Your Pet's Personality

You might see them and wish your pets were like them, with a unique “personality” and color. The latter is easy to acquire- it’s a matter of luck or money making and your haggling skills. But the former? How in Neopia do you make your pet have a personality that sparkles and shines on its own? Well, I’m here to help you find out how!

My name is lttay, but please call me Covu. My pets Yukimor, a silver Kougra with maroon eyes that could kill if looks could and a scar over his left eye, and Kakashiri, my shadow Lupe with an attitude and a long scar over his left arm, and I will be your guides to giving your pets and personality to be proud of!

1. What kind of personality?

Covu: When you’re giving your pet a personality, think of one that might fit you in a way. Yukimor and Kakashiri are hilarious, but they can be serious. They’re smart, with an aloof attitude that makes them seem bored one minute and ready to attack an offending n00b the next.

Yukimor: When looking for a pet’s personality, think of yourself. Covu is pretty easygoing sometimes, but his temper has a short dynamic fuse. Plus...

Kakashiri: ...You wouldn’t want to give... say, a grey Krawk the personality of a happy-go-lucky active and rambunctious personality in MOST cases. Of course there are exceptions, but in general, keep your pet's personality around you and the pet in question. Otherwise, your peers might not understand your pet’s personality enough to really think much of it.

2. What’s the point of giving an unpainted pet a unique personality?

Covu: *gasps* That’s absurd! EVERY PET, no matter the gender, color, size, or species, deserves a personality! In fact, I’ve seen a red Gelert, who looks like nothing on the owner’s user lookup, look like a half robot, half red Gelert on his lookup and pet page! He had a personality that fit him perfectly, and yet what color was he? Robot? Faerie? Gold? Nope! He was plain boring red... until he got a shining personality!

Kakashiri: Anyways, just because a pet is unpainted doesn’t mean it isn’t special! You could give your pet a hundred books to read and never paint him... and call him a genius or bookworm and give him an appropriate personality that really matches him!

Yukimor: Also, your pet might have a special name too. Look at my name; it's got no underscores, no numbers, it’s a name that’s easy to pronounce... that’s a name to be proud of... and pride and dignity is written all over my protected forehead! *tugs headband* See?

3. I’ve thought of a good personality- how do I give it to my pet? How do I show Neopia that he’s a unique pet, not just another boring pixel with a page?

Covu: Once you’ve thought through the personality you want for your pet, where do you suppose you give it to them? On their pet page or pet lookup!

Kakashiri: My pet page can be used as an example in this case. First I have a photo of me that Covu made. You can put mottos on it, things that match your pet's personality or owner's fan addiction...*avoids punch thrown from Covu* or pictures of things that match your pet, like grey stuff for a grey pet, plushies for a plushie pet, pictures of Battledome items your pet might normally use if he’s a natural Battledomer... and then you want to add information about him/her that tells people about them. Try to keep it clear, neat, easy to read, no Ch @ ts3k b CuZ iz Hrd to r3d, and try to keep it original, maybe with mottos from favorite movies, books, or shows that match your pet...

Yukimor: And for your pet’s lookup, maybe have a picture of your pet, or a lookup that looks SOMETHING LIKE THIS:

*Picture of your pet goes here*

Attitude1/attitude2/attitude3

STUFF ABOUT YOUR PET FROM THE PET’S POINT OF VIEW GOES HERE

That’s the simple diagram. More creative people might have tables, links, backgrounds, scroll boxes, and more. You just have to THINK and look around. Some people have premade or custom pet pages and you can get one too.

4. How do I make my pet “shine” more?

Covu: Try entering the Beauty Contest, or get something for the pet to show off on his page. Maybe you could become a cartoonist for the Neopian Times and use your pets in there?

Yukimor: That’s where their attitude and personality will be seen the most! A sweet attitude or a naturally bored know-it-all personality always get many people rolling on the floor of their room laughing hysterically. Funny things about them... showing off their real personality and getting people to want to keep up-to-date with them and hoping for more comics about your pets...

Kakashiri: ... getting fans for your pet is awesome, but it comes with work. Of course, some of the fans come for you, as you did most of the work! And it makes your pet’s personality shine until it’s a star in Neopia!

5. What helps their personality?

Covu: A petpet and petpetpet help if you include them in their “life”.

Kakashiri: You can also add fan art, pictures, and references to victories or special things about them...

Yukimor: *sharpening claws on nearby tree* No comment. I’m busy.

6. How else can they shine?

Covu: *yelling* look at YOUR user lookup!

Yukimor: *sarcasm* THAT’LL make people want to see your pets if your user lookup has NOTHING!

Kakashiri: Fix your user lookup if you can, and then... AND then your pet will gain popularity!

7. What are examples?

Yukimor: *stares at you with a bored expression* Why ask? Look at Kakashiri and me...

Covu: *stares disbelievingly at his pets’ attitude* If you insist... a red Gelert with half of his body made out of robot parts, a Draik with damaged wings but a kind personality, a red Eyrie with a great name who was in the Neopian Times a while back who stood up for unpainted pets... and a mutant Gnorbu who calls himself a SHAVED Gnorbu and has a personality as well as not looking ugly from his color, but looks funny instead! No offense to anyone if you’re reading this and I mentioned these pets...

Kakashiri: Anyways, he has bodyguards. *draws out his shadow sword* Anyone want to fight? I’ve been itching for a challenge.

8. Anything else?

Covu: hm...

Yukimor: Eh, nothing really except it’ll make your stay in Neopia...

Kakashiri: ... more entertaining!

Yukimor: Must you always put words into my mouth for me?

Kakashiri: Why? It makes life funnier... for me!

Yukimor: *unsheathes claws* You won't be laughing in a minute...

Covu: *exasperated* For goodness' sake, don’t fight right now! Everything I do with you is like this... why? *sighs*

9. What if I’m afraid of what people will think of my personalized pets?

Covu: No comment.

Yukimor: If that’s the case, then...

Kakashiri: Don’t be! So long as the personality isn’t offensive in any form or context and goes along with the T and C linked at the bottom of every. Single. Page. *headdesk* That’s for your benefit, TNT! I saw your earlier editorial!

Yukimor: Grr! *lunges at Kakashiri* I can’t ever finish a sentence-

Kakashiri: *defends himself* -can I?

Yukimor: GRWOAR! *loses control* I’m gonna KILL you-

Kakashiri: -until you stop putting words in my mouth, right? You know, your fuse is shorter than Covu’s...

Covu: *blocks view* the remainder of this part is being censured due to its... violent content. *innocent look*

10. What’s the point of giving your pet a personality?

Covu: The point is to-

Yukimor: *limps forward* Can I answer this first?

Covu: Uh- okay! Sure!

Yukimor: *takes microphone* Ladies and gentlemen... you want to know what the point of giving your pet a personality is? The point speaks for yourself: it turns your pet from being a bunch of boring pixels with a shape into something that sticks in your mind... that inspires your creative part of mind and allows you to find a way to make your pets more like your virtual neopet rather than just a neopet commonly seen here and there... it makes them DIFFERENT! Do you want to look like your annoying sibling if you have one? Do you want everyone to look at YOU and see... what? A boring person with nothing worth mentioning? A person... who can’t even show off the part of them that makes EVERYONE unique-?

Kakashiri: *steals microphone and shoves Yukimor aside* And for those of you who didn’t understand those fine words... think about it. If you were to enter your pet in the Beauty Contest and were asking people to vote on your entry... do you think you’d get more votes for a pet with no personality, a normal pet lookup and page, nothing but a plain old pet that might’ve been painted, or a pet most of the crowd adored and wanted to vote for their uniqueness and “coolness”? Artwork DOES matter in the BC, but people also look at the content on the pet and the way the pet is portrayed.

Not to mention it’s also pretty cool to be able to have people see your pet and want to compliment you... ooh and ahh about your marvelous pet... it really beats just being a regular player with ordinary unchanged pets, right-?

Yukimor: RWOAR! SNARL! HISS! *jumps on Kakashiri* I SAID KNOCK IT OFF!

Kakashiri: I wonder if you can, someone like you... ?

Yukimor: You want to test “someone like me”? I’ve been waiting for this for AGES!

Kakashiri: You’re so sensitive about everything I do... I wonder I you’ve got what it takes.

Yukimor: *throws shuriken at Kakashiri* Take that! *crouches low* Ninja art of the berserk fire and ice technique!

Covu: *steps in between Yukimor and Kakashiri* And that’s all, folks! Hopefully you’ll raise your pets better- *dodges a ball of flame and a grouping of shuriken* - than I have with these two power clowns here!

Yukimor: *snarls angrily* Who are you calling clowns? *advances with breakneck speed*

Covu: And... uh... that’s it! See you later! And remember... *dodges Yukimor’s berserk attack* be original!

Thanks to the many Neopian writers who inspired me to write this article! ESPECIALLY thanks to princess_dizzy_dayz. :D