Lupes and Chias by al_the_chia |  |
ENDLESS PLAINS - There are evil, evil people lurking around Neopia, plotting
their evil ways, scheming evil things and fiercely trying as hard as they can
to destroy all their opposition.
No, I'm not talking about Dr. Sloth or that cheesy Pant Devil. I'm talking
about Lupe/Chia debaters.
Since the dawn of Neopets, people have been arguing over which pet is better,
the Lupe or the Chia. Guilds have been devoted to decapitating Chias and roasting
them like chestnuts over an open fire. Others have been devoted to vegetarian
Lupes, who viciously attack those who DO eat Chias Other guilds still have Chias
devoted to badmouthing Lupes.
I don't even want to talk about the horror I've seen, but I must. For example,
an image of a Lupe ripping a Chia to bits, a Chia stew, a Chia pie, a Chia soufflé,
Chia-kabobs, Lupes being beaten up by Chias, Lupes, Lupes beating up other Lupes,
Dr. Sloth running through the pound with 'My Little Uni' underwear on his head...scratch
that last one, it's unrelated...
Anyway, there has been a lot of conflict between these two wonderful species,
and internally in the species themselves. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I probably
goaded it on a lot. Take a look at my first actual Neopian Times entry, 'A
Letter to Lupes: A Warning.'
Originally, the title had been 'A Letter to Lupes; A Warning to Chias,' but
apparently, it had to be shortened for space reasons. If my title had been a
little shorter, I may not have been sucked into the endless vortex that is Lupe/Chia.
In this article, I explained that Lupes and Chias should get along a little
better than they have been. Unfortunately, people judged the article's joking
manner to be serious. The next morning, I found some rather interesting Neomail
in my bin, and about thirty Battledome challenges from Lupes who could SERIOUSLY
use a dose of Chia flour.
There were also messages from Chias, glorifying their positions and gloating
over how well I socked it to the Lupes From these mails, I created many of the
Chia characters in my story. Snobby, stuck-up Lupe haters who sit around and
complain about how unfair life is when they're really not in a bad position
at all.
People also Neomailed me, telling me that they supported me as well. While
I appreciated these mails, the horribly murderous letters from the others nearly
drove me up the wall.
Before I knew what was happening, there was all out war. On the messageboards,
Lupe hunts suddenly popped into frequency. Although I now avoid the chatboards,
I was shocked to discover some of the gory details put into them, and I am also
ashamed to admit that I also posted on a few. Getting involved was probably
the worst mistake I made.
And so, seeing no other option, I began to write. Stories about Alexander
T. Chia the Lupologist, a Chia who studied Lupes I hoped that by poking fun
at the conflict, it would slow it down a little bit.
I kept on writing, about the outrageous Chia-hating Lupes and the outrageous
Lupe-hating Chias I wrote as equally as I could to both sides, trying to make
the entire debate as ridiculous as possible. Other writers also took it into
consideration to write, making great stories that really brought the entire
thing into perspective. Griffin the Chia Protector rescued Chias from evil Lupes,
Crooky and Nip broke all the rules, and either it worked (which I doubt) or the Lupe/Chia debaters got tired, because
after I began to steadily write, the conflict began to weaken from the spotlight.
But by then, the stories were more about Al than about Lupes and Chias. It
became much more casual and less of a big deal for Al to hang around the Lupes
Neomails about how much I stunk because I liked Chias and Lupes or how great
I was because I liked Chias and Lupes turned into Neomails ACTUALLY criticising
or complimenting my work, not my position on the lousy debate. I nearly cried
from sheer joy when I received a Neomail from a person who hated me because
I had a lot of Neopian Times trophies and not because I owned both a Lupe and
a Chia.
I started to learn a lot of valuable things about writing from the many, much-more-talented-then-I
authors and artists of The Neopian Times, as well as from great literature and
English classes. I am gradually improving my style from story to story, and
I'm truly grateful to all of them for everything they've done for me.
Although I started writing for the stupidest reasons, I now continue writing
for the good of Neopia and myself.
When you write, always have a worthy reason to write. Make the theme of your
stories worthwhile, and while not everyone may like what you do, it doesn't
matter as long as you like it. There are things more important than whether
Pteris are cuter than Quiggles. Love, hate, anger, joy, fear, courage, strength,
wisdom, cowardice, weakness, hunger, enlightenment, restriction, release, and
many, many more are just a few examples.
WHY do people hate Chias? WHY do people hate Lupes? WHY is the beauty contest
unfair? WHY should you buy gourmet foods?
So, you Chia and Lupe haters, there are lots of questions about Neopia, but
there are even more about the many aspects of your actual life. I suggest looking
up a life in the nearby library, or borrowing one from your friends. It's time
to grow up, set aside your differences, and embrace what you all share.
PS - I hate Meercas!
NYAH NYAH NYAH! |
