 Cool Pteris
by pigeons707
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Whether you've come across the Golden Pteri on your way to play Destruct-O-Match,
or the Black Pteri av is on your Neopian "to-do" list, we all know that Pteris
make up a good chunk of the Neopian Population. Over 2 million of them have been
created, and that number is growing every day, BUT there aren't very many famous
Pteris. There are many famous representatives of other Neopets, however. Hannah
and Garin are famous Usuls that most Neopians are very familiar with. Lupes are
often included in plots, and Jeran is a famous one. Boochi is a famous Bruce,
and we all love the Lenny Conundrum Lenny. How about some famous Pteris, though?
We all know them as the small, plump, long-tailed birds from Tyrannia, and many
Neopians remember their makeover that was received on the last Pteri day (8th
day of the month of Storing, Y7). However, even the biggest Pteri lovers might
have trouble naming a famous one. My goal in this article is to introduce you
to famous Pteris and teach you some general Pteri trivia along the way.
Firstly, Pteris originally came from Tyrannia, that clay-colored stone-age
type place in the top right hand corner of the old Neopian maps. Now of course,
we have the other side of Neopia. From there, they presumably migrated to Neopia
Central, perhaps to escape the heat, using their powerful wings. The harsh climate
and rugged terrain of Tyrannian cliffs, where Pteris nested, make them a lot
hardier than one might think. Today, Pteris are known to travel from Neopia
Central to Mystery Island to escape the winter, and the only Pteris that seem
to genuinely enjoy the chilly weather are the Christmas and Snowy varieties.
It is also well known that Pteris love scampering on branches above heavily
traveled roads to play tricks on passersby. I've even heard of Pteris being
bold enough to throw Neggs at unsuspecting Skeiths below only to zoom down and
pick them up before they broke. Now it's time to introduce you to all of the
Pteris that I think every Neopian should know!!
(Drum roll please) The List:
1) Golden Pteri
2) Black Pteri
3) DFM Pteri
4) Clutch Billaban
5) Gali Yoj
6) Pteri Handmaiden
7) Green Pteri from Pterattack
8) Rainbow Pteri from TCG
You might be wondering who some of these Pteris are, and where to find them
in Neopia, and I am going to go through the list, starting with our friend,
the Golden Pteri (you might notice that a lot of these Pteris have just colors
in their names).
1) Golden Pteri:
The Golden Pteri is perhaps one of the most loved Pteris in all of Neopia.
He has a very kind habit of surprising you on your stroll to the Money Tree
or usual saunter over to do the dailies. He drops thousands of Neopoints to
well-deserving Neopets below, and if you're lucky enough to receive this random
event, you could possibly go ahead and buy an extra Usuki or stamp that otherwise
would have had to wait for those silly Codestones in your shop to sell.
*PTERI TIDBIT: You need to own a Pteri in order to receive Neopoints from the
Golden Pteri. If you run into him in a random event and don't own a Pteri, he
will just fly right over you!!
2) Black Pteri:
Every Battledomer should recognize this Pteri. Raven-like, and menacing, this
Pteri will often caw at you from fence posts (and the creaking of the wood in
chilly wind adds to the scariness). Your pet must have high hit points in order
to battle this bird, and with those mean red eyes staring you down for a while,
even a tough Grarrl might need a couple hugs from a Faerie Kiko Plushie in order
to feel better afterwards. This Pteri isn't all bad, as you receive an avatar
if you defeat him in battle. *CAW*!!
3) Down for Maintenance (DFM) Pteri:
Contrary to the Golden Pteri, the DFM Pteri is not well-liked. A lot of people
have good reason not to like this red Pteri. He has a habit of popping up at
inconvenient times in random events; whether you're trying to close a deal on
your Baby Paint Brush trade, or trying to feed the Kads, this Pteri arrives
asking you to battle. You can't expect him to keep a starry notebook of your
schedule, can you? This guy isn't all bad, as he is the same Pteri giving out
newbie tips in the shops of Neopia Central.
4) Clutch Billaban:
It was highly disappointing when Roo Island didn't make it to the final round
of the Altador Cup, but those who loyally supported this team until their downfall
remember this little green Pteri as their goalie. Though his description on
the Roo Island team page suggests that he lets in a lot of goals, he successfully
led Roo Island to victory for three rounds of Yooyuball. That is quite an accomplishment,
and I'm sure at this very moment he is relaxing after all his team's hard work.
5) Gali Yoj:
Gali Yoj is a rather old Pteri with very distinctly colored feathers, similar
to those of the Golden Pteri. She appears in NeoQuest 1, where she seems to
know exactly what is needed to be done and is willing the help players at ease.
If you happen to be an elite Neodeck builder, you may be able to recite the
passage beneath the image of this aged Pteri with large spectacles, something
about a wise and powerful old wizard who taught Eleus Batrin...
6) Pteri Handmaiden:
The Pteri Handmaiden is another old Pteri, however instead of yellowish feathers,
she has blue ones. The Handmaiden appeared very briefly in the Lost Desert Plot,
though she had a humorous and meaningful role. She insulted Princess Amira in
front of Nabile when discussing the curse that stated that Jazan must marry
a Sakhmet Princess. She also accompanied Nabile to see Jazan.
7) Green Pteri from Pterattack:
If you REALLY want to add another Pteri simply known by his color, then arguably,
head on over to the games room and we can add that little green dude from Pterattack
to our growing list. This Pteri should be admired for his power. He can take
down Pterodactyls and even Grarrls with one blast.
*PTERI TIDBIT: The four methods of attack in Pterattack are: PterShot, PterPod,
PterBoom, and FireBall.
8) Rainbow Pteri (TCG)
This Pteri is highly regarded because its Trading Card is rare and sought-after
by Neopians for their decks or for their Galleries. The call of the Rainbow
Pteri is sometimes heard in Mystery Island, and if you happen to have a feather
from the Rainbow Pteri, then that might fetch you a good-sized sack of Neopoints
(because their feathers are just so pretty and colorful, if you know what I
mean!!). The Rainbow Pteri from the TCG adorns many Userlookups throughout the
site, and is often associated with good luck or fortune.
So there you have it, 8 famous Pteris in all of their glory!! Granted, all
Pteris are highly respectable, but I simply couldn't write about all of them
(I have to bring my Pterattack score up after all and save for Pteri Battle
items!!) I would like to close this article by sharing some other little bits
of info about Pteris that the average person might not know.
For one thing, owning a Pteri can actually be less expensive than owning another
Neopet! For instance, if you spin the Wheel of Excitement and you land on the
skull with bones, then we have a sick Pteri here. Oh great, there goes all of
your hard-earned Neopoints that you just earned from Gourmet Club Bowls or that
you were setting aside for a morphing potion, but don't worry, there is a cheaper
way! You know Rotten Wormy Apples? They are just another junky item from the
Money Tree, right? That would be 100% WRONG. If you keep a good supply of Rotten
Wormy Apples in your Safety Deposit Box, and give just one of them to your Pteri
when it is sick, that illness will be gone faster than you can say "Lenny Conundrum".
That wasn't so bad, was it? (Not to mention it saved you about 5,995 points!)
Say maybe you're packing your bags for a vacation to Maraqua and you won't
be back for a week. If you feed your Pteri some Meatballs and Worms their hunger
level will go from "Dying" to "Very Bloated" in an instant. They won't be hungry
again for quite some time. So rather than sending your Pteris to the Neolodge,
they can stay right in the comfort of their own Neohome and clean it for you
while you're away. By the way, ANY worm item has this magical effect on Pteris.
So worms DO have more uses than living in dirt!!
^There are two more reasons to add a Pteri to your Neopian family. Add that
with our list of -gasp!- 8 famous Pteris and I'd say you've got a highly respectable
Neopet. Even if you don't have a Pteri and you don't wish to zap or morph your
Neopets, never fear because you can always read a good Pteri book such as The
Meridellian Pteri or How to Make A Pteri Plush Doll. Another added
bonus of this is that your Neopet will be even closer to being a genius if it
hasn't reached that point yet. You could even simply let your pet play with
a cool Pteri item like the purple Pteri Plushie or Pteri Blocks to increase
their awareness of Pteris.
Author's Note: This article took a lot of research and effort. Thanks is
due to liktra and wiccyrose for proofreading the story beforehand and picking
out errors. Sometimes you can read a story 20 times over and see nothing wrong
with it, and you give it to a Neofriend to read and they can offer improvement
tips immediately. Thanks also to all my other guild members for being cool Pteri-lovers.
Anyone who has comments on this article feel free to Neomail me. Well excuse
me now, I'm off to play Pterattack and see if I can snag a Rotten Wormy Apple
from the Money Tree ~pigeons707
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