The Bruce, the Trends, and the Bow-tie Suit

     Just three days ago, I was outside skating on a rather large frozen pond with all of my best buddies and a few Bruces I had never seen before. I was feeling especially jolly because I was into the holiday spirit. I absolutely could not wait to see those presents under the tree, and I still can't, of course. But now I am expecting something far more different from what I wanted to see under the tree only a day ago. Yesterday, before I got done skating, I wanted a nice, fancy red bow-tie and a few plushies that I could hug whenever I was sad or lonely, and everything else that qualifies us Bruces to be in the "in crowd." But now I want something different, and if you want to know why, listen to my story as I talk to you in words that have become much wiser over the past forty-eight hours.

     As I skated across a large pond in Neopia with merely a red scarf around my neck, I noticed something that every Bruce had--except for me. Every Bruce was carrying a Chia Pop, some tucked into scarves and others tucked tightly underneath flippers. Now, I'm usually not a very outgoing Bruce, but I wanted to know what the deal was, so I skated over to a group of Bruces that I had never seen before. I came up to the smallest one since I was rather small myself, and this guy didn't look like he posed much of a threat. He was purple with orange spots, and he looked like the pet of the group. "Excuse me," I said to him politely. "Could you tell me why everyone has Chia Pops? Did I miss the Chia Pop party?"

     "No, silly!" he said in a small, squeaky voice after chuckling a bit. "It's the new style to carry around a Chia Pop wherever you go! You don't have a Chia Pop, do you?" He looked me over just to make sure.

     "Well... no," I told him, embarrassed. "I didn't know I was supposed to have a Chia Pop with me all the time." As you probably know, carrying around a Chia Pop has never been an actual rule for Bruces, and never will be. I have to say though, on that day, it seemed like it really was a rule that I had to follow. Had a new law been added that I didn't know about? Was I supposed to run home and get a Chia Pop before I got in trouble?

     You should have seen the little Bruce's face! It was like he had just seen the Turmaculus befriend a petpet! You probably know that the Turmaculus has petpets for dinner; he doesn't befriend them. "Well, you should probably go and get one," he told me, supposedly giving me a bit of good advice. Note that I said "supposedly."

     The next day, after going out to the market with Mom just to buy a few Chia Pops, I was back at the frozen pond with an Orange Chia Pop tucked inside my scarf. I felt so proud of myself. I felt like I was on top of the world! I couldn't wait to show off a new trend that I owned. Surely the popular Bruces would let me join their crowd then! I could just see myself hanging out with the all-famous Brucey B, sipping sweet lemonade with him on a comfortable hammock. But as I looked around at all the other Bruces happily chatting and turning around in circles with their ice skates, my face fell. Not only was I sad, but I was surprised. None of my fellow Bruces had Chia Pops with them except for me! They were all wearing sparkly knit mittens that shimmered whenever they moved. I was so frustrated! I thought about buying myself some mittens just like those, but then I changed my mind. I just couldn't keep up with all of these trends; there were so many that it made my head spin. That's why I just decided to give up. Yes, I gave up. I still don't regret it, and chances are I never will.

     Yesterday, everyone had a new trend going again. Every single Bruce out on that ice had a Paint Brush Plushie, and they were dragging it behind them on the ice as if they were painting the ice. The way they were leaning down to drag the plushies looked extremely uncomfortable, and I was so glad I hadn't started following every day's new trend. I had my own trend going. While everyone else was in a painful position just so they could be in style, I was wearing a comfortable knit suit that Mom had made me a while back that was covered in bow-ties in all sorts of bright colors and sizes. Everyone wanted to know where I had gotten it. I told them it was an original so no one could steal my idea, and it really was an original! It was the work of my mom, and I was proud of that. I bet no other Bruce that has ever walked the grounds of Neopia has a mom that can knit better than mine.

     Yesterday, before I got done skating, I wanted a nice, fancy red bow-tie and a few plushies that I could hug whenever I was sad or lonely, and everything else that qualifies us Bruces to be in the "in crowd." Yesterday, I was not nearly as wise as I am today. That's why today, I want everything as close to originality as I can get. I want to be a Bruce Original, the Bruce that everyone looks up to. The only way that can happen to anyone is if they are able to simply be themselves. It's very easy, really. Today, every Bruce skating around on the frozen pond is wearing something different and doing something different. Some are wearing things that were stylish not so long ago, and others, like me, are wearing or doing something that no one else would have thought of, and something that no one else can buy because these things are not sold anywhere. No one is the same, and it is all because of me. No one is the same at all. Now, as I speak to you in my wise words that were once not so wise, let me just say that Neopia has never been a better place to live than it is today. It is far more colorful, and you never know what you will see wherever you go. It's nice to look forward to that, you know? The most fun thing about having my own ideas is looking at other Neopets' ideas too, and admiring what spectacular imaginations they have.

The End