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Post by June Scarlet on Feb 3, 2020 12:04:33 GMT -5
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Post by June Scarlet on Feb 3, 2020 20:28:57 GMT -5
Today's category is Best Neopet Color, with these choices:  Mosaic Grarrl: It has the swirly, sunny pattern formed by thousands of Altador's finest painted ceramics. This design brings all the pieces together.  Oil Paint Peophin: This Peophin is painted with gorgeous streaks from Maraqua blue to Lost Desert Yellow. No one's seen such artistry with oil streaks since Vincent Van-Der-Gyre or Leonardo Da Wocky.  Origami Techo: Crafted from the finest red paper that Faerieland has to offer. No one's seen this much folding since Brucey B returned to the "Cheat!" Championships.  Steampunk Blumaroo: The mechanized suit of a Blumaroo comes with brass breather mask, pressure gauge, and retractable ear-armor. It's a no-brainer for a Neopet who plans to explore the depths of Moltara... and that's not just hot air. There is some really clever writing with these blurbs, which is partly why I wanted to save them here. I especially like the line about folding. |
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Post by Duke Pikachu on Feb 3, 2020 23:05:03 GMT -5
Going to wait till they post a result for a category before commenting on which one I picked and what I think of the winner & results. But I do agree the blurbs for the first category are surprisingly witty!  |
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Post by June Scarlet on Feb 5, 2020 18:47:00 GMT -5
This is a thing again today. Remember to get your votes in!
Outfits, that's pretty cool. There's been some nice outfits, it seems.
Also, I noticed on board 7, there was a thread of Spoilers for upcoming categories. I decided not to peek, but if anyone else decides to look, you've welcome to post them here, in a spoiler box of course.
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Post by Duke Pikachu on Feb 7, 2020 21:29:16 GMT -5
CATEGORY #1: Best Neopet Color
NOMINEES:Mosaic Grarrl ( My Pick): So far there's only four Mosaic Neopets and I think the Mosaic Grarrl shows off the possibility this Colour has. While I liked the Mosaic Gelert's intricate gold lining, it and the other two (Jubjub and Nimmo) kept things simple with a few colors which blend nicely together into each other. However the Grarrl shows that not only can they create a fascinating design of colors but also create patterns and images. While I wouldn't want all Mosaic Neopets to be this much of a color bomb, I would like to see them more playing with pattern and images as we see display on the Grarrl, maybe some in-theme with the Neopet species (like aquatic races could have waves & seashells, flying races having clouds, fire-breathing species having flames, etc.). Oil Paint Peophin: While I always like the "complicated" Colours a bit more because of what they could potentially do with them, "simple" Colours provide a nice visually appeal (and break for the artist). And Oil Paint has done some fun stuff (take a look at the Oil Paint Cybunny for example and say you don't recognize it from somewhere; hopefully they do more Oil Piant Neopets like this in the future), though a lot of time it is just splashes of color with little rhyme or reason aside from looking pretty. Not bad by any means, it's quick nice eye candy but that's all it really is, at least to me. Origami Techo: I admire the effort they put in to make the Origami Neopet look like its paper(s) that has been folded together to form a 3d object. Would have been so easy to just make the Neopet just a piece of paper with simple folds, but you can see with the way they have drawn the paper to be overlapping like a real origami figure would. To go specifically into the Techo, that detail is very clear with the feet and especially the tail. Normally Techo have wiggly tails so they had to really work on where the foldign bends would be to make the Origami Techo's tail give that same allusion but stick with the paper theme and I think they did a pretty convincing job. My only complaint is that the eyes aren't drawn on like with other Origami Neopets, a thing I also noticed with a few others and I hoped they haven't stopped doing that as I feel it's one of the things which makes Origami a unique Colour. Steampunk Blumaroo: Always love me some Steampunk Neopets. The gas mask design was a good choice since the Blumaroo's face already fits into that appearance. The color scheme is also nice, instead of making it entirely bronze it's only the helmet, gloves, boots, and tail while the body suit is blue & red. It helps the eyes section off parts of it letting us see more of the details of each part more clearly and orderly. Sadly I can't find a Steampunk Blumaroo without the clothes, especially since I want to see what the eyes look like underneath the mask.
WINNER:Oil Pint Peophin (49%)  Mosaic Grarrl (22%) Steampunk Blumaroo (19%) Origami Techo (11%) Now remember when I said the Oil Paint Peophin was just eye candy to me? Well that's because I don't really customize. However Oil Paint, especially ones which are just splashes of color, I can see being popular with customizers. So while I originally thought the Steampunk Blumaroo was going to win and the Mosaic Grarrl was a long shot, looks like it was the opposite: the more customizable Colours are on top while more complex Colours are niche. Also, JS, it's ColoUr, not Color, when you're specifically talking about the design/pattern that a Neopet Species is given as one of their defining traits.
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Post by June Scarlet on Feb 7, 2020 21:45:10 GMT -5
Duke Pikachu Here's an unclothed Steampunk Blumaroo: wardrobe.jellyneo.net/app/?outfit=165951AAAA122981It's fun to watch his mouth move, some sort of glitch, I think, makes him look very uncertain. I picked the Mosaic Grarrl too, the Oil Paint was a bit too random for my tastes, but the Mosaic was nicely patterned and colorful.
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Post by Duke Pikachu on Feb 7, 2020 21:59:22 GMT -5
Duke Pikachu Here's an unclothed Steampunk Blumaroo: wardrobe.jellyneo.net/app/?outfit=165951AAAA122981It's fun to watch his mouth move, some sort of glitch, I think, makes him look very uncertain. I picked the Mosaic Grarrl too, the Oil Paint was a bit too random for my tastes, but the Mosaic was nicely patterned and colorful. ... Don't know why I didn't think to check JN's Wardrobe. So base color is just black, the eyes are plain and the only interesting thing is the glitched out mouth. Strange. |
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Post by Duke Pikachu on Feb 8, 2020 18:39:21 GMT -5
CATEGORY #2: Best Species Specific OutfitNOMINEES:Candy Ruki: Eh, I think it's a bit too much. Like I think we get the idea with the colors, having candy pieces on the dress is just shoving the theme down our throat.  Gnorbu Snowbeast (My Pick): I want to see more of this! We have TON of characters so why not have our Neopets dress up as them? And yes, I know, we've already have plenty of clothes which does that (many being NC), but many of them is made to fit all species where if it was species specific they could do something a bit more special with them as we see with the Gnorbu Snowbeat (btw why does this one have the species name before the clothes theme?). As for the Gnorbu Snowbeast itself... it's alright. Yeah, I'm more voting for this one not for the Gnorbu Snowbeats itself but the potential this idea has for other Neopets.  Mermaid Flotsam: Did Flotsams really need mermaid clothing when they are already a finned aquatic race? Well, it looks pretty at least, like I could see this being fancy clothes a Flotsam would wear going to their reservations at Kelp. Still, I do think the theme does get lost on the Flotsam making it look like it's what a typical Flotsam would look like if you didn't know better.  Witch Eyrie: I guess is fine if you're into Gothic Lolita fashion (I wished Japan chose a different word to describe that fashion term...). And if you don't want the witch elements just toss the hat, broom, and gloves and you have a very nice purple frilly dress; some versatility that all the above clothing don't really have.  WINNER:Witch Eyrie (36%): Gnorbu Snowbeast (30%) Mermaid Flotsam (20%) Candy Ruki (14%) Guess cause of that versatility it won? But even though Witch Eyrie won Gnorbu Snowbeast wasn't that far behind with 30%, and I think it's because other players are thinking what I said: more Character-based clothes.
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Post by Duke Pikachu on Feb 9, 2020 14:41:27 GMT -5
CATEGORY #3: Best Advent AnimationNOMINEES:Day 9: It's an alright heartwarming tale. A mother is trying to buy gifts for her children but for one reason or another isn't able to. At the end of the day they have nothing, kids are upset, but she does quick thinking and entertain her kids with a fake Santa beard and hot cocoa to enjoy the night snowfall together. Infact that final bit makes it the only animation that has a moral of the four nominees. Now if only they didn't have the creepy Aisha child...  Day 11: A REALLY surprising one featuring what might as well be considered an ancient site character: The Scarf from the original Snow Wars. Neopets just has so many characters, many of them seemingly forgotten, that just seeing one suddenly thrust into the spotlight for a quick charming animation and Plushie of them made me want to see more done with these characters. Now nothing major like involve them in a plot, but maybe have more items featuring them (notably clothing and plushies) or include them in a small quick event. I was even thinking about making it my pick but I instead chose another for reasons I'll explain.  Day 19 (My Pick): JS's asset flipping is well known by now though you'd think overtime they would get better at hiding it... but it hasn't. 2019's Charity Corner introduced us to Atsumi which was just Team Shenkuu's Mirsha Grelinek in a kimono. But instead of just sweeping it under the rug like they'd had for others, they surprised us by making it canon they were twins in this cute & funny animations (and confirming they also have a younger brother). And I do like the jokes they also threw in with Atsumi's house being messy and her getting the big present. While hopefully this has taught JS to be a bit more careful/creative, I do have to give kudos for them with rolling with the joke and making it a canon thing. That's why it's my pick.  Day 21: A double treat with this one. On the surface it's a shoutout to the Ghoul Catchers app game, but it's also another shoutout to older fans. Doctor Boolin (the Kiko) isn't in the app game, replaced by Glyn, so seeing what he's been doing (guessing he's retired) was a nice little thing for those curious. And not only was it a cute animation, Boolin thinking he was being haunted but was Bren playing a small prank (possibly), but it was also well animated.  WINNER:Day 9 (35%) Day 21 (24%) Day 19 (23%) Day 11 (18%) A big surprise. I can only think that maybe since you don't need to know who the characters are that maybe it reached a wider audience (plus with its message and possibly relatable topic it reached out to more casual players). That said, even though Day 11 is fourth, it has 18% which makes this category the closest all the nominees have been to each other which I think is telling they were still well-liked (and since it features a nearly 20 year old character I think that's notable).
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Post by Duke Pikachu on Feb 10, 2020 21:38:06 GMT -5
CATEGORY #4: Best Advent PrizeNOMINEES:Christmas Shop Window Display Background
(My Pick): It's a very nicely drawn background of a market, I tried looking if there were any others and the others I found were for NC. So if you need a generic market or village background for NP this is top choice as long as you're willing to overlook the Christmas elements of it (which I don't think should be too hard; there's also no snow which is also nice).  High Tea in the Woods: It's alright though pretty limited where you can use it, pretty much for a tea party or picnic.  The Giant Omelette: Myths and Folktales: Now, let's address the Elephante in the room: this is not the best AC book item. That honor goes to Grannys Cottage Picture Book for Grown Ups, obviously. Had that been the book they chose there's no way they would have accidentally swapped its picture with the stamp! Yeah, joking aside, I feel this was a major oopsie. Now the description of the item matched the item's name so it is the image that was swapped, so let's discuss it. A book is an item in a unique position as it technically exists in a conceptual form. While wearables you can have your Neopets wear, album items can be put into your album, and food & toys you can judge on their appearance; books you can't really fully judge as there's no way to actually read it. You have to base a book on not only its cover but what its short description tells you it is about, and that can easily make or break it. For this Giant Omelette book I feel its appearance is certainly interesting though description is a bit lacking. It doesn't tell you anymore than what the title already tells you, aside some of the stories are "darker" then you'd expect. The Neopies description does add in it has story about theft, betrayal, and a short biography of Sabre-X which does a bit better making it sound like an interesting read. But when it's put up against wearables and a stamp I don't think the material can stand against that. Now Grannys Cottage Picture Book for Grown Ups on the other hand...  Soup Faerie Stamp: It being a stamp alone puts it high up. Infact let's not beat around the bush...  WINNER: Soup Faerie Stamp (38%) High Tea in the Woods (24%) The Giant Omelette: Myths and Folktales (20%) Christmas Shop Window Display Background (19%) Jeez, like I knew the background was a long shot but I didn't think it would be last place! Maybe it was too generic for its own good. But yeah, the Stamp was the winner, and I was nice enough to even use the right image for it. But speaking of which... I wonder if they shouldn't have disqualified this category and added back in at the end for an extra day. Because while I'm sure it would have been the winner anyway... I wonder how many people picked the "stamp" from image alone without realizing the images were accidentally switched. I know this may sound like sour grapes, but did more people think the book was a better prize than the background? Or is the Soup Faerie Stamp supposed to have a higher percentage while the book have a lower. Oh well, guess it doesn't matter in the end as long as the actual winner still won.
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Post by Duke Pikachu on Feb 11, 2020 21:06:35 GMT -5
CATEGORY #5: Best Neopoint BackgroundNOMINEES:Carnival of Terror Entrance (My Pick): I picked it because it's a pretty unique background. All the others I felt have been done before, both with NP and NC, but this one I felt had it's own niche, if not because of the location alone. If you're going to be in a haunted amusement park, might as well stand on the roller coaster tracks in front of a giant, menacing face.  Classy Minimal Boudoir: Minimal, yes. Classy? I don't know. Just feels kind of bland to the point there's other bedroom backgrounds which I think would fit a theme better. It's a background you need to build around, not a background that's the best choice for a theme you've already thought of.  Neopies After-Party Background: I'm sensing some favoritism. Luckily it's a nice looking background which fulfills the aesthetic it's trying to make. I can see it being used in plenty of joke customizations whether it be a Neopet dressed as a real life celebrity (or a character that celebrity played) or a Neopian character which would look a bit out of place accepting an award.  Maraqua Sunken Ship Background: Now originally I was thinking of voting for this one, but I looked around a bit and we have plenty of other sunken ship backgrounds. Not that it takes away from how nice this one looks, it's certainly a top pick and all depends on what kind of ship you want your Neopet to be exploring.  WINNER:Maraqua Sunken Ship Background (40%) Classy Minimal Boudoir (24%) Carnival of Terror Entrance (20%) Neopies After-Party Background (16%) And sometimes just being pretty if all you need. Curious if the Neopies Background being last place is because more people liked the others or people purposely not picking it cause of the nepotism.
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Post by Duke Pikachu on Feb 12, 2020 22:17:20 GMT -5
CATEGORY #6: Best Neopoint WearableNOMINEES:Dreamy Faerie Dress (My Pick): I just think it's a nice looking dress and out of the nominees has the most usage potential.  Negg Stand Foreground: Not bad but I kind of feel we have similar stall foregrounds.  Tree of Love: Cute though I feel has limited use potential.  Yooyu Trellis Arch Gate: Like with the Negg Stand Foreground, it looks fine but I feel we have other wearables like it that fulfill the same purpose.  WINNER:Yooyu Trellis Arch Gate (40%) Tree of Love (24%) Dreamy Faerie Dress (22%) Negg Stand Foreground (145) I just want to note that none of my picks have won. Maybe I'm just losing touch with the playerbase these days...
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Post by Duke Pikachu on Feb 13, 2020 20:44:15 GMT -5
CATEGORY # 7: Best Site Event
NOMINEES:Hannah and the Lost Time Capsules ( My Pick): Was either this or Living with Less. It was a basic event and Hannah & Kanrik didn't feel completely in-character (at least to me), but it was something different and did something with older Neopian characters even if it was a bit off. And even then it was fun to hear their thoughts of the capsule they went to retrieve. The Kanrik getting poisoned part felt forced. As you can tell I'm very flip-floppy with my thought on this event, but of the ones on offer I decided it at least had more going for it than the others.  Halloween Costume Competition: So, like, at first I thought this was an NC Event. It was then after some thinking I remembered both what it was and why I forgot it. They did hold a costume contest around Halloween, but the only way to view the winners was if you had entered a Neopet into the contest yourself. WHAT?! So, yeah, completely forgettable, at least for anyone who didn't enter.  Living with Less: Now I was thinking of picking Living with Less as it threw a new spin on Charity Corner and even making some meta commentary is you knew what they they were referencing with this, feeling like something old TNT would do. However, it may have a new coat of paint but was still Charity Corner. On top of that the Perk Shop still doesn't feel right with the costs and even the perks on offer (not to mention this year they introduced a perk which gave out random perks which some people may not even use, why?). So, yeah, I like the aesthetics but in the end its what under the hood that counts and it was still the questionable changes done to Charity Corner.  Daily Dare: ... What was this year's theme? I don't think there was one. It was just AAA and Abigail going on vacation to the Virtupets Space Station. In all honestly it's more a justification for Lulu to give out space-related stuff. Forgettable honestly.  WINNER:Daily Dare (32%) Hannah and the Lost Time Capsules (29%) Living with Less (25%) Halloween Costume Competition (14%) Huh, and I was sure the winner was either going to be Hannah and the Lost Time Capsules or Living with Less. Not sure what about this year's Daily Dare that had so many people liking it. Heck, Altador Cup is more memorable since at least there's a different winning team each year.
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Post by Duke Pikachu on Feb 16, 2020 13:55:45 GMT -5
CATEGORY #8: Best Mystery Capsule
NOMINEES:
Retired Altador Cup Mystery Capsule: It was either this or the one I did pick. With SO many retired NC items it's nice to have these Mystery Capsules that bring back a whole batch. Altador Cup (as well as Daily Dare & GMC, all yearly events) have a whole lot of retired NC items. Infact they could probably start mixing in retired NC items and newly created ones in future NC events and they probably won't run into an retired items they've brought back for a few years.  Retired Wonderclaw Mystery Capsule (My Pick): The one I picked because, unlike the AC one above, I don't think Wonderclaw would have that many opportunities to offer its retired NC items again. And it is a neat looking box with the clockwork aesthetic.  NC Mall 12th Birthday Iridescent Mystery Capsule: Just realized this Mystery Capsule also offered a TON of retired NC item. Now I'm thinking maybe I should have picked it, lol! It's also certainly a pretty looking box with the stained glass design.  The 20th Anniversary Mystery Capsule: It's certainly very golden as well as the NC items it gave. So if you're looking for gold you got your capsule.  WINNER:The 20th Anniversary Mystery Capsule (36%) NC Mall 12th Birthday Iridescent Mystery Capsule (33%) Retired Wonderclaw Mystery Capsule (16%) Retired Altador Cup Mystery Capsule (14%) Well new items are more exciting than old items, though the 12th Birthday isn't that far behind. Maybe it's because since Wonderclaw and Altador Cup are notable site features it's more likely to find someone with their NC retired items then ones that were just sold in the NC Mall or given out via other methods (like other Mystery boxes).
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Post by Duke Pikachu on Feb 16, 2020 16:57:06 GMT -5
CATEGORY #9: Best Caption Image
NOMINEES:
Campfire Stories - 1423: Now there's plenty of opportunity for jokes concerning what campfire story the Quiggle is telling, though otherwise it's a very basic setup and not that interesting visual.  Valentine's Day Balloons - 1419: Certainly a catching visual if only for having an otherwise large dragon holding pink heart balloons, but after that there's really nothing that funny going on in the scene.  Treadmill Terrors - 1420 (My Pick): A Blurtle running on a treadmill with a Snowbunny watching? Already its a funny visual so all you need is to add a caption to address the absurdity.  Hubrid Hijinks - 1427: Hubrid Nox is a laughably evil villain so shouldn't be too hard to think he's doing some funny spell making. Though once again the scene is otherwise plain.  WINNER:Hubrid Hijinks - 1427 (29%) Campfire Stories - 1423 (28%) Valentine's Day Balloons - 1419 (25%) Treadmill Terrors - 1420 (18%) Not surprised Hurbid Nox won, he's a popular character and people love writing dialogue for him. But man, was I WAY off the mark. I can only guess maybe Treamill Terrors only has one or two jokes cause the situation is too specific while the others offer more creative entries.
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