Aimee

Hi! My name's Aimee (or Captain_Jade on Neopets) and my sister introduced me to Neopets when I was... I think 11? And the thing that got me so into it was creating stories for my pets! As each plot comes out and I find more ways to build up the stories and "lives" of my pets that pulls me in further, that's probably what's kept me so addicted to it! Plus, going onto the art gallery and beauty contest and seeing other people's Neopets art is SO inspiring, how can I not?

Seeking: Items off of Bonny's Wishlist! She loves books, but she also has some special gifts on her list that'll really make her day...  
Gifting: I can visit your shop or get'cha something off your wishlist!

Hi y'all! I'm actually the artist behind the front cover's art (both our first one last year as well as this year's!) and I can answer some questions! I work for Geekify Inc and we have a contract with Neopets for making officially licensed products but unfortunately we don't have as close of a connection to the actual Neopets team enough to make canon stories like the usual Advent Calendars on the site! (I wish, though!)

The inside of the flap is just going to have the chocolates, shaped into molds I helped design based on some of the items from the site, like the snow paintbrush, a Snowbunny eating a negg, a Fir, a christmas negg, a christmas-painted meowclops, an angelpuss... there's a lot of really christmassy items I picked out and cleaned up for the chocolate company to make these chocolates into, but I'm not gonna spoil all of them--then there's no surprise! 

Woah woah woah wait... Sophie's hair is in a low ponytail?? I thought her hair was down all these years!

3 minutes ago, Angeló said:

Yeah vasectomy is always an option. But that too may become restricted ...

Actually, the legality of vasectomies has never been up for debate in the US--it's legal as long as you're 18 years or older, and will continue to be so. 

It's why a LOT of people are upset about the double standard of reproductive health care for people with uteruses, because those with a vas never have to request permission to receive a vasectomy (other than referral from a primary care physician like all specialized surgeries). However, those with a uterus have, depending on the state, to receive written or in-person permission from their husband/father or will otherwise be given a TON of shit by their doctors if they want a hysterectomy. Go figure, right?

@Aquamentis12 I'm so disappointed in you.

@AngelóI'm so sorry you have to move to the US to be with your fiancee, honestly it would be a lot better for both of you if you weren't living here right now. A lot of already-existing problems with our country are getting worse and worse right now, and I wouldn't recommend anyone to move here. ><; 

The news about Roe VS Wade being overturned is incredibly disheartening for many reasons, one of which is the fact that the decision was made by only a handful of people, all of whom have perjured themselves by overturning Roe VS Wade. They had sworn at their confirmation hearings that they wouldn't and... well... did. They lied under oath. 

Not only that, but all of the things Aquamentis said in his reply are completely false, and recycled talking points from the last twenty years. Trust me, I heard them plenty growing up in an anti-choice household and until I got older and started hearing from the other side, I used to believe they were true. Also the coy language around "debating" is part of the typical toolkit that anti-choice parents/pastors/teachers strictly teach, because to them, the concept of whether or not a person should have autonomy over their choice to reproduce is a "debate", and not a form of state-sanctioned violence against people with uteruses. (Especially cis-gendered anti-choice men. It's never "real" to them, it's a chesspiece.) 

Hey there! 

For me personally I draw using an apple pencil on a Surface Pro, it's pretty much the only thing I can use while laying down (because of my sciatica)! 

I'm thinking of making another reply to this thread with information for more House Jade Trades members, but which would be more exciting to learn about: the head-honcho herself, one of the two main shopkeepers, one of the artisans whose instruments are sold through House Jade Trades, or one of the cargo movers/company representatives from Mystery Island?

So it's been all these years since the initial fight over the Obelisk and every month we continue fighting for boons, and sometimes it feels like this plot thread has been pretty much abandoned! But if the Neopets team were to make a console/app fighting game for the Obelisk War, I wonder what sort of plotline it might have? Would it cover the events of the first wave, since we know how that ends, or would it actually show what the Sway is going to do with the Obelisk? What do you all think? 

And as far as gameplay, what sort of game(s) do you think it'd be cool for it to be like? I know there's "Thems Fightin Herds" that was inspired by My Little Pony, and that has a sort of Street Fighter-esque fighting style, but what do you all think? Would it be cooler to make it top-down, like League of Legends, or would you want to play something differently? 

(For context I don't work for a game development company but I'm super curious what y'alls thoughts would be!)

Oh! The description on the first one is off!

On 2/8/2022 at 4:36 PM, Aquamentis12 said:

That is SO cool! XD Even moreso that they used your art for that book!

Interesting! I found your weebly site, but it seems the instagram link doesn't work. 
I get this message...

"Sorry, this page isn't available.

The link you followed may be broken, or the page may have been removed. Go back to Instagram."

 

Just thought I would let you know in case it's a mistake! You DO have a lot of cool art from what I've been able to see so far!

What program(s) do you use? And do you ever dabble with animation?

Oop--that's probably from my old site! I need to update that one the way I made my portfolio site, aimeescholz.com ^^; 

But thank you so much! I use photoshop exclusively, though I really ought to get my feet wet with illustrator and storyboard pro... u u; It's been a while since I've worked on any animation work (full time work has kept me so busy!) but I actually got my bachelor's in cinematic arts & technology with an emphasis in animation, so it's definitely a passion of mine. If I could, I would love to be a key animator, character designer or storyboard artist for music videos or indie projects, or possibly indie video games or educational games. ' v ' I wanted to work in children's television animation when I was in high school, but I'm not sure if I'll ever get that opportunity. I guess I've just gotta keep my ear to the ground and feel for where the universe is pulling me, and prepare myself as best I can!

28 minutes ago, Aquamentis12 said:

WOW! Awesome designs! If they are officially licensed, aren't they "Official" Neopets stuff? I mean if Neopets acknowledges them and granted your permission to sell them.... or am I mistaken?

Ah, Sadly I don't "tweet", for several reasons. But it does make checking out some artists difficult.   Do you post to any viewer friendly sites like Artstation or DeviantArt? Or perhaps even Tumblr?

Yeah, scanning and uploading is always easier said than done, imho. lol Do you like to draw things besides Neopets-themed stuff?

Uh huh! It's so exciting to see my work in the merch partners tab on the site, I'm pretty sure 12-year-old me would've FLIPPED. Especially since they even used my space faerie art for the "untold adventures of the space faerie" book! 

Other than Neopets I'm working on a couple of projects set in a post-apocalyptic setting! One is a picture book called Little Wolf, and another is a graphic novel called A Courier's Message, but I also do commissions, my little pony fanart, adoptable designs, things like that. ' v ' And I also have an instagram and deviantart, but those are pretty sparsely updated as well. ^^; You can find me most places under "FunandAims" but on deviantART I'm Aim-mod. (because I'm AWFUL at coming up with a consistent name for myself...)

10 hours ago, Aquamentis12 said:

You're welcome!
Lost and taken? I've never heard of that one. But it sounds cool!

Good luck finding people to RP your characters! Sure! The more information you provide, I would imagine it might increase the odds of sparking the imagination of potential role-players!

Btw,  I checked out your petpage art gallery, LOVED seeing the peophin constellation design! Your art is very nice, do you have any other place(s) that you upload art? I'd be interested in seeing more.

Aww thank you! It's been a while since I updated it, but I'm really proud of the work I've got on there ' v ' 

I mostly upload work to my twitter, but honestly I need to get better about uploading anywhere these days.. ^^; I have artwork, I just never make the time to post! If nothing else you can see some of my other neopets art on Geekify Inc's online shop? Currently I'm the sole artist behind our Neopets line and it's honestly a dream come true to make official Neopets stuff >// w //< 

https://geekifyinc.com/product-category/neopets/

16 minutes ago, Aquamentis12 said:

lol Nice sales-pitch!

Man, those are some NICE drawings! Looks almost like they were drawn on wood or something. It gives the line art a cool effect.

Thank you so much! ^^ It's actually just an old paper texture from the site Lost and Taken, they have a ton of amazing free-to-use textures. ' v ' 

I just hope I get some folks interested in actually RP-ing with these kiddos... u v u;; Maybe after I post about some of the other characters in the company!

Oh unfortunately I don't have any written down! Closest thing I have to that is a little blurb on my pet's page, Abyss_girl_5!

Oh that's awesome! I'm so glad you like 'em, I'm hoping we can come out with more pins as time goes on--especially original design pins, those take a bit longer but it feels more personal, yknow?

Here are some of our most notable employees, and a little bit of what they have to say about working for House Jade Trades:

Borandukht Avaan-Xendrik (aka Bonny Lass)
Lead Export Agent

"I highly value my work as an export agent, finding high-quality pottery, textile and furniture artisans to connect with our shops in harbors across Neopia. The best part of my job is meeting passionate artists and seeing their eyes light up the first time we sell a large shipment of their work. It's incredible to make a living off one's passions, and bringing that to them is a unique blessing." 

Kaliamiki (aka Liam)
Boatswain of House Jade Trades' flagship, The Bellowing Belonthiss

"If you're looking for a luxury cruise you're not gonna find it on a merchant ship! There's pirates out on the seas and you've gotta be ready to keep 'em at bay--but if you've got the stomach for hard work and rough seas, you'll find a warm hammock, gainful employment, and three meals a day ready in your kip, sailor. Ready to take to the seas?"

From the Offices of Captain Li Jing "Jade" Dhar,

Greetings, fellow Neopians! I and my associates at House Jade Trades are seeking connections along our trade routes from Mystery Island, the Lost Desert, Meridell, to Shenkuu. We are also, as our company expands, seeking more shiphands and craftsneos who can help build our fleet of merchant ships. If you have an inquiry for work or a partnership with our company, please send all inquiries to our home base at 4918 Harbour Lane, Mystery Island. 

Oh shoot! I had originally made Gyro into a brother of one of my pets! Or at the very least, making him a brother to several canon characters in the site, including Kendrick Wolson III, Meela Wolson (main character of Shoyru Surprise) and Torshac Wolson, aka the purple shoyru aviator!

Hey TDN! 

I'm Aimee (but you can call me Aims!), and I figure it's about time I posted my intro on the forum! I'm the illustrator/artist behind the Neopets merch for Geekify including the Space Faerie blanket, which was used for some of the new Space Faerie items on the site! I've been drawing since I was about 9 or 10, and playing Neopets just as long, despite losing my original account. For a little insight into me, I'm 28 (virgo!), from southern California, and when I'm not working or spending time with my partner (or metamours), I'm mostly playing The Sims and watching media analysis YouTube videos. ' v ' 

If you have any questions for me about my process working on merch for the site, please feel free to let me know! I might not be able to answer everything, but I can at least give it a shot--I'm still kinda new to the whole licensing game so I'm still learning. ^^; 

-Aims

PS Here's a sketch of some updated pet art for my shoyru, Five! I'm hoping to get some pet art on all my pets' pages especially since they haven't updated the site to enable pet viewing yet? 

Another round where everyone used different neopets! Nice!