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The Bikiwan: A Documentary by Patakpowder


by geetagrapplehead

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So you've heard of Meepits and Slorgs, Gruslens, Warfs, and Puppyblews; but what about Bikiwans?

Although not as cheap as say, Quetzals, they're cheaper than a lot of petpets at about 10 000 neopoints. But think of it as an investment; Bikiwans are famous for being sweet and gentle, and those are qualities that even a Darigan Grarrl couldn't resist.

Even the snootiest pets have been enchanted by the obscure looking Bikiwan- with a rarity index of 95 it's certainly not common (even rarer than the cute little Doglefox), and its inability to fly only makes it even more suitable to be carried around in a handbag.

But I'm here today to prove to you that a Bikiwan is right for you.

When I was looking for a petpet, rather than scour the Neopian shops and marketplaces, I headed to the catalogue of petpets (excluding the rare ones). As a Green Blumaroo hoping to end up Woodland coloured, I was particularly looking for brown and/or green petpets, so finding the Bikiwan on the second page seemed like fate. But I must admit that for the sake of fairness, I did carry on and pause at the Carmariller (too faerieish), Scado (not exactly woodlandy), and Taweret (too exotic) before coming back to that adorable little bird. But on closer inspection it wasn't just the green and brown colour scheme that made Ducksauce II perfect; that smidge of pink went really well with my nose and ear tips. And that pink happened to be the colour of the beautifully pastoral flower on its head- even better for a woodland petpet. Then I noticed that its rounded body was quite similar to the build of most Blumaroos, and the way its beak sits on its face is very similar to my nose. The only difference between our eyes was size and colour too.

So a Bikiwan would be perfect for any Blumaroo or Woodland pet.

Like most petpets, the Bikiwan can be painted to make it work even better with your pet, and although the Bikiwan only comes in three colours (standard, Tyrannian, and Cloud), it is versatile enough to complement any pet in these designs alone. Tyrannian Bikiwans would obviously go well with any Tyrannian pet, but would work particularly well with other similarly winged pets; Draiks and Krawks for the richer Neopian, or Korbats, Eyries and Scorchios for the average one- but be warned that the “flightless petpet” description does still ring true with some Tyrannian Bikiwans, despite their better formed wings. Some, however, defy this accusations and fly perfectly well. Painting your Bikiwan does not just cause a physical change though- the whole being becomes more primordial; let’s just say that you’d find much more Tyrannian Bikiwans in the Petpet Arena than Cloud ones. As a result you end up with a generally more masculine petpet, suitable for Skeiths and Jetsams, and of course Tyrannian borne pets such as Chombies and Grarrls, and anyone painted Tyrannian, Mutant, Halloween, or even Darigan and Pirate.

Painting a Bikiwan Cloud subjects it to a much more cosmetic change than the Tyrannian variety. The wings remain flightless in almost all individuals, but the personality still changes; this time to a more sedate and stereotypically feminine creature. Two particular colours would be obvious choices; firstly Cloud- but beware that like any petpet, the Bikiwan feels happiest when safe, and safest in a comfortable habitat in which it can hide. This explains why the best relationships between Cloud pet and Cloud Bikiwan have formed where the Cloud pet has a mane big enough to hide in, such as a Cybunny or Gnorbu- you may notice that most Cloud pets with manes have blue, hairy ones rather than white poofy ones, and although this provides adequate cover, it is not the epitome of comfort for your Cloud Bikiwan; but this can be made up for with the Cloudy Sky Background (under 50NP) or Faerieland Cloud Background (<7k). So the other obvious colour is Faerie; again the pet and petpet can happily live up in the clouds- a mutual habitat; Poogles originate from here so even the basic colours would get on with Bikiwans. Terror Mountain stretches into clouds too- Bruces or Christmassy/Snowy pets would work too. But bear with me while I think outside the box- don’t the pale blue colours look wonderful with Ice Pets? Maybe you could draw a link between the water vapour colourings and watery Maraquan pets? Maybe you could draw into that further and see the Cloud Bikiwan as steam produced by your Fire, Desert or Magma pet; or maybe its “sweet and gentle” nature, only enforced by the soft, fluffy clouds it is adorned with could help cheer up your Grey pet, or you might see the connection between the wispiness of clouds and ghosts. And don’t forget to venture further into the skies and break through to space; Starry pets, Alien Aishas and Grundos all link to the upper atmosphere of Neopia, and those big Bikiwan feet were made for adventuring. Pink looks good with blue, and the femininity of Cloud Bikiwans wouldn’t say no to having a Pink owner; Royal Girls could work well too, particularly if they notice the R95.

Any pet that resembles some sort of bird would make a perfect companion for a Bikiwan- Lennies and Pteris also look very nice when painted Faerie, making for a high affinity with a Cloud Bikiwan. Its large feet can contrast well aesthetically with and be practically beneficial to legless pets such as Tuskaninnies, Peophins and Flotsams. Its outdoorsy nature also means Bikiwans get on well with pets like Boris or anyone painted Camouflage. Fruit and vegetable Chias, JubJubs and Kikos also have the natural vibe that Bikiwans are drawn to- as do Strawberry pets.

So if your pet is winged, legless, birdlike, outdoorsy, from Tyrannia, Faerieland, or Kreludor, masculine, feminine, watery, cold, hot, foodie, happy, sad, translucent, a rarity snob, ANYTHING, then a Bikiwan could be right for you.

 
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