Cheering Up Your Grey Friend!

Location

The first step is to pick out a perfect place for your party. Neopia is a vast world, and thus you may find yourself lost when it comes to choosing the location. A great venue is the ancient passage beneath Neopia Central. A peaceful cave that is away from the bustling crowds, The Deep Catacombs is a cozy place that has plenty of room for a small gathering. With the right decorations, this spacious area can be the perfect place for your grey party! If this isn’t exciting enough for you, an alternative location is Meri Acres Farm, located at the North of Meridell. The farm is guaranteed to give your guests a blast! From jumping on the haystacks to berry-picking, Somber and his friends will have an unforgettable time at this farm! However, it is likely that you will fail to convince Somber to travel all the way to Meridell or Neopia Central. In that case, you can always host the party right in the heart of Faerieland, where he can find comfort in being near the beloved Grey Faerie and the Discarded Magical Blue Grundo Plushie, who both share his melancholy! Oh, and remember to keep your endeavors a secret from him. You wouldn’t want to spoil the surprise before the actual party!

Decorations

Once you’ve settled on the location, let’s give the place a makeover to suit our purposes. Don’t forget that you are planning a party for a low-spirited pet, so keep the decorations low-key! With that in mind, the plain walls can be decorated with the fancy Dreary Holiday Garland, an NC item that every grey Neopet will love! If you want simpler decorations, however, you can try the Grey Chomby Balloons or the plain Balloons, both of which can be purchased at the Neopian Gift Shop. It’s also a good idea to set up tables where you can place the food, drinks, and gifts. Have a peek at the Stone Picnic Table from the Neopian Garden Centre. By using these picnic tables, you will save yourself the trouble of buying many chairs. Its grey color also fits our party theme. Next, it’s time to sort out the little details! I highly suggest that you arrange some flowers to place around the room and on the food tables. The Drabby Rose and Dragonbud are great choices to brighten up the room without being colorfully blatant.

Food and Beverages

Now that the decoration process is out of the way, we must do some grocery shopping! To cheer someone up, one can never go wrong with some delicious cuisine. Some choices of grey snacks include the Grey Sandwiches, Grey Hot Dogs, and Grey Pizza Slices. If you’d like to give your guests a luxurious treat, you can buy a few of those infamous Grey Faerie Mushrooms. Rumor has it that this delicacy tastes terrible but has a mysteriously good effect on its devourer. Fill up a table with generous servings of all these dishes and you’ll be set. Next, we’ll set up the beverages table. The Silver Shoyru Fizzy Drink and Cursed Coffee Service are sure to please your guests. They may be gloomy to look at, but hey, it’s the taste that matters! Now comes the fun part: picking out the desserts! There are countless sweets from shops in every corner of Neopia, but there are only a select few that will please the palate of your Somber and his company. From all the grey-themed desserts that exist, I highly recommend the Grey Peach Pie, Grey Cheesecake, and the strangely-shaped Grey Layer Cake. A plate of each should be sufficient. After arranging them on the table, you can give yourself a pat on the back. You’re more than halfway done with the preparations!

Music

Every great party needs great music to get everyone in the celebration spirit! I’ll let you in on a secret: every grey pet adores Jazzmosis! Well, who wouldn’t enjoy this band’s jazzy melody and old-style dance moves? Bringing their music to your party will surely make Somber a happy camper. You can buy the cool Jazzmosis Speaker from the Furniture Shop and blast their tunes at the party. However, if you’re willing to give up a few more neopoints, why not contact them directly and request a live show at your party? Give your guests the special opportunity to be up close to their all-time favorite band! If you choose to fulfill their dreams, you better head over to the Tyrannian Plateau now; these groovy singers have a tight schedule! Hopefully they’ll be free on the day of your party. It doesn’t hurt to ask!

Invitations

It’s time to make a list of who you wish to invite! Keep the list small; grey pets have no heart for a large, rowdy gathering. A reasonable amount of Somber’s closest friends is best. Don’t limit the guests to just grey pets though; invite diverse species of various colors! Just be sure that he enjoys their company. There’s a saying that goes “It’s not where you are, it’s who you’re with,” so be mindful of your guest list! Once you’ve made up your mind, pay the Gift Shop a visit and purchase some invitation cards. The Tyrannian Postcard is a recommended choice, with its monochrome color and simple design. Make sure you include all the necessary information on your cards: the venue, date, time, and attire. Now is probably a good time to remind you that the best time of day to host the party is during evening. A rainy day is the ideal option, but that wouldn’t be very convenient for an outdoor party. The best compromise, therefore, is to host it after the sun has set. Not only will the weather be perfect, but the lack of vibrant sunlight may lift your grey guests’ mood, even just a little. Fill in the cards, fetch some stamps from the nearby Neopian Post Office, and mail off the invitations! Congratulations, your mission is almost done.

Before The Party

Right before you bring him to the surprise party, there are some optional things that you can do. When evening rolls around, dress Somber up in some nice clothing. If he questions this, you could tell him that you’re taking him out for a dinner with just the two of you. This dressing-up step isn’t necessary, but it’s nice for the special guest to look his best at his own party! A cost-efficient and snazzy combination is the Striped Dueling Shirt worn with the Khaki Trousers. Add the Jazzmosis Hat for a smarter look. For the important final touch, put a pair of Jazzmosis Glasses on him. What’s so vital about making him wear sunglasses? Why, it’s a neat idea to hide his sorrowful eyes so that he can forget his misery, even just for short while! Now that everything is set, you can just sit back and let the surprise party work its magic on him. This will definitely be a touching experience that Somber will never forget.

Note: this article talks about Somber, who is male, but naturally the party can be for a female grey friend as well. Happy party planning!