Things I Learned From Playing Neopets

Back in late 2003, when I was short and still believed I could find a leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day, I came across these battery-operated creatures in the toy aisles of a store. They looked cool, so naturally, I wanted one. I chose a red scorchio, which looked like a little dragon.

Upon opening the package, I found that there was a website relating to this toy. A virtual pet site, to be exact, where one could adopt these creatures and explore a virtual world. I remember Mom helping me to create an account. At the time, my favorite stuffed animal was a little gray cat called Meow, and I had recently acquired a toy dog I named Mocha, after the dog of a family we knew. My mother suggested 'Meowmocha' as a username. (Which, as you can see, I've used on other sites since then.)
With my account created, and my scorchio by my side, the Neopets saga began. A long, exciting saga which has yet to end. And looking at the years I've spent playing it, I realize I've learned a few things from being there.

What An Online Writing Group Taught Me

Years ago, I joined a writing guild on Neopets. It seemed like it might be a good way to meet fellow writers, and chat about writing. The guild eventually became inactive, but in the years I was in it, that writing group helped me improve as a writer and introduced me to a lot of new things.

Unexpected Call

My friend is getting married, and asked if I wanted to be a bridesmaid. I found a dress, got it fitted, and was going to pick it up. But then the virus outbreak said, "Nope." The wedding is postponed, and the bridal shop is closed. I got a voicemail saying that they would call me later about arranging to have the dress delivered to my house.

Now, I have all my contacts set to a custom ringtone, and my default ringtone is 'no ring'. After answering wrong numbers (I've had this phone for two years, quit calling for Angie or so help me...) and automated messages that are the phone equivalent of spam mail, I got tired of it. Plus, there's nothing like having your cell phone ring early in the morning, waking you from a dead sleep, just to hear a recording of "This is Travel Rewards Service, calling for what's probably a scam."

But considering I was waiting for David's Bridal to call, and wasn't sure if they'd use the same number or call from a different one, I changed my default ringtone so I would hear it if an unfamiliar number phoned me. And I had to wait for them to call; I tried calling them back, but only got a recording about the stores being closed, with no option to speak with anyone or even leave a message.

(tumbleweeds roll by, because nobody's here at David's Bridal)

Checking Social Media

I've made a fair number of observations while scrolling through my feed on various social media websites. Some are funny, others weird. Below are some examples of this.

Out-Of-Context Quotes

Let's face it, some of our conversations with people can get pretty crazy. Or maybe they don't have to be weird in order to create... quotes that sound really bizarre or nonsensical without context. The sort of thing where if someone were to walk in mid-conversation, they would hear something like "Why are you boiling noils?" Or maybe "I'm going to have to turn on my trees." What does any of this even mean?