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Neopia's Fill in the Blank News Source | 29th day of Running, Yr 26
The Neopian Times Week 137 > Articles > Darigan Destinies

Darigan Destinies

by barbcat00

DARIGAN CITADEL: Sloth mutates pets, sure, but that's old hat. Any crazy with a laboratory can warp a pet's visage. Look at the Scorchio and his lab ray. Brushes and bottles do a good job of it too, but that's so passé, they even give those out at the Advent Calendar. No, the new way to morph a pet to the epitome of style is by orb. The fact that the only one known to existence is broken is no matter, you can still have your very own Darigan pet modeled after the mutations of the denizens of a magic deprived aerial city. True, it takes a brush, but the original plan came from the orb. Just one swipe and all the red-eyed, winged purpleness you could possibly wish for will be standing in front of you in one lovable bundle.

But, you might wonder, how did all these come about? What kind of templates did the orb use to create the famous throngs of the Darigan Citadel? If such is your query then you're in luck! Through careful research and observation I have managed to uncover answers to this quandary. Probably not THE answers, but answers nonetheless. You have any idea how hard it is to interview an object and find out how it keeps genetic mutations from showing up? Objects just don't talk that much, let alone broken ones. I mean I tried talking to my fork once, but I'll be darned if I could get it to say anything. Very rude if you ask... ah, sorry about that. Back to the topic! Anyway, so I could not talk to the orb without which the people of Darigan became the violet beauties they are today, ergo you, poor unfortunate soul that you are, once again get my observations on the matter. I wonder if it would help if I put my glasses on... Nah. Ahem. Now without further ado:

The Basics

There are certain traits almost all Dariganite have in common. Among these are the striking purple color, those lovely red eyes, one of several fashions of stylish wings, and a beautiful set of keen claws. Not every species has all of these features but they are rather common. A couple less common but still popular traits are a longer or fuller mane of hair, and an arrow point tail.

Purple, it seems to be a very 'in' color at the moment. Not that I would say that on my own authority. I have the fashion savvy of a wet noodle. But look at the ever captivating Jhudora's wardrobe. Who would not envy that? So a good choice on the part of the orb. Plus the city is rather purple too so trying to hide from the tax beast is always an easy task; just stand still against the wall and blend in!

Every Darigan citizen, with the exception of the Grarrl, has a pair of enticing red eyes. Who has the willpower not to be captivated by such intensity? Some say red eyes are only for the evil, but you don't have to be evil to have red contacts. You don't have to be evil to have pinkeye either, but that is another matter. You see, no Dariganite need ever spend money on sunglasses. Aside from the fact that the sun does not appear to shine on the Darigan Citadel, the red pigment in their eyes should shield them when visiting other lands, unlike the sensitive white eyes of others.

Wings, not every species gets these wonderful appendages, and not every species gets to keep the ones they used to have. But from the standpoint of Dariganites as a whole it makes perfect sense for them to have these flying aids. Imagine if you will a mother Kougra and her kittens out for a walk. Darigan is a floating city. What happens if one of the hapless kittens stumbles over the edge? Why nothing of course because the cute little tyke has his very own set of wings to bear him back to the waiting paws of his caring mother. Now the Draik has somehow managed to get the short end of the proverbial stick and has been stripped of its wings. What it did to anger the orb into this perhaps we shall never know. At any rate Draiks look too heavy for most wings regardless. Either that or maybe they can flap their ear fins and at least get a good glide. Same goes for the Peophin there.

Claws, oh lovely sharp claws. How do you expect to defend yourself or your land, or conquer someone else's land, without something sharp at your disposal? Sure Battledome weapons are great but they can break or get stolen. Claws are hard to take away. Maybe a good file, but you get my point. (Bad joke I know, but I couldn't help myself. Oh the inhumanity!) None of the standard pets have visible claws, but almost all the Darigan pets do. They either have claws or dangerous looking hooves. Even the innocent little Usul has grown some nails. At last they can use all their hoarded nail polish!

And while we are pulling out grooming items normal Meercas can hand over the hairbrush, we've got Darigan Meercas, Lupes, Krawks and others. Take a look at all those lustrous locks, the impeccable pelts, the heavenly hair, the.. Okay, I'll stop now. And why not? Living up in the sky has to be windy and a perfect, protective pelt would be long enough to keep its wearer nice and warm. But let us not forget the polish for all the wonderfully shaped tail points many species have been privileged with. A decent weapon, they also serve as a nice group symbol and a great accessory for any look.

The Divisions

Every pet has at least one or two of the basic features but there are of course differences between the Darigan styles. How many you might ask? Well I might answer 500 but you'd know I was lying, so I think I will stick with 3 and see if anyone believes me. It seems the orb took the species in the Citadel and did one of three things to them. It either slimmed them down and made them appear more fit, beefed them up and made them more robust, or did little to nothing to them. That last one sounds really exciting doesn't it? Well don't blame me, I am just categorizing not creating. The orb is the lazy one.

Take a look at the Aisha and the Mynci if you want examples of the thinned out classification. Need we other examples? Well others would be Grarrls, Kougras, Moehogs, and Skeiths. Grarrls and Skeiths? I hear you laugh. 'Tis true! Compare regular Grarrls and Skeiths to their Darigan counterparts and you will find they are not quite so rotund in all dimensions. But then again Darigan did say his people's prosperity suffered when the orb was taken. Maybe this is just a symptom of that lack. If that were true then, how to explain the second grouping?

If the Draik or the Krawk used to be more sturdy looking I bet they would have been an awesome sight. They surely are the poster species for this robust category of orb mutations. However, let us not forget the Eyrie, Meerca, Peophin, or Scorchio. That Eyrie looks like its new wings are strong enough to carry the entire Darigan army on its back. Anything the Eyrie could not carry though I am sure the Scorchio could easily pick up. And look at the tail on that Meerca! One wonders if the body is made of iron if it needs that much support.

The third and final group (yes, I am almost done, I promise) seems to have been largely ignored by the orb, or it didn't know what to do with them other than the basic modifications. Grundos, Lupes, Shoyrus, Unis, Usuls, and Zafaras all seem to have remained very similar in body shape to their former selves. Minor changes were made of course, I mean who wouldn't recognize the silhouette of the spikes on a Shoyru or the reversed horn on a Uni? But apart from wings, red eyes and the like they are largely the same as their plain colored brethren.

Now what have we learned, comrades? Other than the fact I use a lot of question marks in my writing I mean. Come to think of it I am not sure what we learned either. But at least we know what to watch out for if Kass wins and starts taking over the rest of Neopia. At any rate, beware any strange orbs you may find. Please turn them in to the nearest Defenders of Neopia Headquarters. Or, if you would rather, I would gladly take them too! I promise I will keep them very safe... yesss my precccioussss.

As last time, comments are welcome. Thanks.

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