 Desperately Needed Wearable Items: Pet Hobbies.
by blueberrymuffinpops
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Introduction. In the years BC (before clothes) petpages and petlookups were the only way to convey my pets’ personalities and interests. Like many users who have been around a while (*coughs* over 11 years *cough*), it took me some time to get used to the wearable options when they were initially released.Yet I eventually realised that the beauty of wearables is that anyone can help their pet express themselves uniquely, without having to first hone their drawing skills (the things I’ve come up with on paint!) or begging on the art boards for a friendly commission. However, there is still a gap in the wearables market that I think is yet to be filled: hobbies! There’s so much in Neopia, for players & pets, to help pass the time, it seems criminal not to have wearables to match! Therefore I have taken it upon myself to compile some examples of much-needed wearables, and most importantly, supplied some suggestions for people from what wearables are already available (yes, you’re right, perhaps I need a hobby). (Do note, there are a handful items that might fall under these categories, but are species specific. I’ve tried to stay clear of those - as every pet should have the chance to show off their interests - so it’s worth checking out which wearables are available for your specific pet species, as this list isn’t exhaustive.) Stamp Collecting. There is neither the time nor the space to fully explain why so many of us - and our pets - adore stamp collecting. What can be said, is that there is barely an active user out there that doesn’t have a handful of stamps in their album. (If you don’t, there are some fantastic guides on how to get started). Stamp collecting can say a lot about your pet’s personality: perhaps they are a bookish quiet type, a competitive fun lover, or an enthusiastic letter writer. So what a shame it is that there are so few stamp orientated wearables! To make do, I recommend the following: - Handwritten Letter
- Neopian Times Writing Quill
- Gothic School Girl Satchel
- Dark Mystical Book Foreground
NC only items:- MiniMME8-B: Holiday Postcard Collection Garland
- Valentines Letter Thought Bubble
Slipping a few of these items in your pet’s wardrobe will instantly give a stamp collector’s vibe. Neopian Times Writers. Perhaps it’s a little (VERY) unsurprising that I mentioned this one. For some users (including myself) one of the most important aspects of neopets is the Neopian Times. Between us we are avid readers, salacious writers and caustic editorialists. Luckily for Zafara’s and Eyrie’s there are some clothing options to be a neopian times writer, there is even an NT Background! But what about us readers? It’d be great if a wider range of NT items could be released, ones that represented the full variety of ways that pets and users like to interact with this beacon of neopian community. My Recommendations: - Research Desk Foreground
- Newsroom Desk Background
- Branch of Singing Weewoos Garland
- Green Skeith Pencil Case
- Disturbing Study Background
NC only items:- School Desk With Books
- Silver Weewoo Perch
- Magical Quill and Book
The variety of items I’ve suggested are supposed to sum up the different ways we think about NT (scribbling away at our desks, hovering around the newsroom hoping our articles will be accepted, and of course, Weewoos). These items should help give the impression that your pet is an NT fan, and with any luck, we’ll get more in the future. Swim Fan Some pets are naturally fitted to swimming (all maraquan pets, but also Flotsams & Jetsams look at home underwater). And luckily, there are lots of underwater scenes for them, but if you want your kougra to be a swimmer, you’re fresh out of luck! If you’re trying to get the swimmers ascetic I recommend: - Peaceful Summer Swimming Pool Background
- Floral Swim Trunks
- Bouncing Beach Ball
- Waterfall Diving Background
- Cheerful Outdoor Pool Background
NC only items:- Baby Summer Swimsuit
- Lifeguard Swim Trunks Lifeguard Swim Trunks
- Mallard Swimming Goggles
- Swimming Flippers
- Ski Goggles
- Space Bounty Hunter Oxygen Tank
- Baby Wading Pool
Hopefully this year we’ll get some more swimming pool backgrounds, a wider selection of goggles and swimsuits. Some fun rubber swim hats are also a definite must!Gourmet Food Eater. Gourmet food is one of Neopia’s biggest food markets. A Puntec Parcel can’t last two seconds in a food shop without being snapped up by a hungry gourmet food shopper. Showing this off via your pets wearables however is a bit of a difficult task, as there is a lack in specifically gourmet food items. Even when thinking outside the box, one can struggle to find a Kelp (the restaurant) background, or even a food club banner. My recommendations: - Gourmet Club Bowls Background
- Inside the Food Club Background
- Mysterious Dinner Party Background
- Fancy Kitchen Background
- Cooking Apron
- Handheld Iced Gingerbread Cookie
NC only items:- Cosy Kitchen Background
- Spatula of Wondrous Cooking
- Gift of Fresh Baked Cookies
A lot of the suggestions are more cooking focussed than gourmet orientated, but pairing them together should definitely drop the hint that your pet is a fancy food guzzler. Kadding. There are so many reasons to love Kadoaties. From their cutesy little faces, their rather alluring associated avatars, to the budding Kadoatie feeding community that can be found on the games board, Kadoaties are one of the most popular petpets, with many people having intricate stories behind how their pets found their very own companion. Yet it’s not so easy to show that; there are no Kadoatery backgrounds, no Kadoatie box to put your pet in, and every Kadoatie themed item tends to be blue, and not the fantastical array of colours one tends to find in the Kadoatery. Maybe TNT have done this as they don’t want to encourage leaving your pets like the awful owners of the Kadoaties in the Kadoatery, but all the same, it’s particularly difficult to show off one of our favourite hobbies. My recommendations: - Blue Kadoatie Hoodie
- Origami Kadoatie
- Magical Rainbow Face Paint
- Hoodie Sweater with Cybunny Ears
NC only items:- Jail Bars Foreground
- Rainbow Tears Facepaint *
All things considered, I believe two definite things can be drawn from this article: 1. We desperately need more wearable items if we want to keep up with the wide variety in personalities and interests of our pets. 2. Even when items in a theme are scarce, you can always get a bit inventive to get the image across. Of course, not every person is going to want to include hobbies on their pet, but for those of us that focus on our pet’s characters before anything else, wearables that show off their past times is a must.*For those times when you want your pet to look happy and sad at the same time I guess? Perhaps TNT shouldn’t add in some new Kadoatery items as it might lead to hordes of miserable looking pets: fantastically dressed mind you.
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