Looks ARE Everything: Part Two

In case you decided to read this article first and totally ignore the previous one, I'll tell you what we were discussing so you don't get too lost. The topic is developing characters for a story using your own Neopets and how different paint brush colors can affect their personalities. Last week we talked mainly about colors that dress your Neopets in costumes. This week we will tackle the rest of the Rainbow Pool.

Physically Altering Colors

These paint brushes don't simply color your pet. They change them into something that often looks radically different from whatever species it originally was. Some change into bold, intimidating, battledome-ready Neopets. Others need to BE changed. Ummm, their diapers, that is.

Mutant: Okay, TECHNICALLY this color doesn't come from a paint brush. It comes from a transmogrification potion. But it definitely alters the way your pet looks. Some Neopets, like the Grundo, Lupe, Scorchio, Buzz and DEFINITELY the Lenny, become fierce and strong as mutants. Some become fairly weird and creepy aliens, like the Aisha, Elephante and Usul. Others, like the Moehog and the Blumaroo, just get old and wrinkly for some odd reason. But generally speaking, mutants are either evil or misunderstood. Personally, I think this group has a LOT of potential for a wide range of personalities. I can see mutants as self-conscious or vain, cowardly or fearless, leaders or followers, geniuses or nit-wits-- well, the list is endless. Mutants-- they ain't pretty, but gosh darn it, they sure are fun.

Darigan: This paint brush pretty much looks like what would happen if you tossed a Purple Paint Brush and a transmogrification potion into the Mystery Island Cooking Pot. For the most part, pets that are painted Darigan are purple, red-eyed, winged social outcasts. They can have personalities that range from playfully mischievious to downright menacing. In fact, the creepiest grins in all of Neopia belong to the Darigan Pteri and the Darigan Techo. But some of the Darigan pets look very noble as well. Personally, I think there are as many natural-born leaders in this group as there are in the "Royal" group. Just be careful what they are leading you to...

Maraquan: For a world that was destroyed over two and a half years ago, Maraqua seems to be a pretty lively place. It's true that the Maraquan Ocean covers most of Neopia, but you really couldn't live with your aquatic pet until Neohomes came out with bath tubs and ponds. Maraquan pets have a wise, gentle, friendly and playful look to them. Some, like the Acara, Aisha, Mynci and Meerca, even have an almost alien-being look to them as well. Well, maybe not the Maraquan Meerca. That looks more like a mutant Spiky Snowball. Anyway, if you need a loving, kind, helpful character for a story, this seems to be a good place to start your search for one.

Robot: This can actually be a pretty cool character for a story, in a metalic, monotone-speaking sort of way. Robots are at home in the Space Station or Kreludor, but a robot pet living in a damp, rainy place like Mystery Island and going to rust could be pretty funny. They are natural-born villians too because they can be emotionless or indestructable. Just remember that there is no such thing as a Robot Paint Brush. The only way to get this color is through the Lab Ray. And while we are talking about futuristic-looking lab ray colors, I'll toss out this one because it's one-of-a-kind and quite frankly, I don't where else to put it: Alien Aisha.

Tyrannian: Okay, maybe I'm a little biased, living in Tyrannia and all, but I really love this wacky group. If you need a prehistoric, shaggy, ugg-ugg grunting cave-dweller, search no longer. Dim-witted seems to be the dominant trait in this bunch. But the wide range of looks to the pets in this category almost rivals the Halloween Paint Brush. Some, like the Moehog and the Tuskaninny, are positively handsome. Well, for Moehogs and Tuskaninnies, that is. Basically, I would say that Tyrannian pets are no-nonsense, down-to-earth, back-to-basics, self-reliant types of pets. But they can also be incredibly dumb but loyal followers. This is not really what you would imagine an evil genius bent on taking over Neopia to look like. Then again, maybe this is exactly what an evil genius bent on taking over Neopia would look like. *Shrugs*.

Baby: Goo goo gah gah. 'Nuff said.

Inanimate Object Colors

If you need a character for a story that isn't really alive and isn't really dead either, you can't go wrong painting your pet to look like a toy or lab ray zapping him to look like a disease. If you want a totally bizarre, off-the-wall kind of character for a story here are your choices: Plushie (and remember Poogle comes in both regular and Malevolent Sentient), Robot, Snot, Snow and Sponge.

Dinner Colors

For some bizarre reason, there are pets that can be changed into food. The only real personality I can think of for these pets is "yummy". Not only is there a Coconut JubJub, but the Halloween JubJub and Halloween Kiko look like pumpkins. There are no less than ten Neopets that come in a variety of jelly flavors. But the Chia seems to be the most delicious Neopet of all. It comes in Apple, Asparagus, Aubergine, Avacado, Blueberry, Chokato, Durian, Gooseberry, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Pea, Peach, Pear, Pineapple, Plum, Strawberry, Thornberry and Tomato. And people wonder why Lupes eat Chias. I just can't imagine using a pet like this in anything but a funny story. So if you need a pet that has unlimited humorous possibilities... dinner is served!

Gender Colors

Here is a hot tip for you when developing a personality for a story character: check to see if your Neopet is a boy or a girl first. Okay, maybe this seems like a no-brainer, but the gender of your pet can also make a difference when you paint it too. I'm not just talking about the Usuki and Royal paint brushes that dress your pet in girl or boy clothes depending on what they are. Some colors simply LOOK more like one gender than the other. I'm not saying that you can't have a female Mutant Grundo, for example. I'm saying that if you do, don't be surprised if everyone keeps calling her "sir". So I am going to make things easier for you and give you lists of the gender colors. If a color isn't on either list, it means it can be a boy or girl-- it doesn't matter. Here are the lists:

Boys

Baby: Since traditionally boy babies are blue, here are the ones that look more like boys: Jetsam and Lupe. Blue is also a fairly neutral color so, I have obviously omitted quite a few blue babies that could also easily be girls.

Darigan: Maybe it's just me, but most of the Darigan pets look like guys to me, so I'll just name the ones that just wouldn't make a convincing girl no matter how good of a writer you are: Grarrl and Grundo.

Desert: More than any other color, the Lost Desert Paint Brush divides the pets into REALLY masculine or REALLY feminine looks. Here are the boys: Blumaroo, Lupe and Tuskaninny.

Disco: This is a painfully feminine color in general, but there is, thankfully, one glaring masculine exception: Disco Bruce.

Faerie: As far as debating whether any of these pets are totally masculine, I wouldn't touch this subject with a ten-foot Staff of Ultranova. Let's just say if you have a boy, be kind to him and pick another color.

Halloween: Except for the Cybunny, all of the vampire-dressed pets look like males: Blumaroo, Gelert, Grarrl, Jetsam and Moehog. Plus a few others in various monster costumes are also undeniably macho: Kacheek, Lupe, Tonu and Wocky.

Island: This color is a little too flowery for me, but if you are dead-set on painting your male pet Island, don't seriously consider it unless he is a Grundo, Kyrii, Scorchio or Zafara.

Mutant: Unless you want your girl pets to be fairly ugly or have bulging muscles, you might want to use a transmogrification potion on your boy pets instead.

Pirate: Take your pick. They all look like roguish he-buccaneers to me. You might say the Pirate Paint Brush is a sort of apology to all the Neopian males for the Faerie Paint Brush.

Tyrannian: One word perfectly describes this color in general: caveMAN. But for the sake of argument, I'll list the most masculine ones: Kacheek, Mynci, Nimmo and Quiggle.

Girls

Baby: Since traditionally girl babies are pink, here are the ones that look more like girls: Bruce, Peophin, Uni, Usul and Wocky.

Christmas: Only the ones dressed in pretty, furry-hooded little jackets look completely feminine: Acara and Shoyru. It's true that the Bruce and the Lupe also come in fuzzy coats, but for some reason they don't look as undeniably girly as the Acara and Shoyru do.

Darigan: Like I said, most of the Darigan pets look like guys to me, but there are two that actually look more like girls: Peophin and Usul.

Desert: Not only do the following look like girls, they are practically princesses: Aisha, Chomby, Cybunny, Ixi, Uni and Wocky.

Disco, Faerie and Island: Because all of those bright colors, pink flowers, butterfly wings, flowery necklaces and grass skirts, all three of these paint brushes crank out more females than the Krelufun Factory cranks out figurines. With a couple of neutral exceptions, the girls pretty much have these paint brushes all to themselves.

Halloween: Since witches are girls, it's safe to say that following witch-costumed pets are girls: Bruce, Chia, Korbat, Lenny and Peophin.

Pirate: I guess there are pirate girls in Neopia, even though this color seems to favor boys. So here are the ones that COULD be girls: Aisha, Cybunny, Kyrii, Peophin and Wocky.

Tyrannian: This is not a really frilly, feminine color, but if you want a primitive heroine for your story, here is a whole whopping one for you: Chia.

The personalities that Neopets can have are as endless as the color combinations they come in. And each unique paint brush or lab ray color not only helps you develop a personality for your Neopet, but can even inspire stories about your pet based on their color. As I said before, the suggestions I have made here are just SUGGESTIONS. Your Neopet can be whatever you imagine him to be. Your Neopet can have any personality you choose, no matter what he is painted. But for those of you who don't know exactly what kind of personality your pet has, or if you need a jolt of inspiration to write a story-- just remember, your muse maybe sitting in the Rainbow Pool waiting for you. So just don't sit there-- fish her out! She's getting soggy!