NeoPains by polayo |  |
ART CENTRE - With increasing aggravation, almost every time I look up an author
in The Neopian Times, I see that some are ranking their 'worth' in Neopia by
how many submissions of theirs have been accepted. Whenever I see that, I only
feel pity. Really. Trophies, schmophies. Who cares?
With some embarrassment, I do admit that The Neopian Times has become a sort
of thing where most of the same authors get published week after week, therefore
amounting to the increasing amount of ego-inflated Neopians. I have nothing
against the fact that people love to write--because I do too, and write as much
as I can. But the fact that people lose sleep wondering if they have more trophies
than so-and-so, or what ranking they are in the world of Neopia is just sick.
Not everyone is like this, of course. Some people are kind, and either shy
away from the fact they've even gotten anything in The Neopian Times or other
contests, or only mention it in small ways. Others, though, are outrageous.
They give themselves nicknames having to do with The Neopian Times, they decorate
their user lookups with symbols saying that they are a frequently published
author, or they post their rankings or boast how many submissions have been
accepted. They do this for the same reason people make fun of others- because
they are insecure and need the compliments.
I think, sarcastically, when I see this, "Oh, aren't they so modest." But really--trophies
are not the things that count in Neopia, at all. Trophies don't make someone
nicer--if anything, they make them snobbier or meaner, sometimes. The things
that count in Neopia are your pets. And even there- it doesn't matter if they're
painted or not, that doesn't make the special. It doesn't make them special
if they have some crazy design that makes them different. It doesn't matter
how expensive their petpets were- it matters about the personality, and how
they are treated by their owners. That's what really matters.
It's not trophies that make you special in Neopia. It's if you feed your pet,
make them happy, make them have a nice personality. Because Neopia is the pets,
not the trophies. Anyone ever think back to the real name? NeoPets? It's not
NeoTrophies, people.
Don't let trophies make you big-headed, obsessed with yourself and obsessed
with having people be obsessed with you (did that make any sense?). If you write
something great and it doesn't get into The Neopian Times - don't sweat it.
If you want, you can try again. But the best part was the writing part, or that
should be the best part. If it's not, you have some serious adjusting to do.
If you don't enjoy writing, don't do it just to get trophies! Do something else,
drawing maybe, and enter those in the Art Gallery or the Beauty Contest. And
if you don't win- who cares? You got to draw, you got to write, you got the
play the game, or whatever you're trying to win a trophy for. Trophies are pictures.
Some people might say pets are pictures too- but you can add personality to
those pictures, in your mind they can be big furry animals that follow you around
everywhere. In your mind, trophies would be a lump of metal. Try adding personality
to that.
Plainly, I don't envy people who have tons of trophies. Sometimes, I'm indifferent,
sometimes I'm sad for them. If they spend all their time getting the trophies,
they don't have much time for spending time with their pet, working on their
pets Web page, whatever you need to do to make them have personality, make them
their own and different. Because that's what really counts, doesn't it? The
pets. Not the trophies. How many times do I have to say this--or everyone has
to say this--to drill it into people's heads? It's not trophies, Neopoints,
paint brushes that count on Neopets. It's one sole thing - pets. Or, in other's
eyes, the bond between the pets and the owners. Don't forget that - because
if you do, you're forgetting everything that Neopets was made for.
So, go love your pets. If you miss one week of The Neopian Times, getting something
in, you won't care because you'll have your own special pet. If your picture
doesn't get into the Art Gallery, go draw your pet again and make them even
more special by adding more personality. Just go- and for a few minutes, hours,
days, forget about trophies, Neopoints, or anything else that Neopets is focused
on now. And just think about the one thing Neopets was built around- the pets.
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