How It Felt Getting My Dream Pet

They still needed to accept.

If you’ve been around Neopets very long, you’ll notice there are lots of different pet species (fifty-five to be exact) and many color options (over seventy!). And, if you’re like most Neopians, one of those magic combinations will be your absolute, utter favorite, one that you’re set on obtaining. That, friend, is what we call a dreamie.

Dreamie, short for “dream pet”, is that one beautiful Neopet that sets your heart aflutter. Okay, I might be exaggerating a bit, but once your heart sets a piece of itself aside for that Neopet, there’s hardly anything you can do to tear yourself away from it. For me, it was the moment I saw a Mutant Gelert—I can’t even recall where, but I remember the specific moment my eyes widened, mouth dropped, and I uttered, “I have to have one of those. I NEED one of those.”

And I set out to get one.

The thing is, there’s no such thing as a “Mutant Paint Brush”, so merely dropping a few million Neopoints on an imaginary item wouldn’t do much for my quest. Mutant is an option if you’re lucky enough to get a Fountain Faerie Quest, but what’s the chance that would ever happen? (In fact, it eventually DID happen, but I had no Gelert and the “Buzzin’” avatar called my name.) There are loads of other ways to get a mutant pet, including the Lab Ray, Kaleideonegg, even a random event … the thing is, those don’t guarantee a mutant pet, let alone a Mutant Gelert.

There are, however, Transmogrification Potions. And this is how I, at my young age, decided was the only way of getting my dreamie.

Transmogrification Potions are fairly rare, given out occasionally by Dr. Sloth when he’s feeling generous. I had been an avid player at this point and knew it was going to be a difficult task obtaining one of these coveted potions; due to their rarity, I knew they were going to be expensive … if I could find one.

When you’re on a quest, there are a few things you need: will; direction; and equipment. I had will—I wanted more than anything to have that beautiful, mutated creature as my own.

I had direction—I knew I needed the transmogrification potion, as it was the only viable option I had. I knew where to go (trading posts, auctions). I had direction.

Now, equipment is where I ran into problems. With a grand total of zero transmogrification potions and a pathetic 300,000 Neopoints, I had no equipment. In fact, it took me over four years before I even got to my first million (seeing as I liked to waste Neopoints on unimportant things, like Poogle racing and losing games of Neggsweeper). However, a few months into my quest I found exactly what I was looking for—at the steep price of 5,000,000 Neopoints. This was outrageous, ridiculous, but especially heartbreaking for me and my bank. I did not have the funds. I did not get the potion.

After a few years, I put getting a Mutant Gelert on the back burner. I found a few other cool Neopets (Grey Grarrls, Baby Lupes, Faerie Lennies, just to name a few) and traded my way up (or, in some cases, down) to get those. They never really filled me with the same sense of achievement I expected them to; every time I got a new “dream” pet, or found a new cool combination, I was reminded of the beautifully unique Mutant Gelert.

In fact, there had been a handful of times when I offered on a Mutant Gelert in the Pound Chat, but was either rejected or beaten by a better offer. Eventually time went on and, while I didn’t forget about my dream, I put aside all desire or thought of ever getting one of these pets. If I couldn’t find a potion, or get a comparable pet to trade, how would it be possible for me to get one of those Gelerts? Easily put, it WOULDN’T be possible. So, doing what so many people often do when confronted by hardships, I gave up.

Fast forward to the year 2015. I was casually refreshing through the Trading Post boards, checking to see if there was anything of interest up for sale. I believe I was collecting Valentines/Love-themed items at this point and was stunned when I saw this title: “S: Gelert Trans”.

Someone was selling a Gelert Transmogrification Potion, the day I just so happened to check the boards? I quickly opened a couple new tabs, one on the Trading Post and one on the Auctions, and hastily typed in “gelert trans”. There it was—in the Auctions! It was by the same user, so I checked the board and their post said something along the lines of, “Selling Gelert Trans, already set up in Auction. Just getting the word out.”

I placed my bid, a hard-earned 50,000 Neopoints, and waited patiently.

After several painstaking hours, I had bit up to 450,000 Neopoints. There was only 30 minutes to 2 hours left (which is actually a HUGE gap, and slightly frustrating when trying to go about your day wondering how much time is left) and I was the top bid. I was also prematurely on top of the world. I was going to get my dream. That Gelert would be mine! When it reached the less than half hour mark, I was in pieces. I was so nervous, anxious, excited, freaked … pick an emotion, and I was feeling it. Then, out of nowhere, I was bombarded and felt like I got slapped right in the face—the auction bids went from a conservative 450,000 Neopoints to over 1,500,000 million Neopoints. I was out of my league and, before I knew it, the auction ended at over 2,000,000 Neopoints and was awarded to the highest bidder … NOT me.

Defeated, I realized my dreams were never going to happen and I was better sticking with Grey Grarrls, and Faerie Lennies, and Plushie Aishas. For a few months, I cruised the Pound Chat but no one had Mutant Gelerts up for trade, and since Gelert transmogrification potions are rare, no one was willing or able to provide a custom even if I did have a pet they were interested in. I was back to square one: a kid with an unachievable dream.

I spent a few months on and off Neo, mainly busy with jobs and college and moving. I always came back, as nostalgia grips you tight and once you catch a taste of it, it’s hard to let go. A few months ago, I really got back into Neopets and met a group of amazing people who keep me coming back. I learned how to feed Kads, got some high scores, and even won a trophy or two (actually, almost twenty but who’s counting?). I told them of my dreams of getting a Mutant Gelert and, seeing as my friends are amazing human beings, they told me I could do whatever I put my mind to and promised to help me look. On 12 February 2017, I casually searched “Gelert trans” on the Trading Post as I have done so many times before in the past. I had saved up almost 10,000,000 Neopoints by now, and thought, if there’s one for sale I’d be able to afford it, right? I couldn’t find a price history anywhere, and didn’t think I’d find anything regardless.

My heart leapt into my throat when I saw a single, solitary Gelert Transmogrification Potion, with “offer :)” as the wishlist. Offer?! What if I offered too low, or too high? My last experience, these potions went for several MILLION, and as Random Events are even more rare than they used to be, what if they wanted twenty million or a hundred million? I tentatively pulled out 899,999 Neopoints and a few dubloons. I knew this was outrageous—this would hardly even catch their attention, and if it did, it would be more anger than giddiness. I figured I would test the waters and, if rejected, would send a message for their asking price. No harm, no foul, right? As I placed my offer, my hands shook.

Was this happening?

Yes. It was.

But they still needed to accept.

I went to my guild mates and casually struck up a conversation, chatting about Kadding or galleries, keeping this “secret” to myself in case I got us all worked up and didn’t even win the potion. Surely other people out there had offered on it as well, with their millions of Neopoints and easy to sell items. What was I thinking, offering less than a million? I was beginning to question myself when I refreshed the forum page and, in the top left corner of the page, an event caught my eye.

So-and-so has accepted your offer.

Oh, they accepted my offer.

… they accepted my offer?

Oh. My. Word. THEY ACCEPTED MY OFFER!

I almost passed out, overtaken by shock, joy, disbelief. My dreams had come true … I finally got a Gelert trans! Now for the pet.

Curiously, I had created a Lupe a few days earlier with the intent of eventually painting him Halloween. However, I don’t really care for the look of converted Werelupes, so I dreamt of morphing him into a Mutant Gelert someday. That’s the keyword we should all avoid: someday. Someday, as you’ll come to find out, can easily become code for never. And you should never put achieving your dreams in that faraway, imaginary land called Someday.

I went to my inventory, hesitant that the Pant Devil would pay me a visit and cruelly steal my new item, and had the action “Use on Siremis” up for about five whole minutes before hitting “submit”.

Was this what I wanted? Was this the right pet, the right time? I had wanted this for years. For so long, I had placed Mutant Gelerts in this unobtainable tier, and had a slight moment of believing I didn’t deserve to own one of these gorgeous pets, that no pet I had would be good enough to be morphed.

For six long years, I wanted this. For six long years, I bid my time. This was my right—I earned this, and I deserved this. I hit “submit”, and actually cried when I saw Siremis morph from a Yellow Lupe into that wonderful Mutant Gelert I spent so long trying to get.

I’d like to believe that it took so long for me to this pet so I could learn patience, or because the account I originally had would be lost, or because it simply wasn’t the “right time”. I think that, honestly, if I got my dreamie the moment I wanted him, I wouldn’t have appreciated him. I wouldn’t have realized how hard Neopians put into their pets, whether it be through trading, painting, zapping … it seems like everyone already has their dreamies and we’re just left in the dust, unfairly left without those pets we dream of at night. The truth is everyone’s worked hard for the things they have—their avatar count, their trophies, but ESPECIALLY their pets.

I’ve never been more proud than the day I got my dreamie. Those years of waiting, trying, and failing taught me humility, patience, and appreciation of other Neopian’s hard work and dedication. Unless you invest time and energy into obtaining your dreams, you’ll never get them! I can proudly say Siremis is my biggest achievement and easily the most painful one (seriously, six years?). The best part is I feel exactly as I hoped I would when I got him: elated. Disbelief. Happy. I love him to pieces, and I hope you too can find a Neopet you love dearly!

To all those who have their dream pets: how long did it take you to get them? Did you feel the way you thought you would, or does it somehow feel different? And to all those who are still in search of that perfect Neopet: trust me, whether you spent a few weeks or several years trying to find the one for you, you’ll get there. And it will be utter magic when you do.