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Characterizing Your Pet
Written by fruitboy9o3
Many Neopians claim that they do everything for their pets-- playing games,
selling items in their shops, raising their levels. In reality, most play for
their own entertainment and later, as they become more immersed in the
community, reputation. I don't blame them. Though Neopets is intended to be all
about raising your pet, it's simply impossible to really care about a pet when
to most Neopians, it's just a picture on a screen that occasionally wants to be
fed mointangible images or play with a new graphic. This is a slight fault of
the game-makers, but with an imagination, you can take care of it easily.
If you want to get on the road of really caring about your pet, and not its
color or level, you have to start off with the first step. Take into account
your pets species. Does its species have a predilection for vanity? generosity?
mystery? For example, if you have a Chia, perhaps your pet is happy-go-lucky, as
Chias tend to be. If the pet in question is a Jetsam, maybe has an inner
tendency to be just a little mean. If it's an Ixi, it might be a trickster. Keep
in mind, though, that species doesn't decide anything. Not all Jetsams are mean
and not all Ixis are tricksters.Other aspects to take into consideration are
color, level, and maybe even its Petpet. These can shape a personality, too.
Baby-colored pets might be charming but spoiled. Low-level pets might be
pacifists, or cowardly. If your pet has a cute Petpet, it might like to coo and
mother something. If it has a strong, mean-looking Petpet, it might feel like it
needs someone to protect it. (Of course, since you are the one who chooses the
Petpet, you're putting a bit of a biased angle on things, so don't think too
much of it.)Now that you've seen all the obvious facets of your pet, look a
little further. Can you recall a time when your pet refused to eat a pepperoni
and sausage omelette? This might mean you have a vegetarian pet with
compassionate ideals. Does it especially like to play with Usuki dolls? That
might reveal a childish side to your pet that you wouldn't have noticed before.
Things are going to get a little more inventive starting now. You've seen the
clues before you. The rest of the process depends singularly on imagination.
Establish the rest of your pet's personality from scratch, and don't rely too
heavily on any of the "solid" facts that I told you to look for before. If
you're a writer like me, you'll love this part because there is no formula for
writing your pet's character.
There's no easy way to create a personality for your pet. Deciding whether it is
mischeivous, honest, wise, paranoid, arrogant, friendly, or any other character
trait you can think of is hard, and I don't blame you if you don't want the
bother.
If you do invent how your pet will act and think, it's time to put on the final
touches. Think up some unique physical traits. A birthmark shaped like a heart,
one eye that is colored differently from the other, or a long striped tail can
make all the difference between a boring pet and a bland one. If you're
artistically inclined, draw a picture of your pet. Use its description and
website to broadcast your pet's personality, appearance, preferences, and
friends/family to the world.
Now that we've finally given you a reason to care about your unique, quirky,
intriguing pet, you can reap the benefits of having such a personality. There
are roleplaying chatrooms where you might like to play as your pet. You can make
friends that are not only yours, but your pet's. Try writing a story about your
pet. All of this will serve to make its personality, and your Neopets gameplay
experience, all the richer.
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