Week - 158 SQUAD Squadron: First Mission -- Part Three by cosmicfire918

Description: As Fenris padded into Mumbo Pango’s hut, Misty felt the slightest twinge of nervousness, but shook it off. She had asked to go on this mission, and she wasn’t going to go back to Faerieland until she had seen everything through.

Week - 161 Brightvale: The Next Darigan Citadel? by cosmicfire918

Description: Surely the discovery of this new land heralds a new age for Neopia…AN AGE OF DARKNESS AND TERROR!!!

Week - 168 Let There Be Lighten: Part One by cosmicfire918

Description: Because she was quite bored, Antikia decided to pass the time by doing a little spell a visiting Light Faerie had taught her back on her island...

Week - 169 Let There Be Lighten: Part Two by cosmicfire918

Description: Antikia was sure that, if she could see Samuel's eyes, they would have been as big as Pinannas.

Week - 175 The Day I Taught at Neoschool by cosmicfire918

Description: "'Dear cosmicfire918, our resident art teacher, Mr. Lupid, has just informed us that he has come down with a sudden case of NeoFlu and will need to stay home tomorrow to recuperate..."

Week - 180 Castle Battle Craziness by cosmicfire918

Description: Good as new! Written by tdyans

Week - 200 A Noteworthy Adventure: Part One by cosmicfire918

Description: "I read a little bit of it, it's got a bunch of cool adventure stories," TK said. "I thought you might like it."

Week - 201 A Noteworthy Adventure: Part Two by cosmicfire918

Description: Gai and I rounded a small hill and saw a cluster of lights. By that time, my legs were screaming for rest, but I just kept telling them that we had to get to a safe place to sleep...

Week - 202 A Noteworthy Adventure: Part Three by cosmicfire918

Description: Sitting lazily on a large, golden throne was an Alien Aisha, a crown perched precariously on top of his bubble-like space helmet...

Week - 202 Fifty Reasons Why Pirates Pwn Thieves by cosmicfire918

Description: Pirates pwn thieves. Without further ado, here’s fifty absolutely logical and un-debatable reasons why.

Week - 211 The Ensorcellator by cosmicfire918

Description: "Average classes, average lunch--" Blynn was cut off by a sudden cold, wet feeling on her fur. She looked down, aghast, to see that someone had knocked her bottle of cherry juice into her lap. "Average bullies…"

Week - 215 Neopian Insanity by cosmicfire918

Description: So, you got zapped Darigan... Also by emmybug184

Week - 219 Neopian Insanity by cosmicfire918

Description: Next Level: Puree. Also by emmybug184

Week - 221 Neopian Insanity by cosmicfire918

Description: HELP!! Also by emmybug184

Week - 229 Neopian Insanity by cosmicfire918

Description: Fiddlesticks! Also by emmybug184

Week - 230 Neopian Insanity by cosmicfire918

Description: I can't use this! Also by emmybug184

Week - 232 Neopian Insanity by cosmicfire918

Description: Uh oh... Also by emmybug184

Week - 234 Neopian Insanity by cosmicfire918

Description: And for dessert... Also by emmybug184

Week - 235 Fruity Adventures! by barhoom80

Description: Have you ever wondered if Royal Lupes are vegetarians or not?!?!? Art by cosmicfire918

Week - 594 The Zafara Who Would Be Mayor by cosmicfire918

Description: "Unruly behaviour on the streets will not be tolerated," he sighed. "Miscreants will be... given candy."

Week - 596 Squid Slippers by cosmicfire918

Description: A little light reading.

Week - 599 Squid Slippers by cosmicfire918

Description: But I like being a Ruki!

Week - 600 Squid Slippers by cosmicfire918

Description: WHOOOO

Week - 601 Squid Slippers: A House Divided by cosmicfire918

Description: I just don't get what's so great....

Week - 605 Squid Slippers - Secrets of the Ice Powerup by cosmicfire918

Description: Huh, what's this?

Week - 608 Squid Slippers - Grundo Fanatic by cosmicfire918

Description: Why do you become a raging maniac?

Week - 610 Draik Expectations: Part One by cosmicfire918

Description: "Because," Pharazon stood up a little straighter and puffed out his chest, "today's the day I'm going to become a Brightvale scholar."

Week - 611 Draik Expectations: Part Two by cosmicfire918

Description: Pharazon's ears drooped as he looked up at the enormous stack of parchment that had been set in front of him with a hefty whumph!

Week - 623 The Best of Friends by cosmicfire918

Description: "One Golden Juppie Delight, comin' up!" The Meerca began puttering about, once again humming as she worked.

Week - 625 There's No Place Like Qasala for the Holidays by cosmicfire918

Description: Jazan massaged his forehead, leaning over the card-strewn table in exasperation as Nabile erupted into a fit of laughter beside him. "Why do I always lose at this game?" he groaned, adding the pile to his hand of twenty cards.

Week - 627 Worth Fighting For: Part One by cosmicfire918

Description: "Oh, this will be the greatest Grundo Independence Day Hyren's ever known!"

Week - 628 Worth Fighting For: Part Two by cosmicfire918

Description: He'd been in wilderness survival situations before, on other worlds. The only thing different about this was that it was only him this time, no troops to command...

Week - 629 Worth Fighting For: Part Three by cosmicfire918

Description: "We don't do this for the money," Terra replied, a little shortly. "We're explorers. We find things just to find them."

Week - 630 Worth Fighting For: Part Four by cosmicfire918

Description: "So that's when the Space Fungus started swarming our ship!" They had to have been walking for at least an hour, now, but Hyren was nowhere near running out of stories.

Week - 631 Worth Fighting For: Part Five by cosmicfire918

Description: "We can camp as soon as we get outside," she attempted to compromise. "Please, please. I just..." She clasped her hands. "I just need to get out of here."

Week - 632 Worth Fighting For: Part Six by cosmicfire918

Description: "That's the biggest Lyins I've ever seen!" Blynn exclaimed, nocking a piece of ammo in her slingshot and taking aim...

Week - 633 Worth Fighting For: Part Seven by cosmicfire918

Description: "Why did you leave her by herself?!" Hyren demanded to know. "Me?! You're one to talk!" Blynn spat in retort...

Week - 634 Worth Fighting For: Part Eight by cosmicfire918

Description: Hyren exhaled, placing a hand on his chest. "That way," he urged Blynn, prompting her to sidle off of the crates in the direction of the cliff edge, which was hidden by a labyrinth of terraces and roofs.

Week - 635 Worth Fighting For: Part Nine by cosmicfire918

Description: "What's a starship doing in the Haunted Woods?"

Week - 636 Worth Fighting For: Part Ten by cosmicfire918

Description: "You doin' okay, big guy?"  Hyren let out an irritated snort and made the slightest gesture with his chin toward the security camera in the corner.

Week - 637 Worth Fighting For: Part Eleven by cosmicfire918

Description: He was in a very small room—no, a cell, he surmised. The walls were dark and bare, the sound of distant mechanical humming coming from somewhere below him.

Week - 638 Worth Fighting For: Part Twelve by cosmicfire918

Description: Hyren brought his sword back for a sweeping strike and it clanged against Garoo's weapon. The two locked blades...

Week - 630 The Editor's Quill by parody_ham

Description: Editing is a difficult skill to master, but an important skill to have. Co-written and thumbnail by cosmicfire918

Week - 639 That Great Hunger by cosmicfire918

Description: Isengrim pawed through the undergrowth, the scent lingering in his nostrils.

Week - 642 Danse Macabre by cosmicfire918

Description: For a few brief days in Meridell, she was beautiful. For one shining moment in her life, she was the Court Dancer.

Week - 647 The Gourmand's Guide to Fine Neopian Dining: Shenkuu by cosmicfire918

Description: With its ancient history and rich cultural traditions, this awe-inspiring land of mountains and mist, philosophers and fancy robes has a plethora of regional culinary specialties to pick and choose from.

Week - 650 Rejection Letters by cosmicfire918

Description: It is with utmost and sincerest apology that I, King Jazan of Qasala, write to you to beg forgiveness for my utterly untoward acts in the last half of Year 7.

Week - 653 Event Horizon by cosmicfire918

Description: Commander Hyren's bare feet compacted the starch-fine layer of sooty dust covering the desolate planetoid, tagged in his helmet's heads-up display only as Calixto Sigma-3204...

Week - 659 Twenty-Four Hours by cosmicfire918

Description: "What the..." The Grundo sat up to see who had sawed off half of his bed while he was asleep—and it promptly collapsed underneath him.

Week - 663 Worth Searching For: Part One by cosmicfire918

Description: "Look out!" With a whistle and a bang, fireworks shot through the narrow alleyway.

Week - 664 Worth Searching For: Part Two by cosmicfire918

Description: Hyren felt like his stomach had dropped to his stubby blue knees. "Terra? Terra!" he shouted, not bothering to disguise the panic in his tone.

Week - 665 Worth Searching For: Part Three by cosmicfire918

Description: "Hyren, we have to land!" Blynn screamed over a crash of thunder.

Week - 666 Worth Searching For: Part Four by cosmicfire918

Description: Hyren drifted in and out of sleep for the rest of the day, being vaguely cognisant of things like Anshu treating his wounds or the Ruki doctor having conversations with Blynn, who seemed to be less injured.

Week - 667 Worth Searching For: Part Five by cosmicfire918

Description: "Wake up," Isengrim said, gently shaking her shoulder. "It is time for the feast in your honour."

Week - 668 Worth Searching For: Part Six by cosmicfire918

Description: Terra was beginning to wonder if the sun even existed any more.

Week - 669 Worth Searching For: Part Seven by cosmicfire918

Description: Pharazon didn't dare blink, afraid that once he closed his eyes, the magic would break and the fruits floating above his head would crash down on him.

Week - 670 Worth Searching For: Part Eight by cosmicfire918

Description: "Skoll, where are we going?" Pharazon trudged down the steep-sided forest path after his Werelupe mentor...

Week - 671 Worth Searching For: Part Nine by cosmicfire918

Description: Roberta's directions proved to be far more helpful than she'd predicted. Hyren, Blynn, Celice, and Gwyneth found the turnoff easily, and by nightfall they'd begun to make their way up into the wooded mountains.

Week - 672 Worth Searching For: Part Ten by cosmicfire918

Description: Terra screamed and Hyren felt like he'd been punched in the gut. "No!" He started forward, drawing his sword, with Terra close on his heels.

Week - 673 Worth Searching For: Part Eleven by cosmicfire918

Description: The Werelupes arrived at dusk.

Week - 674 Worth Searching For: Part Twelve by cosmicfire918

Description: Gwyneth banked overhead, a familiar Disco Zafara on her back, slingshot loaded. "Thought I'd find you here!" Blynn shouted...

Week - 678 Roll for Initiative by cosmicfire918

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

Week - 682 The Gourmand's Guide to Neopian Dining: Meridell by cosmicfire918

Description: While bearing a cursory resemblance to the baseline cuisine of Neopia Central, due to historical ties between the two regions, Meridell's cultural differences have lent a distinct flavour to its traditional foodstuffs.

Week - 686 A Real Class Act by cosmicfire918

Description: It was one of those beautiful spring days where nothing is supposed to go wrong.

Week - 688 The Nature of the Beast by cosmicfire918

Description: The Werelupe King and his owner were watching the sunset. This was not an unusual occurrence—Isengrim spent many an evening like this during his visits to Terra’s Altadorian villa. It had become their tradition, and Isengrim found comfort in traditions, especially in a world that didn’t bother to offer him much more.

Week - 698 Dances With Werelupes: Part One by cosmicfire918

Description: “This is an outrage!” Blynn679 backhanded the front page of the Neopian Times. The Disco Zafara’s magenta tail lashed behind her in frustration as she paced around the library of her family’s Altador villa. Her Faerie Draik brother edged over her shoulder to look at the headlines. “What’s an outrage?” ArPharazonTheGolden asked. “This!” Blynn pointed to the largest text on the page: PREPARATIONS FOR ANNUAL CHOCOLATE BALL UNDERWAY.

Week - 699 Dances With Werelupes: Part Two by cosmicfire918

Description: The Werelupe King peeked his snout over Terra’s shoulder. “Lady Illusen…” he grumbled. “I was not expecting to see you here.” “The sentiment is mutual,” the Faerie said, folding her arms and tilting her head, looking down at him like a disapproving parent.

Week - 706 Squid Slippers: Foster Frustrations by cosmicfire918

Description: That's better.

Week - 715 Shopkeepers: The Truth Behind the Counter by cosmicfire918

Description: And then I did a double-take. Because the shopkeeper was none other than Fyora herself. Her Royal Faerie Highness was standing there behind the counter, waving as I left the store dumbstruck. What was the Faerie Queen doing tending a small shop in Altador, waiting for passers-by to peruse her employer’s selection of partially-eaten omelettes?

Week - 717 Never Again, Spiced Apple Pie: Part One by cosmicfire918

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

Week - 718 Never Again, Spiced Apple Pie: Part Two by cosmicfire918

Description: Commander Hyren knew he at least couldn’t secure the base from here. Suppressing a moan, he moved for the door and it slid open to reveal a darkened, deserted hallway. If engineering wasn’t going to answer, he’d just have to go to them himself.

Week - 719 Never Again, Spiced Apple Pie: Part Three by cosmicfire918

Description: A wriggling pink mass of Space Fungus splayed its tentacles into the control room, bowling over Hyren. He almost got sick right there, but he forced himself to keep his composure and complete the roll, springing back up to punch away a tentacle and wrestle several more.

Week - 722 The Scrivener's Survey by cosmicfire918

Description: This Scrivener has come out of anonymity to share with all of Neopia, via the Times, the inside scoop on books I’ve read! For truth! For justice! For informed book buying! (And also because the Defenders of Neopia, in no uncertain terms, told me to switch to a more “conventional” method of spreading literary information. When Judge Hog speaks, you listen.)

Week - 727 Wildsong by cosmicfire918

Description: Night in the Haunted Woods falls with swiftness upon its victims. It is not as many stories say—the forest is not rife with yowling spooks and ghoulish spectres at every turn. It is not a scaled-up version of a Neopia Central Neohome’s Halloween decorations, which brashly proclaim frightfulness in the most colourful of fashions.

Week - 728 Squid Slippers: Meteor Mysteries by cosmicfire918

Description: Wheeeeee!

Week - 729 Squid Slippers: HP Hassles by cosmicfire918

Description: Talk about playing favourites...

Week - 731 Squid Slippers: Pick Your Own Pitfalls by cosmicfire918

Description: Uh, did it really even need to be asked?

Week - 732 Sloth's Daily Dare by cosmicfire918

Description: He never realized games were so fun! Also by ruben160

Week - 736 Afternoons at Exquisite Ambrosia by cosmicfire918

Description: A few weeks before the Altador Cup, before the mass migration of spectators, the teams themselves quietly slip into the city to gear up for the tournament. They train in the stadium and discuss logistics and regulations with the Altador Cup Committee—and when they need some downtime, they head to Exquisite Ambrosia.

Week - 739 Create Your Own Adventure by cosmicfire918

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

Week - 741 Farewell to Lynwood by cosmicfire918

Description: From the moment Suhel Caradoc laid eyes on the Lynwood School for Girls, she knew she did not belong there. he little Christmas-coloured Lupe poked out her snout from the window of her carriage, eyeing the grounds with distaste.

Week - 743 The Spirit of Black Keep: Part One by cosmicfire918

Description: The reason he’d gotten himself into this, ArPharazonTheGolden decided, was because he could never say “no” to anything. The Faerie Draik perched on the edge of the bed in his cabin in a Shenkuuvian sky-ship, staring at the letter in his claws, not really seeing the words so much as coming to the realisation that he was hopelessly wishy-washy.

Week - 744 The Spirit of Black Keep: Part Two by cosmicfire918

Description: Five days later, on a grey drizzly afternoon, Pharazon stepped off the gangplank of the sky-ship liner and into Brightvale’s bustling skyport. He pulled the hood of his travelling cloak closer around his face to protect himself from the chill air, watching his breath pool in front of his snout every time he exhaled.

Week - 745 The Spirit of Black Keep: Part Three by cosmicfire918

Description: The augurs were right—the next day was still overcast and cold, but the clouds looked much less likely to rain as Celice rented a carriage to take them to Market Town.

Week - 746 The Spirit of Black Keep: Part Four by cosmicfire918

Description: It really was like stepping into another world. The thick wall behind them muffled the sounds of the city, leaving the ruins eerily silent. Overgrown thickets of brush carpeted the ground, and gnarled old trees, their bare branches devoid of the slightest hint of spring, pushed their roots against cracked stone like they were attempting to escape from their wretched prison.

Week - 747 The Spirit of Black Keep: Part Five by cosmicfire918

Description: Pharazon opened his eyes to cold daylight. Above him stretched tangled, budding tree branches, and past them a cloudy sky. He had no idea what he was doing lying on a muddy forest floor. Where was he?

Week - 748 The Spirit of Black Keep: Part Six by cosmicfire918

Description: Pharazon didn’t know how long he had slept, but it was still night when he found himself suddenly awake. The fire was still going and he was warm enough—what had roused him was a deep and incoherent mumbling.

Week - 749 The Spirit of Black Keep: Part Seven by cosmicfire918

Description: Kass merely stood by, looking utterly confused, while Celice’s jaw was slack with astonishment. “Pharazon—“ she sputtered. “Are you quite sure you know what you’re doing?” He grinned in embarrassment. “I told you already, I’m not quite sure of anything. I’m just doing what feels right instead of waiting around for fear to drive my actions.”

Week - 750 The Spirit of Black Keep: Part Eight by cosmicfire918

Description: This was the longest Pharazon could ever recall walking. His feet hurt. He’d tried flying until his wings hurt, but his feet hadn’t stopped hurting by then, and walking took less energy anyway. The hunger didn’t help. Their breakfast that morning, while kind of Kass to retrieve for them, had not been satiating, and Pharazon’s stomach began to complain loudly, as did Celice’s.

Week - 751 The Spirit of Black Keep: Part Nine by cosmicfire918

Description: Pharazon had no idea what to say. This was the moment he and Celice had been dreading, and although Pharazon had put on a brave front earlier, now that it was actually happening, the only thing he could think of to do was, perhaps, hide under the bed. But fear kept him rooted to the spot.

Week - 752 The Spirit of Black Keep: Part Ten by cosmicfire918

Description: As the carriage passed over the bridge and through the city gates, Pharazon shuddered. The dark energy here was so thick that it seemed to dim the very sunlight. Even Neopets on the streets seemed to at least notice something wasn’t right, as they went about their day looking anxious and harried

Week - 753 The Spirit of Black Keep: Part Eleven by cosmicfire918

Description: Pharazon’s breath caught in his throat and he felt a pang of emotion run through him. This felt overwhelmingly right. Quietly, he crept across the rug toward the figure.

Week - 759 Family Matters by cosmicfire918

Description: “The theme of this year’s Games Master Challenge,” he read, “is ‘Heroes versus Villains’. The captain of Team Heroes is King Jazan the Fourth, Ruler of Qasala, Emperor of the Shadowed Sands, Master Sorcerer and Maven of Curses. The captain of Team Villains is… to be determined?!”

Week - 761 The Holly and the Ivy: Part One by cosmicfire918

Description: "If you get too cold you’ll fall into torpor, and you won’t wake up ‘til Running.” “Running?! But I’ll sleep right through Giving Day!” That was all the incentive Nan needed to stay in their little cottage until the snows stopped. And that was how winter went in the little hamlet of Caxton Bank, nestled in the foothills of the Werelupe Woods. Most years, anyway.

Week - 762 The Holly and the Ivy by cosmicfire918

Description: A powerful smell, acrid and rich, filled Nan’s sinuses. She sneezed—and her eyes flew open. The world around her was bright and unfocused, but pungent aromas filled the air and something crackled and popped nearby. And she was warm, positively hot, wrapped in an enormous fur blanket. The blanket removed a pawful of leaves from under Nan’s nose. “Ah, there you are,” it said in a deep, husky voice.

Week - 769 Return to Lynwood: Part One by cosmicfire918

Description: Of course Terra was a grown owner, but Isengrim could not help but dote on her. She had saved him from himself, showed him the utmost kindness and patience when he was at his worst, and inspired him to have the strength to change, and for that he owed her the world. But he had yet to figure out a way to obtain the world for her, so for now he would make do with being the best Neopet he could be for her.

Week - 770 Return to Lynwood: Part Two by cosmicfire918

Description: “It was once a town quite a bit smaller than Barrowmere or Neovia, but holding its own nonetheless. Then… well, I am not quite sure what happened to it. None of us had travelled this way for quite a while, but one spring I ventured back here and… everyone was gone. Even their smell was gone.”

Week - 771 Return to Lynwood: Part Three by cosmicfire918

Description: But this illness felt different. She had never coughed so violently before—it shook her whole body and made her ribs hurt, and there were times when it felt like she couldn’t breathe. And she felt so lethargic, like someone had put a heavy weight on her, making everything except sleep more difficult.

Week - 773 Return to Lynwood: Part Four by cosmicfire918

Description: A few of Isengrim’s thanes let out low growls at the Kougra, which Suhel cut short with a motion of her paw. Pharazon stared hard at the woman, his blue eyes narrowing. Although Lexora looked like she wanted to pass out, she finally said, “C-Caradoc?! I thought I’d never see you again! When you left for the Woods and never came back—we all assumed the worst!”

Week - 774 Return to Lynwood by cosmicfire918

Description: “You can see curses?” Suhel asked Pharazon. To her Werelupe vision, nothing looked wrong with Lexora at all. “Well, they are a type of magic,” the faerie Draik said. “Magic to me is what smell is to you. I could see Connor’s curse on him, plain as day.”

Week - 775 Return to Lynwood: Part Six by cosmicfire918

Description: “Children, come here a moment.” The two boys wasted no time in complying. They seemed to perpetually be in a race with each other, while their older sister took her time descending the stairs. “Millie, darling, it’s all right,” Lexora said. “They won’t hurt us. They’re—our friends.” She shot a smile at Suhel, who returned it.

Week - 776 Return to Lynwood: Part Seven by cosmicfire918

Description: Isengrim awoke to a twinge in his leg and the smell of breakfast. No—to call it just a “smell” would not do it justice.

Week - 777 Return to Lynwood: Part Eight by cosmicfire918

Description: Isengrim and his pack used to be largely nocturnal, but over the past few years had eased into being more active during the day, to better facilitate relations between them and their non-Werelupe allies.

Week - 778 Return to Lynwood: Part Nine by cosmicfire918

Description: Isengrim was not sure if the pup had taken to heart his companions’ promise to protect him, but it looked as though Connor at least found them better company than Vakhtang. Although the dark-furred Werelupe could hardly consider that a compliment. He was fairly certain a mutant Kiko with the Sneezles would be better company than Vakhtang.

Week - 779 Return to Lynwood: Part Ten by cosmicfire918

Description: Suhel hated getting sick. But this was a sickness like nothing she had ever before experienced.

Week - 780 Return to Lynwood: Part Eleven by cosmicfire918

Description: “Last I checked,” he said, “Vakhtang did not own this place, and he’s got no control over you, either. Why don’t we put an end to his silly charade?”

Week - 781 Return to Lynwood: Part Twelve by cosmicfire918

Description: "Search every corner of these quarters!” Isengrim barked as two of his packmates hacked down the door. “I want Vakhtang found!”

Week - 772 We Are Made of Choices by cosmicfire918

Description: Perhaps not so much reading, as reminiscing. His paw pads traced the titles on the spines of the history books, reminding him that he actually remembered so much of what they called “history” these days. In Neopia, he thought, heroes never died—they just went away for a while.

Week - 782 The Curious Case of the Airborne Flatbread by cosmicfire918

Description: “Your pizza has arrived, sire.”

Week - 783 You've Mastered the Basics--Now What? Part 1 by cosmicfire918

Description: Now I want to share with Neopia some intermediate-level writing tips and guidelines, to help others give their short stories and story series even more life and impact.

Week - 784 You've Mastered the Basics--Now What? Part 2 by cosmicfire918

Description: Now that we’ve got the technicalities down, let’s start talking about story. Part 2 of a 3-part article.

Week - 785 You've Mastered the Basics--Now What? Part 3 by cosmicfire918

Description: In this final installment, I have a few more things to say on the subject of story construction, and then some other miscellaneous tips for the intermediate-level story writer. Part 3 of a 3-part article.

Week - 787 I'm Your Biggest Fan by cosmicfire918

Description: Hyren and his family sat in Exquisite Ambrosia on a warm afternoon in the month of Relaxing, nibbling on tasty food and discussing his favourite topic this time of year—the Altador Cup.

Week - 793 The Scrivener Returns by cosmicfire918

Description: It is I, that madcap literary marauder, the Scrivener! Once again, I have ventured into the pages of the Neopian Times to tell you of my latest exploits!

Week - 799 Squid Slippers - That Elusive Super Bonus by cosmicfire918

Description: Leveling up never looked so good.

Week - 803 Ylana Skyfire Saves Halloween by cosmicfire918

Description: Ylana Skyfire stalked down the streets of Neopia Central, blaster at the ready. “That stupid Alien Aisha is going to pay for making me come all the way to this backwater planet,”

Week - 805 The League of Adventurers by cosmicfire918

Description: But ancient Neopia is something else entirely. At any rate, it’s nice to just pretend to adventure sometimes.

Week - 806 Fall From Grace by cosmicfire918

Description: Her arms were full of books, as usual. "I’ve come to return these and check out more."

Week - 807 On Developing Your Neopet's Character by cosmicfire918

Description: Here's how...

Week - 808 Giving Day at Black Keep by cosmicfire918

Description: This is fantastic, Kass, just fantastic!

Week - 809 Giving Day at Black Keep:Part Two by cosmicfire918

Description: The lord mayor had picked out some nice rooms for his friends on the same floor as the guest quarters Celice usually stayed in, and he and Celice enjoyed watching them admire the décor.

Week - 810 Giving Day at Black Keep:Part Three by cosmicfire918

Description: Two white paws slammed down on the table. "Mother!" Celice barked, ears perked forward and fur bristling. "That is quite enough!"

Week - 811 Giving Day at Black Keep:Part Four by cosmicfire918

Description: The next morning dawned grey and snowy once more. Kass was glad the stone walls of Black Keep were so thick and sturdy.

Week - 820 Ylana Skyfire: Protector of Spring by cosmicfire918

Description: Neopia, for all Ylana Skyfire disliked it, was a great place to go when one didn’t want to be found.

Week - 824 The Shadow of Takeryuu by cosmicfire918

Description: The time is thousands of years before Neopia’s present day. The Circle of Twelve, with the wizard Jahbal at its head, rules the Great Empire in the area of what is now Neopia Central.

Week - 825 The Shadow of Takeryuu:Part Two by cosmicfire918

Description: The first couple of days of Eunji's journey were peaceful. These mountains were covered in thick, ancient woodland, very sparsely populated save for the occasional temple, but she was not headed close to any of them. She was aiming for the farmlands to the west—and to the Imperial City, if need be. If that was where darkness festered, that was where she would probably find her answers.

Week - 826 The Shadow of Takeryuu:Part Three by cosmicfire918

Description: The faerie Vandagyre’s antennae quivered. “Come on!” Eunji squawked to Ganzorig as she sprinted in the direction of the scream, toward a mess of frazzled energy she could feel throughout her whole body.

Week - 827 The Shadow of Takeryuu:Part Four by cosmicfire918

Description: Eunji had never seen anything like Muyang Brook Fortress. Its rammed-earth walls were thicker than she was tall, and instead of the bright reds and greens of her temple home, the materials that made up the fortress were more subdued and sombre in colour.

Week - 828 The Shadow of Takeryuu:Part Five by cosmicfire918

Description: Wai Ren was obviously not supposed to be anywhere but the fortress, but thankfully the relic Kougra’s own colouring provided a convenient solution.

Week - 829 The Shadow of Takeryuu:Part Six by cosmicfire918

Description: “Ah, I cannot wait to sleep in an inn instead of on the ground,” Wai Ren said. The four travellers stood on a hill overlooking a village nestled deep in the woods, only two weeks away from the Imperial City.

Week - 830 The Shadow of Takeryuu:Part Seven by cosmicfire918

Description: The trip to the mines was not easy. Faerie shadows constantly swooped down at them, eyes aglow, but Eunji and Min were quick to dispatch them. Eunji, being faerie-coloured, was especially sensitive to magic, and she let that sense guide her as she led her friends into a dark shaft in the side of a mountain, a hole that looked like a bottomless pit.

Week - 831 The Shadow of Takeryuu:Part Eight by cosmicfire918

Description: It was rainy and cool on the morning Eunji first saw the Imperial City. Built on a flattened mountain top, the sprawling complex of buildings was surrounded by a thick wall, on top of which tall banners flapped imposingly. Below, the mountain dropped off in sheer cliffs, its roots hidden in mists that swirled around it and the other pillar-like peaks in this mountain range.

Week - 832 The Shadow of Takeryuu:Part Nine by cosmicfire918

Description: The throne room was the most lavish place Eunji had ever seen. Crafted out of expensive stone, every surface was painstakingly hand-carved and accented with gold, silver, and precious gems. A few scattered windows let in misty daylight, while lanterns filled in dark corners with a subdued glow. Altogether it seemed a grim room, where no thought was given to happiness or comfort.

Week - 856 Shadow Play by cosmicfire918

Description: Terra loved Neopia Central at night. The bustling metropolis was already fascinating enough during the day, but at night it turned into a symphony of light and motion. Faerie-dust lamps set down a rhythm of soft light on endless sidewalks, magic signs blinked a syncopated beat above shops and restaurants, and a choir of Eyrie cabs and Uni-drawn lorries streamed along city blocks like a grid-shaped river.

Week - 857 Shadow Play:Part Two by cosmicfire918

Description: Terra woke up from dreaming that she had a stomachache, to discover that she really did have a stomachache. This was not the first time this had happened in the middle of the night. With a grimace, she carefully rolled over onto her back and tried to relax, listening to her own breathing, trying to think of happy things.

Week - 858 Shadow Play:Part Three by cosmicfire918

Description: Neopia Central at two-thirty in the morning had a bit of a different vibe. It had stopped raining, and there was still plenty of vehicle traffic, but almost no pedestrians on the sidewalks. Most of the lights in the buildings were out, save for the odd Neopet working a night shift. It was rather eerie—or peaceful,

Week - 859 Shadow Play:Part Four by cosmicfire918

Description: Terra woke up rather later than she would have liked, but given what had happened last night, she would allow herself all the sleep she needed. Blynn was not in her bed, but the girls’ luggage had been brought into their room.

Week - 860 Shadow Play:Part Five by cosmicfire918

Description: The sun was setting somewhere behind the clouds when Terra and her family stepped out of Defenders HQ. The Defenders had said earlier that they would not prohibit their wards from leaving the building, but warned that Vile was most likely looking for them.

Week - 861 Shadow Play:Part Six by cosmicfire918

Description: “How’s this for a study space?”

Week - 862 Shadow Play:Part Seven by cosmicfire918

Description: Terra and her family ate breakfast in their suite the next morning. They’d stocked the kitchen with groceries, for days when they didn’t feel like mingling in the cafeteria, and today was one of those days.

Week - 863 Shadow Play:Part Eight by cosmicfire918

Description: Terra stiffened—she trusted Blynn, but of course there was that split second of panic as the owner feared the worst anyway. She was not very good at not worrying.

Week - 864 Shadow Play:Part Nine by cosmicfire918

Description: The return to Defenders HQ thankfully passed without incident. The gum-covered Zafara Rogue got plenty of odd looks from passersby, but considering their party also included a Werelupe and a glowy Halloween Kyrii battlemage, Terra was more than used to odd looks by now.

Week - 865 Shadow Play:Part Ten by cosmicfire918

Description: The next morning, much to Terra’s surprise, Zoltan elected to join them for breakfast in the cafeteria.

Week - 860 The Toymaker by cosmicfire918

Description: Snow fell in a hush on black rooftops and parapets, softening the look of decorative spikes and giving white wigs to gargoyles. Firelight flickered in hundreds of windows, creating a swarm of stars in a sea of dark stone.