as the mobile games probably are, we haven’t been paying as much attention to them as we might need to. Case in point, NeoRyuuko only recently remembered something from the recent Neopets LIVE that might tell us when the 2024 Faerie Festival will actually start. We know that “preparation” begins on the 23rd, but does that mean the Festival itself starts then? Well, Luna asked Sperion when we’d get to play the new Faerie Fragments game. He responded, “The game will be available for pre-registration on App Store and Google Play on the 24th of September, as part of the Faerie Festival, so you can expect to play it some time in October. A few weeks after that.” If pre-registration starts on the 24th, it sounds like that’s maybe when the Festival starts. Or maybe it only starts in October when Faerie Fragments can actually be played? If the game needs a few weeks of preparation, maybe the Festival needs a few weeks of preparation. In either case, it sounds like there’s at least a minor tie-in with Faerie Fragments and the Faerie Festival.
And with Faerie Fragments tied in, is that more reason to expect Luxinia (and by extension the rest of Team Baelia) to show up at the Festival? Luna asked Sperion which “team” he was picking for the Festival. Because we’re gonna be seeing the return of Jhudora and Illusen and their “dueling Festivals.” Sperion chose neither Jhudora nor Illusen. He chose Luxinia, with the caveat of “If she’s an option.” But does he protest too much? Does he, being a Neostaffer, know without telling that Luxinia WILL be at the Festival and we WILL be able to help her with something? Stone said other faeries would be making an appearance, so if nothing else maybe Luxinia will show up. After escaping the Grey with Baelia.
And then there’s the matter of yesterday’s Comic Prize. Those Late Night Teacups. Yerimiese happened to remember that “Tea-riffic Job!” Fearless Deed and was wondering if maybe the teacups are maybe a sign of things to come. Things specific to whatever that Deed is about. Faerie Festivals are known for their tea, maybe there’s a tea-related activity in the Faerie Festival that accounts for Fearless Deed credit? Like joining the Cup did for the “Not My Problem…” Deed? After this chapter, our heroes will surely need to recover. Maybe we’ll be brewing some kind of healing tea? Yerimiese is thinking it’s a possibility. Or we might be “spilling the tea” as they sometimes say. As in, sharing information. That’s a possibility SmudgeOfFudge is considering. Maybe spilling the gossip over what happened in Central?
This year’s Festival is shaping up to be one of its most pivotal, thanks to what ties to the plot it may have. Last year’s definitely had ties.
16th September, 2024
- The tide of battle turns! In Page 5 of Escape the Grey, our heroes gain the upper hand, thanks in no small part to Tavi. She’s come a ways since getting swamped by Voidlings.
To bully Baelia, to tell her she has no friends, in front of her friends? Not a smart move. To tell Baelia she has no friends in front of her BEST friend? Hot off of defeating that Prowler we saw her up against, Tavi moves on to Wave 2, lunging at Vira with blades out. “Oh, she HAS friends!” Maybe we need to see Luxinia and Juni, but Tavi seems to be moving through enemies faster. Who knows, maybe Luxinia and Juni are piling up shades off camera. Maybe Tavi abandoned fighting shades because she heard Vira talkin’ nonsense and had to get at her. Or maybe Tavi activates Berserker Rage when people hurt Baelia.
With Vira now being handled by Tavi, Nyx is free to unchain herself. And then, she approaches Ozzy. She calls out his name, uninterrupted. Ozzy doesn’t answer. But why? Orisasda siuspects that Baelia’s words actually got to him. He’s rattled by what she said. But we’ve still got that wound of his to open. Is that what’s happening? Did Baelia open the wound with her words? He doesn’t look angry, but it might be building. And what’s going on with his Paint Brush? He’s staring at it like he doesn’t know why it’s acting this way. If Ozzy was about to lash out, if he felt an emotional snap coming on, would his Paint Brush reflect it first? This Paint Brush, it doesn’t seem like just anyone can use it. If they needed to prepare him to be THE Grey Painter. Like maybe it takes a certain amount of emotional trauma for the Paint Brush to work the way Vira and her mistress want it to work. Like a “Mood Paint Brush.” So maybe he’s about to snap and he doesn’t know it yet, but the Paint Brush does.
Comic Prize today is a Late Night Teacups Foreground.
The description reads “The remnants of a cosy night in with friends!” Seemingly more proof that Baelia has friends. These are probably Baelia’s teacups from one of Baelia’s nights in.
Ozzy, Vira, Jennumara/Drakara/the Artificer, maybe we’ll redeem them all in time. But one at a time. We can’t have you interrupting progress, Vira. And with her down for the count, it’ll be interesting to hear what Ozzy has to say. With Baelia’s and Vira’s words echoing in his memory and his sister now here after what’s probably been years? What Ozzy would probably like to say is “How could you leave me all alone? - We’re a week in, and anything could happen… but typically new plot steps aren’t released this late in the chapter. So the battles and shifts as they are might be staying the same. As for your Essences…Virtupets Space Station: HangarFaerie CityKiko Lake
Count as of 3:30 AM: 37,435,111.
A similarity we haven’t mentioned before regarding Baelia and Drakara: They both have headgear. Drakara has horns, but Baelia has antennae.
Drakara might be a Grey Faerie who regained her wings. But with the headgear, could she and Baelia be more related than we think? And speaking of parallels, NeoRyuuko recently noticed something neat. Especially neat if Vira’s faerie mistress (whatever her name is) is the same faerie that turned Baelia Grey. You’ve got a faerie cursed to not have wings, and an Acara cursed to have wings. Pretty cool, right? And maybe it means something, artistically or symbolically. They would at least be products of the same faerie. And all three of them would have unusual headgear!
Maybe Vira and Baelia are both seeds that this faerie has planted. Like Ozzy. But what exactly did she do to make Ozzy into what he is? In time we’ll learn, but the suspense of having all these theories and waiting to see how, if at all, they pan out? It’s rough.
15th September, 2024
- Another late update today, but it’s an off day so there wasn’t much to report. Battles, shifts, Essences.Tyrannian PlateauMystery IslandMeridell Castle
Count as of 10:30 PM: 37,360,726.
When you’re not busy, you have time to ponder theories. AliOldman is still pondering and wondering about yesterday’s Bitter Medicine.
It’s gross… but it will make you feel better. Does it mean anything? He has an intriguing theory following up from yesterday: It was Vira giving the bitter medicine. Though it’s probably not helping for Vira to bully Baelia, maybe, just maybe, she’s right that Baelia is going about saving Ozzy the wrong way? If true, you really gotta wonder the right answer is. If vengeance is wrong, and compassion is wrong, what perspectives ought a Grey Neopian have?
Speaking of Ozzy, Yerimiese wonders if he was actually born Grey, or if he gradually turned Grey over years. Sometime before the pictures on his refrigerator were drawn, obviously. That “seed” Vira and her faerie mistress planted, if it wasn’t sending Nyx to the Void, what if it was turning Ozzy Grey? Whatever it is, the fruit that was borne of it was probably Ozzy being their Painter, right? Them turning Ozzy to the Dark Side. Whether it was making him Grey over years of his life, or taking Nyx from him.
One of these days, we’re gonna have to go over all of the currently standing theories so we can closely follow their development. Because that’s the real “objective” of this plot. To ask questions, make theories, and see how things pan out.
14th September, 2024
- Now we’re cookin’! Two story days in a row, how long can we push this? Page 4 of Escape the Grey has Baelia making her first attempt at getting through to Ozzy.
Being a fellow Grey, Baelia levels with Ozzy. She does know what it’s like. But villainy isn’t the answer! Vira, with captive in tow, endeavors to shoot that down. She starts bullying Baelia. Telling her she has no friends, no powers, no name. Tells her to go get some wings before she steps to the king. The Grey King. Now, obviously Baelia at least has friends. It’s true she has no powers, and what’s in a name for a Grey Faerie? It isn’t clear. Surely we’ll learn soon what this “name magic” is and how it works regarding Grey Faeries. But Baelia at least has friends and hopefully she realizes this. But preying on people’s insecurities is what Vira specializes in. And consider all Baelia has been through during this plot, and how we were wondering if maybe she was feeling like an extra wheel in the team. How she wasn’t helpful compared to Nyx with her Void powers, or Luxinia with her radiance and mind probing powers and cute outfits. Maybe she feels like they don’t actually like her, because she isn’t useful. That they just put up with her because it would be “mean” to tell the Grey girl how you really feel about her.
Probably not for long though, if we understand the chapter synopsis. It sounds like Baelia will rise to the challenge and save her friends, which exist and are hers. But maybe we don’t understand the chapter synopsis. Maybe we think Baelia is gonna save her friends, but the synopsis never actually says she does. Just that she “must act fast” if she wants to. The chapter is called Escape the Grey, maybe it doesn’t just mean “escape the splash zone of Ozzy’s Grey Paint.” NeoRyuuko speculates that it has a double meaning: It references the desire to escape the depression of Greyness. To escape that tired, lonely, useless feeling. So maybe what actually happens is, Baelia’s friends are in peril, but instead of saving them right away she grapples with her inner demons. Her inner… Void? Ahhhhh?
And then there’s Ozzy. And his wound that eventually gets torn open. Is this where it’s about to happen? Is Vira the one who tears it open? As it is with villains who might be redeemed, there is love somewhere in that heart. Maybe seeing Baelia get bullied isn’t what he signed up for. Maybe it triggers a traumatic memory, and he lashes out indiscriminately. As angry as Ozzy seems, it looks like there might be framework for peace between him and Baelia. The rest of Neopia must Grey, but Baelia is one of the good ones because she’s been through what he’s been through.
And while all this is happening, Nyx appears to be freeing herself from the chains. Maybe we’ll see her conjure another shade and have confirmation that this is what she’s able to do.
Comic Prize? Oooh, Bitter Medicine.
What might this represent? Is Vira giving Baelia some “bitter medicine?” The description of the item reads “Its gross… but it will make you feel better!” Bullying is probably not good for Baelia. But it is a sort of greenish, maybe Vira-esque color. Maybe Baelia is the one giving out the bitter medicine? The lesson that, while revenge is seductive, it is not satisfying? That the road to fulfillment is not an easy one? If so, it doesn’t seem like Ozzy is ready to receive that information. He’s not entirely stable. But let’s hope Baelia is relatively stable. If we have two breakdowns in Central, we can consider this mission a failure. Someone has to save her friends when the time comes. You wanna shine, Baelia? Here’s your chapter to shine. - And your chapter to shine? That’s every chapter. You shine in every battle you fight, ever shift you take, and every Void Essence you collect.Faerie CityQasalaVirtupets Space Station: Supply Deck
Count as of 3:30 AM: 36,714,044.
It’s still early in the chapter, but remember that new steps typically don’t start too too late in the going. So after a few more days we probably aren’t getting any more waves or anything until Chapter 6. But we’re in the middle of what looks like a fast tracking of the story, so maybe a new step of some kind is about to start? Maybe themed around whatever it is Baelia has to save her friends from? Based on precedent set by past chapters though (and there’s no reason to put your faith in that anyway), if it doesn’t start by Monday it probably isn’t starting until the next chapter. Enjoy your weekend!
13th September, 2024
- Ozzy makes his case for why painting everything Grey is a Good Thing, in Page 3 of Escape the Grey. We’re starting to learn his motivations.
Seeing a fellow Grey, Ozzy levels with Baelia. She must know what it’s like. It’s hard enough living with this thing, but what’s really unfair is that the normies don’t know how it be when it do. The non-Grey with their non-Grey privilege, let’s see how the world turns when everyone’s Grey Like Us. If he can’t be “not Grey,” everyone else should have to be Grey.
Couple things to take away from this. First, if Ozzy is mad about being Grey, and he’s always been Grey, then it sounds like Nyx simply disappearing is not the whole reason he turned to the Dark Side. We’ve still got that “wound from the past” to get to, but But Ozzy has been… let’s not say “unhappy,” but he’s been fighting for a while. Maybe all his life. This wound appears to be the trigger, the secret finishing touch, that takes Ozzy from “troubled young man” to “trouble for the rest of Neopia.” Second, if what Ozzy wants is to make everyone Grey like he is, and there’s any hope for Neopia to be un-Greyed, can’t Ozzy or even Baelia be un-Greyed? Many would prefer that Baelia and even Ozzy don’t get un-Greyed. That they triumph despite their Greyness. But like Jazan staying cursed despite the rest of his kingdom being uncursed, you really gotta ask why. It really would be unfair, if everyone else got to be un-Greyed but Ozzy and Baelia didn’t. Maybe because Ozzy wasn’t painted? He was born Grey, so he has to live with it and there’s no un-Greying for him?
But even Baelia has a path to un-Greyness, supposedly. As it says in her Neopedia story, if she gets a new name she gets her wings back. And you could argue “That probably means she wasn’t born Grey. Sorry Ozzy.” But there’s still that speculation that getting your wings back is not the same thing as not being Grey anymore. After all, have a look at Drakara. She looks pretty Grey, and she has wings.
Come to think of it, why does she have wings when Baelia doesn’t? Maybe it’s because Drakara got a new name? A new name that gave her wings, but kept her Grey? And if so… what was her other name? Maybe… Jennumara? This would explain why we’re only seeing one evil faerie when we’re expecting two. Maybe Jennumara and Drakara are the same faerie. Maybe Jennumara was once called “Jennumara,” took the name “Drakara” to get her wings back? But these wings didn’t make her any less Grey so now she, like Ozzy and even Vira, is motivated by this perceived injustice to unleash Voidly terrors upon the world?
Ozzy raises his brush to the sky, just like in the trailer. It starts blasting geysers of Grey all over the area. If you squint, you can see the Usukiland Blumaroo and Mr. Lupid of Neoschool fame. Lightning Lenny of the Defenders zips around trying to save… what appears to be a Turdle? Ozzy has Greyed people here before, they better get out of the splash zone before they go the way of Ellia or Breadmaster. Lookin’ at you, Usukiland Roo.
But one person who ain’t goin’ nowhere? Nyx. She’s all tied up. Dominated, you might say, by Vira.
Try as she might, she cannot overcome her bonds. If you were Ozzy, and you were upset at your handicap of being Grey, and you were also mad that your sister abandoned you, what might you do in this situation? NeoRyuuko suggests Ozzy might give Nyx the Grey, bring her down to his level. Is this the Grey that Baelia and pals have to escape from? Per the chapter title?
Maybe let’s wait for Ozzy to have his wound torn open. Let’s see if Baelia has the words, and the courage to say them, to challenge Ozzy’s worldview.
Comic Prize today is a Grey Painter Border.
All of the promotional material for The Void Within seems to imply that the end goal is to actually restore color to the world. But what a twist it would be if no one gets un-Greyed? No shopkeepers, no Skarl, none of the lands get un-Greyed or anything. It would be a hassle, navigating those colorless maps so it seems very unlikely from a purely prosaic perspective. But this is supposed to be a world-changing event. Maybe we shouldn’t play it so safe. - No “Neopia Central Skirmish III” today, no big Bori shade yet, grind out a few more battles, a few more shifts, and a few more Essences.MeridellBrightvaleNeopian Bazaar
The count as of 7:15 PM: 36,577,544.
Speaking of waiting for things to come, we’ve got word in the New Features regarding the upcoming Faerie Festival. Specifically, word on when you need to have your points spent.Important Reminder! The Faerie Festival Prize Shop will be resetting on 9/23 to prepare for this year’s Festival, so remember to go use up any remaining points you may have before it closes! While the prize shops will remain mostly the same this year there will be a few new, fun additions. However, all points will still be reset to keep it even for any new festival-goers, and allow anyone who may have participated last year to pick a new team if they so wish!
Monday, September 23rd, it all goes down! So have your points spent by September 22nd. Now, does that mean the Festival starts on the 23rd? It is a Monday. However, not only might they need a little more time to set up, but if they save it for, say, the 30th? Then they can start the Festival at the same time as a new plot chapter. Everything lines up nicely. Baelia and pals Escape the Grey and flee to Faerieland where Fyora may or may not be. Maybe even recruit Jhudora and Illusen to their team of heroes?
And other faeries will be there too. Maybe Jennumara/Drakara? Watching from afar, if nothing else? Man, if speculation turns out to be on point, it’ll be Ozzy, Vira, and Jennumara/Drakara who might have a shot at redemption. The whole triumvirate could potentially be “defeated” by a little compassion. A little forgiveness. Probably from Baelia. To say nothing of these shades, who are quite vocal about someone hurting them first. Baelia might be victorious against the vast majority of the Void menace with a Pacifist Run!
Leaving just one big bad guy who probably can’t be reasoned with or empathized with. No concept of “mercy” or “compassion.” No “feelings” to hurt.
12th September, 2024
- Day between days. Your battles, shifts, and Essences…Virtupets Space Station: HangarDarigan CitadelNeopian Bazaar
Count as of 9:00 AM: 36,018,630.
These days are a lot easier than Brightvale’s if you’ve got… at least 5 ‘pets. Because with a cap of 200 at the Volunteer Centre, you only have to sign up for shifts twice. Or once if you’re using the plot cookies. But don’t get complacent, once the Faerie Festival starts up again (and Orion’s Prophecies) you’ll be working for sure.
11th September, 2024
- The fight’s out!!! Everyone’s pairing up in Page 2 of Escape the Grey. Even Juni.
But Nyx’s opening move is raising some eyebrows. Not everyone is on the same page about what’s happening here. What’s clear is that she blasts Vira, and Vira then blocks that attack. But what’s up with that Voidling? Did… Nyx conjure the Voidling? NeoRyuuko thinks so. So if Nyx can conjure shades, is this where they come from? They’re created out of thin air from those with the power to do it? This would mean that they probably aren’t Petpets that have been turned into shades.
So does that mean Ozzy did create all these shades as a reflection of his inner trauma? Because what then is the serpent in the Navigating the Void notes? If that serpent is a Void Wyrm, then that seems to strongly suggest that shades have been around well before Ozzy was involved. That neither Nyx nor Ozzy “invented” shades. So where did the serpent in the notes come from?
AliOldman thinks it happened differently: Nyx didn’t summon the Voidling, but she did throw it. And Vira’s green energy? That’s a portal to swallow up the Voidling and send it elsewhere. Where? Probably wherever she got them from. She and Ozzy brought these shades from somewhere, surely she can send them back.
Anyway, Vira insists that Nyx make time for her, and they square off. Everyone squares off. Tavi gets ready to give the hooks to a Prowler. Juni does his part, biting the leg of a Prowler. Luxinia zaps a Voidling out of the sky with her Light Faerie Lights, maybe a weaker enemy than what Tavi and Juni are dealing with but Voidlings are airborne and Luxinia is uniquely equipped to deal with airborne enemies. And what is Baelia uniquely equipped for? Maybe not fighting. But she’s a compassionate soul who knows what it’s like to be Grey. Her weapon is her words. And her opponent?
Ozzy, his face lit dramatically with the magenta energy of his Paint Brush that we’re only just now noticing is probably Void energy. Baelia asks “Why are you doing this?” But Ozzy would ask why Baelia ISN’T doing this. And so, as it should be, Baelia is the first to try and get to the bottom of what’s eating Ozzy. Nyx might’ve, but Vira has her preoccupied. Time for a Grey on Grey battle, in the way only the Grey can.
For the rest of us, we can battle with weapons like today’s Comic Prize, Tavis Climbing Hooks.
Maybe one day we’ll get Baelia’s stick as a weapon? Speak softly, and carry a big stick. That seems to be Baelia’s M.O. But will it get through to Ozzy? Well, if so, it’ll be later rather than sooner. Because we know that he snaps at some point and Baelia and her big stick will have to save her friends. - Much like what happened in Brightvale, a new battle comes with the next comic after last.
Take heed Neopians, the Neopia Central Skirmish II has begun. Joìn fellow reservists on the front lines, or donate your time at the Neopian Hospital volunteer effort!
That makes five shifts to fill now. Those are gonna keep you busy for 6 hours, so let’s handle the quick stuff first. Starting with Essences.Moltara CavesTyrannian PlateauVirtupets Space Station: Recreation Deck
Count as of 11:30 PM: 35,822,272.
Our first visit to the Tyrannian Plateau for Essences, by the way.
Over to the Battle tab to see the latest Reports from the Front…
Sources say that a heated battle is currently underway in the heart of Neopia Central. Mandatory evacuation orders have been instated to ensure residents remain safe during the conflict, and Defenders of Neopia are in the midst of clearing the area. If you still have the stamina to fight on, help hold the line so civilians can escape!
Hear that? As in Brightvale, do not waste your time sheltering in place. With the Defenders themselves getting Greyed and the other lands no closer to being free of shades, it’s clear these shades are gonna be around for a while. Get yourself to Altador with the rest of the refugees and Resistance, and together we’ll watch this thing unfold.
At the Barracks themselves, you’ll find Neopia Central Skirmish II now listed, along with newly updated Difficulty ratings. The shades aren’t tougher, it’s just the ratings have been fixed to better reflect how challenging the battles are.
Rightly expressed, the Festering Void Remnant is the toughest one so far. But what about the new fight? It’s got 5 enemies/waves . 2 Voidlings + 2 Prowlers + 1 Void Wyrm.
You may be wondering how heavy Tavi’s climbing hooks hit. 5 icons of Air, 5 icons of Physical. They also block Air and Physical, but no one has an accurate read on that yet.
No Bori-shaped shade yet. But with all those battle slots for Act 2? There’s plenty of opportunities for it to show up. Maybe before that wound from Ozzy’s past is torn open? Wonder who tears it open. Maybe Baelia?
10th September, 2024
- No story today. But you might’ve noticed that we’re 4 chapters in and none of the chapters have been smaller than the chapter that preceeded it. So if this pattern continues, we’re gonna get at least 13 pages. Meaning we’re gonna get a stretch of days where we get story every day. One of these days.
Anyway, here’s your battles, shifts, and Essences.Roo IslandHappy ValleyIce Caves
Count as of 9:30 AM: 35,208,297.
Hearts linger on the lamentable tale of the Festering Void Remnant. But what you might’ve noticed, if you watch the Prize Shop and remember all the prizes in there and wonder why those particular prizes were chosen, the arrival of the Festering Void Remnant now makes the Giant Space Fungus (TCG) relevant to the plot. The theory was “This prize shop, like all prize shops, hold prizes that are all (or at least mostly) directly related to the plot.” And so we’ve been wondering how they all might relate. Looking at things like the Giant Space Fungus (TCG) and thinking “Well some space fungi are gonna show up soon.” And they did! Suggesting that, in the end, all or at least most of these prizes will be shown to be relevant to the plot. An intriguing prospect for a lot of these.
We’d also like to remind, once again, the Faerie Festival is coming and you should spend your points while you can. You’re gonna have none very soon, so spend them on something. But if the Festival happens this month? It means Baelia has to save her friends from… whatever happens… while the Faerie Festival is going on. Like maybe she needs to escape Neopia Central while the faeries are having high tea and sweets in Faerieland. Maybe Faerieland will be their refuge? She evacuates everyone to the safety of the Festival? It’ll be interesting to see how things line up this month.
9th September, 2024
- New chapter! And intriguingly titled. Escape the Grey. Wonder what that means? Let’s check the Plot Timeline and see what the synopsis has to say.
Escape the Grey
Sep 09, 2024
Her friends? Plural? Wait, Baelia finally gets her time to shine, and she potentially gets to save the whole team? Ahhhh, now we’ll see. Now we’ll see that Fyora knew what she was doing when she put Baelia on the case. Will she have to save them from “The Grey?” Help them “escape” it? Whatever it is, it sounds like something the Grey Painter (that’s what we’re gonna call him from now on) does, or causes. Know what it might be? Or “How could you leave me all alone” moment. But instead of opening a rift like Nyx, the Grey Painter opens a new can of Grey on Central. And Baelia has to, by some miracle, get her friends out of danger. Does she keep them from turning Grey, maybe? Fly them out of the blast radius of the Grey Painter’s area of effect? Hmmmm… maybe not. Maybe she can’t stop that, but because you can’t re-Grey a Grey Faerie, Baelia is unaffected by it and already used to being Grey. And so it’s up to her to lead her newly Greyed friends out of Central? Perhaps? Place your bets now, as we start with Page 1…
Today’s comic was a little late going up…
The Grey Painter. He’s just kinda standin’ there. Like in Brightvale, Vira is doing all the talking. “This is the part where you run…” Uhhhhh, nah??? It’s time to face this thing. Right, Nyx? But Nyx is in shock. “No… Oz-” she can’t finish the thought as Vira pounces on her. She was about to say “Ozzy.” It can hardly be made any clearer. And so, that’s what we’re REALLY gonna call him from now on. Ozzy is The Grey Painter. It’s a sure thing. Anyway, Vira gets the ceremonies started by tackling Nyx. And she asks an interesting question. We know the answer, but it’s interesting that Vira would ask it: Where did Nyx attain Void powers?
This calls the “Nyx was led to the Void by Drakara/Jennumara and her magic music” theory into question. As Orisasda points out, Vira recognizes Nyx’s power as “power,” as opposed to a disease like Skarl does/did. So how did Vira know Nyx had powers unless she knew what “having Void powers” looked like? But AliOldman challenges that theory with another question: How can Vira be in on the scheme if she doesn’t know how Nyx got Void powers? Maybe Vira knows about having Void powers and knows what a person with Void powers looks like. But why would Vira ask for clarification on a thing she had a hand in? Well, maybe Vira knew Nyx was sent to the Void, but didn’t expect her to come out stronger for it? As Aesop and the other writers explained, the Void is for survivors. The metaphor is not just one of a Neopian going on hiatus and coming back, but coming back stronger/more capable from their hiatus.
But whether Drakara/Jennumara drew Nyx and Juni into the Void or if she had nothing to do with it, we know from the musical notes that it wasn’t entirely random. Some force intervened and took Nyx and Juni from normal space… into the Void.
First Comic Prize of this chapter? Terrible Two Stamp.
Have a look at that. It looks like they’re posing for a selfie together, with Vira taking the lead again. Because every gloomy, joyless introvert needs a manic pixie nightmare girl.
But as the chapter synopsis tells us, eventually Ozzy will find his fire. He’s gonna snap. Very soon. - Today’s comic ends… with the start of a new battle. We have been deployed to Neopia Central.
Take heed Neopians, the Neopia Central Skirmish I has begun. Joìn fellow reservists on the front lines, or donate your time at the Neopian Hospital volunteer effort!
Voidworks in daily form has yet to launch, but feel free to grab today’s Essences while you wait.Happy ValleyIce CavesKrawk Island
Count as of 11:30 PM: 34,993,804.
Let’s head over to the Battle tab and see what we got. We see the Giant Space Fungus-looking shade, formally known as the Festering Void Remnant. But no “big Bori” shade yet. This is only Neopia Central Skirmish I though, so give it time.
Like static and ozone. And rot. It being “festering,” it makes sense that it would smell rotten. But the static and ozone, could that be what the Void itself smells like?
Reports from the Front have something to say about the fight in Neopia Central…
Vira and the Grey Painter are now waging war on Neopia Central. Reports indicate that the cursed Acara has summoned previously unsighted shades to sow chaos across the Neopian Plaza. Even seasoned battle veterans are advised to approach the area cautiously, as first responders warn that these new creatures are exceedingly dangerous!
Plaza? Weren’t they near Nyx and Ozzy’s house near the Neopian Bazaar? Maybe Nyx and Ozzy’s house is smack dab between the Bazaar and Plaza. Not that it really matters, war is being waged on Neopia Central as a whole.
Now over to the Barracks to see what this fight looks like.
Just the one enemy, huh? Must be some enemy. Let’s go to the tale of the tape…
Festering Void Remnant
150 HP on Easy, 240 HP on Advanced, 330 HP on Extreme
Weapons: Apple Jelly Club, Earth Scarab, Tortured Snowball, Eye Of Mortog, Jade Scorchstone, A Voider, Acid Coating, Pyon Stinger Mace.
Ahhh, it’s tanky. Hence the tip about its healing capabilities. The challenge here is that the Void Remnant has a lot of HP you need to chisel down. Or otherwise outlast. It also has a new Void-themed ability…
Image directory is 0040_38qwmhwpy3_melt/thumb_40.png. So maybe “Melt” or “Void Melt” or something?
That Acid Coating, by the way, is one of the drops you can get from fighting the Void Remnant. Of these prizes, here are the unique ones you can get…
Acid Coating
Void Baby Space Fungus
Voided Cure
Well, you can’t really “get” the Void Baby Space Fungus or Voided Cure yet. They might appear in the window of prizes you supposedly one, but these items haven’t been activated yet, so they don’t actually get rewarded to you. Speaking of funny business, the cap remains 200 points, and from the “Collect Rewards” window it would appear you get 10 points per Remnant defeated… but it might take you more than 20 Remnants to get all 200 of your points. Might have to fight one 22 or even 23 times. Just keep going until they tell you to stop for the day.
But ideally we wanna save these shades, not fight them. So let’s hear what they have to say. In the form of battle quotes. What negative emotional state does this shade represent? From the Battle tab, it seems to not want us to look at it. Hiding behind its tentacles and saying “Don’t look.” And in battle, the Remnant opens up with…
Don’t stare… like that…
It feels like the Remnant might be ashamed of how it looks. It is a… lumpen, amorphous tentacled thing.
Society doesn’t really hold the lumpen and amorphous in high esteem. Other things it says…
Don’t come closer…
Didn’t mean… to hurt… anyone…
Don’t want to hurt you too…
I can’t take it back…
Go… Don’t look at me…
I deserve it…
It made me feel better…
I only wanted… a little more…
Don’t leave me too…
Absolution!
Absolution” being a mighty cry for forgiveness, for… something…
When you beat if, if you even have it in you to punish a creature so down on itself, it says…
I didn’t… mean to…
Ah, but if you lose, it says…
I thought… I’d be alone… Thank you for staying.
The Festering Void Remnant is clearly in pain. All of the shades probably are, but this right here is brutal. First of all, its the gentlest shade so far. There’s not an ounce of malice in these quotes. Unlike the other shades, the Void Remnant only has bad things to say about itself. It specifically says it doesn’t want to hurt anyone. Unlike the other shades, it doesn’t want to be alone. But at the same time, it says it doesn’t want to be seen. The Remnant feels ugly, and is ashamed of this. Second of all, it talks about something making it feel better. From the pain it endures. Oh, Remnant, of course we want you to feel better! We don’t like that you’re suffering! But what could the Remnant be doing to make it feel better? Well, what does a Baby Space Fungus do to grow into a Giant Space Fungus? What do fungi do in general? Eat. Consume things. The Remnant is using/abusing food as a coping mechanism for the shame it feels for living, but this only makes it ashamed for eating! It’s a vicious cycle. And sadly? Probably very relatable. Like they warned us things would be.
For all this, the Void Remnant seems almost like a deliberate counterpoint to the Void Wyrm. They both look like a pre-existing thing, but the Void Wyrm is all about attack and destruction and wrath. It says “I’m big, and I’ll destroy you. You’re in danger for being so small and insignificant in light of me.” But the Void Remnant is, well, pretty close to a literal punching bag. It’s about defense, healing, taking blows from you. All the Remnant wants is to feel good, not hate itself, and not be alone.
Makes you wonder why this Remnant is here if it doesn’t want to be. And if it doesn’t want to be, what if the other shades don’t want to be? What if they had to be talked into it/manipulated into it by Drakara/Jennumara? By way of their emotional vulnerability from the trauma they’ve known? You’ve heard that theory, but SmudgeOfFudge has a new theory for why they talk this and why they’re here: They’re not ‘pets and Petpets that had negative emotions beforehand, but Ozzy gave his emotions and unwanted feelings to them. The ones that were too painful for him to feel. So these shades, he didn’t exactly make them from scratch, but they would be an extension of his personal trauma. But if that’s what happened, what about the part of the chapter where “The Grey Painter lashes out in anger as a wound from his past is torn open?” If he’s devoid of emotion now, he must at some point have them return to him so that he can lash out. Maybe something triggers a return of his emotions, and all of the shades rush into his body as the truth of his feelings overwhelm him. And then he lashes out.
Speaking of theories regarding the shades and the Void, NeoRyuuko has a question: What do Festering Void Remnant spores look like? Maybe Bython eggs? Because in the 2023 Festival of Neggs, Magon guessed that the Bython eggs were Giant Space Fungus spores. Maybe he was confusing Festering Void Remnant spores for Giant Space Fungus spores? Maybe he’s about to be revealed to have studied the Void and has seen Festering Void Remnants and… he got his information crossed and was thinking of Void Remnant spores instead of Space Fungus spores? Magon might still be in this.
The Volunteer Centre is self-explanatory: Another shift opens up. That’s four.
And Neopia Central Skirmish II is not far off. That’ll be five, soon. If you’re still committed to minmaxing the most amount of ‘points you can get (give or take some plot cookies), the cap for Volunteer Centre is still 200 points a day. So if you’ve got 4 ‘pets and you can be around for 3 changings of the shift per day? You can still make it. But those with at least 5 ‘pets get to leave it at only 2 changings of the shift per day.
The fight for Neopia’s salvation, and the personal salvation of shades and Grey Painters, it only gets more grueling today. Maybe stick to Void Wyrms this chapter? The Festering Void Remnant fight is tough for more reasons than one. Here’s hoping the Bori with the big arms will be a foe more worthy of a beatdown.
8th September, 2024
- End of chapter. So named for the reveal of the Grey Painter.
Your battles, shifts, and Essences…Maraquan RuinsLost DesertNeopian Marketplace
Count as of 10:30 AM: 34,422,418.
Chapters 5 and 6 are surely gonna be even busier. As far as story to cover, anyway. We did have Orion’s Prophecies, but the Altador Cup itself isn’t really plot-related. But the Faerie Festival probably will be. And we’ve probably got Orion’s Prophecies to run alongside it. The Halloween season might also have something plotly going on, what with Vira being involved and it being particularly favored by the forces of darkness and Haunted denizens. So you might wanna keep an eye on Chapter 7 as it approaches. With Vira and the Painter facing off proper against our heroes, it might be time for the faerie behind all this to make her appearance. Maybe sometime around Halloween Night?
7th September, 2024
- SHOWTIME!!! At LONG last, lucky number Page 13 of A Grey Matter brings heroes and villains (and siblings?) face to face. No accidental stumbling into a warzone this time, everyone here is here on purpose. Everyone here came looking for a fight. Maybe the hardest-going panel so far.
A green mist takes the stage as two sets of feet come into view. Well, one-and-a-half. One more familiar than the half. Surrounded by a deep escort of shades, they arrive. Vira and her Grey Yurble Painter friend…
Say something, Nyx! That’s Ozzy, right??? Yes??? No??? Nyx draws back in fear. But it is not the Painter’s eye that finds her. It’s Vira’s eye. And she must remember Baelia and Tavi. She’s got a thirst in her eyes, a thirst for violence. Oh… it is on. It’s time for Round 2. But will we get to play, or is this a friends and family program?
There’ll be plenty of time to trade blows, but we also need to trade questions for answers. First, one that might be a given now, is the Painter Nyx’s brother Ozzy? If so, we need Nyx’s reaction. He seems to undergone a “goth glow up” of sorts. Relatable, lots of forsaken and brokenhearted turn to the strength of darkness after one too many bad days. But he must look a sight different from what Nyx remembers. And probably a sight older. No more cuddly little brother. Whoever this Painter is, another question is “What are he and Vira trying to do?” Which, if they answer it, might be followed with “Who do you work for?” Here’s a key one you should expect: “How could you leave me all alone?” If Ozzy is the Painter, and has any emotion left in him, he’ll want to know. Then again, he might be so far gone that only Baelia can save him. Beat some sense into him with the stick.
Join the fight alongside Team Baelia with today’s Comic Prize: Surrounded by Shades Background.
You may have seen this around before, and you may have been waiting on the debut of the new shade featured in this background.
To the left, something with long ears and big forearms. Maybe some kinda Bori? Certainly doesn’t resemble anything we’ve seen before, as opposed to the Void Wyrm or whatever that shady Space Fungus is. Maybe we’ll get to see it if we’re ever deployed to Central?
This comic has once again inspired theories and speculation. There’s still the question of what these shades are and why they talk the way they do. You’ve heard the “They’re transformed ‘pets/Petpets” theory, but Dogpawther takes it a step further: To see Vira and the Painter with all these shades, what if they’re all on the same side for the same reason? What if they’re all cursed/transformed/led astray because they’re all dealing with majorly unresolved negative emotions? Abandoned Petpets, abandoned little brothers, Acaras who long to be beautiful, ice wyrms who get their hoards stolen from… those whose emotional vulnerabilities can be taken advantage of by this faerie pulling the strings. And maybe that’s what happened to Baelia. If she ever tells us about her past. Maybe the faerie that Vira works for is Jennumara, and Jennumara found Baelia in a vulnerable state.
Speaking of the people our faerie mistress manipulates, NeoRyuuko has been thinking about that line we got at the end of the Faerie Festival prequel comic. Comin’ up on a year ago. The stuff about “The seed we planted long ago has finally sprouted and is ready to bear fruit?”
They gotta be talkin’ about the Painter, right? Well here’s a question: How long ago did they plant it? What if… just what if… the faerie in question led Nyx specifically into the Void so that Ozzy would be headhunted to be their Painter? Bear with us, this is about to get Nick Neopian…
As we know now, a treble clef/G clef/whatever name you wanna give it, appears in space along with other musical notes. As Nyx and Juni had their catastrophe.
The music ties back to the lyre/ancient sheet music/musical cylinders that Orion has been finding. There’s some kind of “ancient magical music” involved here.
You know who else is ancient? Faeries are ancient. Specifically this mysterious Faerie Artificer to whom we have yet to be formally introduced to. Some crafter of ancient relics out of thought and time, from a very different and very bygone era.
There’s been speculation that the music is hers, or that it must be tied to her somehow. She was probably around when the music wasn’t quite as ancient. And… there’s speculation that the Faerie Artificer, because of the horns, is Vira’s faeire mistress.
So if Vira’s faerie mistress is the Faerie Artificer… and if she wields an ancient, magical song… and if it was a magical song that brought Nyx and Juni to the Void… then what happened to Nyx (and Juni) was not random. Ozzy showed promise, but they had to give him a nudge. By giving Nyx a nudge. And so, once again, we return to the theory that Nyx was always important to the plans of our villains. Makes sense then, that Vira would have eyes for Nyx.
And speaking of that early comic, what about the plans of our heroes? Fyora was clearly thinking about something.
She recognized something early on. Something she didn’t let on right away, if she has at all yet. Is this the moment she decided “I’m pretty sure of what’s going on here, and I’m pretty sure Baelia is the faerie for the job?” Even though she’s a clear underdog that the rest of us don’t see much potential in? Maybe Fyora knows about Jennumara, or whoever Vira’s faerie mistress is. Knows how she moves and knows the best gamble to beat her with. Maybe Fyora can’t say much and has to just put her trust in Baelia because this faerie of Vira’s is watching from her looking pools?
We’re only 4/21sts of the way through this thing, we still have a long long way to go. Don’t expect Ozzy (if that is him) to be hugging and kissing his long lost sister. There’s a lot that needs to be said between them, but it all probably won’t be said right away. - Combat-wise, we’re still stuck in Meridell, Brightvale, and Kiko Lake. While you wait to get your hands on the new shades, you’ve still got your old battles, shifts, and Essences.FaerielandNeopian BazaarMeri Acres Farm
Count as of 9:30 PM: 34,175,713.
Team Baelia & Team Painter in Neopia Central, the next Faerie Festival is on the way, there’s a whole lot going on right now. Following it all is part of the challenge.
6th September, 2024
- Aha, another story day. Looks like we’re entering another one of those “story every day” stretches. Page 12 of A Grey Matter affirms what may not have been clear yesterday: Everyone to battle stations!
Once again, closer now, we see our heroes ready for battle. Some more ready to rumble than others. The question of Nyx’s emotional stability comes in again. She and Juni look like they’re gonna tear the shades apart. Tavi too. But Baelia and Luxinia look to be sweating bullets. The two faeries whose abilities are most mysterious. Unless that really is just a simple stick. And if it is? Ohhhhhh goodness.
SKREE! Out come shades we’ve seen before. Voidlings, Prowlers, Wyrms. SSHHHH… but also shades you don’t. Nyx is right to go “?” as we see what looks like a Giant Space Fungus shade????
So that’s two shades now that are a fairly exact clone of something we’ve seen before. Why does this keep happening? NeoRyuuko reminds everyone of the theory that these are all Petpets that have been transformed somehow. The Void Wyrm looks like the Snowager, but what if it’s, instead, a really big and Voidly Snowickle?
Snowickles do have arms and legs, but Snowickles are basically supposed to be small Snowagers. So if you wanted to visually represent a big Snowickle, you’d use the Snowager as a template/palette swap. And Giant Space Fungi? Unlike Snowickles, we know for a fact that Baby Space Fungi are actually the same species as Giant ones. Just a different size. Per its description, “It will grow really, REALLY big eventually.”
But KH2Riku_3 has a new theory. Well, somewhat new: Magon did this. Why? Because of the pre-submitted theory that Magon must be related to the Void somehow. Remember, though the book might be ancient, we don’t know that the notes are. Magon could’ve written the notes. In addition to his new, Voidly cloak.
What if, even before the 2023 Festival of Neggs, Magon had been reading “Navigating the Void” in pursuit of his dream of portals to the future? And remember how he thought/claimed the Bython eggs were Giant Space Fungus spores? Maybe he created the Giant Space Fungus shade specifically because of that? Maybe that’s where the idea came from?
Comic Prize this time around is a Void Umbrella. Useful for when you’re out collecting Essence.
So going over the current list of theories for what these shades are and why some of them look like clones of things we have in Neopia…
1. They’re transformed Petpets
2. They’re reflections of Neopia (They come from Neopia’s negative emotions, or there’s a “Negative Neopia” from beyond the Void, or something like that)
3. The Painter made them and was inspired by things like Snowager and Space Fungi (but how do you explain the big serpent in the notes if these are the recent inventions of one ‘pet?)
4. Magon made them, the notes in the book are his and this is the result of Magon fiddling with the Void
If Ozzy is near, we might get our answer sooner rather than later. If he says something like “I’m the Painter, it’s me, and these are my creations, an extension of the pain you put me through.” Probably one comic left in the chapter at this point… - Last weekend of the chapter, will we be headed to Central on Monday? Your battles, shifts, and Essences for today…AltadorDarigan CitadelDeserted Fairground
Count as of 11:30 PM: 33,823,540.
It’ll really be something if Team Baelia succeeds and we aren’t deployed to Central come Chapter 5. This does appear to be, deliberately, an underdog story. A moral on not counting our the little guy. For good or ill. Baelia is the little guy, and so is Ozzy. Maybe giving the little guy a chance is how your side wins, and if just so happens both sides of this have a Grey Neopian on their side.
5th September, 2024
- Battle stations! We will not be entering Nyx and Ozzy’s house in Page 11 of A Grey Matter. From the looks of it, it’s entirely boarded up anyway. Ozzy is probably not in there. But our heroes have run out of time as the Shade Army finally reaches Neopia Central.
Baelia alerts the team, apparently she sees something coming. Nearby, Tavi starts unloading her gear. Everyone’s arming up for battle. Nyx, Luxinia, and probably Juni all have some kind of “magic.” Luxinia might be handy in a fight, but we know for a fact that Nyx has defeated shades. Baelia, though? Baelia is armed… with a stick. ._. Maybe it’s an enchanted stick? Like Seshatia’s crutches might be enchanted? Maybe all wood from Faerieland is enchanted.
Things are quiet for a while, Tavi quips that the coast is clear. This jinxes our heroes something serious.
The roars of what are probably Void Wyrms or some other big shade cut through the peace and quiet of autumn in Neopia Central. Such that it looks like, LOOKS like… our heroes and Nyx and Ozzy’s house are now in the air? Or otherwise separated from the rest of the surrounding world? Maybe just an artistic choice. Or are our heroes in some kind of pocket dimension? Did Ozzy, seeing Nyx among them, pull off some kind of trick so that he could talk to them in private? Or did Nyx do this, perhaps? NeoRyuuko reminds us that one of Nyx’s powers is spatial manipulation. The opening of rifts and whatnot. And the last time she manipulated some space, it was accidental. A reaction to emotional distress. What if, upon coming home and not finding Ozzy there, this affected Nyx? And she teleported them all elsewhere a la Jazan in the Lost Desert Plot?
We’ll know if/when the Reserve Barracks deploy us here. Even if this is just an artistic choice, we know that Nyx was at one point susceptible for hysterics-powered rift opening. Maybe she’ll do it again?
Today’s Comic Prize comes to us from Tavi’s kit. Tavis Rope.
With the last comic ending on Nyx and Ozzy’s house, you might’ve thought the next comic was going to involve actually going inside Nyx and Ozzy’s house. Orisasda sure does, in fact she wonders if maybe we skipped a page. Is Nyx and Ozzy’s house boarded up? Yes. But we went from looking in the house to everyone preparing for battle. How’d we get here? As AliOldman observes, Tavi is already grabbing stuff out of her pack. So did something happen while Nyx and Juni were checking out the property? You might say yes, and that Baelia is calling out to Nyx and Juni to alert them to look alive to the shades inbound. But if you were to say that, you might also note that this comic is light on dialogue. There’s only so much you can infer from a silent comic. You might infer that the Beekadoodle represents the calm before the attack, but maybe that would be clearer if Baelia had said something to the effect of “Hey Nyx and Juni, we’ve got company?”
If we’re wrong about what’s happening in this comic, surely the next one will show us the light. But there is noticeable confusion on Board 58 about what’s happening in today’s comic. - What’s simple, though? Your daily battles, shifts, and Void Essence Locations.Meridell CastleRoo IslandMystery Island
Count as of 6:45 PM: 33,389,776.
Conservative estimate says we’ll get 1 more story day out of this chapter, maybe 2, and then it’s time for Chapter 5. Despite the roaring, what’s probably not gonna happen is that a new battle starts for us this late in the chapter. Maybe just enjoy your weekend? - Last night’s Neopets LIVE, as Neostaff is wont to do, did a lot of teasing. A lot was kept to the chest, but we saw some screenshots of Faerie Fragments, it looks to follow the same mechanics. No specifics on anything different happening with Luxinia, we’ll have to play the game to see. Another thing we know now for certain? Jhudora and Illusen will be returning to co-host the Faerie Festival.
There will be more story this year, and it won’t just feature Jhudora and Illusen. Other faeries will be making an appearance. The Soup Faerie was mentioned too, apparently we’re going to learn her name soon. So look forward to her showing up at the Festival. The bigger question (obviously not answered yet) remains, how does this factor into the ongoing Void crisis? And how involved will Orion be? But at least we know the Faerie Festival will have something happening. So don’t miss it, your Prophecies trophy depends on it. - Another thing that happened last night, you may have noticed how Neostaffer Weirdough shared some rough sketches of the art from The Void Within. That’s not the thing that happened last night, but you may have noticed this.
Art brought to you by Weirdough. But these aren’t the only early draft works he’s shared. Last night… somewhere else… he shared the early drafts of Page 9 of With a Light Heart. And NeoRyuuko happened to catch it. It clarifies an early point of speculation, and draws a new connection.
Normally we wouldn’t share this. But it was too eye-opening in light of our previous discussion. Way back when, we said it looked like Nyx and Juni were flying through an infinity symbol. But looking at the rough draft, it’s clearly not an infinity symbol. It’s a treble clef. In fact, there are a few musical notes there. An important find, considering the sheet music and musical cylinders Orion found. These things, they gotta be linked!
You want puzzles? This right here is the puzzle. The grand, overarching puzzle of how all this fits together. What everything means. This is truly the “meat” of the plot. How are serpents and crystals related? How does music work as a theme? These are the questions you should be asking.
4th September, 2024
- Aww, off day. You know the drill. battles, shifts, Essences.KreludorTyrannian JungleKrawk Island
Count as of 8:30 AM: 32,080,088.
Like we talked about on August 31st, this late in the chapter it’s probably too late to start any new puzzle steps. But also? It’s probably too late to start any new steps. Whether it be a puzzle or a battle, they typically start within the first few days of the chapter. Or in the case of Void Essence Collection, within the first 10 days. Probably for the sake of giving us time to complete the step. So you probably aren’t gonna get to fight shades in Neopia Central until Chapter 5 starts. Which means, storywise, you probably won’t see Vira or the Painter launching any shade invasions until Chapter 5 starts. Meaning that, if Ozzy is the Painter (he totally is, bro), whatever interactions he and Nyx have will not be long enough in this chapter for him to start the next battle. What’ll probably happen in these next few pages is, we’ll see some of those pictures a little closer, Ozzy will briefly reveal himself, he and Nyx might talk a little, but the bulk of Ozzy’s feature will be in Chapter 5. These last few pages will serve as setup for Chapter 5. You’ll recall, the synopsis for Chapter 4 never said anything about Nyx and Ozzy meeting. - The Faerie Festival is nigh. Well, not that nigh. It’ll probably start some time in the middle of Chapter 5 of this plot. But as you know, all site events are now tied to this plot, if only through Orion. As we speak, the Council and Seshatia are probably pondering those musical cylinders. So first of all, spend your points. Second, there’s a Neopets LIVE happening at 5PM this afternoon/evening, whichever it is for you. It’s faerie themed, seems to be primarily about a Faerie’s Hope remake called “Faerie Fragments.” But also, thanks to the faerie theme, they might talk about the Faerie Festival.
Will said Festival feature Jhudora and Illusen? The two who first unearthed the new villainy at work in Neopia? The two who many are longing to see feature in or be affected by this plot? The fact that this month’s Gift Box Mystery Capsule comes in the “Faerie Frenemies” flavor seems to suggest somewhere in the ballpark of “maybe?”
But remember, this Festival is probably starting in the middle of Chapter 5 at the earliest. Maybe even later. So if it is tied to the plot, what might it be about considering where we’ll probably be during Chapter 5? Helping the Council decipher those notes? Shoring up Faerieland in case it’s next in line for the Shade Army? Or will it be more of a side thing like Orion’s Prophecies? To factor in later somehow? Maybe it’ll take off where last year left off? Investigating who Malkus and Vira (and almost certainly Ozzy) work for? And then there’s Faerie Fragments. If it’s a Faerie’s Hope remake, it must involve Luxinia, right? Will what we see in the Faerie Fragments coverage influence what we see of Luxinia in the plot? Now that she’s on the team? Will we see an exploration of her new powers?
They got the goods, ladies and gentlemen. But the teasing, it hurts. In all the best ways. In the meantime, spend your Faerie Festival points while you’ve got ’em. And Lost Fragments too, just to be safe.
3rd September, 2024
- We’re just that slight bit closer to the reveal. Page 10 of A Grey Matter is a bit of a tease, but this is how you build suspense. It’s not the wait, it’s the teasing.
Nyx, who has the power to hover as you’ll recall, hops off of Walein. Juni in tow. Baelia and Tavi have seen that trick before, but Luxinia hasn’t. She didn’t know Nyx had it in her! Luxinia seems kinda excited by this. But keep your socks on, Luxinia. Varia is known to be jealous.
She and the rest of the team go after her, with poor Baelia once again struggling. Never forget: There goes our hero. Fyora’s chosen! And then? Nyx, continuing this metaphor of the returning Neopian, takes a look inside her account before trying to log in…
Oh no, looks like someone cleaned out all her items! All her hard work!
How does all this happen in mere weeks? It doesn’t. She’s clearly been gone for years. But hold on, are those pictures on the refrigerator??? Enhance, 300%!
It’s hard to see, but you can just make out Nyx alongside what looks like a small, GREY little Neopet. Probably a Yurble. You probably already assumed Ozzy was the Painter. But did it ever occur to you that him being Grey is not a new thing? That he has been Grey all along??? Interesting side note, if Ozzy has been Grey all along, you might recall another Grey Neopian who lives in squalor.
So does being Grey just tend to conduce this kind of disarray in your life? Sounds like Ozzy has always been like this. Small, shy, scared, worried? Perhaps an understatement. What Ozzy is actually doing is grappling with Greyness.
And this, perhaps, is how Baelia saves us. This is how she wins. As the Fearless Deed sayeth, Fight Fire with Fire. Who can reach a Grey but another Grey? Who else could understand the struggle? Well, Fyora apparently. Somehow she knew, insights upon foresights let her know just enough that whatever was behind this Grey Curse, it was gonna have to be resolved by Baelia facing it and saying “I know where you’ve been, it doesn’t have to be this way.” Fyora may not know what it’s like to be Grey, but she knows that Grey recognizes Grey.
You can have your own depression nest with today’s Comic Prize, Nyxs Abandoned Home Background.
If you’re like NeoRyuuko and were hoping for a high-def close-up of the refrigerator as revealed through this background, you’re gonna be disappointed. Like NeoRyuuko was. The pictures on the refrigerator have been, for the background, replaced with generic scribbles.
So, if Ozzy has been Grey all along, here’s some food for thought: What if Jennumara isn’t in this? If Ozzy wasn’t Grey, but then was turned Grey, she might’ve been. Because she might’ve been the one to turn him. But if she isn’t in this, maybe this isn’t about Baelia’s origin. Maybe it’s not about Baelia’s past. Maybe it’s more productive to live in the present and believe in the future. Especially if you’re Grey. But on the other hand, this team of writers seems to really wanna dig up and flesh out the past. So, yeah. Expect to hear about Baelia’s past. After all, Aesop said Baelia’s story was long overdue for a resolution. - The Reserve Barracks haven’t deployed anyone to Central just yet. Same battles and shifts as usual today. And the same Essences.Warf WharfDarigan CitadelIce Caves
Count as of 5:00 AM: 32,298,051.
Nyx and Ozzy’s house is empty, so checking there may not be the place to go if she wants to find him. But if Ozzy is the Painter, then Ozzy will certainly be in Central very soon. Will fate bring them together? Or will we endure suspense for even longer? It would be real nice right now to go back to getting comics every day, instead of every other day.
2nd September, 2024
- Another off day! Everyone’s outta the house for Labor Day anyway. Do your battles, a shift or two, your Essences, and then get outta here.KreludorDeserted FairgroundTop of the Mountain
Count as of 2:00 AM: 31,859,635.
Tomorrow, Nyx comes home. Surely nothing good awaits her there. But as with many abandoned accounts, maybe she can rebuild. Depends on what they uncover in Altador with those notes.
1st September, 2024
- Yep, we’re headed to Neopia Central. While they ponder codes in Altador, Page 9 of A Grey Matter takes us on a race against the enemy along its route of attack.
Shades sighted in Neopia Central! The Defenders might be greying, but maybe we could call the police? As our heroes race to intercept, Walein passes over Nyx and Ozzy’s house. We see shades nearby, Nyx recommends getting off now and joining the fight. The rest of the team doesn’t agree. But if not here, where? They’re supposed to be here to intercept the enemy. There’s the enemy. If no one’s got any better ideas, Nyx is getting off here. Because not only is the enemy here, her brother might be as well.
But he’s probably not. Not in the sense that Nyx means. The Ozzy she knows is probably lost beneath layers of oppressive Grey.
Another Walein prize today in the Oversized Walein Plushie.
Baelia looks to have gotten better. That collapse of hers, looks like she just wanted to lay down for a while. She really looks to be having the hardest time. And yet, of this current team, Fyora specifically wanted Baelia to stop this attack on Neopia Central. Fyora’s hunches have worked out before, she knew Jhudora and Illusen were the faeries to pick for the Faerie Festival. But what exactly is Baelia meant to throw at these guys? Does Fyora know something we don’t? Something she’s hiding because Baelia has to discover it herself? Hence Fyora’s unwavering faith in her? She sees Grey Curses and Void menaces, and she points Baelia at them. Perhaps to awaken some instinct in her. But Baelia really is who the Council has decided on to save us. Or at least the ones vocal on the Council. - One of the Void Essence spots today is the Bazaar. You can’t fight any shades there right now, but they’ll find you things to do at the Barracks and Volunteer Centre.FaerielandFaerie CityNeopian Bazaar
Count as of 6:00 AM: 31,542,180.
September is here, which means Halloween will be here soon. One wonders what Vira’s faerie mistress has in store for that night. But remember last year? And Halloween’s Tales of Neovia? KH2_Riku has been re-reading the stories, specifically Scarblade’s. That story again…
The waterlogged book has had many of its words washed away, yet some entries are still somehow in pristine condition.
Entry 193
The ship is still as strong as ever. I may have lost some crew, but if they were lily-livered enough to be captured so easily, then they may as well be fish food. My name still strikes fear in all those who hear it, so I will be able to replenish my cannon fodder soon enough.
Entry 245
The new crew members be something else. I have dealt with some of the toughest this here sea has to offer, and yet, I think this crop must have wills of iron. Some barely have their sea legs but still yet dare look me in the eye. I would oft cut one in two for such a thing, but I have a feeling power like this could come in handy.
Entry 282
We have taken many a boat and sunk twice that. The wealth we have acquired could only be matched by those of kings, and the power my crew now holds none could dream to match. But this is nothing new for me. However, I hear whispers of a location that not only possesses a new sort of power but is said to have acquired a treasure unlike any other. It will be mine.
Entry 361
Learning more about this supposed location of wealth and power has been slow, but getting the information out of those who have it is an easy feat for my crew. So I have decided, once we know more about how to track down what I seek, I shall have my men continue on as if I am on board while I find this power all for myself! The world will continue to tremble at the mere mention of my name while I hoard this new wealth and power all to myself!
Entry 439
I have found the location. A particular new acquaintance of mine has agreed to help me in this search. She and I will set out soon. Only a few know of my departure, and fewer still know of my intended destination. But if all goes according to plan, I will become strong enough to not only wipe New Maraqua off the face of the planet but all of Neopia if I so wish!
Returning to the theory that the crystal drawing in our notes is Dacardite, what if the wealth and power that Scarblade was after was Dacardite? In order for Scarblade to hear about a new place, it would have to be a land he hadn’t heard of yet. Dacardia is a recently “introduced” land. The most recent introduction. Now, the Island Builders game and Tales of Dacardia are two different games. Island Builders is basically defunct with Tales of Dacardia being the rewrite. But if everything from the old game will continue to be canon in the new game, in Island Builders there were apparently pieces of the Revenge found on Dacardia. Suggesting that Scarblade and his crew (probably around the time the storm happened) rocked up to Dacardia and had their ship wrecked.
But how does this tie into the Void? Well, there’s a lot of things we could ask that question about. But aside from the fact that this story was part of Tales of Neovia and those stories might all be plot clues, there’s another thing that happened in Island Builders: A meteor struck Dacardia. What if that meteor actually came from the Void? But this, and the wreckage of the Revenge, we must first see play out in the new game to be assured of their canon.
How, if at all, are the Tales of Neovia villains part of this? The big mystery here is what Vira’s faerie mistress is planning. Once we encounter the Painter, maybe we can get some insights into that. Should be very soon now.
31st August, 2024
- Another non-story day. Proceed straight to the Reserve Barracks, Volunteer Centre, and your ten Essences.ShenkuuDeserted FairgroundMeri Acres Farm
Count as of 11:00 PM: 31,420,778.
Question for you: How much time do you suppose people need to solve a puzzle? When should time run out to solve it? Some people are still waiting for Voidworks to start working for them, yes it is glitched for some people. Maybe you’re one of them. But with all that considered, there’s only about a week left in the chapter. Plenty of time for story, but probably not enough for a new puzzle step. And as we understand it, we only have until the end of the chapter to complete steps that have a deadline (as opposed to battling, which appears to be open all plot long). So as far as any decoding puzzle steps, we probably aren’t getting one of those this close to the end of the chapter. Which also probably means the story won’t introduce one this close to the end of the chapter. So might this mean that the rest of the chapter will focus on the mission to Neopia Central?
In the meantime, keep the Gourmandizer in mind.
30th August, 2024
- Today’s comic had a rough launch, it was glitched for about 40 minutes give or take. In Page 8 of A Grey Matter, we see the fork where our two story paths divide.
Walein takes off, Baelia and her team are on their way to Neopia Central. We get another cool animation this time too.
Meanwhile, Seshatia and her “team” watch from the ground. But hold on… why is Baelia collapsed like that??? And why is no one but Tavi paying attention??? Fyora and Seshatia look concerned, maybe they noticed too?
So glaring is Baelia in today’s comic, you might’ve missed that Seshatia doesn’t appear to be wearing her crutches. With this comic having some trouble getting off the ground today, maybe there were some hiccups in the final render? Will we see this one touched up like when Fyora’s wings were missing from Page 4 of With a Light Heart? Or will they leave it as is? Maybe say that she doesn’t need the crutches constantly and takes them off sometimes, getting around now and then without them or a wheelchair? If this isn’t a new development for her (or a retcon) it might go a way towards explaining why we didn’t see her with them before. If it’s not a retcon or new development.
You get your very own Oversized Walein as a Comic Prize today!
Somewhat fun fact: Typically a Petpet, regardless of color or unique little quirk, keeps the same description. The Frowny, for instance. Whether it be Grey/default, or Christmas, the description reads “Probably the saddest Petpet for your Neopet, these guys can not stop frowning.” Even though the Christmas Frowny isn’t depicted frowning. But this Oversized Walein gets its own unique description, separate from other Waleins. Normally the description for any Walein, regardless of color, is “A cute little Walein is just the thing if your Neopet is feeling blue :)” But the Oversized Walein? “An adorable oversized Walein is just the thing if your Neopet is feeling blue :)” Walein the Walein is just that special.
It’d be cool to talk a little more about Nyx’s past on the way to Neopia Central. Or address how much time she’s lost. But perhaps most pressing is the fact that Baelia’s passed ALL the way out. What’s that about? Maybe we’ll hear about it in the next comic. Maybe it’ll even come tomorrow. - As you get around to your battles and shifts and Void Essences today, you’ll notice that one of the Essence spots today is Altador. Did our Neopia Central team catch some Essence in their hair as they cut through the clouds?AltadorHappy ValleyDeserted Fairground
Count as of 4:00 AM: 30,707,906.
Y’know, Baelia doesn’t have wings. Maybe she’s collapsed like this from a fear of flying?
29th August, 2024
- No story today. But an endless supply of shades to fight and patients to tend to. Void Essence is endless too, technically. You just have to wait for it to refill.MaraquaHappy ValleyQasala
Count as of 10:00 PM: 30,617,467.
As expected, the Void Wyrm that was hanging out in the regular Battledome is no longer there. In fact, there are no Void Wyrms in any version of the Central Dome anymore. As of today, the Clash Over Kiko Lake is depicted in the Dome of the Deep.
Maybe because Kiko Lake is a lake. Another change? Late last night three new entries were added to the Plot Timeline. Set after the start of “A Grey Matter.”
Juni is Saved!
Aug 22, 2024
Notes from the Void?
Aug 26, 2024
Kiko Lake is Under Attack
Aug 28, 2024
When Page 2 dropped, we said that Landelbrot couldn’t make a smaller Dampener than Juni’s. We mistakenly thought that Juni’s neck was bigger than Nyx’s wrist. But here we see from the Timeline that Landelbrot’s Dampener is definitively smaller than Juni’s. But how small is Juni if his neck is smaller than Nyx’s wrist? One thing we did get right, kind of an easy one, most people probably got this one, but the book Seshatia found was in fact a copy of “Navigating The Void.” The resemblance was on purpose. But this particular copy, a la Snape’s copy of “Advanced Potion-Making,” is a lucky copy with notes from a particularly insightful previous owner. How long ago were the notes made? Who knows. Especially now that we know it’s just a copy of a book with multiple prints. Just one of many very old copies. The notes themselves could still be recent.
And while we’re on the subject of theories, we’ve had some new ones crop up over the past 24 hours or so. Day by day the odds increase that Ozzy is the Painter. Skootrocity found another clue betraying this identity, which he explains in this thread. Remember when Aesop first revealed Nyx’s name and made a point to say “Ya get it? It’s like the Greek goddess of night?” Well, who is Nyx’s brother in the Greek pantheon? Erebus. Okay, but did you know Nyx has a daughter? A daughter who is the personification of pain and distress? Whose name comes from the Greek word for “misery?” This daughter’s name is Oizys. Yeah, Ozzy is a boy and (for this and other reason) is not Nyx’s daughter. But Oizys kinda sounds like Ozzy, right? If nothing else, his name means “misery” going by Greek rules, which seem like they might be popular rules so far. In light of this, we must revisit previous speculation: Nyx (the Greek goddess) is the daughter of Chaos. Does this then imply there might be a deeper connection between Nyx and the Void? Was it destiny?
We also continue to ponder the curious case of the Void Wyrm, who looks very very much like the Snowager.
What NeoRyuuko noticed was that, despite the similarity to the Snowager and despite all that talk of Void Blassssssts, the Void Wyrm’s weapons/attacks aren’t icy. Nor do they carry the icons that one would associate with icyness. The Snowager comes “equipped” with “Snowager Breath.” It does 10 Water and 1-10 Physical. There’s not one water icon in the Void Wyrm’s whole set. Coincidence that the Void Wyrm’s set is full of Dark and Fire and Earth, but no Water? NeoRyuuko isn’t really sure what, if anything, this means. But what if it’s a deliberate choice to illustrate that the Void Wyrm is the opposite/negative of the Snowager? Maybe the Void Blasssssst isn’t icy at all. Maybe it’s the opposite of icy. Ah, but what about the Voidcicle Shirt? Why would the Void Wyrm offer this prize if the Void Wyrm wasn’t somehow related to icyness?
KH2Riku_3 was also thinking for a while that the Void was “Opposite Neopia” with Opposite Snowagers. But then he saw the Void Coin and its description. Learned how the coin (like Nyx) spent years on the “other side” of the rift before coming to Neopia. Again, did it originate from the Void, or did it come from our Neopia, go to the Void, and then come back? Like Nyx? If the latter, how did it get to the Void? Well, what if the Void is a place where forgotten things go? But then, if it is, how did this coin come back? Was it remembered?
Speaking of items related to this plot, remember the Lava Musical Cylinder? LilJaySkell420 sure does. Remember how it’s a No Trade item? Well, the Air Musical Cylinder is not. Any reason why? Will the Lava Musical Cylinder be the key to something while the Air Musical Cylinder won’t? Because, as a tradeable item, you can end up losing your cylinder. Usually if you’re gonna end up needing an item for a plot or something, Neostaff doesn’t let you get rid of it. They make it No Trade, like with the lava one. But then, if the lava cylinder is so important, what are people who missed the Festival of Neggs supposed to do? Is something gonna happen down the line that only people who didn’t miss a single Prophecy can participate in? What if the air cylinder was supposed to be No Trade, but they forgot to activate it? Or maybe it’s the opposite, that we don’t actually need the lava cylinder for anything and they forgot to turn off the No Trade. Because the way things have actually played out is kinda puzzling. Why would we need just the lava cylinder but not the other cylinders? And if we do need the lava cylinder, what are people supposed to do if they missed one of the events that gives these cylinders out? If nothing else, you seem to miss out on an Orion’s Prophecies trophy tier. You don’t get a gold trophy if you miss even one, it looks like. So the precedent for letting people miss out on things is set. But how much are they willing to let people go without?
This chapter seems to be balancing two story paths: The path to reach Neopia Central before the enemy does (in which we’ll probably learn about Nyx’s past and that Ozzy is the Painter), and the path to deciphering the Notes from the Void (In which we’ll probably learn what that serpent is and what the Gourmandizer is, and if any of these things are the Void Wyrm, why it looks like the Snowager). Feels like we won’t hear from our heroes until they get to Central, unless they wanna talk about Ozzy or Nyx’s past or why Nyx doesn’t recognize the world. Feels like the next story pieces are gonna be about deciphering these notes. So… prepare yourself for a deciphering puzzle very soon. For good or ill.
28th August, 2024
- With so much to discuss, a new cutscene is warranted. Let’s go see what the Council has to say.
Is it time to discuss the notes now? Or perhaps word from the front?
Nyx!
Juni!
Glad to see you are both well!
We have no time for pleasantries. Kiko Lake and all its inhabitants have been attacked. Its colour drained…
What?!!
Upon reading this you probably went to go check. Yes, Kiko Lake has been Greyed. And funnily enough it’s also one of today’s Void Essence spots.
They can’t keep getting away with it! But hold on, is anyone here representing Kiko Lake? Where’s the Kiko Lake delegation?
It is as we feared… Clearly, this threat looms over more than just a handful of lands. No, this is an act of war on all of Neopia.
Based on their trajectory, we believe they are heading towards Neopia Central.
Neopia Central!
Yip?
Many of the Defenders of Neopia are now grey, and the rest are battling the shades in Meridel and Brightvale. Baelia, we need your help, you may be the only one who can stop this grey.
Hold on, Meridell is under attack from shades? When did that happen? Did the shades spread to Meridell after the Battle for Brightvale started? Or were shades on the ground the day Meridell turned Grey? Maybe the Reports from the Front need an update, it’s been a while anyway.
Okay, what were you saying, Baelia? It’s up to you to save Neopia.
I… I…
Don’t worry B, I’ll be right beside you!
And she will have my support, my queen.
Nyx, Juni? What of you?
I’m here to find my brother. Whatever it takes.
Yip!
I see… And where did you last see him?
We had a small hovel in Neopia Central, across the way from Uni’s clothing. His name is Ozzy. He’s small, shy, and always scared. Adorable actually… I have to get back to him as soon as possible. He hasn’t heard from me in weeks… He must be worried sick.
We will find him, but for now, we must concentrate on the safety of Neopia. Your experience with the void could prove invaluable. Help us defend the people of Neopia Central first, including your brother, and you have my word that we will help you find him once the dust settles.
….Deal.
Guess that makes us a team, eh?
Yip yip!
Excellent. Our Walein friend here will take you to Neopia Central. Due to an accident at the lab ray, he’s grown enormous. Not what we were intending, but useful nonetheless. Please, leave at once.
OoooOoOoOooooOoooOooo
Somehow, enormous still seems like an understatement!
Walein! So wonderful to see you again.
And he’s, um… safe to ride?
You’ve nothing to fear! Despite his size, Walein here is a huge softie.
Let’s get moving. If Neopia Central is next, we need to get there as soon as we can.
So this is what Nyx and Juni were needed for. Not the notes, it was to fight the shades. Baelia, Tavi, Nyx, Juni, and Luxinia. A team comes together with a mission: Intercept the Shade Army at Neopia Central. And look, it’s the Walein from Faerie’s Hope! You may know this Walein from the game, he takes you back and forth between New Faerieland and Ground Faerieland. But you also probably know him from his link in Faerie City.
We learn that his name is Walein. What does that say about Walein that Juni got a real name but Walein is named “Walein?” Is it… is it an intelligence thing?
Baelia, Tavi, Nyx, Juni, Luxinia, and Walein. And we learn another name: Ozzy. Nyx’s brother. Small, shy, always scared, adorable… kinda sounds like Baelia. Wonder how he looks in Grey? Nyx stresses how crucial it is that she return to him. Claiming that he hasn’t heard from her in weeks. But sis, it’s clearly been more than weeks. Nyx seems to be a little… what’s the word… hard-headed? When you think back to how she was supposedly gonna go find Altador despite not knowing where or what Altador is? Maybe we’re wrong about the whole “time warp” thing. But if not, it clearly hasn’t clicked for Nyx that she’s been gone not weeks, but years. Call it the dogged commitment of being a Virtupets pilot. More about action than thinking. But if it’s bad to leave Ozzy alone for weeks? Imagine how bad you’d mess him up if you abandoned him for years.
And if he’s that small, how old was he last time Nyx spoke to him? What if… what if this is a “Poverty stricken big sister raises her little brother by herself and has to make sacrifices to keep food on the table” situations? Maybe being a pilot wasn’t ideal, but it’s what she had to do to afford their Neopia Central slum palace? And with her gone, he couldn’t afford food or rent and was foisted out onto the street and fell in with a bad crowd and became the Painter? Something that didn’t quite click right away that NeoRyuuko noticed: Nyx and Ozzy live near Uni’s Clothing. Workplace of Grey Curse Patient Zero Ellia. What are the odds that the Painter just happens to start their painting spree near Nyx and Ozzy’s house? Oh yeah, sounds like there’s definitely gonna be consequences for what happened to Nyx. Really seems like the Painter is her brother.
In the Advent Calendar prequel comic, Nyx cried mightily “How could you leave me all alone?” Sounds like these could be arc words. Safe money says Ozzy says these same words at some point. - Baelia and pals will be going to Neopia Central, but we will be busy in Kiko Lake today. Very busy. First of all, we’re probably gonna hit a Void Essence Collection milestone today. Your Essences…Kiko LakeLutari IslandKrawk Island
Count as of 6:00 AM: 29,958,482.
Next, as of today’s story update the Act 2 battles have finally begun!
Take heed Neopians, the Clash Over Kiko Lake has begun. Joìn fellow reservists on the front lines, or donate your time at the Neopian Hospital volunteer effort!
Over on the Battle tab, we see that the Void Wyrm has made it to the plot. Interestingly enough, it’s also still in the regular Battledome too. Probably gonna be updated soon, the day is young.
Reports from the Front haven’t been updated yet, but again, the day is young. We really could use one, though. Maybe mentioning Meridell? It’d also be nice to hear which Defenders have gone Grey. But they gotta put one in for Kiko Lake at least. Anyway, what’s goin’ on at the Reserve Barracks and Volunteer Centre?
Gah!!! Battle for Brightvale is still going on??? Can these shades even be defeated? But perhaps most daunting of all, what some people feared of hospital shifts will probably come to pass: We may have up to 8 potential hospital shifts assignable, if you have the ‘pets. Great news if you have 8 ‘pets. But if you’ve only got the one ‘pet because you’d rather dedicate resources to just the one ‘pet, it’ll be impossible for you to keep up with those with full houses. Unless you get a bunch of ‘pets. And you wouldn’t do that just to abandon them after this is over, right? Not after what (probably) happened to Ozzy?
It’s comprised of 3 waves. 2 Voidlings + 1 Void Wyrm. Stats for the Void Wyrm are the same as they were yesterday. Still 10 points per shade, so you get 30 points after this. Cap is still 200, so… that’s 7 rounds you gotta complete to get all your points for the day. Like with the last battles, your final points display for the day will probably be 5 points short. On your 7th round it’ll say you got 15 points, but you actually got 20.
More theories are developing over what these Void Wyrms actually are. Perhaps the most intriguing of the shades yet, there’s gotta be a reason they look like the Snowager. KH2Riku_3 recently came up with a new one: What if the Snowager is a Void Wyrm? What if the Void is where the Snowager originally came from? It goes back to the “the crystals in the notes are Dacardite” theory. Dacardite is known to change color. It goes from either blue to purple, or purple to blue. Something to do with energy reactions or something. So, considering the themes of ancient secrets going on here, could it be that the Snowager is actually a Void Wyrm who came to Neopia long long ago, then turned blue? But does this then mean that Dacardite is from the Void?
AliOldman has another theory for Void Wyrms look like the Snowager: The Snowager created these Void Wyrms. Created them with his negative feelings. And that all shades are created from the collective negative emotions that Neopians feel. Maybe our collective unconscious interacts with the Void itself. Or how about all this Essence everywhere? Maybe it isn’t as harmless as leading Void experts think? Maybe the reason a colossal serpent is in those notes is because, again, the Snowager is himself ancient and this invasion of shades created by Neopia’s negative emotions has happened before. And way back when, the Snowager’s negative emotions were creating Void Wyrms.
Clash Over Kiko Lake. Note that, unlike Battle(s) for Brightvale, it isn’t numbered? Is this our only clash over Kiko Lake? After this it’s the… Showdown in Central? With a potential face-off between Nyx and Ozzy? And while our heroes travel on fins of Walein to said showdown, our other heroes will surely be trying to understand the mysterious Void notes and what that serpent is. As we said before, plots happen on multiple fronts.
Stay tuned for the Community Goal milestone and maybe some updates to the Battles from the Front. - 30 MILLION GET: Take a moment to look back to when you first started collecting this stuff, and think about how much of it you thought we’d need to do things like save Juni. Did you imagine it would be about 30 million? Now head to Headquarters and pick up your bonus. 100 points, and a Void Coin.
Next milestone is 50 million. So it’ll probably be about another 2 months or so. Should be hitting it around Halloween, but only if everyone does their part. Count as of 8:00 AM: 30,012,639.
The description of the item is kinda intriguing: “Currency from far away that has been worn smooth over time. After spending years on the other side of the rift, it has also been imbued with void essence.” Should we be thinking a lot about this? Should we maybe be interested in what “Currency from far away” means? Is it a coin from another dimension that made it to Neopia by way of the Void? Or do they mean it’s Neopian currency that was flung into the Void, spent years there, and then came back?
Still no new Reports from the Front. But 10:00 AM seems like a popular time to release plot updates. Check back around then. - BATTLE UPDATE: Reports from the Front has been updated. Where are we in the fight to save Neopia?
Vira and her grey companion have launched a surprise attack on the waterfront town of Kiko Lake, sending the inhabitants scrambling for cover! Despite initial reservations surrounding a rumoured cache of valuables that Team Kiko Lake collected under the guise of donations over the years, valiant warriors from across Neopia are turning up in droves to defend the small community of Kikos. Will you be one of them?
Yes! Go defend Kiko Lake! If for no other reason that to find that cache of valuables! There’s no way they spent it all on Cup stuff.
Nothing here about Meridell. Is it one of those situations where, like, it’s happening, but it’s not for we the players to get involved with? Otherwise the battle step would’ve started too early? And speaking of the battle step, it doesn’t seem like any of them are going to end any time soon. We’ll have access to them all Cup long. Again, comparable to the Cup. There are as many points to earn as you have stamina.
27th August, 2024
- No comic today! But battles, shifts, and Void Essence Collection are still here for you.Virtupets Space Station: Recreation DeckQasalaMaraquan Ruins
Count as of 5:00 AM: 29,486,105.
Today may or may not be a milestone day, keep your eyes open.
As for story days, do we have a pattern yet? So far it’s been…
August 19th: Story
August 20th: No story
August 21st: Story
August 22nd: Story
August 23rd: Story
August 24th: No story
August 25th: Story
August 26th: Story
August 27th: No story
1 day of story and then a break. Or if you don’t wanna count that one because it’s a cutscene and not a comic, we got 3 days of comics and then a break, and then 2 days of comics and then a break. So will the 28th be a comic day and the 29th be a break? Or… maybe there are meatier foods for thought than wondering when the next comic will be. But it does seem like these chapters keep getting bigger and might even continue to get bigger. - As for yesterday’s cipher? A solution has been found. If it’s not THE solution, that’s one crazy coincidence because the message just happens to make sense this way.
OUR
GOURMANDIZER
UNIFIES ALL
What??? Sounds weird. But not entirely crazy. What’s a “gourmandizer?” Somebody who eats a lot. A consumer. Know who probably eats a lot? The tentacle creature. As seen in the trailer.
Is this tentacle creature the “gourmandizer” these notes refer to? And are we to be united in its innards? Not if we have anything to say about it.
But speculation continues. What are the odds this message can be deciphered TWO separate ways? - LATE BREAKING NEWS: No, we didn’t hit a milestone. But a mysterious appearance has… mysteriously appeared… in the Battledome. No, not the Barracks, the regular ol’ Battledome. In the Central Arena there’s a challenger by the name of “Void Wyrm.”
From the portrait you can probably already tell it’s a fairly exact palette swap of the Snowager. More on what that might mean later. But first, the tale of the tape.
Void Wyrm
95 HP on Easy, 133 HP on Advanced, 190 HP on Extreme
Weapons: Cursed Wand of Shadow, Fire Muffin, Honey Potion, Supersize Gargantuplex, Green Scorchstone, Dark Fire Potion, Fire-Spitting Energy Shield, A Voider.
Unique prizes you can win from this Wyrm are the Voidcicle T-shirt and the Void Dagger.
What’s a “Voidcicle” though? Probably something the Void Wyrm can blast, if it’s anything like the Snowager. But the description of the shirt reads “The void is a cold cold place, so heres this shirt!” So do Voidcicles form in the Void? Interesting to know.
And you know we gotta get into battle quotes. The Void Wyrm opens with…
Won’t forgive thissss…
Like the Prowler, the Void Wyrm talks a big game about betrayal. But the central theme to the Void Wyrm’s dialogue seems to be “Feelings of being small.”
Take thisssss!
Repent your insssssolenccce!
You dare to ssstrike ME?!
Ssssso ssssmall… Inssssignificant…
Sssstrike them down!
I’ll eat you alive!
You will pay!
Feel my Void Blasssssst!!!!!!
Can you ssssee how sssmall you are?
I’ll get you…
If you lose to the Wyrm, it’ll say…
At lassst… it can end…
But if you beat the Wyrm, it’ll say…
Can’t ssssimply walk away…
There’s a theory that these shades are the creation of the Painter. A reflection of their inner turmoil. And that would go a way towards explaining why the Void Wyrm looks so much like the Snowager. It’s an art piece directly inspired by the Snowager. The Painter is dealing with feelings of inadequacy and is expressing those feelings in the form of a big, Snowager-esque monster. The Void Wyrm is the Painter’s “insecurity monster.” A physical manifestation of the anxieties that burden the Painter. Someone who feels inadequate, abandoned, betrayed… someone who might be Nyx’s brother who was left behind for years and years.
Except… what about that serpent we saw in Seshatia’s book?
Is this not our Void Wyrm? If it is the Void Wyrm, then that probably means the Void Wyrm isn’t an original creation of the Painter. The only way it would be is if the Painter made these notes/owned this book. It’s not impossible, but if the Painter didn’t invent the Void Wyrm, that probably means the Painter didn’t invent any of these shades. So if the Painter didn’t create them, what are they? As for the Void Wyrm, KH2Riku_3 is intrigued by the “colossal Bython broodmother” theory. But if the Bythons are begat by these Wyrms, why are they and all the other shades so sad and betrayed and filled with negative emotion? If the Painter didn’t create them as a reflection of inner turmoil?
And why is this Void Wyrm appearing in the regular Battledome? It’s probably a mistake. Or who knows, maybe Neostaff leaked it on purpose to stoke the flames of speculation. But this is a lot like during the War for the Obelisk when the Petty Pilferer was leaked. Someone’s fiddlin’ around in preparation to launch a new battle step. It’ll work normally once the next battle actually starts, and you can fight this Wyrm from the Barracks like you’re supposed to.
26th August, 2024
- Do you like poring over cryptic clues and wondering what stuff means? Then you’re in luck. We got Page 6 of A Grey Matter today and among the questions raised, paramount might be “We got another comic today? What’s the schedule supposed to be?”
Seshatia explains that, in a book, notes have been found. Notes that specifically the Void and its energy. Notice how it looks a lot like Navigating the Void? That wouldn’t be the name of Seshatia’s book, would it?
It’s even got the bookmarks! Our heroes open the book. They’re captivated by what they find: A panel that changes when you hover over it!
For this, the Council has decided they need Nyx and Juni. They said nothing about Landelbrot. So what do these notes say about Nyx and Juni? From the looks of them, they’re written in code. So whatever they say is probably for us to figure out.
Comic Prize today is a copy of “What a Coincidence.” Yeah, it doesn’t look like “Prizes must match the comic” is much a rule. Not anymore, anyway.
Alright, we got a whole lotta speculatin’ to do. And revisiting old speculation. First, “Navigating the Void.” Let’s go back to the old theory: Did Magon write this book? The description reads This ancient tome was created by an inquisitive warlock who developed portals that allowed him to travel between worlds… Magon is an “inquisitive warlock” who develops/developed portals, right? That’s what we thought, but then Seshatia said that the book in question (if it even is “Navigating the Void”) is “ancient.” How old is Magon? He’s not ancient, is he? Second, she says she found the book “within our archives.” Faerieland’s archives? What did Jerdana mean by “we have the Library Faerie searching through her records?” Because Magon is from Brightvale. Would books from Brightvale be in Seshatia’s records?
These are questions that KH2Riku_3 would like to ask. Maybe he’s older than he seems? But even if he isn’t, just the book is ancient doesn’t mean the notes are. Wherever Seshatia found it, maybe Magon had it first, scribbled in it, then left it there. A la Snape’s copy of “Advanced Potion-Making.” But now we have to know. We have to know the title of this book, and who wrote the notes. The question has been raised.
Now let’s look at what’s inside the book…
Like with the posters, we’re gonna go over this eyecatcher by eyecatcher. Whoever wrote these notes seems to have hit all of the, well, notes, when it comes to the Void.
We see a rift, which doesn’t just address the existence of the Void, but the power to move to and from the Void through tears in spacetime.
We see crystals, and… are those tentacles? And a big eye? KH2Riku_3 thinks it could also be a big letter O.
If that is a big eye though, then that’s our tentacle monster. But what about the crystals? What are those? Well, the Void does have crystals. Remember how we thought Nyx might have been sent to the Void by Moltara Obsidian or Kreludan Mining to bring back its crystals?
But Riku has a countertheory: It’s Dacardite. From Dacardia. The theory goes, Nyx’s Void Dampener contained a Dacardite crystal. One that Juni had access to when he built the Dampener. And when the crystal absorbed Void Essence from Nyx’s body, it was armed with the power to open portals. Neostaffer Jewel, who is basically the head honcho of Tales of Dacardia, said she wanted to tie Tales of Dacardia into the plot somehow. Is this how she achieves it, maybe?
We’ve got this serpent, could this be the Snowager? What would he have to do with the Void? Is he, like Orion’s sheet music, impossibly ancient and therefore probably tied to whatever times are more relevant to the Void and Faerie Artificers and other mysteries we’ve yet to uncover? Maybe he’s some kind of god-beast or jotunn or something?
Know what it also might be? Something in the Bython family. NeoRyuuko points out that, though it only has one head and Bythons are famous for having two heads, Bythons are also known for their interstellar travel powers. The serpent depicted isn’t your typical Bython, sure, but it’s a serpent related to realms in deep space, just like the Bython. Maybe she’s that colossal Bython broodmother we imagined a while back?
It should prove eye-opening (pun intended) to get to read these notes closer. But some have already started. The biggest news story out of today’s comic? “Words” of some sort, if you can call them words. Written in some kind of code?
The leading speculation says that this is some kind of cipher-coded message. Since midnight people have been hard at work trying to solve it in this thread. First thing Spooflespork tried to do was run it through a Caesar cipher decoder, but that didn’t work.
So we’re gonna have to guess at it. Look at the words and see what, if anything, looks like it might be something else if you swap the letters around. For instance, if you saw the word JQJQQ. What might that word be, deciphered? Well, what we know about it is that it’s a 5-letter word where the 1st and 3rd letter are the same, and the 2nd, 4th, and 5th letter are the same. And because it’s a cipher on Neopets, your mind might go to BABAA as a solution. So you know that, in this particular cipher, J = B and Q = A. But how does this strategy apply to the message in the notes?
QOT
GQOTHXLEKVAT
OLKMKAN XSS
What do we see that looks familiar? “QOT” is a 3-letter word where all of the letters are different. And it’s at the start of the cipher. And it also appears inside that second “word” of the message. That 12-letter word. So what word might that be? What’s a 3-letter word where all of the letters are different, that often comes at the start of things, and can be found as a segment inside larger words?
Maybe “THE?” So if Q = T and O = H and T = E, what does that turn our coded message into?
THE
GTHEHXLEKVAE
HLKMKAN XSS
Anything starting to look like anything? How about that 12-letter word? If it’s got “THE” in it, what other letters might surround it? What might “THE” be part of? There’s exactly one letter before the “THE,” so it’s probably a vowel. What vowels are typically followed by “THE?” Well, it shouldn’t be “E.” We already used “E.” If it is “E,” if T and G can both equal E, then this isn’t a 1 to 1 cipher and it’s basically impossible to solve without just being given the key. But if it’s 1 to 1 and G does not equal E, we might be able to eyeball this thing.
How about “O?” As in “OTHER?” G = O and H = R in this case. Let’s plug it in…
THE
OTHERXLEKVAE
HLKMKAN XSS
Is this starting to make sense yet? What about that “XSS?” What’s a 3-letter word where the 2nd and 3rd letters are the same? “EGG?” Wait, no, we already used “E.” How about “GOO?” No, wait, we already used “O.” In fact, either X or S has to be a vowel and we’ve already used “E” and “O.” Know any 3-letter words that contain either “A, I,” or “U,” and the 2nd and 3rd letters are the same? And… notice how “S” only appears in the message at the end. There are no other Ss. There are exactly two Xs, so whatever “X” is is also fairly rare… doesn’t seem like it would be “A” then, does it? Too popular a vowel. But let’s try it anyway. What 3-letter words start with “A” and end with two letters that are the same? Two letters so rare that they wouldn’t appear in this message again? Uhhhh… “APP” maybe???
THE
OTHERALEKVAE
HLKMKAN APP
Hmmm… doesn’t seem right. But you see how this is so challenging?
And so this has got people either dreading or eager for the future. Because if we’re seeing this coded message, we might be getting a puzzle step where we have to decipher coded messages. And if you remember how challenging a code-themed puzzle can be, for those of you who remember Breaking The Code from Return of Dr. Sloth, and if you remember that Voidworks was notoriously unforgiving in that you could only complete it once, mercy does not appear to be on the menu. Maybe you want that, maybe you don’t. Someone’s gonna be dissatisfied either way. But that’s Neopia for you.
Maybe this is where the chapter gets its name. We’ll need to call on the “grey matter” within us if we want to prevail in this chapter. - This is why it’s so important to have a variety of activities in a plot. The Reserve Barracks offers simple, honest combat. Volunteer Centre? All you gotta do is be there on time and clock in. And then there’s Void Essence Collection. Where Electro178 does all the work for us.Lutari IslandGeraptikuRoo Island
Count as of 11:30 PM: 29,376,912.
With today’s points, you might wanna check out the Prize Shop today and see what you can afford. 13 new prizes have been added, all of them brand new items. For a whopping 118 total prizes to choose from.
Void Space Ray Gun (Toy)
Rainbow Bubble Bath Soap (Grooming)
Void Juni Bobblehead (Toy)
Void Melton (Spooky Petpet)
Void Blobagus (Robot Petpet)
Void Cirrus (Faerie Petpet)
Red Doglefox (Petpet)
Void Baby Fireball (Spooky Petpet)
Void Psimouse (Spooky Petpet)
Void Minitheus (Altadorian Petpets)
Swirling Void Background (Mystical Surroundings)
Comet Across the Sky Background (Mystical Surroundings)
Vaporwave Hacker Foreground (Ugga Shinies)
That Red Doglefox, that wouldn’t happen to be the one we have to pet, would it? So far buying it and attaching it to a ‘pet do nothing.
Seems out of place among the Void colored Petpets. Will it show some sort of significance soon? Maybe Nyx and her brother had a Doglefox at one point?
These mysteries are only ever solved via a group effort. If by some miracle you figure out that cipher or have any ideas or theories, please let Board 58 know. Maybe in the end there is no cipher and it’s just gibberish. There are no bad ideas.
25th August, 2024
- Someone new joins the Council! We finally see Seshatia in Page 5 of A Grey Matter. But hold on, something new has been added?
Nyx and Landelbrot shake hands. A new alliance has been forged. But speaking of alliances, Scintilly announces that they have a visitor.
In walks Seshatia. “Long time no see” she says. Suggesting that she and Landelbrot have history. Also? She walks with forearm crutches now. Something you might’ve already heard if you still get emails from Neopets. Apparently she also uses a wheelchair when she’s at the library and/or bookshop. Which raises the question: Is this a retcon? As in, are we saying retroactively that Seshatia always walked with mobility aids? Or did she recently lose full use of her legs? And if it’s the latter, how did it happen? Maybe on an adventure she and Landelbrot went on? What is their history?
But there’s all kinds of things in Neopia that can take the use of your legs. Especially as a faerie. Faerieland is a constant target of supervillainy. Xandra hit it, TDF hit it, and it looks like Vira’s faerie mistress is gonna hit it. Surviving a wraith attack may have come at the cost of her legs. Or maybe she just had a bad fall. Anything can happen. And have a look at those crutches, by the way. Carved from wood, as if they came from an enchanted forest. Maybe they’re magic? Maybe each one is some kind of magic wand.
Seshatia arrives because Fyora sent her. “Go get Nyx and Juni,” said Fyora. She requests their presence immediately. Now that’s intriguing. As we know, this chapter is about how Seshatia found a book “that may hold some answers.” So what it sounds like is, Seshatia told Fyora and the Council about her findings, and Fyora heard this and determined “We need Nyx and Juni for this.” Whatever is in that book, Nyx and Juni are needed for. And the chapter is called A Grey Matter, so does the book shed light on Permanent Grey Paint Brush artefacts like our Painter Yurble wields? And if so, how does it connect Nyx/Juni/the Void to it? We know they must be connected because Vira commands the shade armies and the shade armies are probably begat of the Void. Does this book provide the missing link? And give us reason to suspect Nyx and Juni might be the weapon we need to fight it? And speaking of fighting, this chapter is also about word traveling that more lands are being attacks. Maybe that’s what Nyx and Juni are needed for? To fight the shades in whatever the next battle is?
Comic Prize today is a cup of Grey Coffee. Instead of the glasses we got a few days ago.
So for us to get the coffee today instead of the glasses, does that mean prizes don’t necessarily have to match the comics? They definitely seemed to for a good while. NeoRyuuko has a countertheory. The order was supposed to go: Landelbrot Stamp on Page 2…
Transcombobulator on Page 3…
An undetermined prize on Page 4, and Library Faerie Seshatia’s Glasses today on Page 5.
But what ACTUALLY happened was, we got these prizes a day late. The script was thinking “The first comic prize goes on Page 1, right? First comic prize, first page?” So it tried to reward the Landelbrot Stamp on Page 1, but because it’s not actually a comic it didn’t go through. Then it went on to the next prize, the Transcombobulator. And around the time Seshatia’s Glasses were being rewarded, Neostaff saw the mistake and slotted in the Landelbrot Stamp so it would get rewarded.
This theory hinges on the next comic/story page involving Greyness or coffee or something. And with this chapter being called A Grey Matter, stuff about Greyness might just be in that book Seshatia found.
Speaking of Seshatia, you might wonder how she can raise her arm like that in the bottom panel if she uses forearm crutches. We sure did. Joyfulcabbage explains that forearm crutches actually tend to dangle from the forearm cuff on a hinge. Imagine that panel was to extend lower, you would see the crutch still pointed downward, but hanging there. Like these, except made from enchanted wood.
Not every faerie can use their legs, Water Faeries don’t even have legs. But it is an intriguing turn for sure to learn what happened to Seshatia’s. If we don’t get into the depth that characters like Luxinia and Seshatia are earning in this plot, hopefully we do someday soon. If this is mostly setup for their future adventures. - Meanwhile, out on the field, we’ve got shades to fight, warriors to tend to, and Essences to collect.MeridellGeraptikuVirtupets Space Station: Supply Deck
Count as of 3:45 PM: 28,836,041.
Nyx, Juni, Luxinia, Seshatia… Altador grows more packed by the second. But do not lose sight of our original heroes: Baelia and Tavi. When will they have something to do? Surely soon.
24th August, 2024
- No comic today! But betwixt the Barracks and the Hospital, the Battle for Brightvale rages on. As does Void Essence Collection.Neopian MarketplaceFaerie CityKrawk Island
Count as of 1:30 AM: 28,154,835.
The last time they fast tracked a bunch of pages was because they were focusing on a specific moment before they moved on to the next one. They fast tracked Luxinia’s probe so we could get to the part where they agree to help Nyx. Now it sounds like they fast tracked the Voidworks Arc so we could get to Seshatia’s plot debut. So maybe this chapter will only be 12 pages long, and that theory about every chapter being bigger than the last ain’t it. We’ll see in a couple short weeks. - SMALL UPDATE: You should have them done by now, but just in case you haven’t completed Orion’s Prophecies, the Cup will be ending soon. Today, Orion gives a final update for those who have not completed his side quests yet.
I have not had any new visions for some time now. I suppose I have been given all that was supposed to be. However, my plea for help is not over! If you have not already, please go back and check my last announcements in order to help find the locations of my other visions! I fear that once all those who have gathered for these battles of sport disperse, my visions will become fruitless–and any hope of discovering their meaning shall rot away… So uh, sorry I-I mean please help if you can. Time is of the essence! For those who have helped all that they can already, I thank thee and I should have already given my gratitude to you in person! If this is the case then please feel no pressure to help more. Yet, if possible, please urge any friends amongst the crowd to help out as well!
Maybe Seshatia will be interested to see what Orion has found? Stay tuned for tomorrow.
23rd August, 2024
- MORE downtime last night? What is Neostaff cooking? Surely something for the plot. Speaking of which, we got another comic! Really curious stuff. In Page 4 of A Grey Matter, Juni is finally up and about.
After their hug, Juni notices that Nyx’s hug felt different. Hm, she’s wearing this weird chest thing. What is it? Nyx explains that it’s basically a Void Dampener, like what Juni made. Landelbrot makes a point to give gratitude where gratitude is due. He stands on the shoulders of a very tall Faellie. Landelbrot’s thanks is rewarded with scorn. DISGUSTING. Juni HATES it! It’s ugly! To which one might argue, is it really any worse looking than the old Dampener? You could just as easily pull up images of the old Dampener and make the same critiques. Maybe Juni’s wearing rose-tinted sunglasses. But everyone has a good laugh about it.
Except Landelbrot.
Comic Prize today is a Dr. Landelbrot Stamp.
Speaking of Comic Prizes, the thinking yesterday was that getting Library Faerie Seshatias Glasses was a teaser that Library Faerie Seshatia would be making an appearance next. And she hasn’t. So why the glasses for that comic? Maybe it really was a mistake? Whenever she shows up, if we get a Comic Prize wildly unrelated to libraries and/or faeries, that probably tells us that prizes were switched at some point. But it all fits in the end. The chapter synopsis already tells us that this chapter is the Seshatia chapter. Maybe that’s why we’re getting the Library Faerie prize so early. - Brightvale remains under siege, so we still have need for warriors and medics. But with both Dampeners still built, what do Jerdana and Landelbrot still need Essence for? Maybe we’ll see soon, but they’ll still take it regardless.MaraquaDeserted FairgroundGeraptiku
Count as of 5:00 AM: 27,825,200.
Maybe they can make weapons out of it, give the rest of us a Battle Mode if Nyx doesn’t want one.
Might just be a coincidence, but the chapters keep getting bigger. Chapter 1 was 10 pages long, with one every other day. Chapter 2 was 11 pages long, with a double towards the end. Chapter 3 was 13 pages long, with a brief stretch of Luxinia probing Nyx’s mind every day. Is that why we’re suddenly getting comics every day now? Because each chapter is meant to be bigger than the last until we start getting at least one page every day? That sounds like a lot of pages, and it’s probably too early to call it a pattern for sure, but considering all of the stuff we know is coming and have to get to? We might need it.
22nd August, 2024
- Oh, what’s this? Another comic page so soon? But we aren’t in the middle of a Luxinia probe. Page 3 of A Grey Matter is here already, restoking speculation on how the pace is supposed to work.
Landelbrot, presumably stressed from having to move those Voidworks pipes around in under a minute, remarks on how close a call that last run was. “I thought I was going to have to zap you with my Nanometric Transcombobulator. Probably not a good idea.” The Transcombobulator is a “mystery item,” not even Landelbrot knows what it does. But apparently he at least knows it zaps people. With what? Who knows. He’s a mad scientist, it is not put to him to know. But why zap Nyx? Because she might turn into a shade for all anyone knows because the Void Essence is still a mystery to us?
Juni’s Dampener goes from red to pink, matching Nyx’s. Who, by the way, has… like, a Void Dampening Chest Armor + Belt now. So it looks like her Dampener is done too. Nyx is elated. And as commanding officer, Juni orders her to give him cuddles. Hooray! Our first real victory of the plot. Juni is saved. A mission 7 months in the making. And now that Juni has joined the fight, surely he wants to get back at that tentacle creature. Warn and defend Neopia from it.
So what’s to come next? We got Library Faerie Seshatias Glasses as the Comic Prize today. Yesterday we got the Transcombobulator, and today Landelbrot mentions the Transcombobulator. So is this meant to be a small teaser of sorts, saying “The next comic is gonna feature the Library Faerie?”
It’s entirely possible. But NeoRyuuko has considered another possibility: Is the pacing off? That we would get this prize that has nothing to do with the present comic? It’s funny we got a comic this early in the first place. We usually skip a day, so that might’ve thrown off pace. Maybe today’s prize is supposed to go with tomorrow’s comic, and we were supposed to get the Transcombobulator today? There’s no way to know for sure. Whether it’s a deliberate teaser or an accidental release of prizes a day early, in both cases you get prizes a day early.
Regardless, looks like the next comic will be tagging in the Library Faerie, who finally has a name. Seshatia! Sounds a little like “Shh, shut ya mouth, this is a library.” As for Voidworks, with both Dampeners complete it seems like this really is the end until Chapter 5. Cross your fingers that the “daily version” awards plot credit, if not plot points. Or if not plot credit, that the Act 2 “All Fearless Deeds” bonus isn’t too much to miss out on. - 45 days of combat! From battling alone you might have earned 9000 points. But you’ve probably done at least one hospital shift, and you’ve certainly collected at least one Essence. And if not? Why not start collecting today?Deserted FairgroundNeopian BazaarNeopia Central
Count as of 2:00 PM: 27,678,886.
Lotta Essence in Neopia Central this time around. We might be headed over there to defend it from shades if the poster pattern holds up. We’ll probably have spent about 2 months in Brightvale, about as long as Kass’s occupation of Meridell. Have we got eyes on Vira and/or the Painter, then? If there’s word of where they’re headed next? What does the Council think about that? Things to, potentially, be discussed as the chapter continues. Maybe even as soon as tomorrow.
21st August, 2024
- Site was down for a little bit overnight due to maintenance. Know who else was doing maintenance overnight? Dr. Landelbrot, per Page 2 of A Grey Matter. And? It’s got people a little concerned.
We find Nyx and Landelbrot discussing the Void itself. Excellent move. The world needs to know if it doesn’t already. Nyx says she was in there for a few days, or even a week! Lotta people out there who thought she wasn’t in there for more than a day. That she and Juni arrived, ran around, she took that nap, and then she woke up. But even if she was there for a whole week, the fact that there was no Brightvale when she left and now there is a Brightvale? That kinda solidifies it: The Void is a time warp. They may not get into a specific amount of years that have passes (they almost never do) but it seems very likely (probably when she goes to see her brother) that she’s gonna be like “Oh no, way more time than I thought would’ve passed has now passed!” Maybe it’ll happen sooner than that? Maybe Landelbrot is asking her this so he can pull a Dr. Evangelos Constantinou and say “I’m afraid it’s been several years…”
With a KANGG here, a CREEEK there, and a spirited pop of his foot, Dr. Landelbrot completes Juni’s Void Dampener! It’s a collar, because Void Dampener technology hasn’t advanced to the point that we can make it small enough to fit on Juni’s tiny wrists.
But that’s what’s got people concerned. Does this mean we really do only get one shot at Voidworks? It is now Day 2 and Voidworks still hasn’t become playable again. So is that it? We’re done? Neostaff has made a statement on Voidworks, in passing. Over on The Official Neopets Team Message Board they address an bug that’s been happening for some people with Void Essence Collection. Towards the end, they also address confusion over Voidworks.
What they say is that Voidworks will become a daily when the chapter ends. But we already knew that from the FAQ. Will it count for plot credit, or is it just like any other daily? We might be picking apart the meaning of words too finely here, but does “will become a daily” imply that, for the plot, we’re only supposed to do it once? As in “right now it’s not a daily, ergo you only do it once?”
There are a few arguments for why we might not yet be done. And some counterarguments. Some would argue “Just because it’s not happening in the comics doesn’t mean we don’t get to do it.” After all, the Battle for Brightvale is still going on despite not seeing it in the comics. Isn’t it over in the comics? But the counterargument to that is, we never actually saw it end in the comics. Just because Baelia and Tavi and Nyx and Juni and Vira and the Painter aren’t in Brightvale doesn’t mean the shades aren’t. It’s a big world, and plots happen on multiple fronts. The 2005 Lost Desert Plot was almost entirely on separate fronts. While Sakhmet was dealing with Jazan in their way, we were dealing with trying to put Sakhmet back where it came from. We were in the Scroll Repository while Sakhmet was in the Shadow Realm. Different things happen in different parts of the world. That explanation doesn’t work as well for Voidworks because, as it appears in in this comic, Juni’s Dampener is done. Is there a canonical reason why we would still be doing Voidworks? Maybe. Did Nyx get her upgraded version yet? If not, we’ve still got work to do. But if so, why hasn’t a new Voidworks been released yet? Do they have fixes to make, maybe? Well, Orion’s Prophecies weren’t every day. Maybe we have to wait for new puzzles to come up?
But let’s go over the pros and cons of bringing Voidworks back vs. ending it here. Aside from the fact that we still have Nyx’s Dampener to do. The main thing is, not everyone got to do that Fearless Deed. One chance to get it is brutal. There was nothing saying we would get to try again, but it would be really something if we didn’t. Has Neopets ever done anything like that before? Where you only get one chance ever to get some kind of achievement? On top of the fact that, unlike Meepit Juice Break, you had to plug every hole and the instructions didn’t tell you that? You had to wait for the FAQ to mention it which didn’t go up right away? Exceptionally unforgiving. But some are welcoming that kind of challenge. On the other hand, people argue “Well I had some glitches, I’m pretty sure.” People are reporting that they tried to play it on their phones/mobile devices, and the game wasn’t very well optimized for phones and/or mobile devices. People are saying “I tried refreshing the page and it still counted as a mistake for me.” And even if they’re mistaken about that, that sounds like one of those glitches that’s impossible to verify. So whose word do you take? Some say we could just change the Deed’s guidelines, like they did with From the Very Beginning. But what could they change it to that would have meaningful effect for those who, for whatever reason, couldn’t get it done at first? “Complete Voidworks on the first day?” And if they changed it to that, how much good would that actually do? Because maybe there are people who didn’t try Voidworks on the first day and might’ve had they known there was a Deed to do for it.
Maybe the best thing to do is to bring it back. Based on the payout, it really does seem like it was meant to be around a lot longer. 12-25 points? We’ve got 60,000+ points to rack up. On the other hand, though, some people have been lamenting these daily activities. Some people, it seems, would rather do a step once and then not have to worry about it anymore. Maybe those people would be happier to see Voidworks end. But with 60,000+ points to earn, surely a “Do it once and be done forever” step would pay more than 25 points? Battling shades has been paying out 200 points a day for the past… 44 days. So if you think of this phase of battling as a “step,” by tomorrow it’ll be 9000 potential points you could’ve earned. Are most of our points meant to come from these battles, and the hospital shifts? On the other hand, we’d be jumping the gun to presume how we’re supposed to get our 60,000+ points. Especially this far ahead.
We’ve been wrong before, jumping to conclusions early. Lies have been born out of paranoia. Remember when everyone thought we would be losing prizes in the Prize Shop? But on the other hand, this has been a plot for speculating/theorizing. All plots are, but this plot especially. So what should we do? Well, there’s only one thing you can do. That thing we’ve been doing all plot long: Be patient, and speculate on what’s to come.
Comic Prize today is a… Nanometric Transcombobulator? Looks like it’s made from extra Voidworks parts.
The Deed, it seems, is the main issue now. As opposed to fatigue from the grind people feel obligated to endure. But both come down to this: No one wants to miss anything. - And make sure YOU don’t miss your daily battles, shifts, and Void Essences.Meri Acres FarmNeopia CentralTop of the Mountain
Count as of 10:00 PM: 27,395,181.
If you haven’t been missing anything, you may have a new trophy as of today. People are starting to hit the 4th of the six trophy tiers: Vibrant Vindicator.
Colourful Campaigner, Pigment Protector, and now Vibrant Vindicator. In case you needed to know what this plot is “about,” what the central cause is, we’re fighting to restore color to the world. Now, if battling keeps going, along with Void Essence Collection? That’s 250 points a day every day, not even counting hospital shifts. With only 40,000 points left , people might start hitting the top rank by the end of the year! And then what? Well, if this is like the Cup and there’s no such thing as “full completion” or a set checklist of things you have to do, you’re free to keep up the fight or watch from the sidelines. If this plot is a metaphor for the hiatus taker, it makes sense that you can drop in and out like this. That you can start early and end early, or start late and end late.
But as we mentioned before, no one wants to miss anything. So for as long as there are things to see and prizes to win, people will want their shot at them. And so people will be hoping that, even if they have to wait for the next chapter, we can still Go with the Flow. - The Void Within is big enough to span the Neopets brand, as you know. There’s plot stuff happening outside of the plot itself. Today in the New Features we got a plot-themed update to Trudy’s Surprise.Trudy’s Surprise has a surprise for you! There has been an update to the prize pool that you won’t want to a-VOID! Play today and keep your streak up!
That Nyx Action Figure sure looks like a Key Quest Token from here, doesn’t it? You can just imagine the Key Quest board they’d make for this plot if Key Quest was still around. But that background should come in handy for any “Visitors to the Void” Customisations. Make sure to show everyone on Board 58!
20th August, 2024
- Potentially good news! Voidworks is playable again today! Except it appears to be glitched. You don’t get anything for completing it right now. Also? The puzzles are identical to yesterday. Maybe the puzzles are supposed to be different each day.
What is in working order though? Orion’s got his 4th and final Prophecy of the Cup for us.
Hello, I am back to show another distorted vision. It may be the visions getting to me, but I think we are close to the end! Or perhaps, I am getting close to all I can take… I do have to admit, the crowd has become less daunting the more I appear. However, I’m starting to feel very strange. Almost as if my very being is affected by the mere amount of individuals with a shared affinity all converging in one place together… It feels… almost harmonious. *Ahem* Apologies, back to what’s important. If you come across anything that may match this vision, please be sure to call me over to check it out! And as always, if you wish to assist with any of my past visions you can go back to my past announcements to help out!
Funny that he should say “harmonious,” considering we’re looking for sheet music. Surely we’re dealing with some cosmic, primordial harmony. A fundamental harmony that organizes the forces of nature, maybe? Alright, one last prophecy.
The bluish-green is a dead giveaway. Must be somewhere in Maraqua. Specifically, the Ruins. Everything is, well, ruined down here, so it’s harder to tell what the Mystery Pic was referencing this time. But it looks like it might be the path that runs next to that broken pillar in the middle of the map?
You get a Kelp Forest Trinket, and Orion gets the fourth piece of the sheet music.
Orion is feeling the hands of destiny guide his intuition. All of our intuitions, really. Much like the sheet music, when we come together you can hear a guiding song…
So now that it’s complete, what happens if you play it? Orion is way ahead of you there. Go back to the Altador Cup hub to get one last message from Orion. Until next time, that is.
So, the sheet music was calling out to us so that Orion could play it, forming the second music cylinder in our collection so far. The song compelled the notes, such that they came forcefully from Orion’s lungs! Truly meant to be. But the Tuffala probably didn’t have to play any music to get her cylinder.
And you get a few more prizes for your trouble, as well as an upgrade to your Orion’s Prophecies trophy!
We’re at Bronze now, suggesting we’ve got two more major world events before we reach gold. Winter Starlight is probably one of them. NeoRyuuko thought maybe they might do something big for Halloween, but the fall event is probably the Faerie Festival. Spend your points, by the way! And speaking of faeries, with the Lava Musical Cylinder and the Air Musical Cylinder, we’ve got two of the six elements that faeries often represent.
So are we headed to collecting six musical cylinders? Well, maybe not. Because we’re already on the Bronze Orion’s Prophecies trophy. After Silver and Gold, we might be done. So we might only be getting two more cylinders. And if we’re getting two more cylinders, they’ll probably be Earth and Water themed. Not so much “faerie themed” as “natural element” themed. The kinds of natural elements that might put the world together in ancient times. The kinds of natural elements that Dark Faeries might want to poison with Obsidian fumes. Remember that?
Sounds like the natural world is what’s being targeted here. The natural world is what we must protect. - You can also protect the forces of nature by defeating the shades that threaten it, or tending to the fallen so they can get back out there and fight more shades. Or you could collect Essence so we can develop counteragents to it.Virtupets Space Station: Supply DeckFaerie CityTop of the Mountain
Count as of 2:30 AM: 26,628,420.
Although, Landelbrot said we had enough Essence, didn’t he? What is he doing with the rest?
The day is early yet, we’re gonna keep an eye on Voidworks to see if it changes at all today. If not? Enjoy the rest of your day and rest up for tomorrow. - SMALL UPDATE: At around 9:00 AM today, Orisasda showed up to the lab to do some Voidworks. Only to find that the link now no longer leads anywhere. Neostaff took it down.
For fixes, perhaps? Or is it not even supposed to be up today? Maybe, like with Orion’s Prophecies, we have to wait a few days for the next puzzles to be released? As opposed to 3 new puzzles each day? We’ll keep you updated.
19th August, 2024
- The Plot Timeline gets a new notch, as we get a new chapter: A Grey Matter. What’ve we got in store from now until Draik Day?
A Grey Matter
Aug 19, 2024
Ooooooh, upgrades? Like with a “Battle Mode,” maybe? And the Library Faerie will be joining us later, turns out she found something in those old books that sheds some light on the Grey Curse, if you can still call it that. So do we still need Luxinia for that? Is she still the “key” if the Library Faerie found answers in a dusty tome? And what’s in this book, anyway? Probably something related to ancient faerie history. From some time around when Orion’s sheet music relics were being passed around. Maybe about a Faerie Artificer who once made a shade of Grey so powerful that it could not be washed off? Speaking of which, news will soon be coming from the front about another land being Greyed. Perhaps coming with a new shade opponent or two? In Act 2? Maybe Nyx will even join the fight with us. If she gets that Battle Mode.
Let’s get at it. Over at Headquarters you’ve got a cutscene awaiting. But hold on, why is the room so empty?
Maybe because this cutscene takes place in Dr. Landelbrot’s temporary lab and it’s a separate room?
At last, we have enough void essence! Wrench please!
Please Doctor. Please save Juni.
I believe we are closing in, but this void dampening process is highly complex… Wrench!
Bzzzt. Wrench incoming. Estimated arrival in 3 seconds.
Almost there… Not quite… Confound it!
Although it pains me to admit it, I may require a fresh pair of eyes to help me finish initialization.
Bzzzt. Technology is beyond our scope. Requesting assistance from outside operators…
Know any good lab techs? Because it’s finally time for Dr. Landelbrot’s Voidworks! Found in an all-new “Games” section of the plot hub.
But before we go any further, bear in mind the “Go with the Flow” Fearless Deed. Complete Dr. Landelbrot’s Voidworks with no mistakes. If you’re wondering if you get multiple tries at it, you do not. At least for today, once you complete this step, you’re done. You can’t even revisit the link, it’ll just take you back to Headquarters.
Dr. Landelbrot’s Voidworks
Dr. Landelbrot needs a hand with the final steps of the Void Dampener he has been developing for Juni. Help him adjust the Regulation Cables to form an unbroken circulative flow of Void Essence within the device. The current of volatile energy flowing within the device can’t be tampered with for too long, so be sure to keep an eye on the clock as you go! Correcting the flow of Void Essence through Regulation Cables should successfully initialize the Void Dampener and save Juni!
Best to familiarize yourself with the rules first, which you are greeted with as soon as you arrive.
Arrange pipes from the Void Channeler, connecting to the Power Nexus. Seem familiar? This is basically Sewage Surfer or Meepit Juice Break. But with one CRUCIAL CAVEAT THAT THE INSTRUCTIONS DON’T REALLY GET INTO: You can’t leave any open holes in the route you build. When they say unbroken, they mean absolutely unbroken. This right here might work for Meepit Juice Break…
But it will NOT for Voidworks. This is only clarified in the FAQ, which only recently went up.
And if “The current of volatile energy flowing within the device can’t be tampered with for too long” didn’t spell it out for you, this is a timed activity. You have 60 seconds to solve each puzzle. Run out of time, and that counts as a mistake. So you wanna go into this knowing exactly what you’re doing. Fortunately, we’ve got solutions for you. There are three levels so far.
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
But let’s say you do make a mistake. Let’s say you run out of time while you’re checking the solution in another tab. You might, MIGHT, be able to refresh the page and try again. It worked for PaperJeans, as she explains in this thread. However, in that same thread, DiamondJirachi says he also refreshed the page to try again and he still didn’t get the Deed. It’s different between people. Maybe it’s a glitch, maybe people are just forgetting that they made a mistake, 60 seconds passes fast. The big question is, will we get to do this again tomorrow? Or the next story day, or whatever? Or is this our one shot at completing this step? The FAQ says that the game will be available as a daily once this chapter ends, but it doesn’t say anything about dailies having any effect on plot progress. Kinda sounds like it won’t, as they differentiate the “plot version” of Voidworks from “this game as a daily.”
Also varying between people? The amount of points you get for this step. Some people are getting as low as 12 points, while others are getting as high as 15. It’s not clear why yet, some theorize it’s about completing it in a certain amount of seconds. Or… it might just be that some people don’t realize that they’re getting penalized for making mistakes?
If you’re lucky enough to not run into any of this confusion and complete all levels without mistakes, the Deed is yours. 10 extra points.
Doesn’t seem like much, but ask yourself how good the Act 2 bonus for completing all of the Deeds will be? And how bad it’ll be to miss out on that bonus for want of this? But there’s one last thing to consider: We gotta hit 60,000+ points somehow. And nothing else so far that only pays 10-15 points was only completable once. So from here, the odds that you’ll get another chance tomorrow or the next day look good.
But can you take doing this every day? Is this what they meant by “You’ll have all chapter to complete whatever steps they release?” That a certain point-earning opportunity will be open for a set amount of time, and while there’s no rule that says you HAVE to fight shades every day or do Voidworks every day, once they take it down you can’t do it anymore? The goal is to earn points, but there’s no obligation which point-earning opportunity you opt for? In that sense, there’s no such thing as “full completion.” There’s no goal but to earn as many points as you can for as long as you can. Like the Altador Cup, except for over a year. But if you know anything about the Cup, people won’t take “You don’t have to do it every day” for an answer. - You could also skip battling, hospital shifts, and Void Essence Collection today too. If you’re really that tired.Lost DesertNeoviaNeopian Plaza
Count as of 4:30 PM: 26,459,697.
The real prize, of course, is the story. And maybe the trophy but mostly the story. Once you get that WoDF you can call yourself a winner and just enjoy the show. What you really want is to know what’s going on with Kass, who the faerie is, who the Painter is, if the Painter can be redeemed, if Vira can be redeemed, where Nyx is coming from, what Orion’s sheet music means, what that tentacle creature wants…
You might also wanna know what the next land to be attacked is. Well, recall the order of release of our creepy, kooky posters.
If you believe that lands are being attacked in the order of these posters’ release, then Neopia Central is next. And if Neopia Central is next, that kinda confirms it. And who else is supposed to be in Neopia Central? Nyx’s brother. Might be Chapter 5 when it happens, but Chapter 4 is setting us up for a showdown. Nyx might have to wait until she and Juni are all patched up before going to see her brother. And how, at all, does Nyx reading a book in Brightvale factor into proceedings? Yes, the urge for questions answered is surely greater than that of plot points.
18th August, 2024
- And there you have it, sports fans. End of chapter warning! Go to Headquarters and, similar to Chapter 2, you get a simple announcement that it’s time to await the start of Chapter 4.
As we know by now, that “There is nothing more for you to do now” stuff is a misnomer, if we’re supposed to be earning points. There’s battling, there’s hospital shifts, and there’s Void Essence Collection.ShenkuuGeraptikuMaraquan Ruins
Count as of 2:30 AM: 25,754,365.
Forecasts for Chapter 4: If Voidworks is coming in Chapter 4, we have the whole chapter to complete it. And if Voidworks must be completed before Juni is well, Juni probably isn’t gonna be up and at ’em until Chapter 5. If so, Chapter 5 will probably not focus on him. He’ll be getting his rest. But Nyx said she’d be going to see her brother after she got Juni the help he needed. Do these plans change now that she’s needed as our lead on the Void? Plans changed for Baelia and Tavi. Their mission of un-Greying Meridell also hinges on Nyx now. So maybe Nyx instead chips in on the anti-Void effort next?
But y’know, we’re so anxious for her to start talking about what she’s seen. What good will it do, though? Remember, Fyora has already seen what Nyx has seen. Along with Orion and Reina. Nyx likely doesn’t know anything Fyora doesn’t know. And yet, she is our best shot. Maybe we’re just so eager to get the backstory, learn what time she’s from, that we didn’t really consider that Nyx can only offer so much. Maybe instead of shooting for the tentacle creature, we start small. Start with Vira and the Painter. Maybe Chapter 4 starts with the hunt for those two. - Before the next chapter starts and they update the Plot Timeline again, NeoRyuuko has been thinking about the latest update. The one about Luxinia probing Nyx’s brain. Look at the wording. “With Luxinia’s unique ability to access memories tied to strong emotions, she may be the key to unravelling more of the mystery surrounding this Grey Curse…” The way NeoRyuuko sees it, this clearly says that Luxinia is who we’re banking on, not Nyx. At least when it comes to curing this Grey Curse. Through her powers of memory searching.
But how? Well, we know that the Grey Curse is caused by the Yurble Painter and their special Paint Brush. If the Council doesn’t know that, maybe Luxinia does a probe on something thay was turned Grey and the Council learns that the Grey Yurble seen in Brightvale is the one behind it? If “I can read memories tied to objects” means “psychometry.” NeoRyuuko will even go a step further: Looking into the memories of people and things hit by the Paint Brush, this may even lead to the answer to how to un-Grey them.
Maybe Luxinia is our Grey Curse rep and Nyx is our Void rep. Until Juni wakes up. Ahhh, but where does that leave Baelia and Tavi? Do they just kick it in Altador for a while until needed? Let Baelia not be forgotten, this is her plot after all.
17th August, 2024
- The chapter winds down, but the work never stops. You’ve got the Reserve Barracks, the Volunteer Centre, and of course, from now until the rift closes, Void Essence Collection.Faerie CityMeri Acres FarmMeridell Castle
Count as of 12:30 PM: 25,507,367.
We’ve also got something spotted by Bori_Bomber that might be plot related. Over at the Battledome, not the Barracks, but the Battledome, the Records page was taken down late last night.
They “think” within today? Was it an accident? Whether on purpose or not, why was anyone poking around the Records page? Well, with a plot going on, whatever’s on the content schedule probably has something to do with the plot. Maybe some small fix to how plot challengers appear in our fight records? Or… does it have something to do with moving into the next chapter? And Act 2?
Maybe… just maybe… the Battle for Brightvale is about to end. Or kick off Battle for Brightvale III? - LATE NIGHT UPDATE: Speaking of things coming soon, Board 58 took notice of a new item released late today: The Weak Bottled Grey Faerie.
How do you get one? Boseybop explains in this thread that he got it by mixing a Fading Bottled Light Faerie, Fading Bottled Fire Faerie, and Fading Bottled Water Faerie at the Cooking Pot. Seems like you get the Weak Bottled Grey Faerie by mixing three random Fading Bottled Faeries. Problem with that is, that could get you any other Weak Bottled Faerie. It’s random what you get. But if you do get one? Well, it doesn’t do anything yet. You’ll find that, in the dropdown menu, it has no function. Unless you’ve got a ‘pet that’ll eat it for you.
But its functionlessness is evidenced by the description: “Balthazar has placed a Tier 1 protection spell on this bottle. Release the faerie and your Neopet will receive a humble grey blessing. TBC.” That “TBC” probably means something to the effect of “This item isn’t ready yet.” But eventually it will do something. Why is this important? Because if a Grey Faerie spell bottle can bless you, that imples that Greyness is not “powerlessness.” It has to have some kind of power if it’s able to bless you. Which must mean that Baelia isn’t powerless either. It’s just we don’t understand her powers yet.
Will we get to see them in this plot? Sounds like Baelia may not need a new name to flex on these other faeries.
16th August, 2024
- Nyx and Juni, the “Voidnauts,” have been admitted into the care of Jerdana and Landelbrot. In Page 13 of With a Light Heart we finally get to work. To Void work.
Meter in hand, Dr. Landelbrot runs some kind of test on the Void Dampener. There’s some Essence in a canister, so the Void Essence Collection hasn’t been an entire waste. Nyx, predictably, is more concerned with her commanding officer Juni. He sits in some sort of iron… lung? It’s a tank of some sort, looks like Landelbrot made it. Jerdana mixes her casting with his technology, truly state of the art works here. Scintilly watches curiously. Does this scene give us a look at how Voidworks might… work? Will we have to balance Jerdana’s spell or something? Or, from the looks of the icon, it might be more about using Landelbrot’s meter, and running the little pen thing along a maze of circuitry and/or wiring.
The Voidworks step hasn’t started, so don’t expect Jerdana and Landelbrot to be done before the chapter ends. In fact, this might be the last comic of the chapter. Maybe tomorrow is quiet, then on the 18th we get the end of chapter warning, and then on the 19th the next chapter starts. And we can finally start working on saving Juni. But if Nyx goes to Brightvale in Chapter 4, it sounds like we don’t really need her around for Voidworks? Maybe Landelbrot rips a copy of the Dampener, and Voidworks is where we figure out the connections necessary to make it work?
Dr. Landelbrots Temporary Lab Background will probably fit a lot of Customisations once Voidworks starts.
But check out what NeoRyuuko noticed about this background. For some reason, Scintilly is purple in it. Purple as the Void.
Just a trick of the light/shading/coloring? You’ll also notice that her clipboard is blue, and the pages have lavender edges. Or… does the Void end up infecting Scintilly at some point? Boy, Skarl and Kelpbeard are gonna tell ’em so if that’s what happens. Be careful when pitching in at the lab. - Or maybe you’re more suited to the battlefield? Or the hospital room?
Or maybe you’re into treasure hunting. Your Essences for the day…Moltara CityHappy ValleyNeopia Central
Count as of 4:45 PM: 25,128,912.
That’s two days in a row we had to pick up Essence in Moltara. Must not’ve gotten it all yesterday.
With the chapter ending, we look forward to Voidworks. We look forward to Nyx reading books in Brightvale. But don’t forget, we also look forward to Nyx’s trip to see her brother in Neopia Central. That’s what she said was next after getting help for Juni. Will she be leaving right away? And if so, when does a trip to Brightvale factor in? Maybe something her brother says to her compels her to go back to Brightvale? Chapter 4 might be the “Nyx’s Brother Arc. - SMALL UPDATE: Oh, by the way, the Plot Timeline was updated today. To retroactively establish that Luxinia probed Nyx’s mind.
Luxinia is Called in to Investigate
Aug 07, 2024
A little late, but it confirms that Nyx is who we’re banking on. Which means she better start showing and telling. Vira, the Painter, the tentacle creature, the time has come to start talking about what we’re gonna do about that. Unless this is a situation that calls for Juni’s expertise?
15th August, 2024
- It’s one of those “Bye Days,” but not in the Cup. It’s a Bye Day for The Void Within. No story. But still the usual battles, hospital shifts, and Essences.Moltara CityIce CavesBrightvale
Count as of 3:00 AM: 24,363,924.
Goodness gracious, where are they keeping it all? And what use is it at this point? Both question that are probably to be answered by Voidworks.
14th August, 2024
- We got a cutscene today, courtesy of Fyora’s bouncing exclamation point. Go to Headquarters and let’s hear Luxinia’s testimony.
What? What do you see?!
They have been through so much…trapped in a dark strange place…how terrible. S..sorry I mean, I found no deception in what she has said and can sense her intentions are true.
Very well then, I move for us to bring in this pair and allow Dr. Lanelbrot and Jerdana to treat them.
Hold on now; this doesn’t prove that their ailment is entirely safe, though! It could still spread or mutate, or who knows what!
I understand your concern, but since they seem to hold no ill will towards us and are the only ones with experience with how this ailment works I think it would be best to move forward with this plan.
And just look at them Skarl! They need our help!
Agreed. Furthermore, their ailment and experience with the void could hold invaluable information about what is happening.
Well said! They are the best connection we have to the Void.
I still think the dangers outweigh the-
AHEM. I would think you of all of those in this room would understand their predicament. Wasn’t it just you whom others did not want to allow to stay due to your own current…gloomy condition?
*grumbles* Very well, if the rest of the council concedes then so do I.
I shall start working on a solution immediately. I will need you to tell me exactly how you were able to make the device on your arm though.
It wasn’t me. Like I said before, Juni here made it…I was passed out at the time so I have zero clue how he did so.
You mean that Faelie you are holding built the device that stopped an aliment no one here has ever seen before???
I…I know how it sounds but he’s no ordinary petpet…he was technically ranked above me at Virtupets Delivery Co.
I have many questions! But most of them must wait, come we must start looking into how the device works at once!
Oooooh… they really piled on Skarl, didn’t they? And with our own experience in trying to speculate and predict things in this plot, he’s kinda got a point, doesn’t he? It definitely seems like Nyx and Juni are harmless, they traveled with Baelia and Tavi all the way to Altador and nothing happened. But anything COULD happen. Nothing is known for sure, especially after 24 million Essences and no progress. But to that point, Skarl’s restraint was outvoted by that very lack of progress. By not having any other ideas and needing to do something to solve this instead of sitting on their hands. That, and compassion for a needy Faellie. After all, what is a leader’s first debt, but to the people? And maybe Skarl might say “They don’t look Meri to me,” but if it’s any consolation, Kelpbeard is probably still on his side. The two of them remain kings of controversy.
And how about Juni outranking Nyx? Is he her supervisor, perhaps? Maybe we’ll see him take charge around here when he’s feeling better. As the Council has decided, he and Nyx are their best bet on figuring out what to do about the Void so his cooperation is gravely needed. Because Nyx still seems to wanna keep to herself. And speaking of keeping to herself, is Luxinia gonna mention the tentacle creature? Because someone really needs to know about it. Nyx can’t hold her tongue forever. Not if the Council has anything to say about it. - Battles and hospital shifts may or may not be changing soon with Nyx’s return to Brightvale coming soon. But Void Essence Collection is projected to remain the same for the forseeable future.FaerielandTyrannian JungleKrawk Island
Count as of 11:30 AM: 24,120,284.
The next thing on the agenda is figuring out the Void Dampener so that Juni can be well again. But if, IF Nyx goes to Brightvale in Chapter 4, how does the end of Chapter 3 lead into that? If she’s headed to Brightvale to look into Orion’s sheet music, maybe the last couple story beats we get will involve Orion barging in with the pieces he’s found? Hmmmm… maybe not. Because we only have 3, and it looks like there’s going to be at least 4. Unless Orion has another Prophecy soon, it looks like he’s gonna still be busy when Chapter 4 starts. Sounds like he’s not even gonna notify the Council until he’s done having visions/finding pieces of sheet music. Which probably means she’s not in Brightvale researching the sheet music. But if not that, what?
13th August, 2024
- No story today! Luxinia’s visions must be over. But, as usual, there are battles, shifts, and Void Essences to collect.Kiko LakeSakhmetMoltara Caves
Count as of 2:00 PM: 23,702,821.
We also have a new Orion Prophecy! So we were a day shy of our prediction.
W-welcome back! I am here once more to ask you all… S-sorry, I was trying to remain chipper and fun as Sigmir and Sweet recommended, but I am simply too drained from the visions. I don’t want to scare off any potential help. So, I am doing my best to remain optimistic but I must admit this one seems very difficult compared to the rest! O-on happier news, though. There has been some real headway from my last two visions! I don’t want to cause any preconceived notions to get in the way, so I won’t share too many details. However, if you want to help with those please feel free to go check out my last two announcements to see if you can glean anything from them as well!
Remember, we’re looking for places where something ancient might be. We see an image that’s mostly light blue with flecks of orange or brown. Could it be the sky?
Actually, it’s ice. Specifically the Ice Crystal Shop. Like with Tyrannian Furniture, our sample comes from the left side of the shopkeeper image.
We should point out that you get a Frozen Pendant for your trouble, we haven’t been talking much about the actual prizes you get. But that’s because the real prize is the next piece of this ancient sheet music. This one was found in a nearby chasm. By Orion’s estimate due to how deep into the ice it was, it must’ve been there since the cave itself formed.
This is definitely sheet music. Look, this one even has a G clef!
Let’s zoom in for a closer look…
Relics from the earliest days of Neopia. What else might’ve been going on at the time this sheet music was being passed around? Maybe Faerieland was first being built? Maybe Altador was first being built? We’re not just trying to put together a picture of what this sheet music looks like, but a picture of what the world looked like in its day. Because the music is a reflection of that. Just like the faerie artefacts of old that Fyora wants locked away, this sheet music is a product of its time. A time, perhaps, when Faerie Artificers were in office. What if this music is so old, it predates the forming of Neopia as we know it? What if the music itself is what formed Neopia? Sort of a “Music of the Ainur” situation?
If we’re going back to the old release schedule, we’ve got about 6 days left in the chapter. Maybe 2-3 more comics and an end of chapter warning? With that picture of Nyx in Brightvale considered, heading into Chapter 4 we might be going back to Brightvale. Hopefully a Brightvale with its shade situation under control. But if not? Nyx has powerful Void blasts to defend herself. In fact, Nyx isn’t much of an adventurer or researcher, she’s probably the one doing the research because she’s one of the few who can protect herself in Brightvale.
But what is she researching there? Maybe the sheet music Orion is digging up? He seems ahead of the curve on most of this. Luxinia is only just catching up to what he saw last year.
12th August, 2024
- Luxinia’s just about at the end of Orion’s visions! Page 11 of With a Light Heart features the moment that tugged on many a heartstring at the Advent Calendar.
Remember how this moment sparked so much discussion? How Nyx’s use of “somehow” got us thinking “Okay, so the Faellie isn’t normally supposed to be able to make wrist devices, right?” Only to learn that Nyx shouldn’t have been surprised and Juni is supposedly crazy smart. We thought Nyx must be from Brightvale because she looked at it and called it “home.” Only to learn that she’s never even heard of Brightvale. More than a few theories have been challenged since last year. And yes, lots of strong feelings about Juni were felt. Thought he was dead. But here he is in Altador finally about to receive medical treatment.
The day we originally saw this vision, we got the Somewhere in the Universe Background. Today we get the Blackhole Background. It’s like poetry.
We see Luxinia’s eye in this one, which suggests this is the end. Unless she wants to go deeper, look at the time she spent with Baelia and Tavi over the past couple days, this is probably where Luxinia’s probe ends. And where the things we looked forward to during the original teasers now begin. Now we finally save Juni. Now we finally address the matter of the Void. The Void… Within… - Brightvale Day content is here! But this doesn’t change much as far as battles, shifts, and Void Essence Collection.Haunted WoodsDeserted FairgroundNeopian Plaza
Count as of 11:00 PM: 23,371,376.
Oh, here’s a change that might actually be pretty significant. And controversial. You may have heard about these Fortune Cookies you can buy that affect your plot earnings? Well, the first one was released today. The Plot Points Fortune Cookie. It’ll double, or in some cases triple the plot points you earn from plot activities for a whole week.
The FAQ says that, while it does double your points, the point caps remain in place. If you’re battling, for instance, and you’ve got a cookie in effect, you might get 100 or even 150 points for defeating 5 shades. Asopposed to just 50. But you still stop earning points that day after 200.
Doesn’t sound too big an effect, until you think about things like the hospital shifts. They also have a cap of 200 per day, but it’s impossible for anyone to reach right now. That is, unless they have one of these cookies. As mentioned earlier, if this plot had a leaderboard, the top spots are won and lost in the Volunteer Centre. These cookies will let you do the impossible right now. At least until more shifts open up.
If nothing else, it’s a reason for some to not stress so much about minmaxing the most possible hospital shift points. At least until it becomes possible for us to hit that 200 point cap. Because right now it’s impossible. But maybe they’re releasing this cookie because it’s about to be possible? Very soon? Is Act 2 about to start? - Something seems like it’s about to change soon. NeoRyuuko was on the Neopets Facebook page when she found something we haven’t seen in a while, nor had much cause to look for because the plot is actually happening now: A plot teaser?
Here’s the real present for Brightvale Day. We see Nyx sat at a table somewhere in what is likely Brightvale, captivated by one of Brightvale’s books. When does this happen?
You might be inclined to believe this is a younger Nyx. She looks kinda young here. But Nyx has never heard of Brightvale, so how can this be her? You might then say “Because she’s an Aisha out of time, remember? The leading theory is that she traveled to the future by way of the Void. This younger Nyx is her variant from this timeline. She’s from another timeline. This younger Nyx is the Nyx that didn’t travel into the future, and at some point the two Nyxs will meet.” But the caption for this Facebook post implies that Nyx didn’t so much “time travel” as she did disappear into a time warp. A difference we distinguished on July 15th. It reads “Nyx missed some things while they were in the Void, so help us out!” As in, she was in the Void, time passed in Neopia faster than she knew, and now she’s back and catching up on what she missed. Just like the metaphor of a Neopets.com player coming back from a hiatus would line up with.
So there’s probably only one Nyx. Our Nyx. Why would she be in Brightvale when it’s currently under siege? This must take place after the Battle for Brightvale ends, right? Once Brightvale is open for such peaceful activities as a leisurely read in the library? Which suggests the battling in Brightvale is about to end soon. And we’ll get to see why Nyx would be reading books in Brightvale. Maybe just because Brightvale is new and interesting to her? Or maybe because, as a new ally in the fight against the Void menace, she’s on a mission to research solutions?
Whatever she’s there for, it looks like things in Brightvale are about to wrap up soon. Any grind that lasts a month is gonna take its toll, so look forward to peace when it gets here. Especially with the Cup going on too? People will be wanting to rest.
11th August, 2024
- Luxinia isn’t done probing Nyx’s mind! Page 10 of With a Light Heart has more to show her. And by extension, the Council. But not you.
This is all stuff you’ve seen before. On Day 26, Day 27, and Day 28 of the Advent Calendar. A “filler episode” most would call this. Might explain why we’re getting these so fast, that way we aren’t spending any more time on this than if we got no comics and went back to the old release schedule.
But remember the phone we saw on Page 8? Are we seeing these things so that we can make the connection that the Void Dampener was MacGyver’d from the phone?
Those look… not exactly the same, but kinda similar?
And Luxinia has now seen the tentacle creature! Now the Council can know for sure about it and hopefully take action! Like Orion surely would when he saw the tentacle creature! And if things continue, they’ll see that Nyx was the one who opened the rift in the sky. Oh, but… considering how people like Kelpbeard and Skarl reacted… will this only serve to further stoke hostilities? She opened the rift, and the rift is to blame for things like the Grey Curse and the Battle for Brightvale.
Except… not actually. They’re related, they gotta be related somehow, but the Grey Curse started well before Nyx opened the rift. And that’s something the Council should bear in mind before they jump to conclusions. And if they don’t know yet, maybe Baelia and/or Tavi should mention that they saw the real culprits: Vira and the Painter. And with that clarification made, the Council can hopefully move forward in this case. Because that’s one thing we still don’t know: How is the Void related to what Vira and the Painter and their faerie mistress are doing?
Comic Prize of the now is Nyxs Snowglobe. Looks like it might go in a set with the Void Rift Snowglobe.
Only thing left is the part where Nyx opens the rift, sees Brightvale, and decides to intervene. We’ll probably get that tomorrow. That’ll be 11 pages to the chapter, but we actually still have about a week left. - It’s Brightvale Day! Well, but it’s Sunday, so… not much different today. Reserve Barracks, Volunteer Centre, and Void Essence Collection all look par for the course.Darigan CitadelGeraptikuTyrannian Jungle
Count as of 2:45 AM: 22,515,454.
But at the Altador Cup it’s a Bye Day. After which there’s usually a recap of the Cup up to this point. Last time that happened, the NEXT day we got an Orion Prophecy. So maybe look forward to that coming up? Maybe even tomorrow? August 2nd, August 7th, and August 12th. That would be 5 days between each Prophecy. That can be our Brightvale Day present. Maybe we’ll even get a comic that day where Hagan says something about the visions Luxinia saw?
But let’s hope Luxinia spares no details. For some reason Nyx didn’t think it very important or interesting to tell anyone about her space adventures. Maybe she just thinks tentacle creatures in weird pocket dimensions are normal in space. But the Council needs to know, more than Nyx seems to realize.
10th August, 2024
- It would appear Luxinia’s visions have arrived where Orion’s visions began. Page 9 of With a Light Heart shows us what happened moments before Nyx and Juni arrived “Somewhere in the Universe.”
Critical power failure! Nyx’s ship appears to already be flying through a warp when they experience an emergency. Also, is that an infinity symbol they’re flying through? Nyx and Juni try their best to keep this ship sailing, but you know how this ends. Both of them already in their suits, like they knew they couldn’t save the ship and had to brace for being thrust into deep space. The Void… of deep space.
But with how these memories jump around, NeoRyuuko asks an interesting question: When is this part taking place? Did Nyx and Juni have this accident on their first day? Or are we jumping ahead years into the future? Because if it’s the latter, maybe Nyx and Juni didn’t disappear into a time warp. Maybe they just don’t know what’s going on in Neopia because they spent most of their time in space? Maybe that’s just what happens when you’re a delivery pilot. You lose track of what happens back home. But NeoRyuuko also points this out: This “The Void is a time warp” theory specifies that Nyx and Juni were in Neopia shortly before Meridell and Brightvale were discovered, then they went into space, then they disappeared into the Void, then they came back in our more recent times. If Kass went to the Void, the period he was gone could line up pretty closely with how long Nyx and Juni were gone.
Just to clarify, time in-universe doesn’t necessarily match up with real time. In real time, it’s been about 20 years since Battle for Meridell, but Lisha doesn’t appear to be 20 years older. So instead of saying “20 years have passed since then,” we’ll instead say “1 era of tenuous, frosty detente between Meridell/Darigan has passed since then.” If Nyx, Juni and Kass all went to the Void, and if both Nyx and Kass have been gone for roughly 1 era of tenuous, frosty detente between Meridell/Darigan, that suggests that the Void does have a time warping effect and it’s specifically the reason Nyx and Juni have missed so much in the world. But you know what this also might mean? Time probably warped for Kass too. However long “1 era of tenuous, frosty detente between Meridell/Darigan” is, Kass didn’t feel it pass. When next we see him, he too will probably be surprised at everything that’s changed.
Today’s Comic Prize is a copy of “What to do in the Case of an Emergency.” Maybe this should’ve been a Booktastic Book?
This might be the end of Luxinia’s visions, as we’ve seen what happens after this. So what did we learn? Nyx is a delivery pilot, as speculated. Juni has been smart all along, which we did not speculate. A complete surprise. We didn’t get to see her brother, or learn what time she comes from, but trust that the time for that will come. Instead look forward to the fact that the Council now knows for sure what Nyx has been through, specifically that she’s been to the Void. And if she’ll speak up, we can finally start making moves against it. And speaking of speaking up & making moves, the Council knows about Vira and the Painter, right? If they’re aware of the Reports from the Front, they should be, but maybe that’s just for us the players. If it is just for us the players, know who else needs to speak up? Baelia and Tavi. Then we can all be on the same page, knowing about Grey Painters and tentacle creatures. - Battle for Brightvale II rages on. As usual, stop by the Reserve Barracks, the Volunteer Centre, and Void Essence Collection spots.Faerie CityNeopia CentralShenkuu
Count as of 11:00 AM: 22,238,592.
We will again say, there is no reason at all to believe anything will happen in Brightvale for Brightvale Day. But the hunch is strong. It’s tomorrow. And we might be done with Luxinia’s visions tomorrow too. There’s a HUNCH that it’ll be an important day for plotly accomplishments. Or, if the visions are ending maybe there’ll be no story tomorrow. Maybe we have to wait for Monday to for Brightvale Day to be recognized. If displaced Brightvalians have nothing else to celebrate, let them at least celebrate Brightvale’s impressive performance in the Cup. 9 matches so far and they’re still leading the whole pack. Maybe we should send Team Brightvale to fight the shades? - In addition to Baelia’s story and Nyx’s story and Juni’s story, something of a side arc is developing with Luxinia’s story. With this whole “faeries can sometimes develop their own unique powers that set them apart from other faeries of their type.” Not a lot of faeries can read minds, but Luxinia can. Is this just a thing for Luxinia for now?
ClouFamily doesn’t think so. He was talking on Board 58 today about how he’s pretty sure the words there have been instances of faeries developing their own personal powers outside of their element were chosen carefully. Meant for us to remember in the near future. Especially because, as mentioned in the Editorial for Neopian Times #979, Baelia was supposedly a Light Faerie before she lost her wings and powers. Just like Luxinia. Maybe this is meant to keep in our minds the idea of Light Faeries with special powers beyond the basic Light Faerie powers? And we’ll see that, before she turned Grey, Baelia was that kind of special? Maybe that’s why Jennumara targeted her?
We’ve been so anxious about Nyx’s backstory that we might be losing sight of the real prize: Baelia’s backstory. Long overdue for a resolution. But then, can there be hype without tension? Can there be hype without making us wait for the resolution?
9th August, 2024
- They just keep comin’! Page 8 of With a Light Heart basically confirms we’re getting story every day now. At least until Luxinia’s visions are done. Very much like Orion’s visions during Winter Starlight.
We’re in space now, yesterday we were clearly in a place with grass. Had to be Neopia, if not Neopia Central. So these visions appear to be making big jumps. As opposed to one continuous moment like Orion’s lyre vision. Speaking of which, with today’s comic we have the context we need to understand yesterday’s comic. As AliOldman points out, that’s not a young Nyx playing in the yard, that’s Nyx leaving home. Her hand is raised because she’s waving goodbye. And the hand in the window, this mystery person (Nyx’s brother?) is also waving goodbye.
Where’s she headed? To space. In the first panel of today’s comic we see Nyx looking through another window, looks like she’s on a shuttle. Looking out at the moon, the space station, and the stelliferous…ness… of space. She’s headed to the space station to start her new job. Then we see Juni, maybe this is where they meet? Maybe they already know each other at this point? Mirroring their unfortunate future, Juni is busy working on some kind of machine. Noteworthy, it tells us that Juni had engineering know-how before he tangled with the tentacle. And finally, we see Nyx and Juni on deck in a Virtupets delivery ship. Nyx is suited up in her work uniform, Virtupets insignia up front. She throws up the V for victory, while Juni holds up… some kind of phone? Perhaps the phone will be significant in the next vision…
Comic Prize, fittingly, is a Virtupets Delivery Ship Foreground.
You may have noticed that all of the Comic Prizes from this chapter have been without descriptions. Until now. King Kelpbeard Kelp Salad, Grey King Skarl Plushie, Dr. Landelbrots Tools, Queen Fyoras Calming Diffuser, Luxinia Stamp, Luxinias Powers: Nephrites Personal Studies, and today’s Virtupets Delivery Ship Foreground all have descriptions now. Virtupets Delivery Ship Foreground having a kinda interesting description: Created with the help of some of Neopias brightest minds, so mainly Junis handy work! This, on top of today’s comic, is even more sign of Juni being known for his talent with machines. So, does this mean the tentacle creature didn’t actually impart any knowledge to Juni? Nothing really special happened to him? Nyx got energy blasts, we thought Nyx got enlightenment from Voidly revelation. If not, then that means Juni looked at himself, looked at Nyx, and just formed a hypothesis about what they were suffering from and came up with a stopgap measure. “Dr. Juni” indeed. We laugh, but Landelbrot and Jerdana have tens of millions of Essences to work with and have got nothing for us. If Juni really did this without guidance from the tentacle? He is wasted making deliveries. Seekership is the least they need to get him.
Surely this is enough to for the Council to know that she’s not some spy from the Void. But will Luxinia show us any more memories? Maybe show us what happened in the Void? Maybe what she dreamt of as she slept? Stay tuuuuuuned! - Void Essence Correspondent Electro178 will not be presenting today. Technical difficulties. He’ll be back when he’s back.
Battles, shifts, and Essences will be just that little bit harder without him. Now we have to actually go look for the Essence.Virtupets Space Station: Supply DeckMaraquaNeopian Marketplace
Count as of 10:00 AM: 21,777,518.
If you’re fighting in “Battle for Brightvale II” you might notice that, on your final score card until you hit the point cap, you’re told you received 45 points instead of 50.
Don’t worry too much, you actually get 50 points. The text is a mistake. Also a small mistake? If you’ve hit any of the trophy tiers beyond Abyss Gazer as of now, the Trophies section doesn’t actually reflect that right now. You may only see the Abyss Gazer participation ribbon. Again, don’t worry too much, your actual trophy is still on your lookup. But one wonders why this is happening. Small hiccup as the plot (temporarily?) doubles in speed for Luxinia’s visions? Maybe someone accidentally tripped an extra switch or something in changing the story schedule? Or… is it a sign of some larger update to come soon? Again, Brightvale Day is coming up. What a day it would be for a grand final stand against the shades? Some dramatic turn of the tide?
There is absolutely nothing to suggest fate holds anything plotwise in store for that day. But it’s August 11th. 2 days from now. Regardless, the tide must turn soon as the Council comes to trust Nyx. If she’d just stop being so shy, maybe with her help we can win this thing.
8th August, 2024
- Oh boy, that’s three, count ’em THREE story days in a row? AND we’re finally looking into Nyx’s past? It’s Winter Starlight 2023 vibes in Page 7 of With a Light Heart, where Luxinia shares her own visions. With the audience, anyway.
Baelia and Tavi watch from the doorway (maybe standing guard for more bargers-in?) while Luxinia prepares to work her wonders. Luxinia asks for Nyx’s hand. The non-Void one. And then? A vision of Nyx. But not drifting through space. She’s… outside of a house, looking at a window with her hand raised. On the inside looking out someone else is also raising their hand. Looks to be pressed against the window? Is Nyx younger in this scene? Is this from years in the past? And what with this not being in space, where is she? Maybe, Neopia Central? Maybe it’s her house she’s outside of? Maybe that’s her brother’s hand in the window? Maybe he’s watching a young Nyx play in the yard while he chills out in the living room?
Surely something sad isn’t about to happen, right? Y’know we gripe a little about Nyx beating around the bush, not talking about herself? But what if the opposite extreme happens? Luxinia digs up a secret, deep hidden memory that Nyx doesn’t want anyone to know about? Maybe even she doesn’t want to know about?
Comic Prize is a copy of “Luxinias Powers: Nephrites Personal Studies.” Nephrite is Luxinia’s nerd friend back in New Faerieland.
Three story days in a row. Are they no longer doing it every other day? Is it story every day from now on? Or did they just not count yesterday because it wasn’t a comic? Because if it’s the former, one has to wonder if this was the plan all along, or if they’ve decided to double the pace. The eager might want that, but on the other hand this thing will have to end twice as fast and we’ll have less time to do everything. Fewer opportunities for prize shop points. And we’ve already got the prize shop and trophies scaled for the duration this plot was originally planned to last. As we understand it, the plot needs to be this long so that we can get hit 60,000+ points and that final trophy. So… probably not, right? They’re probably not cutting the plot in half? Well, maybe they could double the points you earn for activities… - From the looks of the payouts for battles, shifts, and Essences, it doesn’t look like anything’s changed though.Moltara CavesWarf WharfHappy Valley
Count as of 4:45 AM: 21,147,223.
The title of this chapter is “With a Light Heart.” So maybe we’re gonna get a happy vision from Nyx? But then, if she’s an Aisha displaced in time, whatever’s from her past is maybe long gone. Depending on how long ago they wanna say the days where there wasn’t a Brightvale were. So the happier the past, the more tragic the present. Is it easier to wait or harder to wait, knowing that we’re finally getting the backstory?
7th August, 2024
- They surprised us again! Two story days in a row! Over at Headquarters Fyora has another exclamation point for you.
With Luxinia in court, it’s time to discuss just what to do with her.
I summoned Luxinia before this recent predicament came to pass because I felt her powers could be of great assistance to us.
No offence Queen Fyora, but how is a Light Faerie supposed to help us here?
Luxinia possesses a unique power beyond that of just light. You see, she can intertwine herself with emotional waves and not only feel but experience their thoughts and memories.
How can that be?
I admit I was surprised as well when she told me of her odd experiences in the past, but there have been instances of faeries developing their own personal powers outside of their element.
Apologies Luxinia, you know your abilities better than I do, why don’t you explain them?
Oh, of course, my Queen. You see, similar to controlling light waves, I can interact with the emotional waves of not only individuals but objects as well if they have been in contact with that of a strong emotion…
With the state the world is in at the moment, I felt her unique gift would be a considerable asset in investigating any situations such as the ones we have found ourselves in now.
Additionally, I can confirm that these two newcomers are the ones whom I saw within Orion’s visions back during the Month of Celebrating. The ones I informed you about when we first assembled this council.
I do not expect this information to sway you towards trusting them. In fact, it may do the very opposite, that is why I call for Luxinia’s power to be used upon them and let her findings determine our next steps. What do you say?
Collective murmurs of agreement
I still don’t like them being in here, but I can see you have convinced the rest of the council for the time being. So very well, let us proceed with your plan.
So that’s her power. Luxinia is psychic! And she’s going to look into Nyx and Juni’s hearts and minds. See their thoughts and memories. Feel their feelings. Sounds like we’re finally getting the Nyx and Juni backstory! But why didn’t Nyx talk about herself earlier? It’s great that we might finally get to learn about her, but surely she didn’t spend that whole journey from Brightvale to Altador and not say anything like “Yeah I’m from such and such, my brother is this and that?” Not mention the Void once? Maybe she did, but we didn’t get to see it? She did it off camera on the way to Altador? Yes, the Council needs Luxinia to verify her conscience because we live in an age of suspicion. But we, who have followed her adventure??? We’ve been waiting since she showed up for her to talk about where’s come from!
Better late than never. But waiting is painful when you’re hyped up with the knowledge of things to come. - Meanwhile, at the press center, we got another Prophecy from Orion today!
H-hello again! I am back to share another of my distorted visions! For those of you watching from home, p-please if you recognise anything I would greatly appreciate your help! And for those who may have missed my earlier announcement, feel free to go back and catch up on what you missed at any time! Th-thank you all for your help! *off screen* Did… did that sound okay? Did I come off announcery enough?
There’s an interesting tidbit: In case you didn’t realize, Orion is addressing us through our televisions! Or whatever device you watch Cup coverage from. So it’s probably on this device that you see today’s Prophecy.
By the way, you have to click “Offer Help” again if you wanna participate. In that sense, it’s not like the Festival of Neggs despite what we said 5 days ago. If you squint, it kinds looks like that might be some kind of hut. Tyrannia again? No, this time it’s Geraptiku. Not a shop in Geraptiku, but Geraptiku itself. Also unlike the Festival of Neggs.
Wihch hut is Orion’s vision focused on? The closest one to the gates. As you can see from this comparison.
Another stone fragment in another ancient place. Used to build the Deserted Tomb, and from Orion’s estimate it was added to the Tomb way back when it was originally built. So even if this isn’t adding up to make a stone tablet with sheet music on it, whatever the stone was part of was already broken by the time construction on the Tomb began. Maybe the Deserted Tomb Hissi knows something about those days? But it looks like a new pattern is emerging. Maybe they aren’t all gonna be in shops, but by virtue of their antiquity, they’re all probably gonna be in places related to ancient history. As for the pattern of when Orion will have another vision? It’s too early to tell. But when the time comes? Look in old places.
Something old, something new. While these stones have likely been around for millennia, these Essences just got here.Faerie CityKiko LakeRoo Island
Count as of 1:30 PM: 20,893,004.
Don’t forget the Reserve Barracks and Volunteer Centre! The battle rages on in Brightvale, but with the Council about to be informed of Nyx’s backstory and what the other side of the Void looks like, finally the counterattack can TRULY begin. Will we get more story tomorrow? Will we be surprised again?
6th August, 2024
- In plot speculation, sometimes you like to guess right, and sometimes you like to be surprised. In Page 5 of With a Light Heart, more people probably got the former than the latter.
Radiant and not one wing out of place, Luxinia has arrived. All eyes are on her, her very presence commands attention. You really have to wonder how Baelia is feeling right now as she hides behind the door. Must be nice, being so pretty and valued. “I called her for situations just like this one” says Fyora. But now that we know Luxinia is the faerie to see, what are these “situations” that Luxinia is trusted to handle? Situations where you need to know if you can trust someone? Because then, maybe her power gives her the ability to look into someone’s heart?
A Luxinia-themed comic calls for a Luxinia-themed Comic Prize in the Luxinia Stamp.
Faeries tend to be popular characters in Neopia. If Luxinia is getting some time to shine and flesh out? We might be entering the Luxinia Era. But let’s not forget the faerie this plot is actually about. - And now, your daily battles, shifts, and Essences.Virtupets Space Station: HangarFaerie CityMeri Acres Farm
Count as of 6:00 AM: 20,233,697.
There’s new Cup News too, but no new Orion Prophecy. So that’s it for plot stuff. Maybe use this time to get your Cup stuff in.
Grey and under siege, Brightvale is enduring the worst of it right now. Ironically, in Altador they’re doing better than everyone else. Motivated by struggles back home?
5th August, 2024
- Another day between days. Your daily battles, shifts, and Essences…Virtupets Space Station: HangarLutari IslandNeopia Central
Count as of 11:30 PM: 20,078,860.
You may have noticed some mistakes in the art for yesterday’s comic. Is it a “mistake” for King Altador to have long, slender legs? Faeries get to have them. Unless they’re Water Faeries.
But you know what else faeries typically get to have? If they aren’t Water Faeries? Wings. Which Fyora doesn’t have in this picture. But late today, Page 4 of With a Light Heart had these mistakes corrected.
But this is only the beginning of the discourse on Board 58. As usual, strong feelings on many sides are clashing. Should they have changed it? Should they have left it be? Does it matter? Is it any better/worse than typical plot comic art? Will there always be someone who doesn’t like a particular something about something? All things to discuss today, and throughout the plot.
4th August, 2024
- Ah, yep, looks like heads are still hot. Page 4 of With a Light Heart makes the case for having someone come in and shed light.
Skarl raises a fairly solid point: What if Nyx and Juni are with the shades? They’re not, but we know next to nothing about the shades or the Void. Maybe shades can look like Nyx. They can certainly look like Juni, Baelia even said so. And then, Fyora calls for order.
Almost symbolically, Altador, Hagan, and Roo stand on Fyora’s side. As if representing the “Let’s give them a chance” side of the Council. Highlighting the divisions. But then…
Who are the “yourselves” that Fyora is telling to calm down? Doesn’t look like many (if any) are with Skarl here, in contrast to the solidarity we see in Fyora’s panel. Darigan doesn’t look like he has Skarl’s back. But though he doesn’t appear in the panel, Kelpbeard is probably with Skarl on this. Who does that leave? Jazan… he seems like he might be with Skarl on this, though we haven’t heard from him. Nabile… she could go either way. Amira, Yun, McGill, Kyruggi, Honcho, Valka, whoever the Mayor of Moltara is… uhhhhh… the Defenders are probably out looking for shades… Torakor is also out fighting shades… Orion is addressing the Cup audience… hmmmm… what do you think? Sort the Council with us in this thread.
Anyway, Fyora finally lets the group know that she’s got someone in mind who might be able to help with this. Could it be Luxinia?
Off camera, Fyora probably also lit today’s Comic Prize: Queen Fyoras Calming Diffuser. In case you’re not fancy, a “diffuser” is an aroma lamp. Looks like this one burns essential oils.
So how would Luxinia actually help? What powers does she have that would shed light? It sounds like we’re about to get a reveal that she has a special power we didn’t know she had. But also, in the Faerie’s Hope mobile game, there are these “side missions” or whatever where Luxinia has these dreams that may or may not be alternate realities that she visits. How would that help? Maybe because Nyx is from another reality? Maybe Luxinia will see into Nyx’s place of origin and be like “Nah she’s with us?” If so, one wonders why Nyx didn’t tell anyone about herself earlier.
Luxinia and Nyx. Their names even complement each other. Really feels like they’re fated to meet, doesn’t it? - Like usual, get your battles in, your shifts in, and your Essences in.Moltara CavesMeridell CastleKiko Lake
Count as of 11:00 PM: 19,584,108.
This has been a considerable undertaking, yes. But not the longest ever. Kass’s attack on Meridell lasted from March 10th, 2004 when the first Giant Spyders were released, to April 27th, 2004 when Kass himself showed up. And then it took an extra two weeks or so for the community to cut him down. Around two solid months of battling. We’re not even halfway to that point yet, so find your strength, if you have it. - There’s so much that’s been teased and foretold that we’re eager to hear more about. Like the Void Paint Brush, and the ram horn motif. As you’ll recall, we’ve seen it in more places than just the Paint Brush itself.
Perhaps more than anything in the prize shop, what people really want is to know what this stuff is all about. People like KH2Riku_3. He was rereading the story so far, and took notice of Tavi’s walking stick on Page 9 of A Riot of Colour. It too, has ram horns.
Is the similarity intentional? Are they related to each other somehow? If so, how? When you think about things like the lyre and the music cylinder and other things that Orion is divining, as well as the Faerie Artificer herself, it seems like we’re dealing in things so ancient and/or secret that they’re forgotten to time. Maybe Tavi believes this is just an ordinary walking stick, but it ends up being a vital piece to the puzzle that’s soon to unfold?
But amidst the “Who is X” and “What is Y,” maybe the most puzzling question is “What’s the connection between ancient artefacts and cosmic weirdness?” We’ve got magical dark faeries, but spacey tentacle creatures too. Still today people are trying to decide whether this is a space plot or a magical faerie plot. If Luxinia the faerie is somehow able to do something for Nyx and Juni, visitors from beyond the Void, maybe the light she sheds is on how this connection works?
3rd August, 2024
- Between day, and as the month gets busier it’s harder to keep track of what you do and don’t need to do. Act 1 Barracks? Yes. Act 1 Volunteer Centre? Yes. Essences? Yes.Maraquan RuinsNeopia CentralIce Caves
Count as of 3:30 PM: 18,969,888.
And if you’re listening to Orions Prophecies, you’re signed up for the Cup, so don’t forget that. As for those Prophecies? No new quests as of today. But Orion will let us know.
Brightvale Day is in a little over a week. But Brightvale is still under siege from the shades and Act 2’s battles have yet to begin. Think that day might hold some fortune?
2nd August, 2024
- The hot heads have had their say. In Page 3 of With a Light Heart, cooler heads get to weigh in. Heads like Dr. Landelbrot.
Unfortunately, and perhaps expectedly, Landelbrot is baffled. This defies everything he thought he knew. Get the Void out? He didn’t even know the Void could get in! Sad fact is, we truly know nothing about the Void right now. While that is its own huge problem, Nyx at least has an idea to save Juni: The Void Dampener. It saved her. Can Landelbrot reverse engineer one of these fit for a Faellie?
From the blessing of the tentacle, to the mind of Juni, to the wrist of Nyx, and finally to Dr. Landelbrot. Like the monoliths from Space Odyssey, the cosmic alien tech has reached Neopia. Will it trigger a similar big jump in advancement? At least in our understanding of the Void? Will working with Nyx and Juni and the Dampener help us learn about it? Hey, maybe that’s what the Voidworks step is? The building of Juni’s Dampener? Speaking of learning about the Void, AliOldman reminds us just how unusual it is for Juni to know how to build Void Dampeners. How does he know how to do this? Probably because of what the tentacle creature did. Juni got the ability to built complex machines, Nyx got the ability to fire dark energy blasts. But if Dr. Juni is so smart, maybe when he gets better he can tell Landelbrot and Jerdana and the rest of the council about the Void? Maybe that’s where our breakthrough comes from. Save the Faellie, save the world?
Nyx seems to have the trust of the Council if Landelbrot gets the go-ahead to reverse engineer a Dampener. And if this is also what starts Jerdana and Landelbrot on finally making some conclusions about the Void and its Essence… what about this Light Faerie that’s supposed to show up soon? What light is she supposed to shed? It seemed like she was gonna vouch for Nyx and prove she’s not a threat. It could still happen, there’s still many pages left in the chapter and we don’t know that Skarl or Kelpbeard won’t put their feet/fins down and insist that Nyx and Juni not be trusted. Then Fyora would have to tag this faerie in. But what exactly will this Light Faerie do to ease everyone’s concerns?
Comic Prize is a set of Dr. Landelbrots Tools. So this is what Landelbrot has been doing with the Essence we bring him?
So this is what Landelbrot has been doing with the Essence. But with what we thought we knew about Void Essence now called into question, can we still say that it’s safe to collect this stuff? Maybe that’s the light the Light Faerie will shed. Light on whether or not Void Essence is harmful. Then again, this wouldn’t be the first time we signed on to a risky experiment.
- Speaking of Void Essence Collection, in addition to battles and hospital shifts, you got collections to make.Moltara CityNeopian MarketplaceVirtupets Space Station: Supply Deck
Count as of 10:30 PM: 18,592,966.
Speaking of the Council’s plan to get to the bottom of what’s going on and what to do about it, at least one man of science has got some revelations for us. There’s no link to it at Headquarters, but from the Altador Cup press center, Orion makes an announcement. Breaking from our regularly scheduled Cup news.
Hello there… sorry I’m not very good at talking to crowds… b-but Sigmir and Sweet have graciously allowed me on today as I have big news. F-for those who don’t know me, I am Orion O. Ophiuchus, and I have recently been, let’s say gifted, with terrible visions that s-seem to be at their strongest when many Neopians gather together. If I w-wasn’t able to make your acquaintance during the Festival of Neggs then this must seem very strange to you, but nevertheless, I am h-here to ask for your assistance once again. M-my visions are still not very strong, but this time I can at least see pieces of them, however, they appear very distorted now. So… as a possible solution I…I thought perhaps the fans of the Altador Cup could help me with this predicament! I will share my visions here as they come to me and, hopefully, some of you may be able to recognise something from them! I’ll be doing my best to search too, so if you find any place that seems to match my visions, just wait for me there and I’ll make my way over to you soon!
Not too hot at public speaking, is he? But anyway, it’s time for Orions Prophecies! A launch so subtle, you might’ve missed it. So what are we doing? Hunting for Petpets? Well, it’s actually kinda similar to that. Kinda similar to the Festival of Neggs in general. Scroll a bit further down and you’ll see a, well, a mystery pic. And a button to opt into the hunt.
This is essentially Mystery Pic crossed with Festival of Neggs. What do you think this picture is? Maybe some place in Tyrannia? Because of all the brown? Yes. Tyrannian Furniture, in fact. How can you tell? What exactly is the Mystery Pic? Take a look at the shopkeeper.
The Mystery pic is a 150×150 cut of the area by the window, but pixelated to obscurity. Dare to compare…
Upon arriving, you and Orion will find… not another musical instrument, but a weird stone with writing on it. Embedded into the tree this shop is built into. Implying that the stone was here before the tree, making it incredibly old. Older than the Tyrannian trees themselves.
But it looks like a fragment of something bigger. What might that bigger thing be, though? NeoRyuuko was keen to notice: It looks like sheet music. See the notes?
The two prior prophetic fits Orion had, they were related to musical instruments. He started having the nightmares when he just so happened upon the lyre during Winter Starlight. Nightmares became daydreams when he found the Lava Musical Cylinder during the Festival of Neggs. And now it appears we’re looking for a lost song of some kind? Maybe these instruments were meant to play this song? Ah, but… what does the song do? Maybe it’s a Song of Healing of some kind that can clear up Grey paint? But there’s also that speculation that the lyre and cylinder are ancient faerie artefacts that Fyora wants locked up. And that they were created by whoever the Faerie Artificer is, who really seems like she might be the faerie Vira works for. So maybe the music is also something from the days of harmful faerie artefacts? And if Orion is sensing them like he sensed the cylinder, if the cylinder and/or the lyre are meant to play this music, maybe the song itself is harmful and deadly powerful? And if they are harmful faerie artefacts, are they just any harmful faerie artefacts, or does Vira’s faerie mistress want them back? Is she actively looking for them?
We didn’t mention it, but the Neopets LIVE (Altador Cup Edition) from yesterday made mention of Orions Prophecies. We would’ve mentioned it had we known said Prophecies were gonna start today, but Jewel said of the event So, I don’t know too many details, but I have kind of heard something in whispers, or like some strange music in the Altador Cup. So, something is going on, and I don’t know exactly what it is, but I have a feeling that our resident expert in strange goings on in Neopia might be looking into it at some point. So hopefully we will be hearing something from him, and maybe we’ll have something to do to help him out. I’m not 100% sure what that would be though. But even stranger, she goes on to say I just wanna clarify that there is no literal music, but you know… But if that’s sheet music, that’s more literal than metaphorical, isn’t it?
Completing this quest doesn’t update your Trophy like what used to be on Stone’s lookup, but there’ll probably be Prophecies not just through the Cup, but during other events too. So maybe by Cup’s end we’ll complete some of the song, and earn an upgrade (or two) to our trophies? For the time being, this looks very much like the Festival of Neggs. So it’ll probably be like the Festival of Neggs in that it’ll focus primarily on searching shops. Searching maps for Essence, and searching shops for Prophecies. And we can assume the Defenders of Neopia are searching the world for Vira.
1st August, 2024
- This update comes a little late, but it’s a between day so there’s not much to talk about. Barracks, Volunteer Centre, Essences.Virtupets Space Station: HangarMoltara CityMaraquan Ruins
Count as of 9:30 PM: 18,084,646.
Not only have Act 2 battles/shifts not begun yet, but Orion’s Prophecies hasn’t begun yet. It’s still early goings. But though the Altador Cup may feel like agony, there are only a few weeks of it. The Prophecies must start up soon. So don’t get too comfortable.
31st July, 2024
- The heat is on in Altador! Meridell and Maraqua might be playing against each other today in the Cup, but Kelpbeard and Skarl are teaming up against Team Void in Page 2 of With a Light Heart!
While everyone else is still in shock, Skarl echoes Kelpbeard’s concerns. But instead of calling for their quarantine, he orders them to leave Void Headquarters. Greyness has taken none of Skarl’s fire. But Nyx throws herself upon the mercies of the Council. She isn’t contagious! In fact, the only reason she came here is because Baelia and Tavi told her that the Council was her only hope!
Jerdana and Landelbrot pore over Nyx and Juni’s bodies. It’s clear that they’ve learned absolutely nothing from the Essence we’ve been collecting and this is the first promise they’ve seen since this all began. Altador and Hagan, wise as they are, watch from a distance. Tavi is rightfully defensive. Baelia, well, she just doesn’t wanna be a burden. She doesn’t like confrontation. And somewhere off camera, Jazan holds Nabile close to him.
Know who doesn’t seem bothered? Darigan.
Comic Prize is a Grey King Skarl Plushie.
You’ll notice this item has no background. And you might also notice that it has no description. The King Kelpbeard Kelp Salad we got two days ago also doesn’t have a description. Neostaff seems to have their plate kinda full right now, but they’ll catch up to this soon.
Might be cool to hear from the other Council members. Why’s Darigan so stoic about this? Maybe Page 3 will be another cutscene? And then Fyora will be like “Everybody calm down, I know a girl.” And it could be Siyana, but the fact that Fyora called for her and not Altador suggests that it’s not. - Act 2 battles still aren’t on. Which might be for the best when you consider we’ve got the Altador Cup to do. Act 2 probably means more work. But in addition to what you can manage in the Cup Games, you’ve also got your 20 shades, your shifts, and your Essences.Mystery IslandShenkuuMeridell
Count as of 3:30 PM: 17,509,014.
But so far it’s the hospital shifts that are really making the difference between prize ship points. It’s the hospital shifts that have come to define this plot. Those who trade sleep for service are hitting that 10,000 point mark right about now, and the next trophy tier: Pigment Protector.
There you have it. A beautiful sterling silver! And even more of the purple Voidly accents! And… there’s that creeping tentacle again. Looks a little better in silver than in bronze. But a creeping tentacle, that’s gotta be a reference to the tentacle creature itself, right?
And if that’s what the tentacle means… what is the orb at the top? Trophies sometimes have orbs at the top, so ordinarily this wouldn’t be much to concern ourselves with. But… remember the first trailer? And how the tentacle creature was seen to ensnare Neopia?
We know now that the trailers don’t exactly reflect reality, they’re stylized for dramatic effect in some parts. But what if the orb on this trophy is meant to be Neopia? Then it would suggest that gripping Neopia in its tentacles really is the endgame of this tentacle thing. The trophy depicts the dark future, the Bad Ending that we’re fighting to prevent. Which suggests that the tentacle creature is probably colossal, bigger than can even be conceived, maybe. How do we defend against such a thing when after 17,509,014 Essences we haven’t even learned anything?
We must turn to Nyx. Though hot heads may reject it, no one’s got any better ideas.
30th July, 2024
- Act 2 battles have not started yet. Enjoy Act 1 before it’s gone! Barracks, Volunteer Centre, and Essences.Tyrannian JungleMeridell CastleFaerieland
Count as of 4:00 AM: 16,750,960.
But the Altador Cup is tomorrow. And at some point during it, Orion will experience some Prophecies. Maybe sooner, maybe later. If we learn nothing else tomorrow, we’ll learn how the Cup is supposed to work with 19 teams.
Here’s hoping our leaders can watch the Games while also dealing with Nyx. Kelpbeard doesn’t look like the kinda guy who would risk wandering around outside of Headquarters, for fear of all the Essence blowing around. Maybe the Hall of Heroes has TV? - SMALL UPDATE: You might be enjoying Act 1 a little less, the prize pool for the Volunteer Centre has been changed. No more Leaded Elemental Vial.
The prize shop, however, has lost nothing. They said they wouldn’t take anything from the prize shop, they never said anything about the Volunteer Centre prize pool. Presently the Leaded Elemental Vial is sitting around a few hundred thousand NP. That’s fair, right? As for Act 2, try to get in as many shifts as you can when it starts, lest they take something from that one too.
29th July, 2024
- Live from the City of Altador, City of Heroes, City of Trials… it’s Chapter 3: With a Light Heart. Before we read, let’s get the chapter summary from the Plot Timeline.
With a Light Heart
Jul 29, 2024
Looks like we aren’t the only ones who think Juni looks like a shade. And that title, “With a Light Heart,” that’s clearly referencing the Light Faerie who will step up and sort this thing out. Let us begin with Page 1…
Ah, everyone seems pretty surprised. Most of the room seems pretty surprised. Tavi barges in, clearly the one doing the talking for this group. Ever cautious, and ever a fan of locking people up, King Kelpbeard says he knew this would happen. The Essence is infecting people, supposedly! Jerdana and Landelbrot promised us nothing would happen!!! Get the Aisha and her Faellie to quarantine immediately! And Baelia and Tavi too, while we’re at it! They’ve been in contact for days!
Not a strong foot for our heroes to start on. So who might this light hearted Light Faerie be that’s gonna defend them? We’re in Altador, Siyana’s here, maybe it’s Siyana? But some people on Board 58 have another Light Faerie in mind: Luxinia. You remember Luxinia, right? Mayor/leader of New Faerieland?
She’s basically a brand new character, so if she’s got any special light-shedding powers now would be the time to introduce them. Maybe shed some light on where Nyx is from? And what she’s seen in the Void??? We must be patient. Light will be shed in due time.
Kelpbeard takes the initiative in this comic, so the Comic Prize today is a King Kelpbeard Kelp Salad.
Kelpbeard is known for being a little paranoid, but he did call that someone was prepping for an invasion. And look at us! Brightvale still is cleared of shades. - Speaking of plotly activities, it’s a new Act! Let’s start with the Essences.AltadorNeopia CentralMaraqua
Count as of 7:30 AM: 16,377,717.
The day is early, no new Reports from the Front yet. Might have to wait for 10:00 AM. For now, all’s quiet. You may wanna hold off for a while, wait for the new waves to come, if they are coming.
Over at the Barracks, the Act 1 enemies are still available. But Act 2 shows us the slightest preview with six, count ’em SIX battles on the docket!
How soon do we get ’em all? Eventually, that’s all we know. And we also know… and potentially dread… that six battles begets six Volunteer Centre shifts.
Act 1 shifts are still open. And if they remain open, that could mean you need at least EIGHT ‘pets, not four, for maximum point potential. A truly trying time, not being able to book your ‘pets for multiple shifts. You might think this is where people start hitting a wall. But how bad do you think people want it? If they’re willing to sacrifice sleep for this, surely they’ll adopt a few Pound ‘pets, then abandon them when this is all over, right? Kinda ironic for a caretaking activity, though.
A new Act brings a new set of prizes. So if these don’t quite grab you, maybe you want Act 1 to stay open. Maybe you want another whack at that Leaded Elemental Vial. Unless these Act 2 exclusive prizes grab you?
Nurse Glee Plushie
Medical Hairnet
Reflex Hammer Handheld
Still no “Doctor Bottoms.” Now, whenever all this starts, don’t forget: There’s also Orion’s Prophecies. And the Altador Cup itself, if you have the strength. But even if you don’t, you need to join the Cup if you wanna do Orion’s Prophecies. Per this article on the Neopets Portal…
So if you haven’t already joined for the Fearless Deed, join for this. And speaking of Fearless Deeds, let’s see which Deeds Act 2 brings over on the Rewards page! There are 7 of them, too many to fit in one section. But we have…
All very intriguing. Not the least of which, that “Landelbrot’s Voidworks” stuff. Our first puzzle/minigame? And we gotta do it with no mistakes? Do we get multiple tries? Surely we must get multiple tries. And surely it must mean that Landelbrot and Jerdana will finally have some news or thoughts or ideas regarding the Essence? Whether that be through looking at Nyx or not?
We got another three parter in “Tea-riffic Job!” Sounds like it might have something to do with that tea Tavi is now known for. Juni isn’t a Doglefox, but maybe “Pet the Doglefox” involves taking care of him? “Towering Defender,” might that have something to do with a tower defense game of some kind? Are we bringing back Battlefield Legends? And then there’s the last one, “Honourary Protector of Altador.” This implies that Altador WILL be attacked, and we must protect it.
Act 2 also brings new prizes to the Prize Shop. With none removed, despite the misinformation that Neopians invent. 22 new prizes which we have sorted into categories for you:
Food & Drink: Upside-down Slushie, Borovan Layered Cake, MechaBerries
Mystic Mushrooms: Blood Mushroom
Books: The Underdog Story
Books From The Lost Desert Plot Prize Shop That Were Named After Staffers: The Annals of Insanity, How to Play the Viola
Grooming Items: Aromatic Candle, Darigan Dark Aura Perfume, Ylana Skyfire Spring Perfume
Instruments: Grɑpe Jelly Bongos
Wearables: Potion Master Cloak
Petpets: Short Fuse
Petpetpets: Glack, Wormoeba, Aboogala, Ditrey, Unidentified Petpetpet
TCG Cards: Weakness (TCG), Starry Negg (TCG), Marketplace (TCG), Night Stone (TCG)
But the real prize, obviously, is participation. Getting to say that you were here for this moment in history, and you did all you could.
In a few short hours we might be seeing something new from the Void enemy contingent. But that begs the question: Where are Vira and the Painter? In order for new shades to appear, they need to appear. Right? - UPDATE TO SAY THAT NO NEW BATTLES WERE RELEASED: No new battles were released. The New Features for the day have gone up, that usually means no more updates for the rest of the day. So stick around in Brightvale for a little longer.
Speaking of the Battle for Brightvale, the criteria for the Act 2 Fearless Deeds are mostly hidden behind question marks. So you might think that means they aren’t open for completion yet. But that’s not true! Not for at least one of them. If you defeat a Shade with a weapon with Dark icons in it, that’ll earn you “Fight Fire with Fire.” You probably have a Void Blade lying around, right?
That’s worth a tidy little 10 points, for something you probably did by accident.
What other Deeds can be achieved now? Board 58 is in a frenzy, trying to figure out what they’re supposed to be doing. Which is kinda what plots are all about. Foisting us into the mystery of how we’re supposed to save Neopia this time. And this plot, more than any, is the theorizer’s plot. So experiment, theorize, and pray that answers come sooner rather than later.
28th July, 2024
- Chapter end warning! No alert this time, though. Go to Headquarters and you’ll find a simple, elegant statement of the chapter’s end.
The end of Chapter 2 draws near… There is nothing more for you to do now but await the start of a new chapter!
But what do they mean by that? Nothing more for us to do? Do the battles not count? Do the volunteer shifts not count? Does Void Essence Collection not count?Virtupets Space Station: Supply DeckAltadorFaerie City
Count as of 3:00 PM: 16,019,616.
There may be a difference of opinion when it comes to defining “nothing more.” And it’s this difference of opinion that might affect what Neostaff means when they say “You have the whole chapter to do what you need to do.” It’s important that we understand what that means, because it may not mean what it sounds like “Nothing more to do” doesn’t actually mean “There’s nothing to do today.” So what does “Content will be released in the form of Chapters spread over three-week periods, during which everyone can still catch up on content and collect full rewards” mean?
Suppose the only safe bet is constant vigilance. They claim the pace of the plot is slow, but not when it comes to earning points. And things are about to get much, much busier. Battles, shifts, Essence collection, the Cup, and Orion’s prophecies. And it’s only Chapter 3.
27th July, 2024
- Wait a minute! That was NOT the final page of Filling the Void! There’s a Page 11!
That settles that, our heroes did make it to Altador. Furthermore, Juni doesn’t appear to have become a shade… yet? They’re outside the Hall of Heroes itself. TVW Headquarters.
Chapter 2 has been kinda short on “revelations.” Things were pretty hype through to when Nyx revealed she’s probably not from our Neopia, then things started to quiet down. Seemed like things were gonna happen, but then they didn’t. That’s about to change. We’re in Altador now and that means Nyx has to meet with Landelbrot. That means dealing with Juni, that means discussing the Void, that means breakthroughs with the Essence experiments… discussing the Void probably means discussing Nyx’s past…
As proof that we now stand on the brink of Nyx meeting with the Council of Leaders, today’s Comic Prize is a King Hagan Quiguki Plushie.
And on top of that, as a special “end of Act” bonus prize? The “Brush It Off” plot avatar! Just to hammer home that we’re transitioning into a new period.
It’s probably a mistake to try and predict why things happen the way they do, especially this early. Probably better to wait until it’s explained to us. But you can’t help but wonder: Why did we get another comic page today? Are they switching the order up? Tomorrow is (or at least would be) our end of chapter warning, going by Chapter 1’s structure. Maybe they decided to switch things up because nothing happens on that day? Use that day as the day between comics? - First things first, your Essences for the day.Neopia CentralMeridell CastleGeraptiku
Count as of 10:30 AM: 15,446,513
But before you head to the Barracks or Volunteer Centre, ANOTHER change has been made. Specifically, you can no longer double book your ‘pets at the Volunteer Centre. You can lament this loss in this thread.
It was a fun 9 days. So fun, you wouldn’t be out of line to wonder why they let us do this for a whole 9 days before taking it away. So if this the way moving forward, you’re gonna need at least 4 ‘pets for maximum point potential. From the looks of the other Acts, it may be a maximum of 4 hospital shifts, but it might be more. If you don’t have lots and lots of ‘pets, maybe get your battles out of the way first and then start Volunteering. And speaking of the Barracks, you’ll notice today that it too now marks July 29th as the start of Act 2 for its content.
So, our heroes made it to Altador in time for the Games. A plot on top of a Cup? Altador is about to be the busiest it’s ever been. Altador is where you wanna be. Unless you’re still stuck in Brightvale. Say… if we’re headed to Altador, and there are more battles to be had in Act 2… does that mean Chapter 3 is gonna open with Altador under siege as well? Gonna be tough to have the Cup while there are battles going on, but if you can believe it this is something people have asked for. A Cup with battling in it.
What do you think of a Cup with battling in it? Let us know in this thread.
26th July, 2024
- Final page of Filling the Void! Do our heroes make it to Altador in time???
It isn’t clear? Tavi urges everyone hurry to Altador. Our heroes, united, pledge to save Juni’s life. And then… the comic ends with a panel showing Altador.
We see Altador, but is that just a “meanwhile” shot? By Tavi’s estimate back during A Riot of Colour, it takes “a few days” to reach Brightvale from Faerieland. So imagine how long it takes to get from Brightvale to Altador? Without some kind of vehicle or portal? With Juni’s condition worsening like it is, can they even make it to Altador in time? If they did, then that probably means they didn’t stop to see Nyx’s brother first like some of us thought she might. No cutting through each of the lands featured on the travel posters, or at least we didn’t get to see it. They’re making real haste now, they’re going straight to Altador, no lollygagging. But what about Juni potentially turning into a shade? If they made it to Altador, does that mean he doesn’t turn into a shade? Maybe when Chapter 3 starts, we’ll open to a shady looking Juni terrorizing the city? Yeah, we could do that for 3 weeks, regularly patrol the city, corraling him and keeping him out of trouble? That could be our battles for Chapter 3. Or maybe he doesn’t turn into a shade. Maybe he just makes it. This still doesn’t rule out that shades might be transformed Petpets. It’s just he had more time on the clock than we thought.
But if they didn’t make it to Altador, if Chapter 3 doesn’t open with them in Altador meeting with the Council of Leaders, what is Chapter 3 supposed to be about? Maybe Vira and the Painter show up again? Tavi hungry for Round 2 now that they’ve got Nyx to tip the scales?
Comic Prize this time around is a Grey Zafara Gnome. Alas, poor Neohomes. This gnome must be sad because it came too late to be useful for anything.
In this chapter, our heroes met Nyx and Juni. They didn’t talk about where she came from or the things she’s seen, but new and true friends were made. It’s just, it’s really too bad that Tavi apparently can’t afford a car. - Electro178 the nightly Essence tracker recently took up the “Helpful Zafara” avatar. He’s really leaning into his role as the nightly Essence tracker.
In addition to your Essences, don’t forget Barracks and Volunteer Centre!Maraquan RuinsMystery IslandSakhmet
Count as of 2:30 AM: 14,755,022.
There’s a lot we’ve been waiting on for a long time. Nyx joining the fray was one thing, but there’s so much more. A breakthrough on these Void studies, answers as to who Nyx is and where she comes from, and chief among them? To save Juni. Looks like Altador is gonna have to be the place. We have to wait until our heroes make it to Altador before that stuff happens.
25th July, 2024
- Gonna have to wait a little longer to see what happens to Juni! In the meantime… Barracks, Volunteer Centre, and Essences.Neopian BazaarDarigan CitadelNeovia
Count as of 4:30 PM: 14,560,291.
Some food for thought regarding this theory that Juni will become a shade, and we’ll have to fight him. Juni very well may become a shade, but will we fight him for 3 weeks straight? Probably not. Our heroes probably aren’t hanging around Brightvale any longer than they have to. They’ve got brothers and scientists to see, they’ve got a Grey Curse to break at some point. So maybe what happens instead is, we struggle with him for a little while, and then he’s subdued? They take him to Altador and they have a shade to study? Landelbrot and the Council of Leaders study Juni, come up with some kind of Void Dampener for him, and this breakthrough also aids us in combating the other shades or something? Maybe a forecast into what Chapter 3 will be about. It’s gonna span most of the Cup, so maybe it should focus on an Altadorian setting?
24th July, 2024
- Clock is ticking, are our heroes in Altador yet? It’s Page 9 of Filling the Void.
But if it wasn’t for Juni…” it sounds like Nyx is about to talk about what happened in the Void! But before she can, Juni’s condition deteriorates. Both Tavi and Baelia notice that he looks like he’s getting worse, with Baelia even drawing comparisons between the shades???
For a while now people have been wondering what these shades even are, why they talk of betrayal and how much they’ve been hurt. A popular theory has been that these are Neopians, maybe Petpets specifically. Maybe Voidlings are Tennas? Kinda sorta?
And there’s no shortage of feline Petpets the Prowler could be. But until now, it was just a theory. Until now. Now, Baelia has given credence to the theory by making the same observation: Juni looks like he might turn into one of those shades, suggesting that this is how shades are made. That this is where shades come from. Did Baelia “jinx” them? Speaking of Baelia, SmudgeOfFudge is still curious about Baelia getting to hold Juni. What if Baelia’s care can save Juni?
Know what else should be able to save Juni? Today’s Comic Prize, a Void Dampener Prototype.
At this rate, unless Nyx can pull another portal out of her pocket, Juni is going purple faster than they’re going to Altador. - If these shades really are Petpets like Juni, maybe go easy on them? Barracks, Volunteer Centre, and your Essences of the day.ShenkuuDarigan CitadelDeserted Fairground
Count as of 11:15 AM: 13,927,798.
10 pages to a chapter, usually. July 26th we should get the last page of Filling the Void, then the chapter end warning on the 28th, then Chapter 3 starts on the 29th, and then the Altador Cup starting on the 31st. So based on what’s happened today, how do we think this chapter is gonna end? NeoRyuuko is/was hoping for another tease about who Nyx is and where she’s from. Getting a look at Faerieland on the ground, her reaction would go a way towards telling us if she’s actually from the past like a lot of people think. But this is probably going to end with something involving Juni. Maybe Nyx does open a portal to Altador? Maybe Baelia does have some sort of secret Petpet whispering power that can save Juni? But considering that Chapter 3 might be bringing us Act 2, and with it more battles, maybe it ends with Nyx turning into a shade and us needing to fight him?
Again, go easy if this is where we’re headed. What a cruel twist of fate it would be to panic over saving Juni since Winter Starlight of last year, only to have to raise arms against him?
23rd July, 2024
- Another middle day, like usual. Barracks, Volunteer Centre, and Void Essence.Tyrannian JungleNeopia CentralNeopian Plaza
Count as of 9:00 AM: 13,352,965.
Now that Baelia isn’t as passive a participant as we thought, maybe she and Nyx and Tavi and Juni will all be good friends? SmudgeOfFudge has a prediction. At some point, Nyx will need to use her powers again, probably in combat on the road to Altador. In that case, Nyx will probably need to hand Juni to someone so her hands are free. What about Baelia? On account of her being so good with Petpets? Maybe Baelia even takes the initiative to watch over Juni while Nyx goes to town on some shades? Or has Tavi already made herself Juni’s new favorite thanks to her delicious tea Is there room in Juni’s heart for three friends?
If Act 2 as a whole is soon to start, then that probably means there will be battles soon to start. And if Nyx will be there for them, Juni will probably be there for them. And Baelia and Tavi. See soon how battlefield bonds form.
22nd July, 2024
- Page 8 of Filling the Void! Alright, Nyx, tell us about your journey. The things you’ve seen on the outer limits…
Ahhhh… she doesn’t really talk about the Void. Yet. She calls her powers “magic” as if she’s got no clue what they are or where they came from. She doesn’t mention that her powers probably come from the tentacle creature and the energies coursing through her body. The whole reason she’s wearing that wrist device. Maybe she hasn’t made that connection? Maybe she doesn’t remember? Maybe the tussle with the tentacles gave her amnesia? Maybe THAT’S why she doesn’t remember Brightvale or Altador? Orisasda thinks it could be a possibility.
What Nyx essentially says is “I don’t know what that spell was, I never even knew I could do magic but I guess I can. All I know is that I felt the urge to help, and then blasts came out of my hand. Same with me arriving in Brightvale, I dunno how I did that either.” We all saw her open that rift. As Nyx explains, it was involuntary. Nyx didn’t try to open the rift, she just felt very strongly and then it opened. This is all involuntary instinct. And then? Baelia finally speaks up. Just as we were wondering about her being left out of the group. But Baelia is seen and heard! “You don’t know how to use your powers?” she asks. Now, does Baelia ask this question out of intrigue? If so, what caught her attention? Why would she be curious about not knowing how to use powers? Is that somehow relevant to her and her own past? Maybe she feels like she has powers, but she doesn’t know how to unlock them? Or maybe she’s interested in how to get powers like Nyx, and is curious about how to use them?
Speaking of what Baelia might be thinking and feeling and wanting, let’s focus on that panel with her line of dialogue.
It’s almost like Baelia is staring longingly at Nyx. Perhaps burdened by her lack of powers. But also, the camera angle focuses on Nyx’s boot, while Baelia raises her heel. Powers are nice, but maybe Baelia’s immediate desire is a pair of shoes? SmudgeOfFudge doesn’t think it’s sustainable for Baelia to hike from land to land in bare feet, she’d like to see Baelia get a pair of shoes. Maybe Baelia’s Greyness makes her too much of a doormat to speak up or do anything about her suffering? We’ve seen the inside of her house. There’s a lot about Baelia’s life that’s in bad shape and not much seems to be getting done about it. Baelia endures foot pain like she endures the suffering of living in squalor.
Comic Prize this time around is a Grey Jelly.
Unlike other jellies, this one is eaten in one go. You don’t get a “Grey Jelly Half” by taking a bite out of this. But could the prize be sort of a meaningful gag? Maybe we got a Grey Jelly because Baelia is herself Grey, and maybe a little “jelly” of Nyx? Hm? Ah?
In summary, as urgent as it is that we get Juni to Dr. Landelbrot, it’s hard not to worry about Baelia. Baelia should know that people care and are eager to learn. Eager to help. - Speaking of helping, get your “plot dailies” done! Barracks, Volunteer Centre, Void Essences. You know the rounds.Neopian MarketplaceIce CavesVirtupets Space Station: Recreation Deck
Count as of 3:30 PM: 12,978,584.
And that should be a wrap for “Time is of the Essence!” Head over to the Rewards tab for a commemorative popup and a handsome 10 prize shop points.
And should you choose to spend some of your points on the Rift Rewarder Deed, you’ll have all four Deeds of Act 1 wrapped up as well! Netting you a Recovering Faellie Foreground, and a whopping 110 point rebate!
- Speaking of Act 1, it’s looking like speculation that it would be ending soon was correct. In fact, we appear to have a time and date for when Act 2 begins. If you go to the Volunteer Centre, you’ll find that Act 2 now has a countdown. To July 29th, 2024.
So the hospital shifts for Act 2 are set to start then, right? Surely this means Act 2 as a whole begins then? Problem with that theory is, over at the Barracks there is no such countdown. So is it just the hospital shifts that are entering their second Act? Or did they just not give the Barracks a countdown and we really are heading into Act 2 as a whole?
If we’re heading into Act 2 as a whole, first of all that might say something about the pace so far. It’s only been 2 chapters and we’re already in the second of only three Acts. Is Act 2 gonna be super super long? Or maybe after Act 3 is complete, they’ll introduce even more Acts? And what is it that divides these Acts? Is Act 1 dedicated to introducing our heroes, and now that the gang’s all here we’re ready to head into Act 2? Second, and perhaps most immediately pressing, that means by Cup time we probably aren’t slowing down with plot stuff. There’s an Act 2 for the Barracks, suggesting that we’ll still be battling come July 29th as well. And onward throughout the Act. Battles, Volunteering, Void Essence, it all continues on top of your annual Cup obligations. Sounds rough, but at the same time “There’s too much stuff to do on Neopets.com” is a nice problem to have.
Furthermore, the start of a new Act feels like it’s gonna bring the conversations and revelations we’ve been eager to have. If Act 1 wasn’t the Act for them, surely Act 2 is. We completed Time is of the Essence, now’s the time for something to happen with Landelbrot’s studies. Now is the time for progress to show its fruits. Landelbrot, Baelia, Juni, Nyx… and even you villains, there’s things you have to show and we wanna see them.
21st July, 2024
- It’s “Time is of the Essence” Eve! It’s almost Time for it to be “of the Essence!”
Your Barracks, your Volunteer shifts, and your Essences of the day.Moltara CavesRoo IslandGeraptiku
Count as of 4:00 PM: 12,479,545.
There’s a lot of talk about if the end of Act 1 is coming soon. By tomorrow, all of the Fearless Deeds of Act 1 will be completable. There are three Acts, and six trophy tiers. So one might bet that there’s two trophy tiers to an Act. And if you’ve got 5000 points by now, you’ve reached that second trophy tier. Maybe that means it’s time for Act 2 to start, where we earn the next two trophies. On the other hand, we haven’t even finished the second of a whopping 21 chapters. So if the rule is “split the plot into thirds to know what constitutes one Act,” Act 1 shouldn’t be ending until the end of Chapter 7.
As for these rumors that the current prize shop is going away? That seems to be a misunderstanding from one of the FAQs. These FAQs have been pretty confusing, but the thing everyone seems to have derived this from doesn’t actually say that the prize shop will be going away. It’s coming from a mention in the Void Essence Collection FAQ, which only says that the Weekly Bonus prize pool will be expanding with each new Act.
So don’t panic. In fact, look forward to new days to come. They can only bring us new prizes and revelations.
20th July, 2024
- Page 7 of Filling the Void is here, and with it, we finally start asking questions.
As NeoRyuuko was keen to point out, Baelia has fallen to the distant back of the traveling party while Nyx and Tavi take up the front. She seems very detached from the group. Not a good sign from Baelia. Tavi says she has a question. Did she wanna know what happened to Juni? Yes. But first, she wants to know about Nyx’s powers. Specifically, she asks “That was a really neat spell you used to save us back in Brightvale. What was it?” While we’re pointing out parallels, AliOldman points out the seemingly deliberate naïveté of Tavi’s words. What Nyx cast wasn’t really a “spell” was it? Nyx is “powered by the Void” or something. Tavi isn’t so much “more knowledgeable” than Nyx as it is Nyx and Tavi (and the worlds they come from) are equally foreign to one another. What our heroes need to get movin’ on is getting to know each other.
But where does that leave Baelia? Like NeoRyuuko mentioned earlier, she’s almost physically separate from the group at this point. And now they’re talking about powers? While Baelia has none? Is this the part of the story where Tavi starts oohing and aahing at what Nyx can do in front of Baelia? And they grow closer while Baelia is left in the dust? SmudgeOfFudge doesn’t think so. Smudge thinks Nyx looks annoyed, in fact. If anything, Nyx and Tavi are being driven apat. Nyx is annoyed with Tavi and her questions. Maybe the ordeal in the Void is not something Nyx wants to talk about because of how harrowing it was. If nothing else, what’s at the forefront of her mind is getting to Altador. Maybe she’s too burdened with anxiety over Juni’s health to answer questions? What Smudge specifically figures is, Nyx will have a stress-related outburst from Tavi asking questions. Kinda like the outburst she had in the Void. Maybe it’ll open a portal to Altador and save our heroes some legwork?
We already know why Nyx has these powers, so at first glance this question might not be very interesting to us. What people wanna ask Nyx is “What Neopia are you from that doesn’t have an Altador?” The things we wanna know about the Void, Nyx probably doesn’t know. But even if she doesn’t, this is still relevant ground to cover. To answer this question, first of all she has to talk about how she ended up in the Void. That’ll give us some backstory on where she comes from. Should at least tell us what she does for a living. But also, the Council of Leaders and all of us fighting against these shades knows that this is all derived from that rift in the sky, right? Our heroes need to know about the things beyond the rift so that they can start brainstorming with all the cards revealed to them. We may have to wait a little longer for the answers to questions like “Who is Nyx’s brother” and “What is the Void” really, but this here is the first step to getting there.
Comic Prize this time around is Corrupted Void Markings.
Speaking of steps on the journey to answers, said journey is synopsized in the latest addition to the Plot Timeline.
All Roads Lead to Altador
Jul 14, 2024
With this, the timeline looks to have covered all of the story beats up to this point. And it looks like there’s roughly a week between each point. On average, anyway. And with the most recent update being for July 14th, maybe the next timeline update is for the 21st? Well, not the 21st because that would be tomorrow. But the next story day? AKA, the 22nd? - Speaking of the 22nd, that should be the day we finally complete “Time is of the Essence.” But you’re not gonna do that without today’s Void Essence locations.Lost DesertMeridellBrightvale
Count as of 4:00 PM: 11,958,065.
As usual, don’t forget your battles and volunteer shifts. Lots of people are hitting 5000 points now, arming themselves with Tears and Wands. The tide will surely start turning in Brightvale now.
19th July, 2024
- We are at the halfway point of the chapter. Compared to other plots, the Void occupation is particularly enduring. But there’s a lot about this plot that’s unprecedented. Here’s the Barracks, here’s the Volunteer Centre, and here’s your Void Essences for the day.GeraptikuNeopian MarketplaceVirtupets Space Station: Recreation Deck
Count as of 2:00 PM: 11,412,891
If you’ve been absolutely on top of the grind, by now you might be hitting 5000 prize shop points. And with that, the next trophy tier: Colourful Campaigner.
It’s not brown, it’s bronze. With purple Void accents. You may not be a fan of this one, but that’s more incentive to try for Silver or higher, right? - As our heroes continue to make their way to Altador, we continue to ponder where else they might be headed. Not just on foot, but metaphorically. NeoRyuuko has been thinking more about literary parallels, and something dawned on her: You know who else is parallel to Baelia? The Painter. Because they’re both Grey. But the Painter managed to be led astray to serve destructive forces while Baelia didn’t. So the two of them probably have different perspectives on being Grey. So, will Baelia be the voice of hope and positivity to save the Painter and maybe even Vira from this path that they’re on? When you think about those trigger warnings the FAQ was talking about, you probably presume that they’re mostly talking about when we get into the Painter’s story. The Painter is probably one of, if not our main tragic figure in all this.
But in order for Baelia to be the hero that saves the Painter with her positive perspective on Greyness, she herself must be able to stand tall. And in order to know if she can, we have to know how she’s feeling right now. Is Baelia in a place of vulnerability right now that even she might be led astray? Watching Tavi and Nyx chop it up while she’s just a spectator? Does she feel left out? Does she feel unable to even make real friends? Does she maybe blame herself for feeling left out? How can she save the Painter if she’s in this sort of state? For the sake of the Painter and Vira and, well, Neopia if we’re honest, here’s hoping Baelia finds a way forward from this. If she’s even feeling this way. Tomorrow’s another story day, maybe we’ll hear something from her then?
And speaking of the fate of Neopia, Nathanael311 had a question: The Voidly forces, how strong are they? We’re presently fighting Voidlings and Prowlers, but what about the tentacle creature? Could the tentacle creature take on, say, Chiazilla? Or Moltenus? Or Mumbo Pango? Mystery Island has a number of guardian figures watching over it. If history really even remembers Mystery Island. And it might not. Notice how there are no Mystery Island delegates seen at the Council of Leaders? So far?
On top of no delegates, it has no defaced posters, no known Grey Curse victims, talk about your spectators, Mystery Island is a spectator in the ongoing story of Neopia. Yes, we had that Mystery Island Volcano Plot back in 2003, but that was the biggest thing that ever happened to the Big Island. And it has had no bearing on the present day. We’re not talking about these guys like we talk about Fyora, Altador, Skarl, and Hagan.
Was the Volcano Plot a product of its time? If we had to write a Volcano Plot today, would we be making the Tiki Tour Guide the guardian of anything? Jhuidah, absolutely. Island Mystic? Sounds about right. But the Tiki Tour Guide???
On the other hand, if we leave Mystery Island forgotten, how are we gonna know how Chiazilla or Moltenus or Mumbo Pango would fare against the Void? If we really are dealing with darkness unprecedented, let these dark forces prove their mettle by stepping up to Neopia’s baddest dudes. Wouldn’t that be cool? To see the protectors of Mystery Island take a stand? And maybe even lose? Because the Void really is that big a deal?
Oh, wait, um, let’s instead hope that the figure out what’s bothering the Voidlings and Prowlers and everyone else. Let’s hope there aren’t any super cool titan battles. - VERY MINOR UPDATE: Have you noticed the Fearless Deeds lately? The flavor text for “Time is of the Essence” has been updated again. Now it tells you exactly how much Essence you’ve collected up to this point so you know how close you are to completing the Deed.
220 Essences up to now. That makes 22 days of collecting. And they only want 30 more Essences. Back on July 12th (before they updated the flavor text to what it is now) we thought “Oh, they want 250 Essences in addition to the ones we already collected.” But, AGAIN, we were wrong. They only want 250 total, which we are very close to collecting. Would we also be wrong in hoping/expecting Landelbrot and Jerdana to have some news for us from the lab?
Tomorrow is Page 7. And when Page 8 gets here, we should have all of this Deed finally done. And Page 9 will be the first episode of the plot where there are no outstanding Void Essence Deeds left. So surely at some point during one of these pages the Council should be meeting to discuss what they know.
18th July, 2024
- Time for another cutscene! Over at Headquarters Fyora has another alert for you. Click her, and hear not from Fyora, but Tavi. On the outskirts of Brightvale, our heroes bond over high tea…
Everyone all right? Anyone hungry? Thirsty? I’ve got a thermos full of tea if you want it.
No thank you…
No, I’m okay. I just want to focus on getting where we’re going.
*Whine*
Aw, the little guy’s thirsty. Hold on a second everyone, let me get him some tea.
Yip!
*Pours tea* There you go. Drink up!
Huh. He likes it. He’s usually so picky.
That’s because it’s one of my special blends. By the way, what’s his name?
Juni. Juniper.
It’s nice to meet you, Juni.
Yip yip.
Huh… I think he likes you. He must be sicker than I thought.
What’s that supposed to mean?
Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It usually takes him a bit to warm up to strangers. But when he does, he’s just the friendliest little guy. Aren’t you, Juni?
Yip yip…
Oh… well then I’ll take that as a compliment!
First, Juni. Is he feeling better after the tea? He still looks sad, but he’s graduated from whining to yipping. Maybe what he needs is a device like Nyx’s? Maybe he or Landelbrot can make another one if they get to Altador in time. Second, Jewel mentioned in that one Neopets LIVE that two characters would be opening up to one another, and that a relationship would develop. Are we witnessing that now? Is the relationship to develop between Nyx and Tavi? Because, again we must ask, what about Baelia? How does she feel right now? Maybe like the third wheel to the Nyx and Tavi bicycle? Actually, more like the fourth wheel to a tricycle. Juni is warming up to Tavi, Nyx is warming up to Tavi, Tavi is warming up to Juni… it’s like, Baelia’s right there, man!
Jewel also mentioned moments of “emotional catharsis.” NeoRyuuko is hoping that Baelia gets to enjoy one of those moments. Ryuuko also noticed an interesting parallel between Baelia and Faerieland itself: Something irreplaceable was taken from both of them. Baelia was turned Grey, and Faerieland was turned earthbound. And in both cases, maybe we need to just accept these things. Maybe Faerieland isn’t going back up in the air, maybe Baelia isn’t getting her powers back. And maybe these things are okay. - If you’re up at midnight, you’ll notice that the Void Essence spots are usually first caught by either Electro178 or Meet_My_Sword_Evil. Today’s sightings…AltadorShenkuuMeri Acres Farm
Count as of 2:00 PM: 10,922,916
But before you head to the Barracks or Volunteer Centre, a change has been made that may or may not be a glitch: Your ‘pets can be double booked for hospital shifts. Of the two currently available slots at the Centre, if you’ve got a ‘pet already in one, that same ‘pet can also take the other. People in this thread are reluctant to push their luck with this if it turns out to be a glitch, maybe just apply to shifts normally for a while and wait to see if this changes at all today? - Remember how we were speculating on this year’s NC Mall birthday cakes and whether or not they were hinting at the themes to come in the plot? And how maybe, if the third cake was very obviously plot related (like a Grey cake or something), then the whole set must be related to the plot? Well, we’ve got the third cake. The 17th Enchanted Forest Birthday Cake.
Doesn’t look like anything we’ve seen yet, so maybe it wasn’t like the Festival of Neggs after all. Do these look like they could make some kind of thematic set?
The blend of sci-fi and high fantasy is a notable hallmark of this plot, but otherwise it looks like maybe it was just the Void one that was plot relevant.
So the journey continues. But with many lands between, it promises to be a long one. Maybe one land per chapter? There’s about four pages left in this one, let’s see how they play out. - SMALL UPDATE: Maybe you noticed it later in the day, but in addition to being able to double book your ‘pets at the Volunteer Centre, you now get notifications for whenever a shift has ended.
It’d be nice to have this for some other things around the site, maybe?
Also, some minor additions have been made to the Plot Timeline to reflect the story so far with more detail. When we last checked the timeline, the most recent update was Filling the Void for July 8th, 2024. Since then, 3 new entries have been added, but BEFORE Filling the Void.
The entries go as follows…
A Council of the Highest Order Assembles
Jun 27, 2024
Baelia Brought Into the Picture
Jul 01, 2024
Brightvale Besieged
Jul 08, 2024
Stuff you probably already knew by now. Speaking of things you’ve seen and knownby now, the next trailer is up! Yes, already! Neopets: The Void Within – Official Trailer #2 went live earlier today, and it’s an animated recap of the comics from Orion’s holiday visions.
Advent Calendar, Day 26
Advent Calendar, Day 27
Advent Calendar, Day 28
Advent Calendar, Day 29
So, nothing really new revealed therein, but still cool to look at and compare/contrast.
As you can see, the trailer doesn’t line up perfectly with reality. The Timeline specifically says Brightvale was struck in the daytime. But still a very cool looking trailer. Here’s to more cool trailers in the future?
17th July, 2024
- Milestone Day!
Before you go to the Barracks, and Volunteer Centre, stop off and pick up your Essences.AltadorTyrannian JungleFaerie City
Not only is today the day we hit 10 million as a community, but it’s also weekly bonus time. So the payday is especially fat. 120 total prize shop points, one of the weekly bonus prizes, and the community milestone prize: Void Rift Snowglobe.
Next community milestone? 30 million. It took us a litle under a month to hit 10 million, so maybe racking up 20 million more will take us 2 months? Roughly? Maybe the next milestone comes some time around the Faerie Festival?
Count as of 6:00 AM: 10,166,615.
But we’re still waiting on Landelbrot and/or Jerdana to report something. This must be how Hagan felt when Magon wasn’t making his portals fast enough. But if Hagan can’t understand it, we must: Groundbreaking discoveries don’t come on a schedule. They come when they come.
16th July, 2024
- Story day! Let’s see what our heroes are up to on Page 5 of Filling the Void?
Not a huge, huge day. But they appear to have made it out of Brightvale safely. Of the four of them, Tavi is in the highest spirits, waving to grazing Babaa and surrounded by the vibrance of the countryside in summer. Flowers are in bloom, sunbeams break overhead… almost like it’s meant to be a deliberate counterpoint to the Greyness taking over Brightvale? Maybe Tavi is meant to be a counterpoint to Baelia, Nyx, and Juni?
Prize this time around is some Wormwood and Mint Balm.
Is that a reference to the injuries that at least 3 of our heroes are suffering? Maybe Juni just needs to apply a balm to his whole body? - What is Neopets.com but grinding out a collection of dailies in the hopes that you’ll be rewarded someday with Neopoints? Here’s the Barracks, here’s the Volunteer Centre, and here are your Void Essences for the day.Neopian BazaarNeopian PlazaShenkuu
Count as of 2:30 AM: 9,551,908.
Looks like we’re hitting 10 million Essences no later than tomorrow! Ten MILLION Essences, Landelbrot! Juni was able build this in a cave!!!
With a box of scraps!!!
Yes, Juni probably had to get hugged by the tentacle creature to gain this knowledge, but we’re not asking for miracles here, Landelbrot. We’re just asking for more than nothing. Surely 10 million Essences should be worth more than nothing? Or maybe he’s waiting on “Time is of the Essence” to be completed? Or maybe the real breakthroughs can only come after our heroes make it to Altador? - Speaking of Fearless Deeds and Altador, Altador Cup signups have finally begun! The Games themselves begin on July 31st. So the rest of Chapter 2 of this plot should pass without us having to worry about grinding several hours of Yooyuball. Here’s hoping Chapter 3 is light on commitments?
Signing up to support a team right now earns you the coveted “Not My Problem…” Fearless Deed.
The source of confusion was, people saw the Deed so they thought it was completable. But it was only completable as of right now. But should you miss the Cup, mourn not the chance to do this Deed. This plot will be spanning multiple seasons, and therefore multiple seasonal events.
Our heroes probably can’t afford to miss the Cup. In that they better make it to Altador soon. How much more time does Juni have before his condition turns?
15th July, 2024
- Another intermission day. But not a day off by any stretch. Before you get your 20 shades in and your Volunteer shifts in, you might wanna quickly grab your 10 Void Essences. Today’s spots…Deserted FairgroundNeoviaMoltara Caves
Count as of 2:30 AM: 9,018,465.
We were just at the Fairground. It’s almost like these aren’t random at all, right? - If you thought you were busy nowadays, get ready to hate your life because signups for the Altador Cup start in less than 24 hours. And that’s gonna coincide with a new story chapter for the plot, most likely. But dig this, NeoRyuuko was poking around when she decided to check the userlookup of Neostaffer Stone. The staff account they use for things like testing and other official business. Remember how everyone was looking at the “Orions Prophecies” trophy we got from the Festival of Neggs and was like “It’s made of wood, that means we’ll get to upgrade it, right?” Well behold, Stone’s trophy has been upgraded from Wood to Silver.
So fitting, if this should kick off during the Cup. We’ll have not one, but two events going on where the objective is to start from Wood and go for Gold. But what will we be doing? Looking for Petpet paws again? Oooh, what if we get to see more teasers in the future of this plot? Maybe a vision of something we don’t want to come true, something we might stand a chance at changing? - It’s a long way to Altador on foot. Here’s hoping our heroes can make it there in time for all the fun. If Tavi doesn’t own a vehicle, maybe there’s some public transit she can take from Neopia Central? After she goes to meet her brother, whoever he is?
Speaking of that question, Orisasda raises a chilling possibility: What if Nyx’s brother is the Painter?
If Nyx is from the past, one has to wonder how long she’s been gone. Maybe all those years, even potential decades (the in-universe passage of time varies) took their toll on Nyx’s brother. Made him a sad, vulnerable old man? Ripe for manipulation by Vira? If this is what happened, this would mean that Nyx’s mode of arriving at the future wasn’t so much “time travel” as it was going through a time warp. Time travel typically means she can see her future self, and if her brother turned to the Dark Side for want of his sister, Nyx’s future self wouldn’t be around. In order for Nyx to be “gone” from Neopia, there can only be one Nyx. One Nyx who went through a time warp and time sped up for Neopia but not her. Meaning… she didn’t beat Magon to creating a portal to the future.
Whoever this Yurble is, he must be important. Maybe while our heroes make their way to Altador (by way of Neopia Central), we can hear some Story about this Yurble? Fingers crossed for something juicy tomorrow.
14th July, 2024
- It’s finally time to hear about Nyx! If you stop by Headquarters, you’ll find… not much going on. Probably secret council business. But it’s suggested to you that you go stop by Brightvale.
While we lock sabers with shades and lick our wounds, new friendships bloom on the battlefield…
Hey, you! Did you just save me?
*Staring at her hand* …
Um, excuse me… But who are you?
I’m… Nyx. Sorry, but… Can I ask you where I am?
Brightvale. Or at least I think it is… It’s not very bright right now, is it?
Bright…vale? Never heard of it.
*Whine*
That’s not important. Are there any doctors around here? My friend is hurt and I—
Not around here, but maybe we can try the Healing Springs. Marina always knows what to do…
I don’t know, Tavi… Those don’t look like normal injuries to me. Even Marina might not be able to help here…
Maybe you’re right. He looks like he’s covered in the same stuff that’s in that weird floating space hole over Neopia. Wait, wasn’t Dr. Landelbrot researching that?
And the Council of Leaders, too. Queen Fyora was worried about it…
Council of Leaders, huh…?
Okay. I’m going to the Council and this Dr. Ladle-bot guy, and then I’m going back to Neopia Central to find my brother. Thanks for your help.
Wait! You can’t just go alone. Do you even know where Altador is?
Altador? I’m not familiar with that land either… but I’ll manage.
No offence, but you didn’t even know we were in Brightvale. Come on, I’m an explorer, so I’ll make sure we all get to the Council and Dr. Landelbrot nice and quick. And you can use your, um… space magic or whatever it is to protect us!
…
*Sigh*… Fine. Let’s go, then.
There was a lot of speculation that Nyx might be from Brightvale. That this is the reason Brightvale got attacked with shades first. That the enemy knew about Nyx, has known about Nyx, and is trying to draw her out or something. Turns out, Nyx doesn’t even know what Brightvale is!
That “where and when” has paid off, Nyx is from a Neopia without a Brightvale. Or an Altador. But it does have a Neopia Central because that’s where her brother lives. So… what sort of Neopia is Nyx from? Maybe a far flung future/alternate timeline where Brightvale and Altador are long gone? NeoRyuuko has a different theory: It’s the other way around. Nyx is from the past. From a time when these lands have yet to reveal themselves to the Neopian community. What a twist it would be for this futuristic looking Aisha to be from the past and not the future, but it’s this kind of out-of-the-box thinking that has been encouraged up to this point. Look at all these old, scrapped prizes in the Prize Shop. Makes sense for a story about an Aisha from the distant past, right? From the time these items belong to? Thematically? When and wherever Nyx is from, let’s hope she talks to somebody about it. Surely either Baelia or Tavi are curious enough to ask?
Speaking of Baelia and Tavi, thanks to their new traveling companions, their trip to Meridell has been re-routed. They need to take Juni to see Dr. Ladle-bot and the Council of Leaders in Altador. This trip should take them through the Haunted Woods, and those mountains nearby the Haunted Woods. So, if we were just in Meridell and Brightvale, and we’re about to head into the Haunted Woods and the Haunted Mountains on the way to Altador… it’s starting to look like the order in which those defaced travel posters were released.
It’s just that it skips over Neopia Central. Unless… they have to cut through Neopia Central before they get to the Haunted Woods? Then it lines up perfectly. And they very well might need to go to Neopia Central first, because mountains are not like flat land. You usually can’t just cut straight through them. You have to find a pass or trail that cuts through them. And just check the World Map, look at the mountain range in question. Doesn’t it look like there’s some kind of walkable valley from the North Haunted Woods to Altador?
Yes, it works out beautifully. Instead of going to Altador first and seeing her brother later, they can cut through Neopia Central by necessity, maybe take this time to see her brother, and from this meeting maybe learn more about who Nyx is and where/when she’s from? If she is from the past, maybe she arrives in Neopia Central, goes to look up her brother, and finds that he’s very old? Maybe even dead? Tragic, yes, but she’s out of time and place so her brother as she knows him isn’t in our Neopia Central anyway. She’s in an entirely new world.
Nyx being from the past also makes old, airborne Faerieland appearing in that defaced poster more relevant. Why the old Faerieland? Because that’s the Faerieland from Nyx’s time. On their way to Altador she’s probably gonna be like “Hey, Faerieland’s not in the sky. What happened?” Kinda like… someone coming back to Neopia after a long hiatus? Which Aesop and Stone and Jewel and Fallie all said this plot was a metaphor for??? An actual player who hasn’t been around for long enough probably hasn’t heard of Brightvale or Altador either! But an actual player also can’t ever go back to the early 2000s. They can reminisce, but they can’t travel back through time. So, will Nyx be able to, or is she stuck here? Jerdana and Landelbrot might be able to answer that. It’s really starting to look like Void Essence is quantum time particles. Either the prevalence of them makes the passage of time speed up/act weird in the Void, or Nyx channeled the Void energy inside her to actively travel forward through time. Only question is, is time travel one way or can you travel backwards?
Chronomobiles can supposedly travel backwards through time. Zylphia of the Arcanium (and NC Mall) does it. Zylphia also has purple hair like Nyx. Coincidence?
Study of the Essence may reveal the caveats of Void-powered time travel to us. Maybe we’ll learn that Nyx is a living paradox and can’t go back to her own time or something? Landelbrot will certainly be involved in uncovering this, but it would be a real shame if Magon didn’t get to be. If Nyx is from the past, she made a portal to the future. She discovered the secret that Magon caught a charge trying to discover. And all this time in Brightvale is just more and more of a reminder of that. The Trouble in Brightvale event content is still on the page almost 6 years later.
But let’s not forget about Baelia. Note the pregnant pause from her at the end of that dialogue. What is she thinking? How is she feeling? Is she distrustful of Nyx? Maybe a little jealous? Fearful that Nyx might steal Tavi from her because Nyx is so cool and powerful while she’s almost nonfunctioning? Or at least that’s how she feels in her head? How’d she feel about not being able to defend Tavi from the shades? How’d she feel when Tavi told her to run for her life? Know what we need? More diary entries from Baelia. So far we’ve just got the one.
As different as Nyx and Baelia might seem, they both are trying to get back to the way things were, and that may or may not be possible. They may or may not make the choice to not even try. Maybe instead of distrust, the two of them can bond over this? Think back to when Jewel said there’s a moment in this plot that stood out to her as she was developing it, where two characters build a relationship. Maybe that can be Baelia and Nyx. And Tavi! And Juni! - Baelia and Tavi have safe passage out of Brightvale, we still have work to do to ensure everyone else does. The Barracks and the Volunteer Centre await, as usual. And surely Landelbrot still wants his Essences. Today’s spots…Neopian BazaarKrawk IslandDeserted Fairground
Count as of 8:30 AM: 8,678,277.
Seems like Nyx is back from hiatus, and it’s up to Tavi to fill her in on what’s changed since she was last here. They said this would be a global adventure. But is Neopia Central the next stop on this tour? And like on the travel poster, will we find the Painter there wreaking havoc? If we do, and we don’t see any bones sticking out of the ground, that might be the sign we’ve been looking for that these posters were symbolic all along, not literal. But if they are symbolic, what is this Painter going through that this is the message and muse behind their work? We’re finally learning about Nyx, let’s hope the Painter isn’t far off.
13th July, 2024
- Another day between comic pages. This petpage is getting so big that it’s difficult to process. So let’s not make this longer than it needs to be. Your Essences for the day…MaraquaMaraquan RuinsIce Caves
Count as of 12:30 AM: 7,956,389.
Don’t forget to Volunteer and don’t forget to battle. Tomorrow Nyx, hopefully, has word from the outer limits for us.
12th July, 2024
- No points for guessing! Well, maybe some points. Nyx meets up with our fellowship in Page 3 of Filling the Void!
The “CRASH!” did not hurt Tavi. Or at least not much. And those houses were probably wrecked before the airstrike. Baelia runs over to Tavi, no doubt regretting how powerless she was when the chips were down. But what was that?
…And then, like angels, they descend: Nyx and her Faellie. There’s sparkles and sunbeams/Voidbeams and everything. The allegory is STRONG with our heroes today. Speaking of our heroes, today’s Comic Prize finally gives us the name of our Faellie friend. Juni in Backpack.
You may or may not have already known it, we certainly knew it. There’s a few things we know that we don’t talk about here for the sake of not spoiling anything. We save that discussion for Board 58. But now we’re free to call him by his name: Juni! Nyx and Juni, Juni and Nyx. Now that they’re back in Neopia, first thing on the menu should be getting Juni the help he desperately needs. As Aesop said, Juni is alive but in bad shape. Hey, y’know who might know a thing or two about taking care of Petpets? Baelia. Grey Faeries are always sending people on Faerie Quests for Petpets, right? Next, can Nyx help us understand anything about this Void stuff? Does she have any information at all that can help us? She seems to not know much at first glance. She’s still figuring her powers out. She didn’t know the Battle for Brightvale was even happening. But maybe there’s SOMETHING she can help us with? Something she learned up there? Some connection to the Void that can help us? Some subliminal familiarity with Greyness that she might pick up on if she maybe came in contact with some of this mysterious Greyness? Does she have any guesses as to why these shades seem to be in so much pain?
Let’s also remember that the Void and going to it and coming from it are meant to be some kinda metaphor for leaving Neopia (as if on hiatus) and coming back. Maybe stronger, maybe to a world unfamiliar to you. So think, if YOU were coming back to Neopia after a long hiatus where you grew and changed as a person, what would be the first thing you did? Let us know in this thread?
AliOldman raises a good question though. Brightvale was just under attack (and remains under attack) from a Void-begat army. So to behold another Voidish stranger, but this one is powerful enough to fire energy blasts with their own onomatopoeia and float around like some kind of “Void Angel?” What if Nyx and Juni are stopped before they can do anything, because Baelia and Tavi think she’s a foe and not a friend? Well… what are Baelia and Tavi gonna do to stop Nyx? Unfortunately, they aren’t very combat-ready. Nyx is brimming with incredible power, and Baelia is, by virtue of being a Grey Faerie, not brimming with incredible power. So any misunderstandings between our heroes can probably be easily resolved. It’s not like Baelia or Tavi can stop Nyx in any way before she explains “I come in peace. I didn’t choose the Void life, the Void life chose me.” But this has its own way of complicating things. Baelia probably doesn’t wanna be defined by powerlessness. So here comes this new girl who is everything she isn’t. She might feel useless by comparison, and that’s gonna leave a mark on her mental health. She might even do something rash? Maybe even at the worst possible time? Yes, Baelia and Nyx might end up being “enemies” in another way. Let’s hope all four of our heroes can be friends and work together with the rest of Neopia. - There’s no “Battle for Brightvale III” today, so just do your usual rounds at the Barracks, the Volunteer Centre, and the collection of Void Essence. Today’s spots…Haunted WoodsMoltara CavesLutari Island
Count as of 4:30 AM: 7,559,501.
Today makes 15 straight days of collecting Void Essence. That’s 150 Essences. Let’s check on that Fearless Deed!
Gather 250 Void Essences… So, back on July 2nd when we said the first 50 Essences were the first 3rd of the full Deed? And the full Deed would end up costing a total of 150 Essences? Turns out we had that wrong. “2/3” didn’t mean “You’ve collected a third of the total Essences you need to do this Deed,” it meant “You’re on the 2nd challenge of three challenges that comprise this Deed.” Just one of many things we’ve misunderstood. But now we know! 250 more Essences and we’re done with this Deed! If Jerdana and Landelbrot don’t have anything for us by the 10 Million Essence Community Challenge being completed, surely after this Deed is done they must.
We are eager to know about the Void, and today it spits up two who have been to the other side. We’ve talked about the first things Nyx and Juni need to do, but the first thing we need to do? Schedule the interview of the century.
11th July, 2024
- Another day, another 10 Essences, another 20 shades, and as many shifts as they’ll let you pick up. Your Essence patrols for the day…Roo IslandNeopian MarketplaceMaraqua
The count as of 4:30 PM: 7,307,268.
Speaking of shifts at the Volunteer Centre and how hard they make you work for your pay there, around last night people started getting reward an avatar for being absolutely dogged in their pursuit of that 200 points per day that’s literally impossible right now.
It’s called “Devoted Caretaker,” and you really gotta be devoted to have gotten it this early: You get it after completing 12 shifts. Well, more like 10 shifts. It was supposed to be 12, but a glitch released it early to some people. It has since been fixed. Still, 60 hours of shifts between 10AM on July 8th and late last night July 10th? It can only be done if you set your alarm as such that you wake up in time to start a new shift RIGHT as the old one ends. You will not be getting your 8 hours of sleep. But then, what else is new for healthcare workers?
10th July, 2024
- Vira’s forces are doubling down! Page 2 of Filling the Void makes good on the other half of the chapter synopsis. This is the part of the chapter where Tavi gets attacked.
With Tavi and Baelia hot on their trail, Vira sets Tavi back with a few Shades. Tavi might climb mountains, but she’s no warrior. The shades swamp her. She tells Baelia to make a run for it because if Tavi can’t fight, there’s no way Baelia can fight. But Baelia is paralyzed with fear. Or perhaps… compassion? Perhaps she’s so selfless that in the face of certain defeat she can’t help but stand with her friends?
This Painter continues to hide themself just out of frame. Vira calls them away. “Time to report back” says Vira, floating away like an imp. Their work here is done, probably gotta go check in with their faerie mistress. They’re getting away! Baelia doesn’t give chase, she’s too busy trying to figure out how to save Tavi. It’s looking bad, our heroes are woefully out of their element! When suddenly…
TAVI??? O_O Something from outta the sky… it crashes into… did it hit Tavi??? Was this the REAL attack that the chapter summary was talking about???
At this point you’re probably thinking back to the end of Chapter 1. Nyx was watching Brightvale from the Void, getting ready to attempt… something?
Was this what she was trying to do? Conjure this… air strike against the shades? So did she save Tavi from being strangled by the shades? On the other hand, the onomatopoeia says “CRASH!” If it were a blast, wouldn’t it be something like “BOOM!” or maybe those chirping noises we heard from the trailer? Or how about “ZRAKKK!” like from Orion’s lyre-powered vision?
The Voidling Bobblehead you get for reading this page looks more like a Prowler. Maybe the name is gonna change soon?
The full synopsis of Chapter 2 has been fulfilled, and it only just started. It begs the question: What’s gonna happen next??? Is this where Nyx makes an appearance? Is Tavi okay??? - Another day in war-torn Brightvale. But as we said before, Vira’s forces are doubling down. Per the update under today’s comic…
Take heed Neopians, the Battle for Brightvale II has begun. Joìn fellow reservists on the front lines, or donate your time at the Neopian Hospital volunteer effort!
This URL ends in “fight=4” but we still don’t have a clue what that’s supposed to mean, if it’s even still supposed to be there. But we’re already on Part II? Before we go fight and/or tend to the needy, let’s check the Reports from the Front for today.
Reports are flooding in that Vira summoned more shades to cause mayhem as she left the scene in Brightvale. Although she and the grey Yurble involved in the attack have vanished without a trace, they left behind numerous shades prowling about. Innocent Neopians are still in the process of evacuating the area and being caught in the crossfire. Ready yourself and deploy to Brightvale immediately!
So Vira and the Painter have escaped Brightvale. How far did Baelia and Tavi get? Are they still in Brightvale? In fact, if the summit knows about the attack in Brightvale, do they know that Baelia and Tavi are in danger? Are they keeping watch over them from afar a la Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli protecting the hobbits?
If they aren’t, we certainly can. What would Aragorn, Legolas, and Gimli do? Fight the bad guys for those who can’t. Battle for Brightvale II is a lot like Battle for Brightvale I, except slightly harder. This time it’s 5 waves. 3 Voidlings + 2 Void Prowlers. And after the fight, you get 50 prize shop points, not 40. The cap remains at 200 though. Still 10 points per shade.
You can still fight in Battle for Brightvale I if you prefer, both battles are still running. And you know what that means? Over at Volunteer Centre, you can be a medic for both battles.
As you can see, there are two “Join Shift” buttons. Because Volunteer Centre isn’t like the Battledome where you have to manually do it, you can put a ‘pet on each shift and passively earn double the prize shop points! Now, that’s still only 40 points for a 6 hour shift, nowhere near the 200 a day cap the FAQ is talking about. But what if they open up even more shifts? Probably not right away, it looks like Act 1 is full. Maybe they surprise us with Battle for Brightvale III on July 12th? But even if they did, if you could visit Neopets.com twice within 6 hours or so, you would need to be able to staff 5 separate shifts twice a day to hit 200 points. If that’s what they expect people to do, why not let them do it now? If the Volunteer Centre really is meant to be equal to battling, why do healthcare workers have to wait to be able to hit their cap? Again… unfortunately… maybe Volunteer Centre wasn’t meant to be a “real” alternative to battling. - While you’re in Brightvale, maybe pick up some Void Essence? It’s one of the three Collection spots today.BrightvaleGeraptikuIce Caves
We forgot to share the count yesterday!
But we do have today’s count as of 10:15 PM: 6,914,516.
Maybe Jerdana and Landelbrot really do need 10 million Essences before they can do their experiments? Nyx will probably show up before then, though. With all sorts of revelations that will either jump start this project, or complicate it all the way back to square one. Hurry, Nyx. Your Faellie friend… OUR Faellie friend… is running out of time! - Finally, one last bit of news we didn’t think much of until recently: Have you seen these promotional stat increasing birthday cakes in the NC Mall? They get released every year, if you wanna fight shades you almost certainly know about these cakes. The first one released this year? The 17th Void Birthday Cupcake.
Looks plot themed. Kinda neat, but so is a lot of Mall merch right now. This plot is a big deal. But today we got the second of the 3 cakes to be released in the annual series, the 17th Cyberpunk Neon Birthday Cake.
Much like the neggs of the Festival of Neggs, it bears asking: Are all of these cakes meant to be related to the plot? If so, what does that say about the themes we’re in for? We’ve got a Void cake, which suggests there’ll be Void stuff. We knew that. But does this other cake also mean we’re getting cyberpunk stuff? And of what substance will the cyberpunk stuff be? Is it just space stuff and seeing Nyx be a person who lives/works in space?
We get the third cake in another week. That is July 17th. We find ourselves playing the Tales of Neoviadegrees of separation” game with these cakes. If the third cake is very obviously plot related (like a Grey cake or something), then the whole set must be related to the plot because why would only 2 out of the 3 cakes be plot related? Right? Yes, sometimes things are just coincidences. But how often is “sometimes?”
9th July, 2024
- Void Essence Collecting is now different every day, which warrants an update every day. Your essence this time around are in…AltadorNeopia CentralIce Caves
This change was likely made for the sake of our engagement in the plot. But canonically, does this mean what Landelbrot said might happen has come to pass? He said “Conglomerations of void essence may start trickling into entirely new sets of lands as the rift expands over time.” Well, they’re trickling into new sets of lands. Does that mean the rift grew? - But wait! There’s more! Maybe you didn’t expect it, maybe you thought you had to wait for “Battle for Brightvale II,” but there’s more battling to be done, more bodies to tend to and more prize shop points to be won! Pick one or both tasks over on the Battle tab.
But this really calls the Volunteer Centre into question. Because up until now, maybe what the FAQ meant to say was that there was a 200 point cap per chapter? And while battlers could hit their caps earlier, healthcare workers could earn the same amount of points as battlers but it would take longer? But as of today, if you’re a battler then you’ve got as much as 400 prize shop points earned while the healthcare workers (provided they don’t/can’t battle) will have a maximum of only 120 points. Provided they don’t miss a second in picking up new shifts. So… how is this supposed to work? And why doesn’t the FAQ make sense to us yet?
It might just be that the Volunteer Centre was never meant to be a replacement for battling. It doesn’t actually say it would be a perfect replacement in the FAQ. Though that is the idea a lot of people got, that you didn’t need to battle to get full rewards. But if that’s not what the Volunteer Centre is meant to be, when and how do we get 200 points a day from it?
8th July, 2024
- Again, never let your guard down. Chapter 2, Filling the Void, is not starting on Tuesday. It starts today, and with a bang. You’re gonna be working today.
So much for “Our Brightvale isn’t under attack.” It didn’t happen on a stormy night, but if you stop by Brightvale today you will find that it’s finally Grey. Orion’s prophecy has come to pass. Does Hagan know?
Baelia and Tavi pass through, no doubt curious about that cloud overhead, only to find that the place is a warzone. Void… creatures… zip through the skies. Roberta is on the ground doing what she can to drive the enemy back. And speaking of the enemy, look who else is here!
Vira with a sick new chain for her dagger! And… the Painter. Finally we get a look at their face. Smooth duds on this Yurble. What is their story???
Vira says they’ve caused enough chaos for today, but Tavi isn’t ready for them to leave. She calls out to them. A chase might very well be on. How do we know? Well, now we know that these chapter summaries are a summary of the whole chapter. That stuff about “A feeling of disquiet settles over Neopia as strange occurrences culminate into an assault on an entire land during the dead of night… Meanwhile, new heroes receive a call for adventure!” doesn’t make sense at first, until you see the whole chapter and you realize that Baelia and Tavi were the new heroes. So what does the chapter summary/Plot Timeline say about this chapter?
Filling the Void
Jul 08, 2024
Tavi is attacked, it says so plain as day. It hasn’t happened yet, but it’s a thing that’s going to happen in this chapter. It’s not clear how many pages it’ll take for Tavi to chase our villains down, but it will end in Tavi getting attacked. Maybe even Greyed. That’ll be something. What will Baelia do when her functioning extrovert friend is as much as disaster as she is? Surely she will have to step up, just as she did when she decided to take this case in the first place. Truly a trying time for Baelia.
Speaking of turning Grey, do we now know the exact mechanism by which the Greyness takes hold? There was a Grey cloud over Brightvale. Is the Painter perhaps raising the Brush to the sky, and creating a raincloud that drops Greyness everywhere? Because that’s what it looked like in the trailer.
But then, the trailer is clearly not exact to reality. And finally, if that’s what Chapter 2 is gonna focus on, what is Nyx up to in the Void? Are we gonna get back to that in this chapter? Let’s reflect on everything that happened in Chapter 1 to see just how much can happen in a chapter: Meridell turns Grey, Skarl tries to wash himself, a summit of nations is formed in Altador, we start collecting Void Essence, we send Baelia and Tavi to Meridell by way of Brightvale, and somewhere up in the Void we have Nyx keeping an eye on things. Ideally we should move that far in Chapter 2.
Get dressed for battle with today’s Comic Prize – Brightvale Besieged Background.
No, really, get dressed for battle. You may have noticed the notice at the bottom of today’s comic.
Take heed Neopians, the Battle for Brightvale I has begun. Joìn fellow reservists on the front lines, or donate your time at the Neopian Hospital volunteer effort!
Turns out yeah, Chapter 2 begins with a battle in Brightvale. In fact, we’re late to the battle because Brightvale was under siege as soon as we got there. But we can’t actually take part yet. If you visit either of these links, you’ll see that a countdown is underway.
So that’s where the Gelert doctor went. As you probably expected, he’s part of this new Hospital plot step. But Torakor is here too? Does that mean the summit of nations knows that Brightvale is under attack? Because he was at the summit and now he’s supervising the charge against the Void menace.
Anyway, the countdown is set to hit zero at 10:00 AM NST. That seems to be a common start date for plot steps. At 10:00 AM NST today, we start throwin’ hands. - In the meantime, there’s still Void Essence Collection. But hold the phone! There’s been a change. At midnight, TNT developer Dingo showed up to announce some changes! They’re detailed in this thread, here’s a brief rundown.
1. The “From the Very Beginning” Deed has been expanded to anyone who did anything within the first 8 days of the plot, but you already know that.
2. Upon achieving a Fearless Deed, you’ll see a notification on the Rewards tab. When you visit it, the Fearless Deed(s) you recently achieved will be marked with a badge that says “New!” Also, achieved Deeds are marked in that nice lavender highlight.
3. The “End of Chapter nearing, finish everything before it’s too late” warning, AKA Page 11 of “A Riot of Colour,” awarded a prize shop point as if it were a comic or a cutscene. This was a mistake. We get to keep the point, but moving forward all future end-of-chapter warnings will not give out prize shop points.
4. TNT is aware of a bug that’s keeping people from getting prize shop points for redeeming Void Essence. If you or someone you know suspect they might be a victim of this bug, write in to the support team with the category “The Void Within” and they’ll review your case.
But perhaps most important…
5. Void Essence will no longer appear on the same map every day. They changed it so now that it can appear on ANY of the 40 maps that make up Neopia.
As usual, there were mixed feelings. All of them strong. The three maps would be different for everyone every day. Lotta people liked it, lotta people didn’t. Once again, TNT tried to find a compromise and ANOTHER change was made less than 2 hours later, detailed in this thread. The updated rule…
5. Void Essence will STILL no longer appear on the same map every day, but it appears in the same place for everyone each day.
For instance, if it’s after 1:50 AM today and you find your Void Essence in, oh, let’s say the Neopian Plaza, Faerie City, and the Lost Desert, that’s because everyone who went looking for their Essences after 1:50 AM today will find their Essences there. So where are they actually, today? As of 1:50 AM?Neopian PlazaFaerie CityLost Desert
It’s gonna be a little easier than it might’ve been, but here’s that Lost Fragments trick again in case you forgot. You wanna right-click and “Inspect,” or otherwise open your browser’s Developer Tools. In the “Elements” tab, scroll down until you see !– Map Setup End –. If you see a bunch of tvw-essence, that means you’ve got Essence in the area. Hover your cursor over those tvw-essence classes for them to be highlighted on the map.
Count as of 5:15 AM: 5,405,761.
Board 58 will continue to be full of fury over these latest developments. But save some fury for the enemy, because in a few short hours they’re gonna be all over us. Watch this space. - UPDATE: Thank goodness we have 3 weeks to complete this. With this kind of lag, you’re gonna need every second. There might still be some glitches here and there, but as far as we can find, the following is how things are SUPPOSED to go down…
Over at Headquarters you should notice an alert on the Battle tab. It’s finally open!
First, a tour of this section. Right away, the “Battledome Challengers” section provides a list of enemies currently attacking Neopia that you can go defend her against. Enemies like the ones sowing havoc in Brightvale. The batch of enemies hold the “Voidlings” and the Void Prowlers. We get a short description, and a short bit of strategy for dealing with them.
For some reason both of these enemies seem to talk a lot about wanting to be left alone. What’s that about? We’ll look a little deeper into that later. Like with Void Essence, we’ve also got a “Total Enemies Defeated” section. Unlike with Void Essence, there are no bounties or milestones for hitting a certain number… yet.
And finally, there’s the “Battle Updates” section, which appears to be a journal over time of the story of enemies being released to us for battle.
The entry for today, July 8th…
Vira, the cursed Acara, was spotted alongside a mysterious Yurble commanding an army of otherworldly creatures they have been overheard referring to as shades. After receiving word of this shadowy swarm wreaking havoc across the land of Brightvale, Torakor has already begun mobilising reserve troops to the erudite kingdom. If you have the strength to help defend Neopia, now is the time to wield it!
So it appears Altador does know about the attack in Brightvale, and is already moving troops around to handle it. Also? Vira and the Painter call these Void enemies “shades.” That’s what we’ll call them from here on. With Neopia currently under attack from the shades, it’s time to either go to the Barracks and fight these guys, or go to the Hospital and be a supporter.
Small curiosity, the link to the Barracks at the bottom of Page 1 of Filling the Void is https://www.neopets.com/dome/barracks.phtml?fight=3. But the link on the Battle tab doesn’t have the “?fight=3” part. What does that part mean? Where are Fights 1 and 2? It isn’t clear right now. Anyway, let’s start with the battling, as you’re probably at least a little familiar with that.
At the Barracks you are immediately greeted by a popup of Torakor.
Welcome to the Reserve Barracks, comrade in arms! In these dire times, we could always use another sword by our side. Provided the wielder knows how to swing it, that is.
We’ve been recruiting reservists such as yourself to remain on standby, ready to be deployed at a moment’s notice. I shall be coordinating with the Defenders of Neopia so we quickly can reinforce any lands that need help fending off attackers. Report back here if you notice new lands being targeted or powerful enemies appearing. We may just need your assistance!
In the meantime, keep your blade sharp so you can be ready when the time comes. I intend to stay in top form by training with formidable sparring partners in the Battledome every morning! If this is your first time in the Battledome, you might want to study up on the basics first.
If you would like to help out but don’t have the stomach for combat, I caught wind that the Neopian Hospital is starting a volunteer program as well to help those caught up in the attacks or adjusting to being greyed out permanently. Even if you start out volunteering in the Neopian Hospital, you can always join the fray in the Battledome by clicking the “Battle” button.
Defenders of Neopia are on recon duty, and Torakor is managing troop placement. This is what it looks like when Neopia unites to fight a global adversary.
The Barracks have no FAQ for us to check, so let’s jump right into the action.
Good to see another sharpened sword at the ready!
I’ll be posting deployment orders for reserve troops below as the Defenders of Neopia bring word of new lands being attacked. Our goal is to provide support to the military or local militia of each land in defending their lands from these shadowy attackers. Report back here if you notice new lands being targeted or powerful enemies appearing. We may just need your assistance!
If you would like to help out but don’t have the stomach for combat, the Neopian Hospital is starting a volunteer program as well to help those caught up in the attacks or adjusting to being greyed out permanently.
Like with the Fearless Deeds, the “Fights” are separated into three Acts. There’s only the one fight available right now though, but this seems to suggest that the plot as a whole can be broken up into three acts. And the “I” in “Battle for Brightvale I” suggests that there will be future battles in Brightvale.
It says “Enemy Wave(s): 4.” A look at the Battle Profile tells us this means the battle comes in the form of 3 Voidlings and 1 Prowler. 4 fights in a row, no breaks. A new feature for plots, usually after you fight one challenger you get to leave if you want. Usually to heal up and go another round. Not this time, which makes for just a little extra challenge. So let’s see what kinda heat these guys are packin’?
Voidling
25 HP on Easy, 45 HP on Advanced, 67.5 HP on Extreme
Weapons: Void Blade, Scroll of the Fool, Attack Fork, Downsize!, Magical Healing Potion
Void Prowler
45 HP on Easy, 67.5 HP on Advanced, 103.5 HP on Extreme
Weapons: Ancient Scimitar, A Voider, Cursed Elixir, Bracers of Defence, Arm Shield, Lesser Healing Scroll
One of those weapons, “A Voider,” is brand new.
You can even win it in combat against the Prowler. Doesn’t do much, though. Blocks a little Dark, inflicts even less Dark.
Like other Battledome challengers, these shades have Abilities too. But you might catch them using this one here.
See that purple Voidy looking Ability? We don’t know it’s name, we don’t see it appear in the Combat Log. But the image directory is… 0039_9ywcaav56t_voidtouch/thumb_39.png. So it’s probably called “Void Touch?” What does it do? Well, some ‘pets are reporting catching Watery Eyes from fighting these shades. So maybe that’s what it does?
Anyway, pick the difficulty you prefer, and Torakor will send you off.
See that
icon up there? That icon means the ‘pet in question is currently volunteering as a medic. We’ll get to that later, but it means that ‘pet can’t go fight. Not until they’re finished with their shift. Your ‘pet also obviously can’t fight if you see this 
icon, meaning your ‘pet has no HP and needs healing. Pick a ‘pet that can fight, and hit Continue.
For one reason or another, typically if you’ve already fought the shades, you might get this popup before you get to fight.
Might be some kind of small glitch, or it might be a feature. But let’s get into the the fight.
The Voidling says Away! Leave! Lines up with with what’s in its profile in the Battledome Challengers section. The Voidling seems to want to be alone. Other things the Voidling says…
Better off alone…
Empty! Alone!
BE GONE!!!
Only comfortable alone…!
Only quiet when alone…
Stay back! Leave! AWAY!!!
Get away… Make quiet again…
Every now and then the Voidling will use no weapons, and instead heal themself with the Bandage ability. At which point they say…
No touch… Make better…
Hmmmm… these Voidlings appear to really be going through something. But the real kicker comes after you defeat one.
Silence… At last, silence…
Are we… putting these Voidlings out of their misery? Is life agony for them? They scream about wanting to be alone and to get away from the noise. They’re praying for silence. But maybe they’re after a more “permanent” kind of silence? To escape the agony of being in our world? Remember how Landelbrot and Jerdana talked about how Void Essence wasn’t meant for our world, maybe shades can’t stand our world either?
Or maybe they just want the fight to be over? Because if you lose to the Voidling, they say this…
Quiet… Alone again… All alone…
The Voidling gets their quiet time whether you win or lose, but it comes with loneliness. But is that really what they need or even want?
And then there’s the Prowler. Who opens with…
Betrayal… Backstabbing…
Betrayal and backstabbing. As alluded to on the Battledome Challengers section, broken trust appears to be the theme with the Prowler. Like with the Voidling, it’s apparent that someone or something is hurting the Prowler. But betrayal and backstabbing, that sounds more like past trauma. As opposed to having a bad reaction to our dimension. Other battle quotes from the Prowler…
Know my pain!!
VANISH FROM HERE!
Feel my isolation!
Come no closer…!
Can’t hurt me… Not again…
None can be trusted!
Liars! Backstabbers! STAY BACK!
Get them… Before they get you…
Like the Voidling, the Prowler will take a break to use a defensive/healing ability. In the Prowler’s case, they use Shade. The ability. And they say…
Nobody… will hurt me again…
Okay so first of all, yes the theme of betrayal is strong here. So who hurt this Prowler? If someone hurt this Prowler, doesn’t that kinda suggest that this Prowler was a good person once, but was led astray in one way or another? Lines like “Know my pain” really lay it on that these shades are not just aggressors, they’re victims of… something. And when you consider Vira was led astray/hurt/manipulated, and that this Painter is probably being manipulated? And is emotionally vulnerable? Taking drastic measures from drastic trauma? You start to wonder if maybe there’s ties.
But more intriguing is the “Get them… Before they get you…” line. Is that just more representation of the attitude of a betrayed person? Is this just “Preemptively strike at people before they can hurt you?” Or… is it a warning from this Prowler? About someone pulling the strings? Big if the latter. But it might just be the former when you consider this line…
That is what you get… for trust…!.
You get this when you lose to the Prowler. Who did we misplace our trust in? Probably nobody in particular, the Prowler probably just hates the idea of trust and thinks no one should trust anyone or anything. But what you hear from the Prowler when you win is maybe the most intriguing line of all so far.
…You… helped me…?
What? Yes! Yes, we want to help you! But what does that mean? How does defeating a Prowler in combat help them? Again, are we putting these shades out of their misery? But y’know what would be a bright spot? If we were instead showing these shades the light. If we were proving to the Prowlers that people can be trusted. Maybe the Prowler is surprised that we didn’t betray them? Maybe that’s what the “…You… helped me…?” line is about? But still, how then would this help the shades? SmudgeOfFudge has a few theories. What if defeating these shades sends them back to the Void? And maybe that’s where they’d rather be because, as Jerdana and Landelbrot said, they aren’t meant to be in our world? Landelbrot also said the Void and things of it might be bizarre and contrary to our world. So maybe what would hurt a Neopet actually helps a shade? Or maybe… just maybe… they speak in opposite tongues?
But considering those trigger warnings in the FAQ? It’s likely that the shades’ pain is very real. If it is, it seems like the new mission on deck is to understand where this pain is coming from. Who hurt these shades?
After your 3 Voidlings and 1 Prowler, you can finally click the “Collect Rewards” button. In addition to the usual fare you get in this Dome, you get 40 prize shop points.
But you’re not done. You should either hit “Play Again,” or go back to the Barracks and go another 4 waves. There’s a point cap of 200 points per day, so you wanna do this a total of 5 times per day. After which your Rewards window will say * You have reached the Plot Points limit for today! You can continue to fight, but no more Plot Points can be earned. *
So that’s battling. But perhaps more important than fighting these shades is learning what’s hurting them. If you’re more interested than healing the hurt, the Volunteer Centre might be more up your alley. Once again, you’re greeted with a popup. But it’s Nurse Glee this time.
There’s so much going on right now!
We’ve had to take in so many injured pets who are fighting against this strange new enemy that we’ve run out of hands! As such, we are now accepting volunteers to assist with the recovery of these hardened heroes!
Would you like to join the volunteers and aid in the fight? Or, you could always go join the fight and put an end to this yourself!
Should you choose to enter Center, or Centre, whichever you prefer, you’re introduced to Dr. G. He’s got a name now. “Dr. G.” What if the “G” stands for “Glee?”
Welcome to the Neopian Hospital volunteer team! Your compassionate spirit will play a vital role in aiding others in their difficult battles. Thank you for joining us in making a difference!
We really need all the help we can get here, but if you’d like to put an end to the mayhem directly, I hear they’re recruiting over at the Reserve Barracks!
3 Acts of battling gets you 3 Acts of combat medic work. One Shift corresponding to each battle. The “Volunteer Time Needed” is 6 hours. What that means is, your ‘pet is sent off to do whatever medical work needs to be done. You don’t need to help or anything, you can just drop them off and pick them up afterward. Very much like the Training School or Swashbuckling Academy. The challenge is making sure you make the most of the time given to you. So you can squeeze in as many shifts as you can.
Click “Join Shift” and you’ll be met with another popup.
Like with the badge and the heart, you probably know what the
icon means by now. If the badge means your ‘pet is doing healthcare and can’t fight, the sword means your ‘pet is fighting and can’t do healthcare. So pick a ‘pet that’s got 6 hours of time on their hands.
They won’t be able to fight for a solid 6 hours, unless they call off in the middle of their shift. And they wouldn’t do that, would they? As with the Training School and Swashbuckling Academy, come back no sooner than 6 hours to collect your prize. 20 prize shop points, and a fabulous item.
Not only can you win Leaded Elemental Vials from this, but there are all-new Volunteer Centre exclusive prizes you might get.
Doctor Top
Medical Face Mask
Face Bandage
The description for the Doctor Top reads This is essential for another working day in the medical field! There should be some bottoms to match! Presently, there is no “Doctor Bottoms” item.
Speaking of things that don’t add up, let’s get into that FAQ now that we know how volunteering works. A shift is 6 hours, right? And a shift is 20 points, right? But the FAQ says one shift is equal to 1 fight skipped.
In what way, though? Surely not points-wise. Because one fight in the Battledome gets you 40 points. Or 10 points if you wanna count it by wave. Compared to one shift as a combat medic getting you 20 points. Depending on your math, 1 shift is equal to either 2 fights or half a fight.
It’s starting to sound like maybe volunteering doesn’t pay that much. Not in prize shop points, anyway. But it gets curiouser. The FAQ also says that volunteering has a daily cap of 200 prize shop points.
Does this mean it’s possible to earn 200 points in a day just volunteering? How can that be if you can only send in one ‘pet? Maybe they meant “There’s a 200 point cap to this chapter/wave?”
It’s been a rough launch. But as Dingo revealed, they are listening. If there’s anything that needs fixing, they’ll get around to it. And it’s fixed but people still don’t like it, they’re open to changing it. - One last thing in this incredibly busy day: The Altador Cup Press Tour has begun. This is plot relevant because Orion is using this moment to bring us our next prophecy. And just like Dom said, Team Dacardia makes its debut this year.
But hold on… that’s 19 teams. That’s an odd number! We all thought that they had to even the roster out for the sake of tournament structure! How can they possibly balance it? Once the games begin, every team has to pair up and play. So how is this supposed to work?
This isn’t the first time we’ve been confused, nor the first time we’ve misunderstood something. If history holds up, things will make sense eventually. New things can be exciting, but they can also be confusing.
7th July, 2024
- We’ve been wrong about end of chapter predictions before, and we are wrong about chapter predictions again. Stop by Headquarters And you’ll find that there’s an alert for you.
What is it? A breakthrough on the Void Essence experiments? No! Just an end of chapter reminder to make sure you’re all caught up on everything before the next chapter starts.
If this plot has been nothing else, it has been suspenseful. But maybe we should’ve expected this? NeoRyuuko reminds of that brief statement Neostaff made regarding the plot pacing on June 21st. They specifically said “Each chapter also has a catch up day built in on the last day of each chapter so that everyone has a chance to get all caught up on content before the next chapter releases.” This is that day, it would seem. - But there’s no catching up to Void Essence Collecting! 10 drops, 1 day to get them.MeridellBrightvaleRoo Island
Count as of 7:00 PM: 5,221,229.
But there’s still the Cup prize shops closing tomorrow, that’s almost certainly still coming true.
Main Prize Shop
Staff Prize Shop
Maybe Chapter 2 of the plot starts tomorrow also, or maybe that’s on Tuesday. So far it’s been every other day. But Cup stuff is for sure happening tomorrow! And there’s no way the Grey Curse and the rift in the sky don’t affect it. Altador really is the center of the world right now. - LATE BREAKING DEVELOPMENT: A small but fundamental update has been made to the “From the Very Beginning” Fearless Deed. The text explaining the objective has been changed. Originally to earn this Deed you needed to “Complete all there is to do before the first week ends.” But now it’s been changed to “Joined in the First Week.” Also, it has a nice lavender highlight now if you complete it.
You probably already know, but there was a bit of controversy about this Deed. A lot of people missed this the first time around because they didn’t read Page 4 of A Riot of Colour on the day it was released. It was released on the last day of the week you had to complete this Deed, so if you missed it, you didn’t complete everything released that week before that week was over. Looks like they decided to cut us some slack and expand the Deed to anyone who started following this plot at all in the first week.
It’s nice to have leeway, but try not to let your guard down. The Voidly forces are not likely to give us more chances like this.
5th July, 2024
- Nyx?!! Nyx makes her plot debut in Page 10 of A Riot of Colour! Her arm does, anyway!
Elsewhere” as the establishing text puts it, Nyx reaches out. Waves emanate from her finger. “I hope this works” she says. Our first in-comic bit of dialogue since the prologue stuff. But what is “this?” What is she trying to do? Also? As important as it is to know “where” Nyx is, shouldn’t we also ask “when” Nyx is? Like the Plot Timeline’s flavor text does? Especially when you get a look at what Nyx is looking at through the rift.
Just like the last time we saw Nyx, shadows stretch over Brightvale. The Painter has been here. But also? The place is clearly besieged by Void combatants. As far as we know, none of this is happening yet in Brightvale. Not the Brightvale we know. And complicating things further, there’s the trailer that shows Brightvale getting Greyed. Isn’t that supposed to happen first? Then again, a lot of things happen in that trailer that, ideally, should not come to pass. Maybe the trailer is just the worst possible scenario if we don’t do anything to stop it. But whether or not Brightvale is supposed to be attacked before or after it turns Grey, if it even turns Grey at all, our Brightvale is presently not Grey and not being attacked. There appears to be a stormcloud over it, but that’s the only similarity between our Brightvale and anything we’ve seen in visions or trailers or anything else portending danger. So… could the Brightvale that Nyx is looking at be an alternate Brightvale? A Brightvale in our future, perhaps? And whatever that Brightvale is, what is Nyx trying to do? Open the rift wider so she can get through it? Or maybe use her connection to the living Voidforce and summon all of the enemies back to the Void before we get a chance to fight them? Also remember, Nyx herself is coursing with Void energy. Which (according to Jerdana and Landelbrot) is not meant to be in our world and cannot thrive in it. So what happens to Nyx if she does try and come through the rift to our world?
A Void-themed comic calls for a Void-themed Comic Prize in the Swirling Void Stamp.
Day after tomorrow is the final story day for A Riot of Colour. So surely we’re gonna know the answers to these questions soon. Or be left with one doozy of a cliffhanger. - But we’ve been wrong about end of chapter predictions before. Case in point, we thought Landelbrot would be thanking us for the Void Essence today. But no, today is a new day for collecting once again. Of course it was going to be, but we thought we were gonna get a “Stay tuned for the results of our experiments” or something today. This didn’t happen. They must need more Essence.
10 drops as usual, same spots. The rift has not grown yet, we’ll see what Nyx does.MeridellBrightvaleRoo Island
Count as of 9:45 PM: 4,202,750.
July 7th is not only the final story day of this chapter, but it’s the last day the Altador Cup prize shops will be open. Just in case you haven’t spent your points yet…
Main Prize Shop
Staff Prize Shop
On July 8th, not only do we get a new chapter, but the Press Tour starts up. And we know the Cup itself is important to Orion receiving prophecies, but could July 8th itself be a big day for both the plot and the Cup? This is the year Team Dacardia joins the Games, and we still don’t know how they’ll keep the rosters even. Will July 8th be the day a team drops out? Because of the Grey Curse? Or worse? Stay with us, this all comes to a head soon.
3rd July, 2024
- Baelia and Tavi make tracks in Page 9 of A Riot of Colour! Where the signs of Baelia’s struggle to function as a Grey Faerie are apparent. Look at that depression nest.
At Baelia’s… let’s call it a “house,” Tavi packs some sort of potion while Baelia decides which socks she wants to take to Meridell. Silly Baelia, you don’t wear socks! Not on your feet, anyway. This must be what she uses to patch up her dress. Then our heroes head out to Meridell, by way of Brightvale. But what’s that over Brightvale?
Is that a storm cloud? Like the storm we saw over Brightvale in the trailer yesterday? And what are those wispy, tendril shapes coming off of it? Just vapor? Or is it “vapor?” Like the Grey vapor that came off the Paint Brush? In the trailer yesterday? Or what if it’s tentacles??? Like in the trailer we saw yesterday??? And in Orion’s vision??? The stage really looks set now. It’s beginning to look a lot like the signs we were told to look out for.
So what does this mean? Is Brightvale about to turn Grey? Is it about time to fight bad guys? Well, let’s look at the clock. Each chapter is 3 weeks long. As in, it’s a 3 week event where the activities specific to it must be completed before the chapter ends (if you want full rewards). Void Essence Collecting isn’t strictly part of this chapter. But if battles or puzzles were to start, they would likely be part of this chapter. Problem is, this chapter is about to end. It started on June 17th, which means it must end on July 8th. Do we really have time for a new activity? How long does it typically take everyone to solve a puzzle or fight a wave of enemies? So what is there time for in these last few days of the chapter? Maybe the setup for Chapter 2? And then when Chapter 2 starts we get to fight the first wave of enemies?
By the way, if you were curious, according to the image name for the atlas for today’s comic, we are on Page 1 of Part 3 of this chapter. How are we on Part 3 already? Wasn’t the last comic Page 1 of Part 2? Probably because Part 2 also had a dialogue cutscene. Seems that after a dialogue cutscene happens, a new “part” begins. What does that mean to us? Maybe not much, but that’s where that investigative thread went.
Today’s Comic Prize? A Faded Light Faerie Doll.
Interesting. Why this? Could it be the leading theory that Baelia, before she was Grey, was a Light Faerie? But if that’s the case, what is a “Faded Light Faerie?” Baelia, in this case, would be a “Greyed” Light Faerie, or a “Wingless” Light Faerie. When did “Faded” become a factor? Is “Faded” an early stage of Greyness? If only for Light Faeries? Because that’s not how it was for us. Meridell and Skarl went straight to being Grey. And that’s not the only thing complicating the theory that Baelia’s Greyness is the same as our Greyness. Don’t forget about Kari, who is still Grey. Or “Greying.” And she still has her wings.
Again, maybe it’s just a Light Faerie thing. Or, as NeoRyuuko theorizes, maybe winglessness and Greyness are separate things, and we’ve all (including Baelia and Tavi) conflated the two as being linked. What Baelia said in her Neopedia story was “I am powerless without wings. In order to get new wings, I must get a new name.” A new name means she gets wings, not necessarily stops being Grey.
So there’s another thing to keep an eye out for. “Faded” Light Faeries. Or just Faded faeries in general. - But the prizes don’t stop there! There’s still Void Essence to collect. You know the drill.MeridellBrightvaleRoo Island
If you’ve been collecting all 10 every day, this should put you at 80% of your weekly obligation. Which means it’s time for your bonus! Note the “Collect Reward” button that now appears in the Void Essence Collection section.
A Purple Carrot isn’t the only prize you can get, but a Purple Carrot is one of the prizes you might get.
The count as of 12:30 PM: 2,934,207.
Void Essence Collecting season is all plot long. But once this week is over, Landelbrot and Jerdana might have what they need to begin their experiments. So… what does the forecast look like? July 4th, we being in the last Essences of the week, July 5th we get a “Hey thanks for bringing us Essence, keep it up but I think we’ve got enough to test with” from Landelbrot… July 7th maybe we hear from Baelia and Tavi one last time, and then Chapter 2 begins?
That “call for adventure” we’ve been waiting on? Looks like it was trying to reach Baelia and Tavi. They’re literally about to head into the storm. And with a storm already brewing over Brightvale, it looks like Chapter 2 can only begin with a bang.
2nd July, 2024
- We are in Phase 1 of the Neopian Cinematic Universe. And what does a cinematic universe mandate? Trailers! Yes, Neopets: The Void Within – Official Trailer #1 made its debut today on the Neopets YouTube channel. Didn’t even know we were getting a trailer. Let alone the first in a series of trailers? This is just Trailer #1. Are we getting more?
A cinematic universe also mandates trailer breakdowns. So let’s get into it.
A stormy night in Brightvale. How much of that rain do you do think is Void Essence?
When out of shadow emerges… The Painter. Just like in Orion’s vision, and just like what happened with Meridell.
But the Painter does not lay their brush down. They raise it skyward! As if the brush were conjuring power, lightning rends the sky. As we know from Orion’s vision, when the sky is rent, take warning.
The Paint Brush pulses, and emits this warbling, slithering sound and some Grey… vapor. And then? Brightvale falls! As Meridell before it! The kingdom is turned Grey and the Painter does not lower their brush once.
The Grey warbles and gurgles across Neopia. But as Kelpbeard speculated, this is only the prelude…
As Neopia grows cold and withered, colossal tentacles from beyond oblivion take her. Creeping into every corner…
Watching it all go down is Nyx. She can’t take it. She can’t even believe it.
But from somewhere, a song is stirring. From somewhere we hear something triumphant. Nyx gets herself together. She’s got tricks for this tentacle creature.
And with whooshing, chirping, staticky noises, we get our “main on end.” The Void Within!!! Again, very glitchy looking. More than ever when it’s in motion. A sign of the cosmic weirdness at the center of this plot.
But remember your courage, as well the terrors to test it…
Did we just see the Paint Brush in action? Yes, of course the Painter couldn’t have gone around and painted the whole kingdom Grey. Because they raised it to the sky and cast Greyness over the kingdom as a whole! If the trailer is to be believed! And unless this Painter is stopped, they’re gonna paint the whole planet Grey! But what purpose does the Greyness serve? This tentacle creature seems to wanna wait until after Neopia is Grey enough before they reach out and grab her. Kelpbeard said it looked like Neopia was being prepped for an invasion, something about Greyness seems to make Neopia look very appetizing to the tentacle creature.
But Nyx looks like a formidable weapon against the tentacle creature. This… big eye opening in the darkness. An abyss that gazes back at you, maybe? Ahhhhh… now it starts to add up. Now it starts to make sense. Nyx gazes into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into her. She (and her Faellie) are like the monster that we’re about to fight. They wield the same Voidly power. And maybe, just maybe, they are at risk of becoming more like this monster. In a dangerous way. Let’s hope that wrist device holds out. Let’s hope our Faellie friend holds out!
The Painter is headed to Brightvale. Baelia and Tavi are headed to Brightvale. And we presently are in Brightvale picking Void Essence. You probably already know where they are, we don’t make a habit of updating you on things you already know. But while we’re here…MeridellBrightvaleRoo Island
The count as of 4:00 PM today: 2,439,279.
This should bring you up to your 50th Void Essence. Your Fearless Deeds section should look a little different now too. For “Time is of the Essence” it now says “Gather 150 Void Essences,” not just 50. Suggesting that the 50 you redeem today are just 1/3rd of the full Deed, and now you’re on Part 2/3 of the job. Not only are you 1/3rd done with “Time is of the Essence,” you’re 1/3rd done with Act 1!
Soon we will all gather in Brightvale for a showdown. Maybe even as soon as tomorrow. Maybe that’s why they released the trailer? It doesn’t seem like Baelia and Tavi will have safe passage through Brightvale. Not without a fight.
1st July, 2024
- Remember those new faces Fyora said she was calling on to break the Grey Curse? It’s time to tag them in. If you head to Headquarters you’ll be prompted to go check on Baelia in Faerieland.
Baelia is still stargazing in her backyard as of the last page, but then Tavi shows up and a cutscene begins…
Thought I might find you here.
Oh! I’m sorry Tavi… I just-
No need to be sorry. Trouble sleeping again?
I never feel more awake than when my head hits the pillow. Soon as I close my eyes, my brain decides to worry about everything in existence.
Well, you’ve been that way since I’ve known you. Did you have bad dreams… before…
Ehm, well-
Baelia! Tavi! So sorry to intrude so late, but this couldn’t wait until morning.
Naia! What’s the matter?
I’m not entirely sure! But it’s very strange. Unnatural even! They won’t change colours anymore!
Woah! It’s okay, Naia, just take a deep breath.
You’re right. Apologies, this whole situation really has me all wound up.
What’s going on Naia?
You may have heard, but recently, Neopets across the globe have been painted grey while they slept. And now all of Meridell lost colour in the dead of the night while a rift opened up in the sky!
Grey?
Lost colour?
Yes! Which is strange in and of itself, but the most mystifying part is… this grey colour, I can’t change it!
Even with the Rainbow Fountain?
Not a bit! No matter how many times we try, the Rainbow Fountain can’t seem to wash off that grey colour…
How is that possible?
It shouldn’t be! I’ve never seen a colour that couldn’t be changed by the Rainbow Fountain. It can return colour to anyone! Well, except for…
…a grey faerie.
Yes, well… I’m sorry Baelia. I know this is an uncomfortable subject for you. It’s just I had no idea where else to turn.
What use would I be? I wouldn’t even know where to start.
A council of Neopian leaders has already been called together and they have Dr Landelbrot investigating the rift in the sky. However, when I asked about how to rid us of this stubborn grey, Fyora herself suggested turning to you!
Fyora? I hate to let her down… and I really do wish I could help you, but I can’t even help myself. We’ve been trying for years now, but here I am. Still grey…
Supposedly, only a new name can lift the curse that Jennumara placed on her long ago. But, no matter how many names I try calling her…
Still grey.
Well, maybe this mystery is just what we need! If we can find a way to recolour the Neopians who turned Grey, it might help you too.
Nothing else has been working…
Come on Baelia, let’s at least try to help.
I suppose we couldn’t make things worse…
Really? That would be wonderful. Something tells me you two are the right ones for the job!
I’ll start packing! If we leave now, we can be passing through Brightvale in a few days!
Sounds like an awful lot of walking to me…
Come on, it’ll be fun! You’ll see, we’ll be in Meridell in no time.
Well, you have been trying to get me to hike with you for years…
That’s right! And you can’t flake on this one, Queen Fyora’s orders!
Okay, okay! I guess I could stand to get out of the house.
That’s the right attitude! Come on, let’s get packing!
At first it looked like Baelia wasn’t gonna be “Official Grey Curse Secretary.” But apparently she is! Baelia finally gets word that she (and her lovely assistant Tavi) are the ones Fyora is picking to break the Grey Curse. Fyora’s got an intuition for these kinds of things. She picked Jhudora and Illusen to co-host the 2023 Faerie Festival, no one thought it would work, but together they discovered the first signs of unprecedented villainy afoot in Neopia.
As you’ll recall, Baelia’s original Neopedia story ended with Baelia explaining that to be un-Greyed, she needs a new name. And ever since that story dropped we’ve been wondering what that really means. What does it mean to “get a new name?” Because we see now that Tavi has been calling Baelia all kinds of names but nothing is changing. So does “get a new name” mean more than what it sounds like? Is this some high fantasy riddle? We’ve been wondering, but we might be about to get our answer. Why was Baelia put in charge of figuring out what makes and breaks this Grey Curse? Because as Naia describes it, our new Greyness is the same as Baelia’s new Greyness. Painting and Rainbow Fountains aren’t working. Just like it doesn’t work for Baelia. So Skarl and Meridell and all the other new victims must have the same Greyness Baelia has. And if Baelia can figure out to un-Grey this Greyness, she can figure out how to un-Grey herself and, most importantly, figure out what “get a new name” meant. “Get a new name.” That’s what we need to do to break the curse. We just don’t know what that means. But the hope is that Baelia and Tavi can figure it out.
And through this, we might learn more about what it means to be Grey. Like those bad dreams Baelia is apparently having. Tavi asks if Baelia ever had these bad dreams/this trouble sleeping before she was Grey. We don’t have an answer yet, but are these bad dreams just part of the depression that comes with Greyness? Or is it something more? Maybe something prophetic? Maybe that’ll turn out to be an important question later on. SmudgeOfFudge points out that a key feature of a Grey Faerie is that she has no magical powers, as opposed to a “normal” faerie. So maybe that’s what Greyness means for these other victims too? Smudge raises the theory that all Neopians, nay, Neopia itself, is rife with magic. We all have some. Doesn’t mean we’re all powerful sorcerors, but it does mean we all have magical potential. It means we COULD become powerful sorcerors if we put in the work. But if we turn Grey, we can’t be powerful sorcerors. Yerimiese speculated similar, that Neopia was losing an ambient magical color energy at large. Remember the name of this plot. What is a “void” known for, aside from dark emptiness? Its ability to drain. And per the title, there is a void “within” someone or something.
Another day, another haul of Void Essences. The rift has not grown, so your 10 rifts are in the same spots as usual. If this ever changes, we’ll let you know. But you can presume that, until the rift grows, your Essences will be in the same 3 lands.MeridellBrightvaleRoo Island
The count as of 7:30 PM today: 1,931,404.
This war is fought on two fronts. Most of us are collecting Void Essence for the company in Altador. Meanwhile, the Grey Curse problem is being handled by Baelia and Tavi, making their way on foot to Meridell by way of Brightvale. As with hobbits and their Rings, the humblest creatures are now handed the keys to the fate of all the world. It’s really too bad that Tavi doesn’t own a car, doesn’t Neopia have cars now? Again, Baelia and Tavi are on the backfoot in many ways relative to the rest of us. With a story update coming every other day, and Tavi projecting that they should arrive in Brightvale in “a few days,” that might mean we see them arrive in Brightvale on July 3rd. But recall that Brightvale is particularly significant regarding the villainy afoot. When do you think this happens, for instance?
Suppose Baelia and Tavi are passing through, when the Painter shows up? Maybe the Painter turns Brightvale Grey while Baelia and Tavi are around? Maybe Tavi even turns Grey? Maybe there’s a whole siege that Baelia and Tavi get caught up in??? And considering how the Painter can seemingly paint broad enough strokes that they can cover a whole land without needing to visit each of its people individually? What could Baelia or Tavi even do to defend against it?
The Rift Investigation Company and the Grey Investigation Company will soon be crossing paths and uniting in Brightvale. So if you find yourself picking Void Essence in Brightvale over the next few days, and you happen to see Baelia and Tavi? Maybe do what you can to keep them safe. Keep us all safe.
29th June, 2024
- As predicted, more Essence has fallen. But what defied predictions? We did get another comic today. Guess this means story updates don’t count toward the weekly updates? Those are free of charge? Anyway, let’s get over to Page 7 of A Riot of Colour!
We find Baelia in her backyard, enjoying one of those summer nights when the novas come out. The novas are a lot more colorful than she is, a “riot” of color you might even call it. But she seems to not envy the novas or resent her own lot in life. Just chillin’ and watchin’ the novas. Remember that journal entry Baelia wrote? About the new friend? And the “Looking inside, gaining hopeful thoughts” line? What if one of these novas is the friend? AliOldman thinks it’s possible. Maybe that “rainbow” Nova? Looks like nothing we’ve seen yet.
Maybe these novas were sent by Fyora? Maybe they are the silent call to adventure?
You can join Baelia in her backyard with today’s Comic Prize, Baelias Backyard Background.
Something you might wanna know: These comics are HTML5 compatible. Therefore, they’re images put together from an atlas. Take the atlas, for Page 5…
See how this is in separate pieces that they put together to make the comic? Well, the name of this image file is ch01_pt01_pg04_atlas_1.png. And if you’re thinking “That almost makes sense, Chapter 1, Part 1, Page 4, except that it’s Page 5,” they didn’t count Page 3 because that day had a summons instead of a comic. So what that file name really means is “Chapter 1, Part 1, Page 5.” And what’s the file name for Page 7? ch01_pt02_pg01_atlas_1.png. “Chapter 1, Part 2, Page 1.” It’s the 7th page, yes, but according to the atlas Page 7 is the same thing as Page 1 of Part 2. A new “part,” has begun. A new act? Not according to Fearless Deeds. But this is the next “part” of the story, evidenced by how we’ve switched points of view to Baelia in Faerieland. So… she really isn’t “Official Grey Curse Secretary.” She’s not in Altador, she’s not looking up old books… - Time to collect more Void Essence! 10 more drops to hunt. And they’re all in the same spots as last time, in the same quantities per land.
Meridell
Brightvale
Roo Island
Thinking further on this Void Essence and what effect it may or may not have, maybe we should trust Jerdana and Landelbrot when they say it can’t do anything to us. But those defaced posters… we’ve been wondering how things get that bad, if they do at all. If we’re gonna see skulls in the ground and eyes in the sky. What if that’s what the Void Essence does? But it only works on a subject that has been Greyed first? Remember when we were wondering how, if at all, the Money Tree goes from Point Grey to Point B?
What if Grey + Void Essence = defaced posters? It’s still very early goings for The Void Within so we likely won’t have our answer for a while. But keep those nightmare posters in mind, and keep your Void Essence bounty in mind. The count as of 9:45 AM today: 716,541.
27th June, 2024
- It’s time! Or almost time. But today IS the day. Head over to Headquarters and you’ll find it a lot busier than it was.
The gang’s all here! Look at that spread. Most of them look like they’re part of the background, but Fyora and Landelbrot look like they’ll be clickable soon for something. Like a cutscene. Or… a Void Essence Collecting activity? You can probably guess which one will serve which. Coming later today! Watch this space! - UPDATE: As of 10AM NST, this court is now in session! Dr. Landelbrot isn’t clickable, but Fyora is.
Right away you’ll notice that changes have been made to the “first draft” we knew. Characters have been swapped in and out, and in hindsight it makes a little more sense than what we thought we might be getting.
A council of this magnitude is unprecedented, but we have an urgent matter to attend to. There is more to this than just a rift opening in our sky…
As King Skarl here can attest, the widespread reports of shopkeepers turning irreversibly grey and losing motivation to maintain their shops have escalated… now leaving an entire land devoid of colour.
All of Meridell turned Grey overnight! Even my top soldiers, Jeran and Tor, had their strength so sapped from the greyification they could barely lift a sword.
I myself can hardly eat these days. And none of the hundreds of paintbrushes I tried could change me!
Are you why those things are so expensive?
Up next is the “colour that can’t be changed” line. But instead of Hagan getting it, we get the Emperor of Shenkuu, making his plot debut!
A colour that can’t be changed? That’s unheard of!
And with his debut comes a name. Emperor Yun. The only “Emperor” at this table.
Alright let’s go back to the roundtable discussion…
Especially one that debilitates the Neopet after they are painted. Could this grey colour we are dealing with be imbued with some type of magic?
These covert grey attacks started shortly before that hole in the sky appeared. Surely, they are connected.
Sounds to me like someone is laying the groundwork for an invasion…
We should prepare for that possibility. What concerns me is how they pulled it off. An entire land greyed out overnight, the entire populace left in a weakened state…
I believe we are dealing with formidable magic indeed. And likely an adversary who should not be underestimated…
Could it be our fallen founder? Finally emerging from the shadows after all these years?
Doubtful. This persistent grey doesn’t seem like any magic we’ve seen her use before.
Perhaps the return of another former foe then… Can we be absolutely certain Dr. Sloth is still secured within the Space Faerie’s Token?
I checked some time ago, and Mira has seen no signs of the not-so-good Doctor’s return. However, to be safe, she agreed to investigate some of his old haunts across the solar system just to be sure that none of his followers have set one of his schemes into motion.
That rules him out! Any other guesses?
Well, I have firsthand experience with malevolent forces that are still roaming Neopia unchecked…
How dare you!
I was referring to the phantasmal calamities that poisoned the mind of my trusted general. However, if the shoe fits…
Please! Our first step should be determining exactly what we are dealing with.
I concur. We need more information. To better understand what is happening, and how to fix it.
I had the very same thought, which is why I enlisted Altador’s resident magic authority to help us shed some light on this matter. Jerdana will be working closely with Dr Landelbrot to investigate the cause of the rift and greying out of Neopians.
Neither Fyora nor myself are familiar with this magic, so we have the Library Faerie searching through her records to see if anything matches. We could be dealing with ancient sorcery from a long-forgotten age of Neopia.
Or perhaps, from an entirely different planet altogether! Based on the unusual frequencies of the gravitational waves Scintilly detected emerging from the rift in the sky, whatever world lies on the other side of that rift operates vastly differently from our own. Why their laws of physics alone might seem paradoxical to us!
Keep in mind these are all just theories. Until we gather enough concrete data, we can’t be sure what we are dealing with.
I assume you two have a plan in mind for uncovering more details about this enigmatic rift?
That we do. Since the rift appeared, Neopians across the globe have reported seeing strange fizzling pieces of an otherworldly substance leaking through the breach. Although they seem to dissipate after 24 hours, Dr. Landelbrot here has been working on a specialised container capable of storing these mysterious fragments for an extended period of time so that we can better study them.
Indeed! It took some trial and error, but by reinforcing glass with layers of transparent deepsea polymers that can withstand incredible pressures, I was able to fabricate a chamber that should keep these energy fragments contained for experimentation.
We’ve been referring to these fragments as “void essence” due to their mysterious nature and murky appearance. However, we will need much more before we can make any real headway on our tests.
How much of this void essence will we need to collect?
For an in-depth anɑlysis of such a foreign substance, we will need to accυmulate vast amounts of it so that we can properly test it repeatedly under controlled conditions. It’s difficult to quantify exactly how much with so many unknown variables…
So, essentially, we are going to need A LOT of it.
The citizens of Sakhmet have always come together to support each other during times of crisis. Could we ask the public to assist us?
Now that is an intriguing idea… The rift does seem to be spewing void essence across all of Neopia, so appealing to the masses may be the most efficient way to collect as much as possible.
If we collect enough, could we use it to create a weapon to defend ourselves?
Or a game? To cheer us up!
First and foremost, is it safe? Do we know if this essence could harm Neopians?
Although we can’t discern much from the rapidly dissipating void essence the good Doctor provided me with, I am confident that it will not pose a threat to any Neopians.
How can you be certain that we don’t need any type of special equipment to handle them?
Because they aren’t meant to be in our world. Thus, they can’t persist here for long.
Precisely! This void essence seems to be nothing more than runoff, bits of extra energy leaking through whatever that rift is into our world that dissipates soon after arrival.
Dissolving fast as snowflakes in Moltara.
Which is why we needed the Void Essence container! The particles need a vessel to keep them tied to Neopia.
So even if these particles were somehow harmful, they and any magic with them is dissolving faster than they could affect any Neopians. Additionally, I will use shielding enchantments to ensure Dr. Landelbrot is able to experiment on them under safe conditions.
Next comes the “Moment of reflective silence.” But we don’t get Tavi. In fact, it’s not clear who we get. This is what it looks like…
What does (…) mean? Is it the room having a moment of silence? Or is some unseen person reflecting silently?
Time for closing statements…
Your meticulous efforts are appreciated Jerdana. As are yours Dr. Landelbrot! It seems your explanations have quelled our fears.
Humph, so now that the experts are focused on the hole in the sky, who’s going to get this grey off of me?
Worry not King Skarl, I’ve already sent for some help with our colour conundrum. I suspect we will need some fresh faces to rise to this challenge…
And so, for real this time, Void Essence Collection is underway!
Join the fight by talking to Dr. Landelbrot in the prompt that comes up.
Hello Neopians! If I could please pry you away from your busy lives for but a moment, there is a vital scientific inquiry underway that requires your assistance. With your help, we could have the means to better understand this puzzling rift threatening to tear our sky asunder.
I only ask that you collect samples of the harmless detritus seeping from this fracture, which we’ve designated as void essence, wherever you can find them across Neopia. Based on the rate and trajectory that the rift is leaking residual energy, multiple conglomerations of void essence should appear across the same group of Neopian lands each day.
Bring me enough samples each week, and I shall have Scintilly here reward you with 5 Plot Points that can be spent on any number of unusual items we’ve found tumbling through the rift. As an additional token of appreciation for your efforts, we will also grant you a special prize from the eclectic collection Scintilly has amassed over years of oddities popping through our portal!
One final point on the matter- be sure to check all over Neopia if void essence seems scarce in the same lands as time passes. Conglomerations of void essence may start trickling into entirely new sets of lands as the rift expands over time!
This is a community effort, if that wasn’t obvious. Let’s take a look at the big board?
But what does all this mean? We don’t want people missing out on any more Fearless Deeds. Best to check that FAQ, and thoroughly.
This is the FAQ that was shown early on in the plot, the one that was taken away because it (like the cutscene we got today) showed up too early. But now’s the time. The key points…
1. There are 10 Essences to collect per day, EVERY DAY, from June 27th until the the Void is defeated.
2. If you miss a day of Void Essence Collection, you can’t go back and find the Essences you missed. This is not like the Festival of Neggs. The Essence will have dissipated by then.
3. Dialogue-driven cutscenes may need to be “unlocked” sometimes by first visiting somewhere specific in Neopia.
4. Each bit of Essence is worth 5 prize shop points, and if you collect 80% of available Essences within a week (that’s a minimum of 56 Essences but really you oughta just find all of them) you win a weekly prize of bonus prize shop points and 1 random item from the “Void Essence Collection Prize Pool,” AKA Landelbrot’s and Scintilly’s Coincidence stash.
5. The Void Essence Collection Prize Pool will grow as each new act is introduced.
6. There’s also a goal that we, the Neopian community, are shooting for. If we all reach it together, we get even MORE prizes!
7. Look for Essence in lands that are being affected by the Void.
8. Apparently some prize shop opened on the 27th?
We haven’t seen any prize shops other than the main one you’ve already seen by now. We haven’t seen any separate prize shops specific to Void Essence Collection. And when will Landelbrot be ready for his experiment if Void Essence Collection is projected to last all plot long?
Regardless, the mission is simple: Report to Headquarters every day, bring them your 10 Essences, keep an eye on the numbers. Yours and ours. That said, let’s get into it. Where can we find Essence? In lands that are being affected by the Void. Meridell is the leading example of such a land right now.
First it turns Grey, then Void Essence falls from the sky. Worse days than when the Citadel attacked, maybe? Here we see 4 out of the 10 Essences we can find for the day. Click one, and it’ll be added to your tally. It’s just like Lost Fragments.
All 10 Essences are spread between 3 lands: Meridell, Brightvale, and Roo Island. Find them all, and you’ll be notified that your Essence Collection is complete for the day.
If you’re having trouble finding your Essences on the map, though, you can do the Lost Fragments trick in the Source. Again, it’s just like Lost Fragments.
Community Milestone is 10 million Essences. Your 10 Essences will get us there slowly, but surely. Collect early, collect often, and one of these days we’ll figure out just what this Void is.
- Let’s hypothesize about what we might conclude from this experiment. The rift is showering the world in Essence. The rift is growing, as a matter of fact! And as it grows, more lands may find themselves affected by it. “Affected,” as in, showered with Essence. The three lands we’re finding essence in right now are Meridell, Brightvale, and Roo Island. These three lands also happen to be near each other.
Is it just a coincidence that Meridell is thoroughly Grey now, and also in the middle of these two other lands that are NOT yet Grey but being showered by Essence like Meridell itself is? Will the Greyness spread from Meridell like a virus? Because the Grey Curse doesn’t seem to spread on its own. Not entirely, anyway. Seems like you have to show up with a Paint Brush and hit the area you want cursed. So… for some reason, Meridell is the first to get hit by the Grey Curse, and smack dab in the center of the “Voidstorm.” If that means anything, we’ll see as things develop.
Speaking of the Void Essence, here’s another theory: There’s a Fearless Deed called “Time is of the Essence,” the objective being “Gather 50 Void Essences.”
What if that name means something? What if “time” really is “of” the Essence? As in, the Void Essence is made of some kind of… quantum time-related particles? We’ve seen suggestions that time travel or alternate realities to our own will be involved. The “where and when will she emerge” line from the Plot Timeline, the juxtaposition of pre-Ruin and post-Ruin Faerieland on the titular defaced poster, how we saw a pre-Ruin version of the map at Headquarters, suggesting that it (like today’s cutscene) might be something to come up later… so if that is what we’re handling, what effect might this “Voidstorm…” this “Timefall…” really have on the people and things it comes in contact with?
Well, first let’s make sure we know where this rift came from. Is it the same one Nyx opened? Because it might not necessarily be. The one Nyx opened revealed the Painter in the middle of hitting Brightvale, and Brightvale has not been hit yet. Or rather, hasn’t been hit relative to where we are in spacetime. So the Nyx we saw in Orion’s visions is not looking at our relative time and dimension in space. If she was to jump through her rift, she wouldn’t end up in the Brightvale of our here and now. But what if Nyx herself is also not relative to our spacetime? What if this isn’t a case of a Nyx from our space and time looking at a Brightvale from a different space and time? What if everything in Orion’s vision hasn’t happened yet? Well… the “where and when will she emerge” line suggests that Nyx will go to a time and place that is different from the one she knows. Suggests that Nyx will travel to a place AND time different from her own. Suggesting that this isn’t a thing that happens later in the story that leads her to us. Or if it does, this would mean Nyx is from another place and time compared to ours. But you know what else? As a psychic vision, how true to reality is it? Like the posters might be, maybe they’re just interpretations of reality. Maybe she’s not actually looking up at a Brightvale being painted…
What are we getting at? What does any of this have to do with anything? It has to do with the question of how the time funny business actually happens. How time travel, if there is any, happens. How we get to pre-Ruin Faerieland, if that’s where we’re going. Do we open a rift that leads to a few years ago relative to us? Or an entirely different but parallel reality where Faerieland never fell? Or is it the essence itself that causes weird time effects? What if, after enough Void Essence falls on a land, some weird effect takes place? Like it reverts to an earlier/later version of itself? And if we gather enough of this Void Essence, we can use it to travel through time? Maybe it’s both things. Maybe Void Essence rain/snow changes temporally, and BECAUSE of that if you gather enough Void Essence you can use it to open rifts to other places and times? Some sort of essence or energy must be coursing through Nyx, hence her being able to open a rift. Maybe what’s inside Nyx is what’s falling from the rift?
But if that’s the case, well, how come it didn’t go down so easy for her or her Faellie friend? Jerdana and Landelbrot are so sure it’s harmless, but isn’t that what’s inside Nyx? Isn’t that what necessitates that wrist device so she doesn’t, like, die? Yes, she and her Faellie friend tangled with the tentacle creature. But the takeaway here is, Nyx is now filled with an energy that seems to be dangerous to her but also opens rifts. If Void Essence also opens rifts, why wouldn’t it be dangerous to us? Why wouldn’t it be the same energy inside Nyx that’s dangerous to her? Dr. Landelbrot did mention that “whatever world lies on the other side of that rift operates vastly differently from our own.” Adding that “their laws of physics alone might seem paradoxical to us.” So maybe Void Essence is harmless in our world, but deadly in the Void dimension? Jerdana seem pretty certain that “they aren’t meant to be in our world.” Impotent in our world, deadly in the Void? - We are putting our trust in Jerdana and Landelbrot that we’ll be fine handling the Void Essence. But AliOldman noticed someone who maybe isn’t doing too hot. Look closer at Hagan. Is that a trick of the shadow? Or is he starting to turn Grey? Once again, we gotta zoom in…
We said that the Grey Curse doesn’t seem to spread on its own. It doesn’t seem “contagious.” But why would Hagan be turning Grey if Brightvale itself hasn’t been painted yet? Maybe we’re wrong about the Grey not spreading? Maybe Hagan is turning Grey because Meridell and Brightvale are nearby and the curse reached Hagan? Does that mean Roo Island is next? If we continue to follow this pattern? Meridell, Brightvale, and Roo Island all have Void Essence falling on it. Meridell has been attacked by the Painter and Skarl has been Greyed. If Hagan is starting to Grey… how did he get that way if it ISN’T spreading somehow? And if Hagan is starting to Grey, shouldn’t Jerdana and Landelbrot notice or something? If we can trust their say so about whether or not we’ll be okay volunteering for this? If they would recognize a suffering Neopian or a Void-relevant symptom if it was in front of them?
We question Jerdana and Landelbrot a lot, but they’re probably the best people for the job. We said it earlier, but it bears repeating as Landelbrot continues to be featured in stuff: He’s becoming the man to see if Neopia needs weird science. He’s like Neopia’s answer to Sloth’s genius. There were many scientists it could’ve been, but it if there’s gonna be a scientist on similar footing as Sloth, it should be the scientist with his own spaceship. And as nice as it would be to see Fyora give Baelia some rank and make her a partner in dealing with this Grey Curse, Fyora and Jerdana have established history working together. If Landelbrot is on Sloth’s level, Jerdana is on Fyora’s level. Altador’s preeminent magic authority, if not Neopia’s. We’re in good hands.
This being a daily activity, today is probably only a half day. This is probably starting with a day and half like every other “participate every day” event. So tomorrow we’re probably getting nothing, and then on Saturday we’ll have more Essence to collect. Also? recall that the main FAQ said updates would come weekly. We’ve been spoiled with updates every other day, but this might be it for comics until next week. We hunt Void Essence for a week, then Landelbrot and Jerdana are ready for that experiment, and THEN we get another comic. Will we hit 10 million Essences by then? Do we need to? Will we not be able to do the experiment without it??? Maybe tell your friends to pitch in. Or… wait for the rift to grow wide enough to drop more Essence. By which point it might be wide enough to consume all Neopia…
25th June, 2024
- World Leader Con is really looking packed in Page 5 of A Riot of Colour! Where we maybe learn some things about who represents what.
We got Governor McGill and the Mayor of Moltara having a chat, the mayor looks a little more worried than McGill does. Meanwhile, Grand Elder Kyruggi and Chief Honcho are dazzled by the high-tech wonders of Commander Valka. You might not know a few of these people. Valka is the Commander of the Resistance, victors of the Return of Dr. Sloth.
Chief Adler Honcho? He’s a head honcho over on Tales of Dacardia. Originally “Island Builders” because “Dacardia Rezoned” didn’t really grab people. He’s the Eyrie to the left in this picture.
A third of the Altador Council are gathered at the round table. Florin, Fauna, Torakor… even Marak came over from coast guard. Meanwhile, at what appears to be the Archives, Jerdana and Dr. Landelbrot pore over what is probably research. In the background, Fyora consoles Orion over something. Probably how he appears to have broken his glasses again? Let’s get a closer look.
Your reward this time around, a Council of Leaders Stamp. Good for the “Other V” page.
What a roster! We didn’t get that cutscene today, probably so we could wait for these dignitaries to show up. But the original FAQ said that Void Essence Collection starts on June 27th! We still have every reason to believe that’s happening! So maybe on the 27th we get both the cutscene AND the activity?
So let’s look at who we’ve got. Valka’s here, he’s probably the Virtupets rep. Does that mean the Resistance now governs the Space Station? Wow, that would make them the only known government that invaded another “country,” captured it, and held onto it. We’ve had many invasions, but the Resistance is the only invasion that stayed invasive. We’ve also got Honcho, does that mean Jewel was able to connect Tales of Dacardia to The Void Within?
Now let’s look at who we don’t got. There’s no representative for Neovia. Does that mean they still don’t have a mayor? On the other hand, we still don’t see that Shenkuu rep. And we know from the Ships on the Altador Coast Painting that Shenkuu did send somebody. So maybe just because we don’t see them in this comic that doesn’t mean they won’t be present? Hagan, Baelia and Tavi were all in the cutscene, or the original draft at least. They aren’t in a comic yet, so does everyone need a comic? Or… maybe we’re getting a third comic on the 27th with even more dignitaries? Would that push Void Essence Collecting back further? Could we… get a comic, a cutscene, AND the Void Essence Collecting activity on the 27th?
Tension is running high, people want a piece of this pie before it gets cold. Fingers crossed that Void Essence Collecting starts soon. June 27th! Let the next time we update be the day we start collecting Essence. - SMALL BUT INTRIGUING UPDATE? It’s not time to collect Essence just yet. But something just came across our desk from SmudgeOfFudge. She’s found another searchable item hanging out on the backend.
Nyxs Snowglobe. We don’t have an image for it yet. Maybe a soon to be released comic prize? Suggesting that Nyx is about to make her appearance soon?
NeoRyuuko has also been digging. The Discarded Magical GREY Grundo Plushie of Prosperity is giving out four new prizes as of today: The Discarded Grey Yurble Plushie, the Discarded Vira Plushie, the Discarded Faerie Artificer Plushie, and the Grey TDMBGPOP Plushie.
But hold the phone, let’s get a closer look at that Faerie Artificer. Are those horns on her head? Like we know our faerie villain to have?
So surely this has to be our trio. Vira, this artificer, and the Mysterious Yurble. Is there anything we can learn from maybe checking the descriptions? The description on the Yurble plushie…
This plushie is giving no joy…
Doesn’t really tell us much. How about the Vira plushie?
Who could love this twisted and gloomy plushie…?
Vira wants/wanted to be loved? We already knew that. How about the Artificer?
An ancient timeworn plushie depicting a bygone office once held in the Faerie Queens Court. The position was done away with so long ago, that few who still walk Neopia today remember who last held the title..
Oho, now that’s something. Now we can speculate. What’s an “artificer” anyway? It’s a fancy word for “mechanic” or “craftsman” or “builder of stuff.” You hear about them a lot in fantasy RPGs. Delina would be a good example of what an “artificer” would typically look like. But Delina is the Crafting Faerie, not the “Faerie Artificer.” As the plushie says, barely anyone remembers when last Faerieland had a Faerie Artificer.
So what did the Artificer make in her time? Well, remember during The Faeries’ Ruin where they introduced the existence of these faerie artefects that Brynn and Hanso were put to the task of securing? So that they didn’t fall into the wrong hands? Maybe she made those? Because in Brynn’s Neopedia article, she’s quoted as saying Most faerie artefacts are relics from long ago, when Neopia was a very different place. They don’t belong here now. This lines up nicely with the Faerie Artificer position being discontinued. Times changed and we didn’t need these artefacts anymore. So we didn’t need a Faerie Artificer anymore. Our faerie villain is probably at least mad about losing her job. But here’s a question: Why did we ever need faerie artefacts? What sort of place was Very Ancient Neopia that faerie artefacts were called for? And what changed to make them not called for? Maybe we’ll get the chance to ask this faerie villain about it?
Yerimiese has a theory. What if the Paint Brush, the one the Painter is using, the one at the center of this plot, is an old artefact she made? And it was so dangerous that they had to abolish the office? We know the Paint Brush is hers, we just need to know when she made it. KH2Riku_3 theorizes that our faerie villain also made Orion’s lyre. And the reason Fyora doesn’t recognize it is because it’s new work from the Artificer that she doesn’t recognize. Because she’s never seen it before. Because being the Faerie Artificer means you have specialized knowledge of these artefacts. Because you’re inventing them. Fyora can’t know about a field she doesn’t work in. Smudge takes this further, theorizing that our faerie villain also created the mirrors that Vira hands out, as mentioned in her Gallery of Evil entry. If our faerie villain is also the person who made Vira, surely she also made Vira’s new stuff? Also remember, Vira has horns and the Artificer has horns. So if the faerie villain is the Artificer (and she almost certainly is), maybe she made Vira in her own image?
Or maybe the Artificer didn’t originally have horns. Smudge also asks us to consider that maybe she gave herself horns, and then gave Vira horns. Maybe she resents what happened to her and is blaming everyone but herself. Or maybe it wasn’t her fault. Maybe her horns were given to her in an accident, thanks to the inherent risk of being a Faerie Artificer. Maybe all that exposure to artefacts is what transformed the Artificer, and now she resents Fyora and Faerieland for what they did to her? If Xandra is involved in this, and we needed some way for her to willingly work with a faerie, this would be great cause for it. A faerie who understands the failings of the crown and wants to fight back.
One last thing before we go: For a few hours tonight, the maps of Meridell and Altador had disappeared. Shortly before 3PM today, Kaitie_Elizabeth1014 was headed out to Altador when she noticed the map wasn’t loading.
Somewhere between 5PM and 5:46 PM, the maps started loading again. This is a common sign that Neostaff is fiddling with something. With the 27th approaching, this could be prep for Void Essence Collecting. And with essence, comes answers. And probably more questions.
23rd June, 2024
- Every other day! Like clockwork, so far. Page 4 of A Riot of Colour has arrived. And with it? All the people in that letter that Altador and Fyora sent.
Brutal. Blackwing has to be carried like a baby by Aisheena. Blackwing is the Wocky, Aisheena is the Aisha, and Judge Hog is the Moehog, in case you didn’t know.
But did Neopia Central not have an actual governing authority to send? Or did they opt to let the Defenders go alone, staying back in Central to keep the fires going? Or how about this, what if the Defenders ARE the governing authority? Which do you think it is? Maybe some fourth thing? Let us know in this thread.
It looks like that “Nice King, Mean King” dynamic between Lord Darigan and King Roo is well underway! King Roo must’ve realized that Lord Darigan needs a friend, that Darigan Citadel needs a friend. After they both got snubbed by the Desert Diplomacy trade talks, it’s a matter of economic solvency for at least one of their nations. And just out of frame, there’s Fyora and Altador watching the ships come in. So that confirms that, Fyora is actually present at the meeting. Will she say anything, or will she just listen for the most part? And if she’s here, Orion must be nearby, right? He’s been on the case since last year. A truly, truly packed house. The Yurble Janitor will not be happy with all the dirt this crowd is tracking through his Hall. Neofakeneo would like to see the Janitor face off against the summit of nations, and he might get his wish. Especially if the Yurble Janitor is the Painter?
Let’s have a look at our prize, the Ships on the Altador Coast Painting…
Dignitaries and Defenders from far and wide. But if we zoom in (there’s a bit more zooming in with this plot than usual) we see a Shenkuu ship or boat or whatever you wanna call it to the left.
So Shenkuu sent somebody, right? Like Fyora, we didn’t hear from any Shenkuu emperors or princesses. Will we? Once again we wonder if maybe that prematurely revealed cutscene at the roundtable will look different at all when we get it for real. Maybe more lines for Fyora, maybe more lines for whoever came over from Shenkuu. But on the other hand? This is a really packed house. Maybe not everybody gets to talk in the first cutscene. Doesn’t mean that they won’t ever get to, doesn’t mean they don’t have any contributions to the team. But like in any congress, not everyone has the floor at the same time.
Not only do we get another prize shop point for this, but the “From the Very Beginning” Fearless Deed is now marked as complete! It was under control all along.
The virtue of patience shown. If things aren’t clear to you, just wait and do what you can, and they’ll make sense in time. So surely this silent call to adventure they’re talking about will make sense in time?
The Fearless Deed is good for a whopping TEN bonus points in the prize shop! Look at all those prizes we can afford now!
And with Fearless Deeds considered “extra” as far as full completion standards, who knows how many prize shop points we can get in the end? Maybe 60,000 is only the maximum for those who don’t do Fearless Deeds. Maybe the sky’s the limit for those of us who complete literally everything.
So let’s see… dignitaries arrive on the 23rd… maybe on the 25th we get that cutscene? And then, on the 27th, we can finally go Void Essence Collecting. Just like the early FAQ said. Then we attend the Cup some time in July, and then at some point after that we should have at least 872 points which means we can buy 15 unique prizes. Yes, all seems to be going according to plan. But what then are the Acts? Originally we thought it was one Act for every week, but that theory is debunked. Maybe that’s not for us to know right now, but the mind can’t help but make guesses.
21st June, 2024
- If you’re a Neopian head of state, or if you visited The Void Within’s Headquarters this morning, you were surprised with a summons from Altador. It’s about that rift in the sky. Yes, it looks like the rift is over the skies of all lands throughout the world. Every land with a sky, anyway.
This also counts as Page/Part 3 of A Riot of Colour, and you get a prize shop point for it. Yep, it’s been every other day so far. June 17th, June 19th, and now June 21st. So can we expect something on June 23rd? That’s a Sunday, so… maybe June 24th? That would, however, put us in Week 2. And the question remains: What of the Fearless Deeds? We’re supposed to be able to complete everything in the first week, right? We’ll know very soon.
Also coming soon? The cutscene with the summit of world leaders we’ve been waiting on. The one that leaked and was saved on Nguyeplm’s petpage? But hold on, the summons mentions that King Altador AND Queen Fyora were organizing the meeting. We didn’t hear from Fyora during the meeting. We don’t necessarily need to, maybe she was just listening. Like Tavi was. But remember how when the dialogue dropped early there were reports of glitches and weirdness? Maybe Fyora actually was supposed to be part of the conversation but she didn’t show up properly in the leaked, mislaunched cutscene. So it’ll be important to see the cutscene as we were intended to see it. Who knows what’ll be different? Maybe nothing. Maybe everything.
Receiving a message telling you to go to the Hall of Heroes, you probably actually went to the actual Hall of Heroes page. Especially if you remembered that part of the FAQ that said cutscenes may need to be “unlocked” sometimes by first visiting somewhere specific in Neopia. But they didn’t mean the actual page on Neopets.com. See, the plot hub is set at the Hall of Heroes. They don’t come out and say it, but the architecture and interior decor looks the same.
But if you went to Altador in search of this, you might’ve noticed that the map now has a direct link to the plot hub.
Should the link be closer to the Hall of Heroes? Is there room for it?
The scene on the ground in Altador as the summit approaches should be pandemonium. This, on top of an Altador Cup with at least one new team? Be there.
19th June, 2024
- UPDATE??? We were expecting them just once a week, but there’s a new update over on the plot hub. Note the notification on the toolbar. Guess we can just look out for those moving forward.
The story continues. And there’s a new entry on the Plot Timeline summarizing it.
Meridell Greyed Out as a Rift Appears
June 17th, 2024
Meridell continues to contend with the Grey curse… and then a rift appears in the sky. Let’s dig in…
Skarl awakes, like so many before him, to find himself struck by the Painter. A Draik knight, who is also Grey, attends him. Skarl then marches on Faerieland with his retinue and commandeers the Rainbow Fountain. The Draik knight/Groom of the Rubber Mallard stands by, along with other Meridellians waiting their turn. Just out of frame we see Skarl spared no expense on Blue Paint Brushes. But it’s like we’ve been told, nothing known works against this. Skarl scrubs in vain, the blue waters turn Grey but the Grey Skeith does not turn blue.
Oh, Skarl. If you’re gonna try Paint Brushes, did you already try the Rainbow POOL in Neopia Central? Stealing Orbs is one thing, but people gotta EARN those Fountain Dips!
Click each panel and you’ll earn a Grey Oil-sheen Rainbow Fountain Background.
Gamer King bathwater, that’s the stuff. And that’s another point for the Prize Shop. 2 down, 59,998 to go.
But wait, do we misunderstand, or was a rift supposed to have opened up over the Meridell skies? And what about that call to adventure? It seems like, in small parts, the chapter synopses are not matching up with the comics. It might be that the comics are in flashback/prologue mode, meant to gradually set the stage for what’s happening at the plot hub. But considering that we still don’t have that cutscene at the roundtable, it sounds like the rift and the call and the cutscene are all things meant to happen later, and the hub is mistakenly showing us these things early. Like the Fearless Deeds asking us to go Void Essence collecting. If it was a mistake to show us that dialogue, the flavor text and Fearless Deeds might be a mistake. Slight disconnect in communication between where the comics are and where the flavor text is. But these things should be cleared up in time, and we all should be on the same page. It’s early goings, yet. - Speaking of that cutscene at the roundtable, very few were able to catch it in time. But Nguyeplm was, and she managed to save the text to a petpage. This conversation is clearly set after the comics. So maybe it did accidentally get released early?
Anything could change because of the premature launch, but the dialogue of the cutscene as it was originally leaked is as follows. Avatars are subject to change…
A council of this magnitude is unprecedented, but we have an urgent matter to attend to. There is more to this than just a rift opening in our sky…
As King Skarl here can attest, the widespread reports of shopkeepers turning irreversibly grey and losing motivation to maintain their shops have escalated… now leaving an entire land devoid of colour.
All of Meridell turned Grey overnight! Even my top soldiers, Jeran and Tor, had their strength so sapped from the greyification they could barely lift a sword.I myself can hardly eat these days. And none of the hundreds of paintbrushes I tried could change me!Are you why those things are so expensive?
A colour that can’t be changed? That’s unheard of!
Especially one that debilitates the Neopet after they are painted. Could this grey colour we are dealing with be imbued with some type of magic?
These covert grey attacks started shortly before that hole in the sky appeared. Surely, they are connected.
Sounds to me like someone is laying the groundwork for an invasion…
We should prepare for that possibility. What concerns me is how they pulled it off. An entire land greyed out overnight, the entire populace left in a weakened state…I believe we are dealing with formidable magic indeed. And likely an adversary who should not be underestimated…Could it be our fallen founder? Finally emerging from the shadows after all these years?Doubtful. This persistent grey doesn’t seem like any magic we’ve seen her use before … Perhaps the return of another former foe then… Can we be absolutely certain Dr. Sloth is still secured within the Space Faerie’s Token?I checked some time ago, and Mira has seen no signs of the not-so-good Doctor’s return. However, to be safe, she agreed to investigate some of his old haunts across the solar system just to be sure that none of his followers have set one of his schemes into motion.That rules him out! Any other guesses?
Well, I have firsthand experience with malevolent forces that are still roaming Neopia unchecked…How dare you!I was referring to the phantasmal calamities that poisoned the mind of my trusted general. However, if the shoe fits…Please! Our first step should be determining exactly what we are dealing with.I concur. We need more information. To better understand what is happeningI had the very same thought, which is why I enlisted Altador’s resident magic authority to help us shed some light on this matter. Jerdana will be working closely with Dr Landelbrot to investigate the cause of the rift and greying out of Neopians.
Neither Fyora nor myself are familiar with this magic, so we have the Library Faerie searching through her records to see if anything matches. We could be dealing with ancient sorcery from a long-forgotten age of Neopia.
Or perhaps, from an entirely different planet altogether! Based on the unusual frequencies of the gravitational waves Scintilly detected emerging from the rift in the sky, whatever world lies on the other side of that rift operates vastly differently from our own. Why their laws of physics alone might seem paradoxical to us!Keep in mind these are all just theories. Until we gather enough concrete data, we can’t be sure what we are dealing with.I assume you two have a plan in mind for uncovering more details about this enigmatic rift?That we do. Since the rift appeared, Neopians across the globe have reported seeing strange fizzling pieces of an otherworldly substance leaking through the breach. Although they seem to dissipate after 24 hours, Dr. Landelbrot here has been working on a specialised container capable of storing these mysterious fragments for an extended period of time so that we can better study them.Indeed! It took some trial and error, but by reinforcing glass with layers of transparent deepsea polymers that can withstand incredible pressures, I was able to fabricate a chamber that should keep these energy fragments contained for experimentation.We’ve been referring to these fragments as “void essence” due to their mysterious nature and murky appearance. However, we will need much more before we can make any real headway on our tests.How much of this void essence will we need to collect? For an in-depth anɑlysis of such a foreign substance, we will need to accu.mulate vast amounts of it so that we can properly test it repeatedly under controlled conditions. It’s difficult to quantify exactly how much with so many unknown variables…So, essentially, we are going to need A LOT of it.The citizens of Sakhmet have always come together to support each other during times of crisis. Could we ask the public to assist us?Now that is an intriguing idea… The rift does seem to be spewing void essence across all of Neopia, so appealing to the masses may be the most efficient way to collect as much as possible.If we collect enough, could we use it to create a weapon to defend ourselves?Or a game? To cheer us up!First and foremost, is it safe? Do we know if this essence could harm Neopians?Although we can’t discern much from the rapidly dissipating void essence the good Doctor provided me with, I am confident that it will not pose a threat to any Neopians.How can you be certain that we don’t need any type of special equipment to handle them?Because they aren’t meant to be in our world. Thus, they can’t persist here for long.Precisely! This void essence seems to be nothing more than runoff, bits of extra energy leaking through whatever that rift is into our world that dissipates soon after arrival.Dissolving fast as snowflakes in Moltara.Which is why we needed the Void Essence container! The particles need a vessel to keep them tied to Neopia.So even if these particles were somehow harmful, they and any magic with them is dissolving faster than they could affect any Neopians. Additionally, I will use shielding enchantments to ensure Dr. Landelbrot is able to experiment on them under safe conditions.
(Moment of reflective silence)Your meticulous efforts are appreciated Jerdana. As are yours Dr. Landelbrot! It seems your explanations have quelled our fears.Humph, so now that the experts are focused on the hole in the sky, who’s going to get this grey off of me?Worry not King Skarl, I’ve already sent for some help with our colour conundrum. I suspect we will need some fresh faces to rise to this challenge…
Ah, so the way they describe this rift, it sounds like the rift is not specifically over just Meridell. It’s like the sun, it’s over all of Neopia. It can be seen from everywhere, showering the world with its fizzling, otherworldly substance. And after whenever this cutscene actually happens, presumably the hunt for Void Essence begins. Landelbrot prepares the “Void Essence container,” and we the public will report for duty at the Hall of Heroes to contain said Void Essence. Time for us to be Heroes ourselves! But also? King Altador seems to be hinting at reaching out to ANOTHER entirely different team for the “colour conundrum.”
But the real conundrum is figuring out who did this and how. A conversation relevant to those wondering which of the Tales of Neovia villains might be involved. The team seems pretty sure Sloth and TDF are not involved. So that’s a blow to the theory that anyone besides Vira was related to this thing. But perhaps the protest too much? How can they be sure? King Roo suggests that it’s not like magic they’ve seen her use before. But who’s to say she doesn’t have new tricks in her bag? Her pseudo-Wraiths were such a new trick, we didn’t even know it was her. “It’s gotta be Wraiths” we said! And then it wasn’t Wraiths, just something like Wraiths. And Mira says she hasn’t seen Sloth out and about, but maybe one of his faithful is up to something? How about the Token itself? Where is that? Last we heard it was floating in deep space, but it could be in the Void by now. And then Sloth and TDF meet up and hatch something. But to truly know who’s behind this, we must first understand the weapon they’re using. And that’s why we’re collecting Void Essence and trying to understand the color conundrum. That’s the first step. Learn what’s happening to our world.
We start to see some dynamics between characters start to form. King Roo is pretty hands-on, this being his first plot. He’s really making his voice heard. Makes sense considering the Grey is a threat to joy, it’s probably something he takes very seriously. He also serves as a playful counterpoint to Lord Darigan’s grim and militant style. Lord Darigan WOULD know about laying groundwork for an invasion. There appears to be a frosty dynamic between Amira and Nabile, the latter of whom showed real initiative, directing the business of the meeting at the top after King Altador. But it was Jerdana, hardest working woman in the city, who had the most lines. The “resident magic authority.” Speaking of authority, Baelia tells us that she and Fyora have delegated the Library Faerie to check her records. How much rank does Baelia pull now? Has Fyora determined that Baelia needs to be closely involved with this because of the Greyness? Good for Baelia, in any case. But the theory on the faerie side of things is that the answer to what’s going on might be kept in some ancient tome from a long-forgotten age of Neopian sorcery. But Jerdana will be working with Landelbrot, who thinks it might be aliens. Landelbrot is really coming into his own as the “mad scientist to the heroes.” From the Bython discovery to now, he’s become the man to see if Neopia needs weird science.
Most telling of all, though, is when Tavi said nothing. Just reflected. What was she thinking? Was it something Jerdana said? About whether or not the particles are harmful to Neopians? Does Tavi know something about the particles? Probably not, because surely Baelia would also know it and Baelia doesn’t appear burdened with speechlessness over some thoughts in her head. But then AGAIN, maybe that has to do with her being a Grey Faerie, maybe… maybe… Tavi knows a little more about Baelia’s past than she’s letting on? Maybe it wasn’t an accident that she found her on that mountain?
Speaking of those particles, let’s listen to Landelbrot’s theory. If he’s paired up with Jerdana, he’s probably on target. Scintilly has gone up to the rift and examined the gravitational waves coming from it. The rift almost certainly leads to the Void (but our heroes don’t know anything about that yet), and from what Landelbrot can tell the Void is total Wackyland. Even physics-wise things are backward in there. Now, they don’t know anything about THE Void, have never heard of it, but they’ve come up with the name “void essence” for the purple energy that’s raining from the sky. It hangs around for about a day, and disappears. So there ya go, there’s your “Find the Void Essence” activity. Every day a new Void Essence to collect, and it’s only around for a day. But why is it only around for a day? Because it’s some otherworldy thing. Not meant to be in our dimension or whatever. Kinda makes you think about Bythons and that antimatter they emit, right? Another degree of connection to suggest that Bythons are involved in this somehow.
They don’t know that there’s a Void. But the way Landelbrot describes things that are of the Void, it sounds like an entirely alien dimension. Which begs the question, how did Nyx and her Faellie friend survive there, and will they survive being in Neopia now that they’re essentially “of the Void?” Marked with the tentacle creature’s essence? Recall that Nyx’s name is “Nyx.” Daughter of chaos. Wouldn’t it be something if she really was the tentacle creature’s daughter?
The minutes of that meeting: Nabile brings up how the Greyness has led up to Meridell turning Grey. Skarl is upset about being Grey, he has spared no expense to fight it. King Roo adds that a rift has appeared in Neopia’s sky, Lord Darigan’s expert insights say that someone is prepping for an invasion. It’s how he would do it if he was invading. Between Sloth and TDF, the team is pretty sure neither of them are behind this. Amira might think maybe Nabile is behind it? But if we don’t know who’s behind it, let’s start with what “it” is and the “who” will follow. Jerdana and Dr. Landelbrot are on the case. While the faeries are investigating old magical texts, Landelbrot’s theory is that this is some alien extradimensional thing. But in order to know for sure, they need some sample material to test. It fades fast, as if it were the antithesis to our world. Amira suggests we tag in the Neopian public to volunteer for the job. Neopians are known for their prowess at gathering handfuls of sand, they can probably gather Void Essence. After which maybe we can make weapons and games. As for the Greyness, King Altador has an idea for that that he hasn’t revealed yet.
And Tavi? She held her tongue. What was she thinking about? What is Altador’s plan for Skarl’s Greyness? What conclusions can be made from Jerdana and Dr. Landelbrot’s tests? And… did any other nations send delegates to the meeting? So many questions and this cutscene hasn’t even actually happened yet. Can’t happen soon enough. - Speaking of the “colour conundrum,” are you noticing things like how Skarl is Grey, but his crown is not? AliOldman has. Something he first noticed when he saw how the Painter was able to paint Tormund himself Grey, but not his sword and shield over by the wall.
The Painter is almost certainly not going up to each victim individually and painting them. So how does it work? The fact that it only Greyed Tormund but not other things in the room suggests that the Paint Brush casts some kind of aura that latches onto a target. The “self” being targeted. When we talk about phrases like “the Void within,” is this that Void in action? Are Meridellians Grey because of some Void that Paint Brush has imparted unto them? And the land?
Maybe as we get more cutscenes at Void Headquarters, they’ll get down to figuring that out. Might take some vulnerability on Skarl’s part. Some honesty about how he’s feeling. But in reality they haven’t actually begun yet. Fortunately, now that we know that comic pages aren’t subject to the “updated once a week” stipulation, we might not have long to wait. To that point, you might wanna check the hub more often than once a week. Maybe every day. Probably won’t count against you if you don’t check that often, but if comic pages are coming more than once a week, something new could happen any day.
18th June, 2024
- No, Fearless Deeds has not been updated to reflect the fact that Void Essence Collecting hasn’t started yet. But something was updated. Very late tonight, KH2Riku_3 noticed that the map on the table at the plot hub has changed. Faerieland, which at one point was in its pre-Ruin spot, is now in its post-Ruin spot. Here’s the way it used to look…
And here’s the way it looks now.
The changes are there, but again, they’re hard to see. Let’s zoom in…
You might wanna open those in two separate tabs, tab back and forth until the differences pop out at you. But not only has Faerieland now been put on the ground, but clouds are covering Lutari Island. Why make these changes? Why was there even a pre-Ruin map on the table anyway? Did somebody accidentally grab the wrong image? Or… does it mean something? Something to come later? Discussion is underway on Board 58. With that cutscene dialogue accidentally popping up, the pre-Ruin map of Neopia was probably an accident too. But when you think about the defaced Faerieland poster and how it shows two Faerielands? The pre-Ruin map very well might come into play later. In the Marvel comics, we call this an “incursion event.”
This plot is projected to change the world, and Faerieland is once again in a high-risk spot. How might Faerieland be changed this time around? Back in the sky? Blotted out? Multiple Faerielands? Aside from New Faerieland, that is. Keep Faerieland in your mind moving forward. Old Faerieland, New Faerieland, Past Faerieland, Future Faerieland. Fate appears to hold something special in store for it.
17th June, 2024
THE VOID WITHINHAS BEGUN…
We wanted so badly to report on this earlier. But it has been such a crazy day, the only responsible thing to do was wait to see how things resolve by the end of the day. Technical difficulties? Yes. But that’s only part of the craziness. So much happened today. Where to even begin???
How about the new plot hub? Reachable, like most site events, from the front page.
We’ll start by exploring the hub so that we know what everything is.
Here on the Home page we find ourselves somewhere in Altador, overlooking beautiful country. We know it’s Altador because the name of the background image is altador.png. What this also tells us is that this background will very likely change over time. We’ll probably move around. We already know from what Aesop said this would be a “global adventure” that would “take us to at least one place we haven’t been before.” But the fact that they named the background “Altador” (as opposed to “bg.png” or something like they do for the Faerie Festival or Festival of Neggs) suggests the name is meant to differentiate itself from other background image names to come.
But wait, why are we in Altador? Who set all this up? And what’s that in the sky??? A rift??? Are the rifts happening now??? Is the Void spilling in??? And what is that map on the table for? Tracking the fiendish formations of the Void menace? Because if you look very closely, it’s different from the Neopia we know in a key way: Faerieland is in the sky on this map. It’s tough to see because is so small. Fortunately, this map is based off of the “Choose Your Team” maps from the Altador Cup. So if you line the two images up, you can tell what’s what and that Faerieland is totally in the sky on this map.
Something AishaMom noticed, Meridell is actually Greyed out on this map. It’s really hard to see, you gotta zoom in. Meridell has a circular Grey spot on it. At 2.5x magnification…
So this gathering must be made in the wake of the attack on Meridell. But why is this map going off of old borders? Considering the speculation that this plot might involve time travel, might we need this map to navigate a world from a time when Faerieland was in the sky? Maybe we should check the FAQ first.
1. There will be comics, dialogue-driven cutscenes, minigames, puzzles, battles, community challenges… and prizes.
2. If you can’t/won’t battle, you can put in work at the Hospital instead. This is probably what’s going on with Nurse Glee and the (still missing) Gelert doctor.
3. Dialogue-driven cutscenes may need to be “unlocked” sometimes by first visiting somewhere specific in Neopia.
4. All of these things will be divided up into chapters. Each chapter lasts 3 weeks, and there will typically be new content of some kind appearing weekly.
5. Within the 3 weeks a chapter is running, you must complete all of that chapter’s challenges to get full rewards. You can still complete these chapters after the fact, but you miss out on exclusive “full completion” rewards.
6. There are also special achievements/Fearless Deeds that give out even MORE prizes.
7. Fearless Deeds will also apparently be giving out exclusive trophies?
8. This is projected to last around a year, but no one really knows for certain!
9. If you’re unsure of what (if anything) you missed, or what “step” you’re supposed to be on, you can catch up with the story on the Story tab and get a general sense for what’s going on at present on the hub main page.
10. Things are gonna get so heavy, storywise, that “trigger warnings” are warranted this time.
Initially, one of those dialogue-driven cutscenes was briefly available for us today. At the table found at the hub. It was glitched, however, and it was taken down before many could even read it. It was broken anyway, the dialogue wasn’t making any sense, apparently? But that stuff about “A call to adventure silently rings out across the land?” An explanation for why the map shows an airborne Faerieland? That was probably given in the cutscene. For now, we must be patient and wait for Neostaff to fix it.
For now, let’s scroll down to the “Plot Timeline” section. Here’s where we learn what’s happening, and what has happened. All the events that have been leading up to now, as well the now that we find ourselves in.
The timeline goes as far back as the 2023 Faerie Festival. Let’s go over each entry?
Faerie Festival
Oct 02, 2023
Halloween
Oct 31, 2023
Advent Calendar I
Dec 06, 2023
Advent Calendar II
Dec 26, 2023
Advent Calendar III
Dec 30, 2023
Grey Curse Precursor
Mar 18, 2024
Festival of Neggs
Apr 22, 2024
A Riot of Colour
Jun 17, 2024
Coming Soon…
Hold on, before we go any further… bring up that Advent Calendar III point again. As the Aisha realizes her Faellie friend could only make one device and chose to save her instead of himself, she breaks down. Her emotions merge with the otherworldly essence flowing through her, and she accidentally tears open a hole back to Neopia. But where and when will she emerge? Where and when? As opposed to just “where?” Asking about “when” implies that Nyx might not just be going to a new place, but a new time. As speculated earlier, these might be portals to another time! Portals to the future in Brightvale! Just like Magon was trying to make! Suddenly that map of a pre-Ruin Neopia seems even more key to what needs to happen. We’re not just going from spot to spot, we’re exploring time AND relative dimensions in space!
But for the time being, let’s focus on “here” and “now.” The “Now in Neopia” subsection of the timeline saves you the hassle of scrolling through the timeline and tells you whatever the current “step” in the story is.
You probably noticed buttons like “Wait, what’s happening?” and “View Story.” Which brings us to the next tab, Story, and the first page of the first chapter of The Void Within.
Chapter 1: A Riot of Colour. The first of a total of 21 chapters. So if each chapter is its own 3 week event, and there are 21 total chapters… this thing is slated to last for 63 weeks??? That’s well over 10 months. Closer to 16 months. Maybe a chapter “beginning” doesn’t necessarily mean another chapter “ends?” Maybe chapters can overlap or be concurrent? Like maybe Chapter 2 starts while Chapter 1’s 3 week deadline hasn’t come yet?
Outside of Castle Meridell, we see that Paint Brush again. And presumably, the Painter. It seems we now know what that Paint Brush does, because in its wake we see Jeran, Lisha, and Tormund all fall to the Grey Curse. Jeran and Tormund both being Grey makes them hard to distinguish. So how do we know that’s Tormund down there in the bottom right? Aside from the fact that there aren’t many other Lupe knights it could be? Because he’s writing a letter to Roberta.
JoyfulCabbage was keen to note the heart in the signature…
Why would he put that there? What does it mean when a knight sends you a heart via text? What have Tormund and Roberta been up to since their video game?
We have a couple questions answered pretty certainly though: Who’s turning everyone Grey? The Painter. They did it with the Paint Brush. That’s what it does, it turns things Grey. And considering we saw a “Mysterious Yurble” around the Money Tree once he turned Grey, it’s really starting to look like the Mysterious Yurble, the one spreading the Grey Curse, and the Painter are all one Neopet. At this point, it’s probably just as certain that they’re the Third Friend too. This title, “A Riot of Colour,” seems to be an ironic one so far. “A riot of colour” is a phrase you use to describe something very vibrant and colorful. Not a phrase one typically uses to describe shades of grey.
Reading this comic is itself a task of the plot. Make sure you click and/or over your cursor over each frame of the comic so that they light up! There’s a Grey Paint Filter in it for your trouble.
And? A shiny new Participation trophy.
Abyss Gazer
What else are we supposed to be doing right now? Probably nothing yet, there’s stuff to be fixed first. But if there were things to do? The Rewards tab serves as a good checklist.
Here’s our Fearless Deeds. 3 acts. There are 3 weeks to a chapter, so each act probably corresponds to each of the weeks in the chapter.
But hold on, how are we supposed to do any of this stuff? Gather 50 Void Essences? Where would we even find those? Well, we weren’t able to get a screenshot because it was taken down very quickly, but in an early draft of the FAQ they explain that The Void Essence Collection Activity will run from June 27th to the end of the plot! It’s not clear if that’s even still true, but the original plan was to start gathering Void Essence a little later. So if we can’t do that yet, we probably can’t do any of these things yet. No one’s found any “Seasonal Events” to attend, and no one has enough prize shop points to buy 15 unique prizes.
But it is a little concerning, seeing that “Complete all there is to do before the first week ends” Deed. Because in order to complete that Deed, by next week we have to complete “all there is to do.” Does that mean completing the other Deeds in this act? Because that’s impossible right now. And if Void Essence Collection is still being saved for June 27th, it will not be possible at all this week. So what’s supposed to happen with that Deed? What’s gonna happen when the week is up? Like with the dialogue cutscene from earlier today, it really seems like this is a mistake that they’re gonna go in and fix something or change something. But because this is a time sensitive thing, the clock is ticking to make some kind of move. They very well could be like “This act doesn’t actually start until NEXT week” or something like that, but it’s easy to worry that some… clerical error… could cost us this. But for now, all we can do is be patient. Wait for something to happen with this, wait for something to happen with that cutscene. Maybe it’s not set for June 27th, maybe it’ll happen some time this week and we’ll have only a couple days to do it and that’s why it’s an impressive achievement. Maybe this is all on purpose and we’re just making assumptions.
Further down we have the “Trophies” section. And there’s our participation medal!
Looks like the maximum amount of points you can earn by the end of this might be 60,000. After which you get the top trophy. But what can you afford with 60,000 points? In a change of pace, they’re showing us the prize shop at the beginning of the plot, as opposed to waiting until the end to balance scores and whatnot. Brace for looooooong picture.
Looks like we’ve earned one (1) point for reading that comic! Redeemable for a Voidberry Potion, or a Fading Bottled Grey Faerie. The latter of which is a very old item that was, up until now, unreleased. Probably because one struggles to imagine what blessings a Grey Faerie can bestow. Other Fading Bottles can be mixed at the Cooking Pot, but Fading Bottled Grey Faerie bottles give nothing.
Aren’t they supposed to not have any magic? In fact, a lot of these items are ancient unreleased prizes. The Fuzztik, Neetle (and White Neetle), Wormo, and Triclopstar are all scrapped Petpet designs that are now getting their chance. Reasons to be Grey, Gloomy Grey Games, The Art of Crying, and All About Grey Faeries are all books that went through the same. The Grey Draik Plushie has been waiting a long time to be released, but an item that maybe waited even longer? The Space Code Stamp.
Who or what are we even looking at? This is the host of a very VERY old Flash game called Codebreakers. Not really playable anymore, even with Ruffle. If his Neopedia article is still canon (and it probably isn’t because it’s since been replaced), his name is probably “Inigmah the Space Brain.”
Gone, but not forgotten, the Codebreakers concept has since been reused by Time Tunnel, Clockwork Codebreaker, and perhaps most immediately relevant, the Mysterious Stone Temple puzzle step in Journey to the Lost Isle. We’re having a plot right now, and the Codebreakers concept is a popular one. If ever there was a time for it to be used again? And let’s also consider that plot prizes have always been reflective of the plot itself. If there’s something in the prize shop, it’s usually because something in the actual plot matched it. We see all this Grey stuff, that lines up with the themes of Greyness and the Grey “curse” (really just a cursed coat of paint) spreading. But if an Inigmah stamp is in the prize shop, does that mean the plot will feature Inigmah? If that is his real name? The prize shop features these alien Petpets, does that mean the plot will take us to distant alien realms? If Inigmah is in this plot, that on its own opens the door to a diverse cosmic setting for Neopia and its surrounding galaxy. Maybe we see Inigmah, maybe we see these Petpets, maybe we see a new world that they all share? The world they come from?
But if prize shops are a reflection of the story of the plot, what else do these… 83 prizes… hint at? Who or what else might make an appearance?
The Space Usuki, Space Usuki Bobblehead, Space Station Background, Space Krawk collectible card, the book “Space Station Schematics,” the book “Space Fashions,” the Virtupets Space Station Stamp, and the Ultimate Space Chronicles Set suggest that outer space will be a running theme. We’ve already been to space so there’s that.
The Giant Space Fungus (TCG) might suggest we’ll even see space fungi? Or their spores?
The book “The Space Ace” might suggest Ace Zafara will show up? Or maybe just more space themed stuff?
The book “Stuck in Space,” well Nyx and her Faellie friend are themselves “stuck in space,” so that reference is already justified.
The Untold Adventures of The Space Faerie Book, Smiling Space Faerie Coin, Space Faerie Token, and Space Faerie Token (TCG) might mean that Mira herself will make an appearance.
We already know that Fyora is on the case, but the Fyora Apple establishes it firmly.
Speaking of things we already know, Meridell has been Greyed and we’ve seen in the rift that Brightvale is next up soon. So we don’t need the King Skarl Quiguki or Hagan the Wise (TCG) to know this plot will involve them.
The book “The Great King Altador” might mean that King Altador is involved.
The Jerdana Usuki might suggest that not only will King Altador be featured, but Jerdana will too.
The Lord Darigan collectible card might suggest that Lord Darigan is involved, as well he should be if Kass is involved.
The Princess Amira Plushie and the book “My Life as Queen” might mean that Amira is involved.
The Nabile Stamp and the King Jazan Stamp probably mean Jazan and Nabile both will be showing up.
With all these world leaders featured, this also probably means we’re headed for some kind of summit of nations, a meeting of world leaders. In which case, the King Roo collectible card probably means King Roo is invited. And the King Kelpbeard Stamp probably means Kelpbeard will be showing up.
If we’re going to have a summit of nations, maybe the Shenkuu Mansion Background means a Shenkuu dignitary will be showing up? Maybe the Emperor?
We already know Orion is headed for the Altador Cup so he can have one of his moments. But the Extra Loud Techo Fanatic Megaphone might mean that the Techo Fanatic himself falls into the crosshairs of the Void.
The Black, Blue, Grey, Rainbow, Woodland, Robot, and Mutant Petpet Paint Brushes might suggest that Petpets will be prominently featured?
The book “Conquer the Dark” and the Cover of Darkness Foreground probably allude to the dark forces we’re going to face.
The Dr Landelbrot Plushie raises the possibility that Dr. Landelbrot will be tagged in at some point.
The Tavi Plushie probably means that Tavi is involved. And if Tavi is involved, surely Baelia must be involved. We had that journal entry, after all.
But perhaps most intriguing of all? The Darkest Faerie Collectible Charm could potentially, POTENTIALLY mean that The Darkest Faerie is involved. So, Vira is confirmed to be involved. Kass is functionally confirmed to be involved, and he’s related to The Three. TDF is in the prize shop. It… wouldn’t be “impossible,” but for only some/half of the villains mentioned in Tales of Neovia to be involved, but not all? Again, it would be a noticeable snub. Vira and TDF have been directly mentioned in the same breath as plot content. The Three have… at least one associate that’s been mentioned in the same breath as plot content. Shadow Usul would certainly fit the setting? Plus, there’s that Our gazes met, and I stared into the void line. The This was pure nothing line. Sloth’s story used the word “void” too. Scarblade and Xandra… their ties are admittedly tenuous. And Neopian mysteries are known for their red herrings so maybe Vira is the only one of these villains related to this plot. But if these entries are meant to be red herrings, if nothing else that means we were meant to think that all of these villains might be involved. We were “led” to the idea.
Not sure what the Breathtaking Night Sky background might allude to, maybe just there as a reference to what a sky full of Void looks like?
Wrapping up our tour of the plot hub… the Battle and Solutions tabs aren’t available yet.
The Solutions tab will probably be accessible some time after the puzzles and minigames and whatnot are released and we run out of time to solve them on our own. The Battle tab, well, that’s almost certainly for when there’s an enemy force to fight. The Board tab just leads to Board 58, and the NC Mall tab leads straight to the NC Mall. There’s a small The Void Within Dyeworks thing goin’ on right now, and Void-themed wearables like the Void Ruffle Skirt Outfit and the Void Wings are also on sale.
But if you’re not interested in what the Mall’s offering, the takeaway from today’s tour should be Check the plot hub every day, wait for something to happen/for Neostaff to untangle those wires, and when things DO become available to complete, ideally you wanna complete everything within the week if you want “Fearless Deed” levels of completion. Complete it within 3 weeks for “regular” full completion with no extras. And don’t skip any story.- You probably already knew this because discussion was underway before the plot hub even went up, but Meridell really has been Greyed.
Well, most of it. Meri Acres is still merry. But you know what’s not merry? The castle.
For all this, as you probably suspected, it’s finally time. King Skarl himself has FINALLY turned Grey!!!
LorekeeperHannah tried to make the newly Grey Skarl laugh, and she found that his dialogue has been changed in keeping with his new spirits. See, normally if you “get a chuckle” out of Skarl, he’ll be like *heh* That was a pretty good joke. I give it a 679 out of 1000. Here, have a little something from my kitchen. I hope you like it. But when Skarl is Grey, he’s all like…
And on the rare occasion that your joke has no effect on the Grumpy Old King, but he decides to throw you some pocket change anyway, Blue Skarl will say something like Well, thanks for trying… I’ll give you 58 Neopoints for the effort. But Grey Skarl sees little value in what you or he puts forward.
But if you should invoke his ire? Blue Skarl will say something like That was the worst joke ever! I only give it 263 out of 1000! Leave my kingdom now! *Grrrrrrrr* Can Grey Skarl muster the same fury?
If any of you out there are able to make Skarl actually laugh? In hysterics? Let someone know, the results will be sure to fascinate.
So what happens after the Paint Brushes and the like don’t work? Crown AND country were attacked! Skarl will be scrambling the knights now, right? Ah, but his best dudes are all Grey! And that’s the beauty of the Grey Curse. The “status effect” it has. How much fight has Meridell got in her if her army is weakened with Greyness? What can ‘pets do against such reckless… anhedonia? If all those world leader themed prizes mean we’re headed for some kind of “summit of nations,” the next step after this is probably calling the meeting. But then, when does that “call to adventure” silently ring? Did they mean that literally? Because the Plot Timeline seems to suggest it’s happening now. Guess we can only keep our ears to the ground for now? - But wait! Even more happened today! In the New Features we got another defaced graffiti poster! What did we say were lands TDF would probably wanna cause trouble if she could? Altador, Meridell, Brightvale… and Faerieland. Probably the most attacked land in Neopia.Pining for a whimsical weekend? Why not unwind in charming Faerieland? Feel your worries melt away as you enter Queen Fyora’s magical domain where verdant valleys, floating clouds, and shimmering waters paint the ethereal landscape.
Probably the first thing that stands out to you? This shadowy figure here. This has gotta be Vira’s faerie mistress.
A side by side with the Faerie Festival post-event teaser will show it. But you know what ELSE this looks like? Do you notice how a point was made to emphasize horns atop this shadowy faerie’s head? There is no other faerie we’ve seen yet with horns like this except Drakara.
Vira in the Haunted Woods poster, Drakara/the mysterious faerie now in the Faerieland poster, and the Mysterious Yurble in pretty much every poster. Except… this one??? Yes, you can scour every pixel on this poster but you won’t find the Yurble. It’s practically certain at this point, so let’s presume the Mysterious Yurble is the Painter and the Third Friend. They were present for all of the attacks on lands up to this point, but not Faerieland. What happens to the Yurble by the time this crisis reaches Faerieland? What happens in general once this crisis reaches Faerieland? See, Faerieland is one of those “strategic targets.” Any land being attacked is a crisis, but hitting a land like Faerieland, you save that for the master stroke of your evil plan. So what’s gonna happen when Faerieland gets hit?
We see the usual, creeping shadows that blot things out…
Positivity replaced with negativity…
But what’s unique to this poster? And the other thing that stood out to you? There’s a tear in it. A “rift” one might even say… revealing a pre-Ruin Faerieland.
So we’ve got a pre-Ruin Faerieland on the map, a pre-Ruin Faerieland in the tear on this poster, AND the Plot Timeline raises the possibility that Nyx may have opened a rift or tear to a different time. What happens when Faerieland gets hit? Probably weird timey/spatial stuff! But why wouldn’t the Mysterious Yurble be around for this? Does something happen to them by this point? Are they perhaps sacrificed to make this phase of the attack come true? Truly evil is no real friend to anyone. But maybe, just maybe, we can talk the Mysterious Yurble away from this before it’s too late? Maybe we do, and this is why they aren’t there? In any case, different periods of time for different places (particularly Faerieland) appear to be a factor. Could this maybe culminate in Faerieland being returned to the sky? We go back to the past and pull out a variant of Faerieland from another time and have that be our airborne Faerieland?
The Faerie Personality Quiz crystal ball appears to have been replaced with some kind of trickling fountain. A rainbow fountain, maybe?
Maybe it’s the “ink” that this evil Paint Brush uses to turn things Grey? It might explain the meaning behind the word “BLOTOUT” at the top of this poster. It might also explain what the inky graffiti on all these posters is supposed to be.
BLOTOUT.” In case there was any remaining doubt that what’s happening on these posters is the result of a Paint Brush. That does say BLOTOUT, right? LizyMarie_CSS points out that what looks like a “U” in “BLOTOUT” actually has a descender on it, making it look like a “Y.” Spelling… “BLOTOYT?” Stylistic choice, or does it mean something?
If it is “BLOTOYT,” it likely would still have to be referencing the word “BLOTOUT” in some way. Like, it’s “BLOTOUT” but with some hidden twist. But before we can understand that, we must understand what’s meant by “BLOTOUT.” Is the end goal, or perhaps an important spoil of this war, a “blotted out” Faerieland? This Grey paint or ink or whatever poured into Faerieland like a fountain, drowning it out, along with all its celestial rainbow magic? If we’re talking about themes of color, Faerieland is known for its rainbow water. Neopia as a whole, really. Maybe Faerieland is where we get all of our rainbow water, and this faerie wants to blot Faerieland out for the domino effect that would have on the world? Rid Neopia of rainbow water and rule an empire of monochrome?
But if that is what’s going on here, what might a Y snuck into the word mean? Maybe… it actually says “Blotoyt” and the plan is to conquer and rename Faerieland. Notice the poster crosses out the word “Faerielannd.” So technically it doesn’t say “Blotout Faerieland,” because the word “Faerieland” is replaced entirely.
We have 7 posters now. Meridell, Brightvale, Neopia Central, Haunted Woods, “The Mountains,” Altador… and now Faerieland.
Today, Meridell as a whole was attacked. The first land to get a poster and the first land (as a whole) to be attacked. Does this mean the order of release was telling us the order in which these lands will be attacked? LizyMarie_CSS thinks so. Those creases in the Altador poster were not telling us “The attack starts here.” The attack started in Meridell. Well, the mass Greying started in Meridell. But where are the evil eyes and the grasping hands? Does that part come later? Is Greyness just the first stage of the transformation this Paint Brush causes?
Or… there’s still the idea that the depictions on the poster have always been symbolic and not literal. Especially if the Mysterious Yurble on the posters is the Painter. Because we don’t see the Painter holding a balloon, but we do see them holding a Paint Brush. The balloon might just be artistic symbolism for the Paint Brush. In fact, the shot of the Painter before Castle Meridell in the night? It kinda sorta resembles the staging for the Meridell poster, doesn’t it?
So if these depictions are just symbols, we must now look at Meridell and what actually happened to it, and see where the symbols match up with reality. If balloon = Paint Brush, what about the evil eyes and grasping hands? A metaphor for the oppressive depression the Grey Curse brings about? - There’s been a lot to take in, especially all in one day. But the things you should know today are that Meridell was turned Grey and the Painter did it. A new poster has been released, revealing what Faerieland will probably look like when it gets hit like Meridell did. But we also see a pre-Ruin and a post-Ruin Faerieland on the newest poster, implying that parallel points in time or alternate realities will be a factor. What should you do about it? Be ready for battle (or caretaking if you prefer the Hospital), and keep checking the hub and reading the comics as new ones come in. Plots take a few days before there’s anything for you to actually do, but you should try to check in at least once a week.
Why is the hub in Altador? What was that dialogue? Where is this “call to adventure” for “new heroes?” These are things we don’t know yet. But we should have answers soon. If for no other reason than the fact that it’s the first week of the plot, and the Fearless Deeds say we should be able to complete everything there is to do before the week is over. By this same time next week, you should be even busier than you were today.
They’ve put up new colors all across social media. The Void Within is THE thing across the Neopets brand for… at least 10 months. With 3 weeks to each chapter, maybe even longer. All hands are on deck for this. And before this is over, surely we all will be changed in some way by this. Neopia will not, cannot be the same.
16th June, 2024
- ONE DAY UNTIL SHOWTIME!!! THE VOID WITHIN BEGINS TOMORROW!!!
Heartstar8 was at the Hospital when she noticed a change. Ordinarily you see that Gelert doctor there.
But today, a change has been made.
The nurse you see at the Pharmacy can now be seen holding down the fort here as well. And she’s got a name now! Nurse Glee. And couldn’t we all use some Glee in these empty, Grey days?
But why is the doctor gone? Discussion is underway on Board 58. Maybe he’s off treating some high profile, top secret case of Greyness? Some head of state, maybe? Like Skarl? Or whoever runs the government in Neopia Central? Or maybe the doctor has come down with Greyness himself?
Here’s a question: Why doesn’t Nurse Glee tell us what happened to the doctor? Is that something we’re meant to find out tomorrow? Could that be where Chapter 1 starts, at the Neopia Central hospital? Or maybe the first plot puzzle? As another one of those “nameless characters,” he could use this plot and this plot could use him. Nurse Glee got a name, maybe it’s time for him to get a name and some things to do. He beat Scourgies, maybe he can beat the Grey Plague.
The mysteries only become more intricate as the hour draws closer. Our updated Big List of Questions…
1. What happened to the Gelert doctor from the Neopia Central hospital?
2. What is this “Grey Curse” and how do we “break” it?
3. What does the poster graffiti actually mean? Why these bones and flowers? If a door gets blocked up, are you trapped inside?
4. Who is the Mysterious Yurble?
5. Who is the Painter?
6. What is the Paint Brush and what is it capable of?
7. Who is the “third friend?
8. Is there redemption for Vira?
9. Who is Vira’s faerie mistress? Is it Drakara?
10. Who is Baelia’s friend from the journal entry? Is it Tavi or someone else?
11. Is Baelia even involved?
12. Is Jennumara involved?
13. Where is Kass?
14. Are The Three doing anything?
15. Is The Darkest Faerie involved or was that just a random plug for the Puzzle Hunters Club?
16. What will the Puzzle Hunters Club be doing, plot-wise, after June 15th?
17. Are the other villains from Tales of Neovia involved?
18. What is the Lyre?
19. What is the music box cylinder?
20. How are Nyx and her Faellie friend gonna get home?
21. What’s the Faellie’s name, if not Zizi?
22. Could Kari become a full “fledged” Grey Faerie in time?
23. Will Skarl turn Grey?
24. Has Chadley/Smile Withme been affected by the Void’s eldritch power or something?
25. Where will we go that we’ve never been before?
26. What is that tentacle creature?
27. What is The Void?
Sleep will not come easy tonight. Exactly 2 years of waiting… give or take a couple hours. At last, it’s time to deploy.
14th June, 2024
- 3 days until showtime! It’s The Void Within Weekend and we have another… small update to share. New NC Pet Styles are on the way, now in Grey! We didn’t think much of this at first. Yes, there’s a Grey Curse going around, but is this really related to the curse?
The caption for this Facebook post suggests it very well may be…
While it seems like a much-deserved makeover, we wonder if it hints of something bigger brewing in Neopia? We will know soon… So have Umbra’s styling colors been drained by whatever force is out there spreading the Greyness?
Ever since Trudy’s Surprise got hit, Yerimiese has been thinking that maybe it’s not individual targets that have been getting hit with Greyness, but rather the color of Neopia itself is gradually draining away in bits. Imagine instead that there’s some… colorful energy that unites us all in Neopia. A “Colorforce” if you will. Some energy integral to the world or universe as we know it. That’s what’s been targeted, as opposed to a handful of individuals.
If the curse is as widespread as it is, it would be very hard for an individual to hit all these victims on their own. But at the same time, it’s not contagious enough that Orion would turn Grey after hanging out with Kari. This thing is widespread, but for some reason it’s not working like a virus would. Not following any observable “spreads from Patient A to Paint B” pattern. Not one we can observe, anyway.
When will we learn why the world is turning Grey? It could be months. During the Ruin we didn’t learn why the faeries were petrified until just about the end. During the Resurgence we didn’t learn who was being the pseudo-Wraiths until just about the end. So when this thing starts, keep looking for answers but don’t expect them to come right away. - Another reason to believe this Grey Curse will continue to spread well into The Void Within? We’ve got a little sneak peak into this year’s remaining content schedule. Check the Editorial of Neopian Times #1010. VintageCollectibles asks…
Hi TNT! We are all excited for the upcoming plot and it sounds like there will be plenty to do during it (10 whole months!!!). Could we expect a Charity Corner type event during it? I’m sure it will help with cleaning up some pesky junk we’ve been building up and help reduce the price of some of the rarer restockables that continue to inflate like crazyyy.
And Sunpotato responded…
At the moment we don’t have any Charity Corner type events planned for plot but we do plan on bringing back the recycling event we did for Faerie Festival back for this year!
So, no “Charity Corner” style event, but they do have a recycling event, whatever that means. Suggesting that they aren’t the same thing. But we will be recycling, which means there’s going to be some kind of… waste or toxin or something in the world that needs to be cleaned out. Like it was last time. Does this mean the Earth and Water Faeries are still at risk of being weakened? Are they still doing that?
This, on top of battling bad guys and uncovering the secrets of the Void? We’re gonna have a very busy 10 months ahead of us. So enjoy your last weekend of freedom for a while.
13th June, 2024
- 4 days until showtime!!! It’s Thursgrey and like clockwork we’ve got our latest victim.
Trudy’s Surprise??? We were so sure it would be Skarl. Right time, wrong place. But it could still happen! Even if The Void Within starts while Skarl is still blue, it doesn’t mean he can’t turn Grey. Perhaps it is a mistake to thing of these Grey Curse cases strictly as “teasers” or “prologue” to the plot. Maybe it just keeps going until we find a cure.
Like with the Money Tree, there are Grey prizes.
…Unlike with the Money Tree though, we don’t see more of the “Mysterious Yurble.” So if you were expecting a last minute confrontation with the Mysterious Yurble that then springboarded into Chapter 1 of the plot? That didn’t happen. The Yurble has shaken our pursuit, it would seem. And the Grey Curse shows no change in its pace either. The simplest answer and perhaps the most likely? Chapter 1 starts where Orion’s vision of Nyx ended. And then, a little later perhaps, maybe after the Altador Cup starts, we catch up with Orion for the next vision.
So if Chapter 1 starts with Nyx and, presumably, her escape from The Void, how does she get outta there? Through the rift she opened? Is that rift showing Brightvale an actual portal to Brightvale? And not just a “look” at Brightvale? Because if it’s a portal, and Chapter 1 starts on June 17th, wouldn’t that have to mean that on June 17th (when Chapter 1 is released), Brightvale will be under attack/a coat of paint? Courtesy of the mystery painter? Because that certainly hasn’t happened yet. Or maybe that is Brightvale in the future, and Nyx is able to show visions of the future as well as portals to the present. And that’s how she escapes. She makes a second portal that gets her out of there.
Or… maybe it’s a portal to the future? Not just a vision of the future? Like Magon always wanted to make? Remember, Time Travel Negg potentially means that there’ll be themes of time travel to contend with! - The 13th victim on the 13th Day of Relaxing. It’s like poetry. Our list so far…
Ellia from Uni’s Clothing
Usul from the Grooming Parlour
The Breadmaster
Hubert of the Hot Dogs
Kari
Inah from the Snow Shop
Bank Skeith
Coltzan’s Shrine
TDMBGPOP
Giant Omelette
Miles and his Wheel of Knowledge
The Money Tree
Trudy’s Surprise
Still waiting on Skarl.
This might be the last update before The Void Within actually starts. The final bit of prologue. We’ll keep watching social media in case something relevant comes up there, but for now, let’s reflect one last time on the questions the prologue has raised.
1. What is this “Grey Curse” and how do we “break” it?
2. What does the poster graffiti actually mean? Why these bones and flowers? If a door gets blocked up, are you trapped inside?
3. Who is the Mysterious Yurble?
4. Who is the Painter?
5. What is the Paint Brush and what is it capable of?
6. Who is the “third friend?
7. Is there redemption for Vira?
8. Who is Vira’s faerie mistress? Is it Drakara?
9. Who is Baelia’s friend from the journal entry? Is it Tavi or someone else?
10. Is Baelia even involved?
11. Is Jennumara involved?
12. Where is Kass?
13. Are The Three doing anything?
14. Is The Darkest Faerie involved or was that just a random plug for the Puzzle Hunters Club?
15. What will the Puzzle Hunters Club be doing, plot-wise, after June 15th?
16. Are the other villains from Tales of Neovia involved?
17. What is the Lyre?
18. What is the music box cylinder?
19. How are Nyx and her Faellie friend gonna get home?
20. What’s the Faellie’s name, if not Zizi?
21. Could Kari become a full “fledged” Grey Faerie in time?
22. Will Skarl turn Grey?
23. Has Chadley/Smile Withme been affected by the Void’s eldritch power or something?
24. Where will we go that we’ve never been before?
25. What is that tentacle creature?
26. What is The Void?
If you’ve got any others, join the conversation on Board 58. We need your eyes, your hands, your voice. It’s the only way we’re gonna win. - SMALL UPDATE: You could also join the conversation on the Neopets Facebook page, Instagram page, and X (formerly known as Twitter) page. We got that social media post.
They want your theories/headcanons, so share them now. Last minute bets before we see her in action on Monday? Suggesting that Chapter 1 will start with us learning a little more about Nyx and her Faellie friend?
We see this casual, pre-Void looking alt of our heroes. An outfit we’ll probably see more of on Monday. Maybe something they’d wear around the Space Station. Because that’s where this is set, on the Space Station. So maybe one thing we can assume is that she lives up there? But she also called Brightvale her home. So what we’re probably dealing with is a Brightvale resident who moved to the Space Station. Stuff we’ll maybe get to see in a flashback or something? Get to learn about her past before we deal with her present? And then onto her future…
11th June, 2024
- 6 days until showtime! Not even a week left. _Hermes_32 was over on the Neopets Facebook page a couple hours ago, where found more delicious crumbs to appetize us.
Nyx looks like she’s adjusting to her new powers. Surely this is after she’s absolutely certain her Faellie friend is alright?
And we’ve got a logo finally! Look at that, it would look fabulous in any press kit.
There’s that Paint Brush in the Board 58 logo again. Now let’s pull up that skull thing hanging off the edge of the Haunted Woods poster.
Similar, but not identical. The Paint Brush has a handle, but whatever that is on the poster, below the skull is… something else, not a Paint Brush handle. Suggesting that whatever it is on the poster is not a Paint Brush, but definitely related to this Paint Brush. Still not clear if this is the only Paint Brush, or if we’ve seen multiple Paint Brushes teased.
The logo itself is all glitchy, like the Glitch Negg from the recent Festival of Neggs and the prizes inside it. Remember how neggs are usually reflective of the theme of the Festival? And this year’s Festival was, essentially, “The Void Within themed?” And so we looked at each negg to see what sorts of themes we would see in the plot? This logo is now strengthens the theory that the neggs from this year’s Festival will reflect the themes of the plot. So… does this mean time travel??? And what does the glitchiness mean? Is that because the Void itself is glitchy and trippy? Will Neopia start to trip and glitch? Do the defaced posters show what the trippy glitches would look like?
Maybe it’s too limiting to ask “What’s the theme of The Void Within? What’s the aesthetic or setting or genre or whatever?” But if there’s a general theme or vibe to a plot, it usually comes through in its logo. That’s kinda the point of any logo; something summarized in a tidy little image. Or at least hinted at.
So what vibe does this give off to you? Maybe something cosmic and trippy? Something to think about for the next few days.
8th June, 2024
- 9 days until showtime. In all honesty, we’ve gotten a little complacent when it comes to things like checking social media. With The Void Within so close, it’s easy to believe the time for “teasers” and “previews” is over. Things to overthink the meaning of.
Yesterday we missed this post over on the Neopets Facebook page.
We see the Greying Altador again, but no graffiti this time. Instead we see this Grey Grundo and Grey Mynci, both doing their “angry” emote.
So what, if anything, might this mean? They chose Altador of all places, does this mean of all the Neopian lands marked for siege, Altador is of the most importance? At least in the immediate future? Is this fortune’s way of telling us “Keep your eyes on Altador, something is about to happen there very soon? - Another thing we’ve been slacking on because June 17th draws near? Recognizing patterns. Patterns in when new Grey victims come out. What you may have noticed before we did is that every Thursday since the Festival of Neggs ended, we’ve gotten a new Grey case.
Thursday, May 9th: Coltzan’s Shrine
Thursday, May 16th: TDMBGPOP
Thursday, May 23rd: Giant Omelette
Thursday, May 30th: Wheel of Knowledge
Thursday, June 6th: The Money Tree
Thursday, June 13th: ???
Monday, June 17th: The Void Within begins
Almost too late to observing it too. It looks like we’ve got one more Grey case before the plot kicks off truly. Last Grey case ever? Maybe, maybe not. But this being the last one before the plot starts, it’s probably gonna be a particularly notable case. Especially as we seem to be closing in on the one doing the Greying. This “Mysterious Yurble.” Maybe on June 13th we’ll actually get to see them in person, as opposed to scooting off after making a Money Tree donation. But who will be their prey? Well, we’ve been waiting on Skarl to turn Grey since April 26th. If a Grey Skarl is still part of Vira and her Voidly forces’ plan, June 13th would be the time.
Potentially, POTENTIALLY, we might be heading into a Grey Skarl on the 13th, and then something happening in Altador when the plot finally starts. Or maybe the Altador thing happens before the 13th. Or maybe after the 13th but before the 17th. Maybe the 14th. Or maybe none of those things will be happening when we think they are. But if they are? Maybe it’s just a coincidence of Altador and Meridell just happening to be important lands in Neopian history. But y’know who would hold a grudge with Altador and Meridell alike? The Darkest Faerie. We only think Vira’s faerie mistress might be Drakara, for all we know that’s TDF under the hood. On the other hand, whoever that is under the hood, TDF probably isn’t the one who made Vira into what she is. The one hinted at in the Neopian Times Issue #584 Editorial. Vira predates the Darkest Faerie video game, suggesting that Vira was around and wicked looking while TDF was still underwater. This unprecedented dark force that made Vira, we’re still keeping our eyes open for that.
Altador, Meridell, Brightvale, and Faerieland. These are places TDF would wanna cause trouble. You could argue that most of Neopia’s villains probably wanna cause trouble in at least one of these places, but in either case we should keep watch in these spots. We will surely see the Mysterious Yurble there very soon.
6th June, 2024
- 11 days until showtime. Story coming in early this morning, the Money Tree is the latest loss to the Grey Curse. Won’t be long before the whole world is Grey.
But get this, just like the Wheel of Knowledge, new Grey prizes can be found here. Like this Grey Money Tree Plushie.
Wait, “Donated by Mysterious Yurble???” As in, THIS Mysterious Yurble???
So this Yurble is not “coming soon,” this Yurble is out and about right now! And like Cinderella with her telltale slipper, they leave us a lead that maybe explains just where all this Greyness is coming from. But does Greyness follow them, or do they follow Greyness? And speaking of “following Greyness”, is this just Stage One of a much more dreadful transformation? Because we’ve seen the Money Tree in the Neopia Central poster. All evil lookin’.
If this look is in the Money Tree’s future, and Greyness is in the Money Tree’s present, does this mean Greyness leads to whatever this is???
Here’s our updated ticker of known Grey cases.
Ellia from Uni’s Clothing
Usul from the Grooming Parlour
The Breadmaster
Hubert of the Hot Dogs
Kari
Inah from the Snow Shop
Bank Skeith
Coltzan’s Shrine
TDMBGPOP
Giant Omelette
Miles and his Wheel of Knowledge
The Money Tree
We’re up to 12 now, but Skarl very well might be coming along soon to make it 13. And if this Greyness is just the prologue to whatever freakiness we see in the posters? Well… let’s just hope we can save the Greys before it comes to violence.
We’ve got a Mysterious Yurble on the loose right now. Right now. And it’s starting to look like they’re the one making people and things Grey. They might even be the one Nyx saw in Brightvale? Surely this plot must start with finding them.
3rd June, 2024
- 14 days until showtime. That is 2 weeks. One Times cycle.
So this is interesting, there’s a Neoboard up for The Void Within.
At the moment there are no posts on it, because you can’t post on it. Yet.
If you’re familiar with the Neoboards and Board 7, you’ll know that Board 7 or “Site Events” has been the board for plots even before it had the official title of “Site Events.” So… an intriguing move, if nothing else. Maybe even a little controversial, because so many have planted roots there. If we go there, will things be as cool over there as they are on Board 7? Or will they come down on you if conversation strays from plot discussion? If the chatgroups on Board 7 move over to Board… 58… will it be a smooth migration? But Neostaff knows all this, they made this choice with these feelings considered. Whatever happens next is on purpose.
Let’s have a look at the icon they chose to represent the board.
A Paint Brush. But maybe not just any Paint Brush. The horns, the skull? That looks like the Paint Brush seen in Brightvale, doesn’t it?
So is this how the Paint Brush really looks, free of any obfuscating shadows or darkness? If you thought the Paint Brush’s natural state was a tannish-greenish color similar to Vira, and that’s why Vira looks the way she does? If you thought maybe the Paint Brush and Vira’s current form are linked and their similar color and aesthetic are the proof of that? Maybe reconsider.
Or? Maybe reconsider the theory that there’s only one Paint Brush. Maybe the Paint Brush under glass and the Paint Brush in Brightvale are different Paint Brushes.
Maybe there’s more than one Paint Brush with skulls and horns. Remember that skull hanging out on the margins of the Haunted Woods poster? Maybe that’s the origin of some common emblem that the forces of Void will be using against us. Maybe from… whatever this is… the Paint Brushes get their design. If this isn’t itself a Paint Brush.
Dark faeries, tentacle creatures, skulls and horns, who’s running this show? This and more will surely be discussed when Board 58 opens up. Some will be sad to see Board 7 supplanted, but it’s probably for the best. One thing seems to be clear though: Paint Brushes are a running theme here. They’re on flags, they’re kept under glass, they’re heavily focused on. - UPDATE: Board 58 has been taken away.
Maybe too early? Maybe they, like us thinking about the new Paint Brush, are reconsidering the idea at all? Overthinking, even? No easy answers in this day and age, patience remains the paramount virtue.
Maybe they should just keep Board 7’s URL, but change the name and icon? - UPDATE AGAIN: Board 58 is back, baby. But it’s been moved up to the top of the Neoboards list. As is tradition for plots.
Share feedback, strategies, and theorize.” You think about how the “Virtually Alive” avatar tested our abilities, and you wonder just how much strategy will be called for when facing the Void. How much collaboration with your fellow Neopians will be called for. Like it was with that avatar. We’ll see you on Board… 58.
30th May, 2024
- 18 days until showtime. We’ve got a new Grey victim, Miles the Wheel of Knowledge scholar.
Brightvale joins Neopia Central as the 2nd of only two lands to have a defaced poster and a Grey Curse victim. With the curse finally reaching Brightvale, does that mean what Nyx saw in the rift is what happens next?
And not only is the wheel Grey, it gives out Grey prizes. This “Edible Grey Wheel of Knowledge” is searchable now.
This leaves us with 11 confirmed Grey cases.
Ellia from Uni’s Clothing
Usul from the Grooming Parlour
The Breadmaster
Hubert of the Hot Dogs
Kari
Inah from the Snow Shop
Bank Skeith
Coltzan’s Shrine
TDMBGPOP
Giant Omelette
Miles and his Wheel of Knowledge
And a variable of Skarl.
With the plot starting soon, you start to think about how other plots started. And what precedent that sets for how this one might start. But then, most plots don’t have as much prologue as this one has. But when they do, the plot proper usually starts with an investigation into what was going on during the prologue. The Faeries’ Ruin started by looking into the petrification of the faeries. The Obelisk War started by looking into the emergence of the Obelisk. The Wraith Resurgence started by looking into the Faerie Festival attack. The Void Within has no shortage of mysterious things to look into. But the biggest, most public aspect of it? The Grey Curse. So maybe that’s where it starts. We open with someone, or someones, looking into what to do about the Greyness going around? Maybe in Brightvale?
As a motivational poster once said: Hang in there, Miles. Think happy thoughts. Everything will be okay.
29th May, 2024
- PLOT START DATEANNOUNCED!!!
Wow. We didn’t even mention that Neopets LIVE – The Royal Edition was today. We’d been burned on Lives in the past that weren’t strictly plot related, we figured this wouldn’t be news. The new Royal NC UCs had been released, surely this Live was going to focus only on that.
As usual, we were wrong. We expected nothing, but got everything.
There’s three dates you should probably know about.
Saturday, June 15th the Puzzle Hunters Club will finally close the book on their secret avatar case. What that means for you is, you have until then to redeem the code TIME4SOC14L1SING at the Grundo Warehouse to earn the avatar that we’ve been hunting for the past… since March 18th.
June 15th, the avatar retires that day. After such time, the Puzzle Hunters Club will be focusing on, as Fallie put it, “other things.” To which she immediately added “WoooOOOooo~” so we can take “other things” to mean something intriguing and important. Plot stuff, surely, right? If you heard that you probably thought “Oh boy, so after June 15th we should keep an eye out on social media for more plot teasers.” But if all goes according to plan, you’ll get more than teasers after June 15th.
Monday, June 17th. That is the projected date for when The Void Within starts proper. No more prologue. It’s on for real. That story again, for emphasis, from the words of our CEO Dominic…THE VOID WITHINPROJECTED DATE:JUNE 17th, 2024
2 years to the date since they announced the plot for the first time in the Editorial of Neopian Times #962. Dominic once said he didn’t know about the plot, but he supposedly knows this much. But wait, Orion’s planning on having another one of his fits at the Altador Cup this year, the speculation was that he was gonna bring us more plot prologue. So when is the Cup happening if the plot is happening in less than 3 weeks? We haven’t had our grace period or Press Tour or signup time…
The First Week of July is when Dominic projects the Cup will start. They don’t have a hard date for it like the other things, but they don’t expect the Cup to start any earlier than July. So DESPITE what the so-called “safe money” would have you believe, The Void Within is actually starting BEFORE the Cup, the Cup will run concurrently. With Luna clarifying that everything’s interconnected. As it has been for a while now. So whatever vision Orion plans on having at the Cup? We’ll already be plotting by the time he has it. So let’s hope his warning doesn’t come too late. If the plot starts before the Cup, does that mean Altador will be attacked while the Cup is happening?
But if the Cup is interconnected story-wise with the plot, you should know that the news gets even crazier! What Dominic also revealed, or rather alluded to a la the whole “Kass is definitely in The Void but we’re not saying it outright” method, is that Team Dacardia will finally be joining the Cup roster this year! His exact words were We’ll be adding a new team. He went on to say I guess people who’ve played our new mobile game, Tales of Dacardia, would probably understand that the new team would be that.
So if Team Dacardia is coming in, how will they balance things? We return again to speculation that one of these teams will have to sit the Cup out, probably due to the Grey Curse. Ah, but who? If that’s even the plan? Maybe they’ll add two teams. Probably not, though. But if they had to take a team out, maybe Virtupets because they won last year?
Plans change, but a hard date is rare from Neostaff. It usually means “We’ve got this thing ready to roll.” That’s why they didn’t give a hard date for the Cup, they don’t know when it’s happening. But The Void Within they can say with confidence is happening on June 17th. So bank on it. The pregame is basically over now. When next we meet, it might be plot time. With it happening this soon, there’s probably no more time for teasers. There’s only time for preparation. Until next time, keep your weapons by your side, and think about all the questions you hope to find answers for. Stay tuuuuuuned…
23rd May, 2024
- So get this. Last night Textfraud was doing his dailies when he noticed the page for the Giant Omelette had been converted to the new, mobile-friendly format. He makes a thread about it, pointing out how mildly interesting it is that this page was converted with no announcement in the Release Notes or anything. Just converted to the new layout for no reason.
But what should happen a few hours later in the early hours of the night? A reason for the Giant Omelette to have its layout updated.
Seems the page was updated because the Omelette was soon to turn Grey. Or Textfraud jinxed the Omelette with his words.
The pickings are still good, though.
In case there was any doubt left, this should settle it. The truly inanimate, the absolutely not alive, can be turned Grey. One could argue The Discarded Magical Blue Grundo Plushie of Prosperity is alive. One could argue Coltzan’s Shrine is the body of Coltzan and not his spirit, so that counts. One could argue that the bread at The Bakery was overproofed. But the Omelette was just sitting there, being a delicious meal, and then it turned Grey. That’s a curse of some sort. So you don’t have to be alive to be affected by it.
So our list of known Grey victims, give or take one Grumpy Old King…
Ellia from Uni’s Clothing
Usul from the Grooming Parlour
The Breadmaster
Hubert of the Hot Dogs
Kari
Inah from the Snow Shop
Bank Skeith
Coltzan’s Shrine
TDMBGPOP
Giant Omelette
Still no word about the Cup. Assuming everything takes as long as it usually does (the Press Tour, the grace period before the Press Tour where we can all spend our prize shop points last minute), the Cup very well may start in July at this rate. But however this goes down, you shouldn’t expect your “usual” Cup anyway.
20th May, 2024
- The “Sneak Into Darigan Citadel” Customisation Contest on the Neopets Facebook Page has finally picked its winners! And with them? Findings.
The file is hard to read, but it looks like it says…
FUGITIVE FILE
LORD KASSLord Kass was last seen during the attack on Meridell. Witnesses report he fled the scene. Abandoning both his blade and failed coup after a defeat at the hands of Lord Darigan.
There have been testimonials claiming he was destroyed at the hands of three hooded figures when he attempted to flee. This is unconfirmed.
Last known signs of Lord Kass remain at the sight of his disappearance where purple feathers beside a pile of ash. However, other testimonials stated that Trithduril disappeared without a trace from the battlefield where Lord Kass deserted it. Still unclẹar.
New reports have surfaced. Where witnesses to strange visions are adamant they spotted the tainted blade in an undisclosed location alongside an unknown Aisha. We are investigating the possibility that Lord Kass survived and absconded elsewhere.-Torshac
Who is Torshac? This is Torshac. Shoyru Scout.
Like so many old and forgotten Neopians, he’s got a short Neopedia story. He sneaks around Meridell and appears to be a vigilante. So he doesn’t work FOR Meridell, just “in” Meridell. It would seem. So he was with us during the raid? Some of us, anyway. He doesn’t seem to recognize the winners of the contest. Or maybe that’s what he wants whoever reads this file to think?
So what has Torshac found? Well, if you were around for Battle For Meridell, you already know most of this. Darigan and Kass fought, Kass was overcome, he fled into the cloisters of the Citadel where The Three punished his weakness by poofing him.
But here’s something interesting: Not only did Kass disappear, but his sword disappeared too. “Trithduril,” Torshac calls it. The sword he dropped in battle against Lord Darigan. That, we didn’t know. But with every answer comes at least another question. Why did the sword disappear? Did The Three do it? Did it disappear with Kass? It mostly serves to make more intriguing the ties The Three and Kass might have with the Void. Did Trithduril also come from the Void? Was it made by the Void? It’s purple like the Void. And if The Three came from the Void, what is it the Void actually wants if it lines up with their aims? Does the tentacle creature want world domination like they seem to?
Speaking of that sword, there’s that name. “Trithduril.” We mentioned there was some confusion about the name. That confusion appears, APPEARS, to have been cleared up. But once upon a time everyone was pretty sure the sword’s name was “Naralus.” Let’s get into why…
Lord Kass has two weapons of legend in his Battledome equipment. He’s got a lot more weapons than that, but the two iconic weapons, the ones with “special names ” are Naralus and Trithduril.
Way back in 2004, The Fan Sites of the time said that Naralus was the sword, and Trithduril was the dagger. And it sounded right, “Trith” meaning “three,” sounds like a name you’d give to a three-pronged dagger. A “duril” dagger with “trith” points. Below, a screenshot unearthed from the annals of history, showing the original In-Depth Battlepedia from Pink Poogle Toy.
In 2011, Pink Poogle Toy had to hand over their Battlepedia to Jellyneo. But if you check Jellyneo’s Battlepedia, you’ll see that they’ve named the sword Trithduril and the dagger Naralus. Why? Because that’s how it’s actually logged in the Neopets.com backend. In Neopets’ own database, Naralus is the dagger and Trithduril is the sword. You might be thinking “What if someone is making a mistake? A mistake with the database?” After all, Pink Poogle Toy was also highly knowledgeable about the Neopets database. So how is it that they said different? No one yet liveth with the authority to explain just how we got mixed up like this. As far as authoritative and SURVIVING record, Trithduril is the name of the sword.
But it wouldn’t be legend if there weren’t some doubt about the truth behind the tale, would it? In summary, the big takeaway from the Darigan Citadel raid? The sword’s name is Trithduril. Or at least Torshac calls it that.
16th May, 2024
- Not every land affected by The Void Within has a poster. Yet. But they are affected nonetheless. As we see from the latest victim of the Greying.
The Discarded Magical Blue Grundo Plushie of Prosperity is now The Discarded Not-So-Magical Grey Grundo Plushie of… Despair-ity! Evil is cowardly, and so it preys upon the most vulnerable. Board 7 reels from the news.
So who do we know that’s Grey so far? From March 18th to today…
Ellia from Uni’s Clothing
Usul from the Grooming Parlour
The Breadmaster
Hubert of the Hot Dogs
Kari
Inah from the Snow Shop
Bank Skeith
Coltzan’s Shrine
TDMBGPOP
Skarl on the other hand is still just a tease. That disappearance on April 26th has yet to resolve into anything. But while we don’t know anyone in Meridell who’s Grey, we do have a poster of Meridell besieged. And while we don’t have a poster of Faerieland besieged, we do have at least one person/plushie we know there who is now Grey. Faerieland, Terror Mountain, and the Lost Desert have Grey cases, but no posters. Meridell, Brightvale, Haunted Woods, and Altador all have posters, but no Grey cases. And Neopia Central has both. It’s looking real bad for Neopia Central. - It’s May 16th, last year the Altador Cup Press Tour started on this day. But so far we haven’t even had our usual “The Prize Shop will be closing on such and such date so redeem your points now” warning. It might remind of how the Festival of Neggs started late these past couple of years. Because they had cutscenes and whatnot. Will the Cup be starting late because they have to add extra stuff to it? In addition to the week or so of time to spend our points, we also need to make time for the Press Tour. Or maybe the Press Tour isn’t happening like it usually does. Maybe the Grey Curse and Orion’s Prophecies take precedent?
The Cup and The Void Within are the only two events left on the schedule, they’ve got nothing but time for both of them. So there really isn’t any rush.
14th May, 2024
- New poster! This one’s been up on the Neopets Facebook page since 9:02 AM NST, but we wanted to wait for the ultra high resolution version to be posted on Neopets.com. And what luck! At 3000×4167, it’s our biggest poster yet.
Aching for a more refined vacation? Fret not, the luxurious land of Altador awaits! This extravagant city, overflowing with history and living legends, may still hold unearthed secrets. Could you be the one to discover them? Perhaps… if you book a trip to Altador today!
Just when you were about to buy that season pass for the Altador Cup. As if warning us before we all assembled there for Orion’s next Prophecy, the next poster is in Altador of all places. And let’s us all remember why so many people are pretty sure that, after the Cup, there’s nothing left on the itinerary but The Void Within: Per the most recent “What’s Next” section on the Release Notes, there are only two events we haven’t had yet. The Cup, and the Plot.
Nothing else on the menu to eat but these two options. So there isn’t much reason to NOT attack the Altador Cup. If you’re a Void… tentacle… thing… hoping not to be interrupted by another event. Let’s look at what we’ve got.
What’s probably immediately obvious? It looks like the city is burning. Smoke or fire or something is rising in dark clouds from buildings that, like we’ve seen in other posters, are crumbling.
Inferno in a walled city? That’s a surefire massacre. Haha! But seriously, folks, maybe it’s not fire? We’re dealing with the Void, maybe it’s some kinda wispy Void energy?
It might be hard to notice from all the rising darkness, but one thing that isn’t on this poster? Those leering eyes. There’s food for thought. Why are the eyes everywhere else but here? Well, what if this is the moment where the eyes arrive in Neopia, from the Void? Maybe they’re in this rising cloud. And then, from Altador, they spread across the world. There’s reason to think that Altador would be the origin point of all this stuff we’ve been seeing on the posters. For one, the Cup is about to happen and there isn’t much left in the forecast BUT the inevitable Void attack. Makes sense that one event would lead into the other.
But more than a few people have noticed the creases in the poster. It really makes you wonder if the creases in ALL of these posters are significant in some way. If they mean something.
That’s a weird way to fold a piece of paper. Deliberately weird, even. You only fold a piece of paper like that if you mean to make some kind of statement. Because you know what that looks like? An origin point. And the creases/rays represent the spread/emergence of Voidliness. Or maybe it doesn’t start in Altador. Maybe the march starts in Meridell and ends in Altador, following the exact order the posters were released in. In either case, we still have what looks like a straight line between all of the places with posters. Plus a remainder of Neopia Central. Coincidence???
So if the creases in the Altador poster mean something, what might the creases in the other posters mean?
What do we see here? Well, the creases look clean and the folding scheme looks the same for all the posters up through Neopia Central. It looks like 6 to 8 segments, in 2 columns of 4. But then, in the Haunted Woods, the creases become heavy and worn. And we only get a 2×2 segment fold. By the time we get to the Mountains we get this 6 segment fold, with 3 columns of 2. The middle column being wider than the two flanking ones. And finally we end in Altador with the 9 pointed starburst effect. If it had been 12 points, or 11 points, we could’ve easily said “Aha! Like the (remaining) Founders of Altador!” But what could 9 points possibly mean? Or maybe it’s 10 points and some creases are harder to see than others? To fold it this way, you’d have to fold it in half at different angles, right? Giving it a pair of lines each time?
It’s hard to say what any of this means, if anything. But it might mean something.
We see another one of those Paint Brush flags… who’s putting those there? And what do they mean? Surely these being Paint Brush flags must have something to do with the Paint Brush that Vira and her faerie mistress are keeping?
Did a Paint Brush do this? Or… did these little demon guys do this? The ones roosting on the roofs?
Or this… Void Gelert???
We see a very clear enemy contingent, now. As clear as Voidish shadows can make themselves, anyway. Altador is under attack or invasion here. So maybe these guys put the flag there as, like, claiming Altador for the Void Force? The Paint Brush People? Maybe these enemies can travel through Neopia’s atmosphere, like the smog that poisoned Illusen. And that’s why we see faces in the sky. Like.. like you ever play Dig Dug? And you know how the enemies in Dig Dug look different when they’re phasing through the earth’s crust on their way to a cavern that Dig Dug… dug? And they kinda look like a pair of eyes when they do it too, right??? Maybe it’s like that! Except they travel on the wind. Into your lungs, even. And maybe that’s why people turn Grey! Maybe the Grey Curse is just a minor outcome of what will happen when these Void creatures REALLY start carving things up!
There’s some disagreement over whether this says “The finest at” or “The hnest at…”
But what we all seem to be in agreement on is the Balloon Carrier. Now that we have our closest look ever at them.
That’s for sure a Yurble. Not a Kyrii or anything else. But from the drooping ear? It looks like it’s probably a Grey Yurble.
Presently there are no Grey Yurble characters we know. So this is either someone new, or a Yurble we’ve already met who has been turned Grey. And this being Altador, concerns turn once again to THE Yurble.
In a world of overworked and underappreciated Neopians turning Grey almost symbolically, who works harder and who has more grievance than him? But then, they can’t all be pre-existing characters, can they? Even though Aesop seems to be on a mission to find the characters long overdue for some development. No, Nyx and her Faellie are probably not the only original characters. Especially with 10 months of plot to go through. Why would the Yurble Forefitor have a balloon, anyway? Maybe as a Cup souvenir, but this balloon seems special. Not the kind of junk you’d pay 100x markup on at the pro shop. Mostly because it keeps changing its face. In Altador it’s angry, just like it was on the Mountains. Then in the Haunted Woods it looked worried to see Vira. Then for the rest of the journey it looked sad. Except for in Brightvale. You shouldn’t come to conclusions if the evidence doesn’t line up perfectly, but sometimes the evidence not lining up perfectly just means you’ve almost solved it. And it ALMOST seems like the balloon starts angry in Altador, then slowly starts to mellow into depression after meeting Vira.
And is that some kind of headband they’re wearing? Their hair is split into two segments, right above the eye and right on top of their head. You might say “That’s just the Yurble’s ear, look at the other Grey Yurble image it’s compared to.” But unlike the generic Grey Yurble, this Yurble’s hair doesn’t stop just above the ear. And ears don’t usually break up a hairline. Some kind of hat might, though. And speaking of the Balloon Yurble’s eyes, are they closed? Or are they open? Blank and empty, like they’re possessed by the Void?
We don’t have posters for every land, but we have gone from end to end of the Neopian mainland. If the path these posters have led us on isn’t a coincidence, it seems this really might be the last poster. No more teaser posters. That, coupled with how the Cup will be starting soon, points to a city of Altador that looks like it might blow at any second. Expect the unexpected this Cup season. The visions you see very well might be real this time.
9th May, 2024
- Festival of Neggs is in the books. And just look at those fabulous prizes…
No new comics, but Lollapaloma was over at Coltzan’s Shrine when she discovered this…
Coltzan himself isn’t Grey, not any Greyer than a ghost usually is. But his shrine is. So what is this supposed to be? Is the Shrine turning Grey supposed to be Coltzan’s corporeal form turning Grey, but not his immortal soul? The Shrine isn’t really his body, is it? Or is it just that the Grey Curse doesn’t just affect living things, it affects inorganic matter like rocks and sculptures and it just happened to reach Coltzan’s Shrine? CAN the Grey Curse affect ghosts or can Coltzan sit The Void Within out? You’d think he’d at least care about the fate of those who still live here.
Skarl, on the other hand, is still blue.
We’re in the second week of May so the Altador Cup Press Roll should be starting soon. Maybe we’ll see even more Grey cases there? A team coming down with the Grey Curse would be a great opportunity for Team Dacardia to step in.
8th May, 2024
- Graduation Day at the Festival of Neggs. Let us commence.
Hope you are ready for your next clue.
More like FINAL clue!
Nothing gets the gears moving like a nice game of wit! You’ll find these last neggs where you can try on the hottest new outfit!
This being the final clue, you might be tempted to ignore the fact that the vast majority of these have been at shops. Final clue, they’re talkin’ about gears and trying on outfits, probably at Customisation or something. It’s gotta be somewhere special to close this out, right? Well, you could say that. But by “gears” they mean “Cog’s.” As in, Cog’s Togs. Where the outfits are literally hot.
Any more visions, Orion?
Now that the visions have calmed down, the original one of lava returned. And this time, much stronger. I was able to play the Lyre to intensify it for myself and saw what looked like a crevasse next to a very tall building.This is the last time I’ll ask this of you I promise, but could you please take a look around anywhere that may fit this description and report back to me if you find anything?
Lava? Crevasse? Tall building??? That sounds like Monty McTaggart’s Magnificent Moltara Obsidian Company!
It’s easy to miss or forget if you don’t spend much time in Moltara, but Moltara Obsidian has its name label again. It usually doesn’t. That should tell you where you’re supposed to click. But you might be looking for a crevasse, and not a big tower. Don’t worry, clicking around in the background also works. Click Moltara Obsidian, click the rocks in the background, it’s hard to go wrong here.
The beast reveals herself…
Smaller team than the last two Petpet searches. No Landelbrot, no Kugar, no Magon, no Mira, no Tippens, no Sophie… they must all be dealing with The Greying. But our discovery has been made! Back to HQ!This creature seems fairly large for your average petpet, and who knows how old she must be if she was trapped below the surface until now…With how you described the crevasse it seems like the construction of the Obsidion Co. building made the cave she lived in no longer structurally sound. Breaking it open and allowing lava within once again.I’m no petpet expert but she seems to thrive off lava, perhaps that is how she travelled around. Going all over in search of food?Whatever the case is, I am unsure why my visions would have led us to her…Wait, Orion what is that in the spikes on her back?It…it sort of looks like a musical cylinder. Like the kind music boxes use to play songs, but it’s a rather odd shape.And made of lava.Yes, and made of lava. I have no clue what sort of music box could play this.
But as soon as I touched it it was like a weight lifted off my shoulders. I think this must be what the visions were leading me to.And this little, big gal must have had it stuck on her while she ran all over. But how did she get it?I don’t know…I suppose we are left with more questions. For now!
As usual, for every answer we get we are repaid with another question. Let no one tell you this “Void Saga” hasn’t been intriguing. Why was the Tuffala important? Because the Tuffala was carrying another piece of the puzzle. This music box cylinder. But where’d she get it? And of what significance is the music box cylinder? It seems to have made Orion feel much better.
Hmmm… Lyres… Music Box Cylinders… the theme here is magical music making artefacts. The cylinder must be some kind of counterpart to the Lyre, right? How many magical instruments in the full set? Are we looking for more instruments? Or is it just the two? One found in ice and snow, the other found in fire and lava. And why does Orion feel better now? Is it because the cylinder is good, and the Lyre is evil? Or… maybe his suffering was because these instruments wanted to be together. Now that they’re together, Orion’s mind should be clear and he should be firing on all cylinders.
But surely at some point we need to find the music box this cylinder goes to, right? And this is now TWO separate ecological headaches that Monty has caused with Moltara Obsidian. We really oughta check in with the guy.
So this is what the trophy hints were alluding to? An “Orions Prophecies” trophy for following all of his leads? It really was simple: There’s a trophy to be earned. Disregard the crunchy look in the screenshot, the trophy has since been polished. Looks like it’s made of wood.
What’s curious about this is, usually there’s tiers to trophies. Wooden being the lowest. Stone is maybe next if you’re talking about Altador Cup shields. Then you go bronze, silver, gold, maybe get some fancy stones and sparkles along the way…
Which suggests to some that this trophy isn’t supposed to stay wooden. That throughout this evolving Void Saga, there’ll be opportunities to “upgrade” the trophy. And to be fair, they did sorta warn us. But if you looked at the Festival of Neggs and thought “This has nothing to do with The Void Within itself, this is just for the Festival and will have no bearing on anything else as far as plot rewards,” you may have reason to second-think that. Depending on where you draw the line that delineates “plot rewards.” Do you consider “Orions Prophecies” to be a plot reward? Because if you skipped the Festival of Neggs, you might be set back in some larger “Follow leads from Orion’s visions” puzzle or series of achievements or something to unfold.
The work of the Festival of Neggs is done now. Like the Faerie Festival before it, there only remain the final prizes. Maybe, like the Faerie Festival before it, we’ll get another teaser comic?You’ve solved all of Kari’s clues! Be sure to come back tomorrow for your final prizes.
7th May, 2024
- Penultimate negg in the Festival, ultimate vision in the Orion Side Quest. Let’s have the SITREP…The event is ending soon…How are things going with your visions?I haven’t felt them fading, but I suppose if my theory is correct they wouldn’t be yet.But please festival-goers, if you haven’t yet, go search around Neopia for anything strange and report back to me as soon as you do!
Let’s start with the negg.I’ve got a new clue for you.
Hopefully, these neggs don’t end up in a magical brew, or else we’ll have to travel back in time to make them anew.
You absolutely wouldn’t know it from looking at the world today, but originally Meridell was reached by traveling back in time through a permeable time warp. There, Lisha and her friends (with no explanation) left their families behind to go live there. There, Lisha’s friend Kayla set up a Potion Shop where she pushes her brews.
Last of Orion’s visions. Whatever that last vision was, he wasn’t able to see it clearly enough to tell us where to go. So one last time, we’re gonna have to go over the usual suspects.
Mystery Island Volcano
Lost Desert Foods
Tyrannian Foods
The Bakery
Molten Morsels
Merifoods
Qasalan Delights
The Crumpetmonger
Ye Olde Petpets
Ice Crystal Shop
Super Happy Icy Fun Snow Shop
Thank you for all your hard work! It seems like my visions followed the creature wherever it went, I wonder how it travelled so fast. But I suppose it must be done moving now, as most of the visions have stopped. I know we may be short on time, but I need a little while alone to hone in on what is left! Please come back soon, and I’ll have more information, I promise!
The suspense… okay, tomorrow. TOMORROW we learn just what this creature is. And how it travels so fast. Orion pointed out the warp speed this thing seems to move at. It wouldn’t happen to be traveling through rifts in spacetime, would it? Rifts that lead to the Void? With one day left, and that “What The Negg” image and “T-R-O-P-H-Y” still not understood, there is a tall order tomorrow (and potentially the next day) to make sense of a lot of intriguing questions.Come back tomorrow and I’ll have more information for you. I promise!
6th May, 2024
- One day more in the Orion Side Quest, two days more in the Festival of Neggs as a whole.Another clue is ready for your review.
Sometimes the best offence is defence, so these neggs are up somewhere that will keep them safe no matter the expense.
You might be thinking of the Defence Magic shop in Central. But remember the words “up somewhere.” Look upward, to the Space Armour shop.
Okay, so maybe there are patterns to the Orion Side Quest, but some have different ones than others. Patterns we haven’t figured out yet.
Mystery Island Volcano
Lost Desert Foods
Tyrannian Foods
The Bakery
Molten Morsels
Merifoods
Qasalan Delights
The Crumpetmonger
Ye Olde Petpets
Ice Crystal Shop
Super Happy Icy Fun Snow Shop
These visions have taken a lot out of me, but I get the sense that this is all for something important. Please keep searching a little bit longer!
Orion can only see one more place. So tomorrow can he maybe just tell us the one place to go? Does that mean it’ll be the same for all of us, or will he not be able to make the vision out clearly? And this creature, of what importance might it have? Importance to The Void Within? Maybe this thing is from space, from the Void. Is everything from here on out part of an overarching “Void Saga?”
They say the slow burn provides the warmest heat. This creature can probably tell us personally. One day more.
5th May, 2024
- 4 more days left in the Festival of Neggs. Got any new theories? Orion has one.What you said to me the other day, about believing in my abilities back during last year’s festivities. It got me got me thinking.Ever since I found the Lyre I have consulted my cards many a time, but never garnered much information from them when it came to anything pertaining to the Lyre or my visions.But during last year’s festival, I was able to gather more power through the help of a festival-goer. So do you need them to interact with your cards again?No, sadly I think even with the help of many festival-goers, we would not be able to crɑck the secrets behind the Lyre with just my cards alone. But the premise behind the help I received is what struck an idea in my head.The strongest visions I’ve had happened during the Advent Calendar, one of the biggest events of the year. Tons of Neopians gather together to celebrate it.No visions I’ve had yet have matched the ones during that event, but I did encounter another bout of dreams and visions during the month of Awakening. They weren’t nearly as strong, but they lasted for some time. And what was happening that entire month? The Neopies?Exactly! Another large gathering of Neopians!Just like I needed to gather power from another to make my card readings stronger, I think the Lyre must need the power of all of us gathered together to power it enough to send these messages! That seems a little farfetched…I know…it’s just a theory. My other is that since it’s a musical instrument, maybe the Lyre likes having a crowd to put on a show for. However, that one mainly seems silly. Well, either way, if your theory on crowds of Neopians triggering your visions is correct, I’m afraid we are running out of time. There are only a few days left until the Festival of Neggs ends.Yeah…if it ends so might my visions, and we won’t know why I am receiving them once more.In that case, we all need to get back out there! I can feel that we are close to answers!
So if Orion is right, and he probably is, this means two things. First, the Neopies are canon to Neopia. It’s not clear how they work because they’re from out-of-universe perspective as far as we can see. But second, and more importantly? We know why he had visions in February: The Lyre is strongest whenever there’s a very large gathering of people in one place. A gathering large enough to be a major site event. Neopies were in February, so there was energy to see visions. And what site event is coming up in just a few short weeks?
The Cup is a big one, probably only Winter Starlight could ever rival it. So look forward to somethin’ big. If Fyora even lets Orion play the Lyre. Remember, she doesn’t like him playing it. And she’ll probably be in town for the Cup and with a gathering that big, we’ll ALL be seeing fireworks. Snowbirds, give heed. There will be reasons to stick around after the Cup is over. - There’s also, of course, the hunting to do.Hope you are ready for your next clue.
These neggs aren’t by the seashore, but she does sell them for sure!
What might one sell by the seashore, besides neggs? Collectable Sea Shells, of course!
Is she making puns again? The old Kari is back??? Or at least gradually returning? Day breaks over a cold morning in Neopia???
We won’t pretend to understand what any potential patterns may or may not be anymore.
Mystery Island Volcano
Lost Desert Foods
Tyrannian Foods
The Bakery
Molten Morsels
Merifoods
Qasalan Delights
The Crumpetmonger
Ye Olde Petpets
Ice Crystal Shop
Super Happy Icy Fun Snow Shop
I can’t help but think that this creature is lost or something…maybe once we figure out what is going on we can help it. For now, though, we are almost there, I can feel it!
Help it? Now we’re talkin’. Maybe we’ll get to keep it and play with it and take care of it and love it.
The Festival is ending soon, but the Cup is only just beginning. Be there or be square.
4th May, 2024
- Day 5 of the Orion Side Quest, Day 12 of the Festival of Neggs as a whole. We’re in the home stretch now.I’ve got a new clue for you.
You can learn all the insights of those long-gone, after you find these neggs amongst parchments with curses upon.
There’s only two places this could possibly be, each one as likely as the other. It’s not Words of Antiquity, it’s Sutek’s Scrolls. Why? Because The Wisdom of the Ancients is contained upon these scrolls!
3rd May, 2024
- We’re halfway through the Orion Side Quest, brought to you by the Festival of Neggs. It’s time for a midterm address. Kari, if I may ask. How are you doing? I know there isn’t much known about…what is happening, but I thought you may want to talk about it anyway. I’m sorry Orion, I’m not sure I’m up for talking about me…but I do worry for the rest of Neopia. There have been a few well-known cases, but everyday citizens are starting to be affected at random. So there’s no way to figure out how everyone could be connected. I’ve talked with Naia and nothing seems to be able to help. Not the fountain, paintbrushes…nothing. If something isn’t done soon, I don’t know what it could mean for Neopia. You might actually be one of our best hopes, Orion. What do you mean? Those visions of yours had you convinced something terrible was coming to Neopia. Perhaps they were meant to warn us of this grey curse? I…I don’t know. The things I’ve seen…they didn’t really show anything useful. I’m sure they did. In some way. I don’t even know why or how they happened. Or why they are back now…I’m not sure I can take much more of this.
I believed in your abilities back when we first met, and I believe in you now. You’ll figure something out!Alright, if you can smile even through all this. Then I suppose I can keep pushing on as well.
And there we have it. A breakthrough. She’s still Greying, but a smile? That’s progress. That’s us beating this thing.
But don’t celebrate just yet. There have been a few well-known cases, but everyday citizens are starting to be affected at random. So there’s no way to figure out how everyone could be connected. When Kari says “well-known cases,” she means the shopkeepers and the like, right? So “everyday citizens” would be… who? Us? OUR ‘pets??? Is that what’s happening next? Suddenly those Smile Withme masks don’t sound like a bad idea.
Skarl on the other hand is still blue. But what else is new, this curse is by all counts unpredictable. And it seems it’s about to flex just how unpredictable it can get. - As for today’s Festival errands?Another clue is ready for your review.
Finding these neggs does not depend on your methodology, but if you know where you can find arms of quality!
This was a tough one. The answer is Wonderous Weaponry. Why? How? Because Orion’s clue is a reference to Kentari’s quote.
The strength of a warrior does not depend on his weapon,
yet a warrior is not strongest without a weapon of quality.
We’re halfway through Orion’s visions today!
Mystery Island Volcano
Molten Morsels
Tyrannian Foods
Lost Desert Foods
Qasalan Delights
Merifoods
Ye Olde Petpets
The Crumpetmonger
The Bakery
Ice Crystal Shop
Super Happy Icy Fun Snow Shop
It seems like this creature appears in warm places, often at places that have food as well. That doesn’t narrow it down too much, but it is certainly something! Keep up the good work!
Yep, warmth and food. But is Orion saying he can narrow this down even further? Like, narrow down why he’s going to these specific food shops or something? Or maybe he can narrow down what this Petpet is after that they could also be found, very scarcely, on Terror Mountain?
Something else you might’ve noticed if you’re watching your fellow investigators. Maybe on Day 1, Investigator A catches a sighting at Lost Desert Foods. And Investigator B catches a sighting at Tyrannian Foods. Then on Day 2, Investigator A catches a sighting at Tyrannian Foods. And Investigator B catches a sighting at The Bakery. Then on Day 3, Investigator A catches a sighting at The Bakery. And Investigator B catches a sighting at Molten Morsels. At this point you should be like Investigator A and Investigator B are following the same pattern, but Investigator A is a step behind Investigator B. Investigator A will next have a sighting at Molten Morsels. But it’s probably not just Investigators A and B. It’s probably all of us. This pattern, this trail, is probably the same for all of us. And we’re all on different places on it.
We haven’t pieced it together entirely yet, but these spots appear to be in a fixed order:
1. Mystery Island Volcano
2. Lost Desert Foods
3. Tyrannian Foods
4. The Bakery
5. Molten Morsels
6. Merifoods
Still not clear how Qasalan Delights, Ye Olde Petpets, The Crumpetmonger, Ice Crystal Shop, and Super Happy Icy Fun Snow Shop fit into the path. But the current theory is, if you find the Petpet at Tyrannian Foods today, you’ll probably find the Petpet at the Bakery tomorrow. And then Molten Morsels the next day. OR… you might be going in the other direction. If you find the Petpet at Tyrannian Foods today, you’ll probably find it at Lost Desert Foods tomorrow and the Mystery Island Volcano the next day. But the evidence seems to strongly suggest that this order is fixed. We just need to know how the other 5 shops fit in.
With four more days of searching left, we’ll certainly know by the end, if that matters.
2nd May, 2024
- Day 3 of the Orion Side Quest, Day 10 of the Festival of Neggs as a whole.Hope you are ready for your next clue.
If all the merchandise has a small smile, you’ll know you’re close to finding the next negg pile!
Merchandise with faces on it? Weren’t we just talking about The Motery? And how the balloon that the Balloon Carrier is Balloon Carrying might be a mote?
As for Orion, here’s the usual patrol.
Mystery Island Volcano
Molten Morsels
Tyrannian Foods
Lost Desert Foods
Qasalan Delights
Merifoods
Ye Olde Petpets
The Crumpetmonger
The Bakery
Ice Crystal Shop
Super Happy Icy Fun Snow Shop
Okay, this strange creature you keep seeing has to be connected to my visions. It seems like each time you chase it away my visions dwindle. It’s almost as if the creature is being chased away for good. But why would it go there in the first place?
Chased away for good??? No, no! NO!!! Let the Petpet stay! The Bython got to stay, the Talpidat got to stay… it would seem neggs are the perfect Petpet food. - Speaking of Petpets, remember the Spooky Food Eating Contest? And how some of us, SOME OF US, got one of those shapeshifting food eating monsters as Petpets?
And remember how one of these shapeshifting monsters masqueraded as a Yurble named Scarlet?
It’s still not clear if Scarlet is a real Yurble, or a fake identity this monster created so he could infiltrate this contest. But what if the Balloon Carrying Yurble is actually this very shapeshifting monster? The same one who terrorized Neovia back then? What with him being known to turn into this Yurble?
Why even suggest this? If that is a Yurble, isn’t it more likely that it’s just a regular Yurble and not a shapeshifter? Well, consider that we got that poster for the mountains west of the Haunted Woods. Know what else is over in those mountains? Besides where Baelia might’ve been held captive by a sabbath of shadows? More of those shapeshifting monsters.
If Baelia was held captive on this mountain range, do you think maybe some of these monsters were present for that? Not as party to it, necessarily, but maybe they saw the shadows and Jennumara (if she was even there)? If wickedness is at play over there, maybe it’s had time to influence our young monster hero to make him into a reluctant monster villain? As for Scarlet, we might also get to learn if she really exists, or is a persona he created.
He’s a boy, right? Boys have horns, girls don’t? Then again, they’re shapeshifters so they can probably have whatever they want.
1st May, 2024
- Day 2 of the Orion Side Quest, Day 9 of the Festival of Neggs as a whole.I’ve got a new clue for you.
Where delights are so enticing you’d sprout wings and fly, these neggs are next to some heavenly pie!
Y’know where you can find heavenly food that sparkles and glows with a celestial aura? And often has wings? Faerie Foods.
Pie to treat/cure the Grey Curse? That actually sounds like a pretty good idea. Mysterious new… curse or disease or whatever? Should’ve checked at the Hospital, where they’ll probably tell you “That sounds like NeoBlues, have some pie.”
If the Greying can be described as a particularly aggressive strain of NeoBlues, maybe what we need is a particularly aggressive strain of delicious pie. Pie begotten of the paradisiacal means and make of faeriekind.
Now let’s help Orion. For most people, the same spots work for catching this creature. You’re looking for the same feet and/or tails from yesterday.
Mystery Island Volcano
Molten Morsels
Tyrannian Foods
Lost Desert Foods
Qasalan Delights
Merifoods
Ye Olde Petpets
The Crumpetmonger
The Bakery
Ice Crystal Shop
Super Happy Icy Fun Snow Shop
Catch your sighting, and then Orion should call you as usual.
Hmm, so the strange thing is some sort of creature but it disappeared before you could get too close? Well, I suppose it’s only a theory at this point but this seems connected. Maybe try and figure out if there is any sort of connection between the places it shows up.
Food and warmth, save for the very rare scenario where you might see it on Terror Mountain somewhere. There’s your connection. It’s probably accustomed to food and warmth. So… why would it ever be on Terror Mountain? Well, the Lyre was on Terror Mountain. So maybe this creature was up there for the same reason? Maybe this creature and the Lyre are tied to The Void Within via the same plot thread? Or maybe winteriness is itself related to The Void Within? The Lyre was found on Terror Mountain, but the tourism posters seem to suggest that Baelia’s captivity was not on Terror Mountain. It was on a different mountain. But the two mountains are united by their association with this plot. Maybe we’ll find that other mountains and wintery areas are associated with this plot.
But first, we gotta find this creature. And then whatever the “trophy” is. With plot threads you gotta be patient. Gotta move step by step.
30th April, 2024
- BUSY day at the Festival of Neggs… the Orion Side Quest has begun. But let’s get the easy part out of the way first…Another clue is ready for your review.
There’s no need to take the neggs up as a sacrifice, but if you have a couple of stones you could throw them in for a price!
Throwing in stones as a sacrifice? Do you know anywhere else they’re throwing sacrificial stones, besides the Mystery Island Volcano?
Now, depending on who you spoke to, you may or may not have seen one of these at the volcano.
What is it? All will become clear if you go back to camp and talk to Orion. If you haven’t already done that.Hi, Kari. I’ve got news on my mission.Did you go to Moltara?Yes, but I couldn’t find anything.Have you tried playing the Lyre again?It hasn’t done much since the intense visions of the Advent Calendar, and Queen Fyora has advised me to refrain from playing the Lyre whenever possible. But…yes, I did.However, I had barely started when there was a big quake in the city. After that, I was bombarded by multiple visions!Oh my! Was everyone okay?Yes, luckily the shaking didn’t last long and wasn’t too intense, but now I can’t seem to see the original vision from my dream.These new visions are far too weak for me to make much out, and they are all so scrambled together that I can’t make any sense of them. However, the small parts I can see seem as though they are flashes of places all around Neopia!So what now?I’m not sure. Even if I wasn’t helping with the festival, I don’t think I could possibly travel all across Neopia in hopes of answers. I can already feel the drain from the visions starting to affect me.If you need to focus on this I would understand!No, I gave my word to the great Space Faerie that I would help. Besides, I would not abandon my friend in her time of need!Orion…IHush now! Not another word on the matter. Besides, the festival may be just what I need for these circυmstances.I can’t manage this search on my own, but perhaps your festival-goers can help out!I can keep an eye out as I hide the neggs, but if they could also look around as they search for them, then we would cover a lot of ground fairly quickly!That’s a great idea, but only if they feel up to it!Of course! All that is needed is for them to keep an eye out for anything odd around Neopia and to report back to me if they happen to see anything. The festival can still go on like normal, and I can preserve energy. As well as look into why the visions are back and what they could mean!The visions are too jumbled for me to pinpoint a starting place, so please don’t overwork yourself. Even if you can only report back one strange occurences a day that would be enough to help me out!
One occurrence a day? Sounds like some kind of once-a-day mission that demands same-day completion. So let’s not waste any time.Let me know if you see anything strange out there today.
With all that talk about darkness and lava yesterday, you might think to go looking in places with lava. After all, some of us caught sightings at that volcano. But sightings could potentially be ANYWHERE in Neopia. Thankfully, in this thread on Board 7, the community seems to have narrowed it down to about 10 places. If you don’t see anything here, or if you find something somewhere else, let your fellow investigators know.
Mystery Island Volcano
Molten Morsels
Tyrannian Foods
Lost Desert Foods
Qasalan Delights
Merifoods
Ye Olde Petpets
The Crumpetmonger
The Bakery
Ice Crystal Shop
When you find it, it should look something like this. See the claw to the left?
Click it, and right as you find it you should get a message from Orion. Maybe it’s telepathic, maybe he called us on his cellphone, maybe he came with us and was nearby?
Back to HQ, and Orion will say the following.So you saw something strange around the same time my visions got slightly clearer? But you didn’t get a good look at it? Okay, well, that is something to work off of! Keep an eye out for more; maybe we can figure out how it’s all connected!
And with that, we are done for the day!I understand if you need to rest. I’ll be here tomorrow if you find anything more!
Legwork is done, now it’s time to put on our thinking caps. If you look at the image names for each thing you can see, you’ll find that they’re named petpet_foot.png and petpet_tail.png. As destiny seems to hold for the Festival of Neggs, we are once again looking for a Petpet. What’s its name? What does it look like? Does it have some fondness for lava? And if it has a fondness for lava, why would it ever go anywhere near the Ice Crystals Shop? Well, if you View Source and Inspect around, you can actually see the Petpet, and learn its name. Though some might consider that a spoiler, so we’ll leave that depth to those willing to dig.
But this Petpet, does it have something to do with The Void Within? If Orion is getting visions of it and playing the Lyre seems to be related to it? Well, as a clairvoyant, Orion doesn’t have to be limited to vision of the Void. Psychics and whatnot are supposed to be able to see more than one thing in the future, right? Otherwise he’s not much of a psychic once all this Void stuff is over. But there’s still that Void Negg Trophy.
So… it seems SOMETHING Voidly must be nigh. Probably the Petpet then, right? Did it come FROM the Void? Maybe the Bython did too, maybe the Bython and this other Petpet came through a rift like the kind Nyx opened. And what about “TROPHY?” Do we get a trophy for managing to find the Petpet on each of the 8 days?
And about that Lyre, Fyora said not to play it? Why? For Orion’s health? Because his visions are crucial to us seeing what’s coming and knowing what to do about it. Has she since uncovered something about this Lyre that might suggest it’s dangerous to play? Moltara did have that earthquake when he barely touched it.
But what seems certain is that we’re making another friend from beyond the stars. The mysteries of Voids and trophies and Lyres, though? We’re still searching. - UPDATE: People are collaborating on a new thread on Board 7, originally created as a “final” compilation of all the potential places in the Petpet’s territory. Because we thought for sure we finally had them all. But very rare outliers continue to show themselves. For instance, odds are you won’t find it at the Ice Crystal Shop. But some people are finding it there. Much less often than the other places, though. Another very rare place? Moderately Content Icy Amusẹment Snow Shop.
Which makes sense. Orion saw lava in his vision, and if you exclude these two outliers, this looks like the M.O. of a creature who likes to eat and be near warmth. It’s not “consistent” for it to be up north, so if it is seen there it should be, if at all, seen rarely. But we don’t know much of anything for certain, we just have what looks likely. With that said, here’s where MOST people are seeing sightings.
Mystery Island Volcano
Molten Morsels
Tyrannian Foods
Lost Desert Foods
Qasalan Delights
Merifoods
Ye Olde Petpets
The Crumpetmonger
The Bakery
…and here’s where slightly less than most people are seeing sightings.
Ice Crystal Shop
Super Happy Icy Fun Snow Shop
Remember, report any as-of-yet undocυmented sightings. We’re all gonna make it, if we all go together.
29th April, 2024
- Breaking news from the Festival of Neggs! Orion has seen things in dreams again. You have the option of talking to him about it.
However, you should probably talk to Kari first and find your negg. There seems to be a minor glitch where the cutscene with Orion just jumps to the end if you talk to him first. People who talk to Kari first aren’t getting this glitch.
Hope you are ready for your next clue.
These neggs are protected by some of the most glorious buddies around. If you’re lucky enough to take one home you won’t be let down!
Glorious buddies. Like how Prigpants and Swolthy are buddies? A friendship between two Neopets? That would be a mistake, and you can waste a lot of time checking shops for groups of two or more Neopets. No, Orion means “buddies” like how Nyx and her Faellie are buddies. A Petpet can be a buddy. Perhaps instead focus on the “glorious” aspect. If there were buddies in Neopia, where might the “glorious” ones be? Where do you go if you’re looking for “glorious” vibes? Probably the city of gold, city of the sun, Altador. Where their Legendary Petpets will make for most loyal companions during any trial.
That was fun. Now back to the Festival to talk to Orion.Kari…I, I had another dream last night…a strong one.Oh no, I’m so sorry. Are you okay?Yes…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be bringing this up during the festival.It’s okay, if there’s one thing I know about my festival-goers, it is that they are often happy to help out whenever needed.So, if you feel comfortable doing so maybe you can tell me about your dream.It was strange, it was the first one I’ve had that has so clearly been about some place in Neopia.Oh, yeah? Where was it?I suppose I can’t be certain, but the dream was dark besides that of the glow of molten lava. That has to be Moltara, right?Seems like it. What does that mean though?I don’t know. I guess I can travel there tonight after I hide tomorrow’s neggs.Do you want me to come with you?No, that’s okay. You stay focused on the festival! I’ll be back before you know it.
That story again: Moltara suspected to be the site of some sort of… mysterious happening! Get ready to suit up, our investigation will be taking us to Moltara.
But is that the right spot? Is Moltara actually what Orion saw in his dream? The dream was dark besides that of the glow of molten lava. Moltara does have molten lava. Or magma. Whatever name you wanna give it. And wouldn’t it be great to go back to Moltara Obsidian and see that Monty was up to something? He ditches the Obsidian, and his next business venture is that which sets Vira’s and her faerie mistress’s plan into further motion? There’s still that speculation that he might be Nyx’s boss who sent her into space for something.
But Moltara isn’t the only place in Neopia with lava/magma. The Mystery Island Volcano, for instance. Some call it Techo Mountain, some say “No, Techo Mountain is the sculpture next to the volcano, the volcano itself is called Piku Paku. Very common mistake.” Whatever the truth is, one thing that’s true is that it is very much active.
Another famous volcano? The one in Tyrannia. Can be seen in the distance from the Plateau, but it can’t be visited anymore. If you try, they send you back. But once upon a time you could…
Maybe over the next few days we’ll visit not just Moltara, but Mystery Island, Tyrannia, and anywhere else that might have lava/magma? Looking for things that might mean something? Maybe this is where Orion’s Side Quest begins.
But wait, there’s one more place that might have some lava. And as it was in Orion’s dream? It’s dark. Darigan Citadel.
See that red chasm in the center? That’s probably lava, right? And like Moltara, we have at least one strong suspect related to Darigan Citadel. Something might be going on in Moltara because Monty is tied to Malkus who is tied to Vira and her faerie mistress. But something might be going on in Darigan Citadel because of Kass. And Lord Darigan too, while we’re at it. He was probably sent to where ever Kass was, by order of The Three.
And speaking of Darigan Citadel, with the votes of that Darigan Citadel raid Customisation Contest having ended and finals to soon begin, maybe the Puzzle Hunters will have some findings to publish? Maybe said findings will line up with whatever Orion finds? Maybe Orion and the Puzzle Hunters and everyone else will follow the trail of clues and intuition back to Darigan Citadel?
Fitting that we should find ourselves caught up in this mystery of a curse that has taken the color and light out of our lives, and have so much suspicion and concern for Darigan Citadel. They know as good as anyone what it’s like have vibrance and splendor, but then lose it all.
28th April, 2024
- Day 6 of the Festival of Neggs. Have you got all the negg prizes you hoped to get by now?I’ve got a new clue for you.
Surrounded by trinkets these neggs do lay, to find them you may have to talk to a shopkeeper who speaks in a peculiar way!
There’s a few languages spoken in Neopia, but perhaps the most misunderstood are the Tyrannian dialects. So, a trinket shop where the shopkeeper speaks a peculiar language? Gotta be THE trinket shop, Ugga Shinies.
There’s been a few glitches going around, minor ones. Neggs you’ve found not appearing in your log, for instance. Don’t worry, they’re in your log, you just gotta refresh a little. Also, some people are noticing that things that should be random around Neopets.com are… not as random. Some people. That one’s a little harder to pinpoint.
27th April, 2024
- Day 5 of the Festival of Neggs. Orion’s running the show now, but Kari is still the face of this company.Another clue is ready for your review.
If you consider yourself a connoisseur of classical decor, you’ll find these neggs where you go shopping galore!
Classical decor? As in, interior decor for your house? Can only be Chesterdrawers’ Antiques.
So, Orion enjoys a bit of antiquing?
Partly a shame, though, that they couldn’t get Topsi for this. Hosting the Festival used to be his job. Is Neggistential really still not done with his work on Topsi’s brain?
Here’s hoping in the next… 10 months or so, fate holds some purpose for Topsi. It’s been 3 years.
26th April, 2024
- Day 4 of the Festival of Neggs, and Kari doesn’t even have the clue written yet. She’s low on resources. Maybe it’s time for a wellness check?I…I’m sorry for yesterday. I just can’t seem to get myself together. Just give me a moment here, and I’ll be ready with a decent clue today. I promise.Hello, Kari. May I bother you for a moment?Orion? What are you doing here?Mira asked me if I could stop by. She said she would do it herself, but you already told her “Under no circụmstances should she busy herself with the festival when the world needs her right now.” And when she went to protest, you said if she even tried to stop by you’d “make her regret it”. Which she refused to elaborate on.Yes, I know that last part. I was there.Right. Of course. My apologies.No, no. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be so curt. I’m just…well, you know.No need to apologise. I fully understand.It is to that point that I have come here. I would like to accompany you and aid in another year’s festivities. If you will have me that is.Thank you for the offer Orion, but I heard about what happened during the Advent Calendar. Are you sure you are feeling well enough?Yes! I admit I was in rough shape there for a time, but the intense dreams and visions subsided soon after. I was plagued for a bit once again during the month of Awakening, but neither I nor Queen Fyora could make sense of those visions. And ever since then not even the playing of the Lyre has brought forth a revelation.So you’re doing better? You still look rather…tired.Now my studies for answers is what keeps me up most nights, but no need to worry about that. Let’s get back to the matter at hand.I heard you were struggling to hide the neggs and provide adequate riddles for them? I shall happily take up those tasks for you, and all you need to worry about is seeing the smiling faces of those who find them! Sound good?…I don’t know what to say.Just say today’s riddle. I already have it written out for you!
Kari’s throwing her weight around with Mira. The Space Faerie. Adorable. By the time this is over maybe all the faeries will kiss. Kari and Mira, Jhudora and Illusen… sure, even Fyora can kiss somebody.
But Orion’s here! And like your fastest server showing up for an unusually busy weekend lunch rush, what a load off our shoulders. Oh, and he brought Naia?
Hope you are ready for your next clue.
Our good friend Orion is here to help! The neggs are now hidden someplace no one should hear you yelp!
No one should hear you yelp? Hmmmm… okay that’s noticeably more challenging than what we’ve been getting. Where might it be bad to yelp? Maybe the Snowager’s lair? Hmmmm… these negg spots are usually shops of some kind though. What “shop” might it be frowned upon to yelp? Where would loud noises ruin things? A library! Maybe the Bookshop in Central? Or the Faerieland Bookshop? No… it’s Booktastic Books, in fact!
The Orion Side Quest has not yet begun, but he’s already bringing some leads to chew on. As Neostaff said in the Live, Orion has been having trouble seeing any new visions. But what they didn’t mention was the part where Orion said I was plagued for a bit once again during the month of Awakening, but neither I nor Queen Fyora could make sense of those visions. What happened during the month of Awakening (that’s February to us Earthlings) that Orion experienced a sudden but brief spout of insight? And when might it have happened? Because the Greyings started on March 18th, not February. As far as we know, anyway. Maybe someone was secretly Greying and the public just had no idea?
We have no posts here for February 2024, but let’s look back on the recent month anyway. Those Puzzle Hunters have a made a case for looking back at past New Features entries for clues.
Week of January 29th
Week of February 5th
Week of February 12th
Week of February 20th
Week of February 26th
February is the Valentine’s Month, that’s the first obvious answer. But this was also when the Neopies were going on. Maybe that had something to do with it? We also had Jhudora Day that month. Could something be in the cards that involves Jhudora? Whose side is she on? Maybe she did something that triggered Orion’s Orion-Sense? For good or ill?
Other than that, nothing seems to stand out. No letters taken out, no old posts changed. So now we have another question among so many: What happened in February? And what did Orion see? Maybe what’s depicted on these recent posters? Again, those didn’t start in February. But then, maybe he saw them ahead of us. Still, what happened in February to show him these visions?
Maybe we need to keep an eye on Jhudora. And Illusen, for that matter. Haven’t heard from them since the Faerity Questival. - The raid on Darigan Citadel will be coming to an end soon. AKA, it’s April 26th and votes just closed in that Facebook contest. Anything happen while we were busy? Yes. Something just happened today. To another high profile Neopian.
You probably know what this is supposed to be. Some on Board 7 think this is just a normal glitch, but if you remember the Grooming Parlour Usul and how her image disappeared for a while, you know in your heart what happened: Skarl has turned Grey. Neostaff will probably get around to fixing it soon, maybe even today. It’s not the weekend yet. But this curse is affecting heads of state now. We’ve got a monarchical crisis on our hands! What might Meridell’s enemies try if they knew this was going on? Would Darigan take advantage of this weakness? If this continues, the international community will be thrown into chaos! If it isn’t already!
Not a lot of people saw what happened to Skarl, pun intended. But many more DID catch this while collecting their daily interest.
Skarl is one thing. But now they’re messin’ with our money. It’s open season on Neopia’s favorite Skeiths, how much more of this can we take??? Can a Grey Neopia even function???
One small sliver of hope, it doesn’t seem like anyone’s concerned that this is contagious. So it probably isn’t. If there were credible concerns that it were contagious, Orion probably would’ve worn a mask.
But this is spreading somehow. If not virally, it means someone’s out there changing people. Maybe we can help Orion find them before the Festival’s done. - SLIGHT UPDATE: Skarl is no longer missing. AliOldman stopped by Grumpy Old King later in the day and instead of seeing a fixed image with a Grey Skarl, he just saw the regular Skarl we all know and/or love.
But the image does exist. When will those who visit Skarl see him in his Grey Form? No one knows yet. Maybe tomorrow? Watch this space.
25th April, 2024
- Day 3 of the Festival of Neggs. Fatigue is already starting to set in for Kari. But then, fatigue started setting in well before the Festival began.I’ve got another clue for you…
You’ll sure be bouncy if you…ah, I can’t think of a rhyme! The neggs are in the Roo Island Souvenirs shop.
A real brainbender. But leading speculation suggests that today’s negg is most likely at Roo Island Souvenirs shop.
Greyness hasn’t slowed her down one bit though.
You didn’t see anything weird on the way here though, did you? When Orion gets here we can tell him all about it. Really start collaborating on our findings.
24th April, 2024
- Day 2 of the Festival of Neggs, and the quest for understanding (and neggs) continues.Another clue is ready for your review.
You’ll easily find these neggs somewhere sweet if you think lakes are neat.
Kari’s words still lack the energy of Festivals prior. Anyway, sweets? A lake? Wouldn’t be Kiko Lake Treats would it?
Kari is really slippin’. By the way, that Time Travel Negg? It appears to only offer prizes from Negg Festivals in years past. Most of which you could probably just buy. So if negg priority was a factor… Also? Its inclusion may have less to do with the themes of this year’s festival and more to do with how Neostaff probably just wanted to give us a shot at retired prizes.
Still no Void Negg trophy. One wonders where Kari’s best friend and roommate Mira is. Maybe she’s in space, investigating the Void? Maybe she’ll bring back a trophy made of Void Neggs or something? - Someone will eventually come along and jolt this investigation. After all, that’s how it was for the last two investigations. Plus we’ve seen Orion’s hands hovering over that Trophy of Neggs. So developments are on the way.
But Biscuitism was not content to wait for answers. She decided to dig around in the FAQ, and stumbled upon this. This thing that is not included in the regular Festival of Neggs FAQ. The Orion Side Quest.
It hasn’t started yet, like Orion’s Tarot thing from last year it’s coming later. But we can look ahead to it by reading what the FAQ says about it.
What exactly does Orion want me to do?
Orion is asking for help searching all around Neopia to find anything out of the ordinary! So, while you are searching for Kari’s neggs, perhaps you can pop around other places as well to see if you can spot anything odd.
I think I have found something strange. What next?
If you think you’ve found something make sure to check in with Orion. If it’s something he thinks could be of importance he will most likely have something to say on the matter. If you aren’t certain you’ve found something still feel free to check in with him. What he has to say might help you know if you’ve found something in general.
How often should I be looking for something strange?
Orion doesn’t want anyone getting overworked so once you’re certain you’ve found something and you told Orion about it, you should take a break for the day and go searching more tomorrow! If you miss a day or two though, you can make up for lost time by trying to find multiple strange occurrences. However, make sure to keep checking in with Orion whenever you can, as he’ll be on the lookout for when you should take another break!
Is there a reward for helping Orion?
Of course! Orion sort of has his hands full at the moment, but if you can help him solve this mystery he’ll be sure to reward you!
Okay, but what exactly am I looking for?
It’s hard to say, but you’ll know it when you see it! Stay vigilant of your surroundings and be sure to give sidelong looks wherever you go! You never know when something may be hiding in the corner of your eyes!
I missed some days but can only find one strange sighting?
Make sure you report the strange sighting to Orion before looking for more! He might even have some interesting thoughts that could help you determine where to look next.
Do I have to help Orion?
Short answer: Nope. Longer answer: Still nope, but we highly recommend it! If you want to only find the neggs, just talk to Kari each day to avoid hearing from Orion from now on. However, Orion’s visions may lead down a path that we think you wouldn’t want to miss out on!
Now there’s a headscratcher. What exactly are we looking for? Oh, we’ll know it when we see it. The painter, the faerie, these villains out to make their mark… are they already out marking? Should we be worried? Are we gonna run into the sorts of stuff we saw on those posters? Or maybe we’ll find loose Void Neggs that we make into a trophy?
But whatever happens, you’ll be ready. You showed up for a hunt, and you’ll have it.
23rd April, 2024
- Impatient for more clues? More development on this case? How does a new poster grab you? Haunted Woods was not the end of our poster journey, but this might be.Mountains make marvellous memories. Come brave the rugged hiking trails between Altador and the Haunted Woods, where you’ll be greeted by breathtaking views and diverse wildlife!
Another curveball! It’s not a land anyone was expecting, it’s not a land that really has a canon name. It’s that OTHER mountain range. That one that seems like it would be great to do something with but it’s hard to come up with anything because we already have Terror Mountain?
You could’ve swapped in land names from altador-poster.png to virtupets-poster.png and never found this. Because this isn’t a land you can visit on the map. This is mountains2-poster.png. Why “mountains2?” Because mountains-poster.png is reserved for the borderless version with the higher resolution.
With a bigger, more detailed version, let’s break it down. We’ve got more eyes and shadows…
But y’know with them in this big mass like this, enshrouded in shadow? With a grasping hand attached? Two things come to mind: The shadows that Krawley conjured in Tale of Woe…
…and the shadows from Baelia’s Neopedia story.
Thunderclouds loom over the top of the mountain, rain coming down like hammers and nails. Locked in her iron cage, she shivers while the shadows whisper their teasing taunts. The thunder rolls, and she looks up at the sky.
Just then, the shadows peel away, and a darker shadow appears. Her eyes mocking and triumphant, she stands over the cage. “No one is coming to rescue you,” the shadow tells her. “You are trapped here forever, because I know the secret: a Faerie without wings is completely helpless!
Unlike Krawley’s shadows, the ones on this poster are depicted on a mountain. Are these the same shadows from Baelia’s story? In that case, this mountain, it must be the same mountain from the story, right? The same mountain Baelia was held captive on? Furthermore, any time we saw disembodied eyes in any of the other posters, does that mean those eyes were those same shadows from the mountains? The shadows that work for or with Jennumara? It’s this that raises the possibility that this might be the last poster we get. Will other lands get hit with paint/graffiti/Void/whatever? Probably, and it would be great to see posters of them all. But if The Void Within is about Baelia, then maybe it’s fitting to end the poster teasers where our introduction to her began. This is where the Grey Faerie story as far as we’re coincerned, and the story of this plot probably, began. And it’s probably where the shadows that caused all that graffiti came from. This is maybe not just where Baelia’s story began, but where the Paint Brush’s defacement of the world began.
We see a gangrel hand in the upper right corner…
Looks like it could belong to Vira’s faerie mistress? We saw what looked like Vira in the last poster, maybe now we see her mistress? But if this is where Baelia was held captive, wouldn’t that definitely mean Vira’s faerie mistress is Jennumara? It adds up that this Paint Brush that makes all sorts of weird shadow chaos appear should come from the faerie with weird shadow minions. But then, she looks so much like Drakara! Maybe the resemblance to Drakara is coincidental. Or maybe Drakara is the third friend? But if the hand belongs to Jennumara, who is the Balloon Carrier? Or rather, why is the Balloon Carrier there?
Look at that balloon, looks a lot angrier than usual, doesn’t it? Maybe the Balloon Carrier started out angry, made their way to the Haunted Woods where they met Vira, and then they went from angry to wary? And then… sad and manipulated? And then angry again by the time they got to Brightvale? Maybe they went looking for something where Baelia was being kept, but they were disappointed? And then Vira was like “Hey I’m sorry you’re disappointed but I’ve got an idea for you?” Whoever this Balloon Carrier is, whatever they’re looking for, they’re clearly unhappy.
There’s still the idea that this Balloon Carrier might be Tavi.
Note the dropped lantern in the bottom right corner. Could it be Tavi’s?
But if that’s Tavi, where is Baelia? And why would Tavi carry around a balloon? Ah, but what if Baelia IS the balloon??? What if the balloon is just a symbolic representation of Baelia? After being freed from captivity and set on the path to finding a new name for herself, she would probably be angry at the people who did this to her. She’d probably be determined to get her own back. If the Balloon Carrier ISN’T Tavi, and the balloon isn’t Baelia… then WHY would anyone carry around a balloon like this? To all these places that just happen to get attacked with reality warping shadows? That may or may not be the product of some dark faerie’s dark paint brush?
Here’s one thing we can probably be certain of: If this graffiti is meant to represent stuff that’s actually happening in each region, then what’s depicted in the posters has not happened yet. Which means this is not a scene from the day Baelia was rescued. If the Balloon Carrier is Tavi and the balloon is Baelia, the two of them didn’t immediately leave the area and then go see a bunch of lands get bones and flowers painted all over them. Because Baelia was rescued long ago. And as far as we know these grasping shadows have not attacked the realm yet. So if the Balloon Carrier is Tavi and the balloon is Baelia, they must’ve gone back here for some reason. Maybe to find something. Maybe to find closure.
If you take nothing else away from this, take away the idea that this poster depicts the place where Jennumara and her shadows held Baelia captive. It seems very likely right now.
Tomorrow we’ll have another negg to find in the Festival. With it only lasting 2 weeks, we surely won’t have to wait long for more cutscenes.
22nd April, 2024
- FESTIVAL OF NEGGSUNDERWAY
Kari is stricken with the Grey Curse. An army of volunteers descends upon the Festival of Neggs in search of answers. Who else is here? Anybody seen any trophies?
Looks like right now it’s just Kari. And she’s mostly interested in having an enjoyable Negg Fest.
Oh, another festival-goer…it is very good to see you.I am sorry if I am not myself. As I’m sure you can see I have been one of the victims of the unknown grey curse, and well…it has affected me more than I would like to admit.Unfortunately, I was struck by this curse before I could get much headway on this year’s event…Luckily, I started on the creation of the neggs long before, but as for the hiding of the neggs and clues to find them…let’s just say I am sort of winging it this year.…an unfortunate choice of words.Anyways, I sincerely apologise if I am unable to muster up my usual colourful self, but I hope you are still able to enjoy this year’s festivities for the both of us!
Kari is noticeably lower on energy when giving out clues, too.Hope you are ready for the first clue.
It’s the start of another festival, so I hid the neggs somewhere central. Near some treats that no one would call inedible.
Near some treats that everyone agrees are edible? Plenty of places to buy food, but if it’s somewhere “central,” it’s gotta be the Food Shop.
Just sort of placed on the counter. She’s doing her best, though.
Speaking of mistakes, there’s a ongoing glitch right now where selecting a negg will simply lead you to a blank white page. Neostaff should get on that soon, but for the time being some people are getting through it simply by refreshing and trying to select their negg again.
Neggs are nice, but it’s hard to focus on neggs when there’s a Greydemic going on. We’re all here, armed to the teeth, poring over notes from investigations… but even though she’s operating at a noticeably diminished capacity, Kari doesn’t wanna make a fuss. We do, though. What does “T-R-O-P-H-Y” mean? Are we looking for one? Where’s Orion? Where’s Mira? We need people on this Grey case! We need answers! The FAQ gives us a little under the What’s wrong with Kari? question.
Kari has been affected by what many in Neopia are calling the grey curse. However, no one really knows anything about it so we can’t be sure if it’s a curse, an aliment, or what! All we know is that it is somehow affecting Neopians all over the lands and nothing seems to be able to cure it. Things such as Paint Brushes and Morphing Potions seem to have no effect. Not even Naia’s Rainbow Fountain can change one back from being grey!
So there’s that. This pandemic has a name in the Neopian press. “The Grey Curse.”
First day is a day and a half, so the next day doesn’t start until April 24th. - While we wait for answers, we still have speculation. Now, the five findable neggs in any Festival are themed after the Festival itself. Last year’s Festival was space-themed, so we got space-themed neggs. And this year’s Festival is themed after The Void Within and the developments therein, right? If so, if the neggs match the Festival theme and the Festival theme matches the plot, then logically the theme of the neggs matches the theme of the plot, right? Maybe? So if we got spacey neggs last year, let’s have a look at the uniting theme between this year’s neggs.
Grey Negg
Glitch Negg
Time Travel Negg
Spa Negg
Plushie Negg
We see Greyness… we see… recovery and comfort in the Spa Negg and maybe the Plushie Negg? But the Glitch Negg and Time Travel Negg are especially intriguing. Safe answer is, this means The Void Within will deal in some manner of cosmic weirdness. But maybe these neggs aren’t just vaguely themed after the plot. Maybe they reference specific things we’ll see. Glitches and aberrations in the world? You mean like those posters we saw? If you saw reality warping around you, you might call that a “glitch” of life. So might time travel itself come up in the plot?
It’s only the first day and half, let’s not rush Kari. She’s noticeably low on energy. This thing is scheduled to last until May 8th. By then, whatever “TROPHY” means, we should have our answer. But things are sure to happen between then and now, and we’ll be keeping score.
21st April, 2024
- The Festival of Neggs is tomorrow! If you’ve been sniffing around, you might’ve even found some “leaks” or whatever name you wanna give ’em. We will not be discussing those quite yet. But what we can discuss is that which Neostaff puts out themselves. Like this last minute glimpse into what this year’s Festival will be about theme-wise and stylistically.
Speaking of leaks, apparently Neostaff posted this one early over on Instagram. They took it down, but the very brief sight of it was enough to spook the economy into skyrocketing the price of Void Neggs. A highly volatile, highly speculative investment, these Void Neggs. Ever since this plot earned the name The Void Within.
But what is that shape being formed with those Void Neggs? Some kind of trophy? And whose hands are those nearby? Maybe… Orion?
In less than a day, surely at least one of these questions will be answered. Rest up tonight for a very strange, very surreal Festival tomorrow.
19th April, 2024
- As expected, we got that fourth poster in the New Features today. Unexpectedly? It was not posted on social media.Yearning for a spooky surprise? The Haunted Woods awaits! This enigmatic forest holds unforgettable adventures lurking within its twisted branches. From rusty carnival rides to abandoned homes to peculiar shops packed with unusual delights, the Haunted Woods has everything needed to sate your creepy cravings!
Angelgrrrl25 and her daughter have both been following the proceedings. Angelgrrrl25’s daughter brought up how worn this poster looks compared to the other ones. Is that important? Is this poster meant to stand out among the other ones? The Haunted Woods themselves meant to stand out among lands that get hit by this transformation? Is the Haunted Woods particularly important?
Not as wide a shot as the other three posters. So not a lot to pick through. But what this poster lacks in quantity, it makes up for in at least one definitive piece of the puzzle.
Once again, our Balloon Yurble/Tax Beast/Kyrii/Whatever. We’re closer than ever now. Close enough to see clearly who it is behind them. Who was probably behind them in Neopia Central. That’s Vira. Right? Almost positively?
If that’s Vira, that probably answers one thing about the Balloon Carrier: They are the third friend. If Vira is hanging out with them? And if they keep showing up with Vira to these disaster sites, they’re probably the Painter too. So is this our villainous three? A mysterious faerie, Vira, and a mysterious Balloon Carrier and Painter? And look at how apprehensive the balloon looks here. If the balloon is a reflection of the emotions the Balloon Carrier is feeling, they don’t seem to be that certain about about how genuine a friend Vira is. Looks like Vira, and by extension this faerie mistress, are both using the Balloon Carrier. They probably needed a patsy or living tool like the Balloon Carrier to use their Paint Brush weapon, and the Balloon Carrier was just the candidate.
Despicable! But you know what else? Vira was a victim once too. Good people can be led astray. So maybe, just maybe, there’s redemption for this friendship. _Hermes_32 thinks so, at least. Remember how Jewel was talking about how she was writing a character defining moment for this plot, where two characters were coming to certain terms in their relationship? What if that’s between Vira and this Balloon Carrier? And where at one point Vira was the Balloon Carrier’s ticket to darkness, the Balloon Carrier becomes Vira’s ticket to redemption. Vira comes clean, repents of her sins, becomes a real friend to the Balloon Carrier and the two of them team up to save Neopia from making the same mistakes they did. If Kass is in this thing, you gotta wonder if themes of redemption will feature prominently. Darigan made the same mistakes Kass did, and redeemed himself. So surely Kass can redeem himself. And if Kass is redeeming himself, why don’t we all redeem ourselves? Let’s ALL be better people, right?
But if this is the journey our Balloon Carrier is headed for, it’d be nice to know who they are. Yurble Forefitor? Maybe. But what we maybe don’t consider enough is that the Balloon Carrier might be an original character. A plot can’t just be all pre-existing characters, can it? It… probably never has been before. Nyx is an original character, it’d be odd to stop at just one. Or two, if you wanna count Orion.
We also got more of your favorites, like ooze dripping from mouths…
Mysterious leering eyes…
More abstract reflections of the soul of the artist? KH2Riku_3 introduces this idea: What if they’re motes? Like the kind you see in magic? For instance, Novas are a kind of mote.
And there are the motes you find at the Motery in Brightvale.
See how they have eyes/faces? Maybe this plot will go a way towards establishing motes as fundamental building blocks of magical energy. And these are “Void Motes” or something.
More creeping Grey, more bones and flowers…
Evil eyes, creeping Grey, bones and flowers. A pattern is emerging. Are the bones meant to contrast with the flowers? Is that why they’re appearing together? So that we have this “dark meets light” effect? Or… let’s consider the similarities instead. What might bones and flowers have in common? They both might be found at a grave. That might be why they appear together. This… defacement… is meant to “give” themes of a grave site. And y’know what’s known for graveyards? The Haunted Woods, where this poster is based.
Maybe… just maybe… these posters tell us not just which lands are gonna be hit, but in what order. And maybe why these particular things are appearing. Flowers + bones = graveyard, maybe. Which, again, Haunted Woods has some lovely graveyards. But y’know what else it has? Or had once upon a time before the maps were revamped? Eyes lurking in the darkness. Just have a look at one of Neopia’s older corners: The Haunted Marketplace. Hasn’t ever been “revamped” or “converted” or anything. Few remain who know this place even exists.
Maybe all these eyes and bones and flowers are because the Balloon Carrier/Painter started carving their swath from the Haunted Woods? The Haunted Woods was itself an influence in the paintings they painted? Maybe something there powers it or something. The Haunted Woods has all this stuff already, so maybe this stuff came from the Haunted Woods. Or maybe the Balloon Carrier/Painter just likes the Haunted Woods, or has the Haunted Woods on their mind. Maybe that’s why they were found there, and why they paint a Haunted theme where ever they go. In fact, if they’re sad and visiting the Haunted Woods and thinking about graves… maybe a loved one recently passed? And it’s this vulnerability that Vira and her faerie mistress prey on? Although… one would hope there are other places to rest in peace besides the Haunted Woods. Maybe they brought their loved one to the Haunted Woods in hopes of raising them to undead life? Yadda yadda yadda, Vira arms them with the Paint Brush and they go from the Woods, to Neopia Central, then cut around and go through Brightvale and Meridell?
But hold on, speaking of these bones, what about the skulls? If they even are skulls. What is this at the bottom of the poster?
Another skull? If we even are looking at skulls? Let’s have another look at that specimen from Brightvale.
If this even is a skull, it would be half-buried in the ground, hole in its forehead, looking upward and to the left? So if that’s a skull, is the thing at the bottom of the Haunted Woods poster also a skull? But maybe lying on its side? Lying on its left side? Because if these are both skulls, what’s that wing-shaped thing on each of their right temples? Shaped kinda like faerie wings? Hmmmm… ears typically don’t have bones, do they? But what about faerie ears? Because faerie ears are pointy and elven, like whatever these wing-shaped things are. Could these be the skulls, the bones, of faeries??? Ears with bones in them might seem wild, so maybe they’re not “ears.” But what are they? Maybe just an original creation of the artist painting these lands with their nightmare art?
And to wrap up this study of the Haunted Woods poster, we have this thing lingering out of frame. All the way on the right, next to the puking tree.
Most of it is out of the shot, but you can see part of it that should look familiar…
There it is, the emblem of the Paint Brush that covered Brightvale. But… is it really there? Or is it just an abstract representation of the fact that the notorious Paint Brush is what painted the Woods and made them look like this? Because if it’s not, if some spiral-horned skull-something actually appears in the Haunted Woods, what is it? Or WHO is it? How does it/they fit into this ever-expanding cast? We’ve got Vira and the Painter potentially teetering on the edge of redemption, the faerie mistress that might be trying to keep them committed to evil, we’ve got Nyx, we’ve got whoever the “certain faerie” is, we’ve got the tentacle creature… and now we’ve got this??? And… is that a second skull under the first one? Like a “skull totem pole?”
And that oughta do it for this week of content. Come Monday, we’ll have a shiny new Festival of Neggs, where hopefully we can start confirming some of these theories we’ve got. To conclude, let’s go over some of the big questions on the minds of The Void Within inquirers…
1. What does the poster graffiti actually mean? Why these bones and flowers? If a door gets blocked up, are you trapped inside?
2. Who is the Balloon Carrier?
3. Who is the Painter?
4. What is the Paint Brush and what is it capable of?
5. Who is the third friend?
6. Is there redemption for Vira?
7. Who is Vira’s faerie mistress? Is it Drakara?
8. Who is Baelia’s friend from the journal entry? Is it Tavi or someone else?
9. Is Baelia even involved?
10. Is Jennumara involved?
11. Where is Kass?
12. Are The Three doing anything?
13. Is The Darkest Faerie involved or was that just a random plug for the Puzzle Hunters Club?
14. Are the other villains from Tales of Neovia involved?
15. What is the Lyre?
16. Will Orion ever find that spark to produce strong visions again?
17. What’s the Faellie’s name, if not Zizi?
18. Why exactly is everyone turning Grey?
19. Could Kari become a full “fledged” Grey Faerie in time?
20. Has Chadley/Smile Withme been affected by the Void’s eldritch power or something?
21. Why was “TROPHY” singled out in letters in the April 16th news?
22. What is that tentacle creature?
23. What is The Void?
Until Monday, stay tuuuuuuned, stay strapped, and stay curious.
18th April, 2024
- New Features and social media tourism poster simulcast! On both the news and social media, we got a new poster. And it’s a bigger resolution than ever so let’s get into the dissection.Ever wonder what happens to all those Money Tree donations in Neopia Central? Why not stop by and find out for yourself? A trip to Neopia Central isn’t complete without a quick visit to the Money Tree to pick up a souvenir!
But before we do, let’s go over the other posters we’ve got on the site so far.
1. Meridell, at https://images.neopets.com/images/nf/meridell-poster.png
2. Brightvale, at https://images.neopets.com/images/nf/brightvale-poster.png
3. Neopia Central, at https://images.neopets.com/images/nf/neopiacentral-poster.png
So you’d think that if you took those land names (Meridell, Brightvale, Neopiacentral) and replaced them with other land names, you might be able to see the posters for other lands, right? Similar to how people went looking for Grey shopkeepers? How about faerieland-poster.png, is that a thing? No, not yet. We have checked all the lands we know, though, and found that there is ONE poster that hasn’t been shared yet. You can swap out the land names yourself if you like, but not everyone likes spoilers. However, we’re pretty sure it’s gonna go down like this: Today we get the Neopia Central poster, tomorrow we get the other poster, it’s a quiet weekend, and then on Monday the Festival of Neggs starts. So we should be talking about that other poster by tomorrow anyway.
For now let’s talk about that Neopia Central poster. We got a lot of the usual. Creeping Greyness…
Bizarre leering eyes…
Crumbling foundations and blocked up doors and windows….
…and the Balloon Carrier. But this time they seem to be… someone or something is nearby. Some shadowy figure reaches out.
With the presence of this shadow, and how it looks like the shadow is reaching out and resting a hand on the Balloon Carrier’s shoulder or something… it really seems like this Balloon Carrier is going through it. They may be in an emotionally vulnerable state right now. But can the shadow be trusted? Or will the shadow take advantage of the Yurble’s vulnerabilities and lead them down a self-destructive path? Make them more miserable than ever??? Maybe this Yurble is the “third friend” that Vira and her faerie mistress are looking for. Some victim of their toxic negativity. But if that’s the case, then that calls into further question whether or not this Balloon Carrier is also the Painter. What is going through the Balloon Carrier’s mind right now? Did they not do this? And they’re looking around like “Oh my goodness what’s happening to the world I live in?” Or… does the fact that they happen to be sighted at every disaster mean that they are doing this thing? But maybe they’ve got cold feet about the atrocities they commit? In what order are these attacks happening? After 3 lands maybe the Painter/Balloon Carrier needs some reassurance that it’s a Good Thing™ that the’re attacking these nations like this? Maybe this shadow is like “Ignore your conscience, I will be your conscience. Ignore your feelings, you can’t trust them.”
KH2Riku_3 again brings up the possibility of this Balloon Carrier being the Plot Yurble. Because they seem to be a Yurble, and they find themselves in the middle of a plot. But perhaps most important? He is bursting with emotion. And so it’s all the more meaningful that the emotionally vibrant Yurble, who is in every plot, should find himself in the plot that dulls your emotions. Especially if this plot is only kicking off proper (hub page, earnable points, etc.) AFTER the Altador Cup. Maybe the plot kicks off right as the Cup is having its closing ceremonies. We’re all living it up in Altador, it’s a big party (but with an edgy undercurrent because we’re all aware that something in Orion’s visions is going to come true someday soon), we’re celebrating the latest conquerors of the Cup… and then BOOM!!! Evil gets us right between the eyes with the first volley of The Void Within. Altador is the first casualty, and the Yurble Janitor/Forefitor is part of it. The Yurble carrying a balloon even makes sense if he started plotting right as the Cup ended. Maybe the balloon is one of the promotional Cup favors you see people with at big sporting events?
So if that is him you might wonder “So is Neostaff gonna change the images we see in the Altador Mini Plot? That sounds like a lotta work.” But maybe that’s not necessary. Because the punchline behind the Yurble Forefitor/Plot Yurble is that he may or may not be the one guy. After all, the Altador Mini Plot was still open for completion when The Faeries’ Ruin was going on, and this guy was in Brightvale being a librarian at the time.
Same guy as the Yurble Janitor? If so, how can he be in two places at once? In the end, it doesn’t really matter and is probably part of the joke. But you know who else it might be? The Tax Beast, who is very Yurble-shaped.
So Yurble-shaped is he, that the Halloween Yurble emulates him.
Thing is, the Tax Beast doesn’t have those spiral ears that Yurbles have. And this Balloon Carrier looks to have very round ears. As round as only a Yurble might have. But ear shape is hard to place when it comes to mad scribblings. There’s still the speculation that this might be a Kyrii. However, the idea that they might be Telos starts to lose standing if this Balloon Carrier is sad about the things they’re looking at. Or sad in general. Telos seems like the kinda guy who would love to sow this kind of misery. Or at the very least be cool with it, Telos is a villain through and through! So if this IS a Kyrii, who might it be?
What if it’s Tavi?
What if Baelia’s journal entry is an old one, but Tavi is ALSO Vira’s and the faerie’s new friend? Tavi might belong to two friend groups? And now that Tavi has fallen in with the wrong crowd, Baelia must rock up to the spot, no powers, no wings, just courage and compassion, and save her friend and the world from an evil unprecedented? Whoever the Balloon Carrier is, we have a clear pattern now with them always showing up where these disasters are striking. And they do seem sad. They’re here for every Greying, and they don’t seem very happy about what they’re looking at.
There’s plenty unique to Neopia Central though. Look what they’ve done to the Food Shop! Icon of the Neopia Central skyline!
Imagine seeing that while you’re headed down the street! The building itself now has a creepy face! Castles Meridell & Brightvale didn’t have that. Can this curse make buildings come to life and be evil? And speaking of creepy faces, while the other lands have creepy faces, this one has some of them with scribbles through them.
Does that mean anything? Were these… faces… defeated by something? Whose side are these faces on? Are they good faces defeated by the curse? Or are they faces of the curse, defeated by those defending Neopia? Or are the scribbles just feedback, a byproduct of this twisted vision of what will be? A byproduct of this fuzzy interpretation?
In a plot about feelings, faces are gonna be a driving theme. Let’s have a look at the Money Tree’s face.
This is also a step further than Meridell or Brightvale, because the Money Tree is a sentient being. So, does this mean sentient beings can be changed by the curse? In more ways than just turning Grey? Do you turn weird and evil thanks to the curse? Is this even the curse? Because this seems to be caused by the Paint Brush. Did Ellia, Breadmaster, Hubert, Inah, the Grooming Parlour Usul, and Kari all get painted by this Paint Brush and forget that it happened? That could be a side effect of the Paint Brush. Or it could be that the Grey Curse and the Paint Brush Paint are two different things. We’ll probably know if the Money Tree turns Grey. If the Money Tree turns Grey and is also projected to turn into whatever this is, that probably means the other Greyed Neopians are doomed to undergo the same.
Rainbow Pool is now viscous and oozy enough to leave a trail as you leave it. And look at that, more eyes in the water. Just like in Brightvale.
While we’re in the area, what’s this stuff between the Pool and the Tree?
We can see another bone sticking out of the ground, but what’s that stuff nearby? It looks jagged, could it be bone fragments? Kinda early in the season for them to be leaves. Or maybe it’s assorted Money Tree donations? Seen through the lens of whatever is showing us these visions? And then there’s this whatnot around the base of the Money Tree.
Just vague paint stains? If this graffiti is the product of a Paint Brush, and the once-Rainbow Pool is nearby, maybe the Painter came by to dip the brush and… that’s this. Or maybe they’re tracks? Footprints? These right here are definitely footprints…
No clue quite like footprints. Footprints, fingerprints, there’s nothing more “cluey.” Nothing else says “Notice this, ponder it” like a literal trail to follow. So, what might it mean? Footprints, leading up to the bank. Are they the prints of our Painter? Does the shape of the prints matter? Because they look like they might be Yurble feet. So… did this person walk up this path, to the Bank, and then begin their painting onslaught_ Maybe stop off at the Rainbow Pool, and then go sit on the roof of the NC Mall?
Hard to get a full picture of the proceedings if we don’t know where these footprints started. If we don’t follow them to their origin. Maybe this thing in front of the Bank will add more context to these footprints?
In addition to being an abstract sketch/scribble, it appears to have been scribbled over. Which is another thing maybe to take notice of: Of the 3 lands hit, Neopia Central is the only one where the graffiti itself has been scribbled over. Not just what was there originally. Maybe this is some kind of tetraptych? It looks flat, like a canvas or series of canvases. That maybe had paintings on them already. And the artist, whoever brought this nightmare to Neopia Central, was unhappy with the first draft so they scrapped it? How deep into the art/painting metaphors are we going? Could this Painter in fact be an actual regular ol’ artist, jilted by a competitive industry? And at their lowest, Vira and the faerie reached out and said “Let’s make a world where we can all thrive?” Then one thing led to another and the hamburgers turned into drooling monsters?
Y’know what they say though… art reflects the artist. Maybe all this stuff is reality warping to match the warped vision of a Painter who is damaged on the inside? And that’s why the Balloon Carrier looks so sad? The Balloon Carrier is the Painter, and it is their sadness that comes through in their art, and makes the world into this horrible place? Just abstract, random darkness meant to show you how the Painter/Balloon Carrier feels in the form of visuals? Give or take some rough drafts that were scribbled out, hence the scratched out faces and whatever that thing is in front of the bank? - Speaking of art, a revisitation to our April 14th post. Why were those TDF sketches posted? Were they plot related? Well, something finally came to our attention. Names have been omitted to protect the innocent. Other names have been left in to NOT protect the NOT innocent.
It’s true. Very faintly the words DO YOU WANT…
TO JOIN…
…THE PUZZLE HUNTERS CLUB? Can be found in these images.
So, was that post just part of the Puzzle Hunters Club and their original investigation into that new avatar? Did it have nothing to do with the plot? If so, it’s easy enough to dismiss this and let other people go sniffing around for more avatar clues. Maybe somewhere in the Book of Ages. But with the Puzzle Hunters Club now also spearheading the Darigan Citadel raid, it might be more apt to call them the people to call when ANYTHING needs investigating. Whenever there’s a clue or a puzzle or something to think about. So this could still be plot relevant. Like the word “trophy” though, it’s anyone’s guess as to what it might mean. All we can do for now is keep these things in mind and wait for signs that match up with it. Because nothing seems to have changed in the Book of Ages, anyway. - We’re probably getting that other poster tomorrow. It would be nice to discuss it with you as soon as possible. Hype is at an all time high. Poster tomorrow, Festival of Neggs on Monday. Maybe we’ll see Topsi. Maybe we’ll see the Puzzle Hunters Club. But we hope to see you there most of all.
17th April, 2024
- Nothing new on social media today. Nothing that would relate to The Void Within, anyway. But the New Features has caught up to yesterday’s Brightvale poster. No Baelia diary or TDF sketches, though. If those even mean anything.Rain or shine, Roberta’s always a familiar sight at Brightvale’s Scrollery. Need an ancient text deciphered or a dark, evil faerie vanquished? Plan a trip to erudite Brightvale today. You might just learn something!
This poster is the same poster they shared across social media. But here’s an interesting thing NeoRyuuko noticed: The Meridell posters are slightly different. In that only one has any creeping Grey.
Minor oversight? Or does it meeeaaaan something??? Like maybe something about the timing of the crises to hit the region? Maybe Greyness hits Brightvale first, and the Void takes a bit longer to turn Meridell Grey?
Just something else to remember when the Void is upon us. Don’t forget! T-R-O-P-H-Y!
16th April, 2024
- New Features is up. But it’s only just now gotten around to reporting on the Meridell poster.
Greetings, adventurers! Have you explored Meridell yet? Pay a visit to landmarks such as the Mysterious Symol Hole, tour the majestic castle of King Skarl, pick some veggies at one of the local rustic farms, or simply soak in the natural beauty of Illusen’s Glade!
Whereas over on the Neopets Facebook page (and X, and Instagram), we’ve already moved on to Brightvale.
Board 7 is once again pondering what will be. Let’s follow the discussion. As with Meridell, we see Greyness spreading, walls crumbling, and the gates blocked by shadow.
Also like in Meridell, we have our furry friend with the balloon!
With this Dullvale poster, it’s even easier to believe now that yes, this is an artist’s rendition of what the painter in Nyx’s vision was doing. If that’s so, could our furry friend with the balloon be our painter? To that you might say “Why the balloon, though? The painter was carrying a Paint Brush, not a balloon.” But that’s the thing about these posters. If this IS a representation of what Nyx saw in Brightvale, then it’s just that: A representation. Because it already doesn’t match up identically to what Nyx saw, so it’s not an exact recreation, but a symbolic interpretation. Like the scrawlings of a madman who became aware of some eldritch truth. So maybe the sad balloon is just a “metaphor” for the Paint Brush. A visual representation of what can’t be seen at face value.
But if this balloon carrying person IS the Painter, what does that mean as far as speculation that he might be Telos? Telos is a Kyrii. Could this be a Kyrii? Hmmm… the ears are pretty round, though. Like a Yurble’s ears. Might be the more solid money to bet on the ‘pet with the balloon being a Yurble. So let’s consider the other possibility: Is the ‘pet Nyx sees in the vision a Yurble?
Can’t really tell. But y’know what else? Telos is a shapeshifter, he can be whatever suits his whims. Then again… sometimes a balloon is just a balloon. Why bring one to Brightvale? Who is this balloon-carrying probably-Yurble? We don’t know. Whoever they are, they seem to be enjoying some time by the moat. And speaking of the moat…
Void scribbles have found their way into them. And if you look closely, you should see a pair of eyes looking up from the inky blackness. The “nothingness” as one Shadow Usul storyteller might describe it. Spreading Greyness, eyes that show certain emotions… someone with a balloon… these are all things Brightvale’s poster has in common with Meridell’s.
Know what it doesn’t have in common? That purple haze. That was only in Meridell. So maybe it was part of the original poster? Not a clue or anything? What probably is of relevence that didn’t happen in Meridell, though? The flags have been blackened.
People like Ellebasi_De think they see the images of Paint Brushes left on some of these flags.
These flags were not just scribbled over with Void. Some kind of hole has been punched through each. Holes many would say are “Paint Brush shaped.” And what are those flowers on the path up to the drawbridge? Shadowy hands and whatnot, that’s easy enough to come to terms with. But these flowers, that’s just confusing. Unless there’s a reason why behind those flowers that we’ll come to understand, it sounds like these Void scribbles are just random weirdness. Flowers sprouting randomly in a battlefield. Random, unknowable chaos. What could be more eldritch than that? And speaking of things we don’t understand, what is that on the grass?
Perhaps a wheel of cheese? But Cheeseroller is a Meridell thing. That cheese would’ve had to roll pretty far. Is that a Snowbunny ear we see, perhaps? Hidden by most of the round shape? Is this thing a Snowbunny? Or… is it a skull? Maybe looking up from the ground? Its left eye and nasal cavity obscured a little bit by the ground? And a big hole in the forehead? Because this right here is definitely a skull.
A skull with a femur bone sticking out of the ground. Remains of the dead? But… who are they that lie dead here??? Or if it’s metaphorical, what do the skulls and bones symbolize? Skulls and bones almost never mean anything good…
In closing, Brightvale’s got just about everything Meridell has, but Brightvale has skulls and flowers. Grave symbolism indeed. But there’s more to this post than a picture. There’s also the caption: Rain or shine, Roberta’s always a familiar sight at Brightvale’s Scrollery. Need an ancient text deciphered or a dark, evil faerie vanquished? Plan a trip to erudite Brightvale today. You might just learn something! Unlike the Meridell caption which reads like your typical tourism blurb, mentioning a variety of landmarks and outings, Brightvale only mentions Roberta and her Scrollery. So… will Roberta feature prominently in the plot as a whole? Maybe around the time Brightvale gets hit? In just about every plot, a common weapon sought and used against evil is knowledge. Research into old written word. Brightvale does have a book store too, but scrolls aren’t just books, they’re weapons. Also? Roberta isn’t just a magic princess, she’s a shopkeeper. So maybe she’s going to turn Grey like some of the others? Of what significance is Roberta?
One poster for Meridell, another for Brightvale. This being a globetrotting adventure, you might assume there are more posters to come. And hopefully, from them, more clues to clean in the Void scribbles. But with all this focus on Meridell and Brightvale and Darigan Citadel, you might also assume that in this globetrotting adventure, the medieval realm is the one that gets hit the most/hardest. For now, all we can do is wait for the next post. Or poster. Whichever comes first.
15th April, 2024
- Grey Day has come and gone. But this Grey post was made on the Neopets Facebook page.
Dear Diary,
Long ago, I took on this form. My powers were taken, but I went on and continued. It’s not been easy, and I know that something irreplaceable was taken from me.
Darkness lurks in my mind and makes my heart ache. I have met a new friend. Looking inside, gaining hopeful thoughts.
Baelia
A journal entry from Baelia, up until now unseen by us. She talks about how turning Grey has left her feeling powerless. Darkness lurks in her mind and makes her heart ache. Gee, almost like there’s a “Void Within” her??? Ahhhh??? At this point, maybe the question of what The Void Within in question is is a small-minded one. Maybe it works on multiple levels. The Void is a place you go, but “the void” is also a name for a thing inside you that drains you and makes you Grey.
Does this mean Baelia is the central faerie to this plot? Or is this plot big enough for both Nomi and Baelia? And Telos? And how long ago was this journal written? She says “Long ago, I took on this form,” which calls things into question. How long had she been Grey by the time her Neopedia story happened? And while we’re giving things a second thought, was Jennumara even the one who Greyed her? Maybe Baelia was Grey long before Jennumara captured her. Maybe Jennumara is unrelated to her turning Grey and Jennumara just happened to need a Grey Faerie and Baelia was around so she captured her? This is importat because the timing determines who her “new friend” likely is. If Baelia had been Grey for a while before Tavi found her? Then her “new friend” is probably Tavi and this journal entry was written shortly after they ventured out to get her a new name, or whatever. If they even decided to do that.
But over on Board 7, Nguyeplm posits that it might be the other way around. Maybe Tavi isn’t the “new friend” and this journal entry was written more recently than that. But who might this new friend be? Recall that Vira and her faerie mistress are looking for a third friend. Could she be that third friend? Could Baelia be somehow manipulated into becoming a villain? Vira was, after all. Promised something and was misled into corruption. But if this is the case, then that probably means Vira’s faerie mistress is not the one that turned Baelia Grey. And her Grey transformation was not like Vira’s. Baelia wasn’t Greyed thanks to being led astray by dark temptation like Vira was. It would mean that she, right now, is about to be led astray by dark temptation. Maybe to cure her Greyness. We still don’t know what it means for her to get a new name.
And then there’s that last sentence in the entry. “Looking inside, gaining hopeful thoughts.” Does that sound like its meant to be an acronym to you? Over on Jellyneo it definitely does to Archangel11891.
Looking inside, gaining hopeful thoughts.” Light. It reads like a positive affirmation. Something your psychiatrist might tell you to keep in mind. Especially as the rumor is that Baelia, before she was Grey, was a Light Faerie. Per the Editorial of Issue 979. And Nomi was a Light Faerie too. Maybe only Light Faeries can be fully Greyed? How would that even work for a Water Faerie?
Kari still has her wings so maybe she can’t be fully Greyed. But she is Greying and probably in no state to host the Festival of Neggs, which has not yet started. This looks like a job for Topsi. Did they finish patching him up? Someone’s gotta host this thing.
- UPDATE: New Features is up, and the Festival of Neggs, when it’s happening, and who will host has been addressed!
Important Announcemen: We know that many have been woried about Kari recently and what her change in appearance may mean for the Festival of Neggs. So we are here to infrm you there’s no need to fear because Kari will still be holding the event!!! She says that while her energy may be retty low, it will take more than some strange curse to stop er passion!! The first da will take place in one week! So be sure to check in on April 22nd (4/22) to start participating in this year’s festivities!
Now there’s probably a few things that occurred to you when you read that. First, that the Festival of Neggs will be happening on April 22nd. The latest ever. But these are extenuating conditions. The hostess is Greying, and Topsi and Neggistential haven’t been heard from in a while. Where are they??? Second, that Kari will be hosting despite going Greyish. Once again, our fellow Neopians find themselves in relatable straits. Can’t call off work for every headache. Especially when you love what you do. In these trying times its good to still have things in the world you love, like festivals of egg-like fruit. And third? Something NeoRyuuko pointed out, there are quite a few typos in that message.
Exactly 6 typos. “Announcemen, woried, infrm, retty, er,” and “da.” Just an incredible mistake? No, if we didn’t need more things to overthink. We’ve got a missing T, R, O, P, H, and a Y. Trophy. But what does it mean??? Board 7 has some ideas.
If you’ve been helping the Puzzle Hunters with their avatar investigation, you might wonder if this is another clue for that. And even if it was, what are we supposed to do with this information? Check our Trophy Cabinets? In a world where Greyness is looking for like to snuff out, the glorious gold of trophies stands out. Or maybe it’s a clue leading to the new avatar. Not really our department right now. But between that avatar investigation and this plot? A lot of letters have mysteriously gone missing or might be part of some acronym… it’s easy to feel like you’re going crazy. “Light” is a reference to Baelia maybe being a Light Faerie once upon a time? Sure. But why do we need to remember the word “trophy???” Instead, maybe just relax, and keep the word “trophy” in your back pocket. When the time comes for it to mean something, you’ll know. You’ll remember that you were supposed to remember that word. Maybe you’ll need to know it when the Festival of Neggs starts?
In the meantime, there should be aplenty of social media posts to overthink.
14th April, 2024
- And then there were five. Plus one Grey Faerie.
Grey Day brings us the last of the pre-discovered Grey shopkeepers. Inah, aunt of Trudy, has gone Grey. “Moderately Content Icy Amusẹment Snow Shop” has kind of a nice ring to it, right? But if this is contagious and Trudy visits Inah, could we all end up contracting this through contact with Trudy’s Surprise? When you think about it mathematically, how a bunch of Neopia Central shopkeepers and one Terror Mountain shopkeeper got Greyed, maybe you need some kind of missing link for that to happen. Kari is a worldly faerie, she’s got her Festival and her Ice Caves Neggery. Maybe she was in Neopia Central, picked something up there, and took it back to Terror Mountain?
As for Neopets.com, there’s nothing left to discover. As far as we can find, nothing else out of the ordinary happened today. Out of the ordinary for Grey Day, anyway. So, the immediate thing we’re waiting on now is the Festival of Neggs. Maybe tomorrow? Maybe later? Last year’s Festival started on April 20th, the latest ever. So the Festival will probably start no later than that, right? But then again, we’re dealing with The Void Within, which has roped the Festival itself in by turning Kari Grey. At one point we speculated “Maybe Baelia will be Kari’s co-star for the Festival so that the theme of Greyness is covered!” Unable to comprehend a world where Kari herself might be Grey. This is maybe the most different, most special Festival of Neggs we’ve had since the Mysterious Negg Journey. Maybe we can’t rely on precedent. - The Void works hard, but the Neopets social media team works harder. Apparently they don’t get weekends off because they continue to post even on Saturday and Sunday. And because we’re in these plotly times, it’s hard to dismiss these social media posts as not having some deeper meaning. Take this post from yesterday…
With that creepy Meridell post in mind, any and every social media post (without some Neopian holiday to explain it) COULD be meant to stoke the hype flames for The Void Within. A post about Baelia on Grey Day? That could just be because it’s Grey Day. But why this Dark Faerie post on April 13th? Just an ordinary post? Does it need a reason? Or… does it absolutely have a reason and it totally has deeper, plot-relevant meaning?
Besides the Darkest Faerie, there has only ever been ONE other Faerie banished for practising dark magic. And then a wrench emoji. And then three sketches of said Darkest Faerie. What does it all mean? The wrench, that probably means Delina the Crafting Faerie. She who is… not seen that much lately, usually only shows up for Faerie Quest events.
As for that other Dark Faerie who was banished, that’s probably Jhudora, right? When you think of the biggest Dark Faerie threats to Neopia, once upon a time the two big names were Jhudora and TDF. But Jhudora has since kinda shed that reputation as Dark Faeries earn more sympathy and the world becomes more open minded. And was she really “banished?” The Bluff isn’t exactly smack dab in the heart of Faerie City, but it’s still in Faerieland, right? Maybe she lives on the outskirts because she has to? Which would mean that this stuff about her deceiving the world into trusting her, that’s totally not the case. If anything, the world is unfairly distrustful of her. Which seems to be the perspective we’ve been coming to lately.
Or maybe that other faerie isn’t Jhudora. Maybe it’s Vira’s mistress. After all, if anybody’s gonna be banished, it’s gonna be the faerie that Fyora fears to such an extent that she dare not rain on Neopia’s parade by hinting at the possibility of her being back in play. If “banishment” now encompasses things like how TDF was petrified. Whoever this mysterious faerie is, she’s back from whatever was keeping her away. And from the looks of her wings, she’s probably Dark.
Speaking of Dark Faeries/dark magic and that Meridell poster, another curiosity we forgot to point out the other day. Over by the mountains, what’s that purple haze?
Was that there originally? Without the original undefaced poster as a frame of reference, we can’t know. Might it have something to do with the Greyness sweeping across the land? Or, is that where the Citadel is usually parked? Maybe that dark energy is some Draconian/Dariganian sorcery? Especially if Kass is a central player in this. It would be Darigan Citadel’s fight for sure. Maybe Darigan and his forces are swooping in to counterattack this voidly force? Or maybe that’s close to where Illusen’s Glade is, and Jhudora sneaking over for a visit? If Jhudora is more hero than villain, maybe she’s in Meridell doing her part to drive back the Greyness? Especially if someone dared to harm any of the pretty little red hairs on Illusen’s head. If Jhudora ever becomes a hero, surely Illusen’s safety will be what motivates her. Maybe she and Illusen are teamed up back to back a la Ylana and Sophix, holding down that region of Meridell like a dynamic duo.
With Neostaff posting to social media every day, it’s almost like every day brings news for The Void Within. Or at least something to speculate on. Are we really gonna speculate wildly over every social media post Neostaff makes? We just might. Festival of Neggs could be happening any second now, things are too hot. Gotta keep your eyes open for anything and everything.
12th April, 2024
- Things are really heating up, and a strong case is being made for keeping an eye on the Neopets social media platforms. Remember the cryptic Facebook posts Neostaff made back in 2013? Where they didn’t SAY The Obelisk War was coming, but the posts were totally about the upcoming Obelisk War? Well get a load of this “totally innocuous” post that’s “absolutely not a prelude to anything.”
What is this meant to be??? What is happening in Meridell??? Board 7 is inquiring, as usual. While everyone’s raiding Darigan Citadel, it looks like the real party is about to kick off in Meridell at some point soon. We see the surreal corruption of the kingdom through the medium of graffiti. The image is kinda big, so maybe you wanna open it up in a separate tab…
Sinister eyes in the upper right corner. Kinda evokes what we saw in the Void, right?
Most of them are angry, but one of them looks to be tearing up, like it’s sad. And what is that lying amidst the eyes? Just under the first, biggest pair? Is that, like, a leathery wing? A spreading shadow? “Welcome” is scratched out too. That’s a little less abstract, but still a puzzler. Perhaps an erasure of what’s positive and loving? Or maybe a warning to stay out of Meridell. Or both?
Down in the bottom right, some… indiscernible figure… holding a balloon with a face on it. People like Maslia are keen to point out how the face looks like a sad version of Smile Withme’s mask.
Again, just because it happened on April Fool’s Day doesn’t mean it doesn’t count. Who is Chadley REALLY working for??? And don’t miss the greyness making its way across the land either. Mood/vibe seems to be an important theme here. But who or what is holding the balloon? Are those Yurble ears we see? If this plot is as big as people are thinking it might be, a “plot of plots” you might call it, maybe there should be at least one Yurble.
And perhaps most ominous of all, the gates of Castle Meridell. Hands grasping, tendrils ensnaring. Whatever this force is didn’t just “happen” to corrupt this place, it’s reaching out and seeking out hosts to consume and destroy. It’s consciously “coming to get us.” The defenses of the castle crumble under its touch.
With all this going on in Meridell, one might think back to Orion’s vision, where we saw Brightvale. Maybe that warrants a second look?
Shadows on the gates of Castle Brightvale, similar to the ones at Castle Meridell. One recalls Hanso’s words in Chapter 7 of The Faeries’ Ruin: “It looks like everything was painted with a giant Grey Paint Brush.” That Paint Brush, the suspected centerpiece weapon of the villains who are coming after us, did it paint those hands on the Castle Meridell gates? This plot will have leaders from around Neopia responding, does that mean they’ll be responding to direct attacks like this one? Will Skarl and Meridell be brought into this plot specifically because our enemies will draw first blood? And will our villains be hitting multiple targets like this? With this very Paint Brush???
But with Kass and Darigan Citadel a focal point of speculation, coupled with these visions of bizarre versions of Meridell and Brightvale, maybe the medieval region is ground zero for where this is all gonna kick off. The medieval region, stomping ground of The Three. And… let’s have a closer look at the back of our enigmatic painter’s head. Lotta party in the back. A mane that long, could this person be a Kyrii? Like Telos likes to be???
Grey Day is April 14th. That’s this Sunday. All this Greyness and these byproducts of Greyness, surely fate should hold things in store for the day itself? Maybe on Monday because it’s a weekend. Or maybe evil will sneak up on us on Sunday anyway, when there’s no Neostaff around to keep us informed?
10th April, 2024
- PLOT RELATEDCUSTOMISATION CONTEST
Have you been following the Puzzle Hunters Club mystery on the Neopets social media platforms? Did you even know it was going on?
Birdie, Max, and Maeve are suspending the avatar search to address developments in The Void Within. These three are some of Neopia’s sharpest investigative minds, and are savvy to the knowledge that Kass’s sword was seen in Orion’s visions. For this, they are spearheading a raid on Darigan Citadel. And they want YOU to suit up for it. Over on the Neopets Facebook page.
To this you might say “I got 50 dollars, I think I’ll pass.” But even if you don’t participate in the raid, you should keep an eye on the Neopets Facebook page. This Puzzle Club has been known to drop enigmatic hints. When this thing is over, if the raiders find anything it might be published there. So, the game is afoot. Like Chadley, people are taking action. And you can too.
8th April, 2024
- If you’ve seen the leaked shopkeeper images, today is a surprising day for you. We got a 5th Grey shopkeeper today, but it’s not one anyone was expecting…
It’s not a “shop” like most people were thinking, but the Neggery is technically a shop. Kari herself is now a Grey Faerie. Or “Greying,” anyway. She still has her wings, but they’re looking a little flaccid.
That’s big news on its own, but in order to TRULY appreciate this development, you need to be up to speed on all the discoveries and investigations. A while back we mentioned that a total of five shopkeepers were projected to turn Grey, discovered after going through all the images that could be found from w1.gif to w117.gif. Ellia was the first. 3 business days later (that’s days not counting the weekend), the Grooming Parlour Usul turned Grey. Another 3 and it was Breadmaster. Another 3 and it was Hubert. And so a pattern emerged with one shopkeeper left: In 3 more business days from March 29th (that being April 3rd), we were supposed to get our fifth and final discovered Grey shopkeeper: Inah from Super Happy Icy Fun Snow Shop.
So why show you this when it hasn’t happened yet? Because we were probably meant to see it. Neostaff knew that we knew about the five shopkeepers we were expecting to see. Neostaff established a pattern of a new Grey shopkeeper every 3 business days. So when April 3rd came, they wanted us to be like “Why haven’t we gotten Grey Inah yet?” They wanted us distracted by what we thought we knew. Waiting, expecting Inah. Coming up with ideas for why she hadn’t shown up yet. They wanted our guard down. So they could drop not just any new Grey shopkeeper on us, but a new Grey Faerie of all things. Inah may very well turn Grey at some point for real, but for establishing and then breaking a pattern we were all following, she served as an effective red herring. A “Grey Herring,” you might say. - Speaking of tricks, an issue from our Corrections Department: Apparently all that stuff on April Fool’s Day? That was a joke for April Fool’s Day.
But just because it was an April Fool’s gag doesn’t mean it isn’t canon. Gnorbus were an April Fool’s gag. So don’t be too quick to dismiss it, especially as it directly addressed developments regarding The Void Within. When next we hear from Chadley he’s got Smile Withme allegations to defend. - So, Kari is now Greying. Board 7 is abuzz. Our essential Neopian workers are all appreciated, but you’d be forgiven for feeling more of an impact with Kari turning Grey. An icon of the brand, for one. For her to stop being a Negg Faerie and start being a Grey Faerie would be what they call a “world-altering event.” For two, the Festival of Neggs is coming up soon, and she hosts it most of the time. This development must logically lead into that, making this upcoming Festival even more plot-relevant than it already was going to be. And third? She’s a faerie. And The Void Within is supposed to be about a faerie. All this Greyness made it seem like Baelia was a lock because she was our first and most iconic Grey Faerie. But now Kari is becoming a Grey Faerie, and she was Greyed by the very developments of this plot. Maybe this plot is about her?
But what about that stuff about “long overdue for a resolution” and “not featured enough?” Kari gets her own Festival every year. Well, y’know who RamblingRose4 would like to hear from someday? Nomi. “The Other Grey Faerie.” Introduced in The Grey Faerie Chronicles: Nomi’s Quest, released April 22nd, 2008 as the first in a cut short series of books that may or may not be canon.
When it comes to characters that haven’t been featured very much, it’s hard to beat the ones that come from retired merchandise. The ones that only ever got to be in the retired merchandise they came from. There were likely going to be more stories in the Grey Faerie Chronicles, but moving merch is tough. Especially in 2008. Nomi basically disappeared after the book deal dried up.
And as for stories overdue for a resolution? You can read Nomi’s here for absolutely free. Not a story many have read. RamblingRose4 has though. Way it goes is, Nomi was a young faerie apprentice living in Faerie City with her Faellie Zizi. Again, her FAELLIE Zizi. Anyway, Nomi was looking to stand a little taller amongst her peers, magic-wise. She overheard a conversation that Light Faeries (she was supposedly a Light Faerie before turning Grey, though you don’t see very many bluish purple Light Faeries) can receive incredible power in exchange for doing a quest for Edna. The irony of a faerie doing a quest for a Neopet should not be lost on you. In secret, she heads out for the Haunted Woods to pick up work from Edna. But while on the quest, she falls prey to Balthazar. And his client, a shapeshifting sorceror named Telos.
Telos appears to be a Kyrii, but is there such thing as a “true” physical form when it comes to shapeshifters? Telos is gathering faerie essence for his mysterious mistress. Again, his MYSTERIOUS MISTRESS. His words: I am very much hoping your faerie essence will match my mistress’s. Then she’ll be able to absorb it and perform her own magic once again. She must have all her strength back to carry out the grand plan. With a spell, he takes her power and makes her Grey. And with another spell he takes her memory. Calling himself “Master of Memory Thieves.”
Stuck in her jar, Nomi is left behind by Telos while he goes to complete an unspecified errand. She has no memory of who she is or where she came from or how she ended up in a jar. In time, she is found by two Neovian Xweetoks named Paxi and Rex. The three of them go through her belongings and are able to determine her name. But they still don’t know where she’s from. So they go to see their other friend, a Korbat named Ullia. Being knowledgeable, Ullia is aware of someone going around stealing faerie juice and holding Grey Faeries. Holding them “somewhere.” Upon seeing Nomi’s Greyness, Ullia brings this up and makes our traveling party aware that someone is most likely after Nomi. So they set out to seek counsel from the Brain Tree, the world’s smartest tree. Through whatever his means, he should be able to tell them where Nomi is from. Now, players on Neopets.com have to complete an Esophagor Quest to complete a Brain Tree Quest. But Nomi was able to satisfy his terms simply by answering a riddle correctly: “What was given to you, belongs to only you, but is used by your friends more than yourself?” The answer, turns out, is a name. Names are a running literary theme when it comes to Grey Faeries. They give him the answer he seeks, and he gives them the answer they seek. Their bodies spent from traversing the Woods all night, they rest in the relative safety of the dawn. When they wake, they will set out for Faerieland.
And… that’s the end. Nomi’s story is about as “resolved” as Baelia’s, if not less so. We’ve heard from Baelia over the years. Baelia even had a role to play in The Wraith Resurgence. Nomi did not. We don’t know how The Faeries’ Ruin affected her, if at all. Her Faellie Zizi was left behind in Faerie City while Nomi went on this quest. What if Nomi never made it back home? What if Zizi was then adopted by Nyx? You’ll remember from Neopets LIVE: The Void Within Edition that Aesop specifically omitted the Faellie’s name. Now, the Faellie in the story appears to be a girl and Nyx’s Faellie, per the Editorial of Neopian Times Issue 1000, appears to be a boy. But people misspeak, this is a small issue. What we’ve also got is a Kyrii in service of a “mistress” collecting making faeries Grey and also probably collecting them. What if that Kyrii is the third ally? What if he and Vira have the same mistress? Would this mean he was the one who Greyed Baelia? If so, why did he target all those Neopets? Do they have energy his mistress can use?
RamblingRose4 might be in luck. But you know what? Signs point to this plot being the biggest ever. If you’ve read what Aesop has said in interviews, for instance, he says things like We really want to have a world-altering event. He says this plot is set to feature the major leaders of Neopia. The international community as a whole will be responding to this Voidly threat. So asking questions like “Who will the plot be about” might be reductive. This plot is so big, you could argue that it’s about everyone. And maybe, just maybe, that’ll include Nomi.
1st April, 2024
- No new Grey shopkeepers yet, but word is getting around now. People are stepping up to do something about this. You might’ve seen this guy around Neopia today.
You might’ve also seen some of his posters around…
Neopia doesn’t know much about this “Grey Curse” yet, but sometimes you gotta listen to your bias towards action. Like Mr. Smile Withme.
Mr. Withme has a remedy for the Greyness going around: Cultivating a positive outlook. These shopkeepers, have they tried NOT being Grey? To that you might say “Yes, didn’t repainting not work?” And you’d be right to say that. But did they try motivational posters? Because we’re trying them today. See, these shopkeepers are Grey down to their mood, even. So if you improve the mood, maybe you improve the color. And part of improving the mood is deciding that you WILL have energy, you WILL have motivation, you WILL NOT take depression for an answer.
Just some of the posters you might see during your dailies today…
You could admire these posters, but it’s hard to live in service of their message when they stand in the way of you doing anything. You might clear ’em away so you can get around Neopia. Doing this might arouse the attention of Mr. Withme.
Maybe getting out in the sun would help beat whatever this Grey Curse is? Out in the Vitamin D? They’re looking pale, right? Vitamin D is supposed to help with that.
But maybe you’re not getting any color from the sun. Smile has other ideas to supplement the motivational poster therapy.
Maybe insufficient hydration IS an underlying systematic issue? How much water per day do YOU drink?
But if the motivational posters still aren’t inspiring enough, Smileman has another solution up his sleeve.
There’s a saying when it comes to goods and services offered for free: If you’re not paying for the product, then it’s an absolute steal and you can’t afford NOT to take advantage of the offer.
But maybe you’re not ready to sign right away. Maybe you’re like “What’s with the Zalgo text around ‘loyalty and admiration?'” Mr. Withme will strongly suggest that you take the offer.
Or maybe the brain fog of Grey Sickness has blunted your focus. Smile Withme will help you come to a decision.
Suddenly, the contract vanishes… in a puff of smoke??? And in it’s place is this Smile Withme Mask.
As soon as you accept the mask, you should notice your perspectives on life change immediately.
And because the old posters didn’t work, Smile Withme has swapped them out for new posters that approach motivation from a different angle. Direct opposites of the old posters.
But if you refuse even these posters, Smile Withme vows to never be a memory. To follow you always, to defend you from the darkness that plagues the world in these Grey times.
You also get this dazzling avatar, to defend against bad vibes on the Neoboards.
The mask is wearable, but Orisasda finds that you can play around with the mask noncommittally. Instead of putting the mask on outright.
Smile Withme will chime in again, and reveal the man behind the mask…
Most Charming Smile winner and Best Hair nominee, Chadrick “Chadley” Woolsworth Tuffington IV is the one drawing first blood against The Void Within. Whatever name he goes by, he has always had a knack for gathering fans and starting movements. This one appears to be the latest, and all you gotta do to join the fight against The Void is put on the mask. The mask appears to have some power to it, what can the tentacle creature do against such bright smiles?
Festival of Neggs is next, maybe we’ll see Orion and Reina and even Fyora wearing the mask?
29th March, 2024
- Yep, looks like 3 business days.
Hubert is now cursed with Greyness. That’s 4 out of 5, and if this pattern continues we should have our 5th and final (for now) shopkeeper Greyed up on April 3rd. It’ll also be shortly after Easter, so maybe the Festival of Neggs will kick off by then. Hopefully with an investigation into this Grey thing. How did they turn Grey? Can WE turn Grey? Is it contagious??? These shopkeepers are all so different, so random, that this curse seems like the kind of thing that could affect a broad variety of Neopians.
For now it seems confined to Neopia Central. Maybe that’ll be where our Festival is held this year. Here’s hoping Topsi is alright. It’s been a while since he’s been heard from, and if The Void Within is as wide spanning as speculated, it would be a shame to not hear from him.
27th March, 2024
- And that’s a wrap! Neopets LIVE – The Void Within is in the books and boy do we have thoughts and feelings. Make sure to redeem code THEVOIDWITHIN at Grundo’s Warehouse by March 29th, 5PM NST for your post-conference souvenir! But more on that later.
Let’s break this beauty down piece by piece.
First, the pre-stream music is different. Usually the Neopets LIVE pre-stream music is the soundtrack from Meepit Juice Break. But today we got this spacey sort of music. Couldn’t quite place the origin for a while, but thanks to the sharp ears of CoolMan233312, it has been identified as the “soundtrack” to Kreludan Mining Corp. Note: The song doesn’t appear in the actual game, but it is listed and listenable as the Kreludan Mining Corp music on the Neopets Music page.
Now, why that song? Is it because this is going to be a spacey plot primarily and they needed a spacey sounding song with an eerie, mysterious sound to it? Did Time Tunnel not quite strike the right mood? Or maybe they used it because the song doesn’t actually appear in the game and they want to give it actual purpose as theme music for The Void Within. Or… and this might really be stretching things, but maybe they meant the choice of the Kreludan Mining Corp music to be significant? Maybe Kreludan Mining Corp (the game, the site, etc.) are involved somehow? There was that speculation that our Aisha hero works for Kreludan Mining. That theory does seem to conflict with the significance of the Virtupets Delivery Pilot Training Manual though. But maybe Kreludan Mining is somehow associated with whatever our Aisha hero is delivering?
Early on in the stream we are introduced to writers room. The watchers from beyond, if you will:
Aesop, Narrative Director
Stone, Senior Narrative Designer, mind behind Faerie’s Hope, Tales of Neovia, and the one who introduced us to Orion
Jewel, Narrative Designer for the upcoming Tales of Dacardia
Fallie (not “Faellie”), Social Media Coordination Meepit
Our host Amanda kicks things off by asking about the Grey shopkeepers. At 13:59, Aesop had this to say: That’s an interesting conundrum, isn’t it? Yeah, I’ve seen quite a few Grey shopkeepers appearing across Neopia, and from the gossip I’ve heard, they seem to really be especially drained and feeling dismal after turning this mysterious Grey color. But despite the debilitating effect that accompanies it, the most unusual thing I’ve heard about this unique Grey color is that it seems no matter what any of the Neopians try, they can’t be painted another color after they’ve been Greyed out. Our first new confirmed fact of the stream: The Paint Brushes do nothing to treat Greyness. Interesting plot when it comes to color. But what we still don’t know is how these shopkeepers turned Grey. There may very well be a void within them, but what put it there? What “developed” it?
Fallie is wise to the goings on in the Void. And so as a social media representative she’s in the trenches with us, sharing in the speculation. Though she clearly knows way more than we do. And with this knowledge, at 16:44 she remarked I’m super impressed already at how scarily… not “close” but, like, some of the theories that have come out I’m like “Oh my God, how did they get to this point?” So yeah, Neopians are sharp. But then, how sharp are we if we aren’t cutting it close? Is Fallie trying to say that we’re overthinking things? Digging too deep for our own good? If so, maybe the least complex answers are the correct ones. Once again, Occam’s Razor.
As far as narrative themes, at 19:36 Aesop describes this story as sort of a mirror or allegory for stepping away from Neopia, like for instance how you might go on hiatus for a while. Or quit indefinitely, only to find yourself drawn back thanks to nostalgia or lingering memories. And coming back after all that time can be overwhelming. Any time someone comes back, it’s like “What’d I miss? What’s happening now? What’s been going on in Neopia while I was gone?” Aesop also adds But also, in your time away from Neopia maybe you’re stronger after your struggles, and hopefully you have something new to bring back. Our Aisha and Faellie heroes arrived in this mysterious place, grappled with the tentacle creature, one of them learned hardware repair and the other seems to be able to open rifts in spacetime. Rifts that lead back home. A home that maybe you don’t recognize right away. So, lining that up with the metaphor Aesop described, is The Void where you go when you leave Neopia? The obligated pull away from where you’d rather be? The Aisha and Faellie are basically Neopians who had to leave for a while and are now coming back? Like so many of us have? It’ll be nice to see where all of our friends went that used to play.
On paper, the plot is brought to us by Aesop, Stone, Jewel, and probably Fallie. But at 23:11 Aesop explains The plot is a shared effort, so we outlined it together. Not only the writers in this room, but actually we had completely different disciplines in there as well as art and programming. We just have some huge Neopets fans on staff that, like, regardless of whatever department they’re from, they’re also great storytellers who care a lot about the lore and the characters in the world. So it was really nice to just kinda have a larger brainstorming session with anyone who really wanted to be involved in the process from the team. So in reality, this plot is driven by the input of the staff as a whole. So one wonders how many staffers actually know about what’s happening behind the scenes with this plot. Dom says he doesn’t know anything, was he not contacted?
There’s the question of how long this crisis might last, remember how we were wondering when the plot had to start and how long it had to last so that it didn’t conflict with the content schedule. But at 24:40 Aesop reveals just how heavy this is about to be: I’ll say now, we’re planning for this plot to be spread out for almost an entire year, so at least around 10 months of content. First thing you might ask is, does that count “time served?” When did the clock start on this 10 months of plot? Back during the Faerie Festival? Because if not, this could be the plot to end all plots. Even with “delays,” this would be a long runner. And potentially throws out the whole “They can’t have this plot around Cup time or around the time of any important site events.” Let’s see… If the plot starts AFTER this year’s Cup, and lasts for 10 months? Hmmmm… no wait the Cup might very well remain untouched. But everything else falls under the plot’s shadow. As mentioned before, the longest a plot usually lasts is 3 months. Some people say Champions of Meridell is the exception. But even if you wanna count every day from the day Champs started to the day it ended (despite it having delays/long stretches where nothing happened), that’s still only 9 months. 10 months would be the longest ever plot.
Jewel is working on the plot, but her day job is the upcoming Tales of Dacardia. And at 27:22 she says I’m also trying to figure out ways to connect the upcoming plot to Tales of Dacardia. Which makes sense in an organic world. Major events should have an impact, leave a footprint. Things that happen around the world should reflect other events that happen, even if they aren’t direct sequels. If two lands go to war, a third land should be like “Hey remember that time those two lands went to war?” Just by virtue of being a land in Neopia. The game is set to launch in April, if it can make that deadline there should be plenty of time for the game to reflect stuff happening on Neopets.com.
At 28:26, it’s time for what Amanda dubs “hints and clues.” And as usual, Neostaff has a lot they can’t say. As far as whether we as a community have missed any that have already been released? At 29:11 Stone says I can’t think of one. That’s to be expected. What about future clues and teasers and prologue? There is something interesting planned that could be an interesting, like, continuation of some stuff we’ve seen. Or it might go for a while, and if you really wanna see it all from start to finish you’ll wanna make sure to log in for future events. Such as, like, Festival of Neggs and Altador Cup and other things like that. So make sure to log in to those. Aesop touched on that before, stick around for events to get more prologue/teasers. But is Stone saying we might expect prologue/teasers from the Cup? The sacred Cup? Festival of Neggs has cutscenes and the like, it lends itself to story and bumps in the road. But the Cup? The Cup has Press Roll, and that’s about it. How disruptive to the Cup might The Void Within end up being? If the plot proper starts after the Cup, maybe the Cup’s ending is disrupted by the arrival of a Voidly enemy. A la Spooky Food Eating Contest, Chapter 2. And then we go straight into earning plot points?
But what about hints and clues we can have now? Amanda asks about the villains making wicked plans and Jewel chimes in at 31:25 saying They are not entirely alone here and they may have even made a new friend, recalling the proverb about bad things coming in threes. Now, this one works on a couple of of levels. First, at face value: Vira and her faerie mistress have recently met a new partner in crime. If this is a plot about Baelia, there’s been that lingering question of how there can be room in this plot for Jennumara AND Drakara. Well, what if Vira’s faerie mistress is one of those two, and their new friend is the other? Vira’s faerie mistress is Drakara, and then Jennumara rocks up like “Hey what are you guys up to? Maybe I can help, maybe I have what you’re looking for.” But maybe “bad things coming in threes” is a reference to something else. Vira and her faerie mistress probably made at least one new friend. But you know what else is bad and comes in threes? THE Three.
Maybe what Jewel means is that The Three are involved. Both things can be true, especially in a plot with 10 months of runtime. The Three are involved, but also Vira and her mistress meet a new friend. Maybe they form a coven of three, maybe they form a larger coven. Maybe their new friend isn’t a faerie at all, but a Neopet? Two ‘pets and a faerie? Like The Three are? It lines up thematically, it’s like poetry. It rhymes. Now think back to “Entry 439” from Scarblade’s Tales of Neovia story. A particular new acquaintance of mine has agreed to help me in this search. She and I will set out soon. Ah? What if that friend is Vira or her faerie mistress?
The Three isn’t the only villainous trio in Neopia, though. A while back we mentioned the Dark Faerie Sisters, they’re a trio. And depending on how relevant Tales of Neovia is, that could be a sign of their involvement. The Darkest Faerie was counted among the villains in it, so if she’s involved, her sisters are probably involved. Another trio? The Drenched, who recently enjoyed a spate of strong storms over Maraqua. Now, The Drenched were NOT included in Tales of Neovia, but…
…the flavor text on their card even references the same proverb Jewel did. Or maybe it’s all of the trios. The Drenched, the Sisters, and The Three. With 10 months of plot, maybe they’ll take this time to address the Neopian theme of villainous trios as a whole. Whatever this means, if Vira and her mistress make a new friend, that confirms the speculation that some sort of coven is being formed. A team of more than just two.
After that segment, Amanda gets into what everyone liked best about working on this. And it’s your usual fare, “I like everything, I’m so thankful,” but at 32:35 Jewel says I’m really enjoying sinking my teeth into and digging into the character dynamics, and the way that they can express themselves in their relationships. I’ve gotten to write a lot of fun moments like that, and I’ve even had a moment as I was writing one of the chapters where, like, two characters were kind of talking with one another and they were opening up a little bit, but not too much, and I look at the… like, as it was happening on the page and I realized a relationship was developing. So, Jewel’s recommendation? There’s a part in this plot where two characters have a moment and grow closer, it’s gonna be really good so keep an eye out for that. Ah, but who? Speculation has cast a wide net for who might be involved in this thing. And with 10 months of runtime, a lot can happen to a lot of people. Maybe we come back to Jhudora and Illusen? Their relationship has been softening up, and they were just in the Faerie Festival. But then, maybe that means they absolutely WON’T be in this plot because we just had them. But again, 10 months??? With that kind of runtime they could resolve literally every dangling plot thread in all Neopian lore.
As for what Aesop would like you to keep an eye out for? At 34:20 he mentions character and dynamics both new and old that I think/we’re really hoping some people will relate to. Seems like we’re about to face some “familiar” struggles. That this is going to be a very “personal” plot. And the relating has already started. Since the shopkeepers started turning Grey, there’s been no shortage of sympathy on social media, “Care” reactions on Facebook “My face when retail” memes far and wide across the Internet. Because we’ve all been there, haven’t we? The Void being where we go when we leave Neopia isn’t the only metaphor to grasp here.
Eventually Fallie decides to turn the tables and ask Amanda a question: What is she most curious about? Amanda, like a lot of people who cut their teeth on Neopets, is a fan of Lord Kass. And she was curious what, if anything, that sword in the stone meant. You remember the one.
At 44:59, Aesop had this to say: It definitely seems like it belonged to someone in particular. Whatever happened to the wielder of that sword? Well, I guess you could surmise that they might be in that same strange place that our characters were surviving in, seemed pretty dangerous? I guess we don’t know if someone would be able to survive in that harsh condition, maybe if they’re a survivor they might be able to? But I guess only time will tell. I think we’ll get a little bit more looks into what might be happening within The Void or around The Void.
Now you probably know Neostaff is a cheeky lot. Aesop didn’t outright confirm it with words you could hold him to in court… but this is as much a confirmation as anything. That is Kass’s sword. Kass is in this thing. Not just in this thing, but in The Void! That must be where The Three sent him after he failed to live up to his potential! And potentially where Darigan went when he failed to live up to his potential! And if Kass is definitely tied to this thing, there’s VERY strong odds that The Three are tied to this thing. Moving them up in the seed ranking for “The Bad Thing Coming In Threes” that Jewel was talking about. Yes, speculation confirmed: That’s Kass’s sword and he’s part of this plot.
Amanda also asks about Orion’s Lyre. The one Fyora could not get a bead on. Stone steps in at 46:15 to tell us what’s been happening with our heroic trio, Orion, Reina, and Fyora. Good things come in threes too. The Advent Calendar was definitely the strongest visions Orion has had. Since then there’s been some flare-ups, but no matter how much he plays it, he just can’t seem to get that sort of clarity again. But I do have a feeling we’ll learn more about it soon, and if you are hoping to learn more about it, and maybe see where/when/why? All of those things about it? You will definitely wanna make sure you login to those events that I’ve been talking about. Because they might have something to do with it every now and then. Events like the Festival of Neggs and Cup. Okay, for some mysterious reason, Orion can’t hit on that “inspiration” he used to have. The “holiday magic” of Winter Starlight is lacking, perhaps? Something lacking within, maybe? It’ll be good to know, at least, why he thinks he can’t trigger those visions. Clairvoyancy isn’t a reliable science, after all.
And finally, before the closing interview with Dom and the release of the Rare Item Code, Amanda asks for one last clue. Anything more we can say is solidly confirmed? Yes. As thanks for watching this far, at 47:43 Aesop finally drops the actual name of our Aisha hero: I think the least I can do is give at least one detail, and I think that would be the name of our new protagonist, which is Nyx. Spelled N-Y-X. Just like a certain Greek goddess of the night. We first saw her during Advent Calendar trying to survive in The Void with her trusted Petpet mechanic. She survived the harrowing ordeal with the help of her friend there. But, I would like to also publicly mention right now while we’re all here that said Petpet is still, in fact, holding on. He’s in rough shape to be sure, and he definitely needs some help soon, but he’s still hanging in there. And we could reveal that name later, but for now I’ll just leave you with Nyx.
At last, she has a name. We don’t have to call her “our Aisha hero” anymore. Nyx. But is it just a name, or is it symbolic? After all, Orion’s name has meaning. Orion is a constellation, and he’s a reader of the stars as well as a contributor in that “Bythons From Space” adventure. But perhaps even more significant? His last name is Ophiuchus. The “serpent-bearer” constellation. And again… Bythons. So what might Nyx mean? Aesop was keen to point out the parallels between the Greek goddess of the night. Might the night aspect be relevant to her? Might the fact that she’s a daughter of Chaos be relevant to her? That tentacled thing looks pretty chaotic. And in the Greek pantheon, “Chaos” is described as “the mythological void state preceding the creation of the universe.” VOID state. Ahhhh??? Described as a great, dark expanse of nothingness. Kinda recalls that Tales of Neovia story about the Shadow Usul: All living things know darkness, but this was not darkness. This was pure nothing. So if “chaos” as a corporeal concept is involved, which means the Shadow Usul is involved… and if Kass is involved which almost certainly means The Three are involved… it would be kind of a snub to not involve the whole Tales of Neovia cast, wouldn’t it??? Which really makes you wonder how everyone else is tied in. Scarblade might be Vira’s new friend… Sloth might be in The Void…
Also, Nyx sounds a lot like “Nox,” which is her Roman name. And the name of one very undead Chia warlock. Does that mean anything? - From here you can either stick around for the interview with Dom, or just redeem your code. Again: THEVOIDWITHIN. Your prize? A Void Negg. Not a new prize, it was originally released during Festival of Neggs 2021.
Now, it’s technically not “from” The Void Within, but could it be repurposed as something symbolic? In the same way that you might give out copies of “The Big Book of Intermediate Evil Plots” as part of a promotion to tell people that an evil plot is underway? Besides, they only finished putting the bones together for this plot as of July 29th, 2022. How long were the ideas and concepts knocking around in people’s heads? How long did Aesop and the other writers know that The Void was coming?
The description of the Void Negg reads Avoid looking directly into the centre of this negg at all costs, lest the void devour what makes you whole… maybe The Void takes something from you? It definitely changes some people. It changed our Faellie hero, and in a grabby, devour-y fashion. And if Lord Darigan was sent to The Void and came back Redeemed, maybe The Void consumed his darker tendencies and left only the parts of him that were noble? And then there’s the prizes that could be found inside one of these back when the 2021 Festival was on. Not this exact negg, this one is just food. But if we were doin gthe 2021 Festival right now and you found a Void Negg, you’d have your choice of 3 prizes…
Navigating the Void
Void Blade
Voidberry Cobbler
Any of these might be significant when it comes to story or plot steps or both or some third thing. But what really stands out is that book, “Navigating the Void.” The description reads This ancient tome was created by an inquisitive warlock who developed portals that allowed him to travel between worlds… Do we know any “inquisitive warlocks” who develop portals? We know at least one: Magon. The signs keep pointing to him. Maybe he’s the third friend that Vira and her faerie mistress make? We already got Kass, we got an appearance from Brightvale in a rift in spacetime… we’re already in the area for it.
10 months of content. The biggest plot in history, it could be. Definitely seems like the most ambitious. This could be the plot that closes the book on all lore prior. The plot to end them all. Does that sound a little bittersweet? Because this could mean a brave new future moving forward. This might be the “soft reboot” Neopia could potentially benefit from. Maybe the story of Neopia itself is the one long overdue for a resolution, and this is what resolves it. In closing…
What We Know
1. The shopkeepers cannot paint themselves to be free of the Grey curse
2. 10 months of content is coming down the pipe for The Void Within
3. Vira and her faerie mistress are not alone
4. Two characters will have a moment where their relationship develops
5. Try as he might, Orion can’t see any visions as vivid as the ones he saw around the holidays
6. The Aisha’s name is Nyx, like the Greek goddess of night and daughter of Chaos
What’s Functionally Certain
1. Vira and her faerie mistress may have made a new friend
2. Bad things come in threes
3. Kass and his sword are in in The Void
4. If you’ve got the stuff of a survivor, you might endure The Void and come back to Neopia stronger and richer for the experience
5. We might hear more about Orion fiddling with his Lyre in future events in the coming weeks
6. Hopefully, Tales of Dacardia will organically reflect things happening in Neopia, which includes The Void Within
But if this plot is big enough, maybe just about everything in history will be involved. The Tales of Neovia villains, and everyone else. Every story worth remembering in Neopia might find its way back to The Void.
26th March, 2024
- Took a little longer than last time, but we’ve got another Grey shopkeeper. And if you’re up to date on the clues (even the spoilery ones) you probably know who the next one is.
Call him the “Sourdough Breadmaster now.” On top of that, the Grey shopkeepers have now all switched to GIFs, not PNGs. Which is why the Grooming Parlour Usul can now be seen in all her grey, bloodshot glory.
That’s 3 of 5. What’s more, we may have a pattern…
1. Ellia turned Grey on March 18th. A Monday.
2. Grooming Parlour Usul turned Grey on the 21st. A Thursday, 3 business days after Ellia.
3. Breadmaster turned Grey on the 26th. So you’ve got Friday, then the weekend, Monday, and then Tuesday. 3 business days after the Grooming Parlour Usul if you don’t count the weekend.
Probably just a coincidence? We’ll know by Friday, March 29th if we get another Grey shopkeeper. But who can wait that long when Neopets LIVE: The Void Within Edition is happening TOMORROW at 5PM NST? Surely a night of revelations. Who knows, we might get all our Grey shopkeepers early?
21st March, 2024
- New Grey shopkeeper! Remember that issue from yesterday where the .PNG versions of these images aren’t loading right now, save for Ellia’s? Well…
w5.png is trying to load here. In the same way that w4.png loaded and worked just fine for Ellia. But it’s not working. But y’know what does work? w5.gif. Which you may have already seen before.
She looks totally out of it. It’s almost like… she’s got a “void” somewhere “within” her? Draining the life from around her? Even the Kacheek’s hair looks duller compared to the way things used to look.
Keep an eye on the Grooming Parlour and see if this image gets fixed today. One Grey ‘pet is probably no cause for alarm. But two? How many until Neopians start to suspect that there may be some kind of pandemic afoot? Maybe five? Probably five. Will we get all five shopkeepers Greyed before the Neopets LIVE?
20th March, 2024
- If you been checking the shops lately, waiting for more Grey people to show up, you might not have found anything. That is, if you checked the front end. Or if you took w4.png and kept changing the number from w1 to w117. But Rawbeee and Alan_SJM2 have been doing some digging here. Waiting to go live are four more shopkeepers, soon to be Greyed.
Yeah, for some reason there’s a .GIF version of each Grey shopkeeper image, and a .PNG version of each Grey shopkeeper image. And for some reason the .GIF versions were updated, but the .PNG versions were not.
We understand that not everyone wants to know this, that it’s a spoiler unless you can go find it on Neopets or from Neostaff. So we won’t post the images here, but if you’d like to look at them, Rawbeee has a curated collection here. A petpage that’s currently linking to all of the plots/tvw/images/shopkeepers URLs that can exist. So when another one goes live, it should show up there. But of course, images are only half the story. We want dialogue/flavor text! So we still need to keep checking the actual shops, it’s just these images give us the shops we need to keep a closer eye on.
What might also be an effect of the Grey Plague sweeping Neopia? Some people have noticed how the highlight around Alerts are grey. If you use the Neopets Basic site theme.
But then, that might’ve always been that way. It isn’t clear, because these Alerts do look grey on the Fan Sites, but then again these Fan Sites might just be fetching the styles from Neopets. In the same way a petpage can fetch an image. It’s hard to get ahold of anyone who actually uses Neopets Basic and can confirm or deny that the grey highlights are new. - But the plotly revelations will soon come DIRECTLY to you, because a new Neopets LIVE/Direct is on the way. And it’s all about The Void Within! They can’t all be about plots, but it’s great to have one again.
Make sure you don’t miss that Rare Item Code either, for everything is a clue when plots are involved. We’ll see you there.
18th March, 2024
- It was a pretty dry winter, plot-wise. We’ve had plenty of Live events, but none have brought plot news. And that “Grarrl Wraith” from the last entry? Turned out to be old, scrapped content from The Wraith Resurgence. But spring is here, ladies and gentlemen. And people are noticing a change in the surroundings.
Ellia of Uni’s Clothing is feeling Grey. Really feeling Grey. Down to her bones. She doesn’t just look Grey, she’s got a Grey disposition. She’s not really “feeling” the diverse array of colors and textures that she’s known for purveying. “Poor taste” she calls it. How sure are we that this is plot related? How sure are we that this isn’t just speculation? It might have something to do with the image URL.
https://images.neopets.com/plots/tvw/images/shopkeepers/w4.png
Note the plots/tvw directory it’s coming from.
So far Ellia is the only Shopkeeper made Grey. But how did she get this way? Is it… contagious??? And are you better off Grey than whatever color our Faellie hero is? “Interesting plot when it comes to color” indeed. The Festival of Neggs hasn’t even started yet! No way does Kari ignore this, especially if it’s spreading. Maybe Baelia will be this year’s “traveling partner?”
Keep your eyes open for anyone showing symptoms. Grey Day is April 14th, if we’re diligent we should be well into addressing this phenomenon by then.
27th January, 2024
- SmudgeOfFudge is back with more findings from the backend!
You might be wondering if this “Grarrl Wraith” might be a holdover from The Wraith Resurgence. Maybe a scrapped item themed after one of the challengers. Well, first you have to remember that none of the Fan Sites have found it. Even though finding unreleased items is what they deal in. Suggesting that the item was only findable very recently. Second, the Resurgence offered no Grarrl-themed challengers. The challengers it DID offer, were…
Snapjaw Wraith, or Damon the Jetsam
Deathball Wraith, or Finn the Meerca
Wind Rider Wraith, or Nolan the Shoyru
Hulking Wraith, or Aiden the Skeith
So why would a Grarrl Wraith be introduced now? Are wraiths about to make another appearance? Is the tentacle creature from whence all wraiths come? More thought food to chew on while we wait for the next course of prologue.
26th January, 2024
- The new era for Neopia continues to roll in. It’s Neopian Times… Issue One Thousand! From August 11th, 2001, to today. The Times has been around for almost every plot in Neopian history. If you wanna count the very ancient editions of the Neopian Times, then it has been around for every plot. Since January 25th, 2000. About 24 years on the dot, the Times has been running.
Speaking of plots, this Edition of the Times comes with a few statements of note in the Editorial regarding The Void Within. Director Aesop and a staffer named Tumble field a few questions. The first comes from SuperKouza, who raised the question of whether or not we were there watching Orion’s visions unfold.
Were we all present for Orion playing Lyre at the Advent Lodge? The way Reina said “We need to tell someone” suggests it was just her and Orion (and Fyora). But Orion showed up at Winter Starlight with this news, which suggests he probably had tourists and revelers and mountain/valley natives listening in. I’m just curious what “alert state” Neopia is on as far as the looming threat. Is it top secret, known to only Fyora’s closest? Is it whispers in shadows? Sceptic Tank conspiracy theory? Trending news story? Or maybe widespread panic? Is anyone heeding Orion’s order to start preparing for war?
Aesop reveals that yes, things are moving and shaking off camera. Just like you should be.
An excellent question! Several onlookers attending the Advent Calendar festivities were present for Orion’s pleas for help over the course of the Festival, and a small crowd actually began to gather as he shared his visions. Although some Neopians dismissed the events, a few even claiming it was an elaborate hoax to promote his tarot cards, a sense of disquietude has already begun to creep across the globe. Whispers of impending peril have reached even the most remote corners of Neopia, and rumours circulate about the leaders of various lands preparing for the possibility of the unprecedented era of peace they’ve enjoyed coming to an end…
So there you have it. All your ‘pets were confirmed to be there, basically.
This next question comes from an anonymous inquirer. Asking what sort of challenge we might be up against.
Hey TNT, thank you for the NCUC, now all our lab rats can look beautiful. Speaking of, with the upcoming plot, how hard should we train? Will those of us who have been training our pets for years and have a decent battledome set have a challenge?
Tumble takes this one, explaining what you probably already know about the Battledome and Neostaff’s continuing mission to make it more accessible than it is.
Although we are planning on ensuring that the Battledome is accessible to new users who are not as familiar with it, there’s a strong possibility that you will be facing off against some especially tough opponents who could give even the most seasoned Battledome veterans a run for their neopoints. And on the opposite end, we’ll also ensure that users who aren’t big fans of the Battledome still get something to do during the more battle-heavy sections of the plot!
And finally, Nguyeplm is just curious about the plot in general.
Would you be able to give anymore information about the upcoming plot?
Aesop responds with the news we maybe should’ve led with.
Although we can’t share a specific date just yet, you can expect to have a few more months to prepare before the start of the plot. That being said, there might just be a few hints of what is to come popping up before the plot begins, so be sure to keep an eye out for them! Oh, and one last bit of plot info I wanted to touch upon- While our brave little Faellie friend from Orion’s visions certainly is in bad shape, he’s still holding on! I just hope he can get some help soon…
That story again: THE FAELLIE IS ALIVE!!! He’s a little purple but he’s STILL WITH US!!! That means we can FIGHT FOR HIM!!!
Also? The plot won’t be starting for a few more months, yet. Which seems to confirm that yes, that “What’s Next” section in the Release Notes is in order and we’ll have to wait until after the Cup to get cookin’. But you probably already assumed as much. The real news you most likely care about is that THE FAELLIE IS NOT DEAD. WE HAVE TO SAVE THE FAELLIE.
Tonight’s stories, in conclusion…
1. Word is spreading off camera about the dangers headed for Neopia.
2. Don’t sit this one out, there’s going to be something for everyone to do.
3. Things probably won’t start getting hot until after the Altador Cup.
4. THE FAELLIE IS ALIVE
The Faeries’ Ruin had the famous pie. The Void Within has this Faellie. In some way, shape, or form, he’s still out there. Waiting for Neopia’s heroes. Will you join them?
24th January, 2024
- It was a rough night last night, but NC Pet Styles are here at last! Yeah, it seems like this was the immediate major focus. That Live event didn’t really cover much outside of NC Pet Styles.
Hmmmm… here’s something, the preloader for the Styling Studio is a Faellie. Like that Faellie who was lost in space was a Faellie. Relevant? Maybe? This is supposed to be a plot dealing with color as a theme, and Styling Studio is about color. Maybe they’re the same Faellie? Maybe???
Alright, so we have our Neocash Unconverteds now. The kids have had their fun. Do we have anything of substance to go on about The Void Within? Yes, in fact. Last night there was an update to the Release Notes in the wake of NC Pet Styles. As usual, there’s a “What’s Next” section which seems to detail the roadmap of events moving forward, in order of launch. Presumably in order of launch, anyway.
So if this is in order of release, it looks like The Void Within has been delayed again. No longer Q2, it’s been pushed to after the Cup. Also known as “Q3-Q4.” Could be any time in July, August, September, or October, November, and December. This at least solves the scheduling conflict. No more wondering what’ll happen with the Cup and Festival, because the plot no longer threatens their time slot. After the Cup, there’s real estate as far as the eye can see. The Cup ends in very early July, August and September have no regularly scheduled events. October is dedicated to general spookiness, there’s usually some Trick-or-Treating. November has Neopets’ Birthday, and then there’s December with Winter Starlight. You know the drill, we just did it.
Aside from Winter Starlight, seems like we could have the plot any time between July and November and cause no problems. October might be dicey because we gotta have Halloween, right? But surely Halloween is the perfect time for a plot. A perfect time for the darkest of forces to take hold of Neopia, for epic and decisive battles. Halloween made for a great backdrop during The Faeries’ Ruin and The Wraith Resurgence, to similar effect. There’s a reason the first two seasons of Stranger Things are set around that time. But then, how long would we have to wait if we want this plot to creep into Halloween? With everything happening on time, the longest a plot usually lasts is 3 months. The Wraith Resurgence lasted longer, but it’s speculated that this wasn’t on purpose. That there were delays. So if, IF we want some solid spooky time with this plot… would we have to wait until August? Maybe even September? That’s when TFR kicked off, but on the other hand it also lasted until Christmas. Which also makes for a nice backdrop if you ask director Shane Black. But Orion just made his case for how we probably shouldn’t have a Winter Starlight until these dark forces are dealt with. So… how about a plot that lasts through October and ends just in time for Neopets Birthday? It’s the 25th Anniversary, we will have defeated what might be Neopia’s darkest threat, it’ll be a time of great celebration. And we’ll keep things rolling into Winter Starlight where Orion and Reina can reflect on how far they’ve come together since he showed up with his Lyre just one year prior. At a TFR pace, the earliest this would have to kick off would be mid-August.
But then, who says this plot has to last just 3 months? Again, it’s the 25th Anniversary. It’s a very special year, maybe this plot should should start early and last long. From July to “Question Marks.” Maybe this should be the plot to end all plots. To shift the paradigm, to lay down new groundwork. Important years tend to be about celebrating the legacy of the old, and then wiping the slate clean to start on the promise and potential of the new. Maybe that’s what we’re getting out of The Void Within? If speculation is correct that this is going to involve multiple historic villains? Yes, it’s only speculation right now, but one thing we know for sure is that there’s a sword that looks too much like Kass’s own sword for it to just be a coincidence. Portals are appearing and showing Brightvale, that can’t be a coincidence either.
We’ve got a bit longer to wait. But on the bright side, the Festival of Neggs is primed for more of that prologue Aesop said we would see in upcoming events. And potentially the Cup too, we gotta give those snowbirds a reason to stick around after the Cup ends. Yes, it makes sense to push the plot back so that the snowbirds get a chance to hear about it. Surely this was the way it had to happen all along. Patience…
15th January, 2024
- It’s Sloth Day (observed), and… nothing teased about Sloth and any potential relation to The Void Within. In the New Features or anywhere else. Does this rule him out? Considering Orion did at one point get a “stay tuned” sort of nod on the Neopets Facebook page? Not necessarily. But as we continue to revisit speculation, let’s remember we don’t have confirmation he’s involved. So maybe he’s not.
Vira, however, is definitely cookin’ somethin’ up. And we’ve got another discovery from SmudgeOfFudge that might shed further light on that.
This time we’ve got “Barbat Wing Blade.” Still no image as far as we can find, but it sounds like a weapon. Maybe the kind of weapon Vira might use? Just look at what she typically carries in the Battledome: Viras Winged Dagger, Viras Cape of Darkness, Viras Battle Bats, and Viras Spiked Collar. Batty wings are a theme.
And come to think of it, let’s pull up that Fancy-Hilted Knife again…
That hilt, kinda looks like Acara ears, maybe? Maybe the Fancy-Hilted Knife and the Barbat Wing Blade are both weapons that Vira will be bringing to battle in the plot? Maybe that’s why we haven’t seen them released yet: They aren’t being released, and are unique 1P weapons that will either be available in the prize shop to come, or never released and only wielded by their original opponents.
Which brings us back to that Malum Cloak. Will Vira be wearing that too? If so, how is it she and Malum/Reizo meet, and how does she come to possess his cloak? Does TDF just take it from him?
If these items aren’t just 1P weapons and are to be released, it might be later rather than sooner. We didn’t get any Sloth teasers today, but we did get something people might be more excited about: The announcement of the long awaited “Neocash For Unconverted ‘Pets” feature.
Attention Neopians! Excitement is brewing in the world of Neopia, and we’re thrilled to share NC Pet Styles will come to Neopia on January 23rd (01/23), 2024!To help prepare and facilitate this launch, from January 18th – 23rd (01/18-01/23), 2024, all Pet transfers will be disabled to prevent any beloved Pets getting lost in transit! This extends to all features of the Neopian Pound, including adopting, abandoning and transferring Pets from one account to another.Leading up to the launch, Neopets will be down on January 22nd (01/22), 2024 to implement changes and bring our new NC Pet Styles to life! We are unable to determine the exact duration for the downtime at this moment, but rest assured, your Pets will be ready for their transformation when we’re back online_Join us LIVE on our socials, Facebook, Instagram, X and TikTok on January 17th (01/17), 2024, at 5PM PST for a fun filled NC Pet Style Edition show where we will be sharing sneak peeks and fun giveaways, as we countdown to one of the most anticipated events in Neopian history!
If there’s any period in the content schedule that’s absolutely locked up, the next week or so is probably dedicated entirely to NC Pet Styles. For the next week, you can be pretty assured that, like, the plot won’t kick off. Neopets.com will be down entirely on the 22nd, anyway. And won’t be back up until NC Pet Styles is ready for launch.
But take care to remember that live event. There’s gonna be more to it than just NC Pet Styles. And arm up. Vira just might be.
14th January, 2024
- Extra late breaking bulletin! SmudgeOfFudge found ANOTHER unreleased item on the backend!
Malum Cloak.” We still don’t know what these Malum items are that Smudge saw Vira wielding, we weren’t able to catch her holding them. But anyone today can search up “Malum Cloak” and get positive results on the Shop Wizard. We don’t have an image like with the Fancy-Hilted Knife, but we do have a name.
If you served during The Wraith Resurgence, you’ll recall that Malum is the name Kaia’s friend Reizo went by after The Darkest Faerie transformed him. That’s Reizo on the left and Malum on the right, if you didn’t infer.
One of the main case makers for Baelia being the faerie to star in The Void Within is that this is going to be “a heartfelt tale involving a certain faerie long overdue for a resolution.” But the operative word is “long,” not “longest.” The Resurgence wrapped up in 2018. That’s not as far back as 2003, but it left us hanging on some things like “What happens to Malum/Reizo? Does he get cured? What about the fact that his brooch and TDF’s ring were draining the life from them? They took them off, right? What becomes of the brooch and ring?” So maybe that’s the resolution we’re overdue for. Maybe the faerie to star is actually Kaia. Which might make sense considering this is a story involving psychic forecasting. Orion is psychic, Kaia is psychic. Also, like Vira, Reizo was changed by dark forces he was naive enough to trust. But if this isn’t about Baelia, what a red herring Vira’s grey book turned out to be…
Or maybe Malum’s cloak is a weapon he might’ve been equipped with during the Resurgence, but plans changed. This, as well as what that Fancy-Hilted Knife is for, will be answered soon.
13th January, 2024
- It’s a new year! Maybe in more ways than one. A lot of notable things happening in 2024, for instance we’re about to hit Issue #1000 of the Neopian Times. Oh, and The Void Within, obviously.
But right now things are kinda quiet. And so, people are foraging for whatever plot crumbs they can find. People like SmudgeOfFudge, who spends her days scanning the backend for any new items. Like when she found the Holiday Snow Lyre. And she’s found another one.
Fancy-Hilted Knife.” And the image is easy enough to find if you make the safe assumption that it’s a Battledome weapon. The full name of the item is in its image, as RougeTheBat300 put together: bd_fancy_hilted_knife.gif.
Let’s think back to the Holiday Snow Lyre. Found on December 24th, given out on December 26th. Moral of that story: When an item becomes discoverable like this, it means it’s about to be given out very soon. But from the looks of it, where might it come from? The Neopies would be our next “regularly scheduled” event, might it come from there? Doesn’t really match the current Neopies color scheme though, does it? Not enough gold. But with snow whites and dark greys, it’s got a real “January” vibe to it. Icy cold. Maybe it’s just an ordinary weapon for an ordinary content day? Once upon a time we used to get as many as 4 new items a day, in addition to the usual wearables. It’s the 25th Anniversary, we might be trying to head back to the content schedules of 10-15 years ago. Though that would be an incredibly tall order, so what are the odds of that, really?
Odds are this item belongs to an event of some kind. Which is good to know because January is usually a content desert. The next cool thing is eagerly anticipated. Maybe the plot is actually kicking off early and the knife comes from that?
Sloth Day is on Monday, and we’ve got a January Neopets LIVE/AMA on the 17th. The live event is gonna focus on the new NC Style Pet feature to come, but if we’ve still gotta wait for the plot maybe more crumbs will come from one of these two events. Depending on how on the mark speculation has been. An interesting plot when it comes to color, right?
30th December, 2023
- It’s Cutscene Day! Alright Reina, what’d you think?
That…that was…
I told you I’m not crazy!We need to do something! We need to tell someone!
That someone is already here.
Queen Fyora! But how did you…That instrument you found has been emitting an incredible amount of unknown magic. I’ve been investigating it for weeks and your prolonged playing led me right to its source.Unknown magic?Yes, you seem to have stumbled upon a powerful artefact imbued with magic even I am unfamiliar with. Yet another troubling development…Does that mean the Lyre is dangerous? Should we have even played it?! What if-
Easy Reina. You were right to let Orion share his visions. It’s too soon to tell what exactly this artefact is capable of, but playing it only seemed to clarify and project the visions Orion has been experiencing.
Phew! What a relief… and here I was worried I brought doom to Neopia after just my third time organising the Advent Calendar!
Nonsense! You handled the situation quite well. I have no doubt your grandmother will be proud to hear of the compassionate Aisha you’ve become.Oh! I- um- well thank you Queen Fyora… That’s too kind.I owe you both an apology as well. I’m sorry it took me so long to find the source of this strange magic. It seems to have taken quite the toll on you already Orion.Yes, well, I suppose I have been better…Come, you and I must discuss this all at once. After we find a way to get you some sleep that is!
And today’s animation, is it plotly? Vira, maybe???
It’s a repurposed NeoGreeting. Edited from this old Back To School NeoGreeting. This one ends in presents, but in the original NeoGreeting the gamer Grundo is interrupted by the start of a new school semester.
Prizes today include 1439 Neopoints, some Virtupets Station String Lights…
…and a copy of the Virtupets Delivery Pilot Training Manual.
- Reading between the lines, this seems to answer (or at least address) a lot. For instance, Fyora didn’t show up saying “Hey Xandra’s on the loose we need to get moving on solutions.” So Xandra is probably not loose right now. Unless she was unpetrified while Fyora was making her trip to Winter Starlight. Does that mean that’s not Xandra in the vision? Well, we don’t know when that Brightvale scene is set. Or when the visions are set, for that matter. Maybe that is Xandra, and her depetrification comes later.
Also? Reina didn’t break down in tears, sobbing “That’s my mom! My mom is the Aisha!” So, does that mean the Aisha isn’t Reina’s mom? Well, not necessarily. Maybe Reina just didn’t think to mention it? Or… maybe she’s young enough/old enough in these visions that Reina doesn’t recognize her? In fact, y’know what else is probably meaningful? That Virtupets Delivery Pilot Training Manual. The description reads Being a Virtupets Delivery Pilot is a dangerous job that can keep you away from your family for long stretches of time. If you are going to succeed in this profession, you better be prepared for anything! This was given out by the Advent Calendar in Y25. So is that it? The Aisha from the visions is a Virtupets delivery pilot? If so, consider that the job keeps you away from your family for long stretches of time. Think truckers, except instead of being gone a month or two you’re gone… incredibly long? Like years and years? Kinda tragic, though. Not a job someone with a family should take, maybe? Especially a family with a lucrative and enriching business as one of Santa’s own helpers every Winter Starlight? Reina’s mom would have to hate her or something to say “I’m sorry, I just love the depths of space so much that unfortunately I have to basically leave the family.” But then again, if Reina’s mom ISN’T a delivery pilot, where is she??? Plot or not, it’s just an interesting question.
Whether the Aisha is Reina’s mom or not, let’s assume for now they are a Virtupets delivery pilot. How relevant does that make today’s animation to the plot? Because there’s still that question of “Are the animations themselves plot relevant?” Virtupets delivery pilot, animation set on Virtupets Space Station…? Because if not, then that potentially rules out the other ones. Maybe that Bython animation was just a Bython animation, nothing more. Maybe that Shadow Usul animation was just a reference to Tales of Neovia, as the Advent Calendar is wont to reference the notable hits of the year’s content schedule. It was a thing that happened this year, so it gets an AdCal animation. Bythons were a thing that happened this year, so they get an AdCal animation. Which threatens the theory that ALL of the Tales of Neovia villains are tied to the plot. Shadow Usul might not be in this plot, Shadow Usul might just be in this AdCal scene. Same might even go for the Bythons.
But not Magon, not yet. Portals showing up in Brightvale? The coincidence is too perfect. And if Magon is related, Bythons might be related. Or if not for Magon, surely for Orion. And Vira is related for sure, we’ve already seen her in one of the comics. It’s just the other villains might be red herrings. But there’s still the matter of that sword that looks an awful lot like Kass’s sword. Kass’s sword connects to Kass, which could conceivably connect to The Three, which could connect conceivably to the other villains.
As valuable as the crystals might be in this Void place, if the Aisha is specifically a Virtupets delivery pilot, that might rule out their working for Kreludan Mining. And it would REALLY rule out their working for Moltara Obsidian. The Aisha is some kind of space trucker, it seems. Although they could be hauling mined materials? In any case, it doesn’t seem like this delivery Aisha was headed to The Void on purpose. Incredible service from DungDash if they go out that far, though. So if the Aisha had no intentional business in the Void or whatever that place in the universe is, that device is probably not anything they understand. If the device can ONLY work if it’s powered by Void energy. They didn’t go there looking to do experiments, they know nothing of the Void, weren’t expecting a portal to Brightvale, they know just as much as we do. For now, anyway.
Also? It really does seem like that whole “Alien Aisha tattoo” was merely a trick of the light. So they likely don’t have Alien Aisha ties… yet. So if all the speculation is off, what do we have? We have that a currently unidentified Aisha and their unidentified Faellie (who might be space truckers) ended up somewhere in the universe they know nothing about. The Faellie, through gifts they didn’t originally have, slapped together a life-saving device for the Aisha. The Aisha looked through some kind of rift at Brightvale. Meanwhile Vira, if no one else, is working with her faerie mistress to check on the seed they planted. Whatever that seed might be. Tentacle monster seeds? But don’t be discouraged. Maybe the Aisha doesn’t work for Monty. But if it’s true that Monty needs energy, and if it’s true that the Void has energy, he’ll certainly find his way up there eventually.
So there’s a lot there that might not mean anything. Really felt like the Aishanaut was Reina’s mom. But what IS important? We still don’t know what the lyre is. And apparently neither does Fyora. Let’s consider her appearance. She shows up to explain that she’s been tracking the incredible magical signal of this lyre for the better part of the holidays. Fyora doesn’t even know what it is. That would make it an artefact of considerable legend, because Fyora knows a lot and was around for a lot. But what if it’s not from this planet? Fyora knows a lot about Neopia, but we’re dealing with places that, well, aren’t Neopia. Seems the current objective is finding out what this lyre is. The lyre is trying to lead us to this Void that threatens Neopia, so we should try and understand the lyre. But then, who’s “we?” It seemed like Orion was sharing those visions with everyone who was around. But then Reina was like “We should tell someone.” As if the conversation was private. Is this still top secret? Do they want our help or not? Shouldn’t we be informed??? Shouldn’t we prepare???
If The Void Within is projected to kick off in Q2 2024, that puts us in an interesting spot, schedule-wise. Q2 2024 is April, May, and June. We’ve already discussed how that complicates the annual events that happen around that time. But not only do we have a bunch of events around that time, we have basically nothing annual before that time. Q2 is packed, but Q1 is an arctic wasteland for content. Always has been. Well, there’s the Neopies, but that doesn’t really lend itself towards plot prologue like we’ve been getting over the past couple of months. So if there are no opportunities for all of Q1 for more plot prologue, that then leads us to Q2, when this thing is scheduled to start. We might not hear more about this plot until it actually starts happening. And there go Orion, Reina, and Fyora, to go prepare without us. Without so much as a warning. Unless the visions were for everyone at Winter Starlight. But if our heroes are going off in preparations without us, we can only advise that you do what you can to stay on guard against tentacle gods. When next we meet, this thing might be on.
We’ll see you in the new year. Man, it would really be fitting of Orion was the Unfortunate Holiday Ogrin.
29th December, 2023
- Praise for the fallen. Hail the victorious Faellie.
It looks… very very bad for our Faellie friend. The Aisha holds the Faellie’s body, their heart rent that this Faellie is… gone now. And so the stars in heaven are rent as much as the Aisha’s heart. A rift in spacetime opens. Visions within visions, we see Brightvale. We see a mysterious someone in Brightvale, clutching a mysterious Paint Brush. We see a dark swath painted from Castle Brightvale to where the mysterious someone is standing. The Paint Brush smouldering with some kind of… evil exhaust? The Aisha, beholding this, asks “Can that really be home?”
TO BE CONTINUED!
Prizes today include 974 Neopoints, a Somewhere in the Universe Background…
…and a copy of Returning to Neopia.
- Wow. As we said yesterday, new ground. One struggles to recall a moment in Neopian history more affecting. But you could choose to hold out hope. Maybe the Aisha is wrong, after all, the tentacle thing turned the Aisha purple too! Why should the Aisha survive but not the Faellie??? Just give it time! Surely the Faellie is just sleeping! Lil’uns need lots of sleep!!!
Are we sure Aesop said “faerie” and not “Faellie?” Because that was a pretty heartfelt moment, in that people felt it in their hearts. There’s an outpouring of grief on Board 7 for the Faellie. But whatever happened to this Faellie, whether they make it or not, keep these emotions you feel alive. They only mean you are compassionate and motivated to see good prevail. And that’s what we’re gonna need now. Perhaps more than ever.
The Aisha asks “What did you do?” They seem about as confused as we are, even though we saw what the Faellie did: They built this wrist device, affixed it to the Aisha, and then closed their eyes. First things first, this probably confirms that no, the Faellie did not originally know how to make whatever this wrist device is. Or the Aisha didn’t know the Faellie knew that. We can infer from “What did you do” that the Aisha either means “What is this thing you put on my arm” or “I know what this device on my arm is, but how did you put it together?” Yes, it seems like grappling with the tentacle thing has blessed and/or cursed the Faellie with the power or insight to build things like… whatever this wrist device is.
But what is the device? “I know you saved me somehow” says the Aisha. Implying this act of sacrifice is specifically the thing that saved the Aisha’s life. So is the wrist device what saved the Aisha? NeoRyuuko suggests that the device is some kind of suppressant/exhaust system for the dark energies flowing through the Aisha. Notice how it beeps louder and emits that violet radiation when the Aisha’s emotions become too powerful. The Aisha has this device, and the Faellie does not. So… if it felt unfair that the Aisha gets to live and the Faellie doesn’t, this might explain why. If the Aisha was saved by the device itself.
Still don’t know why she’s missing a glove. Guess she just lost it in the struggle of being in this place, like she lost other parts of her outfit.
And then there’s that rift in space. A rift that shows Brightvale. And the Aisha asks “Can that really be home?” But is the Aisha surprised that a rift opened at all? That a rift opened, but it opened on Brightvale? Or does the Aisha not recognize the sight of Brightvale? Or a combination of these??? This also ties into speculations on what the wrist device is and whether or not the Aisha knows. Nathanael311 raises an interesting question: Did the mystery device create the rift, or did the Aisha create the rift with new inherent powers they got from their fight with the tentacle thing? If the Aisha isn’t surprised by the creation of the rift, that means she has an explanation for where it came from. Which probably means the device created the rift, the Aisha and Faellie brought this device with them, it broke in the crash but the Faellie repaired it, and now it’s functioning as they expected. Maybe they brought the device here specifically to power it with what can be found here. But if the Aisha IS surprised by the creation of the rift, that means they have as much explanation as we do and everything is up for debate. It might even be that the Aisha knows what the device is, but doesn’t understand how it can be working. Doesn’t understand that they are now powering the device.
And about that rift, is it just a rift, or is it a portal? Most people seem to lean toward it being a full blown portal/wormhole, not just a rift you can spy through. KH2Riku_3 explains: Remember Bythons? They’re capable of interstellar travel. And by default they’re covered in purple splotches. Now the Aisha is covered in purple splotches. Maybe the way Bythons get around through space is with wormholes. If you’re gonna move faster than light, you probably need to warp through wormholes and portals. So that would mean the Aisha can now make portals like Bythons would. But does that then also mean the Aisha doesn’t need the device to make rifts? Bythons probably don’t need devices to travel across the stars, we didn’t see them wearing any devices during the Festival of Neggs. And if they do carry the Void’s “taint,” their alien biology probably means they don’t need a wrist device like the Aisha does to stay alive. But the beeping, it reached maximum pitch right before the rift opened. Kinda seems like the device was channeling the energies in the Aisha to make the rift. The device was definitely working on something, beeping harder means working harder for machines. Whether it was working to create a rift or working to keep the Aisha from experiencing… let’s call it “Void Toxicity.” And if this Aisha is the character from the teaser image, note how it’s only the wrist with the device on it that emits the energy. Implying that it’s the device itself that is the conduit for these powers.
What seems to be pretty clear though is, you can’t make rifts without the power that exists here. Either the Aisha can make them organically now, or the power within the Aisha lets the wrist device make them. SmudgeOfFudge sees the Void as a “Living Force,” and speculates that the Aisha can now commune with it. That the Void is intelligent. That The Void represents potential, and will reflect what’s within someone. If you dream of home and togetherness, the Void will create portals. If you dream of weapons, the Void will… give you a purple sword and a three pronged dagger. Anger forms outlets for anger. Love forms outlets for love. Which brings us back to the question of why the Aisha and Faellie even went here. And whether or not the Aisha knows what the device is, or is surprised that a portal opened. If they ended up here accidentally, then sure. But if they came here on purpose, that would imply they know what the power here is capable of. Or have some idea of what it might be capable of. And look around, the caves are decked out with minerals. Riku would like to remind everyone of Monty McTaggart of Moltara Obsidian.
Remember how Illusen wanted to talk up an alternative energy to obsidian? What if he’s hip to the crystals in this mysterious place? What if this Aisha works for Moltara Obsidian and was sent to prospect a pocket for mining? People have also been talking about Kreludan Mining Corp coming into play, and the Aisha is wearing a Virtupets button. Maybe the Aisha is from Kreludan Mining? Where ever the Aisha came from, maybe the mission was planned with the knowledge that there is a place somewhere with the power to make miracles.
The Aisha may or may not have expected a portal to open. But even if they were expecting a portal to open, they’re still surprised at the sight of Brightvale. So why would they be, disregarding the portal aspect? Maybe they’re just grateful to be back? The description of Returning to Neopia reads We missed you very much!! This was given out by the Advent Calendar in Y25. If the items and their descriptions mean anything, maybe this means the Aisha has been gone very long, friends and family didn’t know when they were coming home. And this is a Brightvale far removed from the Brightvale she recognizes. But it probably has something to do with what’s framed in the portal. We see a mysterious someone just out of frame, holding the second mysterious Paint Brush so far in this saga. And it’s been used on Brightvale. Thought Brightvale might not look too unrecognizable right now, the sight of this Paint all over the road would probably intrigue.
But y’know what’s intriguing all by itself? The idea that a portal should appear in Brightvale. Portals in Brightvale? What a coincidence, we did this already. With Magon. The evidence continues to pile up for his involvement in this. For good or evil. He was working on portals to the future at the time, remember? What if this is, retroactively, one of the portals he makes? Maybe his project wasn’t such a failure after all??? But wait, this being a portal to the future from Magon’s perspective back during Trouble in Brightvale, that would also make this a portal to the day Trouble in Brightvale happened. And as far as we know, no one was painting with a mysterious Paint Brush that day. So… maybe this person was painting in secret? Or maybe this just wasn’t one of the portals Magon made. Regardless, it’s too coincidental for us to be dealing with a portal to Brightvale and have Magon just not show up at all in this. Did the power of the Void help him make his portals in the first place? His portals were and still are powered by whatever the Aisha and/or their wrist device are powered by? Or… could he be the one wielding the Paint Brush? It looks sinister. And if anyone has a motive to hurt Brightvale somehow, it’s Magon. Has he turned to villainy in mad revenge for being persecuted? But then… this person is wearing different clothes than Magon usually does. Yes, Magon has been known to wear different clothes. But it’s usually robes. This character looks like they’re wearing… maybe armor, or a fancy jacket.
Might Magon command the person wielding the Paint Brush? A la Malkus commanding Balthazar? A captain in this organization Vira and her faerie mistress are in? _Hermes_32 thinks it might be Xandra. This person’s hair is about as long.
So that’s two Paint Brushes so far, it seems. What does each one do differently from the other? People are noting how this one looks a lot more like Vira than the other Brush she’s supposedly related to. But consider this theory from NeoRyuuko: They’re the same brush. It’s just originally we saw it in shadow or something. Or it can change its skin or something. Dare to compare.
So if Hermes is right about this being Xandra, that would put her on the same team as a wicked faerie. Which would be ironic if nothing else. But if we’re dealing with a plot about people being led astray with dark temptation, maybe Xandra was tempted. Tempted with words like “Don’t worry, this faerie is cool and agrees with you that faeries should do more for Neopets. She’s going to help you achieve your justice.” Although to even begin with that, someone would have to unpetrify Xandra. And this still leaves the question of what exactly this Paint Brush does. Can it change form or something?
To Be Continued seems to imply that this is it for Orion’s visions, for now. Fitting, as the Faerie Festival comic and the Advent Calendar comic both end on the sight of mysterious Paint Brushes, Brushes that might be one and the same, not just wielded by the same evil team. We’ve got a cutscene scheduled tomorrow, so it’s about time for the visions to end. Time for Reina to react to what we all saw. Maybe we’ll get confirmation that the Aisha from the visions is Reina’s mom? They also say Fyora is gonna make an appearance. You know who would probably have to show up if Xandra got loose? Fyora. Seems the counterattack can finally begin. Let us hope. Maybe these are visions of the future and they haven’t happened yet? Maybe we can stop the Faellie from going on this doomed mission?
28th December, 2023
- Someone call the PPL!!!! Immediate evac URGENTLY needed for one (1) Faellie and their Aisha friend!!!
Seems like KH2Riku_3 was on target when he said the Aisha was going to transform. Something is spreading through the Aisha. And whatever it is, it seems to be spreading even faster through the Faellie. The Aisha, presumably after the encounter with the tentacle thing, takes a nap. Soldier that they are, the Faellie takes this opportunity to go searching for tools and parts. Like one of Santa’s own helpers they repair some sort of… wrist module, don’t know what it does, but they finish it just in time for whatever effect the tentacle thing has to saturate throughout their little Faellie body. Somehow they affix it to their Aisha friend’s wrist, and then collapse.
The Aisha wakes to the sound of their wrist… thing… and the sight of a now very still, very purple Faellie.
Prizes today include 821 Neopoints, a pair of Christmas Contacts…
…and a pair of Holiday Running Shoes.
- Now we’re talkin’. Death is not unheard of in plots, sure. Villains die, we saw Xandra kìll Nox in The Faeries’ Ruin. The good also die, but it’s usually offscreen and often years removed from the present. Like Nurse Lucy of The Meepit Oaks Sanitorium for the Psychologically Fragile. Tragic as her story was, it was relegated to journal pages written long ago, and we don’t even know the full extent of what happened to her. But if this little Faellie does not pull through, it’ll probably be the first time in a plot that we see, with our own eyes, as it happens, a non-villain give into their wounds and die. And it couldn’t have happened to a gentler, less deserving creature. This is a Petpet! They’re not supposed to get caught up in the evil that Neopets do! They’re not supposed to be responsible for our mistakes! But this Faellie stepped up where petkind failed, if for nothing else but the saved life of their Aisha friend. Hearts are breaking left and right on Board 7. The plot hasn’t even begun proper, but now we’ve got stakes. Now we’re talkin’.
Let’s reflect then, on the deeds of this little Faellie that could. The wrist device, what is it? Some kind of communicator? Occam’s Razor would probably say that it’s some kind of communicator or beacon. Fix the broken communicator, relay that you need evac, you and your Faellie get outta where ever this is. On the other hand, what if they’re too far out to communicate with their mission control team? They might not even be in outer space, they might be in another dimension or someone’s subconscious. On the OTHER other hand, if they went to this place on purpose surely they intended to be able to reach their team when they got here. If it’s not a communicator, what else could it be? Maybe a super suit comes out of it? We still don’t know why this Aisha has a bare hand/wrist. Seems like this device originally went there, but would a glove have interfered with a mere communicator? Maybe whatever this device is necessitates having a bare hand and wrist. Maybe it’s some kind of Fitbit/health & activity tracker? Also, if it’s not a communicator, how are they getting out of here? Maybe it’s an emergency teleporter (in case the vessel they came here in fails) and it needs skin contact to work? Whatever it is, may we get answers as to why the Aisha’s hand and wrist are bare. If originally all there was on it was that device. Because if the Aisha and the silhouetted character from the teaser are the same character (very surprising if not), then it would appear that the “void glove” was never a glove at all. It was a bare hand, and the “girth” around the wrist is the device.
Is it the hand that creates the void particles? Or is it the device? KH2Riku_3 speculates that the device is specifically powered by the void energy found in this place. Making it some kind of “void device” or something and they came here to get “batteries” for it or something. Or maybe it only works if you get turned purple, and that’s why it’s powering on now? It’s touching the “infected” skin of the Aisha?
Also? Take note of the Aisha’s chest armor. In the first panel, it’s intact. But in all subsequent appearances, it’s broken. What broke it? Did the Faellie break it for parts to fix the device with? Or, because these are psychic visions, maybe there are little inconsistencies that are par for the course? Remember how back during the Festival of Neggs, Mira was doubtful of the imprecision of magic psychic divination powers, compared to reliable and systematic scientific method? Makes you then wonder how much of this is real.
Know what’s unreal? How much this Faellie knows about repairing sophisticated tech. Did the Faellie always know this? Maybe, probably. Like we said on the 26th, the Faellie probably has to have some kind of talent to bring to the table just to be on this mission. But maybe making contact with the tentacle thing changed the Faellie in such a way as to give them unnatural savvy in fixing machines? Maybe they woke up and realized “Oh wow, I ‘get’ machines now?” Whatever the tentacle thing has done to this Faellie, let’s hope it’s better than it is worse. After all, the Aisha came in contact with the tentacle thing too and the Aisha is… well, they’re not dead? So all things fair and square, the Faellie should just be sleepy like the Aisha was just sleepy, right? And the Faellie will wake up like the Aisha did and realize that they’re now much purpler than usual. So if you can live after being purpled by the tentacle thing, does being purple have any sort of special effect on you? Recall that this “will be an interesting plot when it comes to color.” Color is important and meaningful, ergo the Faellie and Aisha being purple will be a factor somehow. But on the other hand, Vira and her faerie mistress have a Paint Brush. A Paint Brush that probably has some kinda similar effect on people as this tentacle thing. So depending on who they intend to use this Paint Brush on, it might be to your detriment to be purpled by the tentacle thing.
In fact… maybe that’s what The Void Within is. Maybe getting purpled means having a void put within you and there’s a void now in the Aisha and Faellie? And it’s bad for that void to be there, whatever a “void” is specifically? And we’ll have to save this Aisha and Faellie from themselves? Hermes has a feeling that the Aisha and Faellie will start to be controlled by the tentacle thing, because the tentacle thing imparted its blessing/curse upon them. TextFraud takes it a step further: He suspects that by December 30th, the Void’s hold on the Faellie will be complete, and manifest itself fully through the Faellie. Maybe having a “void” is what turns a faerie Grey, or an Acara into Vira. Meaning this Faellie is going to evolve even further.
If color is a factor in this plot, how much attention should we be paying to it? And how should it be paid? The Aisha and Faellie (especially the Faellie) are turning purple with white sparkles. So is purple and white a color scheme we should point out when we see it? Because as mentioned before, Magon and the Bythons fly those colors. It’s this chapter that shows us just how similar the Faellie and Magon’s cloak look. If color is important, it would be hard to ignore the question of what Magon might be up to right now. To say nothing of his claim to being an expert on things interdimensional. And what about these Advent Calendar prizes we’re getting? They’re purple with sparkles, are they of any importance? PokePets924 thinks so. He theorizes that these weapons, in one way or another, are designed to be particulary effective in defending against the tentacle thing and the forces that threaten Neopia now. If this is so, we can look at these items and get an idea for what our enemy is made of. In the same way you can look at a Geraptiku Fly Trap and learn what Geraptiku Flies are susceptible to.
The Power of Friendship hits for 2.6 icons each for Air, Fire, Water, Earth, and Light. For a total of 13 icons. No Dark, and no Physical. So you might infer from this that throwing Dark or Physical at our enemy will probably not be very effective. They probably block a lot of Dark and/or Physical. Makes sense for eldritch horrors from the void to be immune to darkness. Holiday Memories is a Once Per Battle healer and blocker. Heals you for 20% of your max HP, and block 100% of all Dark, Fire, and Physical icons. So if we’re meant to consider taking Holiday Memories into battle against these void forces, if it’s designed to protect us specifically from those bad guys, those bad guys probably throw around a lot of Dark, Physical, and Fire. Ah, now a pattern is starting to form. An enemy that throws around Dark and Physical (and Fire), and is also immune/protected againsr Dark and Physical.
But we didn’t get any voidy/purple-with-sparkles items today. So do these prizes have no significance? Holiday Running Shoes might tie into how our heroes are running for their lives. But what could Christmas Contacts mean, if anything?
Two more days, as far as we know. Up next we’re probably gonna see what that wrist device does. And if these purple prizes are meant to protect us from the Void, a few more of those would be welcome too.
27th December, 2023
- Hope you didn’t take “The final cutscene of the year is on December 30th” to mean you were done watching until then. There are still more visions! And… oh goodness, what’s THAT???
It’s not clear if this chapter immediately follows the last chapter, but it sure lines up nicely. The Faellie finds themself lured in by what appears to be… an eldritch horror from beyond the stars. “Somewhere in the universe.” The Aisha rushes in to save the Faellie. There’s a considerable struggle, and in exchange for the Faellie, the Aisha loses some of their clothes. They flee to a cave for safety, but the Faellie… oh the Faellie… is looking a lot purpler than usual.
Is Vira’s faerie mistress really taking credit for all this?
Prizes today include 798 Neopoints, Holiday Memories…
…and a Christmas Faellie Plushie.
- Things are really ramping up, so before we get to speculation let’s go over what we know…
1. First, Neopia has known the scourge of villainy many times in its history. Dr. Sloth has been a constant threat. Balthazar keeps the faeries bottled. The likes of Malkus Vile and the Shadow Usul can be presumed to get up to things. The Three corrupted the mind of General Kass and convinced to take the name Lord Kass and re-instigate war with Meridell. Captain Scarblade once terrorized Maraqua and now lives to terrorize the rest of Neopia’s seas. Xandra brought Ruin to Faerieland. The Darkest Faerie has started a few crises of her own, and was last seen running off while wearing a ring that was draining her of life. Vira, originally a victim of a evil temptation, has been going offering others evil temptations. Jennumara once held captive a Grey Faerie named Baelia.
2. The Void Within will involve a sci-fi looking ‘pet that’s probably an Aisha and probably wears a special glove, will involve a certain faerie and a story long overdue for a resolution, will involve many places and people including people and places we haven’t seen before, and it will be an interesting plot when it comes to color.
3. A mysterious tower appeared in Moltara, spewing pollutants.
4. During the last Festival of Neggs, Mira the Space Faerie presented us with some eggs she found in deep space. Everyone was very intrigued about what the eggs actually were. Festival host Kari goes looking for people who can figure the mystery out.
5. Professor Landelbrot showed up to help, and while he had valuable contributions he couldn’t tell us what the eggs were.
6. Magon showed up to help, he insisted the eggs were Giant Space Fungus Spores and should be destroyed immediately. Mira, being the Space Faerie, doubted Magon’s theory. His wishes went ignored.
7. Tippens introduced us to Orion. Orion suggests using tarot cards to figure out what the eggs are. In conjunction with conventional science of course. Around the same time Orion showed up, Magon left the Festival for who knows where. He left without a word.
8. Everyone (except Magon because he left) works together and the mystery of the eggs is uncovered: They’re space serpents that Mira decided to name “Bythons.
9. The Festival of Neggs ends on a satisfying note. Mira reveals that she plans on hanging planetside for a while longer, as Illusen has brought to her attention a small crisis of atmospheric pollution in Neopia lately.
10. Later in the year, the Faerie Festival happens. The objective, deal with the pollution issue in Neopia nowadays. Illusen and Jhudora are called to co-host, but their mutual hurt feelings for one another keep them from working together. They hold separate Festivals.
11. Illusen seems to have developed a cough. Concerning.
12. On separate quests to achieve the same goal of saving Neopia’s environment, Jhudora and Illusen decide (with separate aims in mind) to visit the Moltara Obsidian Company. AKA, that mysterious tower we’ve been waiting to learn more about.
13. Monty McTaggart, Moltara’s Magnanimous Obsidian Magnate, is strongarmed into revealing that Malkus Vile is majority investor for his startup energy business.
14. Jhudora tracks down Vile. They talk about how Neopia’s Industrial Revolution is causing Earth and Water Faeries to get sick. Vile says this is a perfect opportunity to take Illusen out of the picture. Vile says he’s got a man on the job already. But Jhudora is fighting feelings for Illusen and can’t let harm come to her. Vile adds that, whether Jhudora wants Illusen rubbed out or not, there are machinations at work beyond even this. This is only step one of a larger endeavor. Jhudora demands answers or she’ll put a hole in Vile’s head. Vile bargains for his life by revealing that Illusen is about to be bottled and that Jhudora can save her if she acts now.
15. Illusen and her Glade are weak now for the pollution’s effect on the world. Balthazar gets the drop on her and reveals that he is Vile’s man and could get paid a lot of ‘points to bring her in, but Balthazar feels like finishing Illusen himself. But before he can, Jhudora shows up and immolates him in her fire.
16. Vile is apprehended by the faeries, Jhudora and Illusen offer stopgap measures to clean Neopia up. So the Festivals were a success, to some extent. But as for the larger endeavor, Vile won’t reveal who he’s working for. Not even if Jhudora puts a hole in his head. Fyora tells everyone not to worry about it right now, but secretly she’s very worried. She has grave suspicions.
17. We see Vira and a mysterious cloaked faerie, taking credit as the force behind Vile and Monty (and Balthazar if we’re counting everybody). The cloaked faerie has done this to herald her return and plant dread in the minds of those who recognize her signature. They’re also in possession of a dark, voidy looking Paint Brush. There is much for Vira and her faerie mistress to do. We can consider this the first “chapter” of The Void Within.
18. Halloween comes, and we get 7 stories involving 7 villains. Sloth, Shadow Usul, The Three, Captain Scarblade, Xandra, The Darkest Faerie, and Vira. In the New Features we are encouraged to pay close attention to at least Vira’s, because Reginald doesn’t remember including it. The book, unlike all the others, is turning Grey.
19. Winter Starlight comes, and Orion returns. He tries to interrupt the fun because he’s been having these prophetic nightmares lately. He was pondering his cards, when some mysterious music led him to an even mysteriouser lyre in the snow. And since then, like Fyora before him, he can’t shake the fear that something is coming for Neopia. But unlike Fyora, Orion seems to want to raise the alarm for all of us. Reina, keeper of the Advent Calendar, doesn’t consider nightmares to be cause to cancel Christmas.
20. Keeping the Advent Calendar is a family business, but Reina’s mother opted for a different, undisclosed path.
21. Orion finds a way to share his visions with us through the power of the lyre. We see a bluish Aisha and a pink Faellie adrift in some dark place “somewhere in the universe.” Seems like there was some kind of accident that brought them there. For some reason the Aisha only wears one glove. We see the Aisha and Faellie beset by shadowy things. We see the Aisha and Faellie run through a place where the sword of Lord Kass is resting. We see the Faellie tempted by the lure of a dark, tentacled abomination. We see the tentacled abomination attack the Aisha and Faellie. We see the Aisha and Faellie resting in a cave, the Faellie is not doing too well.
And now, here we are. Where things are looking a lot more Lovecraftian if you ask Board 7. This thing, it works for Vira’s faerie mistress??? Hard to imagine this thing answering to anyone. And this faerie says she’s “returning?” Implying that she’s thrown power around like this before, maybe? This is the sort of force she deals in? If the “Tentacle Creature to The Three to Kass” pipeline is real then that means this thing has affected Neopia in the past. Maybe constantly throughout its history. Cosmic tentacled presence that can reach into your mind? Drive you insane? Or maybe haunt you with visions and keep you from sleeping in Orion’s case? Yes, Lovecraftian indeed. Maybe that’s the significance of the Holiday Memories prize? TextFraud certainly took notice. The Faellie was even lured, literally lured, by the tentacle creature using some kind of… angler apparatus. So the themes of being controlled/affected by higher powers are prevalent. And with that as a frame of reference it’s hard to imagine anyone being the boss of this creature. If it’s a godlike entity living within your thoughts and memories and can control you through those. If it’s the void within us all. So maybe this faerie is just using this creature’s power, same as how Xandra “used” the wraiths. They were a power she could not predict or control, really.
The Aisha and the Faellie escaped this thing at some cost. Panic is already setting, Neopia doesn’t like when the Petpets suffer. What actually happened to that Faellie will be one of the more important questions we need answered. But also, the Aisha’s glove. The Aisha wears one glove, and the character from the original The Void Within teaser image appears to be an Aisha with a special glove. Emitting voidy bloops or whatever.
Maybe it’s a special glove? Maybe it’s a bare hand? If the Aisha with the one glove and the character in silhouette are the same (and it would be very surprising by now if they weren’t), what does this voidy bloop hand do? Was the Aisha always able to make these bloops? Did they come to this voidy place to do voidy bloop hand stuff? Or did visiting the void give them voidy bloop hand powers? Perhaps something they gained after their encounter with the tentacle thing? KH2Riku_3 seems to think so. The silhouette does look like an Aisha, but not exactly like our hero with the Faellie. For one, the silhouette looks like its wearing two gloves, not one. Maybe encounters with the tentacle thing change you physically as well as mentally. And if the Aisha transforms, surely the Faellie will start to transform. They look like they took the brunt of the damage. If that Faellie survives, surely there must be some effect the tentacle thing has on it that we’ll see in the next chapter? If there is one?
Now that we’re dealing with some kind of eldritch horror that’s probably from some higher plane, a lot more consideration is paid toward whether or not portals of some kind are a factor. The Aisha and Faellie, did they go through a portal in yesterday’s comic? A portal that brought them to this place with the tentacle creature? If portals are involved, could Magon be involved somehow? KH2Riku_3 points out that in the Festival of Neggs, Magon has ditched his royal red for something in purple and white.
Know what else is purple and white? Bythons. A color scheme perhaps meant to match the Void? Even the smoke is purple. What is that smoke, anyway?
So if Bythons are related to The Void Within, is Magon related somehow to Bythons? Did he know more than he was letting on? Why was he the only one who left so abruptly? To that you might ask “Would that make the Bythons dangerous? Are they heralds of the tentacle thing? If Magon knew that, why wouldn’t he just reveal all that he knew? Why would he let on less than the whole truth?” Maybe Magon had reason to fear the watchful eye of the creature, or Vira’s faerie mistress? And he had to obfuscate the full extent of his knowledge to ensure that the Bythons were destroyed and it looked like an accident? He did at least claim to be an “authority mystical” on things from different realms. This tentacle creature looks like its from a different realm.
Or maybe Magon left because, as usual, he isn’t getting the respect he thinks he’s entitled to. But that might be reason for him to get involved with this too. If a theme here is people tempted and manipulated by dark forces, and some led to evil like Vira, Magon has more motive than most. As of today, if you visit Brightvale you’ll still find the FAQ link for the event that introduced Magon way back in 2018: Trouble in Brightvale. The story was, King Hagan put Magon in charge of a special project: Invent a time portal to the future. Unprecedented stuff. Inherently unpredictable because of that. It had never been done. We have chronomobiles, yes. But not portals to the future. And so you’re gonna run into unforseen complications. Like portals popping up in random places. Now, Hagan could’ve said “We don’t know enough about this to safely continue the project. Shutter it until we have the knowledge to pursue this thing safely.” But he didn’t. He said “Make me my time portal in a week and do it perfectly or face charges in the Court of Knowledge.” This thing that no one had ever done, therefore no one knows how to do it. But Hagan demands it be done somehow or Magon will be punished. And if you were there, you can still see the end result on the Brightvale map page.
He meant so well for us. And the dream falls apart in his hands. “Prolonged studies with poor results.” Isn’t that like Hagan? To hold people to impossible standards? He really is just as stubborn and obtuse as Skarl, but in the other direction. Hagan’s mad because the portal experiment leaked? Because Magon couldn’t do it perfectly the first or second time? That was not out of any neglect from Magon. That was, again, because of the uncertain nature of time portals. There’s no way to know how they’ll act because this is the first time anyone tried to make one. But an unreasonable ruler wouldn’t care about these things. An unreasonable ruler would say “This is Brightvale, we have the smartest people, therefore I won’t tolerate failure even in the absolutely unpredictable. Failure gets punishment.”
Heartbreaking for any young scholar. But Magon seems to be particularly proud and sure of himself if you hear him talk about himself. Like during his trial. He considered his project to be “the most altruistic project ever in Neopia.” During the Bython investigation, he was not shy about insisting that he couldn’t be wrong about the Bython eggs. And to that point, how off was he? He said they were Giant Space Fungus Spores. If the Bythons and the tentacle creature are related, it should be noted that Giant Space Fungi kinda sorta look like the tentacle creature. In that they’re both round with many tentacles.
But no one would see it his way. Is it so hard to believe he wouldn’t stay where he isn’t wanted? Is it so hard to believe that after two high profile embarrassments, he might find himself persuaded by someone saying “Hey I know whatcha want and I got whatcha need?” As it was for Vira? So maybe Magon is involved in this the same way Vira is. We speculated we might be dealing with a coven of faeries, maybe each faerie has a team of soldiers organized by rank, like Vira’s mistress has Vira, and Vile is ranked lower than Vira, and Balthazar is a contracted freelancer for Vile, and so on. Maybe Magon is under some other faerie’s wing. Maybe he’s under the same faerie Vira is. There might be a whole org chart detailing the makeup of this coven. Although if everyone’s under the tentacle creature, we might consider it less of a coven and more of a cult. In keeping with the Lovecraftian angle.
If nothing else, this seems like a field Magon would be interested in. People are talking about this delving into the cosmic setting. That this might be some kind of multiverse-spanning crisis. As cosmic threats tend to be. Stuff from other realms is what Magon at least pretends to be an expert on. Maybe he doesn’t actually know anything about Bythons, but he is the one who helps this coven/cult reach out and touch their tentacled god?
Fyora is no longer the only one who knows what’s coming. Which means she doesn’t have to keep secrets anymore, hopefully we can start to collaborate with her on some kind of counterattack. Maybe she’ll show up in the next cutscene? Our questions are many, any answers she might have would be invaluable. 3 more days. At the very least.
26th December, 2023 (Boxing Day)
- Gather ye all to the Advent Calendar, it’s time for Neopia to be enlightened to what’s happening to itself.I have found a way to show you my visions! The Lyre…it…if…Orion, this has gone too far!These may be the final days of the Advent Calendar, but I need to show Neopia the visions that keep tormenting me. I don’t know why they are coming to me, but I know they are important… somehow.You really are serious about this, aren’t you?Please Reina, this is the only thing I can think to do.Okay…how can you show us?
Hear this, this one’s for anyone with ears to listen. He’s showing us…
No feast, nor song. Nothing festive about this one at all. This is The Void Within.
Prizes today include 632 Neopoints, The Power of Friendship…
…and that Holiday Snow Lyre that Smudge mentioned.
- And so it begins. The public at large, or at least the ones at Winter Starlight, are now aware of The Void Within. Speculation is on once again at Board 7.
From this, not only does it seem like this plot WILL involve outer space in some capacity (as previously speculated), but it looks like we might finally be seeing the ‘pet behind the silhouette!
Kinda looks like the Aisha from the comic, right? Maybe without the helmet? The silhouette looks like it might be spacey? Well, this Aisha is spacey. The silhouette looks like it might be an Aisha? Well, this Aisha is an Aisha.
But who might this Aisha be? Sukind has an idea. You may or may not remember the Advent Calendar comic we got on December 23rd? Featuring a young Reina talking to her Meemaw?
This had us wondering about the history of Winter Starlight and Reina’s family regarding. But mostly, who is her mysterious mom who doesn’t want in on the family business? Sukind asks if maybe this is a case of Chekhov’s Mom? Ah? Reina’s mom is the Aisha in question??? They’re both bluish, even!
Maybe Reina gets her Christmassy hue from her dad’s side of the family?
Reina’s mom, if that is who she is, appears to be wearing some kind of Virtupets insignia. Maybe she up and joined the Resistance instead of serving up Christmas cheer? And somehow this has led her to the depths of space? To some sort of… Void??? The irony if this is Reina’s mom; Reina’s spent the whole of Winter Starlight not really worrying about whatever Orion’s seeing, imagine if it’s her mom in peril! Moral of the story: Check on your family during the holidays.
The speculation from people like MarilynMansonRocks, that one of the places we’re going to is outer space and the Bythons are some kind of key here is validated further now. For one, we see outer space as a setting now. And this spacey Aisha is out there engaging with “Voidy” looking dark entities, or… structures? But futher, the description of the Bython reveals that they can emit antimatter. It’s tough to predict how antimatter will work, but usually when antimatter comes into contact with regular matter it creates “annihilations.” Negations. Things get… “voided out,” basically. Maybe Bythons are some kind of conduit to harnessing/weaponizing the Void of The Void Within? Maybe the Void is “within” the antimatter core/transfer apparatus of these Bythons?
Or maybe the Aisha isn’t in “outer space,” in the sense that most people mean. GloomyHalloumi raises the possibility that this might be an entirely different dimension. The Void Dimension, maybe? The setting named is “Somewhere in the Universe.” That probably counts other dimensions, especially if you get there by wormhole or something. Usually you need a breathing apparatus to survive in outer space, and this Aisha’s helmet is very destroyed. You’re probably thinking “But if the Aisha is wearing a helmet at all, they must’ve gone somewhere where a helmet was expected to be necessary. The Aisha simply happens to have ended up where a helmet isn’t necessary.” Maybe this place where a helmet isn’t necessary was the target destination all along? The Aisha had to travel through some place (like outer space) where you needed a helmet at first, and then end up where ever this comic is.
Or maybe the “void” is more metaphorical/psychological. Doesn’t mean it’s not real, plenty of things that are just in your mind have the ability to affect things physically. Orion and his psychic powers are proof of that. KH2Riku_3 suggests that maybe The Void Within is within someone’s mind. And that this Aisha is more of a “psychonaut.” If this is a Baelia plot, perhaps she’s got a void within herself that’s a byproduct of the trauma that Greyed her? Maybe the villains from Tales of Neovia all have cores within them? Maybe Sloth himself has a core in him??? Maybe it’s both things. Maybe the Void comes from space, a sinister energy that can be used on a person, and when it is used (like when you’re turning them Grey) they develop a Void Within themselves? And Sloth was our first taste of that kind of energy and when we got it, Jennumara and/or Drakara decided they would get their hands on more???
And then there’s the matter of what’s actually happening in these visions. These images aren’t necessarily connected, but we can assess what we see.
1. The Aisha and the Faellie are adrift somewhere. A toolbox spills its parcel, bits of scrap also seem to be drifting. They appear to be in the center of some, sort of… region of spacetime.
2. Dark creatures with glowing eyes encroach on the Aisha and Faellie.
3. Grasping shadows encroach on the Aisha and Faellie. The Aisha and Faellie no longer wear their protective gear.
4. The Aisha and Faellie start running off panel across floating rocks. A finely decorated sword stands in one of those floating rocks.
What it SEEMS like is, there was some kind of accident/disaster. Probably due to something faulty in some kind of ship, hence the tools. The Aisha was in the middle of fixing it, probably. And then there was catastrophic failure that left the Aisha and Faellie lost “somewhere in the universe.” Somewhere where they’re threatened by shadows. It very well could be that 2nd, 3rd, and 4th panels are an entirely different place from the first. Maybe our heroes got dragged into another… dimension or something… to where there are swords stuck in stones and shadow creatures?
Speaking of that sword in the stone, it looks familiar, doesn’t it?
Know what that sword looks like? The blade of legend that Lord Kass wielded. Pretty sure it’s called “Naralus,” but Fan Sites seem to disagree right now.
Kass was a known pawn of The Three. And The Three? Well they’re in Tales of Neovia! So how did his sword get up there, or in there, where ever this is? If The Three gave Kass Naralus, and The Three are connected to The Void, maybe The Void can create or summon things like Naralus? Maybe it can create/summon anything and everything related to the villains in its network? Maybe this place in space is where Kass himself is right now?
And while we’re looking at this Aisha, is that some kind of marking on their forehead?
Know who else has forehead markings like that? Alien Aishas.
Some even have NO marking. Like Supreme Commander & Sovereign Arlhox VII.
To that you might say “Yeah, they also have four earstalks, not two.” Maybe this Aishanaut isn’t an Alien. But if the triangle differs this much, maybe you’re not born with it. Maybe it’s a cultural thing, and is tattooed on. And for one reason or another, this Aishanaut got an Alien Aisha tattoo. Maybe they proved themself somehow to an Alien Aisha, and got the tattoo that way. Maybe… maybe the Aishanaut IS Reina’s mom, but Reina’s DAD is an Alien Aisha. And he gave her the mark. And the reason Reina is a Christmas Aisha is because thats how her father’s “four stalk” gene manifests in her?
But there’s also what Aesop said about this being “an interesting plot when it comes to color.” Now, Alien Aishas are their own species (as far as we know). They aren’t (as far as we know) not just mutated Aishas. They are as distinct from regular Aishas as Blumaroos are from Baby Blus. But on the game and website Neopets.com, “Alien” is technically a “color” classification your Aisha can have. Maybe the plot will treat “Alien” as a “color,” and there’s some force out there that can turn Aishas into Aliens as easily as turning a faerie Grey. Or an Acara into whatever Vira is.
But what we probably know the least about? The little Faellie this Aisha is traveling with. Just a friend of the Aisha? The Power of Friendship suggests they might be. But maybe the Faellie has some special talent or something that justifies bringing them on whatever mission this Aisha is in the middle of? And if we can move away from the sci-fi angle for a while and return to the high fantasy… we still have questions about the lyre. Its music shows us Orion’s visions, but why does it do that? Where did the lyre come from? Who did it originally belong to? Is the lyre more than just a lyre?
A mysterious space Aisha who might be related to Reina, might have Alien Aisha friends, might have a Faellie friend with special talents, who might be in space, or in another dimension, or in someone’s heart/mind, who might be dealing with the antimatter voidouts of space serpents or some primordial evil that turns faerie Grey and Acaras into Vira. So much could be. But what looks positively certain is that this DOES involve cosmic themes of some kind. An Aisha and their Faellie were traveling “somewhere in the universe,” there was an accident (we don’t know what caused it) and a new void-like place was happened upon.
This could be our springboard in the larger cosmic setting that revolves around Neopia. Whole new worlds. Godlike superbeings. Besides the faeries, that is. But if we’ve got faeries the likes we see in Neopia, maybe it’s a mistake to try and assign one “genre” or “setting” to The Void Within. Think of it not like Battle For Meridell where you say “It’s ‘set’ in Meridell. This is a medieval fantasy plot” or Return of Dr. Sloth where you say “It’s ‘set’ on Virtupets Space Station. It’s a sci-fi plot.” This is a plot that could go anywhere and use anything. Not just because we’re still speculating on what things will be like, but because even what we do know seems to say that will not be a plot with boundaries on theme. We will have faeries and magic, and we will have at least one space Aisha. We have had psychic Ogrins, we have had magic lyres, we have had obsidian magnates. There’s not necessarily a theme here to define a “genre” or “aesthetic,” these things have nothing alike other than they are things that exist in this universe. Anything in the universe could happen at this point.
If you remember nothing else, just keep in mind what we know for sure: Vira and a mysterious faerie are up to something, they have a voidy-looking Paint Brush, a space Aisha and their Faellie have crash landed in a voidy-looking place somewhere in the universe, we STILL don’t know what the whole story behind this lyre is… and there’s one more cutscene left in the year. New Year’s Eve… Eve. December 30th. We are all awake now, and so we should all be seated for the finale.
24th December, 2023 (Christmas Eve)
- It’s Christmas Eve, and it’s a busy one. Everyone’s scrambling for last minute preparations, including SmudgeOfFudge. She was doing some holiday shopping when she ran into a new item added to the backend today.
You’ll recall that mysterious music and a mysterious lyre are constantly on Orion’s mind nowadays. And that very soon he intends to prove to Reina that what he senses is real. And now we see this Holiday Snow Lyre has been added as a new item. It’s “searchable,” if you ask the Shop Wizard for one he’ll recognize the name, but the item itself hasn’t been released yet. Could this item be released with Orion and Reina’s next cutscene? Will we get to lay our hands upon the enigmatic lyre? And hopefully learn what its significance is?
And will the animation that day be in any way related to Orion, or Reina, or Vira, or any of the other Tales of Neovia villains, or Reginald, or Baelia, or Tavi, or Jennumara, or Drakara, or Jhudora, or Illusen, or Fyora, or Malkus, or Balthazar, or Monty McTaggart, or Mira, or Kari, or Landelbrot, or Magon? We’ll see in a couple days, for sure. But take this Christmas to rest up for the dark days ahead. Christmas is yours, but Boxing Day? Be here on Boxing Day.
19th December, 2023
- BREAKING NEWS!!! At 2:01 PM NST, the Neopets X (formerly Twitter) page received what appeared to be a “post” (formerly Tweet) from Dr. Sloth himself!
Responses have been coming left and right on Board 7 and beyond. It’s no surprise that Sloth wants us weak of mind and complacent. Easily worked up into a fury. Ready at a moment’s notice to fight for him, but never against him. It’s also no surprise that Sloth wants a theme park. Will our next update come from Slothland? Watch this space.
15th December, 2023
- Orion’s back at the Advent Calendar! And for some reason he’s convinced we promised him we were gonna all go home and start preparing for war?Reina, what are you doing? You promised me you’d stop the Advent Calendar!Orion, you’re back? Did you get any sleep? You still look exhausted!I…I tried, but the sound of the Lyre torments me every night, never allowing me a moment of silence…wait that isn’t the point! This all needs to stop right away, you promised!I didn’t promise anything, Orion. I’m sorry for what you are going through, but Neopians rely on the Advent Calendar to bring them warmth and cheer during the most frigid time of year. I can’t shut it all down over nightmares.They aren’t just nightmares!! They are premonitions! We all need to prepare! Please just listen to me!Orion stop! The Advent Calendar simply means too much. I can’t just shut it down without proof.Fine, you want proof. I’ll get you proof!
Proof? If his work during the Festival of Neggs is anything to go by, he’s going to have a hard time finding proof with just his psychic abilities to go on. And speaking of the Festival of Neggs, here’s today’s Advent Calendar animation.
A Bython. Related to Orion for sure, but NOT explicitly related to any of those Tales of Neovia villains.
Prizes today include 822 NP, a Christmas Bython…
A Purple Petpet Paint Brush…
…and some Y25 Cookies.
- So, Orion seems to be going at least a little mad. Where’d he get the idea that Reina said she’d shut down the Advent Calendar? If not madness, exhaustion from all the sleep he’s not getting. Either way, these visions, this music, it’s having some kind of effect on him. KH2Riku_3 had an interesting observation to make there: Orion is psychic, yes. But he’s hearing things, that haunt him and drive him to extreme ends. Kinda like what happens to people under influence of The Three? One of the mentioned villains in Tales of Neovia?
Are they in his mind? Is that what’s brought him to this beleaguered state? And while they’re in people’s minds, could they be in Fyora’s mind? How deep do these “suspicions” and “anxieties” now run? In any case, warning seems to be spreading.
Know what wasn’t included in the Tales though? Bythons. So back to that question of “Are the comics/animations themselves plot hints, are the animations hints like the cutscenes are?” If it had been an animation featuring Vira or something then it probably would’ve seemed like the animations matter for sure. But we didn’t, we got the Christmas Bython. So does that mean the comics/animations are separate and the only thing to focus on for clues are the cutscenes?
Well, maybe not. Because Bythons ARE related to Orion. He helped discover them. So on that alone the animation might be meaningful. Suggesting that future animations on cutscene days will be relevant. But it might be even more relevant. Might have bearing on the plot itself. Speculation is poppin’ off in this thread, where MarilynMansonRocks reminds us that The Void Within will take us to at least one place we haven’t been before. What if that place… isn’t on this planet?
As revealed in the Festival of Neggs, Bythons were found in deep space, and are capable of interstellar travel. Maybe a Bython, or a few Bythons, will take us somewhere in space? Maybe where they come from? Maybe some colossal Bython broodmother somewhere? Maybe Bythons are integral to the plot? Don’t forget the first teaser image.
All this stuff about faeries and fantasy might help you forget that we got this very spacey looking image for The Void Within. And know what else? That glove looks to be emitting… radiation? Bloops? Those spherical bloops that the Void Paint Brush is emitting.
So this silhouetted person, are they friend or foe? Do they wield the same power as the Void Paint Brush? In any case, they certainly look spacey. Maybe they’re the one who takes us to the Bython broodmother?
But in the immediate future… Orion has a burden of proof to justify. How can he possibly do it? Well, if what he sees is true, proof would be showing us that what he sees is true. Maybe that’s what he’ll do. Take Reina to see one of his nightmares/premonitions come true. But then… that’s bad, we don’t want them to come true. This would mean that darkness will be attacking soon! Let’s hope it at least waits until after Christmas. Maybe Boxing Day. That sounds like a good day to fight evil.
12th December, 2023
- We were gathered ’round our TV sets today, for the Neopets AMA Holiday Special.
Of the musical guests, one was Aesop who had some more words about The Void Within. Fun fact: Dominic himself knows as much as we do of the upcoming plot. It’s a secret that only the writer’s room is privy too. So it was Dominic, actually, who asked for more details on it at the 50:37 mark. Aesop gives us these hints:
1. It’s gonna be an interesting plot when it comes to color.
2. The plot itself will take us to at least one place we haven’t been before.
3. As a lot of Neopians have already picked up, there have been some hints to the upcoming plot in previous events. (Like the Faerie Festival epilogue) Stay tuned for anything coming from events, might be some more dialogue from Orion.
Yeah, we might hear from Orion in a day or two, in fact.
But those first two hints. Food for thought indeed. “An interesting plot when it comes to color?” The speculation that this is a Grey Faerie/Baelia plot has been strong. This kinda solidifies it. But maybe “comes to color” means more than just “It’s about Greyness.” There’s still that Paint Brush from the comic.
With the plot (so far) titled The Void Within, let’s call this Paint Brush the “Void Paint Brush” for now. The Void Paint Brush being a key weapon these villains possess, color changes are probably in the bargain of whatever they intend to do to Neopia. Color changing itself used as a weapon/instrument of conquest. Maybe this goes even deeper, deals with the essence itself of Paint Brush colors in Neopia. The colors we all already are. Maybe it establishes some lore about how that works. Maybe color is the life and light of Neopia and dead, Grey world is this faerie’s ambition?
But then, if this is a Grey Faerie/Baelia plot, and a plot that acknowledges and focuses on Paint Brushes, it should be noted that we already have a Grey Paint Brush.
So if this plot is acknowledging Paint Brushes in the world of Neopia, Vira’s Paint Brush probably doesn’t actually turn you Grey specifically. We already have a Paint Brush for that. So if this is a Grey Faerie plot and a plot that acknowledges Paint Brushes… what does the Void Paint Brush do? And what could it possibly have to do with Baelia or Grey Faeries or Greyness?
Maybe it would help to remember the words from Shadow Usul’s story: All living things know darkness, but this was not darkness. This was pure nothing.
And then there’s “The plot itself will take us to at least one place we haven’t been before.” At LEAST one. So there could be multiple new stops on our route. But what does “haven’t been” mean? Does this mean lands that have been established, but aren’t accessible on the map? Because one land that probably comes to most minds is Lutari Island. Still can’t do anything here. Yes, they did say we were not having a Lutari Island plot right this second. But does that mean Lutari Island can’t “feature” in a plot? What does Neostaff mean by “Lutari Island plot?” Is it a Lutari Island plot if Lutari Island comes up at all? How much “focus” should there be on the land in question?
There’s other islands too, islands that you can’t even click on. Like Dacardia. Or the Lost Isle. But hold on, maybe “haven’t been” means “hasn’t featured in a plot yet.” And though we were kinda left hanging, that would rule out the Lost Isle. For now. But Lutari Island hasn’t been in a plot, has nothing to do on the map, and what’s more… it has a very enigmatic Paint Brush. Still doesn’t do anything.
Way back in 2022, at the start of this coverage, we speculated that the next plot might be a Lutari Island one. That was seemingly shot down. But if Lutari Island will feature in some capacity? Chalk that up as a prediction come true.
Speaking of predictions, we should be hearing from Orion very soon. Probably not tomorrow, but definitely check the day AFTER tomorrow?
6th December, 2023
- Tidings of comfort and joy,
Winter Starlight
is in full swing. They say there might be Attack Peas this year! We’ll certainly need them. A new teaser for what is likely The Void Within just dropped over at the Advent Calendar. And not just a comic or video, but a whole conversation. Between Reina, the jolly Aisha who runs the Advent Calendar…
…and our good buddy Orion, adept of the tarot!
Oh… Orion, what’s become of you, man???Reina, please we must stop the Advent Calendar!Hold up! Orion? What are you doing here?I know we don’t know each other well, but this is important! Something terrible is about to happen!You aren’t making any sense. Why do we need to stop the Advent Calendar?There isn’t any time, we need to prepare as soon as possible. I…I don’t know how I am seeing these things but I know it can’t be good!Take a deep breath, Orion! Now please start over. I don’t understand what you are talking about.I’m sorry. A…a few days ago, I was consulting my cards as I walked when…a tender and resonant plucking came to me, and moments later I tripped over this Lyre in the snow! Since then I have had terrible visions. Visions that I fear will soon impact all of Neopia greatly!Orion, you look like you haven’t slept in days. I admire your determination, but I think you need to go home and get some rest.Please Reina, you must promise me you’ll stop the Advent Calendar. Now is not the time for fun and games, something horrible is coming to Neopia, something we must prepare for.For your own sake, go get some sleep. You look unwell! If you are still worried, we can talk more about this later.
It would seem that Fyora is no longer the only one with a sneaking suspicion that the darkness on the edge of town has spread to the main roads. In fact, it might be under your bed. In your closet. In your head. We don’t just get the conversation, we get our requisite comic/animation/phone background too…
Reginald, who you should remember from Tales of Neovia if nothing else, is lost again in his books while the shadow of an Usul lurks within striking distance…
Prizes today include 789 NP, and a Reginald Christmas Stamp.
As well as a copy of The Big Book of Intermediate Evil Plots
- Intermediate evil. If current speculation is correct about Vira’s faerie mistress being behind the force that turned Baelia Grey, “intermediate” is probably not the word. Over the last few days Orion has found himself haunted by terrifying visions of Neopia’s doom. He is beaten and broken by… something? That alone sounds more than “intermediate.”
Speculation is underway all over Board 7. For those of us not working with Vira, our latest lead that “something” is going is that lyre Orion found in the snow. He’s kept it with him.
Perhaps it is in the lyre or its music that we find more answers. Maybe Orion, being some kinda psychic, will use psychometry to reveal the lyre’s secrets?
Some things to consider, knowing that the lyre is some kind of relevant: What was the lyre doing on Terror Mountain, and when was it put there? Does the lyre belong to the dark faerie, or one of her associates? Is the lyre a weapon of evil? Let’s consider the theory that the M.O. of this faerie (and the ones she works with) is seducing those seeking things. People making desperate wishes for stuff. “More beauty,” in Vira’s case. Maybe the lyre’s music is what you hear when the shadows are listening and approaching you with an offer? Evil, being a liar, tends to be attractive. It would come with beautiful music. Maybe the music Orion heard was the work of evil forces seeking to prey on his vulnerabilities?
Or maybe the lyre isn’t evil? Maybe the lyre belonged to one of the victims of this darkness and that’s why, upon finding it, Orion is having these visions. He’s seeing the forces that happened upon whoever owned this lyre first. But who would keep a lyre? Maybe a faerie? Maybe a GREY faerie? Or a faerie that once was NOT Grey? A lyre is the kind of instrument a faerie would probably play, right? What’s more, Baelia (a faerie who was turned Grey) was kept on on a mountain, per her Neopedia entry.
The shadows disappeared, leaving her alone with the cold sunrise, but at sunset, they would be back, to taunt her further. She would cry, but her eyes had no more tears. There were no birds on this mountaintop, no friendly animals to hear her call for help.
Maybe Terror Mountain is that mountain? Some isolated peak on its range where evil can prosper?
If you’re psychic like Orion, you may have to wade through a few more nightmares before the answers are found. Those of us who aren’t will have to mull over (potential?) clues. Like the Shadow Usul making an appearance in Reginald’s study. How much does this mean? Is the Advent Calendar animation related to the dialogue as well? Because if this is meaningful, let’s wind the clocks back to Halloween real quick when we were speculating on which of the Tales of Neovia books, if any or all, were related to The Void Within. Vira’s story, the “strange grey book,” was the only one that stood out. It alone got a special mention in the New Features. It alone was grey, and the leading speculation about The Void Within is that it’s probably about a Grey Faerie. So it was starting to look like Vira was the only relevant villain of the 7 mentioned in the Tales of Neovia collection. But now the Shadow Usul appeared during this plot teaser. So maybe Vira isn’t the only Void-relevant character in the collection. Maybe, just maybe, they’re ALL relevant like some people initially thought? They’re ALL tied to the temptations of this faerie or “faeries,” plural? If the dialogue and the Advent Calendar animation are both things we’re meant to pay attention to?
How many villains out there might owe a debt to Vira’s friend? How many names in their book of allies? Vira? Vile? Balthazar? Maybe even McTaggart? How deep does corruption seep? How near are those who would hear the need of the weak, and lure them in with promises of dreams come true???
Alas, poor Orion. You find yourself haunted by nightmares of a bad future. And with this terrible power comes the terrible burden of saving us from what you see. Wouldn’t it be something if Orion was the Unfortunate Holiday Ogrin? The one who used to show up every year on Ogrin Day? He’s been known to change colors.
As a crafty woman once said, “there is much to do.” If that applies to the wicked, it certainly applies to those who fight it. And with Orion hot on the trail of this wickedness, maybe someone should keep an eye on him. He’s made himself a target. Those who work in shadow tend to prefer staying hidden. It would be the final misfortune if Orion was to, say, die or something. But perhaps there’s something to appreciate about Winter Starlight and holiday merriment when it comes to defeating darkness. After all, what is holiday cheer but proof against the dark and cold?
Be merry, be of good cheer, and stay tuned. We’ll definitely be hearing from Orion soon. And as for whoever left that lyre there, they might still be out and about. Let’s hope they enjoy good cheer too.
31st October, 2023
- Halloween Night has fallen proper. Last day for those Trick-or-Treat bags. Speaking of which, there’s an interesting post in today’s New Features.Happy Halloween! Today (10/31) is the last day to go Trick-or-Treating and read Reginald’s new scary stories from Tales of Neovia!However, Reginald has been warning Trick-or-Treaters to beware of a strange grey book that has been reportedly found inside of some Trick-or-Treat bags. Considering he has never encountered the tome before, Reginald certainly didn’t place it within the Trick-or-Treat bag himself, and is cautioning all participants against reading it. Be wary of any suspicious tales you may come across, as you never know where they might lead…
Strange grey book.” The only one of those books that was grey was in the Vira Trick-or-Treat Bags. Don’t wanna rule anything out, but Vira’s story is the only one of those stories that Reginald is bringing to our attention here. Of all those stories, that one is special. That one warrants extra attention. So it’s gotta be important, right? Maybe more important than the others?
The other stories might be plot relevant, might not be plot relevant. But the evidence continues to pile up that Vira’s story definitely is, and that this is totally gonna be a Grey Faerie plot. A plot about faeries, greyness, Vira, and that which binds them.
24th October, 2023
- It has been a busy day today. The kind that creates so much lag that it takes the site down for maintenance. Two new things on the agenda today. First, there’s a new… “daily” I guess you could call it? A daily set of achievements to fulfill, found in your brand new handy-dandy Quest Log.
We bring this up because this very well may be the answer to the “Why is Neostaff drawing Hannah so much” speculation from July 21st. This might mean it wasn’t for the plot after all.
But you know what might be more plot relevant? The second thing. In the interest of accomodating everyone’s busy schedules,
Halloween
comes a week early today!Reginald of Neovia is in charge of hiding the Goodie Bags for this year’s Trick-or-Treating Event, which is starting today (10/24) and goes until next Tuesday (10/31), so everyone has plenty of time to find all the treats and maybe some tricks as well!Along with each bag, there will be a brand new scary story straight from Reginald’s personal collection! He has picked a handful of never-before-seen stories surrounding some of Neopia’s scariest villains in order to get everyone into the Halloween spirit!So come join us for Tales of Neovia…if you dare!
There are 7 goodie/Trick-or-Treat bags to be found, you have until the end of Halloween Night to find them all, and as mentioned in the news each one has a spooOOOoooky story. Are they meaningless, only meant to keep the chill in the air for the Halloween season? Speculation on Board 7 has people thinking these stories mean so much more. So we’re gonna get into it all to see what might be what. If nothing else, there’s a new avatar in it for you.
The Dr Sloth Trick-or-Treat Bag can be found at Space Weaponry.
The book appears almost handmade with a title that says “Greatest Ruler in Neopian History.” Most of the text inside seems to be ramblings that barely make sense. But the end has a fairly clear message…
From the first moment he appeared, it was clear who was meant to be the ruler of Neopia. None before him have had his charisma, intellect, or overpowering strength. The fools of Neopia just couldn’t grasp his vision. But I did. I have always seen the future that our overlord has envisioned for us.
They say he is cruel, but he just has the fortitude to do what must be done. No one else could make the hard calls or is willing to sacrifice like he is—all to give us a better, more united world.
The glorious moments that he graced us with his presence in the past were marvels I am blessed to have witnessed. If it were not for the heinous deeds of the few, we would most certainly have seen his true plans come to fruition. First, that despicable faerie got in the way, and then a group of greedy ne’er-do-wells crushed our master’s merciful plans. Last time, a pitiful excuse of an organisation that abhorrently had the galls to call themselves a resistance punishes us all by ensnaring our liberator, thus eliminating all hope for us. But I still believe.
They say I am mad, but I see the connecting twine. I have faced the void of the unknowable and survived to learn the truth. Even though I only saw the smallest of glimpses into the colossal, intertwined, inner workings of our beloved leader’s mind I know without question that he has a plan that will undeniably save us all.
I have bided my time and gathered like-minded, devoted followers. Even as I write this, we are working to do whatever it takes to continue his work. If you are reading this, I can only assume it is in the halls of a great museum, made to glorify our prosperous emperor and that I have succeeded in my attempt to find and free our saviour.
I leave these final words as a continuous promise.
I will do whatever it takes to protect Lord Sloth!
The Shadow Usul Trick-or-Treat Bag can be found at Usukiland.
This book has no title. Its jet-black cover and warped binding are inscribed with strange symbols that hurt your eyes if you stare at it too long. The pages are illegible except for one hastily scribbled note.
Until the end of my days, I will never forget the night it came.
We had heard whispers of something evil on the edge of the Haunted Woods, but our elders had told us to remain calm and that this threat would pass; surely, there was safety in numbers.
Then the disappearances started.
Curfew was imposed, and nobody was allowed to wander at night alone.
It didn’t stop.
A council was hastily convened, and it was determined that there was no other choice but to make a stand. We would gather at the next new moon when Kreludor’s face was hidden. Preparations were made, and the whole village readied itself.
If only we could have understood what we truly faced.
We knew it had arrived when we could see the breath condense before our faces on what had — just moments ago — been a warm summer evening. A deathly cold snap seized the air, the breeze itself seemingly fracturing under the onset of an otherworldly chill.
We had set torches to light the wooden palisades surrounding the village square, hoping that the warmth of the burning braziers would deter it: a light against the darkness.
We were wrong.
Huddled together for warmth and safety, we gaped in abject horror as the torches were snuffed out, one by one. Silence gripped the air, and not one of us dared to move.
Slowly, inevitably, a shadow began to coalesce, its suffocating gloom covering us in an impenetrable barrier that was devoid of all light.
All living things know darkness, but this was not darkness. This was pure nothing.
I stood paralysed in terror as the final glimmer of illumination was siphoned away from my sight, leaving me utterly blind. Even sound seemed stifled in this place; my frantic pleas for help barely left my mouth as more than a gasped whisper.
All was still, like the calm before the storm.
And then – there in the darkness – two eyes appeared, their pupils like cosmic maelstroms.
Our gazes met, and I stared into the void.
I remember nothing after that moment.
When I came to, it was the morning, and I was alone. My friends, my family, the entire village: they were all gone, like they had never existed in the first place. I searched and searched, and when I could search no longer, I left that forsaken place and never returned.
This memory is why I live in fear. Those eyes are the source of my nightmares.
I will write its name here because I dare not speak it aloud:
Shadow Usul.”
The Three Trick-or-Treat Bag can be found at Darigan Toys.
This book is both there and not there at the same time. It’s hard to comprehend, so it’s best not to think too hard about it. There are not really words inside this book, but voices that speak to you through text… again, it is best not to dwell on it.
A fully corporeal piece of paper is stuck inside the book. It reads – “WARNING: If you start to feel as though these words are affecting your reality in any way, you should close it immediately and read no further!”
The first voice reads as a sickly sweet sound. She says, “I am above all, already my dears. Why should we make note of this in some record?”
Another voice is dark and feels aggravated. His voice raises as he says, “You dare question me? You should know very well that my methods are beyond doubt!”
The last voice is gruff and drips of voracity. He is hard to understand as he spits out, “Doubt, doubt? Don’t make me laugh. Your methods have never given me anything, so of course, I can doubt.”
The angry voice has a distinct shape in the text now, a cloaked, tall figure with a stern face and the words shout he is to be called Revenge.
He speaks again. “There is more than just a record to be kept here. There is an opportunity.”
The text now formally introduces you to the one known as Ambition. Her wings and dark hair are formed through the words in a beautiful yet deadly manner.
Her voice pierces the pages as she says, “Oh? I see. I am sure I have guessed your plan already, but go on tell us.”
Tell me, tell me. I want to know now, how dare you play these games!” Greed’s harsh voice spits out of the text as his form intrudes as well, a rough exterior that matches his tone and a face that is hard to read.
Shut up, you fools. I will not bark because you demand it!” Revenge growls. “Besides, there is no need to explain it, as it is already taking place! Even now, eyes peruse this page.
The lure of my power is great, wouldn’t you agree?” sings Ambition.
My power is greater still!” yells Greed.
I wasn’t talking to you, you ignoramus!” Ambition says.
We could even stop this now if we so wish. I can feel their curiosity is peaked…the void to their mind is open.” Revenge says.
Make sure to listen to those voices in your head.”
The Scarblade Trick-or-Treat Bag can be found at Maractite Marvels.
The waterlogged book has had many of its words washed away, yet some entries are still somehow in pristine condition.
Entry 193
The ship is still as strong as ever. I may have lost some crew, but if they were lily-livered enough to be captured so easily, then they may as well be fish food. My name still strikes fear in all those who hear it, so I will be able to replenish my cannon fodder soon enough.
Entry 245
The new crew members be something else. I have dealt with some of the toughest this here sea has to offer, and yet, I think this crop must have wills of iron. Some barely have their sea legs but still yet dare look me in the eye. I would oft cut one in two for such a thing, but I have a feeling power like this could come in handy.
Entry 282
We have taken many a boat and sunk twice that. The wealth we have acquired could only be matched by those of kings, and the power my crew now holds none could dream to match. But this is nothing new for me. However, I hear whispers of a location that not only possesses a new sort of power but is said to have acquired a treasure unlike any other. It will be mine.
Entry 361
Learning more about this supposed location of wealth and power has been slow, but getting the information out of those who have it is an easy feat for my crew. So I have decided, once we know more about how to track down what I seek, I shall have my men continue on as if I am on board while I find this power all for myself! The world will continue to tremble at the mere mention of my name while I hoard this new wealth and power all to myself!
Entry 439
I have found the location. A particular new acquaintance of mine has agreed to help me in this search. She and I will set out soon. Only a few know of my departure, and fewer still know of my intended destination. But if all goes according to plan, I will become strong enough to not only wipe New Maraqua off the face of the planet but all of Neopia if I so wish!
The Xandra Trick-or-Treat Bag can be found at the Faerie Weapon Shop.
This book seems to be a spiral notebook one would buy for school. However, it is fairly old. Many pages have been torn out, and the rest appear to be simple writing assignments for class. One page has been preserved with extra care.
I’ve been told to write about a friend. It can be anything I want: a true story about us or one where we interact in a fictional setting…but I don’t know if I can do either. I don’t have many friends here. Most of the other students seem to avoid me because I don’t do so well in school. There is one girl who is nice to me from time to time, though, which is strange because she’s the top student! Her name is Xandra.
I don’t know if I’d call her a friend yet, but I can still tell a story about us.
Back when the disappearances were still happening. I was sitting alone at lunch like usual. We have lunch outside when the weather permits it, and that day, it was cloudy but overall nice. Looking back on it now, it seems reckless to have continued to have lunch outside, but the disappearances were few and far between and only seemed to happen at night. So life went on like normal.
I was eating underneath a tree near the forest line when Xandra came and sat next to me. She didn’t say much, then got up and walked into the forest, waving for me to follow. I shouldn’t have followed, but I did. The forest was especially dark due to the cloudy weather, and it was hard to keep up with her, but eventually, we stopped.
We had come upon a small open patch in the middle of the forest. Even with the lack of trees, the open area was still fairly dark. I watched as Xandra placed odd trinkets along its edge. I also stood off to the side and asked her what we were doing here, but she never responded. Eventually, she stood in the middle of the clearing, and her eyes began to glow.
The trinkets lit up in the same bright light as Xandra’s eyes. They were shining so much that the clearing had to have been visible for miles. I wanted to run, but I was unable to. All I could manage was moving my arms to cover my eyes, and that’s when I noticed I was shining too, brighter than any of the trinkets around. Though we both were training in magic, none of this was under my control. It was my power but all her doing.
Soon, I heard rustling all around us. The once quiet forest now echoed with noises that sounded far too large to be anything good. For a moment, I wondered if this was her magic as well, but then I saw it. A massive creature dripping an odd ooze with multiple eyes and rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth. It rose behind Xandra, its terrifying jaw wide open as it stared right at me.
Xandra’s arms rose and pointed at me at the same time the creature lunged forward. All I could do was scream and close my eyes, cursing myself for falling into her trap. Yet, when I opened my eyes, I was on the ground, unharmed. The glowing had stopped, and the terrifying creature lay off to the side, covered in the odd trinkets that were previously on the ground. They seemed to now form a sort of cage around the thing. Rendering it immobile.
Xandra helped me up but I am uncertain what happened next because I fled as fast as I could. But after that, the disappearances stopped completely, and Xandra moved up in the school. I have the odd sensation that I had been used as bait, but I am not necessarily upset about it. Maybe I will ask her about it over tea sometime…I think Xandra will really be something special one day.
The Darkest Faerie Trick-or-Treat Bag can be found at Magical Marvels.
The words in this book are ancient and faded, but you can decipher one section clearly:
…And so the Darkest Faerie, one of the twelve founders of Altador, city of heroes, fell from grace. Her betrayal was swift and ruthless, her ultimate desire being none other than complete dominion over Neopia. With no other choice, Fyora, the Faerie Queen, and Jerdana, sorceress and one of the twelve, wove a powerful spell that turned the Darkest Faerie into stone.
For nearly 1000 years, the Darkest Faerie remained entombed, the memory of her evil slowly fading, until one fateful day when the magical bonds of her imprisonment finally broke. Darkness returned to Neopia as the Darkest Faerie subjugated Fyora and the remainder of those who might stop her, and all seemed lost.
Yet in that direst of hours, unlikely heroes rose to answer the call. Aided by the disguised King Altador, two brave Neopians – Tormund and Roberta – thwarted the Darkest Faerie’s nefarious plan, freed Queen Fyora, and returned the Darkest Faerie to stone form.
However, evil never sleeps, and with the fall of Faerieland and the sequence of events that followed, the Darkest Faerie escaped. Although her subsequent plots were foiled again, this time, she evaded confinement. Choosing instead to flee into the void to lick her wounds, planning her next nefarious move.
Some believe she resides in some dark corner of the world, biding her time as she waits for the opportune moment to reveal her sinister ambitions once more. Some few even claim there is proof out there that her next plan is already imminent…”
And finally, the Vira Trick-or-Treat Bag can be found with the Esophagor.
Almost all of this book has turned grey. Bits and pieces of it seem to have the book’s original colour, but even as you hold it the grey is ever so slowly creeping away at it, making it difficult to read most of the words printed on it.
You want a scary story? I’ll give you one.
There once was a beautiful Acara. She was graceful, charming, and, of course, humble. When others looked upon her, they would shower her with admiration.
You’re more beautiful than any flower I’ve ever seen.”
You shine brighter than any star in the sky.”
I would do anything for you.”
This Acara had it all—beauty, admiration, so she had happiness as well.
She wanted for nought. Yet one day, a wish of hers was…misunderstood, and it all came crumbling down.
A vile curse was laid upon her, and she became ugly, so ugly that her humble heart turned bitter.
There was no way for her to get her beauty back or her happiness back, so she turned to violence.
But the darkness that had turned her soon returned and made her a promise. She would be beautiful again, more beautiful than ever before if she listened.
And so she did, and do you know what she learned? That the darkness can be too powerful, so there is no point in fighting it.
She and the darkness made a deal that day, a deal that will soon come to fruition. So hear my words now.
If you wish to survive the coming terror, then do not impede on the darkness creeping in. I am sure you will start to feel it. Some may already know its tight grip.
There is so much more at play than what you think is about to happen. Let the dark take you in, or else you may regret it.
You wanted a scary story, and oh, are you about to get one… - So if these bags are related somehow to The Void Within, how might they be? LunahLove made an interesting observation: Most of the stories make mention of a void. Sloth’s, Shadow Usul’s, The Three’s, and the Darkest Faerie’s story all use the word “void” somehow.
Excerpt from the Sloth story: I have faced the void of the unknowable and survived to learn the truth.
Excerpt from the Shadow Usul story: Our gazes met, and I stared into the void.
Excerpt from The Three story: We could even stop this now if we so wish. I can feel their curiosity is peaked…the void to their mind is open.” Revenge says.
Excerpt from the Darkest Faerie story: Choosing instead to flee into the void to lick her wounds, planning her next nefarious move.
Hunting for word patterns like that is very reminiscent of the old mystery plots on Neopets. But then so are red herrings. So if that doesn’t grab you, consider TDF’s story. It alludes to the idea that her next attack is now imminent. That she’s gotten better since The Wraith Resurgence and she’s making moves right now. Would this mean that TDF is the faerie from the comic? Even if she isn’t, we could very well be dealing with multiple faeries working in a coven. If this is a Baelia plot, Jennumara has to be related somehow. So if the faerie in the comic ISN’T Jennumara, that means multiple faeries are already connected to this.
But perhaps most important of all is the Vira story. Because we know for a fact that Vira is involved in whatever is happening with the aforementioned comic. We saw her in it. The book that holds her story was turning grey. The popup that awards you the bag is even grey. None of the other popups are grey. And regardless of the order you pick them up, Vira’s popup is always grey. Why would her popup be grey? It really suggests that this upcoming plot will be about Baelia, and the greyness of Grey Faeries. And possibly the greyness of other things. A creeping darkness that takes things in and makes them grey.
Vira and at least one dark faerie are confirmed to be involved though. But if these other tales are also relevant, let’s break down the main takeaways…
Sloth’s tale is about a guy who “faced the void of the unknowable” and saw some plan Sloth supposedly has since he was defeated in his brief Return.
Shadow Usul’s tale is about how the Shadow Usul is herself “the void.”
The Three’s tale is about them reaching into the void of our own minds. Not unlike the guy from the Sloth tale, our minds were touched by a mysterious power. The Three’s mysterious power. Almost made as crazy as the guy from the Sloth story.
Scarblade’s tale is about him sneaking off with “a particular new acquaintance” to a place of wealth and power that will afford him the means to let him destroy New Maraqua, as well as any place else in Neopia. If these journal entries are set after Curse of Maraqua, this means Scarblade is currently acting on new plans to terrorize Neopia’s seas and shores.
Xandra’s tale is about her luring a classmate into the woods to, it seems, be used as bait to catch “A massive creature dripping an odd ooze with multiple eyes and rows upon rows of razor sharp teeth.”
TDF’s tale is basically a recap of her last two adventures, and a warning that she’s currently making moves probably.
Vira’s tale is about her being tempted by darkness and serving it as a footsoldier. Or maybe less “tempted” than “tricked.” She wanted for nought. Yet one day, a wish of hers was…misunderstood, and it all came crumbling down. That’s how she became what she is. She wasn’t careful what she wished for. Like Darigan and Kass weren’t careful what they wished for when they did business with The Three. Like Scarblade is potentially not being careful by seeking this wealth and power with his new friend. Like this Sloth superfan is surely not being careful by, first of all allying with Sloth, but second of all hitching their star to this supposed plan they think Sloth has.
With these tales we have ambitious people potentially being led astray, and creatures of darkness that seem to see into our minds and souls. A coming terror that might have had its grip on the vast majority of villainy in Neopia, that Vira would seemingly have us not fight. Malkus and Balthazar, two people who up until now had not seen partnership, are involved in this. That much is confirmed. Maybe this darkness seeks to tempt as many of Neopia’s weak of heart as it can reach. Perhaps the breadth of Neopian villainy. If this darkness is so intertwined with villains from Sloth to Scarblade, the coming battle might be for all the marbles.
Nowadays it feels like Neopia is either on the verge of the great comeback, or the end of days. But which way the coin falls is up to us. Perhaps now more than ever.
20th October, 2023
- More convention news. Neopets is at gamescom asia, spelled with all lower case letters apparently. Jooon93 was able to attend, and has an update on when The Void Within is scheduled to go live. If you thought “Early 2024” meant some time in January or February, that is currently not the plan. But rather, Q2 2024.
Q2 meaning “Quarter 2.” The second quarter of the 12 months that makes up the year 2024. Not January, February, or March. But some time in April, May, and/or June.
You might be thinking “But that’s prime real estate for the Festival of Neggs and the Altador Cup. What’s gonna happen to those events?” Anything could. They might cancel them. If a dangerous faerie has returned to sow death and darkness, maybe Neopia shouldn’t have a Cup. Maybe spring CAN’T come. On the other hand, these events are big draws. Especially the Cup. So, how much time does a plot need? Journey to the Lost Isle and the Obelisk War lasted only about a month. The 2005 Lost Desert Plot and The Faeries’ Ruin lasted about 3 months. Most comic-having plots do. 3 solid months with no postponements from the typical content schedule would mean this plot would start when the Festival of Neggs is just getting underway, and end when the Cup is entering its final battle.
It could go on for just around 2 months though. Tale of Woe went for a little less than 2 months, people seem to really like that one. Though it was light on dialogue, which may have contributed to how fast it went. Return of Dr. Sloth, lasted about a month and a half. People still speak highly of the Breaking The Code puzzle. Though a lot of it apparently had to be scrapped/streamlined from the original vision. 2 months of plot could maybe fit if we postpone the Negg Fest or the Cup by a week or two?
In the interest of being as prepared as possible, what’s probably not gonna happen is the plot launching earlier than scheduled. Plots typically don’t launch earlier than scheduled. It also bears remembering that this plot was originally planned for 2023, but was pushed to 2024. So if anything’s possible, further postponements are possible. Just don’t let your guard down. We once waited 4 years for a plot (that plot being Return of Dr. Sloth). This faerie, whoever she is, is coming.
19th October, 2023
- PLOT COMIC RELEASED???
Hold onto your bladders, ladies and gentlemen. When they said this thing was on until the 19th, they apparently meant it. We got our post-credits scene. If you revisit the Faerie Festival…
Board 7 scrambles to the ready. There have been many intriguing signs over the years, but it’s been a long time indeed since last we’ve seen an actual comic. Nigh universal sign of a plot, and a most reliable crowd pleaser. Let’s break this thing down…
Jhudora and Illusen slap box for a bit while Fyora looks preoccupied with something. And someone happens to be preoccupied with Fyora. We see Vira, who (like a good comic) has not been seen in a while.
Vira, like Malkus, is one of those villainous also-rans. First introduced as a Battledome Challenger on October 30th, 2002, then later got a Gallery of Evil entry on April 8th, 2003.
Vira was a pretty and vain Acara, spending her days playing in the flowers, making daisy chains to braid into her long hair. One day, she wished to be the most beautiful Acara in the whole of the world, but the wrong ears heard her wish. “You are pretty,” the shadowy voice said. “Only I can make you beautiful…
Ever since, Vira has wandered those same fields, kissing the flowers, but making them poisonous to the touch. The magic mirrors she gives away do not show reality, but a twisted, ugly version of it. Anyone who looks into her mirrors at first finds themselves very beautiful, but that beauty fades into ugliness, and the mirror whispers with a dark voice, “There’s only one way to get your beauty back…
She’s not a faerie, but talk about your characters long overdue for a resolution!
Speaking of faeries, Vira appears to be congregating with one. They appear to be talking about that whole business with Malkus and Monty poisoning the planet and Balthazar trying to bottle Illusen. Good times, feels like only yesterday. Apparently Malkus didn’t succeed in weakening them? Climate change has not proven to be the death sentence for Neopia the young people feared it would be? Well just wait a second, says this mysterious faerie. Malkus’s machinations were merely a herald of this faerie’s true wrath.
And Fyora seems to know it. She’s thinking about something. She’s probably noticed the telltale signs. That’s what she’s so preoccupied with. She’s noticing the patterns in what plagues Neopia and thinking “Hmmmm, could it be her?” Vira says this is a dangerous game to play. Fyora will rally defenses and whatever this faerie is planning will be dashed against the mght of Neopia’s heroes.
And then? Then we see the silhouette of the faerie in question. She appears cloaked. She appears… gaunt. Unmistakable Dark Faerie wings behind her. And are those jewels about her neck and crown?
Whoever this faerie is, she seems confident in her use of the agents of fear and uncertainty. She seems to know Fyora, know that Fyora is so terrified of what she thinks this might mean, that she will keep this thing top secret until she’s absolutely sure. It’s apparently a strong claim to allege that this faerie is back in play. Whoever she is.
And at last, as Vira and this faerie depart to their work, we see what looks like a paint brush under glass. There is much to do…
Wowwee. So, that’s our questions from yesterday addressed? Who is at the top? Vira and this faerie. What of the poisoning of Neopia’s Earth and Water Faeries? Vira and this faerie are on it. But now we have new questions. Like, who is the faerie? Well, we know who she’s probably not. She’s probably not Jhudora because, well, she’s looking at Jhudora. And she’s probably not TDF because… TDF has long hair. But if our speculation about The Void Within being about Baelia is correct, surely it’s Jennumara, right? Here’s that Neopedia article again…
Just a side note, it’s probably nothing, but Baelia’s Neopedia article and Vira’s Gallery of Evil article were both released in April 2003. Within 10 days of each other. Probably nothing…
But there’s another, potentially much more likely candidate for this faerie’s identity, A faerie up to now only featured in the Premium Neodeck: Drakara.
She’s got the wings, the sunken cheekbones, the jewels on the neck and forehead. She doesn’t have a cloak, but you look at it and you could probably imagine some horns fitting under it, right? “But wait, if the plot stars Baelia, surely Jennumara is the better fit” you might think. But you might notice that Drakara and Baelia both have feathers on their wings. Or what was left of them, in Baelia’s case. For that, many suspect that Drakara and Baelia have history of some kind.
So who is Drakara? Is there anything actually establishing a history between her and Baelia, aside from these feathers? Right now nothing concrete has been established. Up until now (if this is even her) she’s only appeared in the Premium Neodeck Collection. For December 2008. Kinda makes you wonder how long they’ve been wanting to do something with her.
If matching Baelia’s feathers is of note, we should also consider how she kinda matches Vira’s horns? Did Drakara make Vira into what she is now? Was she the voice Vira heard? Because in the Editorial of Neopian Times Issue #479 it’s established that the one who cursed Vira was likely a dark faerie.
Vira isn’t a mutant Acara – nor are we sure what colour she once was. She was cursed (likely by a dark faerie, hence the wings), giving her a unique look that no other Acara has (or would want!).
And regarding whoever cursed Vira, in the Neopian Times Issue #584 Editorial ShadOKaty asked if it might be Vanity, one of the Dark Faerie Sisters who works in partnership with The Darkest Faerie.
Vanity appears to work with mirrors and the cursing of one’s physical appearance, which are themes related to Vira. So a good guess. But Neostaff said no. Elaborating…
There are even darker things in Neopia than those pesky dark faerie sisters…
So if Vira’s maker is on the scene, we are likely dealing with darkness unprecedented. Darker than Malice, Spite, and Vanity at the very least. And that’s saying something considering they shoot for The Darkest Faerie herself.
But enough said about the players in this plot, what of their tools? That’s probably the greatest forecaster of what their plans are for Neopia. A paint brush was seen in the final scene. Paint brushes are used to change things, usually either walls, patterned neggs, or Neopets. We don’t know enough about the paint brush to say anything for certain, but the plot is called The Void Within. Maybe it’s a “Void Paint Brush?” Maybe… maybe it turns you into whatever Vira is? If Drakara is one of the same faeries that turned Baelia grey, maybe the paint brush is for her, and faeries like her? Maybe it’s for all of us???
And what of that “seed” that’s ready to bear fruit? What’s that? We went into this pondering the nature of Jhudora and Illusen’s mutual heartbreak. Again, that’s a question that’s been raised and you should continue to be curious about it. But what if that “seed” was what Illusen witnessed long ago? And this faerie, Drakara or Jennumara or whatever her name is, framed Jhudora for it? Per that theory about Fyora except, y’know, with Drakara or Jennumara or whatever her name is? She cursed Vira, she Greyed Baelia, she broke up Jhudora and Illusen, she’s just spreading evil in all things. She might be Neopia’s greatest villain.
And if Drakara DOES have one hand on Vira and another on Baelia, that still doesn’t take away Jennumara’s involvement with Baelia. Meaning we potentially have both Drakara AND Jennumara to deal with. Maybe even more. A gathering of faeries to put the Sisters to shame and show Neopia terrors out of thought and time. Terrors too foreign to defend against. But who would know these terrors more intimately than those who have survived them? Baelia, maybe even Vira, we may come to rely on them soon. Come to know them better. Come to know what they were like before trauma took them. If Drakara really did have a hand in Greying Baelia, and if Drakara really does intend to wither the Earth and Water Faeries, maybe thay means Baelia used to be an Earth Faerie? And Vira, what did she look like?
Food for thought for the time being. Until the next update, watch your back and stay warm over the coming holidays. A long and dreadful winter seems to be on the way.
18th October, 2023
- Do not adjust your calendar, it is October 18th. The 18th, not the 19th. But if you were to visit the Faerie Festival today you’d probably say something to the effect of “It’s over? I thought we had one more day.”Well, I can’t thank you two enough. Your efforts have helped root out corruption and start us on a path to restoring balance in Neopia.
Speaking of which, I’ve actually been working on a special spell to help restore the soil of Neopia!
Well, I’ve been preparing a powerful potion that should cleanse the air and oceans of Neopia!Look at you! And here I thought you gave up after my festival-goers were able to collect even more junk than your cronies.It’s working! I can feel the Meridell vegetation breathing easy again… thank you Jhudora.I am so proud of you two! Working together seamlessly to clean up Neopia. You’ll be pleased to hear we picked up Malkus Vile trying to make a run for it on the outskirts of Neopia Central. And Captain Brynneth is scrɑping Balthazar off the cobblestones at this very moment.
Lock me up for whatever you want, it won’t matter.Vile, earlier, you said you had orders “from the very top”. You like to put on a show, but you aren’t the one running it. So, who’s at the top?You won’t get a peep out of me.
Whoever orchestrated this entire affair scares even Vile?It narrows it down considerably… But that is a matter for another day. For now, let’s celebrate your success, together.
Ugh, I think we’ve done the whole “together” thing long enough today.
Could you at least pretend to be respectful in front of the Queen?
*Jhudora and Illusen continue bickering as they walk back to the festivities together**sigh* Well, at least we made some progress…
Illusen wins the Big Help. And just like that, depending on your performance you should get your team avatar, and some of those final prizes we saw on the 9th. It certainly seems like, SEEMS like, this is over? At least on paper?
You can also snag a bonus prize by visiting your faerie captain one last time at their home base. Illusen at her Glade, or Jhudora at her Bluff.
Now, as of today there’s suspicion that some of these prize rewardings might be glitched. So we don’t know for sure how to get all of these, but the “achievements” so to speak seem to be… = Watch the cutscenes of the story. = Visit Faerie Quests every day. = ??? = Recycle 30 items a day, every day. = Visit your captain at their home base.
It’s still early goings, so we’re waiting for any potential glitches to be acknowledged and ironed out. It’s nothing new, business as usual in Neopia. - We were told Faerie Quests would last until the 19th, but that ended early. So it wouldn’t be unheard of for this to end early thanks to some… sort of mistake or miscommunication. For that, maybe just stay tuned to see what they say about that. Maybe we’ll get a slight extension. Or an official acknowledgment saying “Yes, it ended on such and such date, it’s truly over.”
But even if the battle is over, the war has not even begun. There are still unanswered questions. Most glaring of all probably being “who’s at the top?” To say nothing of the issue of the enfeebling of the Earth and Water Faeries. Jhudora’s potion and Illusen’s spell surely didn’t solve pollution once and for all, otherwise why have us recycle? No, this is not over. We might be “done for now,” but this is not “resolved.” So does that seal the deal that this is totally leading into The Void Within? Maybe this was simply setting the stage for the REAL battle to come? The question of who’s behind this has been raised. Even if this doesn’t lead into the plot, we can’t stop asking until we get our answers.
The FAQ said the 19th. So who knows, maybe we’ll get a post-credits scene or something. But stay curious. Always stay curious.
17th October, 2023
- Final day of play, sports fans! Get thee to a Faerie Festival where you’ll hear your boss say… I heard Jhudora left her Festival some time ago and has yet to return. I’m starting to worry that she might be in trouble… Would you mind looking around for her? I heard she was last seen poking around Deep Catacombs under Neopia Central.
Thanks to some tracking by Sarah and Daisy, I think I finally picked up Vile’s trail! Seems that lowlife is hiding out in the Deep Catacombs below Neopia Central. You can tag along if you want, but keep your head down.
Deep Catacombs. Confusing even to the savvy Neopian. The savvy Neopian will recall that all the shops and features of the original Deep Catacombs were either left to stand alone, or moved to Roo Island. Not Neopia Central. But there’s one place from the Deep Catacombs that didn’t move to Roo Island: Collectable Coins.
Hold on… something’s different about the guy running the counter…
Click him, and a cutscene starts. Though it’s set in the Coin Shop, the backdrop makes it look like it’s set in Meridell.
Maybe a last minute change? Events like these are known for them. Malkus may have originally intended to disguise himself as Snargan from Double or Nothing. Snargan is also a Skeith who deals in coins, and what’s more he’s green. Anyway, confront the façade. It’s time for some Bad Cop, Bad Cop. There’s only the one cop. Jhudora.
Longer lasting and better looking than stamps – coins are a must for –Drop the act Vile, I finally found you. I’m surprised it was so hard given your stench.Ahh Jhudora, how lovely of you to drop by.Save the formalities. I already know you’ve been funding McTaggart and bribing officials across Neopia to keep all these fancy new machines running on obsidian.Bribing? No, no, you’ve got it all wrong. In the technological boom of Neopia, I saw opportunity. What I’ve been doing is called lobbying, and it’s perfectly legal for some reason.So, what’s in it for you? I know you always have an angle.Well, Monty owes me quite a bit you see, which means I own him. Ergo, I own Moltara Obsidian Company. But I prefer to stay behind the scenes. Easier for me to grease the wheels when it comes to officials and convince competition to close up shop.Figures, slime like you would prefer to stick to the sewers.Come now Jhudora we aren’t so different. You know it’s not easy to get by when you aren’t one of the elite. You either have to rub elbows with the likes of Queen Fyora’s entourage and King Skarl’s royal court, or you have to strike out on your own.
We both chose the latter because neither of us could endure kowtowing to those insufferable prigs. Most faeries, like say Illusen for instance, have no problem playing those games.You can skip through all the bɑnal cajolery you prepared. There’s a reason you’re so smug. Tell me, what’s stopping me from hitting you with a curse that would make your worst nightmares seem like daydreams?I know something you don’t. About Illusen.What makes you think I care?No need to play coy with me, no secrets escape these sharp ears. I know all about your… complicated history with her. So, I thought you’d be interested to know that despite her posturing, Illusen has been significantly weakened.Wa- What do you know about that?A little Weewoo told me that Illusen started weakening right around the same time the pollution began spreading. It seems the smog choking the Neopia air and clouding the forests has been affecting all of the Earth and Water Faeries. She’s vulnerable, and… if you wanted, could be out of your way for good.The pollution… Vulnerable? No. No, I couldn’t. Part of me does still hate her for what she did to me, but I couldn’t do that… Uh, not while she is in such a pathetic state that is!That’s the beauty of it, you don’t have to lift a finger. I already have a professional on the job, so you can go back to your little Faerie Festival and enjoy total deniability.What do you mean a professional?Illusen’s been running her mouth about that renewable energy nonsense for far too long, it was starting to cut into my profit margins. Besides, the enfeebling of all the Earth and Water Faeries was always part of the plan. It came from the very top.Plan? Tell me when this is happening before I blast a hole in the middle of your ugly mug!
Woah, woah, relax! Look, tell you the truth, Illusen’s probably being bottled as we speak.Arghhh I’ll be back for you Vile!
Jhudora’s sweating bullets. It’s time to be a hero. But… we weren’t told where to find Illusen! You could check the Festival, but nothing’s happening there. No, you’re just gonna have to get lucky and guess that Meridell is the place Illusen is right now. About to be bottled. Go there and a cutscene much more befitting of the Meridell backdrop plays out.My legs, I can barely feel my legs. I’ll just take a moment to rest here against the wall.
Oh, Illusen, you were once one of the few faeries I dared never approach. But look at you now, withered up and weak just like your precious Glade. Even this measly bottle can hold you now!Balthazar? Stay back! I won’t warn you again!You can stop pretending now. We both know you barely have any magic left at this point.I know Vile will pay top Neopoint for you, but part of me just wants to keep you as a paperweight. You faeries are much better in bottles, but I still think you were best as statues. Oh, what a glorious few months that was when you were all stone!
I was really hoping it would be permanent, but of course, I end up with a house full of angry faeries right in the middle of my bottled faerie opening party. You don’t mind that I’m rambling on Illusen, right?
*Muffled yelling*What’s that? I can’t hear you, AHAHA!You know, now that I think about it, why let the chance to rid Neopia of such a powerful faerie slip through my paws? Maybe I should just save Vile the trouble and end you right no –
OOUUFFFHHH
Paws off! If anyone is going to end her, it’ll be me.I still have enough magic to break free of your bottle Baltha… Jhudora! What are you doing here? I had him just where I wanted him!Oh, were you in there? I just happened to be in the neighbourhood um… shattering random bottles.And spontaneously blasting Neopets?Only those who deserve it.
*Groans*I don’t know if he deserved quite that much. That blast of yours sure packed a wallop, will he be okay?Yeah, sure… probably. More importantly, we need to inform Queen Fyora of Vile’s location before he gets too far. I found him hiding out in Collectable Coins.Let’s return to Faerieland. We will tell her, together. - The heat is truly on now. First of all, Malkus is now a lobbyist. A lobbyist and a venture capitalist! He’s been doing well off camera. So that’s his role in the villainy explained: He’s after money just like Monty is after money. Which means, as Malkus revealed… the ladder goes higher. Malkus controls Monty, but who controls Malkus? Who would poison all Earth and Water Faeries? Is it because they simply hate Earth and/or Water Faeries? Or do Earth and Water Faeries simply stand in the way of their glorious, obsidian-powered new Neopia?
It came from the very top, said Malkus. Speculation abounds on Board 7. Who is at “the very top?” Easy answer is Sloth. Tech is his thing, right? And he is a person of authority and a cunning mind. “Very top” might also mean “Topmost in technological advancement,” as Darconium points out. But most obvious of all, he’s a known villain, the most notorious threat to Neopia. And he hates faeries. Which brings up an interesting premise: Someone or something had to free him. Maybe it was Sloth himself. Maybe the token can’t hold him.
But what if… just what if… the one behind this WAS a faerie? Not an Earth or Water Faerie, that would be self-destructive. But someone, some faerie, who needs at least one Earth or Water Faerie out of the way. If only for this technological boom to “boom” without a hitch. Jhudora and Illusen are about to go tell Fyora what Malkus has been up to. What do you think is gonna happen after that? Let’s imagine Sloth is behind this. What happens next? How do we discover that Sloth is behind this? Is he gonna be waiting in Fyora’s quarters? We have us a little scuffle and then he runs away to 2024 where we have Round 2 in The Void Within? Or is it more likely that we’ll bring our findings to Fyora, and it will be revealed through a slip of her own that she, Fyora, is involved? Running the show? Fyora is the one from the very top?
We talked about it a bit on July 30th, 2022: The ORIGINAL reason Jhudora and Illusen were rivals was no mystery. Not to the audience. The ORIGINAL reason was, Jhudora was scheming and no one believed she was up to no good except Illusen, who worked to stop her. There was no mystery, no lover’s tension between them. Maybe over the years we’ve lost sight of that moved toward the misunderstood exes thing. But… what if the faerie that Illusen thought was Jhudora scheming was in fact Fyora in disguise? It wouldn’t be the first time this trick was used. Xandra fooled Hanso into thinking she was Hubrid Nox. The Darkest Faerie fooled everyone into thinking she was Kaia. Yeah, it’s Fyora who’s actually up to shifty business! And Illusen stumbled upon it, so Fyora used trickery to make it appear as if she was Jhudora. Illusen, believing that her closest of closest would be doing villainy, goes and reports her findings to Fyora. And Jhudora is all like “You would slander me? Oh, you backstabber. We’re not friends.” And Illusen is all like “Yeah we’re not friends because you’re evil now.” And Fyora, being the villain all along, says “These are serious allegations. We don’t have any proof, so for now I’ll just keep an eye on Jhudora.” Jhudora suffers a somewhat tarnished reputation, and Fyora’s machinations lie undetected.
Until now. Maybe now we’re approaching checkmate. Because now it’s time to get rid of Illusen and/or hear this new obsidian-powered world roar to life. Illusen is finally dying. Maybe because Fyora’s plan is about to be complete, or maybe Fyora is lurching things forward to get Illusen out of the way as quickly as possible. But a world without Earth and Water Faeries would not hurt Fyora. She isn’t an Earth or Water Faerie. Maybe this is why she stressed that Jhudora was not to go blow up any factories. Because Fyora wants the factories in Neopia. Whether poisoning certain faeries is an unintended but acceptable byproduct, or she specifically wants faeries like Illusen out of the way, either could be true. She clearly doesn’t believe in Illusen’s solar panel ideas.
Ask yourself this: If anyone was gonna have secret schemes but fool the world into thinking they didn’t, who has the better chance of pulling off the trick? The stereotypically evil dark faerie, or the one who actually runs Faerieland? It may sound impossible that Fyora could secretly be evil, but surely many a Neopian supposedly thought the same of Jhudora, if the whole “Jhudora is secretly scheming” thing is true. That’s the thing about subterfuge. You’re not supposed to believe it when you see it.
13th October, 2023
- Things are moving just slightly faster than predicted? Head over to the Faerie Festival where your respective faerie will have some words for you.Hello, hope you have been enjoying this year’s festival! I have to run a quick errand to Moltara and would love it if you would accompany me. I want to discuss my ideas for alternative energy sources with the CEO of the Moltara Obsidian Company.
They refine obsidian down into a liquid that has become the fuel most of those new inventions that have been flooding Neopia run on, but the production and consumption of it give off fumes that can be very harmful to the environment! You can meet me at the new MOC building in Moltara, it’s rather tall so you can’t miss it.Aren’t you glad you made the right choice? I’m sure everyone at that knock-off festival is fast asleep by now! Say, since you stuck with me, how about you tag along with me to have some more fun? Meet me down in Moltara in that shiny new tower they put up.
The tower is owned by the Moltara Obsidian Company, they’ve quickly amassed a fortune converting obsidian into liquid fuel for new machines across Neopia. I have some questions about their finances that I had better like the answers to.
Yes, we’re headed to Obsidian Co. One wonders, if this really was part of The Void Within, would we be storming the gates so soon?
Over in Moltara you should find that Moltara Obsidian Company is very clearly labeled now.
You’ll reach this imposing looking office where another cutscene will play out.
Jhudora? What are you doing here? I thought you agreed not to blow any of these places to the sky! Or was that just another lie?Relax, I didn’t come here to do any damage. Well… depends on what the slimeball inside has to say. I did some digging about the company, and I have a few questions for him.
What’s your excuse? Did you change your mind about my approach and decide to show this CEO just how cruel you can be?I only came here to talk with the CEO. I’m concerned about how damaging his obsidian fuel is for the air of Neopia. Plus, I suspect that he may have heard some… misinformation about the renewable energy source I’ve been working on.
Monty McTaggart, Moltara’s Magnanimous Obsidian Magnate, at your service! Sorry to keep you two waiting, it’s been mighty hectic round these parts lately.Sir, we’ve come here to you today because we would love to sit down and talk over some-Let’s cut to the chase, have you been bribing officials to shut down renewable energy ideas?Well now that is quite the accusation. Let me start by saying the McTaggart family has a storied history of philanthropic endeavours in Moltara-Then where did you pick up that ridiculous accent?Jhudora! It’s not okay to mock someone’s voice. Look, Monty, I am sorry about her… forwardness. I came here on my own, because I wanted to talk to you face to face, faerie to Neopet, and see if we could talk things out.It seems representatives of your company have been strongly opposed to renewable energy sources, but Dr Landelbrot has theorized that the energy given off by the sun could be harnessed without harming Neopia. The sun could provide for us just like it nourishes the plants, with clean-I’ll stop you there little lady. I know all well and good that burning obsidian is not what the kids these days are calling sustainable, but I’ve been in the obsidian business for years, and now that business is finally booming, ain’t no way I’m gonna stop!
Besides, it’s too early to tell if obsidian is doing any harm. This whole pollution racket is nothing to fuss about now, it’s something for our grandchildren to worry about. Bahahah!This is all just some kind of joke to you!Now that could not be further from the truth. I am serious about obsidian, it’s my livelihood after all!I have a question about your livelihood, Monty. You went bankrupt in Y15 and were forced to sell all the McTaggart assets, putting up your family estate to get by. Then, right after the tech boom in Neopia, you suddenly have the means to buy the Obsidian Quarry from the City of Moltara. Who gave you all those Neopoints?How did you know all that?The National Neopian Bank Manager owed me a favour after I cleaned him out in Cheat! Now Monty, spillWell, I’d be happy to tell ya! I had a run of good luck in the Neopian Stock Market. That Nigel fellow sure is an agreeable fellow. Oh, and playing Trudy’s Surprise. Do you know how much you can get if you go consistently?This is getting us nowhere. He’ll ramble on all day before he tells us anything about his benefactor. I think he’s too scared of whoever it is to say a word.Okay, then step outside for a minute.Why what are you- *Cough cough*For once just listen to me and go outside before I catch whatever you have. If fear is what motivates him, then let me have a private chat with Monty. Just the two of us.Hold on there, Illusen, let’s not be hasty now! You seem like the levelheaded one here to me, so maybe just hang back with us-Buh-bye, and good luck Monty! *Steps outside**Whisper Whisper*
Muh-muh-Malkus Vile!*Pops head back in* What was that?Monty just shared with us that Malkus Vile was his secret investor. I haven’t the foggiest idea why, but Vile is behind all of this.You only whispered in his ear for a few seconds. What on Neopia did she say to you?You don’t want to know… Please, just leave me alone, I don’t know anything else. Oh, Vile will never forgive me for this.Don’t you worry about him, once I’m through with-Once we are through with him. I want to see Vile brought to justice myself.Who are you kidding Illusen? You can barely stand. I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but you’re in no shape to chase down anyone.I told you I’m just fine!What you are, is too proud to be real with me. Same old story. So, I’m going to find him by myself.Jhudora I… Hey! Jhudora, get back here!
Malkus Vile! At large once again? And Illusen’s illness progresses. But she is so selfless, she dare not admit it.
We can rest up back at camp, where you can touch base with your faerie of choice.Oh it’s you, thank you for coming with me. I really appreciate the support. It wasn’t easy to hear Jhudora say some of those things about me… but she has her reasons for lashing out.
Can you just do me a favour and keep an ear to the ground about Malkus Vile? I need to find and stop him. Soon.There you are. Yeah, things got a bit tense there… that Illusen just gets me all tangled up sometimes.
But now I know who we are looking for. It won’t be long before I track down Vile, trust me. - So, we have engaged the CEO of Moltara Obsidian. Monty McTaggart. A much needed Vandagyre character added to the canon. But one wonders, does this mean Obsidian Co was just for the Faerie Festival? And won’t feature again in the upcoming The Void Within? We’ve reached the top of Obsidian’s food chain before the plot even started. Conceivably, what more is there to do with Obsidian? Maybe Malkus Vile uses his considerable assets to oust Monty and take over Obsidian directly? Malkus must be after something here.
Who is Malkus Vile, you might be wondering?
Introduced as the villain in The Hunt for the Crown, Malkus Vile is your typical scheming, scamming, hustling, hard-boiled crime lord. Also, he used to be yellow.
Notorious in crime circles, he was a guest of ex-Guildmaster Galem Darkhand’s dinner for criminals.
After that he had mostly been seen on and off. You’d see him in an Advent Calendar animation here and there, he was behind some very desperate Neomail scams on April Fool’s Day 2012, this is a man who is typically on the back foot. Greasy and struggling in his portrayal. So to hear that he’s got money like this, money to make kings like Monty McTaggart, is at least a little surprising. Malkus is typically seen in dingy, scuffed clothing. If he had money like this, surely he could at least afford new shoes? We know where Monty got the money, but where did Malkus get the money? And why did he give it to Monty? What’s his endgame here? If he’s the true mastermind… maybe taking him down means this really is it and all of our Obsidian Co speculation has not been plot related after all?
And then there’s Illusen. We’ve gotta bring Malkus to justice, but we’ve also gotta make sure Illusen is okay. If it really is pollution that’s making Illusen sick, Neopia is gonna have to get woke real fast as far as renewable energy sources. Or so passes Illusen. Question is, will Jhudora take that sitting down? Or will she finally be honest about her feelings? Cast aside this tsundere facade and let herself be vulnerable? If Illusen is in danger, will Jhudora come out and say “Illusen, I love you, and I want you around. I won’t let them hurt you.” She was prepared to destroy the factories by force. Perhaps this speaks to very strong, but no longer very secret feelings for Illusen? Feelings that Jhudora, for one reason or another, is afraid to own up to? Maybe Jhudora should take her own advice as given to Monty: If letting her guard down sounds scary, let her just see if letting Illusen down sounds scarier.
The time has come to stand and fight for the things we love. Plot speculation, Neopia’s climate, Earth Faerie crushes, and everything else.
9th October, 2023
- Ready your banners, because the War of the Festivals is on. Upon visiting the Festival grounds you are given a choice…
You can click May Be Later, but upon refreshing or clicking Fyora, you’ll be met with the choice again. It won’t be later. The war starts now.
But how do you make an informed decision? Because you must a pick a side, you cannot play for both teams. Fortunately, both teams offer a preview of what’s at stake in their respective prize hoards. Here’s what you get if you’re considering Illusen…
…and here’s what you get if you’re considering Jhudora.
Painful how we can’t have it all. But we will cover both sides here…
Depending on which Festival you sign up for, you’ll get some dialogue from your hostess. First, Illusen.Since Fyora wanted us to use this Faerie Festival as an opportunity to clean up Neopia, I had the idea to start up a recycling program! Taking a page from Granny Hopbobbin’s book, I’ve decided to offer special prizes to festival goers who pick up garbage all over to help us rejuvenate the lovely land of Neopia.
Click her again, and she says this… I was feeling a little under the weather this morning, so I asked some charming little Woodland Petpets to help me construct this treehouse base of operations for the festival this year! I think it looks just delightful, don’t you?
Over on Jhudora’s side of the battlefield…By the way, I heard Illusen is offering prizes for garbage at her festival. No really, I hear she wants actual trash! And since you wisely came to my Faerie Festival instead of her little tree party, I suppose I could offer out some special trinkets I’ve been hoarding… if you bring me more junk than her sycophants do.
And if you click her again…Would you believe no one has claimed this barely haunted gazebo at the edge of the haunted woods? It’s just perfect!
If this is their war, Neopia can only win in the end. They’re fighting to recycle the most!
Prizes galore on each side, but there’s something you might wanna know: Illusen is offering Illusens Staff as a top prize in her shop. But Jhudora, as midnight, is not offering Wand of the Dark Faerie. If you were assuming both faeries were offering their top Quest prize. - What you might’ve noticed in Illusen’s dialogue is that she said she feels “under the weather.” You might also remember she had a cough when she was talking to Jhudora last week. Chekhov’s Cough? What is it that’s got Illusen feeling sick? Just flu season? Or something more? Could something in Neopia be having some kind of deadly effect on Illusen? And other faeries, even? Something like the recent cybersmoke/smog? Are we gonna have to save the faeries again? Or maybe we’re just saving Illusen and faeries like her. Maybe the focal faerie is Illusen, and the story long overdue for a resolution is hers and Jhudora’s? Jhudora will be compelled by her secret love for Illusen to take a stand for her life?
Speaking of Jhudora, Illusen’s second dialogue hinted at her being sick. Illusen’s second dialogue might be an important clue. Maybe Jhudora’s second dialogue is also an important clue? Maybe? Maybe the gazebo is some kind of important? Maybe it’s got secret compartments or something?
Otherwise… Illusen’s got top shelf weapons, she’s got plot hints, it’s all goin’ on at Illusen’s festival! But whatever turns out to mean anything, we will keep you posted here.
3rd October, 2023
- FAQ is finally up! It’s on the Support subdomain so we can’t link to it, but we have a clarification to make regarding the information therein.
The “Charity Corner aspect,” AKA “Recycling” AKA Jhudora and Illusen’s warring Festivals, closes donations on the 17th. Not the 19th. It “ends” on the 19th, but October 17th is the last day you can give them items. So it’s not 11 days of play, it’s 9. Try to participate each day in case there’s daily participation requirements!
2nd October, 2023
- NEW EVENT UNDERWAY
If you’ve been keeping up with the news, you know the Faerie Festival is scheduled to happen today. You also know that it’s going to be a combination of the Daily Faerie Quests event, and Charity Corner.
Right now you can go do Quests, but the Charity Corner part comes with a bit of story. A bit of story that is perhaps relevant to The Void Within? Go to the main Festival page and you’ll find a cutscene.
Although it may seem unusual, I asked you both to meet me here because I know you two were once quite close –Who said anything about… Well, I wouldn’t exactly say close!Brief acquaintances at best.I suppose we were…Practically strangers.Ahem, yes, something like that.Backstabbing strangers…Do not start this! You were the one who –
Enough! Look, I called you two here because I had an… intriguing idea for a different type of Faerie Festival this year.One to help us dissipate some of the smog and muck that has begun choking the skies and seas of our beautiful Neopia since its technological boom.That sounds lovely!Suck up…Hush, she is right! All of these new contraptions are giving off fumes that are starting to taint the pristine water, soil, and air of Neopia. I can feel it. Although, I did come up with some alternative energy ideas with Mira and Dr Landelbrot!I still think it would be easier to just blast all those factories pumping out these new pollution machines to bits.We talked about this Jhudora. We should foster progress, not deter it. We do, however, have a responsibility to ensure it is carried out thoughtfully and carefully. Just like this festival! Which is why the two of you will be running it this year, as a team.I don’t think thoughtful and careful are her forte… How about I just handle it myself this year and maybe next year Jhudora coul –Nonsense! I know for a fact that, with each of your respective talents, the two of you can put on a fantastic festival for all of Neopia!For once I agree with salad mix over here. Look, I appreciate the suggestion –Oh, I’m not giving out suggestions today. Only orders. From your Queen.*GULP**GULP*Which is why I am so confident that you two will do just spectacular together. I mean just look at how excited all of the other faeries are, even Mira agreed to fly all the way back to Neopia to attend! Now that this matter is settled, good luck. *leaves*She is one of the few people that scare me.And here I thought it was just me. *Cough cough*You better not get me sick! Go see Marina if you’re coming down with something.I’m fine, let’s just get this over with.Whatever you say.Well… if we have to do this, where do you think we should hold the festival this year? I was thinking the woods nestled between Faerieland and Meridell. Maybe we could build a tree house and cover it with blossoming flowers to add splashes of colour!*Retches* Sorry that imagery almost made me hurl. That all sounds so dull.
Listen, there’s a gazebo with sublime gothic architecture near the edge of the Haunted Woods, let’s host it there! We could even add in some thօrny vines and maybe a few of your flowers, but only dark black, red, and purple hues will do.And you called my idea dull! A Faerie Festival should feel welcoming and inviting, not drab and dark. No one will want to set foot in your gothic gazebo.You always do this! Oh, they will come to the gazebo at my Faerie Festival, but you won’t be invited.Fyora told us to work together, as a team remember? You can’t just throw your own festival!Too bad. Already decided. I’m single-handedly throwing the Faerie Festival this year.Then so am I! I’ll host the Official Faerie Festival in the woods just outside of Faerieland.Well, when people get bored at your lame Festival, they can find the fun one on the edge of the Haunted Woods!
With this, lines in the sand are drawn. Jhudora will go her way, thus Illusen must go hers. We’re getting not one, but TWO Charity Corners.
It hasn’t started yet, but you might start seeing invitations like this on the front page.
If you haven’t gotten one personally, fret not. They don’t seem to do anything. Clicking Not interested… simply causes the invitation to appear again upon the next refresh. Clicking I’d like to help! makes the invitation go away. But it doesn’t change anything on the Festival page.
But reading the flavor text on each invitation is kinda neat. There’s Illusen’s invitation…
Fair enough, Illusen isn’t the one who defied orders like Jhudora. Speaking of Jhudora…
You have to bring your own food to Jhudora’s festival??? But on the other hand, it is October. And it’s hard to compete with Jhudora’s spooky atmosphere this time of year. It’s October, should we not be turning our attention towards Halloween-themed things? Maybe Illusen is one of those faeries who skips straight to counting down to Christmas once September rolls around?
Presently there is no FAQ. But what we do know from this is that the Charity Corner aspect lasts from October 9th to October 19th. 11 days of donating. Consider yourself conscripted in the Festival Wars if you choose to participate. - We’ve speculated on the possibility of this… Faerity Questival… being a prologue/lead-in to the upcoming plot. And again, not everything that has to do with faeries is a tie-in with The Void Within just because it’s about a faerie. But if this ISN’T a tie-in with The Void Within, that’s still relevant information as far as speculating on what’s in store. If the Faerie Festival is entirely unrelated to the upcoming plot, the chances of Jhudora and/or Illusen being the focal “certain faerie” drastic go down. So we can be pretty certain in ruling them out, narrowing down the candidates/making it look a lot more likely that the plot is about Baelia. Because unless Jhudora and Illusen are incredibly popular, it’s probably not so that they’d star in not one, but TWO events that aren’t related to each other.
But even if Jhudora and Illusen aren’t the “focal faeries,” that doesn’t mean this Festival isn’t a lead-in to the plot. If only in the sense that it’s an event happening in Neopia, and Neopia is paying more attention to the events that happen in the world. Here’s what we do know: Fyora has officially acknowledged that Neopia is going through an industrial/technological boom. And it has produced smog that has clouded Neopia’s atmosphere. You might remember that Mira and Kari were talking about this during the Festival of Neggs. Remember? How Mira specifically name dropped Illusen as having wanted to talk to her about this problem? And now Illusen is saying that she, Mira, and Landelbrot have been working on a solution. Some alternative energy ideas that, hopefully, leave less of a carbon footprint. See? If nothing else, the Festival of Neggs has led into the Faerity Questival. If only because every story in Neopia is aware of every other story in Neopia.
But perhaps more telling? All this stuff about technological booms hearkens back to when Obsidian Co./the mysterious Moltaran tower appeared. And remember what Aesop said of it back then?
Oh, a tower you say? How strange! Now that you mention it, I do see an unfamiliar building jutting out across the Moltara skyline… We have heard some rumblings that the influx of technological advances across Neopia has led to entirely new businesses and corporations sprouting up all over the globe. Perhaps this new high-rise is connected? Whatever the case, I hope we are lucky enough to get a peek inside soon. Maybe even sometime this year… ~~Aesop
This was said back in February of this year, back when “a plot some time later this year” was the big content they were teasing. So, Obsidian Co. is definitely tied to this Festival. It is a product of Neopia’s technological boom. That much we know. Whether Obsidian Co. and the technological boom are plot related, that’s still speculation. But if Obsidian Co. is plot related, then so is this Faerie Festival. And for that, we should pay close attention. Because it would mean the battle for whatever threatens Neopia is happening right now.
It would also mean that this plot is about Neopia’s “technological boom.” Which raises the question: How much of an “industrial revolution” has taken place? Thing about the stories that take place in Neopia is, you don’t always immediately see their effects take hold on Neopets.com. Give or take Obsidian Co. appearing on the Moltaran map. So, canonically, is Fyora saying that factories have sprouted up everywhere? In all Neopian nations? What technology does each land have now? Jhudora mentioned the factories pumping out “pollution machines.” Would those be something like “cars?” If so, does Neovia have cars now? Does Meridell have cars now? Because as you probably noticed, each land has a theme/aesthetic, and in cases of lands like Neovia and Meridell, these themes/aesthetics depend on NOT having technology. Neovia, for instance. It’s a 19th century Victorian type city. If you introduce cars, it stops being that. Meridell is medieval. You introduce cars, it stops being that. So… IF lands like Meridell have cars and phones and whatnot, does that mean we’re going to see these lands modernize? Maybe in the plot? Will we trade Castle Meridell for Meridell Palace/Manor? Will Skarl stop walking around in regalia and put on a stately looking power suit? Will he be driven around in a bulletproof royal limousine?
If this technological boom isn’t what the plot is about, then we should see this question answered before the plot happens. But it really does look like this is what it has all been leading to. This “technological revolution…” we first heard mention of it in the Editorial of Times Issue #946…
That is an EXCELLENT point. Neopets is ready for a technological revolution. I’m here for it. Get Nigel a real car! We’ll make sure we adjust the Neopian Times submission rules, but going forward from this editorial, technology is allowed in submissions. ~~Gutterfoot
October 15th, 2021. And by July 29th, 2022, the “screenplay” as it were for this upcoming plot had already been written. A “globetrotting adventure.” And what is it that seems to be consistent across the Neopian globe? What would unite Neopia as such to necessitate an adventure around the globe and not just in one place? A Neopia on the technological grow. Guess there’s good reason the mysterious character from the plot teaser looks so sci-fi.
9th September, 2023
- Brief bit of news, almost didn’t even report this one. On September 5th there was a livestreamed AMA featuring the CEO of Neopets, Dominic Law.
Someone asked if/when the Battledome would see new work. He didn’t have very much to say about it as the Battledome is notoriously low priority. But he did say that he understood there would be need for the Battledome to work well enough to facilitate the battling that would take place in the upcoming plot.
Long story short: Battles are on the menu for the upcoming plot. Hence Dominic being concerned that the Dome works well enough for them. This is emphasized futher in the latest Editorial, where Tigerium makes another appearance. Asking straight up if we should train for battle in preparation for the upcoming plot. Staffer Sunpotato had this to say…
*lifts dumbbell and does bicep curl* It does seem as though Neopia could be facing some formidable foes in the future… While it’s always good to keep your neopets healthy and in tip-top shape, you might want to start training a bit harder… * chugs protein shake* Go Beyond! Plus Ultra!
It was probably a reasonable assumption anyway, but now we know. Battling is definitely planned for the upcoming plot. So if you weren’t prepared before, prepare now.
21st July, 2023
- Neopets is at San Diego Comic-Con, booth #1129. But most of us aren’t. Luckily for us, GlitterGirl7000 was. And she’s scooped an intriguing quote from one of the artists present at the convention: We’ve been drawing a lot of Hannah lately… just random stuff.
People are already speculating what this could lead to. As mentioned before, not everything is plot related. But plots demand lots of content work. If your king orders lots of weapons produced and rallies a standing army, AND you know that war is coming, it’s a safe bet that your king is gathering weapons and soldiers for that war. There’s a chance it’s for something else, but strong odds are that it’s for that war. And so it is with plots. If your artists are busy drawing a heavy amount of something, and you know a plot is coming, strong odds those drawings are for the plot.
So is Hannah gonna feature in The Void Within? From what we know, she might be a good fit. It’s a globetrotting adventure, and she is a globetrotting adventurer. There may be spacey/sci-fi elements involved, and she’s been to the moon. But if, IF this adventure is about Baelia, what about Tavi? She’s an adventurer too. Maybe she and Hannah team up. Maybe a stalwart team of heroes is formed and they all get cool gear like the Aisha we see in the silhouette?
Where ever Hannah’s going in the next little while, here’s hoping Armin is invited. He’s very protective.
17th July, 2023
- PLOT (tentatively?) TITLED
Bear with us, while you were busy Altador Cupping, a few things happened that led to this.
Recently it was announced that JumpStart and its subsidiaries would be “sunsetting.” An industry term meaning “going away.” Shutting down. All of its subsidiaries… except Neopets. JumpStart and Neopets are still owned by NetDragon, it’s just that NetDragon has decided to retire everything under the JumpStart umbrella. Except Neopets. Might’ve made a post about this, but per the June 15th New Features Neostaff stressed that this wasn’t anything that would affect Neopets. So the 30th came and went without a hitch, unless you were in Jumpworld at the time.
Fast forward to today. San Diego Comic-Con is coming up, and it’s been promoted with the tagline “The Neopets Era.” Again, didn’t think much of it. We were led to believe the “Neopets Era” was a nostalgic term for the early-to-mid 2000s. Didn’t think anything “new” was meant to come from this. But then around 7AM NST, the Neopets YouTube channel released a video titled A New Era for Neopets! You see the notification. You think “This must be for Comic-Con or something. Okay I’ll give it a watch.” And it turns out that in losing a JumpStart, Neopets may have gained a “jump start” in its content production and brand relevance?
Willow and Ivy announce a changing day for Neopia, with things like… - New leadership, with content driven by independent developer Fluffy Dog Studio and ownership by one Mr. Dominic Law. Neopets is no longer owned by NetDragon.
- Neopets, Inc. is now “World of Neopia, Inc.” Future projects will now be under the direct control of Neopets itself.
- A “Brand Ambassador” program, where… “key members of the Neopets community” will serve as liaisons between Neostaff and the players.
- A new Neopets homepage to serve as a central hub for everything, set to launch July 20th.
- Island Builders is being redeveloped/relaunched as an episodic adventure.
- Neopets Metaverse will now move away from the crypto/NFTs and is being rebranded as “World of Neopets.
- They’re gonna consider just letting us use Ruffle to play the old Flash games, as opposed to converting them all to HTML5.
- A 2 Million Neocash giveaway sweepstakes.
- Speculation is underway again on Board 7. How much can we get out of a title and a silhouette? Well, let’s match it up with what we know. Or what we think we know.
First, the title. The Void Within. What might that mean? Well, first let’s remember that anything can change anytime. But second, let’s assume that this plot being about “a certain faerie” and a story “long overdue for a resolution” will NOT change. Baelia is still a strong candidate for this plot being about her. Maybe the “void” is “within” her? Maybe that’s how Greyness works. Maybe there’s a void within Grey Faeries that saps their energy. But it wouldn’t be much of a plot if there weren’t some grave crisis on the horizon. Maybe this void threatens more than Baelia’s powers. Maybe it threatens her life. Maybe it threatens all of our lives.
There’s also that silhouette. Let’s try to get a feel for what this character might look like. Appears to be an Aisha? With gloves on, and maybe some kind of wrist device. And they’re conjuring some sort of… nebulous… matter in their left hand. Could this be some kind of sci-fi/techy plot? Doesn’t look like an Alien Aisha, only two earstalks are visible. But the hairstyle even looks like something out of Cyberpunk 2077. And to that point, remember how the smoke coming out of Obsidian Co. is named “cybersmoke?” Maybe the “void within” isn’t within a person, but a place. A planet, even? Like Neopia? Maybe there’s a void deep in Neopia and it can be found by visiting Moltara? And we’re going on a globetrotting adventure with high tech influences to save Neopia from whatever is happening to it?
But does that technically make it a “space plot?” Maybe, maybe not. When Aesop was asked about Obsidian Co in that one Editorial, he mentioned an “influx of technological advances across Neopia” and “entirely new businesses and corporations sprouting up all over the globe.” Maybe (though it’s hard to tell without the lens of a plot to show us), advanced tech has spread throughout Neopia. Maybe this is the “New Era” they’re talking about. You might’ve noticed on the Neopets Facebook page, the banner depicts some ‘pets in sci-fi looking suits.
Originally we weren’t thinking much of this “Neopets Era” tagline for Comic-Con. But now we have to consider if maybe this branding isn’t just for Comic-Con, and Comic-Con is being used to promote a much greater evolution for Neopets creatively. Maybe the Aisha looks techy because a lot of Neopia is about to look techy and this plot will give us our first look. You’ll recall Mira was concerned about smog in the atmosphere. Maybe the smog is a byproduct of a drastic ramp-up in industry and technology in Neopia? By companies like Obsidian Co? And maybe all this smog and industry is what created “the void within?” Turning Neopia’s core into a black hole that threatens not just Neopians, but the whole galaxy?
If that be the case, who is our leading faerie here? The one not featured enough? Maybe it is Mira. Maybe this is a little bit of a spacey plot. Or maybe, just maybe… it’ll be up to Baelia to rally us all against certain doom.
6th May, 2023
- The Festival of Neggs is now drawing to a close. The enigmatic Bython has been discovered after an exhausting hunt for neggs, and the secrets of the universe. But before we could wrap this thing up and go home, a Neomail from dogged plot investigator Tigerium came in, bringing something to our attention.
In the epilogue of this adventure, Kari and Mira talk about what they’re gonna do now that the Bython mystery is solved. Them being such good friends, maybe they can hang out? But Mira explains that she’s actually got business in Neopia. See, another mystery is afoot…
Mysterious smog has been discovered in the atmosphere. What does it mean? Consider again Obsidian Co. in Moltara. That tower is belching out smoke, right? And you might think that’s just a coincidence. Inconsequential. There’s lots of smoke and steam in Moltara. But looking at that “moltara_city_v10_HTML5Canvas” file again, we find that this smoke has a name: cybersmoke2. Not just any smoke, but “cyber smoke.”
Also maybe remember that Aesop said this plot will focus on “a certain faerie” that he didn’t feel was featured that much, and a tale “long overdue for a resolution.” To that you might say “But Aesop also said this faerie hadn’t been featured often enough. If you’re implying Illusen is the faerie of focus, is she really ‘not featured enough?'” And true, you could argue that Illusen is one of the most forefront Neopians when it comes to the Neopets brand. But her story is also very much overdue for a resolution. Now, maybe Illusen isn’t the “faerie of focus.” Maybe she just happens to be included in the plot, and the “faerie of focus” is Baelia or someone else. But if she is the “faerie of focus,” then the story overdue for a resolution would have to be her relationship with Jhudora, right? Or maybe the faerie not featured enough is Mira herself? What would be the overdue resolution there?
Speculation abounds on Board 7. A recap of what we know for certain so far: It’ll involve a certain faerie that isn’t featured often enough for Aesop’s liking, it’ll involve multiple Neopian lands, and it’ll involve a story long overdue for a resolution. Who knows, Mira might just be putting on the tsundere act because she doesn’t wanna admit the real reason she’s sticking around is because she likes Kari. But one thing can’t be denied: Obsidian Co is here, and they’re belching out cybersmoke. Should we be concerned?
26th March, 2023
- Might be plot relevant, might not be, but it’s safer to take note of it anyway. Couple days ago the new Times dropped, and in the Editorial we learn a bit about one of the candidates for “Star Of This Upcoming Plot About A Faerie,” Baelia.
Hey TNT! I have come with a question about the Grey Faerie, Baelia. What kind of faerie was she before becoming a grey faerie? ~cara_cara__18
That’s a great question! Although Baelia doesn’t like to speak about her past much, anonymous sources from Faerieland have claimed that she used to be a Light Faerie before losing her wings and powers… ~~Aesop
A key issue in Baelia’s story is what she was before she turned grey. If there is a plot about her, it would probably involve getting powers again and hopefully becoming more like what she used to be? And whether that’s something she should pursue at all or if she should instead move forward? Something to keep in mind.
22nd March, 2023
- And so Lost Fragments comes to a close.
Well done, all! With your help, we were able to gather up all of the shards of New Faerieland that crumbled and fell to Faerieland. With all of the pieces recovered, Luxinia was able to perform the solidifying spell that should keep New Faerieland floating above us for years to come.
Thank you all so much! I’ll keep this prize shop open to make sure everyone can spend the points they earned. New Faerieland will be thriving in no time. I hope to have it ready for you all to visit someday soon!
Sadly, no word on whether or not it was a mistake that we didn’t get our half day. They found time to address the Varia Bomb glitch, but not this. Maybe that means we were never supposed to get that half day, despite the scheduling making room for it? - So, was this all just a fun little plug for the Faerie’s Hope mobile game, and an opportunity for a chosen few in the right time zones to get some fabulous prizes? Potentially. Maybe so many things are faerie related not because they’re all related to an upcoming faerie plot… but because faerie themed content is simply very popular. But if this IS a lead-in to the plot to come, how? What is established for us by this event? What “story” has been told, and what story is there to potentially come? If this even is that side event meant to go along with the Faerie Questival, didn’t they say it was gonna have a bit of story to it? Whether or not that story was meant to springboard a future plot, we should at least know what story was told here, right? If this was the Faerie Questival tie-in?
Well, if you didn’t play enough Faerie’s Hope, this event actually reveals to us some interesting backstory into how Faerieland itself came to be. Once the New Faerieland Fragments are gathered, Luxinia said she wanted to use the Gift of Calabrus to save her new city. But wait, Calabrus? Where have we heard that name?
Oh yeah, Calabrus the Cloud Aisha.
Per Aesop’s M.O., she’s an old character that up until now had little to no backstory. So what have they done with her regarding this event/Faerie’s Hope? Well, have a look at the descriptions for the two prizes “Trinket of Calabrus” and “Gift of Calabrus.”
Given to Queen Fyora so long ago that not even she can remember using it, it is said to be one of the most powerful artefacts in Neopia! Unfortunately, it fell into the wrong hands many years ago and disappeared, but it was recently found on the only remaining piece of Faerieland in the sky!…but this one is just a fun replica!
When used by individuals of great magical power, it can create land in the sky!
The implications are clear: Long ago, so SOOOO long ago in time out of thought, there was Fyora and there was Calabrus. Calabrus gave Fyora the gift to create land in the sky, and she used it to create Faerieland.
With this introduced, opportunities for exploration have now come up. Questions are now raised, questions like “How powerful is Luxinia to be able to use the Gift to save New Faerieland?” Fyora supposedly used it to create Faerieland, does that mean Luxinia, in being able to save New Faerieland with the Gift, is as powerful as Fyora? Or maybe less so because it’s only a small chunk, not a whole Faerieland? Does being able to create land in the sky with the Gift alone make Luxinia as powerful as Fyora? Something worth exploring in the hopefully near future. If Luxinia is on a similar tier as Fyora, it would make sense symbolically. Fyora is the leader of Faerieland, Luxinia is the leader of New Faerieland.
With this, we also bring up the topic of a time in Neopia when faeries were new in the world. From here, we could explore more of that. What was it like back then? Who else of note was around, besides Calabrus and Fyora? Perhaps King Altador? Back in the days before Altador was founded? If Altador is still alive today, what about Calabrus? And with the topic of faeries being new in the world, we also have the topic of where faeries came from when first landed in Neopia. The book Faeries from Paradise seems to imply that they come from a place called “Paradise.” Or if that’s not its name, it’s probably pretty… paradisical?
We’ve been talking all about it over on Board 7. Events that are prologues to plots tend to be about introducing things that plots later explore deeper. What this event has introduced to Neopets.com is Luxinia, and the history of how Faerieland was built. A plot about ancient Neopia/the Faerie Homeworld and what relevance it might have to Luxinia and the modern day? That’s a story millennia overdue for a resolution. But once again, it might just be faerie content for the sake of faerie content. We can only stay tuuuuuuned…
16th March, 2023
- It’s March 16th, and unfortunately it seems despite how things appeared, despite the same-day completion rewards, they are not doing the typical day-and-a-half for Lost Fragments? People on Board 7 are reporting being able to find more shards today, as if a new day had started. As opposed yesterday only being a continuation of today.
But the hour is early, maybe this is just a glitch? We’ll keep you posted.
15th March, 2023
- NEW EVENT UNDERWAY
Same-day completion is rewarded so let’s get right into it. If you were in Faerieland this morning you would’ve seen a big Walein hovering over the Faerie City skyline.
…but odds are you likely saw the Walein first in the New Features.There appears to be something going on in Faerieland! An unusually large Walein is floating above Queen Fyora’s castle. Perhaps someone should investigate that!!
Head into Faerie City, and precariously close to the Hidden Tower you’ll find the Walein, and a link to something called Lost Fragments.
A city of faeries in the sky? Where are you? If you’ve ever played Faerie’s Hope (available now on Android and iOS) you know what this is all about. But in case you haven’t, you should know that since The Faeries’ Ruin there are still chunks of Faerieland that haven’t fallen. Yet. And on one of those chunks was a Faerie trapped in some kinda… weird pink crystal. Fyora freed her from her crystal prison, but unfortunately she came out of it with amnesia. Prompting us the players to give her a name. And the rest? Well, it’s a map building mobile game where you build your own NEW Faerieland in the clouds. Which you can also name, but the default/canon name is “New Faerieland.” And that’s where we are now.
Speaking of default/canon names, up until now the amnesiac faerie didn’t have one. The game wouldn’t give you one. But this event gives her one. Her name, canonically, is Luxinia now. And she seems committed to keeping her New Faerieland alive, as opposed to moving downstairs like all the other faeries.Hello Neopians! I’d like to introduce Luxinia, a Light Faerie who was stranded on a piece of Faerieland that remained floating in the sky while the rest crashed down. With great determination, she has begun to rebuild a new Faerieland around that piece of the past. However, as you can see, we need your help.Hello, what the Queen says is true! We have been able to slowly rebuild, but we are still learning how this magic works. It seems we never cast a spell to solidify the main island of New Faerieland and now pieces of it are crumbling, sending clumps of pink soil raining down on Neopia! If we can gather up all the pieces, I can perform a spell using the Gift of Calabrus to save the island! But it’s too much for my friends and me to do alone. If you could help, I would be eternally grateful! I’d even be happy to reward you for your efforts with some wonderful prizes my friends in New Faerieland either created or collected for me.
Clicking Help Luxinia enters you into the event.Be sure to keep an eye out for shards of New Faerieland soil! The recently fallen pieces have a bit of a gleam to them, so they should be easy to spot. The more you bring me, the more wonderful prizes you can earn!
From here you can search either the greater Faerieland area, or Faerie City specifically. Or you can scroll down a bit and have a look at the prizes you can win. Faerie Paint Brush… Shield of Faerieland??? Some of these prizes are bananas. Get in on it by by scouring for samples of Faerieland dirt.
Head out to either Faerieland or Faerie City. You’ll likely have to check both. Your maps might look something like this.
They might be hard to see, Faerieland is very pink. But there are clickable crystals there now. Click one, and if you did this on the day of release you’ll get this message…
…along with this avatar.
You can either Bring to Luxinia and go back to New Faerieland to check your current point total, or Keep Searching to close the prompt and keep looking for crystal dirt.
Can’t find that last crystal? Pressed for time? Just don’t like a challenge? What you could also do is use your browser’s Inspect tool. Open it up, scroll down to where you start seeing fh23-shard and hover your cursor over it. Your browser will highlight the element.
A la Festival of Neggs, a set amount of crystal dirt can be found per release day. You get five crystals per day. So after you find today’s five, you’re done until the next release day. Which will be the 17th because this is a same-day completion event and we get a day and a half for those. Event lasts from today to March 22nd. And again, today was just a half day, tomorrow is the official first whole day. So that’s 7 official days of crystal hunting. Finding crystals on the day of release earns you 5 points per crystal. Finding them late only earns you 1 point per crystal. It’s all there in the FAQ.
So… finding all 35 crystals on the day of release gets you a maximum of 175 points. Find your crystals now, make your wishlists later. - But is it plot related?
It’s all still speculation at this point. But remember that Faerie Quest event they planned on having last year, which was supposed to have a second event tied into it? Remember how it kinda seemed possible that this was gonna be a lead up to a plot because why else would they tie in a new thing to Faerie Quests?
Well… potentially just to advertise Faerie’s Hope. But y’know what comes to mind? Y’know who else’s story is long overdue for a resolution? In that she spent these last many years locked in amnesia stone? Luxinia. Not “long overdue” from the perspective of a player of a website called Neopets.com, but in-universe absolutely. And what’s more, she’s a faerie. Just the clever trickery Neostaff likes to pull. Or this could all just be to promote Faerie’s Hope. Either way, if a plot is on the way you want these prizes anyway. If nothing else? Free gear. For when the bad guys attack.
2nd March, 2023
- Turns out Aesop is the man to talk to regarding this plot. Did you know Neopets has a podcast now? It’s called Nosy Neopians, it’s hosted by staffers Willow and Ivy and goes up once a month on the Neopets YouTube channel. Kind of a long walk between episodes, but if your concerns were plotly then you’re in luck because the March episode of Nosy Neopians features Aesop, whose formal title is revealed to be “Narrative Designer.” Also known as “resident loremaster.” He’s the guy who keeps the storybook of Neopia.
A few bits of trivia on Aesop…
Favorite Species(es): Shoyru, Scorchio, Draik (he likes dragons)
Favorite Plot(s): The Faeries’ Ruin, but it might be tied with The Altador (Mini) Plot.
Favorite Character: Sophie the Swamp Witch
Favorite Land: Kreludor
First Item(s) Introduced To The Site: Wasteland Gelert outfit
As the man with the stories to tell about Neopia, do these favorites inform what types of stories he’s inclined to tell? Maybe? Will we see Sophie featured in this plot, maybe? On the other hand, these interests are maybe too varied. As much as Aesop likes these things, “Sophie vs. Dragons on the Moon” is probably not a cogent concept. But then again this is Neopia. - But what about the plot we’re having next? The one about the faerie and the overdue resolution? At 16:49 they get into it. Aesop’s words…
Yes, I can talk about plots. We do have a few we’ve been talking about, there’s one we’ve been working really hard on. We have a team internally that has been, for the past year or two, picking apart how we’re gonna tackle it? And we’re getting in pretty good shape from the narrative side of things.
I don’t wanna give away too much, I definitely can’t. I’ll let you know now that we will visit a couple of different lands across Neopia, it’s not gonna be just focused on one. It’s gonna be more of a… global adventure. It’ll focus on a certain faerie who I don’t think we’ve featured enough? So I’m really excited to have them in the limelight. And we’re also gonna be bringing in a couple other characters that have not been featured quite enough, as well as some really new exciting characters. And possibly some older characters that you may have only seen art of but never actually had much of a story about.
Let’s dissect this. First, it’s a global adventure, not specifically focused on just one land. So if the Obsidian Co. tower is tied to this upcoming plot, and more lands will also be tied to this upcoming plot, maybe we should be keeping an eye open for more mysterious appearances/plot devices in Neopia? Maybe Kreludor very well could be a land featured in this plot. Speaking of features, the focus appears to be taking characters who are underfeatured and beefing them up storywise. This makes speculation at once complicated and intriguing. Because they’re not going for big names here. They’re going for names overdue for some time in the limelight. So it might be fun to ask yourself “Who do YOU think needs some time in the limelight? Who have you been waiting to hear from again?” But at the same time, if a character has been without features for some time, odds are you and we all don’t even remember them. Because if you do remember them, maybe that means this character isn’t “underfeatured” enough to get into this plot? Maybe it’s not even about Baelia. Maybe she’s too “mainstream” for this hipster plot. Grey Faeries do give out Quests, after all.
Long story short, it’s a debate over which characters need the feature the most. One area we might look into? Characters that we’ve only seen art of, but never actually seen featured in many (if any) stories. Again, tough to get inside Aesop’s head about this kind of thing. Take last year’s Festival of Neggs, for instance. Brought back an absolute deep cut: Professor J. Kugar.
What’s he from? Exactly. But if you have to know, he’s from the very very old Neopedia article about the discovery of Gruslens.
Maybe a good place to start is scouring old Neopedia articles, ID by ID? Or how about the old Neodeck spoiler list? The original home of characters with art but no story. If this is a faerie-related story, maybe we’ll see the Tooth Faerie? Talk about your underfeatured characters…
But if you want the best chance of predicting who will be featured in what, first you need to know what the story is about. Take Kugar, for instance. Why Kugar? Because they wanted to tell a story about the discovery of the Talpidat, and a character with experience in Petpet discovery was a good fit. So to circle back to the start, what is this story about? It’s a heartfelt tale involving a certain faerie, it’s long overdue for a resolution, and it’s gonna be a “global adventure.” Start there, and branch out. Speculation is sure to get underway on Board 7, make sure to share your thoughts there!
24th February, 2023
- Seems like Aesop is the man to talk to regarding this plot. We’ve got another tidbit out of the latest Editorial today, courtesy of him and reader Tigerium, who asks about the Obsidian Co. tower in Moltara…
Howdy TNT! We’ve recently noticed a new (ominous looking) tower pop up in Moltara. Do you or the meepits have an intel on this rather strange occurrence? Will this tower be featured or accessed soon perhaps? ~tigerium
And Aesop responds…
Oh, a tower you say? How strange! Now that you mention it, I do see an unfamiliar building jutting out across the Moltara skyline… We have heard some rumblings that the influx of technological advances across Neopia has led to entirely new businesses and corporations sprouting up all over the globe. Perhaps this new high-rise is connected? Whatever the case, I hope we are lucky enough to get a peek inside soon. Maybe even sometime this year… ~~Aesop
Discussions are still ongoing at Board 7, where Tigerium himself showed up to contribute. Now, it’s still just speculation that this mysterious tower is plot related at all. But if it is, the takeaway from this latest Editorial is that Obsidian Co is a new company presumably in the tech sector. And that “Maybe even sometime this year…” really suggests it’s probably plot related, as it’s the main bit of new content on the 2023 Roadmap. So what would a Moltaran corporation (that’s probably in the tech sector) have to do with “a heartfelt tale involving a certain faerie long overdue for a resolution?” If the faerie in question is Baelia, and this is a tech company, maybe Baelia (for want of magic) decides to pursue tech-related augmentation? She lost her magic, she can’t be Superman, so maybe she opts for being Batman? Because getting a new name wouldn’t be the way to go? Or maybe Obsidian Co. is the very company that finds her new name?
But the faerie in question might not be Baelia. A lot of people think “tech” and their minds go to Sloth. Tigerium theorizes that if this is a Sloth plot, the faerie in question is Mira. But where does the long overdue resolution come in? Or the heartfeltedness? Perhaps the resolution is an answer to the question of “Where has Sloth been all this time since he was trapped in Mira’s token?” And the heartfelt aspect is Sloth and Mira’s burgeoning romance? Snarkie seemed to be a fan of SlothxMira, so there does appear to be precedent.
But maybe the most important takeaway is the “Maybe” in “Maybe even sometime this year.” The Roadmap is long and fraught with charts unvoyaged for years. Neostaff seems committed to eating their vegetables before they have any dessert, so the plot is probably not coming until Release 0.5.4. And as of right now, it seems they’re working on the Inventory updates in Release 0.5.1. So we’re gonna have to continue to be patient. March will soon be upon us, and in all honesty there will likely be a dearth of content. According to the Roadmap. And it does hold the most uninteresting day of the year. But be strong. Obsidian is coming. And a lot of other things. Like spring, and the Festival of Neggs!
20th December, 2022
- Hot news for your Borovan Day brews. First things first, Neostaff was better than their word. Late last night they got an early start on their 2023 Roadmap by launching Release 0.5.0. Not just before the new year, but before Christmas.
That’s cool and all, but what does that have to do with plots? Well, there’s one update to the maps they didn’t explicitly mention. Check out Moltara. Notice anything different about the skyline? Between the water tower and Town Hall? A mysterious building with horns that wasn’t there before?
For comparison, look at the original Moltara map. As you can see, the building wasn’t there until last night.
Investigations are already underway on Board 7. And historically, a good place to start any Neopian investigation is to View Source. Rawbeee Inspected the “moltara_city_v10_HTML5Canvas” file and found that the coordinates for that building are designated under some new code titled Obsidian Co. Some… shady corporation dealing in obsidian?
Now, you’d be right to question what a confirmed faerie plot would have to do with a mysterious obsidian company. Faerieland is a long walk from Moltara. But this is too suspicious an update to ignore. Shades of the Obelisk appearing in Tyrannia. Lutari Island plot a dead end? Sure. Celandra featuring in the plot a dead end? Maybe. But to quote a very plotly avatar, “what does it mean?” Shenkuu didn’t have a faerie before The Wraith Resurgence. Moltara presently doesn’t have a faerie, maybe it ties in through that? Moltara getting its patron faerie? Worst case scenario, it’ll go the way of the Spotted Xweetok from Resurgence, scrapped content that was at least at one point meant to be in the plot.
2023 looks to be an interesting fiscal year for this “Obsidian Co.” From the looks of how sinister the building is, someone may be preparing to fight them. Maybe us. Maybe sell your shares now?
13th December, 2022
- Coming to you from the Winter Starlight Celebration with an update on recent speculation/investigation on our part regarding the 2023 Faerie tale plot to come. Remember how Neostaff said Celandra might “be out and about soon?” And what with us having a faerie-centric plot soon we speculated that Celandra might be tied to that in some way?
It might not be a “plot,” but the Advent Calendar has been heavy on comics this year. And today’s comic took place somewhere in Faerieland at Christmastime…
There you have it, an appearance by Celandra. One might consider this “out and about.” Seems like this was the appearance Neostaff was hinting at in that Editorial. Not a plot appearance.
Does this mean Celandra won’t be appearing in the upcoming faerie-centric plot? Maybe, maybe not. Neostaff has been nothing if not unpredictable. But it does seem like this was the original plan and Celandra intersecting with any plot stuff has not been penciled in… yet. So continue to keep an eye out, and may the New Year be happy.
21st November, 2022
- A stealth update before Neostaff heads out for Thanksgiving break. They didn’t announce it in the New Features or anything yet, but they’ve released a Roadmap for 2023. Most likely tentative, as all plans on Neopets.com are. Spoilers for what might happen in 2023!
Screenshot was taken tonight, as far as we know they might add to it or change it. But as of right now, the plot is listed on the roadmap under Release 0.5.4. But what does that mean? Does it mean they won’t be launching the plot until after they finish everything in Releases 0.5.0-3? Or that they at least intend to hold off on the plot until they everything in Releases 0.5.0-3? Such is the ebb and flow of the day to day on Neopets. This is why they don’t update the Coming Soon page. There’s too much that can’t be predicted to say for sure what will be for sure.
That’s why we keep track of these updates. Maybe we will get the plot after we finish our vegetables. Or maybe something new will happen between then and now to change the schedule? Stay tuned.
10th October, 2022
- Hello again, still no new updates on the plot or any events that may or may not be a prologue to them. Just a quick update on some speculation from October 7th. It would appear Aesop did not actually quit. First evidenced by his return to Board 7 today. To post the November Pet Day Suggestions thread.
Yeah, turns out it was a simple mistake on Aesop’s part that lost him his TNT designation on his account. Probably’ll get fixed at some point. Good news. Neopets is at least one staff member richer than we initially might’ve thought. But this only makes the mystery of why the Questival hasn’t happened yet even more puzzling. They sent e-mails and everything, well after the breach was addressed.
And so we return to waiting for further updates. Until then, happy high holidays and fingers crossed that things get moving sooner rather than later.
7th October, 2022
- September has ended. You might’ve noticed that, so far, we haven’t had that Faerie Quest event. What gives? Well, the Editorial of Neopian Times #970 comes with a bit of bad news.
Unlaced_ asked the question on a lot of minds: What happened to the Faerie Festival? And Yarner responded…
Unfortunately, due to issues outside of our control, our development team has been focused on making Neopets safer for each of our users. Once these issues have been resolved to our liking we will move forward with the Haunted Mansion and the holiday events. We still have the Faerie Festival event planned and ready for development and we are very excited for you to see it once we can fit it in!
So there you have it. The Questival is postponed until “whenever it happens.” Due to issues outside of Neostaff’s control. Yarner actually opens this Editorial with a bit more on these issues, responding to a question with In 2022, we had items pop up that were outside of our control which pivoted our emphasis on updating security systems. - So, what actually caused this postponement? Is Yarner talking about the breach that happened earlier this summer? Well… potentially yes. That was a thing that happened in 2022. But here’s the other thing about that. They were dealing with that way back in August. Their “new” mission to enhance security was something that was underway in August, before they sent out that September mailer that mention the Faerie Festival/Quest event + bonus event. So isn’t it clear they meant to do and were able to do both things at one point? What could’ve changed between then and now to prevent them from doing both things, maybe perhaps?
Here’s something that’s changed between then and now: Semi-prominent Neostaffer Mac has resigned. On August 9th of this year they were appointed Community Liaison. But on September 16th they announced they were hittin’ the road.
Now you might be thinking “Well, what’s a ‘Community Liaison?’ Isn’t that just a glorified spokesperson? Was Mac actually involved in the creation of content?” There’s a good chance they were. Neostaffers in this day and age are known to pull multiple duties. On top of that? We may have also lost Aesop. If you visit his October Pet Day Suggestions thread, you’ll find that his account has lost the “TNT Developer” tag it used to have. As well as the TNT avatar.
Is he actually gone? How much does losing the TNT avatar and tag have to do with no longer working for Neopets? Because as of today, Mac still has TNT powers on their account and Mac is definitely gone. So maybe that’s a separate thing, and Aesop is still here? Just opting not to have an account on the site anymore for some reason? Because also as of today, we still haven’t had one of his trademark Pet Day Suggestions threads. November is coming soon, if those threads meant anything to him he wouldn’t just abandon them while also still working here. Would he?
So maybe the most affecting issue here isn’t the breach from the summer. Maybe it’s loss of staff like Mac and Aesop. The theory isn’t bulletproof, for instance Mac said their last day would be the 23rd, and the Calendar lists the official recognition for the Faerie Festival as September 20th. So you’d think there was still a little time left for Mac to do whatever they were needed for as far as the Questival, if they were needed for the Questival. After all, Aesop had time to Edit this latest issue of the Times. If he’s even gone. But if Mac and Aesop ARE both gone, what if they aren’t the only two resignations? What if this is a bigger exodus than we know? Wouldn’t that affect content like the Questival?
As it stands, not even Neostaff knows when the Questival will be. But so far no one’s said anything about the actual carrot at the end of the stick: The 2023 plot. That projection, as far as we know, still holds true. So enjoy your Halloween and Christmas and other high holidays until the New Year rings in. Somewhere around then at the latest we should get our next update.
9th September, 2022
- It looks like news? Maybe? You will recall that a plot is on the way regarding “a certain faerie long overdue for a resolution.” Well, in the Editorial of Neopian Times #968, Black_Skull725 brings up a very, very very old character named Celandra. Fyora’s maid.
Featured in this Neopedia article about the Hidden Tower from February 7th, 2001. Then basically never heard from again. Some might say “She was written for convenience, Neopia has evolved since then. If she were important she would’ve been featured in other stuff by now.” But Black_Skull725 has more consideration for her, asking So what happened to Celandra? Does she still work for Her Majesty? Please explain this important mystery! Thanks! Stone responds with some intriguing hints…
I’m sure Celandra is happy to know you are thinking of her! There’s no need to worry, though. She is still happily working for and gossiping with Queen Fyora! Do keep an eye out for her as she may be out and about soon!
Again, we’re having some kind of faerie-relevant plot soon. And Celandra is a faerie-relevant character. Does this mean she’ll be in the plot? Is this where she makes her return? - Or maybe she’ll be making her debut in the upcoming Faerie Questival tie-in event they mentioned, which might also be tied to the plot? If you’re not one of the many with e-mail issues that were locked out of their accounts by the recent security measures, you may have gotten a “Here’s what’s in store on Neopets.com for September” e-mail. And in it they mention the Faerie Festival (plus Faerie Quest event). But they also mention what they call “a post-Faerie Festival site event.”
Now, there is somewhat of a semantics debate here. Because what we first heard on July 29th was we are also working on a short but very exciting story to go along with the Faerie Quest events this year! With “along” being the operative word, which would imply “concurrently.” At the same time. But here they mention some kind of event that comes specifically “after” the Faerie Questival event. So… are we getting TWO tie-in events? One that runs WITH the Questival, and one that happens after? Probably not. Probably more likely the event happens right after the Questing. In such a way that “along with” would still be an accurate descriptor of the event. But keep your eyes peeled anyway.
We’ll know for sure in a couple of weeks. Faerie Festival’s official date is listed as September 20th. In the meantime, if Celandra is tied into this, what might this plot be about? How does she tie in? She’s Fyora’s servant, not Baelia’s, not Jhudora’s, not Illusen’s. Maybe she and Fyora have one of their gossip sessions, serving as exposition for what the plot will be about? Some whispers in the faerie world that will lead to the plot’s happening? Food for thought until the next update.
30th July, 2022
- Discussion is underway on Board 7 as everyone becomes aware of the latest plot hint. In this thread, for instance, some deeper consideration is given to the “certain faerie” and the long overdue resolution.
Baelia is a leading theory, but no longer the only leading theory. In that thread, thought was given to The Darkest Faerie, for instance. Where we last left off with her, she had gone into hiding after being stuck with a magic ring (of her own making) that was sapping her of life. And her minion Reizo too for that matter. What’s gonna happen to either of them?
King Altador, who was supposed to be looking for her but somehow missed her return and re-disapperance, put up a monument to calm people’s fears and remind them of heroism in Neopia. Bizarrely, he made TDF the centerpiece?
But that was back in early 2018. Is that really “long” overdue? If not, maybe the intertwined tale of Jhudora and Illusen is.
For one, they were introduced even before Baelia. Baelia was introduced in April 2003. Jhudora was introduced on February 13th, 2002. Illusen was introduced on July 30th, 2002 with Meridell. And with her introduction the rivalry was established. For two, last year Neostaff released some surveys about what our favorite characters, plots, and so on were.
1. Favorite Character Survey, posted to the February 20th, 2021 New Features
2. Favorite Plots/Events, posted to the April 8th, 2021 New Features
3. Roadmap 2022, posted to the November 18th, 2021 New Features
When you look at exit polls from the various places Neostaff posted these surveys and where people were talking about them, Illusen and the events related to her rank among the most popular. So if these surveys were taken to figure out, say, what kinds of plots to make? Aiming to include the characters and concepts people find most popular? It’s believable that Illusen ranked highly in those surveys, maybe even the highest, and now Neostaff wants to give us what we asked for by making a plot about her.
In case you don’t know what Illusen and Jhudora’s story is, Jhudora is an evil faerie scheming some grand evil scheme. You do quests for her, and you help her get closer to her goal. Originally it was maybe supposed to be some kind of secret that she was evil, but over the past 20 years her portrayal has changed a bit. The implication is that Illusen is working against Jhudora, offering quests of her own to further her own goals of trying to stop whatever Jhudora’s plan is. So Jhudora must also work against Illusen, to stop her plan from being… stopped. And that’s where the reputation of their rivalry comes from. Nowadays (what with most of this story coming from decades old Neopedia stories) the details are forgotten to time and the two of them are mostly just know for fighting each other for mysterious reasons and hating the things that the other likes. Jhudora hates nice, cute things. Illusen hates mean, dark things.
But remember that stuff about portrayals changing over the years? Well, Jhudora (and dark faeries as a whole) have been shown in a kinder light. Back in the early 2000s they were all agents of evil. But nowadays it’s a very popular take to say that dark faeries are misunderstood. That it’s even an outdated perspective to say that dark faeries are more inclined to villainy than other faeries. This has also gone for Jhudora. Again, you can’t really watch older Advent Calendar scenes right now, but over the years during the Advent Calendar, Jhudora was shown doing thing like baking heart shaped cookies and sitting around being sad that she’s alone during the holidays. And yet, in public, every Illusen Day she’ll complain about how much she hates Petpets and Cheery Blossoms. Perhaps she doth protest too much to hide her true feelings?
The prospect of a Jhudora and/or Illusen plot offers opportunities to address questions like “What is Jhudora actually trying to do?” Back in 2002 the answer was probably just “Become powerful enough and cunning enough to fight whatever forces of good keep her from taking over. Or destroying the world. Or whatever.” Y’know, general big bad stuff. But if we’re going for a “Jhudora isn’t actually that evil” angle, maybe even a “Jhudora actually likes Illusen” angle? We start to ask a little more of Jhudora’s motivations. Was she doing this just to have something to be close to Illusen for? Was she never after conquering Neopia, and her sights were set only on Illusen? Or maybe her plans for Neopia were to make a world more suited to her own happy ending with her and the heart shaped cookies and the non-lonely holidays and maybe even Illusen? Bear in mind, Aesop said this would be a “heartfelt” tale. Emotions of the heart are involved somehow. And what stronger emotion of the heart is there than feelings for another person? It’s pretty safe to say that this will be a love story. What kind of love is the thing that’s not clear. - But maybe it’s a mistake looking for a story about a faerie that’s overdue for a resolution. Or maybe we’re being pedantic about wording. But the words were ” a heartfelt tale involving a certain faerie long overdue for a resolution.” What if it’s a tale that originally was long overdue for a resolution, and for this upcoming sequel it’ll involve this “certain faerie?” Would these words still be true?
Because the question of what land this plot will be set in/focus on has been brought up in this thread. And if it’s about a “certain faerie,” doesn’t that mean it has to involve whatever lands that faerie is associated with? If this is a plot about Illusen and/or Jhudora, you can’t just set it anywhere. Can you? So maybe it’s about some other long unresolved story, and there just happens to be a faerie in it. Making it much easier to set it in, say, Kiko Lake.
But 1iberal is more interested in seeing it set in Meridell or Terror Mountain. How possible is that if this plot must be about Illusen, or Baelia? Well, Illusen lives in Meridell, right? And Baelia was kept on a mountain. Maybe it was Terror Mountain? Maybe that’s where Jennumara lives? So if you’re like 1iberal, you might be in luck.
But what would you like out of this plot? What lands do you want to see? What characters? In times where it’s so fashionable to talk about the things you don’t like, perhaps Neopia is better served by people talking about what they do like. What they should see. What they want. The only way to be productive, to be constructive, is to be the change you want to see. So take some time to think that over, and we’ll be back when the next news breaks.
29th July, 2022…
- Late breaking development in the next plot to come. Not one later down the line, but the one planned to come next year. Aesop once again takes the question in Neopian Times Editorial #965. Saying…
As for the plot, our narrative team has already mapped out most of the storyline, and we are tentatively aiming for the release of the first chapters next year. Once we get through some of the upcoming events such as the Faerie Festival and Advent Calendar, we will likely start having some of the other disciplines join us in working on the plot! Although I don’t want to give too much away, I can say that the next plot will be a heartfelt tale involving a certain faerie long overdue for a resolution…
There are at least two takeaways there. First, the storyline is pretty much all written/mapped out. Second? “The next plot will be a heartfelt tale involving a certain faerie long overdue for a resolution.” From this, how much deeper can we speculate? Can we come up with something more specific? What faerie tales are long overdue for a resolution? There are a few tales that could be consider overdue for a sequel. But probably the longest overdue? Coming up on 20 years (especially when you consider this plot starts next year)? Baelia’s tale. Posted to the April 18th, 2003 New Features in the Neopedia. The article that introduced grey faeries to the lore of Neopia.
In summary, a “darkness faerie” (we call them dark faeries almost exclusively nowadays) named Jennumara managed to capture a faerie who was powerless, wingless, and grey. Held her on a mountain somewhere, in a cage with a magic lock. Watched over by her shadow minions. When one day a mountain climber named Tavi arrived. And she’s all like “Who are you?” The grey faerie tries to answer, but can’t for some reason. The grey faerie then looks at the lock and is all like “Help me! Rescue me!” Tavi is all like “How?” And the grey faerie is all like “This lock is magic. Whisper the lock’s name and it will open.” And Tavi is all like “So what’s the lock’s name?” And the grey faerie says “I can’t say.”
The lock taunts Tavi. But in a game of riddles, Tavi figures out the lock’s name. Tavi asks the lock what the faerie’s name is. Which you probably know by now is Baelia. Tavi’s gambit was that the lock was named after Baelia, and some kind of magic kept Baelia from saying her own name and opening the lock. Which is why she didn’t give her name when asked, but looked at the lock as if to say “It’s that, but I can’t say it. Check with the lock.” Fast friends, Tavi and Baelia conspire to escape and elude the pursuit of Jennumara, for she will be pretty mad to find Baelia missing. But before they make their getaway, Baelia explains one of the defining lore aspects of grey faeries. Or at least Baelia: She lacks the powers and celestial bearing of a faerie without her wings. And in order to get new wings, she needs a new name. Tavi closes this story with a question unanswered for longer than many Neopians have been alive: Exactly how do we do that?
There’s a few unanswered questions here that a potential Baelia plot could answer. How does Baelia get a new name? What does it actually “mean” for a grey faerie to get a new name? Are there consequences? Does she lose her old identity/memories or something? How do you turn a faerie grey anyway? Is Baelia still unable to say the name “Baelia” or was that just for the lock? Who is Jennumara and why did she capture Baelia? Is Jennumara a threat to Neopia like other villains? Would we be fighting her? - In that same Editorial we are also told that we’re getting a Faerie Quest event not next year, but THIS year. In September, around the Faerie Festival.
Yes we are planning on having a small Faerie Quest event around the Faerie Festival this year. Although it might be less expansive than Faerie Festivals in the past, we are also working on a short but very exciting story to go along with the Faerie Quest events this year!
Now you might be saying “But they said we’d be getting a Faerie Quest Event last year and that didn’t pan out.” And you’d be right. But if all goes according to plan, could this Faerie Quest Event be a tie-in/prologue to this “faerie’s resolution” story? After all, The Wraith Resurgence had that. The “plot official,” as in “Chapter 1,” was considered to have started well after that year’s Faerie Festival when the attack happened. By a technicality, the Faerie Festival wasn’t “part of the plot,” its dialogue isn’t included in the story chapters. Even though that’s when the thing that started the plot happened. So it can be considered sort of a prologue. And if this is a story about a faerie getting resolution, what better time to have a prologue style event than during the Faerie Festival? A time for revisiting faerie Neopians and catching up with what they’ve been up to in the world?
So there might be things of relevance to follow as early as September of this year. Maybe not plot steps, but bits and pieces of story. Or clues to look at. In light of this, we’ve restructured with our eyes set on future faerie happenings. The time is coming soon to make good on overdue debts…
17th June, 2022…
- Disregard our speculation earlier. In the Editorial for Neopian Times #962, Neostaff lays out a concrete, speculation-free projection of their goals as far as plots.
An anonymous writer asks I remember that a few editorials ago, there was a mention that a plot was in the works, and it was about Lutari Island, is that still being worked on or has it been shelved? And Aesop replies…
So happy you asked this question! We are actually working on planning out multiple plots right now that I am incredibly excited about :D These do take a long time to put together, but we are tentatively aiming to release the first of these new plots next year. Although the Lutari Island plot will likely be the second or third of these plots already in the works, I can assure you it certainly has not been shelved! And I’ll be sure to keep Neopia updated as we move forward with these exciting new plots!
So there you have it. The next plot, as of the current plans, is NOT a Lutari Island plot. One is planned, but it’s currently aiming for the second or even third of multiple plots in the pipe. So if you were looking forward to the release of Lutari Island, you might have to wait a while. - In brighter news, several plots are in development, and Neostaff is aiming to launch the first of them next year. That’s content developed, something more than mere wishing. So it is coming, most likely. In the meantime, we’ll restructure and come back to you when more developments come out for this or one of the upcoming plots. Stay frosty.
11th June, 2022…
- If you’ve been listening, you know that Neostaff has been talking about starting up a plot someday soon, once their work schedule clears up. What would this plot be about? Most of the talk has been about Lutari Island. In the December 17th, 2020 Producer Chat, Lutari Island is mentioned by name as a centerpiece for a potential future plot. A staffer (probably Van Doodle) had been asking for it specifically. And since then they’ve been reminding us of how, someday VERY soon, they’d like to have one. As in these Editorial responses.
Which brings us to very recently. Evidence has come up that this potential Lutari Island plot could potentially be in development/actually on its way in the near future. - Altador Cup 2022 is underway, and mobile game Neopets: Island Builders is having an Altador Cup event.
The premise of the event being, Dacardia Team Captain Tyrra Tamina was injured in the storm that hit Dacardia. On the year they were to make their Cup debut. But because of the storm, they’ll have to sit this Cup out. If you haven’t played Island Builders, you might not have heard about Dacardia’s Yooyuball team. Fortunately, Tropical Food Shopkeeper advocate derpyunikitty4_ has you covered. She was able to rip the Unity files from Island Builders itself and get the HD artwork.
One of these players is also the face of the Team Dacardia Stamp, a Neopets.com prize you can get for participating in this mobile game event. The Unity files say that Tyrra Tamina is the Grarrl, but this Kougra appears to be the face of the team.
It would be one thing if the team was merely mentioned. But art was drawn for each player, and a name was given to at least one of them. Could Neostaff be serious about adding a new team to the Cup?
As we’ve been speculating in this thread, that would throw off the balance of the Cup. There needs to be an even number of teams so that the scheduling can work. Presently we have 18 teams, Dacardia would make 19. So, we can either have a team sit out the Cup like we used to do in the years post-Shenkuu and pre-Moltara… or we can add a second land and make it 20 teams. And what’s that land Neostaff has been supposedly wanting to re-introduce for years now? Lutari Island.
As it is with speculation, there’s a lot of assumption. We’re assuming Neostaff means to actually add Team Dacardia to the Cup, as opposed to drawing up this art for nothing. We’re assuming they won’t sit a team out for the Cup and will instead add a team. If these things are true, that means Team #20, whatever it may be, has to be ready for the Cup at the same time as Team Dacardia. Which means they need to be introduced as a world before that same Cup. So if Team Dacardia is sitting Cup 2022 out due to injury but will be back by, oh… let’s say, Cup 2023? That means the land Team #20 comes from has to be open to the public before Cup 2023.
Put simply, if Dacardia is coming to the next Cup, and Lutari Island is coming to the next Cup to make it 20 teams, Lutari Island would have to have its plot and be opened to the world before the next Cup. A plot within the year. Maybe even later this year.
Neostaff still has a great deal on their plate, and they always talked about having a plot only when they had some time to spare. Maybe now’s the time to find some time? If nothing else, right now Lutari Island is the land getting teased the most for the next plot. Watch this space.