In the Editorial...

[Weapon]

Is it okay for Neopian Times stories to be told in first person? ~username removed
Yup, it's okay to get creative with perspective and all of that good stuff. Just make sure that the narrator is a natural denizen of Neopia, and not your human self.

www.neopets.com/ntimes/index.phtml?section=editorial&week=549

Maybe I'm interpreting this wrong but it sounds like the Editorial is saying you can't use humans in a story? This is news to me if it's so.

Possibly it only means you shouldn't write from the perspective of the 'you' who is sitting behind the keyboard playing on Neopets.com, but I don't think it's very clear if that is what it means...

Could this be clarified please?

[Herdy]

It certainly does need clarification. I can't count the number of stories I've read that feature human owners both as characters and narrators. There are even some comics that do it. Seems like a big policy change we should have been told about before now XD

[Jove]

This caught my attention too, mainly because the first story I got into the NT was from a human's point of view, although it was third person. I really hope they aren't trying to phase out humans altogether. :/

[jdb1984]

Jun 16, 2012 11:15:58 GMT -5 Jove said:

This caught my attention too, mainly because the first story I got into the NT was from a human's point of view, although it was third person. I really hope they aren't trying to phase out humans altogether. :/

I don't think so. There are many stories where you need at least a human in the story, even if he/she is in the background. But the site is called Neopets, not neohumans.

[Breakingchains]

Note, it says, "your human self", not "humans in general". The "natural denizen of neopia" part makes it vague, but there were stories just this week with humans in them, so I really don't think that's it.

The best way I can interpret this is that, basically, they're not looking for stories with a straight-up self-insert as the main character--probably because that would strongly tend to be less Neopets fanfic, and more "me!" fanfic. For the purpose of a good NT story, Neopia needs to be the main focus, not just a place for the user-character to go on wacky adventures.

That's how I figure we're supposed to take it, at least. Now watch Droplet show up and me not be remotely right. x3

[Herdy]

The thing is, I've read stories that are exactly that. I know we've been discouraged from including humans of any description for a few years now, but there's a world of difference between being discouraged to do something and being forbidden XD
Now that it really matters to me either way, humans don't fit into my Neopia world view.

[Kai]

There is a story right now about an owner. It's the one where the owner turns into a faerie. And Kiddo included herself in her series. And owners make appearances all the time in comics! I think it just means that it can't only be humans.

[Kristykimmy]

According to the editorial, MoaNTR and Enchanted Stories shouldn't have gotten in, seeing as they are told from my POV. Of course, according to my stories, I am a natural Neopian, living there and holding down a job and raising seven Neo Kids, so maybe that's why it is okay, since it is Neopian Kristy, and not Kristy playing Neopets?

[Jove]

Jun 21, 2012 12:47:18 GMT -5 Kristykimmy said:

According to the editorial, MoaNTR and Enchanted Stories shouldn't have gotten in, seeing as they are told from my POV. Of course, according to my stories, I am a natural Neopian, living there and holding down a job and raising seven Neo Kids, so maybe that's why it is okay, since it is Neopian Kristy, and not Kristy playing Neopets?

It does say "natural denizen of Neopia" but I suppose you can argue that if a human was born there that would make them a natural denizen.

Somehow I'm reminded of the argument about the only actual Americans being Native Americans.