Thinking about changes I’d make if I were writing TVW lol. I think one of my biggest writing standpoint frustrations, on a larger level (not just “dialogue bad”), is kind of a lack of conversation around what “being grey” MEANS. You have Baelia, dubbed The Grey Faerie, you have Ozzy, who was implicitly grey since birth, grey is an onsite paint brush, and entire lands are being forcibly “turned grey.” Being “turned grey” is explicitly a bad thing, but Baelia and Ozzy appear to just Be Like That, clearly symbolic of depression / other mental health issue, Baelia in particular suffering social ostracization for it, which I think complicates things so much.
I think if I had it my way that complexity would be way more center focus. I think Ozzy being grey as a child is revealed way too abruptly to the point it almost feels like a punchline. If Ozzy were Born Grey & this was something given more dialogue earlier on I think it would really deepen both his character and his motive.
Anyway, with that in mind, here are some thoughts:
Plot begins in the same way (entire worlds start turning grey, major world leaders convene to try to figure out what’s going on. They discover that it’s Ozzy doing the painting. They don’t know HOW he’s doing it, but they have sightings of a mysterious gothic grey Yurble with a sinister grey paint brush of unprecedented power.
The world leaders call upon Baelia at Fyora’s suggestion to look into things, because she’s the only person she knows who was already in this state of perma-grey. There is initially some reticence amongst the others because they don’t view someone who is grey of being quite as capable as other pets — first implication of some anti-grey bias.
Nyx is also called upon because Ozzy is her brother. Nyx in this version is a Virtupets hero/celebrity. She has all of these cool stories about her space adventures and is a tough action girl. Bit of an ego. Something between Ripley from Alien and Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony, LOL. Nyx is also not particularly thrilled at first to be paired with Baelia, who she views as too sensitive. I want Nyx to almost feel an anti-hero at first.
I don’t think we need Luxinia, who is just a mobile app tie in, or Tavi, who sucks, at all. Baelia and Nyx go on the adventure on their own.
As the story progresses, Baelia and Nyx get to know each other. In particular, Baelia shares stories about her struggles with being perma-grey. Nyx warms up to her but seems oddly closed off, sharing very little about herself and her past. Both bring their unique contributions to the table to solve various puzzles and escape dangerous situations.
While trying to learn more about the grey curse, the two end up at a Grey Club of some sort where they meet a bunch of different grey pets, some born that way and some who chose to be painted grey on their own accord, to socialize with each other. This can be kinda simultaneously sweet and sorta silly. “On Movie Monday we all watch sad movies together… and on Tragic Tuesday we all read a book with a tragic ending… and on Weeping Wednesday—” It’s a revelation to Baelia that there are individuals who are both Grey and finding community and friendship with others, not changing from who they are but finding ways to feel accepted and like they belong.
Eventually, when they confront Ozzy, we learn more of the truth: Nyx abandoned him. On purpose. He was born grey and just, to be entirely blunt, not fun to be around. They lost their parents and she become his de facto caretaker. She felt held back by him, and frustrated that nothing she could do would change him. She ended up running away to Virtupets Academy. Ozzy, understandably, is deeply hurt by this, and decided to lash out by basically finding a way to make everybody hurt like he has all these years.
It’s also revealed that Vira is helping him with all of this behind the scenes, having given him the perma-grey paint brush he’s been using. She feeds off of misery, also wanting people to feel as unhappy as she does. She’s further manipulating Ozzy’s already justified hurt; “No one will ever truly love you just like no one ever truly loved me.”
Ozzy refuses to listen to Nyx’s (admittedly somewhat empty) apology and Nyx and Baelia have no choice but to flee. Baelia, hurt on Ozzy’s behalf, confronts her, feels her friendship was functionally a lie since she treated her brother so bad for being the same way she is. Nyx explains her side of the story. She was grieving. She was frustrated and scared and young and guilty. She didn’t just want to explore the universe… she wanted as far away from Neopia as possible. This doesn’t justify what she’s done, but we finally learn more about who she is. She wants to make things right but can’t imagine how she would do that.
In the eventual climax, Baelia is able to reach Ozzy through them both being grey, offering him similar connection to the Grey Club. She’s come to accept who she is and she wants him to as well. Vouches for Nyx that she is truly trying to change, Nyx gives a proper apology. He’s still hesitant to trust her.
Vira, of course, can’t be swayed. It’s revealed that she has been working with a much more enigmatic, powerful evil from within the mysterious, ancient Void. Ozzy, Baelia, and Nyx must team up together to stop her/The Void. All must use/combine their unique strengths. Nyx proves herself to Ozzy, maybe by sacrificing herself to the Void (and being saved, of course) to protect him.
In the end Vira is defeated, the rift into the Void is closed (except for maybe one small pool of Void Residue, where pets and petpets can dip themselves to become a pretty new PB color 👀 Maybe Nyx is even turned Void color permanently to introduce it?), and they manage to get a new magic paint brush that undoes the grey. Ozzy says his dream was always to be a painter whose artwork helps create a kinder, more beautiful world, and he’s able to do just that by returning color to it. Some pets choose not to return to their original colors, and Baelia herself decides she’s happy as she is, as does Ozzy, who feels he has something to contribute to the world as his authentic self.
And uh yeah, that’s my Void Within :)
baratheonpilled
annaxmalina
blakekathryn
yousharknotpass
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