Notable Neopians: Twillie (twillieblossom)

     I’m greykadoatie and in this issue we are shining the spotlight on one of Neopia’s most prolific authors and artists: Twillie (twillieblossom) the creator of Blossoms, a comic series that’s been in publication since Issue 560.

          1. Could you give us a brief introduction to Blossoms for those that might not have read it?

     Of course! It's (fittingly) about the Blossoms, a small family living atop Terror Mountain who, after a seemingly benign outing with a new friend, find themselves tied up in a top-secret espionage mission under Queen Fyora's orders. For centuries, Fyora and Taelia have had an intense yet mysterious feud, barring Fyora or any of her Faeries from setting foot on Terror Mountain. Fearing what may happen if the mountain's wild magic remains unchecked, though, Fyora sends the Blossom's new friend- a human from her castle- to live with them and survey the peak in her place. He and the family must now figure out how to get him back home and return their house to normalcy, all while keeping out of Taelia's watch and reckoning with a long-dormant dark magic that's slowly awakening within the mountain.

          2. Did you know when you began Blossoms that it was going to be a story of this size and depth?

     I definitely knew the extent of the story, but what I didn't realize was the amount of work it would require haha. I went in intending to make a series with the same story connecting every one of its parts, as that's not a common sight in the NT comics section. Before starting, though, I had basically no comic-making experience, so there was a huge learning curve to surmount.

     Even now with quicker drawing skills and a better idea of what I'm making, it still takes time to create each comic, and I've got a full-time job and real-life obligations to juggle as well. Sometimes I look at how long I've been working on this series and feel a bit embarrassed with how much is still left to go, but I have to remember that I'm one individual that's had to learn and do everything here. As much as I want to sometimes, it's just not realistic to aim for the same level of output professional comics may achieve. So long as working on this series is a net positive for my life, there's nothing wrong with chugging along at the pace best suited for me at a given moment.

          3. What's been your favorite part about making Blossoms?

     I love the amount of growth it's allowed me both artistically and emotionally. As someone who minored in Studio Art, I truly believe this series has been the most beneficial thing to my art skills if not one of them. The amount I draw for it provides constant practice, and my drawing speed and quality have markedly improved over the years and continues to do so. It's likely also the reason I've stayed committed to drawing at all; creating art for the characters you love adds an intoxicating joy to the craft.

     This series also taught me how to really fall in love with the stories and characters you create. I've always had story ideas and characters for as long as I can remember, and as a kid, I thought I wanted to be a novelist. It wasn't until Blossoms though that I developed such a strong emotional connection to the work, as I put more of myself into the characters and their struggles than any previous project. In several ways, this series has been a great emotional support to me, and it's been something for me to lean on when everything else in life may feel out of my control.

          4. I know that some ongoing comics struggle with missing a publication or two. Have you experienced this and if so, how do you deal with it?

     I've struggled with this before yes, including right now. Although comics don't have a submission form suited specifically for series like written stories do, for most of the NT's history comic series have had a similar rule where every part needs to be submitted at the same time. Once accepted, the expectation then was that the comic series would publish in every upcoming NT issue until completion, just like with written series.

     This expectation has been rolled back a couple of times, the first being around 2018-2019 with no reason given, so there was no real way to circumvent that one. It stuck until a new Editor took over and reversed things back to that original expectation. Then most recently, the Issue 976 Editorial introduced several Times changes, one of them removing that guarantee of sequential publishing for comic series again. There's a greater precedent placed upon themed entries for holiday issues, so if your comic series coincides with a themed issue and doesn't match the occasion, there's a good chance it will be skipped over.

     It's difficult enough writing my series in general, so to also take into account each Neopian holiday would be way more work than it's worth. I've tried a couple of things like subtle thematic dialogue changes or little "Happy [x] Holiday!" banners tacked on to a comic, and while certainly not ideal, it's worked so far. I've also gotten lucky on at least one occasion and published an unthemed comic in a holiday issue. Right now, it's just playing things by ear and hoping my luck holds out, honestly.

          5. What, if any, advice do you have for an aspiring Neopian Times comic artist?

     If you want to start making comics for the Times, now's the best time to get started! Don't overthink whether your art is good enough because really what a comic needs is art that serves the story well. It doesn't have to be pretty (although it can be if you'd like!), it mainly just needs to get the point across. Especially if you're completely new to comics, getting messy and learning through creation is the best way to overcome that learning curve! Read through others' comics and take note of what you like, as well as what you'd like to see more of in the Times.

     Also try to get involved with the community, as they can help build motivation, give critique and encouragement, and advise you on NT rules that may be difficult to find on the site. The latter can especially be helpful as those rules tend to change over time, and it's difficult to keep up by yourself or if you've been out of the loop. A good place to start is the Writers Neoboard, although it can be rather slow these days, so I'd also check out the list of recommended and certified fan sites on the Community Hub for further resources. For example, Jellyneo has an article on creating and submitting comics to the NT, and the Neopian Times Writers Forum is a hub to chat about Neopian creative endeavors.

          6. Do you have a favorite memory of your time on Neopets? An achievement or random event that surprised you maybe?

     I'm not sure I have a single favorite moment, but I do have some random memories that stick out. In general, my favorite time on Neopets has been spent reading the Neopian Times. As a kid, I read the comics section in the NT as voraciously as I did newspaper comics, and I held NT artists in the same regard as professionals. There are a number of comic series that hold great nostalgia for me now, and I love looking back in the archives to discover even more comics.

     I'm also fond of the music that Neopets introduced to me. I remember when players could code music into their shops and lookups (something I always wanted to do but never figured out as a kid, RIP), and there were some corners of the site I'd visit just to listen to their songs.

          7. Which of your Neopets is your favorite? (Don't worry, we won't tell them.)

     Aw, I could never choose a favorite! I'd feel so guilty like I was a parent who had a favorite child haha. I appreciate all my characters for who they are and their places in the story, as they're all equally important.

          8. What's your all-time favorite painted Petpet?

     Good question! There's so many Petpets I'm sure I haven't even seen before, so it's hard to say what my definitive favorite is, but I've always had a soft spot for the Abominable Snowball. My favorite color combo for it would probably be Plushie or Faerie :3

          9. Do you have a current goal for yourself on the site?

     Right now, my one true goal is to just keep progressing on my comic. The ultimate goal would be to finish it completely, but for now, I'm just keeping my sights set on the end of Act I (out of two total). I feel like it's on the horizon, but every step ends up turning into five, so we'll see haha.

          10. Is there anything exciting you'd like to share? An NT series by a friend that's in publication, a completed gallery or dreamie, or a new project of your own?

     Yeah, I'm always happy to shout out friends! Some fellow comic artists that have series right now are Kuroneko_kitty with her series about an overenthusiastic Meridellian Draik and her antics, as well as Keng200 with a couple of series about her Pets and a crew of Roo Island sailors. Both are very funny with some fantastic art! A newer comic series I've been enjoying as well is Faellie Tales by coco6468, about a cheery and grumpy Faellie living together with an old-school NT feel to it. Neopizza by abby568 has also been an intriguing read, as it's a series that's been tackling more dramatic storylines not usually seen in the comics section.

     For myself, I've been developing an original comic on the side unrelated to Neopets, although it's still just in the prewriting stages with no set date for when I'll start making it. I'm pretty slow when it comes to writing, so I'm just taking ideas as they come right now haha. But it's about a ghost girl traversing the plain between life and beyond, able to stick her head into either side for brief moments but never long enough to stay. Originally cursing her to a life of loneliness, this ability to travel across plains must now become the key to finding her place in the world. Everything is up for changing, so things will probably look different in the next couple of years haha. I'll put art for it on my art Petpage /~TerryCherryBlossom every now and then.

          Thank you so much for joining us! It's been a pleasure for me personally to have a chance to speak with an artist whose work I admire so much and to share their insights and character with you all. Hopefully, this is the first of many articles wherein I'm able to shine a spotlight on some of the notable Neopians that we call our neighbours!