Diastre's Neopian Times Page

Hello and welcome to my NT page! This page is pretty self-explanatory, so I'll let you get to it ;) If any of these entries really catches your eye and you'd like to read it, just click on the picture and it'll take you there. Enjoy, and I hope you find a story you like!

By the way, I also dabble in some Neo-related writing on a certain fanfiction site, under the username Star-Speckled Dragon. If you happen to be familiar with the site, you're welcome to look me up there!

Magnificent Mutants

My very first NT entry is an article that's basically about how cool mutant pets are *laughs* This opinion piece was originally just meant to be something to encourage users not to disregard the color because of its unpleasant past and the funny appearance it gives pets, but I ended up writing it at around the right time to submit it for a Mutant Day issue. It got in for the issue, even making the front page (Whoo!) and I got a shiny Mutant Petpet Paint Brush to show for it. Thanks, TNT!

The Xweetok of Faerieland Academy

My first short story is more or less a Xandra backstory. It's a somewhat episodic tale about how she first came to Faerieland with a very high regard for the faeries, but found herself disillusioned by their fairly normal lives and further incensed by the words of an elitist faerie bully. I took a good bit of creative licence with this one by having Xandra originally hail from Shenkuu and making the Ogrin Master an old mentor of hers (surely I wasn't the only one who thought they already knew each other when Altador and the others found them?) Hopefully you guys don't mind ;)

Xandra was quite a character to write for - her status as a kind of "noble villain" has always fascinated me, so I got this written as soon as the last TFR chapter came out. My efforts were rewarded with another front-page feature and a pretty awesome picture. I plan to bring back characters such as Rasula and Mason, along with Faerieland Academy itself, for future stories, so keep a look out!

Unfinished Business

Another short story, this time following one of my own pets as she confronts her past to rescue a group of Dr. Sloth's test subjects, whom she had been forced to leave behind when she made her own escape from his captivity. The event during which it takes place, a battle between Sloth's forces and the combined armies of Meridell and Brightvale, was originally going to be written in full and uploaded afterwards as a series... Unfortunately, the series turned out awkward and difficult to believe, so I abandoned working on it at around the fifth part. This story is still there, though, and it even made front page again!

Rebel Among Rebels, Thief Among Thieves

This short story centers around Hanso's antics just a few months before the start of TFR. It's meant to provide a little more insight into his past with the Thieves Guild and the nature of his pre-TFR relationship with Brynn, as well as explain a few things such as just why he's no longer in the Guild. I decided to use all more-or-less preconcieved characters for this one, with the only original character, Constance, having been based off of a background character who appears twice in the plot (during flashback scenes).

I'm really very proud of this piece - it's probably my favorite NT story so far. It didn't get anything special for the issue other than a perfectly-fitting picture, but it did earn a very sweet bit of fanmail. Thank you lovely Neopian ^_^

A Better Way

The long-awaited sequel to Rebel Among Rebels finds a post-TFR Hanso facing a crossroads that he'd thought he had passed over, as some of his old Thieves Guild colleagues try and convince him to return to the criminal underworld. This story features the return of Constance, along with the appearance of another background character as well as Kanrik.

This took me far too long to complete as far as short stories go, mainly because I was a bit apprehensive about how readers would react to the conversation in the second half and because Kanrik turned out to be a very tricky character to pin down and work with. It was a nice challenge, though, and I think the end product was well worth the wait. The editor apparently agrees with me, because it got on the front page again! Now I just have to hope that I didn't have a reason to worry about that second half...

Unbreakable

2 3 4 5 6 In my first ever series, an army of Haunted Woodsmen led by a stubborn self-proclaimed general threatens Faerieland with war over the land it now rests on. The series mainly follows Brynn as she confronts a few doubts about herself while preparing the Faerieland guard to face this threat, but it also features a number of other characters, both canon and original, as they get involved in the conflict in their own ways.

This story... Man, what do I say about this story? It took far longer to work on than I really care to recount, but it was a HUGE stepping stone for me, being the first multi-part story that I've ever successfully completed. I had some pretty mixed feelings during the complicated process of writing the series, but once it started to all come together (the climax in particular was a blast to write!), I was able to look back and decide that I'm really pretty pleased with how it turned out. I can only hope that my fellow Neopians enjoy reading the series as much as I enjoyed writing it. I know the editor must have - not only did the first part make front page, but one of the lines from part 4 got Quote of the Week! And as a bonus, the series somehow managed to run through the Christmas, Sloth Day and Jhudora Day special issues, winning me a few nice prizes. Thanks so much TNT!

Next on the list...

Those Who Remain
In Progress This is going to be a rather dark series about what might happen if Dr. Sloth actually succeeded in transmogrifying all of Neopia. It follows four well-known heroes who stand out in that they're part of the relative handful of the world's population of pets who managed to escape brainwashing when they were mutated. They convene in Faerieland with others like them and the faeries to put together a last-ditch effort to undo what Sloth has done to their loved ones, but along the way they must face a few personal demons wrought by the situation. I am currently working on the first few chapters of this story, but it will likely be slow going as I need to focus on a major writing project for school for the next few months.

Aethia and the Battle Eyrie
Planned Another backstory-style piece, this series will center around Aethia telling the story about how she actually became the Battle Faerie and how, at the same time, she met and befriended the Eyrie (I've named him Adrian) who was to become the Battle Eyrie. It should be a very interesting story for two reasons: Adrian is practically a blank slate, seeing as he only appears in one item and a TCG card and has no canon name, and he's also one of only a few non-Uni characters who actually walks on all fours (there will be an explanation for why this is in the story).