Weekly News Thread: May 20 - May 26

[bettywales]

20th May

* Head over to the Book Shop if you'd like to get your hands on one of these new books!


* A new page of Poems is now available to peruse at your leisure.

* A rather dirty Elephante seems to have stumbled into our latest Caption Contest.


* Let the Fire Burn takes this week's Minigolf Spotlight award. Well done, tictac_skittles!

* The haunting melodies of these new instruments are drifting out of the Neopian Music Shop.


* These new Shopkeepers seem to be having a cookout.




* The Story Telling contest has just begun! Use your imagination to come up with the next part of the story.

"Are you really sure this is such a good idea, Reyan?" Parlis called anxiously as she peered through the gloom. The Moehog thought it was still late afternoon, but she couldn't really tell, as the thick branches overhead stifled all sunlight.

* Congratulations go out to Kjolin and Armlildo! Each has proven spiffier than the rest in the Customisation Spotlight. Voting for this week's contest has begun. Good luck to this week's entrants!


* Apagine the Gnorbu is the lucky winner of the latest Pet Spotlight award.

* There is some rather unusual food that has been showing up in Neopia.


* Our latest sponsor game is Word Girl Video Vocabulary, and to find out more about Word Girl, Click Here.

[DiscordantNote]

IT. IS. BASSOOOOOOOOOOON!


I want one! Now!

[beanmommy]

* These Erasers might smell good, but they don't taste very good.

and

* There is some rather unusual food that has been showing up in Neopia.

Oh man, I NEED THESE THINGS for my jelly gallery. Are any of them actually released yet? I can't find 'em on the wiz...

[Pickles]

That totally makes me think of The Little Mermaid. Now I want one. {starts humming "under the sea" and wanders off}

[bettywales]

21st May

* Today's Random theme is - Tea Party!

* Ah, it is time for the annual tea party! Make sure you don't forget to pick up your favourite blend of Tea.


* Congratulations to imneokidd494 for winning the latest User Lookup of the Week!

* Don't forget to invite your friends and family to the tea party!


* You might find the new Gallery Spotlight winner's gallery - Darromai's Tea Shop helpful.

* It wouldn't be much of a tea party without cute little sandwiches from the Food Shop.


* These Neopets really seem to be Enjoying their tea!




* There is a new Mystery Pic competition. The answer to the last one was Spirit Of The Ruins Fizz. 302 people guessed correctly, earning them 6,623 NP each.

* While you are sipping your tea you might enjoy checking out the wonderful new art on display in the Art Gallery.


* This week's Meridell Castle Spotlight winner is torry_teh_kittay with their level - 1 Hour Excurtion.

* Don't forget to make sure you have plenty of guests. If you need a few more, you might drop by the Plushie Palace to pick up a few stuffed guests!


* Try matching all of the clues to the answers in our latest sponsor game Ask Listen Learn Matching Madness.

[bettywales]

22nd May

* You can now buy colourful lumps of sculpting clay at the Toy Shop.


* zirkona92 and her Neopet, Hirkona, have won this week's Site Spotlight award!

* This week's PPL award has been given to the Hermiteese. Well done MonkeyBird, Hermese, Plato, SixPence, and all the others.


* There's not much you can do to beat the Angry Janitor in TNT Staff Smasher, but if you want a Better Than You trophy, you'll have to give it a go.

* Mmmm... the Alien Aishas have been busy and Chile-Lime Limburger Gum is just one of the new foods they have created.


* If you want a chance to have your videos viewed by others on Neopets why not submit them?

* Boo! If that didn't scare you maybe on of these new Buddy Icons will.


* A new Lenny Conundrum competition has begun. The answer to last week's was 750. 180 people guessed the correct answer earning themselves 11112 NP each.

* Spend some time giving Geraptiku some colour with these new Colouring Pages.


* Pirates who enjoy caves might want to check out neorunna's Pirate Cave Of The Week.

* There are some colourful Petpets emerging from the Petpet Puddle.

[Pink]

I know the news hasn't been posted for today, yet, but I have got to say that the redraw of the Koi is hideous. I hate the fist...

[May]

23rd May

* Yikes some of Tyrannia's landmarks have been block with huge piles of boulders! The council of Elders is asking for your help to smash these boulders by playing Destruct-O-Match III.



* A new page of Poems is now available for you to read.

* If your Neopet enjoys destruction, you might consider purchasing one of these new books from the Book Shop.



* There is a new Mystery Pic competition. The answer to the last one was Caption Contest #787. 198 people guessed correctly, earning them 10,102 NP each.

* Can you think of something witty for our latest Caption Contest?



* Coming Soon: Game 1000 is just around the corner and it will be quite an event!

* Now these are some bricks that will be quite fun to destroy!



* ticketytock2kay has just won the Neohome Spotlight award. Well done and all that.

* New Fun Images are the perfect way to spice up your webpage.




* The latest Petpet Spotlight goes to Mookie the Green Turtum.

* Writing has never been this much fun without these new School Supplies.



* Don't forget to enter our sponsor video contest - Taking It Slow! The submission deadline has been extended to the 30th of May.



24th and 25th May - Koi Day

* Monday is a bank holiday in the US, so there will not be any new news until Tuesday. Have a nice weekend!

* *Trumpets Blast* Please welcome the latest set of Royalty to Neopia... the Royal Koi!



* This week's Neoadventure Spotlight goes to ghostchoir for Whispers.

"Whispers the baby Xweetok sat quietly at her window, staring out at the moon as she did so. Though her eyes were staring outwards, she wasn't actually focusing on anything. Rather, she was..."

* Neopets are sure to love these adorable Koi-shaped Dumplings from the Exotic Food Shop.



* The newest issue of the Neopian Times has been released! Keep your eyes open for great stories and adventures like The Truth Behind the Mysterious Spacecraft and Making Neofriends - The Courteous Way.



* There will not be a Random Contest for the next week, but it will be back on the 30th! Congratulations to last week's winners.

* Kauvara has been working hard, and has created four new morphing potions for the Koi!



* A brand new page of Koi-themed Poems is available for your perusal.

* Oh no! It looks like someone hasn't mentioned the danger of fishing nets to their neopet...


You can't keep me in this net!

* Take your Koi down to Cap'n Threelegs and he will give you some free training!

* The Plushie Palace is ready to celebrate Koi Day with four new toys!



* If you want a new Koi Background, there is a new one available.



* The Art Gallery has been updated with images of Koi.



* The next round of the Beauty Contest is about to begin! Head on over and vote for your favourite.

* Now you can learn How to Draw King Kelpbeard!



* If you want a chance to have your videos viewed by others on Neopets why not submit them?

* What will the Koi decide to do after they buy some of these new clothes from the Clothing Shop?




What should we do first?

* The Faerie Caves Spotlight goes to ambreon for Running and Escaping.

* You may be interested in visiting our Sponsor's Camp Dino if you want to play some games, feed your pet or maybe go on a quest.

[May]

This week's Editorial:

Hey TNT, can you fix the comic for the Lost Desert Plot? I really want to see it again. ~pichu_pikachu_raichu
An appropriate person has been poked to fix it. (Actually, more like a quick jab to the ribs.) Here you go! The Lost Desert plot comic!

I've been participating in the Neopian Beauty Contest for about more than a year now... I really love that side account Neopets are allowed now! Thanks so much! I know that all we get now is the trophy. It's a great symbol that people work hard for for their Neopets, and that's the greatest prize of all. However, don't you think that the trophy looks a bit "old fashioned" now? Every other trophy on Neopets looks better then this plain trophy. And all what's written on it is "Best Dressed." What is that supposed to mean?!? It's not about the clothing in the BC! Also, I would think that the overall winners would deserve an extra honor with an additional trophy that doesn't look like the others. It's actually kinda depressing that you work hard on designing and drawing all of your Neopets and get a poorly designed and uncreative trophy in return. Other people in the BC agree. We would like to be considered as artists and wish to see that represented in our trophies. ~crystal_mimi
You're quite right. Those trophies are getting a bit outdated. We don't know if we can get a unique trophy made for overall winners (we'll have to look into the system for that), but we will request some updated art for the trophies.

In the Neopedia, it says that a Lupe and an Acara saved Altador. I thought that King Altador (a Lupe) and Jerdana (an Aisha) were the ones that saved Altador. Which is right? ~eyown
The heroes referred to in the Neopedia are Tormund and Roberta, who appeared in the Darkest Faerie Playstation 2 game. The acts of those two heroes allowed the Kingdom of Altador to reemerge.

Arrrrr the Pirate Jellies still being released at the Giant Jelly? Arrrrr they glitched like I have heard they might be? If they arrr and I unknowingly buy one from a scallywag, will I have to walk the plank (be punished) or have it taken away from me? Thanks, matey! ~jennyspet62301
Arr, we do not be knowin' what ye be talkin' about. Thar be no Giant Jelly in Neopia. If Pirate Jellies were bein' released at something like that, though, ye can be sure it were a mistake and were soon corrected. If ye imagined that ye got a Pirate Jelly from the imaginary thing, then ye be welcome to keep it.

Can we vote in the Customisation Spotlight on our side accounts? It has already been said that we can enter side account Neopets, but it is unclear whether we can vote on them for the spotlight, too. I do not want to break the rules, so I won't unless you say we can. Thanks and happy clicking. ~bbenley
We talked about this at length and decided it's probably best to keep voting exclusive to main accounts. This will keep the rules more consistent, and stop people from attempting to abuse the system we have in place.

How far do you guys at TNT have pi memorized to? No cheating by looking it up, only by memory!!! ~poppyemmaalvin
Dirigibles surprised us all by reciting 14 digits! Go Dirigibles!


3.1415926535897!

Hi, I went to the NC Mall and saw the chirping music track. I loved the picture of a bird for it. Are you going to make it a Neopet, or is it a Petpet? P.S. Please remove my username. ~[username removed]
Yep, it's a Petpet. They are called Kateils and can be found on Krawk Island.

Would it be okay for me to draw a fellow Neopian a picture for their Petpage in exchange for them doing some coding for my Petpage? ~strawberrybird707
Alas, no. We don't allow players to "pay" each other for services using Neopoints/items/Neopets/art/coding, etc.

I have a question pertaining to Neopet trading. We're not supposed to trade NP or items for Neopets, I know that much. However, if (theoretically) I got a Fountain Faerie Quest and I had someone offer me a Neopet that I liked (for example, a Robot Poogle) if I MADE them a Neopet they liked (such as a Maraquan Shoyru), would that be allowed? Some people think it's a legal loophole (because it's still Neopet-for-Neopet trading), but others don't believe you're allowed to offer "services" or "potential Neopets" in exchange for real Neopets. Could you clear this up for us? It's kind of a hot-button issue on the Neoboards. Thank you! ~sorenina
We discussed this and decided that, in the end, as long as it's a 1:1, Neopet-for-Neopet deal, then it doesn't quite matter how it came to be. This is our opinion at the moment, so don't hold us to this forever. The whole Neopet trading thing is new to all of us, so we're still figuring out what is and isn't working and determining what is simply crossing the line.

My friends told me that, at the end of the Hannah and the Ice Caves plot, Sloth came and mutated Hannah! But when I checked the comic that wasn't there. So, were they telling the truth or just messing with my head? ~neojedi13
Hehe, they were telling the truth. For a very short time that's how the HATIC plot ended, before we put the proper ending you see now up. It was a little joke from us to you guys for having to delay the Sloth plot.

Hello, I was wondering if Neopets would make contact lenses for pets, made of different colors so you can change the look of your Neopet by giving it different colored eyes? That would be awesome! ~clarissacutie
We agree, it would be awesome, and some of our own have suggested it before. Alas, however, with how things are set up at the moment it isn't possible, at least according to those who have a better understanding of how it all works. Poo.

Is it true that, if you paint a Rock island, it becomes a codestone? ~meepit__42
If you paint the Petpet called Rock island, its appearance changes to that of a codestone. However, it is not an actual codestone, nor does it function as one.


Behold, the island Rock!

Hi, TNT! Just two questions. I have all nine pieces of the Lab Ray, having spent over 500,000 NP on it. If someone asks me to zap their Neopet for them and then give it back when it turns into the color/species that they want, am I allowed to agree to take on the responsibility? If this is allowed, then am I allowed to accept Neopoints/items from the person who wants their Neopet zapped with my Lab Ray? Both of these sound very against the Neorules, but I don't see anything specific about it, so I thought I'd make sure. ~xpp
Nonono, stop at, "Both of these sound very against the Neorules." Right there, that's good! Continuing on with, "but I don't see anything specific about it" is baaad. If something sounds like it goes against the site rules, just please avoid it. You're very right about both those things not being allowed. Remember, when contemplating if something is against the rules or not, try to use good judgment. Here are some examples:

Good judgment: You know, this word I'm typing in this post is just a purposeful misspell of a word I know I'm not supposed to use on Neopets. Rather than risk my account, I think I'll just find a better way to express myself without using inappropriate words.

Bad judgment: This person is making me mad! I'm going to use a bad word to show them what a fearsome internetter I am! TNT said not to use this word or a purposeful misspelling of it, but the rules don't specifically say I can't use this bad word on Fridays! Haha, I'm so clever.

2 min later on an alt account... "TNT froze me for no reason!!!"

So remember everyone -- if something sounds against the premise of the rules we've set, please... for the love of everything cute and fuzzy in this crazy world, just don't do it!

I've been a Neopian for a little while now and I've always enjoyed reading the Editorials in the Times. I think my favorite responses are those in which you attempt to brazenly display your frustration at having to answer the same question for the 1,000th time (i.e. smashing keyboards with your head, or my favorite, the *head bonk* off the desk). So, just how many times (in any given month) are you asked the same question, and just how do you deal with the frustration of having to answer the same questions over and over and over and over (ad nauseum)? ~wahern
Haha, sorta like that last response up there ^? XD Let's go take a peek into the Editorial submissions page... right now, there are more than 500 questions dealing with side accounts, ranging from what one is to "Can I [insert specific activity] on my side account?" along with everything else in between (which those of you who read the Editorial regularly are just about as sick of reading as we are of answering them). So yeah, to answer your question, we get hundreds upon hundreds of variations upon the same questions that we answer week after week with the hope that more people will read and be educated by them.


How to *headdesk* Neopets Staff style!*
Step 1: Read question that you've answered in some form or another at least 20 times prior.
Step 2: Position head over solid object, preferably a desk, although keyboards and planks of wood also work.
Step 3: Swing head in downward motion, impacting forehead against object beneath. (Be careful not to hit your nose.)
Step 4: Repeat as necessary.

*Neopets does not condone or encourage players to smack their heads against hard objects. We are trained professionals. Do not attempt this at home.

My friend and I had a brilliant idea. What if a sort of credit card was created for Neopets? It would (of course) involve NP, not real money. How it would work is that you would buy the credit card like an item and buy other items with it... like a real one. You'd be able to gradually pay it off, and you would automatically get "bills" sent to you by Neomail. Depending on how expensive the item was that you bought, you would get charged a certain amount of money. If your debts weren't paid by a certain time then the item you purchased would disappear. For example, if you bought a paint brush and didn't pay it off after having used it on your Neopet, then your Neopet would become the color it was before it was painted and the brush would be taken from your possession. As another example, let's say that you bought a Kadoatie an item and fed it to the Kadoatie, getting a trophy for having done so. In this case, the trophy would go away and your Kad fed count would go back to zero (if you had only fed 1). This was just an idea I wanted to tell you. I know people could find loopholes, but I think you could figure them out. ~alex_bethseth
Sorry, this has been suggested countless times over the years, and the answer to a Neopian Credit Card is still "no." Various reasons off the tops of our heads are:
~What if you trade the item away before you're done paying for it, and are no longer worried about paying it off?
~What if the Pant Devil steals the item, and you still owe NP on it?
~Why would anyone want to deal with the stress of debt in a virtual world, too? Neopets is supposed to be an escape.
~Learning to save your money to purchase the things you want is a much better habit than learning to get what you want immediately and worrying about how to pay for it later.
~There's just no way for us to motivate people to pay Neopia back. What if you only need the weapon you buy for one fight? You could basically get what you wanted, not pay, have it taken away, and then you've successfully abused the system.
~As for the safeguards you mentioned, like Neopet colours and Kad counts disappearing, that's just way too much of a logistical and programming nightmare to deal with on top of all the previously mentioned concerns.

So yeah, there's just waaaay too many openings for abuse, scamming, loopholes, and encouraging poor financial behavior to okay such a thing, sorry.

I got a Neomail on May 15th about a person looking to adopt a Neopet. I wrote them back the next day, saying that as soon as they have an opening (they have 4 Neopets currently) I will transfer the Neopet over to them. I also told the person to let me know when they did. Because I hadn't heard a response 2 days after I last Neomailed them I Neomailed them again, letting them know that I would like to hear from them if they are still interested. I also stated that I wouldn't want to risk my account getting filled up with lab pets, so I would find another owner if necessary. I was trying not to sound rude, but it has been 4 days. I don't want to break the rules since I told them they could have the Neopet. If they don't respond within the week could I get iced if I find a new owner? ~maximo1434
No, we think you've been more than reasonable in waiting for a response from them, so don't worry about it. Good form!