Stand behind yer sheriff Circulation: 124,395,024 Issue: 250 | 28th day of Swimming, Y8
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Editorial


My son was trying to access Neopets to play and he accidentally typed in the wrong spelling. A page came up and it looked like the Neopets sign in page. I stopped him from signing in and re-entered the correct spelling for him, but was curious if this was indeed a link to Neopets or was it a fraud page designed to steal our information. The misspelled site was noepets.com and neopet.com. Thanks, Stormsmom6199
Good eye. :) Don't worry. Both those sites are owned by us because we know spelling mistakes do happen. However, you did the right thing. If you are ever prompted to log into Neopets, make sure the URL is www.neopets.com specifically. If not, do NOT log in. Change the URL immediately. There are indeed sites out there made to look like Neopets to try and trick you into giving out your login information, so it's better to be cautious.

Thank you for being alert, and for keeping such a close eye on your son! :)

My friends and I are going to buy a lab map and share it. They've been giving me Neopoints to help me buy it. But I wasn't sure if you could send the whole map to someone else after you use it. I really need to know the answer before I buy the map. Thanks! ~ultimate_genious3159
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Put the breaks on. First off, there is no way to "share" a set of lab maps. Once you possess all 9 pieces and turn the map in for access to the Lab Ray, the map pieces go "poof," leaving you with access to the Lab Ray, and your friend with nothing. And since sharing accounts is against the rules, your friend cannot use your account to use the map. Second, "pooling" Neopoints to buy items is also against the rules. Your friends can give you Neopoints to help in your saving endeavour if they wish, but they must understand that it should be considered a gift, and that they should not expect anything in return. So, pretty much everything you're doing here is against the Terms & Conditions. Don't worry. Simply stop what you're doing, re-read the T&C, and each of you start earning the funds for the map on your own. We wish you luck!


Hey! This is the same image from last week!

Can things get stolen while they are in your gallery? ~elaw2
Random Events such as the Pant Devil and Grundo Leader cannot steal things from inside your shop, gallery, or SDB. Phew! The only things they like to grab are items sitting in your inventory that are NOT marked as currently being auctioned or traded, which is quite nice of them, don't you think?

Hey TNT. I just had a question about art requests. Is it okay for someone to draw art for other people? Also, is it okay if the artist asks for a tip? The artists would be in no way DEMANDING a tip; they would still be giving the art to the person. Like, if the person who was being drawn for said no, it would be perfectly, 100% FINE. This topic is a little cloudy to me, so would you mind clearing it up? Thanks. ♥ ~random_item_giver
Yes, anyone may draw art as a gift for another person. :) But, there are a few rules.

That art may not be submitted for ANY spotlight or site competition by the person who received the art, regardless if the artist has given permission. All art submitted MUST be your own work and not someone else's.

An artist may NOT request or accept a payment, tip, or "gift" in exchange for their artwork, and those seeking artwork may not offer payment, tips, or "gifts" for the service either. No profit can be made on any service like this, whether it be art trades, graphic or lookup making, avatar item lending, etc.


Use site competitions to earn Neopoints
and prizes for your art... not other players!

Do you have to enter something that's Neopets related if you enter the random contest? ~mousedriver500
Yes, all submissions to any Neopet contest must be related to Neopets. We spend countless hours wading through and deleting entries that are non-Neopets related. Even if your Neoadventure about your favourite anime characters is ultra-fantastic, please just share it with your friends and do not enter it into the spotlight. The same goes for site spotlights and art contests. We cannot accept such things, so please help us by refraining from submitting things that are non-Neopets related. We'll get through submissions much faster, and the lovely people waiting to hear back won't have to wait forever. Thank you! :)

Hi, TNT. Okay, let's say someone once posted a story on the writer's board to let someone rate it. Then, in the next Neopian Times issue, someone ELSE had written the story and it was published! The true owner neomailed that person saying that they copied their story, but the stealer said if you posted a story on the boards ANYONE can take it. My question is, is this reportable as stealing? It's sort of like stealing an art picture, and I really want to know if it's safe to post a story/poem on the boards to let someone rate it. Please answer my question.^^ (and can you take my username out if this question is published? Please and thank you^^) ~anonymous
Not only is it reportable, but the person that has stolen the writing will very likely be frozen. Stealing someone else's work, whether it's art, writing, or even coding, is NOT allowed. We encourage people NOT to post their writings online before submitting it to us for this very reason, but that does not mean it's okay for someone to steal it and use it as their own once it's posted publicly.


Don't let them read me! *sobs*

Hi TNT. I saw people selling prints of Neopets (on an art site), and I was wondering if it's allowed. Can you please answer this question, and if you will, please remove my username. ~anonymous
No, this is not allowed, as it violates our copyright. You may draw all the fan art you wish, but the copyright on the characters remains ours not matter who drew them and you may not profit off our characters.

Warning for doing something good? -- I made an anti-chain letter, and at the end of it I said that it is NOT approved by TNT and will get your account deleted. I got a warning for that. I though real people monitored the messages. ~pugs_and_spardels
They do. The warning you received was intentional. "Anti-chain" letters are NOT helpful. They're just as spammy as regular chain letters and are often copied and pasted and spread around anyway because the person posting it didn't read the whole thing first. So now, instead of helping, you've added to the spam. If you want to get the message out, the text "Chain letters do NOT work!" will suffice. ;)

Is it against Neopets rules to adopt a Neopet from a friend, zap it for them until it turns a nice color, and then try to transfer it back to them? ~xymesetra
As mentioned above, this is not allowed. A lab map is for one account and one account only, which is why the pieces disappear after you use them. If you want to zap your Neopet with the Lab Ray, you'll have to save up to buy one. :)


Baaaaaa - ZAP! Hee hee!

Hello, TNT. I have seen many people say "Board Closed" on some topics. If you type that message, do people have to leave? Also, are you allowed to close boards? Please leave my username out of this, thank you ~anonymous
No, you do not have to leave. Generally, if it's been posted by the creator, it's a hint to everyone that he or she would appreciate it if everyone no longer posted on that particular board and let it drop off the chat page. It would be nice of you to respect the wishes of the board creator, but you are under no obligation to leave or stop posting on the board if you do not want to. :) Of course, there are those who like to post that message on someone else's board, which is rather rude, so feel free to ignore them if it is not the board's creator.

Can you make a place for us to enter poems or drawings into the Neopian Times? I'd like to show off my artwork and poetry, but it won't fit under any category that currently exists here :( ~whatever0
Non-comic artwork and poetry have their own competitions. The Neopian Times is a newspaper, so things like poetry and pictures aren't meant to appear there. Go to Pet Central and check out the long list of competitions we have! Many have great prizes, and we're sure you'll find something that fits what you enjoy doing. :)

There seems to be a debate going on in the chat boards about whether or not Lookup code "stealing" is a warnable or freezable offence. So could you clear this up once and for all? Can you be frozen for taking someone's coding (but using your own graphics)? What if it's only basic coding? Or if someone uses someone else's coding to get the basics down and then changes it to their liking? Please clear this up so we know. Thanks. ~psychokittie25
As most people are aware, stealing someone else's content is NOT allowed, and this is no different with code and layouts. There is a big difference between breaking apart another user's code to learn new things and then coding that yourself for your lookup and blatantly stealing that code and replacing the graphics. The former is fine. The latter is not. If you feel your code has been stolen, report it using the theft form and someone will look into the matter and determine if it really is theft. There are many different ways to code the same thing, and two people can come up with similar ideas, but it's quite obvious when one person has outright stolen from another.


This is not a "latter."


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