hpb63094

The artwork is a selling-point for sure! Now if only there was a way to preserve the designs on the chocolates 😅

Hi y'all! I'm actually the artist behind the front cover's art (both our first one last year as well as this year's!) and I can answer some questions! I work for Geekify Inc and we have a contract with Neopets for making officially licensed products but unfortunately we don't have as close of a connection to the actual Neopets team enough to make canon stories like the usual Advent Calendars on the site! (I wish, though!)
The inside of the flap is just going to have the chocolates, shaped into molds I helped design based on some of the items from the site, like the snow paintbrush, a Snowbunny eating a negg, a Fir, a christmas negg, a christmas-painted meowclops, an angelpuss... there's a lot of really christmassy items I picked out and cleaned up for the chocolate company to make these chocolates into, but I'm not gonna spoil all of them--then there's no surprise! 

It looks like it's being released by Geekify and is a traditional advent calendar with chocolate squares in "24 fun shapes molded from the world of Neopia, featuring Christmas Neggs, PetPets, scrolls and potions, paintbrushes, seasonal items, and more!" and one item code. They don't preview the inside of the flaps, so unclear if there will be daily stories.
It's a cute idea and I'm happy to see them branching out with merch, although I'm not sure I'm willing to spend that much on a chocolate advent calendar - maybe if it had a pin or something larger for the 24th 🤔

Hey @Secre, that's cool! I hadn't heard about that yet! Then again, I often forget to check the news! lol Could you provide a link to where they talked about it? I'd love to learn more!
On Abilities. They MAY be doing a battle plot, because they MIGHT be about ready to try some fixes on the battledome. MIGHT. It's a TOTAL guess on my part. So the opponents we face MIGHT have a Shhhhhh! ability that works. We won't know until we face them though!
As for your set and pet. I would recommend constant training going forward. Between Codestone training, Kitchen Quests (only try the cheapish ones of maybe 5k or less), and Faerie Quest Cookie quests, you should be able to really increase your stats quickly!
For your set. It's looking pretty good. 🙂  Since we don't know what weapons the enemies in any battle plot will have. It's good to have something that will help you against EACH of the elements. Dual-Duties are nice of course. Reflectors, I recommend having some on stand-by, especially if you can't afford a shield that would cover one or more of the elements.
However, right now, it's almost 2am for me, midnight NST. I've been busy IRL, but I can try to give you a better break-down for equipment you might consider tomorrow, or Sunday at the latest.
I'll have a bit of work to do in looking up new and old weapons for set possibilities, and looking for price. If you've got a maximum amount of NP you'd be willing to spend on new equipment, please let me know and I'll factor that into my budgeting as I'm researching gear.
There are a couple different healers besides the Bag of Healing Sand. Not as high as 50% unless there's a species healer available to your pet.
Mysterious Red Potion CAN heal 25% when your pet is under 25% health, or Parachuting First Aid Kit heals 33.3% of your health once per battle.
I'd look into those two as alternate healers if you don't want to go for a Bag of Healing Dust.
I'll look at more items for you later.
If you have any questions on anything I've written here, feel free to ask and I'll answer when I reply next.
Until then, G'night. 🙂 Good luck with your training!
 
EDIT: To continue on with the equipment check. Without a budget, I'll be limited in what I can recommend. I'll try for the best and some items based on effectiveness, not price.
Do you happen to have a Blazing Embers or Sword of Malum? Both are no-trade, so if you don't you don't. Same stats, different icons. 😉  Otherwise, your Void Blades SHOULD take you pretty far for pure Offense.
Freezers, good luck getting that H4000 Helmet! Hope ya get it! That'll be leaps and bounds above your Snowglobe staff!
Healers, I already covered a couple good alternatives above if you don't want to splurge on a Bag of Healing Dust.
Ghostkerbomb, you mentioned having, right? Definitely bring it along!
Downsize! is GOOD! And your plan on maybe picking up some Thick Smoke Bombs is a pretty good idea. I would suggest perhaps not using them though unless you really need to. Either to progress in the plot, or if there is a collective boss battle. Where we ALL chip away at a boss with massive HP to bring it down in losing battle after losing battle.
Shields/blockers and a Reflector Alternative.

LIGHT: You might consider a Parasol of Unfortunate Demise if you want to spend your NP on something OTHER than Hubrid Nox Memorial Shield. The parasol is a MUCH cheaper full light blocker, and it only blocks a small amount of earth and water, no air or physical like Nox's shield does. So the parasol is just a budgetary recommendation. Nox's shield is excellent from everything I've seen and read about it. My set is intermediate-level, at best. The only HT item I have in it is the Ghostkerbomb. 😉
Light Reflect Alternatives: Combo Battle Mirror (75% reflect-Multiuse) Or, Expert Lens (50% reflect-Multiuse).
EARTH: If you like HT items, Shield of Pion Troect blocks all earth and a couple light icons, also deals just under 3 full dark icons. Pirate Captains Hat might be something. it blocks 100% of BOTH Earth and Light, as well as 5 icons of Fire. BUT! It is semi-fragile, meaning it CAN break for the duration of the battle. But it'll be back when you start a new battle.
Earth Reflect Alternatives: Ultra Dual Shovel (75% reflect-Multiuse) Or, Pretty Negg Shield (Defends 60% earth and 20% Light) also (20% Earth reflect, 20% Light reflect-Multiuse).
FIRE: Frozen Cyodrake Shield seems to be a good 100% fire blocker. Not a LOT of pure Fire blockers I can find. Slipper Floor Potion (blocks 100% fire 100% water- Single Use)
Fire Reflect Alternatives: Clawed Shield defends 3-dark icons, (61%-80% reflect-Multiuse). Or Flame Reflectozap (75% reflect-multiuse). Water Whip (10 icon attack,. reflects 50% of fire as air).
WATER: Faerie Tabard Blocks 100% water, 5 fire and some icons that Nox's shield blocks as well, though not as many. Leaf Shield, the green one from Illusen's quest blocks 5 icons of water, not great, but it's something AND pretty cheap. Enchanted Kiko Squeeze Toy blocks 100% water, but that's ALL it does/blocks. It's gonna be a little pricey since it's retired.
Water Reflect Alternatives: MEGA U-Bend, (75% Reflect-Multiuse). U-Bend of GREAT Justice, if you can find one, reflects 81%-100% of water.
DARK: Ghostkershield, but it's a little out of date. Hanso Charisma Charm is a great Dual Duty. Attacks with 5 icons each of earth and light, while blocking 100% Darkness.
Dark Reflect Alternatives: Ultimate Dark Reflectorb (75% Multiuse), Amulet of Reflection (25%Fire 75%Dark, Single Use)
AIR: Shield of Faerieland Blocks 100% Air, 5 fire and 5 physical. Hubrid Nox Memorial Shield blocks 5 air.
Air Reflect Alternatives: Triple Turbo Dryer (75% Multiuse)
PHYSICAL: Altadorian Swordbreaker (5 earth attack, blocks 100% Physical), Yooyuball Keepers Chest Guard (blocks 100% physical and a couple icons of water, earth and dark), Yooyuball Player Sling attacks with 6 icons and blocks all physical. Go with the Sowrdbreaker. 😉

Physical Reflect Alternatives: None, can't reflect physical. 😉
There ya go @Secre. Hopefully this will help you finish off your set. Keep your best equipment on-hand, and save a couple slots to swap out gear depending on the new opponents. Especially useful for single-use items or the more fragile 50% reflectors, which I mostly didn't mention as they are pretty darn cheap and can permanently break pretty easily too.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Good luck!

Hi @Secre!
First off, You're welcome!  
No worries on the reply-time, weekends especially can get busy!
I'm glad I was able to provide some assistance in your equipment selection!   That's what I'm here for, in part, after all. lol 😉
It sounds like you've got things pretty well figured out. There might be some event or some release of new weaponry between now and when the plot starts that might change what your thoughts on equipment line-up, so definitely keep an open mind regarding your extra slots.
I'm glad in particular that I could help with your healer quandary. THAT is a tricky one if you don't have millions for a bag of healing dust but need something better than the Greater Healing Scroll. Percentage healers are much more attractive the higher your HP gets. Even Velm's Healing Potion (10% heal) can be better than the GHS when your HP gets above 500.
Also, congrats on getting the H4000 Helmet! 2.5 mil?! Wow! What a steal from prices I've seen in the past! I haven't price-checked in a long time, but those used to tend to go for around 4mil each. With the plot-inflation already starting on a lot of items, it's amazing that you got such a good deal!
I just found out Super Attack Peas have skyrocketed in price when I asked someone about a price for a Skarls Sword they had for trade. Their price was 950mil or 4 SuAPs. Now, I can't even afford a SuAP, even if I emptied my bank completely! lol I pre-battle plot inflation/hate price-gouging. lol
Skarls Sword isn't a TOP weapon, but it's my "dream" weapon. And would actually be an upgrade for my battle set at this time, even though it's maximum icons is up to 25. It also blocks all Light. lol But the art of the item is AWESOME! I've been chasing after a Skarls Sword since they were about 250 mil. They were a rare prize from redeeming a TCG code. SuAP, by comparison, if I recall correctly, has a icon count of 32. Which makes it the best weapon we poor neopians can actually own. Too bad it was a Smugglers Cove item.
On Downsize! Downsize! is a pretty good item to have a few of around the time of battle-plots because they usually sell pretty well. 😉  I hope you make a nice little profit when you do sell those extras!
THANK YOU for copying and posting the battle-plot question and answer! No hints on what the first plot will be about, but it's nice that Lutari Island is still on their radar for a future plot too.
Since the plot won't begin until sometime next year, you'll have LOTS of time to train up your pet's Strength, Defense and HP. If you start training with Faerie Quest Fortune Cookies, You MIGHT consider doing SOME air faerie quests to the point of getting your agility/movement to 201. I THINK that stealing is still broken in the new BD. I haven't tried it in awhile. But your pet's intelligence is waaaaaaaaaaaay higher than needed, and with a movement stat of 201, the Heavy Robe of Thievery will let you steal from your opponent once per battle. It's a fun little item when stealing works. You need an intelligence stat of higher than 67 and agility must be higher than 200 for it to give you the 100% steal. Otherwise, it just defends 2 light icons. lol
During the Obelisk War, my favorite thing to do against "Envy", was to try and steal his Prismatic Mirror, which reflects 81%-100% of EVERY element (obviously not Physical though) and is multiuse. You'll STILL take damage, but not as much. lol The Prismatic Mirror will most likely NEVER be available to us to own, but we can have some fun with it if we can steal one. 😉
Right now, the robe is super cheap, under 100k, so I'm assuming that means that stealing has NOT been fixed in the BD yet. But who knows what will work and what won't by the time the plot rolls around? IF you have some spare NP after you've got your battle set set, then you might consider picking up a Heavy Robe of Thievery, for fun. 😉 I use Faerie Quest Fortune Cookies to help my training, and you will get some air faerie quests among the quests you get. Doing them is the MAIN reason my peophin's movement stat is as high as it is (1412). You might get a movement stat boost (1-point) from doing Kitchen Quests too. Since a lot of the time, the prize is not a great item or under 1k of NP. I recommend only doing Kitchen Quests worth about 5k in total. So you don't lose too much NP if you don't get any stat points.
Well, this got super long. Sorry about that. ^^; Good luck!

@Aquamentis12 Thank you so much for your really thorough reply! Apologies for not getting back to you earlier - we had a busy weekend and I only got a chance to briefly log into Neopets for Trudy's and Bank Interest and that was it!
I was looking at spending a max of around 6-7 mil per item, but I hadn't considered having multiple items for different enemies stupidly, so I may have to re-visit my budget! I'm haunting a couple of the item shops for just in case I get lucky as heck!
I don't have either of the swords you mention unfortunately. I took a really long hiatus - about five plus years minimum and missed half the plots! My main battle pet is a kougra. I'd almost be tempted to morph him into a Kacheek for the species healer but I'm not willing to lose the Zombie/Oilpaint crosspaint in honesty!
I got the H400 Helmet which I'm happy about - at 2.5 mil, I'm not unhappy with that!
Oooh, the Parachuting First Aid Kit isn't one I'd come across in my browsing! That's definitely gone on my list as it's a fraction of the price of the Healing Bag and still doubles my current healing power! I'll definitely add Ghostkerbomb as well then, looking at the page again it seems like it's limited rather than breakable. I can stock up on Thick Smoke Bombs via the Ninja School as well to have a surplus in case of need. It's currently cheaper than user shops anyway!
I think the Hubrid Nox Memorial Shield is a solid on my list now; it just seems like a great all rounder and whilst it's at the very top of my initial budget, it's a great all-rounder. The Altadorian Swordbreaker is definitely my backup for full physical defence and I've just got one for a steal at 32k which is way, way cheaper than anything else I was looking for. I think I'll then go with Hanso's Charisma Charm for dark, particularly as it's buyable. The Flame Reflectozap is another one I hadn't come across at all and even though it looks to be inflated as heck since February, seems to be the best bet for fire by far!! Unfortunately there's only one on the TP, so I doubt even the JN price of 4mil is going to be accurate. I might hold off on that one for a little bit. 
But that means that I have a planned set of:
Attack: Void Blades and Ghostkerchief Bomb
Defence/Reflect: Hubrid Nox (all-rounder, covers everything bar fire and dark), Hanso (full Dark plus some attack), Swordbreaker (full physical plus some attack) and hopefully Flame Reflectozap if I can get my hands on one (reflect fire). The Faerie Tabard is a possible backup, as it does cover fire and has full water, but is otherwise kind of doing the same job as Hubrid Nox just with less defensive icons. Pirate Captains Hat does the same fire cover at a fraction of the price, but the semi-breakable worries me. At least it's not fully breakable. I refuse to pay millions for an item that could break completely! So that one's a toss up.
Freezer: H400 Helmet success! 
Healer: Parachuting First Aid Kit. 
Bomb: Ghostkerchief Bomb.
Other: Downsize and Thick Smoke Bomb. I'll stock up on both of these in advance to save potentially paying inflated plot prices. EDIT: Just realised I don't need to stock up on Downsize as it's not breakable, just limited use. Hey ho, I now have six to stick in my SDB and potentially sell for a slightly higher profit later. They already sell for 1000np more than I bought them in shop, so I might be on a winner!
I'll pick up the buyables today and then, I think Hubrid Nox is my priority. Then Ghostkerchief. Then see what I want to do for fire.
Thank you again for all your help - you've been a fantastic help here!
In terms of the plot. There's a couple of editorials that cover it:
Hey TNT! I really wanted to know, where would you say your guys' priorities are at for the coming one to two years? For example I'm so excited for a potential new plot, I've been training my pet in advance as well for it! But there's also a lot of site upkeep to be done. Where will your focus be, and any news you could give us on upcoming plots or features? ~~christiaan258
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... ~~Aesop
From Neopian Times, Issue 965 · JN Editorial ID: 21052
 
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? (Please make my name anonymous) ~~Anonymous
So happy you asked this question! We are actually working on planning out multiple plots right now that I am incredibly excited about 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! ~~Aesop
Yep, I've picked one of those up as well now!! Thanks! I've put the editorials for the plot above!

While I'm not an expert at battling, I have a similar set up to you with similar levels and I recently added Altadorian Swordbreaker. It blocks all physical attacks while also dealing five earth damage. Nice to hear that they're planning on an actual plot!

Next up we have Voldermorts! Deliberate misspell as the actual spelling was taken. But poor little Hedwig!

 
And ooh! It's letting me paste more than one image this time!! Fuzzbabies nearly ended up with a Plushie, but Turmacs are so cute!

And finally we have Grandad Eeyore! And I have no idea why it's let me do all the images now, but threw a hissy at more than one image before!
 

I absolutely loathe the country I live in.  Mostly for the politics, but also that it's set up to keep people like me (not born rich/disabled-autism and anxiety in my case) down so we can barely (if at all) pay to care for ourselves.  My dream country is the Netherlands, and I'd love to have a small farm there, though of course since I can't even make enough to survive, it seems more a pipe dream than anything else.  I keep trying to find a way to bargain a farm idea I'd had that would grow any plant-based crops in any climate/season to someone just for a little place that'd support me, but so far (and so many years later) no go. 

I don't hate the concept, but wish they released it as an outfit set rather than making this the royal series. I agree, it reads more elite-guard/valkyrie than royalty. The muted outfits in particular are pretty drab compared to the golden headpieces & capes.

They didn't send e-mails.
They log you out while browsing and prompt you to change your PW

Actually, the legality of vasectomies has never been up for debate in the US--it's legal as long as you're 18 years or older, and will continue to be so. 
It's why a LOT of people are upset about the double standard of reproductive health care for people with uteruses, because those with a vas never have to request permission to receive a vasectomy (other than referral from a primary care physician like all specialized surgeries). However, those with a uterus have, depending on the state, to receive written or in-person permission from their husband/father or will otherwise be given a TON of shit by their doctors if they want a hysterectomy. Go figure, right?

Well said @Aimee! You articulated that much calmer and more eloquently than I could have right now.

Well said @Aimee! You articulated that much calmer and more eloquently than I could have right now.

@Aquamentis12 I'm so disappointed in you.
 
@AngelóI'm so sorry you have to move to the US to be with your fiancee, honestly it would be a lot better for both of you if you weren't living here right now. A lot of already-existing problems with our country are getting worse and worse right now, and I wouldn't recommend anyone to move here. ><; 
The news about Roe VS Wade being overturned is incredibly disheartening for many reasons, one of which is the fact that the decision was made by only a handful of people, all of whom have perjured themselves by overturning Roe VS Wade. They had sworn at their confirmation hearings that they wouldn't and... well... did. They lied under oath. 
Not only that, but all of the things Aquamentis said in his reply are completely false, and recycled talking points from the last twenty years. Trust me, I heard them plenty growing up in an anti-choice household and until I got older and started hearing from the other side, I used to believe they were true. Also the coy language around "debating" is part of the typical toolkit that anti-choice parents/pastors/teachers strictly teach, because to them, the concept of whether or not a person should have autonomy over their choice to reproduce is a "debate", and not a form of state-sanctioned violence against people with uteruses. (Especially cis-gendered anti-choice men. It's never "real" to them, it's a chesspiece.) 

As a non-American I'm quite frankly shocked that less than a dozen people are allowed to make decisions like these, decisions that will affect the lives of millions of people.
This is a decision that will result in pregnant people not receiving proper health care, children resented by parents who didn't want them, pregnant people dying in childbirth because of health complications, people forced to seek out unsafe methods of abortion, birth control becoming increasingly difficult if not outright impossible to acquire, impoverished families being unable to properly care for their children, etc. etc.
This also sets a major precedent for American citizens' rights. If something like the right to abortion can be so easily overturned, what about other rights, such as gay marriage? Interracial marriage?
The right to abortion should be a universal human right, and it's outrageous that the Supreme Court can decide to violate the rights of millions of Americans like this.

The horn on the Mosaic Uni is really annoying to me
I want to believe it's a fluke , but Uni colors and horns have always been inconsistent 
for example Snow has a normal horn instead of snow one and the Grey isn't all grey so is Halloween a missed opportunity to make a firey horn ! but Biscuit is the worst 
  Toy is only slightly changed color also Island 
Elderly Boy is so different from Elderly Girl 
however  all have matching horns
so as much I want to think it's a fluke that they'll fix , im not really sure they ever will .. but maybe if we all voiced our opinion like with the Transparent Peophin .... 

I actually really like Mosaic! I do sort of wish the eye was a color that stood out better against the rest of the blue.

If you want to get a proper look at the image on the cards, you can (for some of them) use the image search function at Dr Sloths Image Emporium. The link below shows you the artwork/images for the Battle for Meridell set, and you can choose a different one from the drop-down menu, just click the ones that say Trading Card Art. It makes it much easier to see the complete image and get every detail.
http://www.drsloth.com/search/?category=209

***With the holidays coming up/already pretty much here, I'm pretty sure a lot of us will have family obligations and a ton of other stuff to keep us busy, so I'll extend the entering period by one week.***
 
I also want to thank everyone for another great year of Runway customisations, and wish you all a wonderful 2020!  
???
If you're new to the contest, or simply want a reminder of the (updated!) rules, they can be found right here. If you want to send me a screenshot of your entry, but don't know how, check out this guide.
Current theme: Masked Ball
Description: To celebrate the holidays, send any pet you want to a masked ball, to have some festive fun. (So, more specifically, they must be wearing a mask. At a ball. ?)
Entering period: Monday, December 23 - Sunday, January 5
Voting period: Monday, January 6 - Sunday, January 12
If you have any questions about this round or the Runway in general, just post them here, or send me a message.  
(Also: never hesitate to send me suggestions for future themes!)

I've only just joined the forum. I had wondered what the runway pictures on tdn were but never clicked on it until last week. I made Ariel from little mermaid but unfortunately my account wasn't approved in time to enter ? Hope you like her anyway
https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1953830

I don't think I've ever voted for so many entries in one round before - you guys absolutely killed it!

I don't think I've ever voted for so many entries in one round before - you guys absolutely killed it!

I don't think I've ever voted for so many entries in one round before - you guys absolutely killed it!

He and Chadley both, lol, just at different ends of the jerk spectrum. xD There needs to be an insurgence from the girls at some point.
Ok, now I'm feeling the need to take some revenge on AAA...
I see what you mean about his hair! The struggle is real, isn't it, lol.
So yep, AAA's mum's finally snapped and ordered him to clean his room.?