Dean Ravenola
Writer
TV - FILM - VIDEO GAMES - NOVELS - COMICS
Narrative & Creative Director of Neopets
Dean Ravenola’s writing has appeared across numerous mediums including video games, short stories, books, graphic novels, short films, and other digital media.
Currently acting as Narrative & Creative Director, Dean Ravenola has been a proud member of the Neopets Team for over 4 years. His role encompasses:
Directing large-scale plot and event storylines
Leading the Narrative teams working on various Neopets games in production
Developing a thematic and cohesive brand story
Acting as the Neopets “Lore Keeper” with all outside vendor marketing and projects containing narrative content
LA Comic Con 2023 Andrews McMeel Presents: Let’s Talk Kidlit Panel
Dean Ravenola was invited to Los Angeles Comic Con 2023 as a panelist on the Andrews McMeel Presents: Let’s Talk Kidlit Panel, where discussions among contemporary creators covered everything from experiences in publishing and licensing to highlighting ongoing projects. Representing Neopets as “TNT Aesop”, Ravenola shared some insights about two Neopets Graphic Novels he has been developing with Andrews McMeel editor Erinn Pascal and author Rebecca Mix while also briefly touching upon the large-scale Plot currently slated for 2024.
The Neopets Resurgence of 2023
Watch the video unveiled during the 2023 SDCC Neopets After Party revealing some of the exciting new partnerships and initiatives on the New Team’s Roadmap while also hyping up the upcoming Plot our narrative team has been hard at work on!
Making the Headlines!
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Calling all nostalgic millennials: Neopets is reviving fantastical pet game
The Washington Post
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Neopets is finally in its revival era - Welcome back to Neopia
Polygon
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Neopets Is Coming Back Bigger And Better Than Ever — And My Inner Child Is Screaming
Buzzfeed
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Millennials, Neopets Is So Back
The Gamer
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Can You Really Build a Business on Internet Nostalgia? Neopets’ New CEO Certainly Thinks So
Vanity Fair
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The Neopets renaissance is upon us
TechRadar
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Neopets Is About To Undergo A Reinvention After 23 Years
Kotaku
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'A New Era' of Neopets is Officially Here as Brand Announces New Leadership Team
People
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Why Neopets Deserves Its Bright New Era
CulturedVultures
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We were obsessed with this game in 1999, and now it’s coming back
The Sydney Morning Herald
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Stay calm, but Neopets brought back their classic Flash games
Lifestyle Asia
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Neopets is Back! What Does This Mean For Fans And Players?
IGN Southeast Asia
News of the Neopets revival in 2023 was welcomed by fans and journalists alike, generating buzz from major news outlets across the globe including CNBC, Vanity Fair, The Washington Post, People Magazine, Buzzfeed, Kotaku, and IGN.
There’s an incredibly dedicated team of people who were just doing all they could and, frankly, wearing too many hats for not enough pay, but they love the site,” Dean Ravenola, Neopets creative director, said. “I’m so happy we’re finally getting the chance and resources to do what we’ve been wanting to do for so long now. It feels like a new era.”
World of Neopia developers are also cooking up additional content — namely, a new plot. In addition to Neopets’ popular minigames, the world also revolves around decades’ worth of lore poured into ongoing storylines. Ravenola said the team has been working on the new plot for two to three years, drawing from decades of Neopets lore and storylines for inspiration. But some of that history has sadly been lost in the Flash breakdown. A lot of that has been preserved on fan sites, and it requires digging — digging that Ravenola and the team are excited to do to ensure they do right by the history of Neopets.
“The biggest thing we want to do is honor the characters and the exciting stories that came before, do them justice, and bring in some new [characters], too,” Ravenola said.
“The next year is really going to be crucial for Neopets in terms of how this rebirth will go,” Ravenola added.
The Void Within Plot
With a new plot on the horizon, site events such as the Faerie Festival and Halloween Trick or Treat Scavenger Hunt had plot elements woven into their narratives that will ultimately connect back to a grander storyline.
The Faerie Festival Epilogue even included a teaser comic offering a glimpse of some scheming antagonists and a mysterious enchanted item…
During the Neopets San Diego Comic Con After Party reveal video, the first inkling of plot info was shown to the public. The name “The Void Within”, as well as the silhouette of a new character…
As the plot is not scheduled for release until 2024, no more info can be released at this time. However, it won’t be long before more updates can be shared!
The Void Within - Official Trailer #1
Watch the launch trailer for “Neopets: The Void Within”, introducing the new plot that released on June 17th.
The Void Within - Official Trailer #2
If you missed the comic precursor to the new plot, The Void Within, get caught up with this second official animated trailer!
Join Nyx as she returns to Neopia to defend her home from the darkness threatening to swallow each land and ensure it stays the vibrant escape we all grew up with.
The Void Within storyline unfolds...
Original Animated TV Pilot Scripts
Grimm Reality
Grimm Reality is an animated fantasy-comedy series set in a world populated solely by creatures from various mythologies and cryptid sightings. The fate of this world is in the hooves of the immortal unicorn Jeff, who must lead a crackpot team of loners to fulfill a confusing prophecy. Problem is, the only thing cantankerous Jeff is interested in is finding a way to end his curse of everlasting life…
Cosmopolitan
An animated sci-fi comedy series that follows slacker wannabe pilot Aster as he stumbles his way onto a ship so advanced she has a mind of her own. Scarlet, the ship’s AI, will not rest until she finds out what happened to her creator and former Captain, brilliant inventor Jericho. Together, Scarlet and Aster must navigate the perils of the galaxy searching for Jericho as they pick up eclectic crewmates along the way.
Other Published Works
From creative essays published in literary magazines to video game event storylines, Dean Ravenola’s body of work continues to grow at a rapid pace. For more extensive details on these projects, check out the Neopets and DreamWorks School of Dragons pages.
Neopets: Faerie’s Hope
Dean Ravenola led the Narrative team that executed the exciting storyline for the Neopets: Faerie’s Hope mobile game. This included maintaining lore accuracy, planning story beats, reviewing all scripts and narrative content, as well as coordinating with both the Netdragon team based out of China as well as the Jumpstart Narrative, Design, and Art teams in the LA studio.
School of Dragons: 2022 Thawfest Event
Dean Ravenola handled all of the Narrative Design duties for the 2022 Thawfest Event. This involved drawing upon existing Dreamworks: How to Train Your Dragon lore to pitch and develop a thrilling new event storyline introducing a brand new dragon to the School of Dragons game.
Festival of Neggs 2021 Event Storyline
Dean Ravenola took the lead on the 2021 Festival of Neggs Neopets event. For this annual event, he pitched a storyline to the team involving several classic Festival of Neggs characters such as Topsi and Mira. After receiving approval, he developed scripts, wireframes, art requests, and went on to coordinate with production, art, and programming to ensure the event ran smoothly.
DreamWorks School of Dragons: Thawfest Event
Dean Ravenola had the pleasure of overseeing all of the Narrative Design duties for the 2022 Thawfest Event. These responsibilities included:
Drawing upon existing How to Train Your Dragon lore to outline, pitch, and write four exciting new questlines for the event.
Utilizing fan-favorite characters to introduce a new hybrid dragon, the Zipplewraith, to the School of Dragons campus!
Devising tasks with action types interwoven into the event storyline
Working with Art and Design teams to bring to life polished cutscenes and engaging Dragon Tactics battles
You can watch through some gameplay of the Thawfest Event in the videos below!
Thawfest Event Playthrough Video
Want to experience the 2022 School of Dragons Thawfest event yourself and read through the script?
You can watch the first half of the storyline in this playthrough video of the event uploaded by Youtuber Bluesteam.
And check out the School of Dragons Page for more stills and information about the event!
Thawfest Event Playthrough Video Part 2
Couldn’t get enough Thawfest from that first video? Desperate to know what happens to Hookfang?
Don’t worry, you can watch the second half of the storyline in this playthrough video of the event uploaded by Youtuber Bluesteam.
And check out the School of Dragons Page for more stills and information about the event!
Neopets: Faerie’s Hope
Dean Ravenola was responsible for leading the Narrative team that executed an exciting storyline for the Neopets: Faerie’s Hope mobile game that expanded upon the events of one of the most popular Neopian plots. His duties as a lead on this project included maintaining lore accuracy, planning story beats, and reviewing all scripts and narrative content. This project required coordinating with both the Netdragon team based out of China that developed the game as well as the Jumpstart Narrative, Design, and Art teams working on the game from the LA studio.
Neopets: Faerie’s Hope Synopsis
Play as an amnesiac Faerie who awakes on a tiny sliver of Faerieland, one last piece of it that is somehow still floating in the sky… Why didn’t this piece of Faerieland fall with the rest of it during the events of Faeries Ruin? How did this lone Faerie survive all this time? And just who is she? Discover the answers to these questions and more as you pick up the pieces of your fragmented memory, uncovering your shrouded past all while rebuilding your very own New Faerieland and meeting an eclectic group of Neopian friends along the way!
DreamWorks School of Dragons: April Fools Event
Dean Ravenola was fortunate enough to oversee all of the Narrative Design duties for the 2022 April Fools Event. These responsibilities included:
Drawing upon existing How to Train Your Dragon lore to outline and pitch an exciting new event concept called “Chickenfest” to the team utilizing fan-favorite characters
Writing scripts for the two April Fool’s questlines
Devising tasks with action types interwoven into the event storyline
Working with Art and Design teams to bring to life polished cutscenes and hilarious Dragon Tactics battles
You can find some stills of the School of Dragons April Fools Chickenfest event on the School of Dragons Page!
April Fools Event Playthrough Video
Want to experience the 2022 School of Dragons April Fool event yourself and read through the script?
You can watch this playthrough video of the event uploaded by Youtuber Dračí Pomeranč.
And check out the School of Dragons Page for more stills and information about the event!
Neopets Advent Calendar 2021 & 2022
Dean Ravenola handled the Narrative Design responsibilities for the 2021 and 2022 Neopets Advent Calendars, which included writing and reviewing scripts for the numerous comics as well as the animated video we released. This task involved collaborating with other narrative designers as well as production, art, and programming teams to:
Create comprehensive comic and video storyboards
Develop visually striking comic panel and video art
Produce polished and smooth animations
Introduce new characters and expand upon Neopets lore
You can watch the animated video and find some stills of these Advent Calendar comics below!
*Please keep in mind that these comics also include animations that can only be viewed on the Neopets Advent Calendar archives.
Aether Warriors: The Hidden War Series
While still enrolled in High School, Dean Ravenola published his first novel, Aether Warriors: The Hidden War Series. This Young Adult Fantasy is still available for purchase on the largest of retailers including Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
Barnes and Noble
Currently rated 4.7 out of 5 stars!
Amazon
Currently rated 4.7 out of 5 stars!
Goodreads
Currently rated 4.3 out of 5 stars!
Walmart
Currently rated 4 out of 5 stars!
Best Fantasy Books:
Currently rated 4 out of 5 stars!
Features in Online Publications
Dean Ravenola has been featured as a contributor for several different online publications such as:
Living in Filth
“Living in Filth” was a short story that Dean Ravenola had published in the Long River Review Literary Magazine during his time attending the University of Connecticut.
Dean Ravenola was proud to be immortalized in the Neopian Universe as a member of the Neopets Team under the pseudonym Aesop. As Aesop, he competed in the 2020 and 2021 Altador Cup events playing as a defender for Team Kreludor.
