Neovia: Just a Normal Town?

It’s been nearly two years since the curse placed upon Neovia was lifted. A whole two years of peace, and time to enjoy the New Neovia. Ever Since Sophie, Bruno, and Gilly rescued the town with a potion, everything has returned to normal and Neovia is now a lively and active place. But why is it that most Neopians still find this place to be rather spooky, or somewhat forbidding or frightening? Why is it that Neovia, even in its new restored state, is still ominous looking?

If you’ve read the plot comic for A Tale of Woe, you know that Sophie and her friends DID save Neovia, and at the end of the plot everything seemed bright and happy; families were reunited, townspeople restored to their natural state, and buildings reconstructed. So, WHY is it that Neovia is still like Halloween night year round? Well, in this case, there are a couple of factors contributing to the common notion that Neovia is a spook town, such as its appearance, people, and location.

Ok, Neopia Central is just as alive as Neovia, but ten times less forbidding looking. The last time I checked, there aren’t graveyards with mist floating around tombstones on a hill overlooking Neopia Central. However, that is so true with Neovia. We often associate tombstones with scary, creepy, stuff, such as a zombie coming out of a grave next to them. So that’s why those tombstones kind of leave a frightened sense with us. Now, I could be wrong, but I’m fairly sure that no other world in Neopia has pathways that lead to caves where Monsters live, old Witch’s Shacks, and Forbidden Asylums. Witches and monsters again go along with the Halloween theme, and Asylums, well, there’s something about them that scares us all. For you it could be the crazed people, the skeleton nurses, or the Dragona lurking around the corners.

Now, if that isn’t a little creepy, well, then think about the color scheme going on here. We’ve got Neopia Central, with some reds and yellow; happy bright colors. But over in Neovia, we have every building, mansion, and street either teal, sea green, or gray. Those aren’t exactly ‘warm’ colors. Those colors are dark, and I think are a little depressing.

And what’s up with the fog and mist constantly swirling through Neovia? That’s just a little odd. It probably doesn’t help that there are dangerously jagged mountains peaking high in the background. Now, this is scary; why is there a GREEN river running through the middle of the town?!? Um, you know, normal Neopians don’t drink green water, so...

And why is it always night in Neovia? I don’t see any other world where it’s always night, except for the Haunted Woods. We know it's night in Neovia because of the lamp posts out on the streets. But when you look at the big picture, it’s easy to see where people are coming from when they say Neovia is just creepy.

Now you could have a Neopet dressed in an Ultra Fashionable Potato Sack, and have its owner a millionaire shop tycoon, so looks can be deceiving right? Um, right and wrong. The Neovians actually match the outside view of Neovia. Everyone is dressed like they’re about to go to a funeral. And well, I actually hardly ever see Neovians in Neovia. They’re always in their houses, I guess, which shows a shy, grave, unsocial attitude. The only people you see in Neovia are the shop keepers. Neovians have never really presented themselves as a lively bunch. It’s just the way they don’t show up as a group of people that are very friendly, that makes Neovia seem only more forbidding.

And lastly Neovia’s location makes it subject to prejudice. Neovia is smack in the middle of some of the deepest parts of the Haunted Woods. Now, ‘haunted’ is pretty self explanatory. It’s scary, it’s creepy, it’s haunted, and when you have something right in the middle of all that, then you can easily get a reputation for being the same thing. Not only is Neovia right in the center of a creepy wood, but it’s far away from other civilizations. Neovia is pretty much by itself. Its closest neighbor is the Haunted Woods, which can hardly be called a civilization. And, I think one of the biggest reasons why Neovia’s location makes it creepy, is that it’s sitting on the site where a horrible Tale of Woe took place. A town and its people disappeared, and everyone suffered. Now even though the problem was resolved, Neovia’s location is still a dreadful reminder of a depressing past.

Now we know how Neovia is creepy, but really, why? The curse was lifted; both the ones placed on the town by Mr. Krawly and the Spirit of Slumber. It just doesn’t make sense! Really, when you look at most of the Neovians, they’re okay people. For example we’ve met Sophie’s family, and they are very good Neopets, and we’ve seen other Neovians like Lily the Aisha, who stands up for scrawny Gelerts. Most of Neovia is just fine, so why do they choose to be so gray and grim? Well, we asked Sophie the swamp witch. This is the interview that took place a few days ago:

*A reporter walks up to Sophie’s shack and knocks on her door*

Sophie from inside: WHAT DO YOU WANT?!

Reporter: Um, could you talk to us about Neovia?

Sophie in worried voice: No! That place scares me still! The memories hurt!

Reporter: Could you at least come out?

*At this point the reporter was temporarily transformed into a Mootix*

So even former citizens don’t like it...

I feel that every Neopian has their own opinion on why Neovia remains spooky, creepy etc. Maybe you can decide for yourself. Whether it be because of its physical appearance, its citizens, or its location, Neovia still has a reputation for being forbidding, despite the curses being lifted. Perhaps you’d like to visit Neovia sometime soon and make up your own mind, about a gray depressing town.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you’ve found out something interesting about Neovia.

~LimaLima500