NC Mall

2010-11-12T00:20:43Z

92.25.58.180:

{{construction|reason=Wikified update to NC Mall, properly explaining purpose and use}}

The '''NC Mall''' is a [[Neopets (website)|Neopets]] feature released into open beta on July 3, 2007, and officially launched . Its located in [[Neopia Central]]. It's operated by a Green [[Scorchio]].

Using this special online shop, users can spend real life money to buy ''Neocash'' (''NC'' for short). Users transfer money through [[Wikipedia:Paypal|Paypal]]. All items bought from the NC Mall had an expiration date of 180 days (90 during Beta), yet an update occurred on December 14, 2007, in which the majority of items no longer have a expiration date. There's also a [[Petpet Park NC Mall]] in [[Petpet Park]].

==Neocash==
:NeoCash is the system of virtual currency accepted by the NC mall. NeoCash can be obtained through PayPal, or by NeoCash cards. (''see below'') There has been controversy about spending real money over Neopoints, but The Neopets Team insists this is purely an extra feature, not necessary to use the Neopets website. Every $1 equals 100 NeoCash. You can win neocash from the Qasalan Expellibox.

As of 2008, 150 NC from the NC Mall can be collected free when they register.

==Neocash Card==
On October 17, 2007, the '''Neocash Card''' began their circulation in [[Wikipedia:Target Corporation|Target]] stores. The cards were sold for $10 or $25, each giving their respective amounts and eight different designs. For every Neocash card redeemed, a virtual item is given which couldn't be received anywhere else, and with all $25 cards an additional 150 NC was given when redeemed. In the United States, Neocash Cards can also be purchased at 7-Eleven, CVS Pharmacy, and selected Walmart stores.

:{|border=1
!style="background:silver" width="150"|NC Card Price
|style="text-align: center" width="150"|$10
|style="text-align: center" width="150"|$25
|-
!style="background:silver"|NC Payout
|style="text-align: center"|1000 NC
|style="text-align: center"|2500 NC
|-
!style="background:silver"|Designs
|
*Red [[Scorchio]]
*[[Illusen]]
*[[Usul]]
*[[Mynci]]
|
*[[King Altador]]
*[[Fyora]]
*[[Dr. Frank Sloth]]
*[[Isca]]
|}

==Departments==
As of September 2010, these are the different shops that make up the NC Mall:

*'''NC Mall Accessories Shop''' - [[White]] [[Aisha]] shopkeeper: sells items such as hats, wings, face paints, wigs, and hand-held items.
*'''NC Mall Background Shop''' - [[Blue]] [[Nimmo]] shopkeeper: sells backgrounds featuring locations all over [[Neopia]].
*'''NC Mall Birthday Shop''' - [[Yellow]] [[Acara]] shopkeeper: sells items relating to the NC Mall's birthday. Only appears in July.
*'''NC Mall Clothing/Shoes Shop''' - [[Brown]] [[Usul]] shopkeeper: sells items that are worn directly directly on the body such as shirts, dresses, jackets, and trousers.
*'''NC Mall [[Daily Dare]] Shop''' - Sells items relating to [[Aristotle A. Avinroo|AAA]], [[Abigail]], [[Lulu]], and open only during the Daily Dare event.
*'''NC Mall Elite Boutique Shop''' - [[Red]] [[Kacheek]] shopkeeper: only accounts over 49 months have access to the exclusive items sold here.
*'''NC Mall [[Faerie]] Shop''' - [[Air Faerie]] shopkeeper: sells [[Faerie]] items such as clothes, trinkets, backgrounds, and [[furniture]].
*'''NC Mall Fall Shop''' - [[Green]] [[Blumaroo]] shopkeeper: sells autumn-themed items, including limited edition items only available until the shop closes in November.
*'''NC Mall [[Halloween]] Shop''' - Red [[Shoyru]] (previously Halloween [[Kiko]]) shopkeeper: sells Halloween items, including limited editions that are retired when the shop closes in early November.
*'''NC Mall Holiday Shop''' - [[Christmas]] [[Cybunny]] (previously Christmas [[Wocky]]) shopkeeper: sells Christmas and some winter related items, including limited editions only available until the shop closes.
*'''NC Mall Limited Edition Shop''' - Red [[Hissi]] shopkeeper: sold limited edition items not connected with the annually returning shops.
*'''NC Mall Music and Sounds Shop''' - [[Orange]] [[Kougra]] shopkeeper: sells track music or sound effects with some appearing to eminate from physical items.
*'''NC Mall [[Negg]] Shop''' - [[Purple]] [[Meerca]] shopkeeper: opens around Easter and sells a variety of Easter-themed items including limited editions that retire once the shop is closed for the year.
*'''NC Mall [[Neohome]]s Addition Shop''' - [[Yellow]] [[Lutari]] shopkeeper: sells structures that can be added to the exterior of Neohomes.
*'''NC Mall Neohomes Furnishings Shop''' - [[Cloud]] [[Jetsam]] shopkeeper: sells furniture and decorations for the interior of Neohomes.
*'''NC Mall New Items Shop''' - [[Pink]] Lutari shopkeeper: displays only those items that have been recently added to the Mall.
*'''NC Mall Popular Shop''' - Red [[Xweetok]] shopkeeper: displays the current most popular items bought by NC Mall customers.
*'''NC Mall Speciality Shop''' - Yellow [[Lenny]] shopkeeper: sells unique items such as capsules, album skins, and [[New Game Challenge|New Game NC Challenge]] Game Tickets.
*'''NC Mall Spring Shop''' - Pink [[Kau]] shopkeeper: opens during the spring months and sells spring related (e.g. flowers) items, some of which are limited edition.
*'''NC Mall Style Showdown Shop''' - Purple [[Gelert]] shopkeeper: sells style packs designed to correspond with the [[Style Showdown]] themes.
*'''NC Mall Summer Shop''' - Yellow Xweetok shopkeeper: sells summer related items, some that retire when the shop closes.
*'''NC Mall Superpack Shop''' - [[Shadow]] [[Mynci]] shopkeeper: sells collections of items that belong to an individual set at discount prices. Usually one item in each pack is only available if the entire set is purchased.
*'''NC Mall Thought Bubbles Shop''' - Brown Usul shopkeeper: sells tiny thought bubbles that reveal a Neopet's inner most feelings.
*'''NC Mall Trinket Shop''' - Yellow [[Elephante]] shopkeeper: sells items that are shown alongside the Neopets, instead of worn directly.
*'''NC Mall Valentines Shop''' - [[Chocolate]] Kacheek shopkeeper: opens only around Valentines Day and sells items relating to love, hearts, and the colour pink in general.
*'''NC Mall [[Virtupets Space Station|Virtupets]] Shop''' - [[Blue]] [[Grundo]] shopkeeper: opened in conjunction with the [[The Return of Dr. Sloth]] plot.
*'''NC Mall Winter Shop''' - Yellow [[Aisha]] shopkeeper: opens during the winter months and sells winter related (e.g. snow) items.
*'''10th Birthday NC Mall Shop''' - Yellow Usul shopkeeper: opened in honour of Neopets 10th birthday.

==Controversy==
When the NC Mall first opened, items would expire in 180 days and many users disliked the idea of paying real money for something that would be taken away in 6 months. Since then none of the NC items on the site can expire, with the obvious exception of one-use items like game tickets and Mystery Capsules (which disappear after being opened). The NC [[NeoBoard]] occasionally has topics made by those protesting the idea of buying items with real currency as opposed to [[Neopoints]], stating that it breaks the promise that Neopets will be a free site.

==Trivia==
*During the official opening of the NC Mall, the image link in Neopia Central had animated flood lights and a giant float of the Green Scorchio as a large line strung out from the shops entrance.
*The most expensive item to buy from the NC Mall is the ''Down With NC Flag'', pricing at 5000 NC points, while the cheapest is ''I Heart NC Flag'', priced at 25 NC. This is an obvious joke on the part of [[The Neopets Team]], requiring users who want to proclaim their dislike of the NC Mall to buy the most expensive item.
*Category and images descriptions were added to the item categories on September 15, 2007, in order to better explain their content to users.
*On September 18, 2007, the NC Mall became available to English users in [[Wikipedia:Singapore|Singapore]], [[Wikipedia:Australia|Australia]], the [[Wikipedia:United Kingdom|United Kingdom]] and other countries.
*A [http://www.neopets.com/mall/giveaway.phtml special giveaway] for Neocash Cards began on October 17, 2007.

==External links==
*[http://ncmall.neopets.com/mall/shop.phtml NC Mall - ''Main'']
*[http://www.neopets.com/s/index.phtml?cat_id=51 Neopets FAQ - ''NC Mall'']
*[http://ncmall.neopets.com/mall/splash.phtml Neocash Card Info]
*'''Selected Fansites:''' [http://sunnyneo.com/ncmall.php Sunnyneo - NC Mall Beta]
*'''Selected Petpages:''' [http://www.neopets.com/~sarika_ambrielle sarika_ambrielle]

[[Category:Neopets Terminology]]
[[Category:Shops]]
[[Category:Neopets Extensions]]
[[Category:NC Mall|*]]

Staff of Alhasutek

2010-11-11T22:23:06Z

92.25.58.180:

[[Image:Staff of Alhasutek.PNG|right|frame|The Staff of Alhasutek]]

The '''Staff of Alhasutek''' is a powerful magical weapon that featured in the [[Brucey B and the Lucky Coin]] plot, taken from the ''Great Pyramid'' - later called the ''Gebmid'' - in the [[Lost Desert]] by [[Dr. Frank Sloth]].

According to the plot, it was lost for thousands of years and became a thing of legend. Dr. Sloth clearly knew about it: he looked particularly for the staff when he raided the treasure trove, and recognised the value of [[Brucey B]]'s coin as soon as he saw it.

It is featured in the [[Elite Boutique]] [[Neocash]] item ''Dr Sloths Staff''.

==The powers of the Staff==
The Staff of Alhasutek showed demonstrated several powers during its brief use by Dr. Sloth. He used the staff to disfigure [[Princess Fernypoo]] and [[Capara]], turned the two [[Neopet]]s into a hag and [[Wadjet|a snake]] respectively. These transformations appear to be directly related to the characters fears, but whether the Staff detected this and acted accordingly or Dr. Sloth knew these fears and used the staff to apply them - if the latter, it begs the question as to how he knew, and if the staff may have supplied him with this knowledge - is not known.

The staff also created the [[Rock Beast]], the ''boss'' character of the war, and Dr. Sloth seemed to believe it could reanimate it.

When broken at the end of the plot, the staff released counter spells that restored its disfigurations.

==Etymology==
The origin of the name ''Alhasutek'' is unknown. It does not appear to be an anagram for anything with significance, and it is only mentioned in relation to the staff twice - both occasions in Brucey B's letter to the [[Neopian]] population.

One theory relates to [[Sutek]], the [[Geb]] in whose honour the Great Gebmid was built. The Great Gebmid was designed to house Sutek's riches, and it would appear that the Staff of Alhasutek was found among these. The latter part of the name, therefore, may have some relation to its storing.

Sutek was a kind Geb, however, so it may be possible that the phrase ''sutek'' means friendly, or similar, and that ''alha'' would contradict this, hence, roughly, the ''Staff of Fears''. This conforms to what magic the staff has been witnessed to perform.

==External Links==
*[http://www.neopets.com/desert/recruit.phtml Brucey B's letter, ''Something Must Be Done!'']

[[Category: Items]]
[[Category: Brucey B and the Lucky Coin]]

NeoDex - User contributions [en]

NC Mall

Staff of Alhasutek