CUTE CITY - Think about some of the more famous Neopets you may have heard
of or know. What exactly makes them so special, and interesting? Odds are the
pets you are thinking of have been given unique personalities, traits, or looks,
and that's what makes them memorable. Rather than being a plain old ordinary
Aisha, they're a mutant Aisha with flames coming out of their mouths but who
really is just a real sweetie. That's what makes it interesting.
So, how can you do this yourself? I'm here to help you.
What's In a Name?
Because of the huge variety of Neopet names, a name can make or break a
pet. If it's too late to change your pet's name, don't worry about this, but
if you're going to create or adopt a pet give some thought to its moniker. Make
the name historical, like Napoleon or something more subtle; reference your
favourite book; or make it mean something in a foreign language. My oldest Neopets
are named Klaue and Reizend, which mean "claw" and "cute" respectively in German.
They mean something.
If your pet has a name like "SweetAngelBabyFace," consider giving it a cranky,
complaining personality, or vice versa. Think outside the box!
Don't Continue the Stereotype
You have a Grarrl. Your first instinct would be that its personality will
be destructive, and your Grarrl will be a little tyrant. But...think of how
many Grarrls there are who've been given this personality. It's a stereotype
of the pet.
If you completely contradict yourself and make your Grarrl into a sweetie,
it'll be more interesting. Especially if you make it love makeup, Usuki dolls
and hanging out in the shops in Neopia Central. Now that makes for some interesting
reading!
I'm a Little Brother! That's My Job!
A Neopets family can be more interesting than an owner with one pet, because
it gives your pets added interaction with each other. You can make a pet into
a little brother or sister, always getting into the way, or a mature older one.
Following the advice of "Don't Continue the Stereotype," you might even have
a mature little brother and an immature older sister!
You can make your family get along amazingly well or make it into a soap opera,
but whichever you do, add conflict. Conflict is one of the basic elements of
any story and likewise a person or pet's personality is more interesting if
there is inner conflict.
You've Saved Me, My Hero!
Daring, dashing pets can be fascinating. So can evil villains. The latter
may be more interesting but may cause you to get more inflammatory Neomail,
so choose with caution. Make up a story to put on the pet's page or lookup,
about how they saved Neopia or nearly doomed it with their evil actions. Maybe
later you can send it to The Neopian Times!
I did a similar thing with my Neopet Klaue. He was an adult Kougra when I wrote
the story of how he introduced Kougras to Neopia. I posted it on his pet page,
then submitted it to The Neopian Times. For a while, Klaue was well-known.
Draw From History
Is there a historical person you find absolutely fascinating? Say you like
Abraham Lincoln a lot. You might want to make a pet named Abraham_Lincoln (assuming
it's still available, which in this case it isn't), and then fashion his personality
after your hero. Or you could just name your pet after some obscure general
or philosopher, and add smart little references throughout its pet page or lookup.
Do They Call You the Customiser?
Many people are now going in for the ultimate in creative pets: customised pets.
To do these require that you or someone you know can draw. Basically, you think
of a colour that your pet cannot be painted, like purple with rainbow-coloured
spots or a James Bond type look; whatever suits your fancy. Then you draw it
or have it drawn, and fashion its pet page around that personality. They also
go well in the beauty contest.
So, you've got your customised evil Aisha named Duke_Of_Albany. What do you
do with your little monster now?
The first thing to do is to make its lookup. Have it reflect your pet. For
an evil pet make it in dark tones; for a nice pet, in pastels. Write something
in there, like "hi there, I'm Duke_Of_Albany! I am SOOOOO evil. I will crush
your petpets before the Turmaculus even has a chance. Bwahaha. Read about my
exploits on my page." This will refer people to...
Your pet's page! This is your chance to break out those HTML skills that have
been lying dormant since Computers 101. Again, make it reflect your pet's personality.
If you can draw, include personalised pictures of him or her. If you can't,
commission other artists to do so. If you can write, fill the page with stories.
Remember, humour is always good, as is a slickly designed page that will impress
others.
With a little creativity, your pet will be unique and impressive in no time! | 
