#baby/maraquan at least

[plushie-neopet]

My chombies :3

Kijiwa, Inkori, Choumby and Macarun.

[adobe-outdesign]

Have you reviewed nimmos by any chance? They arent my favourite pet but i do think my dislike of them comes from how theyre posed rather than their actual design

We actually have two different frog Neopets, but I will say they're pretty different from each other. While Quiggles are inherently silly guys and very short, Nimmos are tall and considerably less silly. In contrast, hey have a sort of meditative guru vibe to them, which is sort of evident in the pose with the hands and the stance.

In terms of the design, I like them overall. The wide mouth makes for a fun kind of :3 expression, and the body has a pretty distinct shape to it that makes it so they're not too much like a real frog. I could kind of take or leave the underbelly—I don't mind it, but they're thin enough that it doesn't feel like it's needed to break up the space, and it feels like it should go under the mouth as well or something.

I also agree that the posing of these guys is a little weird, as they're stuck in like a weird sideways slav squat. I like the idea of them having long frog legs in contrast with the Quiggle, but the problem is that the knees of the legs go to the side instead of the front, when in reality they should be facing forward like at least 20% more and the top part should be more horizontal to the body. The butt being above the ground rather than on it also doesn't help anything. Oddly, there also aren't many options that let you break from this pose—even colors like Faerie maintain the same off putting leg structure.

Nimmos have mostly stayed the same after customization and arguably improved, with minor fixes like adjusting the feet so they're actually at the right perspective relative to the body.

Favorite Colours:

Baby: First off, having the baby Nimmo just be a tadpole is a great concept, and secondly, it's pretty cute as well. The face is just similar enough for it to still look like a Nimmo, and the dark spots on the body provide nice contrast with the more teal-ish colored tail. There's both a converted and UC/styled version, though this is a rare instance where the converted is way better—the pose is more lively, the pupils are larger so it looks less dead-eyed, and the shading has been improved.

Toy: The toy Nimmo is actually based on the IRL Sand Critters frog plush, but even if you didn't recognize it off the bat, it's still a great design all around. The green and orange striping makes for a nice palette, the subtle spotting adds a nice texture, and the red eyes pop. Also, this kind of highlights what I was talking about earlier with the underbelly—it looks a lot more natural extended up onto the jaw.

Wraith: The wraith Nimmo is not the best wraith pet or anything—the swirls are very arbitrarily placed over the body instead of contouring and playing with the body's actual shapes, and the bulk of the swirls are a bit too low-contrast. However, the big thing here is the lovingly detailed face... on the stomach, with a regular face to match. I have no idea why it's like this because no other Wraith pet does this, but damn if it doesn't look cool as hell, and more than makes up for the lack of flow in the rest of the body. I also really like the neat swirly pupils they used here.

BONUS: The Maraquan Nimmo is both one of the worst and yet also one of the best Maraquan pets, and I absolutely hate and love it. Why is it a spider crab? Why does it just look like a normal crab with a Nimmo's face? Who cares. 10/10 get this thing out of my house

[millennialneopian]

Wednesday, April 27, 2022

Festival of Neggs, The End?

Damn Reddit! (Not really.) I should know better than to head over there in the midst of an event, but my groggy brain couldn’t relay the messages quickly enough.

The final clue! I’ve only completed one of his quests, but I know the Brain Tree when I see it.

Fucking gross! But finally a story.

I skipped all of the possible screenshots up to this point. Oops. Not to ruin the mood, but I cannot get over the grammatical issues in the dialogue for this festival. It’s not just me, right? Has TNT never heard of a comma? And it’s so weird, because I feel like I’ve completely missed another story elsewhere. Who the fuck is Tippens? Is he from something previous that I missed in my absence? Why would I think it’s a mysterious petpet when they were just talking about a Kougra? (Even though that is clearly the answer.) I cannot be the only person who is lost as an easter negg for this whole thing. But I digress...

Okay, this got a pop from me, because I can only assume it’s referring to the recent storytelling competition regarding the Unidentified Petpetpet. That’s good.

Well, aren’t you a cute little bastard.

O-ho! Man, look at those beauties. I have to admit that I’m a bigger fan of the original paint job than the other two. I think it would pair well with a Mutant Acara, something I’d like down the line.

Had one last chance at another stamp, but I got my third teapot set. At least the Talpidat is adorable!

And that’s... it? I guess tomorrow is technically the end once all the prizes are claimed, so I’ll reserve any final comments for then. Meanwhile: sorry, social Talpidat, you’re hanging out in the SDB.

Odds and Ends

Another Fruit Machine win!

Yay. I was so damn close to the third cheops.

The second time I’ve won this from the Mysterious Negg Cave! A cool 70K.

Thank you, O Great Turmaculus. The healing springs literally did that earlier today.

Lab Ray and ZYDP

Nothing exciting on the main, but I managed to zap a Relic Hissi on a poorly-named pound find from a while ago! Honestly, if I correctly recall, that pet was a stuck pet and was one of the longest stuck pets on the page I was viewing. I hope she finds a good home! Relic is a very neat color.

But now that I’m finished with her, I can move onto the ZYDP forums! Legit excited. I named all the pending pets, and I hope those who end up getting them like the names.

NeoCash

In preparation(?) for the above, I finally caved: I purchased 10 additional pet slots. The saving grace is that it was used with credit card rewards, so I didn’t actually spend any of my money on it. I’m officially tired of spinning my wheels and hoping for a Lupe zap on one of my pets, so I opened the flood gates to transfer one of the ZYDP pets to my main so I can zap twice as many. Folks on Reddit have been posting a lot of stuck pets with solid names; I think that’s where I’ll go after I work through the ones I’ve created. It’s mindboggling how many stuck pets there are. I legitimately don’t understand how they get stuck and how these folks find them.

But! All of this is to also say that I have leftover NC and can buy faerie quest fortune cookies. Dude. Stay the fuck tuned because if I can snag one that grants me a FFQ, I’ll shit.

... I wrote the above 10 minutes ago. I have no willpower.

1/9! I NEED FIRE JUG (please)

Is that Maraquan Draik on the horizon? Maybe! One thing I know for sure: if Food Club and/or I sell my repriced shop items, that Baby Lupe will be making his debut soon. I can start poking around DTI to get him ready to roll.

[synthaphone]

also feeling weirdly guilty for people being bummed about the mara lutari being unable to wear clothes? i know thats out of my control and also knew that would be the case because they never redraw older clothes to fit new bodytypes

i do really hope they release more maraquan clothes though. it feels like its a color thats rare to get them

the rarity for special colors feels like this:

baby- gets the most because its a popular color and cheaper than almost all the other ���special’ colors

mutant- second most, i guess cause maraquan is pricier in general?

maraquan- its popular so it gets at least some clothing

8-bit- no additional clothes for these but they all come with their own (generally kinda ugly) default generic clothes to make up for it

fruit chias- the pea one gets a cape and thats it. this strikes me as being wildly unfair. more fruit chia clothing

origami- nothing. they should make wearable paper pattern overlays for these imo... let them be made of fancy paper. or at least let them wear like a mini paper hat, that feels like it’d be simple enough

[mutantmorphingpotions]

Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!

BUZZ  BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ

5. Island Buzz

I know I’ve said this at least 33 times before-but the gold on white islanders are such a good LOOK, and with neon green eyes, he just pops off with design.

4. Maraquan Buzz

Why is he so small.....It’s cause he’s a shrimp, that’s why. EHHHALHKADFHLKSHA

AT least I make myself laugh.

3. Royal Buzz (fem)

We love a colony queen, she’s here to dictate, rule with an iron fist and take care of them babies. You best FALL IN LINE, DRONES.

2. Zombie Buzz

Another color I like soley because he’s a dapper looking dude. JUST LOOK AT THAT NECK PIECE. and I really like his eyes, very haunting to look at.

I personally blame @seradar for why this one is number 1-

1: Mutant Buzz

..;.....

Boy.

[chia-pops]

Baby, Darrigan and Starry for the asks!

thank you for these!

♡ Baby: What was your first neopet?

the first I can remember I couldn’t come up with a name for so I had my mom help me and in the end we came up with like Markeechi the mynci or something but I don’t think he exists anymore! 

♡ Darigan: What is your least favorite neopet?

firstly all neopets are GOOD and I love less popular species but I guess I will say tonu bc I can’t see myself owning one?

♡ Starry: What is your favorite paint brush?

this question has me thinking so hard because its not even fav color it specifically asks about the paint brush so I’m looking at all the paint brush art and there’s a lot of good ones. I’m gonna go with maraquan I think

[soujun-arts]

Case 4 : Cupcake Madness

Reginald’s 4th Case ! English isn’t my first language so bear with me.

You can read the previous cases @ /~SilverBaron

Neovia, 15:30

I'm laying in my bed, staring at the roof of my room. I've been stuck in there for 3 long and boring days already and it doesn't look like it will be over anytime soon... My name is Reginald Acorn, I'm 20, a grey gelert and I'm currently fighting a cold. I'm a detective working for the police force of Neovia. Three days ago, the boss and I had to hide in front of the abandoned asylum to catch all sorts of thieves, including the most annoying one you can think of. And by the looks of it, thieves aren't the only things I caught that night ... But, the good news is, we were able to recover a stolen locket and give it back to Vincent Von Verzweiflung. The look on his face when he saw the "treasure" inside was well worth this nasty cold. I'm getting all emotional just by thinking of it !

It reminds me of how I miss Mama ... When I was young and sick, she would make me the most delicious of cocoa with some marshmallow floating in it. It was delicious and helped distract me from whatever sickness I was suffering under at that time...

A loud knock on my door makes me go back to reality. The doors opens to reveal an enormous darigan skeith, engulfed in tightly fitted trench-coat. A hat is deeply screwed on his head, letting only small tufts of grey hair around the sides of his head show.

_"Oh good, you're still alive kid !" he says, laughing loudly and slapping his stomach.

_"My wife made this soup for you. It's extra spicy but it should help free your stuffed nose." he grumbles as he lays down the bright red tureen on my table.

This tall and heavy Skeith is my boss, "Big Skeith". His name is actually Marcus Worsley but everyone calls him Big Skeith at the station so being the new guy, I just went with the flow. He's a bit rude, has a very loud mouth but I assure you that you could never hope for a better chief of police. He also kind of became a father figure for me since I've never met my own father... I respect him a whole lot ! _"Oh, almost forgot, I also got you this, kid." he says as he puts down a small green bottle on my night-stand. "Should help fight the cold, at least, that's what the pharmacist told me. And if it doesn't work, I can always arrest him!" Big cackles at his own joke like it was the funniest thing he ever said. I smile, not because of the joke, but because I'm genuinely happy he's there for me.

_"Okay, I must leave now, I have a job to do yaknow. I'll stop by later tomorrow to check on you kiddo, so sleep well and eat like there's no tomorrow. See ya !" he yells as he storms out of my flat. Big's appearances are always something.

I taste Big's wife's soup and it's absolutely delicious. No wonder he keeps on praising her cooking everyday ! I'll have to ask him to thank her for me, when he comes back to check on me. It really is spicy though, I thought, fighting the tears coming in my eyes. I glance at the medicine bottle ... I've always hated medicine and mama had to trick me with cookies every single time to get me to take them. The bottle is really pretty and the liquid is bubbling inside. The eagerness to go back to my cases is stronger than my disgust for medicines. I drink a spoonful of it and promptly go back to sleep.

Neovia, 7:15 am

I let out a big yawn and stretch while still laying in bed. The pharmacist kept his promises as I really feel fresh and ready to tackle whatever challenge comes my way ! The only weird thing is that I don't feel hungry at all, and if you know me, you know I always crave a huge breakfast. Thinking nothing more of it, I jump in the shower and let the warm water drench my fur. I wash my grey hair that is a bit sticky for some reason, plus it really needs a trim, they're getting way too long...

Once I've dried myself, I dress with my usual work attire and feel tremendous joy at the thought of finally being able to get back to work. I step outside and let the freezing air fill my lungs. Yes, to another awesome day of investigation !

Neovia, 8:00am

_"Oh hey kid, you're back !" shouts Big as I enter the police station. "Guess that potion and the soup worked well uh ?" _"Yes, they did ! Thank you for taking care of me boss ! And please thank your wife for me, she really is a talented cook !

_"Ahaha, I know, right !! Well, since you're up and ready, how about you join Lenny. He's going to investigate a theft and break-in at the Crumpet Monger.

_"Sure boss ! I'll be going !"

I've never had the occasion to work with Lenny before. Lenny is, well, a Lenny. He's a weird mix of faerie and grey colours and looks always completely depressed. Maybe it's the fact that he is bald that makes him so upset ? He's very nonchalant and walks as fast as snail. He also speaks in a monotonous voice and I always feel like sleeping when I hear him talk.

Neovia, 9:00am

Finally, I can see the Crumpet Monger ! The shop is actually only 20 mins away by foot from the station but Lenny being so slow, it almost took us a WHOLE hour to get there. And since I'm still the newbie, I can't say anything. The Crumpet Monger shop is relatively small but it sells the best baked goods in all Neovia ! A cupcake is drawn right over the porch roof, and just underneath, an elegant door that opens upon a world of delicious treats ! As we get closer, I can see that the door was fractured but the frontage is thankfully intact. Lenny pushes the door and a bell rings inside. We were standing in the entrance when a mountain of hair came rushing out of the kitchen like a storm. Underneath all that hair, a meerca.

_"Oh so yer finally here ! Thank goodness ! As yer can see, we were robbed last night. All ther cakes, scones, pies, tarts and everything in between, gone !" she shrieks, visibly upset.

_"I see." ponders Lenny, completely out of it. _"Did they steal anything else, like the cash register ?" I asked, ready to do my job.

_"Well, yer see, no they didn't. They only stole and ate whatever we had in there.

But ... shouldn't the shop be empty of pastries during the night since you make fresh ones everyday ?" I say, pointing at a small sign saying so by the counter.

_"Oh yer, we do ! In these kind of jobs, we work at lot at night. My main baker was working tonight, made a whole storm of pastries yer see to set the shop for ther morning. He then left for a short while to see our supplier as per usual yer see. It was during that short time ther shop was ransacked." she lets her arm fall flat on her sides. "We lost a lot of money tonight yer see...

_"I'm very sorry Mrs Crumpet. We will do our best to wrap up things quickly so you can re-open again. Would it be possible to talk with your main baker ?"  I glance at Lenny as I speak, hoping he would step in to take the reigns but he was busy dozing off with a bubble popping out of his beak. Charming.

_"Sure yer can darling ! Aaron please come yer !" she shouts.

Coming out of the kitchen, wiping his hands covered in flour on a towel, a young Maraquan Gelert. He's of average height, has a long and weird tail with a, what, fin on it ? He is purple and his hair, which kinda look like algae, is greenish. He wears a big cooking hat on his head and a fancy looking uniform with a star on it. Around his neck, a red neckerchief.

He holds out his hand and I shake it amicably, this guy seems to be really friendly.

_"Hello, name's Reginald Acorn and here's my colleague Lenny Dot. We're here to investigate and we'd like to hear what you have to say please.

_"Thanks for coming, both of you. My name is Aaron Watson, I'm the main baker here. I think you won't have much trouble finding the culprit.

Really ? How so ?" my ears rising up in surprise.

_"Look at this, they left their prints all over the display cases. Should be easy enough to find, no ?

I get closer to the case and indeed, Aaron was telling the truth, you could see distinct prints all over it. I glance at the few leftover cupcakes there, suddenly feeling hungry.

_"Hmm yes, this is all very importance evidence...

_"Hey Regie, I hope you're talking about the prints and not the cupcakes" cackles Lenny, suddenly awake.

_"Of course I am !" I yell angry he found me out. "Dust for the prints instead of dozing off, that'd be helpful" I say, still sulking.

Alright, alright, let the pro do his job baby." he shouts proudly while holding a weird pose, showing off.

_"I really hope you catch that thief, but in all those short years I've worked here, it's really the first time this happens.." adds Aaron, rubbing his chin with his hand, still in disbelief.

_"No offence here, but you seem really chill for someone who had all his hard work eaten without being paid for...

_"Oh, that's because he took out his anger on yer poor innocent dough sweetheart" giggles Mrs Crumpet.

_"Boss, please !"

_"Okay I'm done dusting the prints and taking pictures here" says Lenny, striking another weird pose. "We will have the results tomorrow or so, so you can get cleaning your fantastic shop my beautiful darling." he adds, kissing Mrs Crumpet hand in a what I assume was supposed to be a gentlemen like gesture.

_"Oh, Oh, my, my, what a charming gentleman you are Mr Dot !" says Mrs Crumpet, blushing.

_"Urhg, disgusting." whispers Aaron while laughing slightly. "Then, I'll get back to work, thank you for coming."

Neovia 13:30

I'm sitting at my desk, eating my sandwich. It took us forever to get back here, as Lenny took his sweet, sweet time. Sometimes I really wonder how come this guy still had a job considering how slow he is in everything he does, but Big told me that he's the best when it comes to little details and all the other stuff we tend to overlook. He's currently studying the prints we found and comparing them to the files we have. Whenever someone decides to move in Neovia, they're obligated to give their prints as well, I'm not really sure why, but I guess after being a cursed town for years, they prefer to use some caution. I had to do it too when I filed all the paperwork in the City Hall. I swallow the last bite of my meal when Lenny comes rushing out from the lab and sprint right into the boss's office. How weird it is to see someone as slow as a snail go as fast as a cybunny ... I guess he did find something. Not two minutes later, Big yells for me to come to his office right now. Why do I feel like I'm not gonna like this ?

_"Kid, we have a match for the prints you guys found." says Big, dropping the file on his desk. He turns around to face the window, turning his back to Lenny and I. "The culprit is a Gelert.

_"Oh, really ? Is it that annoyingly annoying jewel thief ? Though, I wonder why he would steal cupcakes..." I say, rubbing my cheek.

_"No, praise Fyora, this guy is innocent for once. Though, I wish it was him right about now...

Knowing how Big despises that thief, I feel the anxiety rushing through my body.

_"That thief never leaves any prints behind, that's why we have so much trouble identifying him... Reginald, don't you have anything you want to say to me ?" he says calmly, turning back to face me again.

_"No.. I don't understand, I haven't done anything wrong..

_"Kid, the prints are yours. Your prints are all over the display cases of the Crumpet Monger shop. Lenny even found some grey hairs that belong to you on the scene, hair that were covered in frosting. You are the cupcake thief." he looks at me, visibly disappointed.

_"But ... I haven't left my flat yesterday.." I cry, upset I could tarnish my reputation this way. "I ate the soup you brought me, took the medicine as well and went to bed. I swear I didn't do anything wrong..."  I state, still sobbing. Disappointing Big is one of the last things I want to do...

_"Look Kid, I know you, I know you're not a thief nor a liar. There has to be an explication, and we will find it." he says, putting his clawy hand on my shoulder. "Oh and wipe your nose, I don't want any snot on my desk!" he adds, smiling snarkily. "Let's go on a walk, I think you need some fresh hair. Thanks Lenny for your work, you can go back in the lab work on whatever you have left to do."

Neovia 14:00

_"Okay, let's go to the pharmacy and see what the guy has to say. I don't feel like you're lying like I said, but how come every evidence found incriminates you..." he grumbles as we walk in the main street.

_"I don't know, I'm really lost here... I don't remember a thing, but I do recall not feeling hungry this morning and my hair being sticky when I woke up." I follow him, looking at my shoes, still feeling shameful.

_"We're here." he says as he pushes the door open.

_"Oh hey it's you !" points a young Zafara with his head full of blond and spiky hair. "How is it doing man ?

_"I'm not your man, kid.

_"Yeah, yeah, what can I do for ya ?

_"I want "ya" to tell me more about this medicine I got from you yesterday. Are there any side effects I should have been told about when you gave it to me ?" asks Big, pushing his finger into the zafara's coat.

_"It was groovy eh man ?!" he says, still pointing his fingers at us. "I think I'm gonna slap some sense into this idiot, if you know what I mean." whispers Big in my ear.

Oh, Oh...

_"Stop being such a moron Arnold !" yells a middle-aged Kacheek, hitting his head with a stack of paper. "Ugh, I swear to Fyora, you're really an idiot. Please excuse my employee sirs. What can I do for you ?

Big Skeith, after a glance at my pathetic face, decides to explain the situation to the Kacheek himself. She closes her eyes as she listens to him. _"Uh, Uh, I see. I do have an explanation for you, I believe. Did you wife happen to add some clawmatoes in her soup ?

_"Yes, it's one of her favourite things to put in there. Why ? Is there an issue with it ?

_"As stupid as it sounds, yes actually. I do not know the full details, but they contain some enzymes or something that react quite badly with the cold medicine your friend here took. They can induce sleepwalking tendencies and cravings when mixed together. Since the poor guy doesn't remember a thing, I believe that's what happen. What were the odds though ?

_"I see, thank you Ma'am ! Please keep slapping some sense into your apprentice.

_"I will good sir, have a nice day, sorry for the trouble !

Neovia 14:30

_"Wait for me here, I won't be long kid." says Big gently slapping my shoulder as he opens the door of the Crumpet Monger shop.

I'm leaning against the façade, still unsure about what's going to happen. Am I going to got to jail ? How are Mrs Crumpet and Mr Watson going to react ? They seem really nice to me and I really don't want them to hate me. As I'm wondering what's going to happen, I hear the bell and the door opens. It's Aaron.

_"Rough day, eh ?" he says as he leans against the shop next to me.

_"Yeah, pretty much. I assume you know everything." I whisper, still full of shame.

_"Yes, I do."

The sharp answer makes me shiver, but I didn't feel any anger in it. _"Look, as upset as I am, we know it's not your fault. Your boss said he was going to pay for the damaged door.

_"Really ? But what about the cupcakes, I mean, I ate all your stock...

_"You sure did!" he cries in laughter. "I can't believe you ate all that without feeling sick, you have some strong stomach kid !

_"Hey, don't call me kid, you're barely older than I am !" I manage to utter as I start to laugh with him.

_"Now that's better ! We have agreed on something with your boss. We're not gonna ruin a promising career, so hear me out. When you're not working your usual job, you'll come and work part time with us, that includes cleaning, deliveries, tasting my new recipes and other little things. That's how you're going to pay your debt to us. Does that sound fair to you ?" he grins.

_"You bet, thank you so much !" I say sobbing, finally relieved from the tension in my shoulders.

Neovia 21:30

I lay down my pen on my desk. I desperately needed to write a letter to mama to tell her everything. After that chat with Aaron, we came back inside the shop were Mrs Crumpet gave me a delicious crêpe to cheer me up. We ended up having a good laugh over this unlikely story and I'm going to start working part time with them tomorrow. I'm really eager to make it up to them. Once again, Big Skeith was there for me, and I can't thank him enough. He talked food with Mrs Crumpet during what felt like an eternity but it was a peaceful moment. As for Aaron, despite him being rightfully angry for his destroyed goods, he opened up to me and showed me how passionate he is about his job. I felt like we were the same on that point. I really wish I can become his friend because I really enjoyed his company. I better go to bed now, I have quite a doozy of a day tomorrow !

[maraquan-cybunny]

8bit grundo, meerca, wocky, maraquan and pastel zafaras, and best and worst eyrie, quiggle, and tuskaninny colors

Alrighty, here we go! Under a readmore

you know what. you fucking know what. at least this pitiful creature resembles his former self. so he’s not too bad, in my opinion.

i like the grundo better. the color on this one is nicer, but i like the grundo better.

lord have mercy idk what’s on top of this poor things head but. what. it’s rear leg looks like a fuckin blob.

LORD HAVE MERCY A BEAUTIFUL BAB!!! SO LOVELY AND WONDERFUL!!! MY HEART!! im so hap whenever i see these beautiful babies; their color schemes are so nice to me, and theyre just so cute! overall a wonderful design!

oh!! hes such a cute color!!! i personally really really like his design, hes so cute and pretty!!!

Best & Worse:

Eyrie:

Worst:

to me, the only “bad” eyrie is one that i cant fuckin see. i love these creatures, so having one invisible would hurt my heart tons. where is my pretty birb boy? where is he?

Best:

LORD!! look at this beautiful angel!! that twinkle in its eyes and the design are so lovely!!! honestly i like a lot of the woodland-painted pets! i find them super duper pretty.

Quiggle:

Worst:

lord have some fuckin mercy upon my soul good lord what’s even happenin on this hellsite anymore i need to know why this poor creature is allowed to live

actually im not sure anymore

lord save my soul

WHY DOES IT HAVE FLESHY EYES

Best:

this ones the best. hands down. The Best. look at him. hes so cool.

Tuskaninny:

Worst:

he deserved better. but instead he got. this.

Best:

A CUTE BEAN SHE LOOKS LIKE A LEGIT SEAL LOOK AT EM AWWW LOOK AT HER WIL SPOTS AND FLECKS AND SHES GOOD AND PURE AND SHE’S GOT SUCH A WONDERFUL COLORSCHEME

[synthaphone]

besides kikos are there any other pets u think got done dirty by the customization update? or specific pet/color combos? i personally am made irrationally angry by what they did to mutant hissi post-customization

oh yeah tons... feels kind of like beating a dead horse at this point, but man

uhh i mentioned koi last time but im bringing them up again because i think they come close to the kiko in terms of how badly suited they are for customization. the fists just look so bad... i feel like scorchios lost a ton of its appeal, theyre very blocky and oddly drawn and proportioned now. dont like how they changed the arms and legs, the pre coversion chocolate scorchio is a way nicer looking update to the old artwork. uhhh lutari is kind of ruined for me, i just do not like the post customization art at all and i loved the species pre conversion. it feels like a shame they made chias so lifeless- they have the potential to be cute but someone figured out the most stiff and unemotive way to draw their expressions and then pasted that face onto nearly every fruit chia. this makes me sad. tonus have thicker lineart than other species and this annoys the hell out of me. poogles at first look identical but then if you really look you realize that there’s been a noticable loss of fidelity between the old and new art and you can never unsee it. kougras have faces that are shaded the opposite direction from their bodies because it was traced from the old art where its head was turned around, and iirc the head also has slightly thinner looking lines than the body??? aaaaAAAAA. oh also both of the frog pets look really strange and frozen and eerie post conversion, which is a shame because i like frogs a lot and thought the original designs were charming

i agree with you on mutant hissi- i think the new one is charming in its own way but its totally different than the old one and doesnt have the same personality or feel to it at all.

this is a weird one but its stuck with me: the mutant grarrl went from being ‘kind of boring with dated art’ to ‘contender for worst looking pet on the website’

i’ll never get over how much personality virtually every grey pet lost... plushie and royal are pretty big losses too, but at least royal is a color where they can go nuts on an elaborate outfit and kind of make up for the lack of unique poses. mutant maraquan and baby are infuriating when theyre worse because its like. these ones could have all probably been left unchanged. some of them DID get to stay the same, like the mutant ixi... my least favorite thing is how many maraquan pets especially are poorly thought out edits of the new base pet art, when maraquan pets barely even get any clothes and they look SO much worse than the old art. the maraquan techo and scorchio and zafara didnt deserve this come on

which reminds me: another standout bad pet, the maraquan lupe is completely ruined. the tyrannian korbat is ALSO ruined, they decided to make it a caveman instead of a pteranodon so it would work better with customization and i will never forgive this. 9 year old me would be heartbroken if they knew that this had happened

i say all of this while also knowing that customization is ultimately what got me back into neopets in high school and that i enjoy being able to make my pets feel like unique individuals with the feature... it can make for a fun project. there’s also a few species that i think got better art post conversion. the acara and the kacheek come to mind as looking more appealing to their pre conversion designs- there’s other pets where its subjective, like the gelert, aisha, buzz and bruce. i like the new designs for these, they feel a little more lively, but can see why other people might not and a few of them i could go either way on. the draik looks technically nicer but i kind of prefer the old draik anyway... the circle pose at least, the happy pose doesnt have the same appeal to me

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its been a while- I think i’m onto Buzz now. so, here’s my top 10 favorite Buzz colors + bonus top 5 favorite pre-conversion Buzz colors

Zombie- I don’t usually tend to like Zombie, but for some reason the Zombie Buzz is my favorite Buzz. The little pupils remind me of mantis eyes, it doesn’t feel as gruesome like some of the other Zombie pets, and I find the outfit with the little scarf really endearing.

Maraquan- maraquan pets that are lobsters/shrimp are just really good, and the buzz is no exception

Pirate- I think they really nailed the expression for this one, and the little skull and crossbones markings on the wings are a really nice touch. It ends up having a lot of personality

Desert- I think the colors work really nicely on this Buzz, and the clothes look reasonably like they are ‘on’ the actual pet, so that puts it above a lot of desert pets for me

Elderlyboy- This is just another one of those Buzzes that I feel has a solid personality to it. I also like their stripy pajamas.

Eventide- I almost never think Eventide looks good, but I think it works well on the Buzz- I think the wings are my favorite detail.

Pink- Really solid. I like the peach colored eyes and the blue wings, it reminds me of hard candy.

Plushie- Sure, it doesn’t really look like a plushie anymore, but its orange and blue and yellow and it has polka dots on it so there’s no way I can dislike it.

Striped- Striped is one of those colors that I feel like I should enjoy more- I like stripes, and I like pink and blue, but it usually just doesn’t come together as a finished product that I enjoy most of the time. I like this one though! I think the darker blue spines look particularly nice.

Baby- so I think they should have used either the happy or circle pose from the pre-customization Baby Buzz, because both of those drawings were way cuter than this one is. However, I still appreciate the concept, so it makes the top ten list

Bonus:

the old Plushie Buzz was extremely cute

the Baby Buzz was also extremely cute, and just a really great execution of a good idea

I don’t know if the old Mutant Buzz is actually that good but I sure like it a lot

I'm so mad that they didn’t keep the old Glowing Buzz concept when they converted it. It was a firefly!!! That was so cool, I was literally never bothered that it didn’t match the other glowing pets and I wish they’d redo the new one to look like the old one again

The old Darigan Buzz was a cool hornet, and boy does the new version look abysmal. RIP

super Bonus: my least favorite Buzz color is:

this is illegible. snot’s a close runner up though, because i think it looks terrible

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My top 10 favorite Acara colorations, and bonus top 5 favorite pre conversion Acara colorations

Halloween Acara- iconic, i love pets in skeleton themed body suits, the head costuming in specific with the white triangles is particularly good imo

Robot Acara- very similar to its unconverted design, just with a bigger head- still really nice though. i like the red and blue together. just pretend not to notice that the further antenna looks like its coming out of its forehead a little bit

Maraquan Acara- again, iconic- the UC version is more unique, but i think the converted one is a little cuter

Mutant Acara- a lot of people’s favorite Acara, or favorite mutant, because it looks like a cool demon made out of space gas. it is very striking and i’m a fan

Pastel Acara- this might be a little high on the list but I really like it- the pale yellow irises are really striking, and the yellow goes nicely with that shade of green. its also not as grey as some of the other pastel pets, which i like

Plushie Acara- i really like pets with distinctive colors and patterns, and the Plushie Acara absolutely has those. I think the stripey antennae are the highlight feature of this guy

Tyrannian Acara- the colors on this work really well (the green!! i love the green and browns and tans look together), and I like how its kind of a mammalian triceratops looking thing. customization couldn’t kill it, even if it is kind of worse now

Baby Acara- a cute baby pet! I like it a lot more than the old version, like, the first version of the baby Acara is burned into my memory but this one is better

Faerie Acara- you might think this is a boring pick for my top 10, and you’re probably right, but I really like the more pastel yellow and pink that are used for the Faerie Acara! the wings look bad, but lets face it, almost all of the wings for quadruped Faerie Neopets look bad nowadays, so i can forgive it

Chocolate Acara- its the stripey antennae again. chocolate pets tend to look halfway decent more often than not, but the antennae sort of push this one over from ‘decent’ to ‘really nice’ for me.

bonus round

The Tyrannian Acara is my favorite preconversion Acara, I love the forwards facing horns that we lost in conversion, 

Robot Acara is second because its striking and competently done and is also slightly nicer than the new one if you like more proportionate heads,

Maraquan Acara is kind of both cute and creepy here, while the new one is a little more on the cute side, but regardless this was my 3rd fave UC Acara,

Plushie Acara was cute before too,

and Darigan Acara didn’t make it into my favorites Post-Conversion because they added too many colors I like more than it, but pre-conversion it had a really nice unique pose and is basically a little squat gremlin. the horns are really good

super bonus: least favorite acara color- Speckled

these speckles are so small that this kind of just looks like a green acara with dandruff (it literally is the green acara with white speckles added, the shades of green are identical). i thought the disco acara was also just the green acara with added patterns, but the green is actually SLIGHTLY brighter, and the Disco patterns are at least fun!!  I really like Speckled on some pets, but this one doesn’t work for me at all. I’d have made the speckles a bit more prominent, had some areas be primarily white with green speckles in them, and have changed the pink feet and ears to that blueish color that's used as the accent color for other speckled pets.

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oh yeah, i was doing these, wasn’t i? i nearly forgot!! 

top 10 favorite Chombies, and bonus top 5 favorite pre-conversion Chombies

Chocolate- The Chocolate Chomby is one of those pets where all the elements just combine to make a really stylish pet. I love the melted chocolate on its back and the swoopy hairstyle that the whipped cream gives it.

Halloween- i think almost everyone likes the halloween pets that wear skull masks, and this one also has glowing red eyes, bandages, a hot topic tail warmer, and an eye of Sauron vampire cape. Somehow it comes together to work really well??

Rainbow- this is my favorite Rainbow pet palette- a couple other pets use it as well, and I’m always happy to see it. I think it’s executed really well on the Chomby, too!

Robot- It lost the tin can charm of the original design, but I think they found an appealing way to redesign it. The expression is very cute and I like the dimensionality of the leg casings, even if they don’t make a lot of physical sense. 

Snow- this one is really simple, but effective. The round coal eyes are a little closer to the softer looking preconversion facial expression, which I like

Pirate- I’ve always been a fan of this color combo- I love the matching tail and neck socks, and the yellow bandana is a weird choice that ends up working out well

Darigan- I’m not sure this one entirely works, but I’m fond of it anyway- I like that they used the blue Darigan color scheme, and the slitted eyes and demon horns look really good. I feel like this is a design that would have had really nice art if it had existed pre customization.

Maraquan- I just really like the colors on this pet! the values get a little muddled in shadow, but on the whole they work nicely, and I also like the antenna/whiskers they gave it

Christmas- this is one of my favorite Christmas pets- it reminds me of peppermint back and feels almost like a festive alternative to Chocolate. The wreath doesn’t quite work for me, but its not a bad touch and its ultimately optional.

Camouflage- one of the Camoflage pets that interprets the color in a ‘realistic’ animal marking way rather than going with a generic camouflage texture. i think the stripes look nice, and the colors they chose work well together.

bonus: 

i love the pre conversion Robot Chomby. it looks like a little wind up tin toy, except according to its other poses its actually full of artillery???

this Maraquan Chomby has the old sweet-looking expression, which makes me like it more than the new one. also i’m biased i’ve had the plushie of this one for years

the pre conversion Plushie Chomby has the same lineart as the pre-conversion Pirate Chomby, which is very weird to me. i have to assume that plushie came first? so its the one that’s on this list. i love the colors they went with and the stripey tail and neck (i just love stripes and scarves, this will influence a lot of my favorites)

baby chomby cute

i like that they used the red eye color for the spots on the grey chomby- I also think the pose works well

least favorite Chomby is:

okay i might just not like zombie very much as a color. there aren’t a lot of completely terrible Chombies out there, actually, and this is also my least favorite style of zombie pet- over textured to the point where stuff like the mouth is hardly even readable. also why aren’t there outlines around the eyes, that seems weird