Spreading Love Across Neopia: Explaining the 5 Love Languages

     * At least according to the Terms and Conditions.

     1. Acts of Service.

     This love is expressed by doing tasks for the other, usually to alleviate some pressure on the other and generally be a help. Ideas to practice this language include the following:

     a. Finding and sharing/posting the answer to the Daily Puzzle. As a high-effort daily, alleviating some of the challenges and easing burdens for time-pressed Neopians is an idea sure to make them feel grateful.

     b. Posting Reminders. This one is relatively straightforward: post reminders to others to vote in the Neopies, register for a Battleground faction, play Food Club, sell that stock that is currently 60+, play the Qasalan Expellibox, etc. With busy lives, it’s easy to forget about all there is to do in Neopia, so a simple reminder goes a long way to ensure other Neopians’ peace of mind. TNT will thank you, too, for helping keep players happy and engaged on the site!

     c. Helping others with Faerie Quests. Because “magical mixing” from using the Shop Wizard would otherwise nullify the magical properties of the item a low-level faerie tasked a quester to obtain – it’s why neither she nor the quester can go directly to visit the Wizard – it may be difficult for a quester to find the item for their faerie; it may require combing through pages of shopping ads (and everyone knows faeries have better things to do than that). However, there is a whole Board wherein kind Neopians can help those searching for items they need for faeries! Doing a few quick searches for others will make them feel seen and appreciated. If you can afford it, consider buying them and sending them the item – which leads to the next love language.

     2. Giving Gifts.

     This love is expressed by giving tokens of appreciation. This language is not intrinsically materialistic – rather, the expression is in giving itself, the cost of the gift does not matter. It may even be created!

     a. Item gifting. Whether to your Neofriends or a random user you saw around the site, sending a small and practical gift like a dubloon or Neocola Token will be sure to brighten their day.

     b. Donate. Whether Neopoints, last year’s fashions, a Nerkmid, or even a paint brush, there are many outlets for giving: the Money Tree, Second Hand Shoppe, 1 NP auctions, and the Wishing Well (those ghosts are contractually obligated to get the NP under the Tree eventually!).

     c. Buy something from the NC Mall. TNT will thank you. You may even consider buying something to gift to a Neofriend!

     d. Buy something for your pets. Don’t forget about your pets! After all, you’re their best owner ever, and a large part of interacting with them is through material pixel purchases. If your pet has been begging for that new dress, or to read the latest Booktastic Book, or even to try the current Lost Desert Food trend, give them that treat today. They will love you for it!

     e. Creative Contests. Producing fanart and fanfics for the Neopian Times, Art Gallery, and other creative contests are perhaps the largest non-monetary contribution that you can make to the website. It’s a gift to TNT that shows how much the world means to you. It’s a gift to other Neopians, by way of being content that can be readily enjoyed. It’s a gift to Neopia itself, when complex themes and worldbuilding are explored. And it’s a gift that colloquially keeps on giving, because creativity inspires creativity. Additionally, many contests award prizes – TNT’s gift to you in return for your contributions! When created collaboratively with another Neopian – possible for the NT, Storytelling, and even Poetry – you tend to spend time with them, having fun together and crafting your submission; this leads to the next love language.

     3. Quality Time.

     This love is expressed by spending uninterrupted time together, whether talking, playing, or simply being present. The activity is hopefully fun for both parties; though, it may be more meaningful when someone, despite not enjoying a certain activity, intentionally chooses to do it with their other anyway because they know much enjoyment the other derives from it. Ideas to practice this language include the following:

     a. Simply playing/exploring with other Neopians. Though we cannot advocate meeting offsite, if you so happen to already have the appropriate information (e.g. by being friends “IRL”), playing together is the easiest way to spend time together with other Neopians on Neopets. Whether you are in the same physical space (taking appropriate precautions from the Evil Fuzzles Virus!) or chatting/screensharing virtually, it can be fun to watch each other explore around the world, or play the same Game Rooms games and see who can get the higher score.

     b. Spend time with your pets. Your pets love spending time with you. Maybe take them for a spin on the Merry Go Round, do an Underwater Chef quest, pet some Little Nippers, or play Dice-A-Roo or Guess the Card (or Kacheek Seek when TNT fixes it!) – something fun to show your pet you enjoy their company. Sometimes your active pet will even give you a clue as to what they want to do; look out for phrases like, “A Tiki Tour sounds good right about now!”, “Seen any good concerts lately?”, or “Destruct-O-Match sounds like fun right about now.”

     c. Speculating with and encouraging each other. There are so many ways you can interact with others in the community about the current happenings in Neopia: talk about how excited you are for NC UCs; predict the “Never Let Us Speak Of This Again” Neopie category nominees; or speculate about that new plot in the roadmap! Even when there are no events on, there is always the anticipation of something to look forward to. When you build each other up and explicitly affirm and encourage one another’s thoughts and ideas, this crosses into the next love language.

     4. Words of Affirmation.

     This love is expressed by saying meaningful things to the other in a way that encourages them and highlights their positive qualities. Ideas to practice this language include the following:

     a. Random Neomails of kindness. Recent Neopian technological innovation and rapid digitization has granted the Post Office Weewoos even greater efficiency – your kind words can be shared across any distance, faster than ever before. You can be in Maraqua and your recipient in Terror Mountain and your messages can still make it to the other. Find a Neofriend, or a future Neofriend you haven’t met yet, and let them know you respect and are amazed by their coding skills, trophy count, or pet names. Alternatively, follow Adee’s advice and send them a Neogreeting instead!

     b. Posting encouraging messages / message chains on the Neoboards or Guild boards. Words of affirmation do not simply have to be a private affair. When you see someone you care about on the Boards, say something nice about them. Chances are, they might not be expecting a kind message from you, but the public aspect makes these messages all the sweeter. If you’re feeling particularly enthusiastic, you can try to create a “warm fuzzies board”; for example, rally the Neopian who posts second on the board to state their favourite pet of yours and why, and then the Neopian who posts third will mention their favourite pet of the one who posted second, ad infinitum – let the encouragements multiply as posts accumulate.

     c. Reviews/fanmail of creative contest pieces. In addition to showing care, kind words can and should be used to reassure and enhearten. Creatives – who are very particular about their work and oftentimes nervous to bestow it unto the world – are a group who may particularly benefit from this love language. A positive review of a creative contest piece can be a major confidence boost to the author/artist that encourages them to keep creating. Find something that you enjoyed about their piece, and share it with them via a Neomail or as a review on a trusted fansite. Alternatively, a Neofriend may approach you and ask for advice on their work in progress; this shows they have a lot of trust in you, and even if you don’t feel competent to provide feedback, do your best with kind words and constructive criticism – they will truly appreciate your effort.

     d. Say something nice to your pet’s petpet. Interestingly, you can speak to your pets’ Petpets! Take a few moments to be with your pet and let them know just how much you and your pet care for that P2. (TNT, if you’re listening, you should implement a similar feature to allow us to talk with our pets!)

     e. Submit HAPPY THOUGHTS to TNT via the NT editorial. Everybody needs some happiness in their life, which includes our lovely benevolent overlords the wonderful people at TNT. Even if your HAPPY THOUGHTS are not presented in the Neopian Times editorial, they will likely have read what you sent in and be wearing a smile on their face from it. If you could instead show your approval to TNT through a high-five or pat on the back, you would be encroaching into the last love language.

     5. Physical Touch.

     This love is self explanatory; showing how much you care via physical contact.

     a. Grooming. Take your pet on a trip to the Grooming Parlour! Buy them that new shampoo and hairbrush, and take some time to care for your pet. Grooming requires one party to be vulnerable with the other, allowing the other to touch them and see them at their physical worst. This makes it a potentially great bonding exercise between you and your pet.

     b. Public displays of affection. Here is one for you and your "IRL" Neofriends, or for the next time you meet TNT members at a convention! Love it or hate it, there are those out there who have no qualms about showing how much they care in front of others. These displays do not have to be extravagant; a simple hug or holding hands can be more than enough, and convey far more meaning than words. Of course, make sure your Neofriend is okay with a public display of affection!

     c. Battledome. Nobody said that physical touch had to be gentle. In fact, some groups like to share their love by facing one another in the arena – the only official TNT-sanctioned method by which two pets can get physical! Of course, battles are (usually) done in good fun, and pets who battle want to see each other grow and become the best versions of themselves they can be. There is no shame in going all out, but if you take part in this form of physical touch, make sure to discuss beforehand the terms of the fight; nothing is worse than seriously injuring an opponent who wanted a simpler match.

     Love comes in all shapes and forms. Some prefer to share love in one way while others prefer a different way. People who have a specific love language will often show love using said language, and prefer to receive love in that same manner. That does not mean those who have different love languages are simply incompatible. In fact, there are ways to combine two or more love languages. For example, someone who prefers quality time and someone who prefers acts of service can go out and do errands with one another, helping each other out. The most important thing when it comes to love languages is knowing the other.

     When it comes to Neopets, we all love our pets – even the ones that have names with underscores and numbers beyond what's rational. However, we must also remember to love and support one another, from TNT staff members to the least and greatest of the community. After all, deep down, the only ones who can truly understand why we still play Neopets are others who are also still playing Neopets.

     Happy Valentine's Day! -no tags here-;3