How do you see your relationship to your pets?

[annikarose]

I also think of my accounts as a 'family'. But an adopted one. The pets sort of sway back and forth between being pets and being autonomous, fully grown individuals with personalities and everything... I like to think of them as a dolls too, you know, the dolls that wait till you leave the room and then start moving...

[Rebeka]

Definitely pet/owner. But since I lost my account few days ago I realized I actually only miss my oldest pet, IinDigoo (Maraquan JubJub). He was with me from the beginning, always got the best care, the most books and he also got the first FFQ. Of course I miss other pets too, but I wouldn't care if I only got him back, just that I got him back.

[lilshadowdweller]

I used to play as their Mommy. Sometimes with my own cat I jokingly call myself "Mom", or my boyfriend "Dad". But recently, I have stopped doing it. *shrugs* As for my relationship with my pets in a literal sense -- they're just digital toys to me. I mean, I would never let my real life pets starve or go a few days without being played it.

 

However, I regard them with sentimental value, like some stuffed animals I still have. Which is why I even keep track of my Hissi which I recently traded.

[paperclip]

I see them as my pets (as a lot of the people on this board do). I've never really thought about it, actually.

[Vampyre_Demon]

I see them as my 'kids', but more of the teenage/adult/independent kind. I'm still in charge, but they have their own personalities and adventures. Mixture of friendship. Or more of like I'm the Author and they are the Characters.

We are so crazy, aren't we?

[GuardianAwesome]

I've come to a new decision yet again, after a few more months of playing.

 

I see them as individual beings with personalities. I just save up for/buy stuff for them and keep them well-fed and happy. They would interact more amongst themselves than with me, really, and they're pretty much independent.

 

I guess I'm just kind of their responsible (somewhat), generous friend.

[dankesque]

I like Vampyre's description of them as Author and Characters. Back when I first started playing, my classic pets interacted directly with me and were truly pets. Now, I'm more of an author--they've become independent characters, and if you 'asked' them who I was, they wouldn't know who you're talking about. I just keep them alive on their respective accounts and they interact amongst themselves, and I enjoy myself writing about them and drawing them. Weird outlook, I know, but I find it enjoyable.

[Sannah]

I consider my neopets pretty pixels that I like to decorate and such. I want to give them characters, but even if they have personalities that I create, I still consider them pixels. I don't consider myself an "owner" of them, rather someone who works hard to make 'em look cool and such.

 

*And when others see them, I want them to be able to recognize the amount of work I put into them, kind of like an art form, y'know? Like you want people to be able to see your "work" - hehe.

 

**I think of them as a continuation of myself... like an addition to my personality.

 

This is most like how I feel about my pets.

 

I cannot and have never been able to get truly attached to them. I don't do roleplay either, so I guess that's partly it. I don't want to lose them, I'm quite fond of Ayalah, Rhaegen, and Chelinde who have been with me a long time, but they're mostly status symbols and I like looking at them and remembering how often I played Meerca Chase to buy that one paint brush...

 

I'm surprised to see how many people here seem to love their neopets as if they were real pets. I think that's cute - and I don't mean that in a patronising way. I hope that if I ever put my pets up for adoption they will find an owner like some of you guys and girls. That's the full extent of my affection, though.