How Long Before…?

     Inspired by the idea of how long it'll be before the oceans have names, I thought I'd write this article! In it, I ask the question, "How long before…?" For instance, how long before we have an avatar for having all 6 red Codestones in our inventories? And how long before the Neopian calendar is updated with new holidays? I hope this article makes you think!

     So, without further ado, here's my list! How long before…

     1. Every Neopian land has its own holiday?

     After checking the Neopian calendar, I've noticed that only a few lands have their own holidays. These are Tyrannia (Tyrannian Victory Day), Mystery Island (Gadgadsbogen), Meridell, and Brightvale. How long will it be before Roo Island, Moltara, and Shenkuu have their own holidays? What about the Lost Desert and Virtupets? There are so many different Neopian lands, and I think each land deserves its own holiday!

     2. Every body of water has its own name?

     As I stated in the introduction of this article, I think it would be fun if TNT could get around to naming all of the bodies on water on the Neopian map! Perhaps they could turn it into a vote-based contest, where we players could vote on our favorite names.

     3. Every game has its own avatar?

     I think it makes perfect sense for every game on this website to have its own avatar! I completely stink at games, so it wouldn’t benefit me at all, but most of my friends are avid gamers and they’d score pretty high at any game that gave an avatar!

     4. We have an avatar for having all 6 red Codestones?

     As I also stated earlier, I think an avatar for having all 6 red Codestones in our inventories is long overdue. I know it would be really easy to acquire and far from rare, but I would love to use that avatar on the Neoboards. Its scarlet, vibrating self would look so spectacular!

     5. Every Spotlight has its own avatar?

     I think that creating an avatar for every Spotlight on the site would be a great idea. I'm looking forward to avatars for the Storytelling Contest and the Art Gallery, while my friends are hoping for Pet Spotlight and Petpet Spotlight avatars. It just makes so much sense! I also hope that if these avatars come about, they'll be backwards compatible, so that early winners of these contests can still get the avatars.

     6. Every pet color is represented in avatars?

     A friend pointed out that the newer pet colors, such as Stealthy, Magma, Pastel, Wraith, and 8-Bit don't have any avatars that correspond with them. We can get avatars for owning a Snow pet, owning a Halloween Ruki, and owning an Island Quiggle, so why not make avatars for the newer colors as well? I privately am hoping for an 8-Bit avatar featuring the 8-Bit Cybunny hopping up and down… The 8-Bit Cybunny is my favorite 8-Bit, and I own one myself!

     7. We have counters for…?

     Some players on the Help Neoboard were discussing an interesting idea recently…having counters on the site! For instance, we could visit a Neopets page that tells us how many Faerie quests we've gotten so far, as well as how many of each Faerie. Other people think a counter that shows us our Secret Laboratory Ray results would be an amusing idea. And yet still others think that a page that shows us our recent Random Events would be really useful, because it would explain why we suddenly have 20,000 extra Neopoints on our accounts, or some mysterious Transmogrification Potion sitting in our inventories.

     8. Certain contests return?

     The Site Spotlight, Better Than You, Lenny Conundrum, Neohome Spotlight, and Random Contest have been missing from the site for years! My fingers are crossed that they’ll make a comeback soon, because I have a Site Spotlight idea I’m simply itching to submit!

     9. We have a Neopets store that sells replicas of virtual items?

     Yes, there's “neopetsshop.com,” but many Neopets players are tired of the selection there. No one really needs another T-shirt or coffee mug, and I think it would be a much better idea for TNT to roll out with merchandise that sparks the imagination…real items that are copies of the virtual items on the site…like a Space Faerie Lunch Box! Or an Chia Pencil Holder! And my favorite School item ever…the Rainbow Neopets Notebook!

     10. We got paid for spending Neocash?

     I think it would be a cute idea if, for every 20 items we buy from the NC Mall, we could get a free surprise item. It would be the first and only perk to buying from the NC Mall, and I think it's long overdue!

     11. We have a Veterans Neoboard?

     Many players think it would be interesting to have a Veterans Neoboard that is only accessible by those with very aged accounts. I welcome the idea! It would probably be populated by players who truly value their accounts, instead of scammers and spammers who are trying to ruin everyone's fun. I have to give this idea five stars, and since I myself own a 15-year main account, I hope that TNT will consider creating it!

     12. We have a new plot?

     The players on the site are simply *itching* for a new plot! Not just a site event, like the Altador Cup or the Faerie Festival, but an actual, intricate plot that runs for several weeks. People are already training their battle pets in advance of the next plot, hoping that it will have a Battledome element. I'm training my own pet as well!

     13. JumpStart starts advertising Neopets on television?

     It's been years since Neopets advertised the website in television commercials, and more than one player thinks that a commercial or two would be a terrific way to draw new players to the site! It would be interesting if the commercials were geared towards teenagers and adults, rather than children. Teens and adults, after all, are more likely to have spendable real-life dollars…which would spell big things for the NC Mall!

     14. The return of Key Quest?

     Tons of players miss the days of Key Quest, when we could challenge friends and strangers to several Key Quest games per day. Since TNT promised (several years ago) that they were working on fixing and bringing back the game, I have absolute faith that Key Quest will return someday! I just hope it returns someday soon, and not 7 years down the line.

     15. Every land has its own Paint Brush?

     Someone I spoke to recently wished that every Neopian land had its own Paint Brush. Darigan, for instance, has a Darigan Paint Brush. Faerieland has a Faerie Paint Brush. How long before places like Altador, Brightvale, and Shenkuu have their own Paint Brushes as well? The Altador Paint Brush would definitely dazzle me…sparkling with gleaming silk and golden accessories!

     16. TNT adds more features to Premium membership?

     A lot of players on the site have Premium membership, and they're happy with their boons! That said, I think there are a lot of ways that TNT could create additional boons! For instance, perhaps Premium members could have 2 more game plays for any given game. Or have the ability to create longer User Lookup codes. The possibilities are endless!

     17. We can start earning trophies with Defenders of Neopia?

     Defenders of Neopia is one of the sadly neglected aspects of the site, and I hope that new opponents are added soon! I would love to upgrade my trophies, now that I have a decent battle pet and a terrific set of weapons!

     18. We can rename our pets?

     Hands down, the biggest desire of every Neopets player is the ability to rename their pets! Many of my friends admitted that they'd be willing to pay any amount of Neocash, if that's how the renaming process will work. TNT has said themselves in past Editorials that they're considering the creation of a renaming system, and to simply wait and see what happens!

     19. A new game like Habitarium or Ghoul Catchers?

     Many people were crestfallen when Habitarium and Ghoul Catchers were dismantled, and we're all eager to see TNT roll out with a new game! Considering that I myself only spend an hour a day doing dailies on the site, I'd love an excuse to spend more! And a new game would fit the bill!

     20. We can control our pets' attributes?

     I've often wished I could change my main pet's personal attributes, such as his weight, height, and gender. There's also a description at the top of his Pet Lookup that I'd like to change as well, since I chose random options when creating him: "Esselor likes exploring the land. When meeting others, Esselor would act very friendly." I'd change it to something a little more daring and aggressive, since he's my battle pet and I want him to look fierce. Maybe someday I'll have the option of changing all of these attributes!

     Conclusion:

     These are the things that I hope TNT are in the process of implementing! Neopets is the most playful, enjoyable, and creative aspect of my life, and I've loved seeing it change over the years. It's always heartening when TNT backpedals on previously held stances (ex. "changing pet names will never occur" changed to "we're considering it, and it might be an NC option"). I remember how exciting it was when pet trading became legal years ago, and it always gives me hope for the future!

     Thanks for reading my humble little article, my dear readers! Stay tuned for future articles from yours truly, and have an amazing week!