So You Want a Ghost Pet?

A PET WALKS RIGHT OUT OF A WALL!!!

Doing what any sane pet or person would do, you scream like a headless Peadackle, flap your arms wildly, and leap into the relative safety of your pet’s arms. Your pet gives you a very disgusted look, says, “Like you’ve never seen a ghost before?!” and walks off, very put out with you.

After having this situation happen to myself, I decided to get to the bottom of it. After all, it's just downright rude when an innocent Neopian can’t walk down a street without having the beejezus scared out of them by an inconsiderate, insubstantial neopet. Honestly, it’s a nervous medical condition called, uh, Fearus Ghost-itis. Usually found in younger pets and those with innate fears of the dark.

After bribing my pet, Jessie2251 (you met her in ‘So You Want An Electric Pet?’) with Chocolate Neggs, I started my quest for knowledge. The following is the full extent of my research.

Where Do Ghosts Come From: Well, the most popular way is, of course, a Ghost Paint Brush. They cost about 100k on the Trading Post. They have increased in number after being given as plot prizes for The Tale of Woe plot. Then of course you have the lucky zap from the Lab Ray, morphing potion, Fountain Faerie quest, you know. It’s all good.

What’s With the Walking Through Walls?: One of my interviewees, Keenalaa, owned by _princessemily_1, told me that ghosts can turn solid and non-solid whenever they want. When I asked the only scientist I could find, the Lab Ray Scientist. It’s all in his name. He had this to say:

“The ghost coloration gives pets the ability to re-arrange their molecules at any given time, probably an adaptation from times when the easiest way to escape a voracious predator was to walk through walls...”

This was when I stopped listening and caring. I woke up several hours later when Jessie whacked me with her ice cream stick and demanded another.

Personality: The few ghosts that I’ve made Jessie interview while I cowered behind a bench and flicked raisins at them (remember, I have a deadly case of Fearus Ghost-itis) mostly just looked at her mournfully and moved on. She could tell me, however, that most of the ghost population seem to be on auto-pilot and mostly float around, trailing their owners. The most, if you forgive the pun, down to earth ones are the pets that were most recently painted ghost. They do seem highly intelligent, quiet, and are more likely to be seen floating on the outside of a conversation, rather than entering it. Probably because whenever they say something, a pet will scream and run around blindly before whamming into a tree. Whenever that happened, I flicked raisins at them too.

Appearance: Remember way back, oh, about 160 words ago when the Lab Ray Scientist was babbling about molecules and other scientific jargon? You can tell when the ghost pet is in a non-substantial state when you can see through them. This is the state that most people associate with the ghost pet. But, with the other state, the pet is mostly a blue or greenish gray. This color makes them very hard to spot almost anywhere dark, where they can blend in. It also makes them very scary to anyone they come upon accidentally. Red eyes are useful for night hunting since red has the shortest wavelength.

Petpet?: A petpet is really up to you and the ghost pet in question. If you do get a petpet, I would recommend getting another ghost. How embarrassing would it be if your poor ghost walked through a wall and left poor Fluffikins behind?

Special Needs: Well, feeding your ghost pet may be a bit of a problem. Try putting any liquids in a spray bottle so that your ghost pet, even if in an insubstantial state, can enjoy a drink. The molecules will absorb the water if it’s a fine enough spray. Most foods and such will need to be given when your pet is in a physical state. Also, try not to let ghost pets who are under a week or so go floating off on their own. They may still be learning the art of switching states and could turn solid inside a wall, or even worse, while half-in, half-out of a wall!

Is a Ghost Pet for you?

If you think that you are ready for a ghost pet, have checked yourself and your pets for Fearus Ghost-itis, and are ready for whatever crazy things owning a ghost pet may throw at you (really, I knew a guy, who knew a guy, who heard of a guy, whose aunt knew a guy, who knew a guy, who knew a guy that had his ghost pet throw an old sock at him! I know, crazy right!) I say do it!

Oh, and one more thing I learned from Jessie interacting with ghost pets, make sure that if you have an electric pet in the household with a ghost pet, they promise not to shock the ghost. I saw Jessie charge up the ghost’s particles, then follow the nearly invisible pet through the crowd by watching people’s hair stand on end. It was hilarious, but not nice.

Me: Say you’re sorry, Jessie.

Jessie: Do I have to?

Me: Yes!

Jessie: Fine! I’m (not) sorry.

Well, that’s as good an apology as we’ll get out of her. Also remember to advise your pets not to stick their body parts through any ghosts. They DO NOT (I know this from personal experience) appreciate having to random persons flick raisins through them and try to see how accurate a raisin shooter they are.

Disclaimer: I apologize for and scarring my raisin-flicking has caused. Please don’t haunt me for the rest of my life. Haunt Jessie, she can afford to be kept up all night.

Jessie: HEY!

Oh, and don’t forget to drop me a neomail if you have any other pets you want me to research. ‘Til next time, bye!!

Thanks to liouchan, animetriplicate, gunlocker, _princessemily_1 for asking for me to write about ghost pets.