Nielo

Congrats to our winners, and thanks for entering, everyone! For information on next round's theme, check out this thread.

If you're new to the contest, or simply want a reminder of the rules, they can be found right here. Current theme: Chombies! Description: Dress up a Chomby any way that you want. Entering period: Monday, October 28 - Sunday, November 3 Voting period: Monday November 4 - Sunday, November 10 I also just want to remind everyone that whenever the image DTI provides doesn't look as awesome as you'd like, it's always okay to send me a screenshot instead! I recently posted a guide about taking/sending screenshots. If anything is still unclear, or if you have any corrections/additions, please post in that thread, or let me know some other way. If you have any questions about this round or the Runway in general, just post them here, or send me a message. (Also: never hesitate to send me suggestions for future themes!)

Thanks. ? I did google it (I'd heard of the film series, just never bothered to look it up before), to check if it could potentially qualify. I usually just google the ones I don't know. (I'd never heard of Rip van Winkle either; I'm guessing that one's mostly famous in the US.) Are there any in particular you'd like to know more about? (I think all of the entries - except perhaps the last one - have the fairy tale's name somewhere in the title or description, so they should be fairly easy to look up. )

It's (finally) time to vote for your favourite entries again! Important note: Voting for yourself is NOT allowed! Doing so will result in disqualification. Please double check your votes before submitting them to avoid mistakes, because they can't be changed afterwards. Current theme: Once Upon A Time Description: Create an entry inspired by a fairy tale. Entering period: Monday, October 7 - Sunday, October 13 20 Voting period: Monday October 14 21 - Sunday, October 20 27 Be sure to check out the animation links below each entry to see them in all their glory! (Be sure to enable Flash on DTI!) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Voting is now officially closed! And the winners are... 1st Place gypsyknees Pinocchio Animation link: http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1940556 "Am I a real boy yet?" 2nd Place FreakyBowie King Skarl's New Clothes Animation link: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1937421 "Trying to live up to his brother Hagan's glory, King Skarl hired some fellas who claimed they could make him a garment only visible to the noblest Neopets. Turns out, he got hustled. Even the royal groundskeeper is laughing at him." 3rd Place Bookpony Cinderella's Night To Remember Animation link: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1939987 "A moonlit walk in the royal gardens, sweet scented wind rustling the layers of my skirt, stars draped across the sky....a prince by my side. What could be better?" _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ #1 aleu1986 The Little Match Girl Animation link: http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1936299 "It was so terribly cold. Snow was falling, on the last evening of the year. In the cold and gloom a poor little girl, bareheaded and barefoot, was walking through the streets. She walked on her naked feet, which were quite red and blue with the cold. She carried several packages of matches, and she held a box of them in her hand... " #2 Angeló The Pied Piper Animation link: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1936942 "The Pied Piper of Hamelin played his pipe to lure the rats into the Weser river, where they all drowned." #3 FreakyBowie King Skarl's New Clothes Animation link: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1937421 "Trying to live up to his brother Hagan's glory, King Skarl hired some fellas who claimed they could make him a garment only visible to the noblest Neopets. Turns out, he got hustled. Even the royal groundskeeper is laughing at him." #4 jellysundae Red Riding Hood II: The Revenge Animation link: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1937660 'Joke's on you, "grandma".' #5 AppaMomo WHAT YEAR IS IT?! Animation link: http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1940246 "Rip Van Winkle awakens in the forest with a startle to find that he is much older than when he fell asleep. How long has he been asleep?!" #6 preposter_ Little Red Riding Hood Animation link: http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1938000 #7 Robin Hood Little Red Riding Hood Animation link: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1940425 "Little Red Riding Hood wanted to pay her grandmother a visit, but oh no! She got lost in the forest after getting distracted by flowers! The innocent girl doesn't realize what's about to unfold." #8 spurdy777 Jinjah and Moehug loosely based on Hansel and Gretel Animation link: http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1937657 "Jinjah and Moehug planned all night long how to escape the evil cannibalistic witch until it was fool proof, but when it came time to flee Moehug instinctively stopped and reached her arms out to the witch for a goodbye hug. As she felt the witch sink her claws into the flesh covering her tiny ribcage, Moehug realized her mistake and accepted her fate, embracing the last hug,it seemed,that she would ever receive. Jinjah watched in horror as the witch lifted Moehug in the air ,cackling wildly at her victory! Jinjah's heart sank but he knew it was now or never and crawled through the crack under the door . Once outside, he jumped up like a spring toy and ran screaming for his life as fast and as far from the little gingerbread house as he could on his 2 wafer thin,cookie legs!!! As it turns out, the witch did not have a taste for moehog meat and Moehug was blessed by the light faerie with a forever home in the candy cottage ,bringing warmth, love and vegetables back into the life of an old, lonely witch . The End." #9 Yuiina Rapunzel Animation link: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1941521 "Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair!" #10 Bookpony Cinderella's Night To Remember Animation link: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1939987 "A moonlit walk in the royal gardens, sweet scented wind rustling the layers of my skirt, stars draped across the sky....a prince by my side. What could be better?" #11 princessellaeverdeen My Once Upon a Time Animation link: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1940431 "Mal from Descendants 3* while she sings My Once Upon a Time." #12 gypsyknees Pinocchio Animation link: http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1940556 "Am I a real boy yet?" #13 angie8204 Granny? Is that you? Animation link: http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1936620 *Note from your host: I've never seen Descendants 3, and I honestly don't know if it qualifies as a fairy tale, but I didn't feel that was enough reason to actually disqualify this entry.

Somehow I missed this post when I read the thread before, but yeah, it's only one entry per person. Also, you can post any additional entries you made in our Backstage thread.

I'd like to clarify that no one has to change their entry! I personally don't mind at all if entries are similar, or if all of them had been based on the same fairy tale. But I know that some people don't like it if others have an entry similar to theirs, so that's why I'm giving people the option to ask if their fairy tale has been chosen by others as well, so they could choose to change it, if they wish. (I should also add that I can never guarantee there won't be 2 entries that are kind of similar/based on the same story, as it all depends on when I'm receiving the entries and if that'd give someone time to change theirs. But, once again, I personally think there's nothing wrong with similar entries. I actually really liked seeing the different interpretations of the same fairy tale.)

As most of you have by now realised, I usually don't reply to your message until I'm setting up the round, but I do, in fact, read them beforehand. Usually. So I can answer messages from people who forgot to include something, or who asked if there were any entries similar to theirs. Apparently I didn't read all the messages this time, as I missed one that included the aforementioned question, and the answer happened to be 'yes'. So to give this person time to change their entry, I'm postponing the start of this round, by a week. My apologies! ? (At this point, it might be a good idea to mention that one particular fairy tale proved to be very popular, so if there's anybody else who wants to know if there are entries that are similar to theirs, now would be a good time to ask.)

We do have a long-standing tradition surrounding St. Nicholas (called "Sinterklaas" over here, instead of Santa Claus), but I don't think it necessarily originated in Holland. (Saint Nicholas was born in what we now call Turkey and, according to (the Dutch page on) Wikipedia, German and French schools celebrated a St. Nicholas holiday as far back as the middle ages.) I never really thought of it as a folk tale though, as it has its history in religion, but I guess it can be considered a folk tale. I... don't recognise any of these stories. ? I googled the Dutch translation of 'the boy who wanted more cheese', and found... nothing. ? I only found the English story. Honestly, I have no clue what these stories are about, or if I'm supposed to have heard of them. XD And I have to admit to never having heard of La Fontaine either. Google tells me he's French though (unless you were no longer talking about Dutch folk tales, but just about fairy tales/fables in general?). Considering I've never even heard of any of them, I'm not sure how much you'd actually be able to (accurately) conclude about Dutch culture. ? (Also, the few old Dutch stories I know have little in common with current-day Dutch culture. They've always felt very alien to me.)

@Yuiina I think Portugal and The Netherlands are similar in this way, as Halloween has been growing in popularity here in recent years, but mostly just the parties/dressing up part, and not the trick-or-treating. (We do have two different dressing up & trick-or-treating events for kids though; it kinda depends on where you live which of those two (if any) you celebrate.) Unlike you, I actually like that this tradition is spreading to different countries (now, baby showers and bachelor(ette) parties could've stayed in the US, if you ask me...). (If it comes to traditions inherently linked to the country they originated in, celebrating them in different countries might be weird, but Halloween didn't even start in the US, and is linked to much broader cultural/religious influences that aren't confined to just one country.) @midnight_spell360 Interesting! I had no idea Halloween could even be considered controversial. By the way, the whole "candy that's been tampered with" thing is mostly just a myth. According to Snopes there is no evidence of any poisoned candy, and "foreign objects" in candy are so rare that "our fear of them is greatly out of proportion with the likelihood of their occurring". Hope that sets your mind at ease a little on the whole tampered candy thing. Despite the fact that watching the news (on any day of the year) is pretty depressing, the vast, vast majority of humans are actually good people, and are definitely not out to poison/harm innocent children. As I mentioned, I'm glad this tradition made it to Holland. I have a friend whose birthday is November 1st, and she always celebrates it with a Halloween party, which has a different theme each year. (Not necessarily spooky; just an excuse to dress up.) Since Halloween was most definitely not a thing here when I was a kid (or a teen), I'm happy I get to (kind of) celebrate it now.

I honestly hadn't even thought about Neopets' faeries. Oops. ? So yeah, I meant fairy tales. There are still several faerie themes on the list of themes that I have, so I think I'd like this one to be just fairy tales, not faerie ones, to keep it more contained to one theme. When I think about fairy tales, I think about the Brothres Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. Looking them up, I noticed the Brothers Grimm were described as being "among the first and best-known collectors of German and European folk tales". So I guess they'd be considered folk tales as well. (I think Holland doesn't have any fairy tales of its own either, at least, none that I can think of. Or folk tales, for that matter. ? I grew up with the fairy/folk tales I mentioned above.) So, to summarise: base your entry on fairy or folk tales, but not on faerie tales.

Thanks for entering everyone (and for your patience!), and congrats to our winners! Click here to read about next round's theme. (*Edit: I'm still working on showing both the NP and the NC custom on the main page; it's not doing what I want it to do.)

If you're new to the contest, or simply want a reminder of the rules, they can be found right here. Current theme: Once Upon A Time Description: Create an entry inspired by a fairy tale. Entering period: Monday, October 7 - Sunday, October 13 20 Voting period: Monday October 14 21 - Sunday, October 20 27 I also just want to remind everyone that whenever the image DTI provides doesn't look as awesome as you'd like, it's always okay to send me a screenshot instead! I recently posted a guide about taking/sending screenshots. If anything is still unclear, or if you have any corrections/additions, please post in that thread, or let me know some other way. If you have any questions about this round or the Runway in general, just post them here, or send me a message. (Also: never hesitate to send me a message if you have any theme suggestions!)

It's finally time to vote for your favourite entries again! Important note: Voting for yourself is NOT allowed! Doing so will result in disqualification. Please double check your votes before submitting them to avoid mistakes, because they can't be changed afterwards. Current theme: NeoPoint VS. NeoCash Description: Create 2 entries, using the exact same pet (of your choice), and make them as similar as possible. The trick is that you can only use NeoPoint items for one of the entries, and only NeoCash items for the other. You can use the 'Advanced search' option on DTI to limit your search to NP or NC items. (I know the entries can't be identical, so to illustrate what I mean, here are two entries I made: a NP one and an NC one, both featuring a wizard-like Blue Shoyru, wearing blue robes, in a forest.) Entering period: Monday, September 9 - Sunday, September 29 Voting period: Monday September 30 - Sunday, October 6 Be sure to check out the animation links below each entry to see them in all their glory! (Be sure to enable Flash on DTI!) _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Voting is now officially closed! And the winners are... 1st Place FreakyBowie The Funk of 40,000 Years Animation links: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1924778 https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1924777 "It's close to midnight... something evil's lurking from the dark (under EeRiLy similar haunted trees). And though you fight to stay alive, your body starts to shiver--for no mere mortal can resist...the EVIL of the thriller!" 2nd Place Robin Hood Forest Dweller Animation links: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1926398 https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1926399 3rd Place (1) Yuiina Altador Goddess Animation links: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1926432 https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1926429 3rd Place (2) AppaMomo An Evening Stroll Animation links: http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1930729 http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1930730 "She's all dressed up for a gala, yet Misty sneaks away from it to go for an evening stroll just as the stars are coming out." _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ #1 Robin Hood Forest Dweller Animation links: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1926398 https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1926399 #2 spurdy777 NeoPoint vs. NeoCash Animation links: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1925037 https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1925057 #3 FreakyBowie The Funk of 40,000 Years Animation links: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1924778 https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1924777 "It's close to midnight... something evil's lurking from the dark (under EeRiLy similar haunted trees). And though you fight to stay alive, your body starts to shiver--for no mere mortal can resist...the EVIL of the thriller!" #4 jellysundae Holiday brochure - expectations vs. reality Animation links: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1928439 https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1928440 "My complimentary flowers are dead... ?" #5 Yuiina Altador Goddess Animation links: https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1926432 https://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1926429 #6 aleu1986 Winter's Night Animation links: http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1926792 http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1926793 #7 preposter_ Country Candy vs. City Candi Animation links: http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1929330 http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1929331 "Candy had always been proud of her humble background, She knew she could throw a Holiday Party on a shoestring Neopoint budget fit to entertain anyone! She was so pleased when her wealthy cousin Candi was holding a party the next night! Candi may have had a little more Neo Cash spent, and a little more sparkle, but she could not be said to have any more Hostess Flair than Candy. Remember the Holiday Spirit Girls!" #8 AppaMomo An Evening Stroll Animation links: http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1930729 http://impress.openneo.net/outfits/1930730 "She's all dressed up for a gala, yet Misty sneaks away from it to go for an evening stroll just as the stars are coming out."

I tried it about an hour ago, and got the message that there was too much traffic and that they were working on it, but I just refreshed the page, and it seems to be fixed now. Let me know if you're still having trouble with it!

It is. XD You'll suddenly have someone at your desk, telling you that you broke the thing. But you don't even know the thing! Very stressful. ? I hope so too, but I have to admit that I've wondered about the amount of people working on this conversion in the first place. They've been working on it for years. (Here's an editorial from about 3 years ago that mentions the Flash to HMTL5 conversion in the first question.) It's gotten more urgent now, with Flash really being shunned by most browsers, but if they had a sufficient amount of developers working on it, chances are at least parts of the conversion would be done by now. ? I mean, I obviously don't know how many people they've got working on projects (and I *am* a pessimist by nature ? ), but editorials like this one, that mention 'our developer' (singular!) makes me fear that they're a bit understaffed. (A common probably in IT, btw. Software developers can be pretty hard to come by.):

Exactly, as similar as possible. Not all the details need to be the same. (But also, don't get too bogged down with my example, as I made those two customs in less than 5 minutes. XD)

You'd be surprised at how easy it is to break code that you didn't even know your update might touch. XD I work as a software developer for a company that has grown a pretty big codebase over the years, and most of it is connected, sometimes in ways you'd never even have considered. I've broken things I'd never even heard of, just by updating a different bit of code. XD From what I've read about Neo, I'm assuming its code is pretty old & all connected as well, so things breaking like they do is not at all surprising. I just wish they had the resources & employees to fix more of the things that have been broken for literal years. To make matters worse, there's actually such a thing as "code rot", which means that even code you didn't touch might deteroriate over time. (There are several reasons for it, and the code doesn't physically disappear, but it's definitely possible for code that was working fine before to become faulty, without being changed.) As for the habitarium, this thread also discusses why it closed down. It appears it might've had something to do with changing servers, and habi being hosted by a third party.

It happened to my mom a lot on her iPad over the weekend, and I got hit by it last night, so it definitely seems like it's still happening. I think it starts when you've got too many tabs open, and once you're in, good luck getting out. ( @discobiscuit: it's not an ad, or something external. Neo has apparently updated their security, but... it has some glitches.) Changing browsers might work, or clearing your cache. Not sure though; haven't actually tried it myself.

Key Quest maybe, but not the Habitarium, as that one was taken down intentionally, instead of just breaking down. Personally, I was thinking more along the lines of 'fixing relatively small things that have been broken for years', like the Abandoned Attic. (I really miss the Abandoned Attic!) I'm not sure if there are any "big" projects on their list; I think that in between plots & events they're busy with bug fixing, and I don't think they've got as many resources as a site of this size would ideally have, so I doubt any new big things will be happening any time soon. (But I'm a bit of a pessimist, so I might be wrong. ? )

Yeah, I can imagine that this would be a giant task, and there are so many things that have priority, so I doubt they'll get around to doing any purging any time soon.

If they ever do start purging (again), they should probably also communicate about it clearly (send emails to the addresses linked to the accounts they purge, so people can still come back and prevent it, if possible). Anyway, I'm not sure when they last purged any accounts. I think it's been aaaaages. (I know one of my friends used to play Neo, and I think her account hasn't been logged into for over a decade, but it's still there.) I'm personally not necessarily a fan of purging; sometimes you lose track of something you meant to go back to. Two years can go by without noticing (or realising that it's been two years). XD It'd be a shame to come back and find your account & pets gone. (Again, if they'd send emails to warn you about it, it'd be better. No idea if they've ever done that though. I'm working under the assumption that they haven't, simply based on their usual level of communication. ? )

@Yuiina Good question. I think they're often referred to as "paintbrush clothes", so they are clothes, but they're neither NP nor NC... In the images you posted above, the items are part of the colour of the pet, so it's perfectly alright to use them. I'm a little more hesitant about allowing cross-painting (using items belonging to one paintbrush colour on a pet that has a different paintbrush colour), because they're not part of that pet's colour then. I mean, I won't disqualify entries that do this, but I'd like to suggest people don't. So, to sum up: - Yes, you're allowed to use paintbrush items, since they're part of a pet's colour (so you can use them with both the NP and the NC one). - But, try to only use them for a pet that actually has that paintbrush colour.

Welcome! I think you might be looking for @Musical_Shoyru, I'm pretty sure she runs The Kindness Project.

That definitely seems like it should be a rule. But maybe I'm remembering incorrectly (and I've never won, so I definitely can't speak for that part), but I think the winners are announced quite late? So it might've been possible to enter the new round before the winners have been announced?

The colours don't need to be an exact match; like I said, I know it can't be identical. But I think it'd be nice to try and make it as similar as possible, so something might not have the same colour, but the shape might be similar (or vice versa). So in addition to choosing the same theme for both entries, try to at least use (mostly) similar items.