Weather Inappropriate Pets

This begs the question, though: what happens when the color your pet changes into becomes a problem for your location? And what I mean by this, is what happens to snow pets that live in Mystery Island? Or Magma pets in Terror Mountain? And how exactly does a Maraquan Bruce maneuver through Neopia Central!? I am going to talk to all three of these types of Neopets to get to the bottom of this conundrum, and hopefully they can clear things up for us.

Toby the Snow Scorchio

"Yeah, it's hard," says Toby, a Snow Scorchio living in Mystery Island. I sat down to visit him after he wrote to me about his troubles. He lives in one of the hottest climates in Neopia and has a body made of dense-packed snow and wings made of tree branches. "I moved to Mystery Island after I was painted Snow actually, I wanted a bit of a break from the frigid temperatures and I love to eat the fresh fruit found around the island."

"I don't really know how I do it," Toby responds to my question about how he stays frozen and how he hasn't melted from the heat. "I guess that's the magic of the paint brush, I'll never totally melt into a puddle. That being said though, I do have to take a few extra precautions. If I stay in the sun too long this outer layer will melt, I'll create a little puddle in the sand. Speaking of sand, do you know how hard it is to scrape sand out of snow?"

Although Toby definitely has a few complaints, he seems happy.

"I love being a Snow Buzz, I love my wings...like twigs that keep me flying around the island. Sure, I could easily paint myself Island or Maraquan and fit in a bit more, but I wouldn't be as happy as I am now. This is the color I always wanted and now I get to live in the land I've always wanted. I have the best of both worlds!"

Carlyle the Magma Ogrin

"Terror Mountain is my favorite place, and I definitely feel at home here."

Carlyle is a Magma Ogrin living up in the frosty peaks of Terror Mountain. He was able to sneak past the guard at the Magma Pool a few years ago and hasn't even though about another color since.

"A lot of people ask me if I would be happier painted Christmas. Yeah, Christmas Ogrins look amazing, but it just isn't ME," Carlyle says with a smirk. "I have to stay true to myself, I like to feel cool...cool in the attitude sense, not cool in the temperature sense." He chuckles at himself, but he's right. Sitting this close to him I can feel the heat radiating off his fur, although his flaming collar does look quite stunning.

"The hardest part? Eating ice cream! It turns into a puddle of dairy as soon as it gets close enough to my tongue to lick. It's worth the sacrifice though, and it becomes more like a milkshake anyway, so I still get to enjoy it."

I wanted to know how he gets along with the other residents of Terror Mountain.

"Oh, they love me! At first I didn't think I'd be accepted because I melt the snow everywhere I go, but people seem to like that I can clear a path for them. Everyone wants to hang out with me because I provide warmth in this otherwise cold place. Whenever I visit the Igloo, those two Chias go nuts!! I hope they are able to move to a warmer climate soon, as this weather doesn't seem to suit them well."

Lacusmare the Maraquan Bruce

Talk about a fish out of water, Tyrella is a Maraquan Bruce who lives in Neopia Central. She doesn't have legs and strongly resembles a fish, but somehow makes it in a place where the only water sits at the bottom of the Wishing Well.

"It's easier than people think," she exclaims excitedly. "I've gotten so used to just flopping around, it's as easy for me to move around on land as it is for a Grey Mynci to swim. It isn't ideal, but it isn't hard for me anymore. I've had lots of practice."

She is a very chipper and optimistic Bruce, so it's not a wonder that she's been able to make this lifestyle work for her.

"I take frequent vacations to Krawk Island and Maraqua so I can still get my time in the ocean, but I love living in Neopia Central. Everything I need is right here, as well as everything I don't, like the Vending Machine," she laughs, as she goes on a long rant about how many nerkmids she's lost there. "But I digress, because this is where all the action happens! It's called Neopia CENTRAL for a reason. I don't need to move back to the ocean, but I do like to visit."

It seems that regardless of your pets paint color, they can make friends and a life for themselves anywhere in Neopia, even with conflicting weather signals. Maybe we'll see a surge of Magma pets moving up into the mountains now to help keep the residents warm, though that might have some adverse effects if the snow caps start melting more rapidly. On second thought, maybe take environmental concerns into your decisions at least a little bit, but one or two more Magma pets in the mountains should be just fine! And Snow pets can help restore the balance by cooling off the rest of the planet, so we're all good. So get your Neopets out there and explore this beautiful world we have! After all, it is just a magical coat of paint.