SOUP KITCHEN - A post in the general chat boards:
Please, help me!!!! My pet is starving, I'm a newbie, I don't know anything
about Neopia, and I don't have any money! And my pet is sick and I can't afford
the cure! Please donate something or buy in my shop!! Please, if you have a
heart, you will help!!
Neomail from someone you don't know:
Can you give me some items? I'm poor and my pet is starving!
Shop description (when the shop is stocked):
I'm very poor, please donate something or buy here!
Sounds familiar? Everyone has witnessed one, if not all, of these situations,
and surely did not approve of it. And you see it all the time! Looks like those
so called "poor" people are everywhere, asking you (some even commanding
you) to give them your stuff, your money, your items... And when you politely
reply with a couple of tips on how to play games, or where to find free food,
they will either ignore you or accuse you of 'having no heart'! It's abusive
and annoying!
A couple of days ago, me and my pet, HS were discussing this issue. The conversation
arose after a visit to the chatboards during Neopia's rush hour (when every
single Neopian decides to login and the site is reaaally slow and the posts
in the boards disappear after two seconds), and we were flooded with posts and
Neomails from those "poor" people asking for donations (paint brushes,
potions, expensive cures and food, books, money, etc.). I had taken my pet to
the chats before, although I usually go alone, but she (or he, the lab is always
changing my pet's sex...) had never seen so many "poor" people
before.
However, what really upset HS was this particular "poor" guy I had
never seen in my entire life who jumped out of nowhere and begged me for a faerie
paint brush. I politely refused and pointed the games room for him, where he
could go earn some NP, but he ignored my advice and begged someone else, after
accusing me of being a heartless evil minion of Sloth. I was perplexed and so
was HS.
We returned home, and HS sat on the couch, thoughtful. After a while, she asked
"Why are there poor people in Neopia?".
I knew she had been thinking about what we both had witnessed at the boards,
so I could perfectly see where the question was coming from.
"There's no such thing as poor Neopians." I answered, sitting by
my creature buddy.
"What do you mean? That guy from a while ago, he was poor. And all the
other Neopians posting and Neomailing, they were poor, too."
"No, friend. Those are not poor people. Those are lazy beggars."
I could see she didn't quite get it. She's so young and naïve, she can't
sometimes see behind lies and schemes. So I explained. "Tell me, HS, were
we ever poor?"
"No, I don't think so. As far as I can remember, there was always food
on the table, and I always had my toys and books. Well, after you lost hundreds
of NP in the stocks... No, but even then, even though you had to postpone
that paint brush promise, there was always food, and toys, and I was healthy...
We were never poor."
"Do you know where I got the food and toys when times were rough?"
"How could I forget? That chia plushie from the money tree was my buddy
for a long time! And I got so sick of omelettes..." HS smiled, she was
starting to understand.
"See, you were always cared for, fed and played with, even when there
wasn't much money. Of course I didn't buy map pieces, paint brushes and other
expensive items when we were poor, even though my dream was to have a pretty
Neohome. But you are the pet, and the pet always comes first in Neopia. Do you
remember when I created you, on my first Neopets day?"
"How could I forget? You and I travelled and explored for hours! And all
those papers you read! It was so much fun, discovering this new world."
"Those papers were the tutorial and help sections. That's where I learnt
how to get around in Neopia. And all that exploring showed me every corner of
Neopia, including useful places like the Wheel of Excitement or the Fruit Machine.
I learnt about Neopoints and all the pretty stuff that could be bought with
them, and I, too, dreamt about being the richest, and having all the stuff you
could possibly have in Neopia. I was informed, so I started using the good places,
I collected my newbie pack, I opened my shop and I played games." I grabbed
an empty prune juice can "Remember how many times you were fed with tombola
food so I could afford the white paint brush?"
"I think I understand what you mean..."
"Those so called "poor" people are yet to discover how much
fun it is to play games and earn Neopoints from it, how much fun it is to have
a shop and earn Neopoints from it, how much fun it is to get freebies from the
Tombola and Coltzan... someone once said 'no pain, no gain' and it's true.
You have to work for Neopoints so you can paint your pet. If you get everything
on a platter because of constant begging... what good is it? If you feel
you bought that special thing with your own money, it will have a special meaning
for you, it will always make you smile when you see it, because you will remember
'that is my reward for all the work' and you will feel proud of yourself."
HS nodded. "And instead of losing two hours begging for a paint brush
no one will probably give them, why don't they play some games and buy it themselves?
They are ruining their Neopian life..."
"Not only they don't enjoy their stay in Neopia, they annoy other people
and ruin the game for everyone. Someone who is poor is someone who doesn't have
money but also has no way of getting it. There are tons of ways to make money
in Neopia, so it is just not possible that there are poor Neopians."
HS understood my point of view after this conversation, and it inspired me
to write this article. Just to add a final touch of help and advice, I decided
to include this chart of where to go and what to do to solve your economical
problems in Neopia. I hope it helps.
No food!
Where to go: Soup Kitchen, Giant Omelette, Tombola, Healing Springs
What to do: Buy gross/tombola food for less than 10 NP in the shops using the
Wizard. Try Prune Juice or Toe Nail Soup.
No toys/books!
Where to go: Money Tree
What to do: See if you can find a bargain at the Wizard.
No cure!
Where to go: Healing Springs
What to do: Try every 45 minutes. The water faerie will eventually heal your
pet.
I want to paint my pet! (or do anything else that is very expensive)
Where to go: Games Room, Stock your Shop, Stock Market
What to do: Save. Play as many games as you can and use your shop a lot. Remember
anything good takes effort, but it will be worth it!
No money!
Where to go: Practically every single place in Neopia gives you the chance to
earn something.
What to do: Play lots of games, mostly. You don't need to be a super player,
or have a fast computer. Games like Extreme Herder give you so many Neopoints
and are so easy, you can try those.
And before I go, I repeat to you what I always say to my pet:
There's no such thing as a poor Neopian. | 
