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Gettin' To the Good Stuff


by streamergurl

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Neopians tend to have a regular routine upon entering Neopia. There are certain places we visit every day we can. Over time, we tend to call these popular areas “dailies.” Your Neopian morning may resemble something like this...

Upon entering Neopia, you check the news. Darn. No prizes yet. You hit the bank and collect your interest. You check your shop, and collect the money in the till. Then you trek to Mystery Island and play Tombola. You win an item that will wind up under the Money Tree.

You find no Buried Treasure, you already have that Geraptiku toy, Coltzan’s shrine makes your hands glow blue, the fruit machine isn’t a winning spin, and the Wheel of Excitement takes 150 NP and gives you 42 as a prize. The Water Faerie doesn’t heal your pet, Test Your Strength gives you 5 NP, Underwater Fishing only gives you more Money Tree donations. You pick an omelette and a piece of jelly you’ll never eat, the Snowager blasts your pet (but still no avvie), Turmaculus doesn’t wake up, and the Wheel of Knowledge gives you a piece of fruit – another Money Tree donation.

Now, to the untrained eye, this seems like a waste of time. After all, you only earned prizes that you have no intention of using or selling. Why bother?

The simple answer, my friend, is Luck. (Lady Luck, to be precise. The elusive yet most desired benefactor of Neopia.) Tombola hands out amazing prizes, and you will be handed items for free that can earn you 10,000 NP. This possibility keeps us coming back, despite the Money Tree prizes.

The same goes for all of the daily sites. Once in a full Kreludor, you will hit the jackpot with one spot. My first day in Neopia, I played Buried Treasure. I picked a square at random, and won 25,000 NP. That hasn’t happened to me again, but I’m still drawn there every day, on the off chance that it will occur once more.

I’ve found a few things Neopians can do to try and improve their chances. Please note that your results may very, since you never know when the elusive Luck is looking at you while performing these activities. (And even if Luck is looking, we’re unsure if these work. We couldn’t find her for an interview)

1 - Crossing Your Fingers

This is the first step in trying to draw Lady Luck’s attention. As you approach a daily site, you cross your fingers as you press the proper button. It shows her that you really, really want a good prize. After all, you’ve been donating to the Money Tree every day for three weeks straight. You’d like a nice item.

2 - Holding Your Breath

This habit first began during the discovery of underwater fishing, when Neopians falsely believed you had to hold your breath when you entered the area. A few people happened to snag some of the better prizes as they held their breath and cast their lines. Soon, the ritual spread to other places.

Note: Not recommended during Wheel of Monotony, or anything lasting longer than you can safely hold your breath. We have already established the reliability of the Healing Springs.

Like step one, it alerts Lady Luck that you are getting serious about getting the good prizes.

3 - Begging

This method was first developed in the Ice Caves, as the mass of Neopians filed silently into Snowager’s cave during his nap time. Word soon spread among the people that if Snowager woke up and blasted you and your pet, eventually you would get an avatar.

The epidemic known as Avatar Hunger soon became the driving force as Neopians began lining up even more faithfully in order to approach the great Snowager. Neopians grieved as they discovered the distribution of this avatar was random, and it held no record of how often Snowy froze you and your pets.

As I was saying, the method of begging began in the Ice Caves. As you probably know, Snowager sleeps on top of a pile of prizes. When he’s asleep, you have a chance to get one of those prizes. Add in the coveted avatar, and Neopians began whispering varied forms of “please, please, please.”

Unlike the first two steps, this method is sure to show Lady Luck one thing – desperation. You must get a prize. You must get an avatar.

4 - Threatening

Again, this method began in the Ice Caves, as Neopians tried to get the avatar from the Snowager. When begging failed to work, frustrated Neopians started getting upset. They started threatening both Snowager and the unforeseeable Luck. “If I don’t get something good, I’m not coming back for a month.”

Threats soon spread to the Kiosk, when Neopians got upset that their scratchcard didn’t win. “What do you mean I didn’t win? I spent 10,000 NP on this card!! This had better earn me something, Buster, or you’re in trouble!”

This, of course, led to the sleepy security guards located in every Kiosk and Wheel. Their presence tends to discourage threats, and customers learn to watch what they say.

This step shows another level of desperation, and is sure attract attention, though we remain uncertain if it draws Luck’s attention for very long.

5 - Bribing

Threats usually aren’t followed through, which is one reason we think threatening isn’t a reliable step for drawing the attention and favor of Lady Luck. The step that usually follows threatening is bribing.

Though rumors abound where this method began, it is generally believed this first developed in the Deserted Fairgrounds. Sidney charges double the price of the Ice Caves for a scratchcard, yet his appear to win more often. Shopkeepers talk quite a bit to their customers, and their business practice attitudes soon began to spread among Neopians. Shocked faeries were given 200 NP for the Wheel, and told to keep the change. Customers got upset when they failed to win.

Though this is guaranteed to attract the attention of even Lady Luck, it is generally frowned upon. What the shopkeepers of the Fairground forgot to tell Neopians is that this method is closely related to cheating, which everyone frowns upon – especially Luck. We do not want to upset her, or she may never grant us that avatar!!!

6 - Crying

When all else fails, you may start to cry. You’re running low on funds, and the dailies aren’t giving you the amazing prizes. You have no Neofriends, your favorite game has just been sent to the graveyard, and you forgot to collect those 25 NP of interest from the bank the day before. I could go on about your horrible day, but you get the point.

Well, most Neopians have been at this point. If you want to, sit down with your Neopets and tell them of your horrible misfortune. Venting will help you feel better. Note: Venting to complete strangers on boards tends to make others cranky. Stick to talking to your pets, who understand it.

Without Lady Luck’s help, you decide to plunge ahead. You start playing a new game, you start a shop, and even decide to invest a little in the stock market. Slowly, but surely, you make some profit.

We know crying gets Lady Luck’s attention, yet it also draws the attention of the Grundo Master and the Pant Devil. We don’t want their attention, so try and limit your cries to your Neohome, to protect your few belongings.

7 - Chanting

Now that you are past the crying stage, you move into the final stage of attention-getting techniques. It starts with the simple understanding that all good things take time. You still check each daily site, hoping that this is the day you are granted a good prize. When this doesn’t happen, you no longer threaten the shopkeeper or attempt to bribe them. You merely go to the next place, knowing that it will happen. Eventually. Most of the time, you are content in this knowledge.

Standing in line at the Snowager’s cave, you decide you still want that avatar. Softly, you begin to perform the last technique – chanting. This is similar to begging, but you have come to understand the laid-back and erratic (though still annoying) methods of Luck.

“Please, please, please...let me get something good! Please, please, please...”

And those, my friend, are the methods commonly used to petition to Lady Luck. Use them wisely, and hopefully, you will soon be getting to the good stuff!

 
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