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Editorial


Hey, TNT! *sends A Mysterious Valentine's Card* Just a question about boards concerning the Valentine's site theme. Many boards are titled along the lines of "Need the site theme?" and are implied as a giveaway. Users often also state that they sent the mysterious Valentine's card. I thought this was against the rules, as a previous Editorial mentioned giveaways and such. Another thing is users making boards asking for others to send them the card, which I thought would fall under begging. I was told that, since the item disappears, it doesn't count as either (begging or giveaway) and that, since it was a site theme, this is an exception to those rules. I would greatly appreciate clarification on the matter. To keep my mysterious Valentine a true mystery, please remove my username. ;) ~username removed
The way it's set up pretty much makes such things necessary, as both the givers and the receivers must not have the theme prior to make it work. Aside from contacting all of your Neofriends, the only other way to do it is to go on the boards and look for someone to offer or accept the Valentine, and we understand this. :) As long as there's no funny business, such as scamming or abusing, we think the Valentines exchange is just fine how it is.

TNT, thank you for considering my question for the Editorial. A few weeks ago, it was mentioned that Neopet name changes are in the future and would would be a paid service. This really got me thinking... I have a Neopet (which is unconverted) that I would like to name change when that service is available. At the moment, the name I want is not taken. I was wondering if I could make the Neopet now (so that I can keep the name until name changes roll around!) and then change the name of that Neopet to something else and then give my UC Neopet the name that I "reserved." (So, I would be paying for two name changes.) I'm VERY hopeful for a response and any additional details you could provide about this upcoming service. :) ~rythiel
We understand your excitement, but the service is still a hypothetical thing that we would like to do in the future, and we have yet to discuss the specifics. It's up to you whether you want to wait and chance it.

Hey TNT, will we need to purchase Neocash to be able to fully enjoy the plot? ~mattgough
Plot?! What plot?!? Well, if there were some sort of big plot event thing going on, then no. Participating in an NC portion of this hypothetical plot wouldn't be required and wouldn't count toward any participation or "point earnings," if there were such a thing. The NC portion would be something extra for those people who enjoy it.

The Art Gallery and Random Contest both allow 3-D art, but the Beauty Contest does not. I know a few people (myself included) who like to create clay sculptures, sew plushies, and make 3-D digital models. These are art forms, too, and are allowed in other art contests, but not in the BC. Why is that? ~stealmyname
Because, aside from the way it's voted upon, it would all boil down to the same contest, really. BC is specifically for illustrations. The Art Gallery expands to any kind of art, and the Random Contest is different every week (and isn't restricted to art alone).

So... it turns out that the image of the digger Zafara is really easy to edit into stuff. See the new meme yet? ~breakingchains
We have! More than a few of them had us laughing out loud. Here's ours!

Oh TNT, save me! I'm in a complete state of frenzy. I'm a bird enthusiast and I love the new camouflage Lenny (why, I painted my own Lenny camo the very hour it came out), but it's driving me mad: I can't figure out what bird the color scheme is based on. My head is spinning with search after search for birds with "white neckrings," "eye masks," and "black necks." The markings just seem too distinctive to have been pulled out of thin air, but I can't for the life of me figure out what bird it is. The California Quail seemed like one possibility, but it still doesn't quite fit. What's the real answer? Please help me before I lose my mind... worse than it's normally lost, that is. ~newenglandquizzer
You were correct. :) The camouflage Lenny was inspired by the California Quail.


Chi-ca-go! Chi-ca-go!

So, I know we can ask for a custom when we trade Neopets, but can we ask for a custom Petpet on our Neopet? ~just_smile_its_easy
No, Petpets cannot be factored as part of a Neopet trade. If you want, you can make a separate trade using items / Neopoints for the Petpet you want.

Is anyone in TNT a Firefly / Serenity fan? Whenever I go to the Mysterious Dig Site and see "SHINY!" the inner nerd in me smiles. Is this just a total coincidence? ;) ~snowkittehh
We have no idea what you're talking about.

Hey TNT, here's an odd question! Let's say a user decides to switch their main account with one of their side accounts (in the position as the money making account, of course.) Would it be okay to use the old main on the other sites (Petpet Park and Monkey Quest) as well? I love playing Petpet Park on my now-side account, so I must know. Oh, and please delete my username from this question. We don't need the Petpet League after me. ;) ~username removed
Yes, that's fine. The sites are unconnected to each other, except for the main login, so you could have a different "main" account on each of the three separate games.

Do Krawks naturally have spikes on their heads, or is it just really spiky hair? ~neo_coaster363
Spiky hair. Dank cave water and moss make an excellent natural hair gel.

Hey there, TNT. I was wondering if you guys could set out some clear guidelines as to what we can and can't do as far as character creation goes. This is mostly with regard to a zombie pet I recently acquired, since... you know... zombies are kind of (un)dead. Can we tell that the pet died? How explicitly can we state this? Are things like "but the ship crashed and sunk to the depths of the ocean" okay? Does it cross the line when we change that scenario to a battle where the pet lost its life? It's obvious we can't describe it too vividly, but can we have some clear rules, maybe some examples even? Thanks in advance! P.S.: I'm sorry for using so many question marks. I'll throw in some exclamation marks to even it out: !!!!! ~esmeetjuhhh
A vague loss of life is fine, but it's quite hard to draw a line in the sand about what's "too much." A judgement call is often required by our staff. For example, our Neopian Times judge will reject something too graphic so that it can be rewritten. If posting on a Pet Page or Pet Lookup, it's better to err on the side of caution, as something too violent or graphic could receive a warning.

I'm gonna be getting a Maraquan Buzz this week (So awesome!) and came up with an idea for a wearable that would make me as happy as a clam (See what I did there?): a background and / or foreground that makes your Neopet look like he's in a fishbowl! This would be especially fun for Maraquan Kacheeks and Kois of all kinds! Sounds cool, right? ~0_oisthatagreenseal
Sounds fun. :) We'll ask our Content Department to schedule one for the future.

So, the digging Zafara in Tyrannia... boy or girl? ~mysticmajin
He's a male Zafara. :)

Let's say we're busily working on a beloved Neopet's homepage, typing away, and then our browser crashes or some other similar situation; maybe the mouse was jostled as you're shifting tabs, and your hard work just vanishes as the tab closes. Could we get some fail safe that either archives the updated text for one viewing or asks if we're sure we want to close the tab to prevent that from happening, perhaps?!? ~leanoroha2
We recommend working and saving your work in a separate document that you can save and have as a backup. :)

I logged out of my account earlier to switch to a side account. When I was logged out, I received one of those new earthquake Random Events. I was wondering if other Random Events could occur while logged out. What if Jacko showed up to give me a paint brush but I wasn't logged in to get it? Is this possible, or was this just a special Random Event? ~_clows_cool_pets
The earthquakes look like Random Events, but are separately coded. You can't get normal REs when you are not logged in.

o_O The Mysterious Dig Site is so intriguing, so well-drawn; so, so... mysterious! Also, I love (LOVE) that, when I dug something out, you let me respond by pushing a button that says "SHINY!" O dearest cultural-reference-rich TNT, thou also art shiny in my eyes. Perhaps, in honor of your own epic coolness, you could end the Times with an image of a, um... Lightmite. Sereni--I mean, peace out! :D ~fruitychiagirl
We swear by our pretty floral bonnets...


...that we will brighten your day. :)

**HAPPY THOUGHT*

I just want to tell you... THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for all your time on the site! I have had chronic pain for a long time now, and you guys help me get through it! *hands you a purring Meowclops* I know I'm not the only one who feels this way! You are appreciated! ♥ ~patspocobars

I just love the artwork on the Thieves Guild video. It's really stunning. It gives a mysterious and creepy atmosphere, using such a seemingly simple type of drawings. I love it! ~ifatfirst

Oh my gosh. TNT, you REALLY ought to put warnings on videos like the one at the mysterious obelisk. I could have DIED FROM THE AWESOMENESS. I mean, really... beautiful art, epic music... KANRIK. You've made my day. *KanrikFangirlForever* ~goldennightfox


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