Poptropica: Poptropolis Games 2013!

Earlier in 2013, I posted about Poptropica's new island, "Poptropolis Games," sinking back into the ocean once again. (Read my post on it here.) Everyone was devastated to hear that the new island was no longer playable.

Until recently, the Poptropica Creators have announced that the Poptropolis Games are coming back! "How though?" you ask. "I thought it rises every 100 years and it's only been 10 months!" It does rise every 100 years, my dear reader, but the Creators have found a way to rise it earlier.

We. Dig.

That's right. Every Poptropican is going to keep digging until the games can rise once again. You can go dig now by going to Poptropica and clicking where Poptropolis island once was. You don't dig very much but you can go down and dig as many times as your heart desires. Even though it sounds tedious and difficult, there's a prize to digging. Every time you dig, your Poptropolis tribe receives a point. Whichever tribe has the most points will be honored in Main Street once the games rise again. So go dig.

So if we can keep digging, we can raise the games back again in early by 99 years!... That seems a little risky but if we can raise the games, I don't think I can complain. (I feel like things are going to go out of balance but we can fix it... right?)

There's a trailer for Poptropolis Games 2013 as well. Check it out! (If you haven't already.):

As you can see, once we raise the island, there's going to be 2 new competitions: Volcano Race and Octopus Volleyball. With two new events, that allows even more chances to compete and find a new favorite event?

Well, the Games should be coming back before 2014 so be excited for that! Other than the new events, look forward to the music, sounds, and bigger screen in Poptropolis Games 2013!
Until next time,
~Speedy Wing~

Poptropica: "Create Your Dream Island" Contest (Information and Tips)

It's time to make your dreams come true! For all you creative people out there, it's time to get your thinking caps on.

We all have our favorite island(s) but sometimes, it's not enough. There's always an island you'd like to play but you know it's not going to happen. Well, now it's your chance to make your dream island come true! The Grand Prize winner will have their idea created into a real playable Poptropica Island! (The 10 runner-ups and grand prize winner will receive a full set of Poptropica Books.)

A great way to get started is to buy the Island Creator Kit which offers great tips on how the creators create the islands. Using the kit, you can have a better idea on how to create your own island. But, for those of you who are on a tight budget (like yours truly) then you need to start from scratch. Even if you don't purchase the kit, you can still enter the contest! I'll give you some tips on how to create your own island without the guide later in the post.

Before you start creating, you should probably know the details...
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Important Information

The contest is for ages 8-12 and residents of the fifty (50) United States of America and The District of Columbia.

You need to print out the official entry form, fill it out, and send it to the mailing address on or by December 24, 2013 and the entry needs to be received on or by December 31, 2013.

Everything has to be original. People want a Hunger Games, Harry Potter, Star Wars, etc. island. The reason why Poptropica hasn't used ideas and characters? Copyright. Unless Poptropica has permission, they cannot use these characters created by someone else. If it has anything copyrighted, then the chance of it becoming an island is most likely impossible. Even Captain Crawfish said so:

"No licensed properties

Believe us, we'd love to make an Island in which Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen team up to fight Darth Vader. But it's not up to us. Other people own those properties. For this contest, we can't use existing characters, stories, or fictional worlds -- period. So make sure that everything in your entry is an original idea!"

 (I have to admit, it would be pretty interesting to see Harry Potter and Katniss Everdeen team up to fight Darth Vader.)

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Tips From Crawfish

Before I tell you my tips, the Captain Crawfish posted a few hints on how to make your entry stand out:

"A setting we've never done before

It might sound simple, but one of the very best ways to get our attention is to set your Island in a place we've never done before. Sometimes that's all it takes for us to get excited about an idea. Even if you have a great story, if it's set in Old Japan or on the moon, we'd probably pass. But if it's somewhere new, we'll be interested. Look for something that's never been done on Poptropica!

An interesting time period

Another way to catch our attention is to look into the distant past, or the far future. For instance, when we were writing Mystery Train, we started with the idea of a mystery story set on a moving train, but it wasn't until we decided to place it in a historical moment -- the 1893 World's Fair -- that the whole thing came together. The when of your story may be as important as the where.

A twist on a familiar tale

We like genre stories. That's why we often start with time-honored premises: a Wild West story, or a vampire story. But try to figure out what makes your idea different. For instance, Astro-Knights Island mashed up two familiar genres -- knights and aliens -- to make something new and original." 

Take these hints into HUGE consideration. These 3 things are probably what the judges are looking for.
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My Tips

Here are my tips on how to create an island:

Brainstorm
Write down every idea you have. It doesn't matter if they sound crazy. Write it down in case your first idea doesn't quite work. It's always good to have many ideas so you have a variety of choices. The more, the merrier! Remember, it's okay if they don't work out. It's all part of the process.

Use different references
If you are ever stuck on something, try to think back on your favorite island(s). What made your favorite island fun? Do you want it to be challenging with bosses? Was there a feature that you really loved in one island and you want to do the same in yours? Using previous islands as a reference is great to get more ideas but remember to try to be creative as well!

Doesn't Hercules look fabulous?

Do some research
If you are going to do a twist or time period, you probably should do some research. Could you imagine if Mythology Island had Medusa turn people pink instead of stone and if Poseidon was the King of dirt instead of the sea? Know your subject so you can make it accurate. You don't want to confuse the judges (unless you want your island to be inaccurate.)

*I have not looked at the kit so if these tips are in the kit, it was unintentional.

That's all the tips I have BUT if you have questions, I'll be happy to help! (Just comment and I'll see what I can do.)
Good luck to all those participating in the contest!
~Speedy Wing~

This contest has already ended, but please be free to comment what you would have submitted if you could.
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Credits:

Poptropica: New Look for Speedy Wing?

As time passes... people change. That goes the same for Poptropicans.

So if you haven't noticed, I --Speedy Wing-- has a new look. It's really different from my previous look but you can kinda tell it's still me.

Before:

After:

To be honest, the change seems so realistic. There's the look when I was 11/12 and then there's the look when I'm 14/15... It kinda shows that I'm "older" than my previous look.

So... I guess my look changed a lot but I did keep SOME things the same/similar. I think the newer look matches me though. (Expect change to banner/logo soon!) 

What do you think of my new look? Do you like it or prefer the old one? Comment to tell me!

~Speedy Wing~

Poptropica: Bye bye, Poptropolis!

You've seen it and you've heard it. The Poptropolis Games disappeared on January 24, 2013. The biggest question is... why? Earlier last month, there have been signs of seismic activities. Then, last week, there was water covering the island. Finally, the island sank back into the ocean.

I've seen many many people arguing and saying that the Creators are removing the island because they don't have enough money or because they are cruel.

In my perspective, it was planned all this time. In the island tour, they stated that the island rises every 100 years for a competition. When an island rises, it's gotta sink back, right?! If not, we would've discovered it years ago! An island that rose out of the ocean, cannot just stay there after so many centuries of sinking and rising.

It's also a nice twist to Poptropica. There are tons of islands being added each year and they've always been available. This just makes it so that it's kinda a "limited time" island. Makes me kinda want to visit Poptropica more often too.

Now, don't get me wrong. I really am sad about Poptropolis being gone and no longer being about to compete but... this is supposed to happen and I can't do anything to stop it. At least we have the spirit of the tribes!!

When will the island rise again? Probably not 100 human years. Maybe in four years when the next summer Olympics come? Or maybe even in two years? Either way, when it rises, the tribes shall conquer once again! And maybe for a special treat, the Captain can give tips on how to beat the games? (Speaking of the Captain... I wonder where he's been.)

So, don't blame the Creators for taking away such a great island. IT SHALL RISE AGAIN!
~Speedy Wing~

Poptropica: The Games are Sinking?!

You've probably already heard it... But Poptropolis Games is sinking.

In May 2012, the Poptropicans discovered this mysterious island. It was said that this mysterious island was where the ancient capital was. Each hundred years, the island rises from the sea and holds a tribal competition.

A few weeks ago, I visited Poptropolis Games to check out how the current competitors were doing. (Read about it here.) The only occurrence was the seismic activity which threw off the competitors' balance. Now, water is rising along with shaking.

I interviewed an enthusiastic competitor in hopes of winning for the Nanobots:

Wing: The Poptropolis Games are beginning to sink. How do you feel about it?
Nanobots Representative: Disappointed, more than anything. I've always wanted to compete in the games and here's my chance! I really want to represent the Nanobots well but I've never practiced with random shaking. 

Wing: Is this random shaking making things more difficult?
Nanobots Representative: Yes. It is extremely dangerous too. It's only occurred once but one of the competitors last week messed up during his turn at archery. He completely missed the target an almost hit a spectator because of the shaking. 

Wing: Yikes. That sounds horrible. What about the water rising?
Nanobots Representative: I don't have too much of a problem with that but things are definitely more muddy. At least I can still compete! 

Wing: In a few weeks, Poptropolis Games will completely sink. Your thoughts?
Nanobots Representative: Well, I'm not really sure. I know I will get to compete so at least I will get the experience... but others can't compete until another 100 years! I feel kinda bad that is can't stay any longer but it's supposed to happen, right? 

Wing: I guess so. Well, before this interview ends, any last thoughts?
Nanobots Representative: I'll do my best to win this for the Nanobots, no matter what!

So, I guess even with the island sinking, there is still a chance at competing for your tribe. The water level is slowly rising though, so you better go compete now if you haven't!

It's an experience you'll never forget... I was glad to represent the Seraphims...

Your sad victor,
~Speedy Wing~

Poptropolis is doomed?!

This Speedy Wing here at Poptropolis Island. Earlier today, Mews Corp. reported an occurrence of this island seismic activity and I'm here to check it out.

So far, there isn't any damage to the Poptropolis Ruins but some competitors are having a difficult time participating in the games. I interviewed a member of the Pathfinders to hear their opinion. "It's been hard competing with all this shaking going on. This won't stop the Pathfinders from winning these games though!"

I stayed to watch a few of the games and at least one of the competitors messed up during their competition. The shaking made archer even harder to hit the target. It made it harder for those throwing the javelins to not lose their balance. The weightlifting is twice as hard since everything is off balance.

All of Poptropolis is hoping this won't last for long.
This is Speedy Wing, signing off. Please make sure to tune to the Hideout to get more updates on what's going on here in Poptropolis.

~Speedy Wing~

Greetings from Fort Ridley

Hi there, I'm back!  Well, not quite.  Err, that is, sort of.
...
Okay, let me explain:
Just before school started, I got a chance to go onto Poptropica and visit some of the new islands.  Once school started, I've managed my time well enough to pop on once in a while (though for much shorter time periods).  I checked out the Poptropica Friends page, added the Pop. creators to my friends list, played Poptropolis Games, Wimpy Boardwalk, the then-demo for Lunar Colony, discovered that Legendary Swords had been released for all to complete, and found out that the Hideout moved over here.  Then after reading a post on the Poptropica creator's blog that hypothesized whether anyone would succeed in placing first in each Poptropolis event, I determined to set the record.  After lots of practice and some frustration, I finally did it!  (Okay, the first half of that sentence was an understatement.)  The score I showed for the previous trilogy of posts was doctored up for the story, so here's my real score:

Well, I asked Petpet if I could write a trilogy post describing my experience, and a post on tips and tricks for winning each event on Poptropolis Games.  When she said yes, I got set up over here and started working a little bit on the trilogy whenever I could.  That was all before school started up, and now I just have enough time to work on a post a little bit at a time when I have something to say.  That's why I said that I'm only "sort of" back.  ...So...that's that.
...
...
...
Why are you staring at me like that?

No.  You wouldn't be interested.

No, I'm sure you really wouldn't be.

You are?

Well, if you insist.  Okay, so I started off on a theme with outer space because Lunar Colony was the newest island at the time I started writing the "trilogy."  (Yes it's taken me that long to get it done.)  To keep the titles interesting and on theme, I referenced Star Wars movies IV, V, and VI with the titles "A New Hope," "The Empire Strikes Back," and "The Return of the Jedi."

Yeah, if you thought those sounded familiar then you were right.  Now stop interrupting me.  I also wanted to pull in Legendary Swords, because when I logged in I discovered that if was no longer "Free+" but "Free," thus it was still rather new to me.  (You know what I mean by Free and Free+ right?  Good.)  Now, on a slightly different note (I'll tie it in in a sec.), when I tried to get first in each event for Poptropolis, it took me a ton of practice tries.  Finally I was at a point were I got quite a bit accomplished, but I got just a tad bit too careless trying to get it done by the end of that day (remember this was before school started), and messed it all up.  So I had to start all over again.  It was at that point when I really started to fail and I couldn't get many successes.  Frustrated, I finally gave up and called it quits for the day.  Then, the next day, I did great!  Within a few hours I had finished it all with a perfect score!  Okay, back to the story.  At first, I wanted to work into the story how Seagull slowly started to fail and do worse and worse until he found out the problem was that the forces of E. Vile were against him, and once he defeated E. Vile's army, he suddenly did much better.  Well, I decided that would take far too long to describe, so I shortened it to what you read.  ...Not to mention that I wasn't sure how to write the original version without using phrases like "refreshing the webpage" and "restarting the island."

Yeah, I agree.

Yeah, definitely, that wouldn't have worked at all.  ANYWAYS, if you'll let me continue, I'll wrap up real quick and let you get back to...um...whatever that object is that you were tinkering with over there.  The escape of the captain and his surprise at reaching Poptroica at the start of "A New Hope" represented me being surprised I had time to go on after this long.  The games semi-represented my working at winning Poptropolis Island, and the "crystalline wall" represents where you picked up Legendary Swords after it was opened to the public, that is, if you had previously completed as much as possible while LS was still Free+.  Also, the launch sequence for the rocket at the end of "The Return of the Jedi" is actually a reference to our space shuttle program.  I felt the launch sequence I used would work because the Poptropica space program is rather different from the real space program, and since the PASE rocket was not representing the original Apollo missions, but rather a time dominated by the Space Shuttle era in the real world, I figured the development in launch sequencing for PASE would be more directly related to NASA's Space Shuttle launch sequence than their Apollo launch sequence.
Okay, now to break a couple of would-be myths: when I wrote about the oxygen tank explosion, I had no idea that it could be a reference to the damage to the fuel tank of the rocket for Lunar Colony, because the island had not been released for non-members when I wrote that, nor did I realize that my reference to the asteroid belt could be foreshadowing the island's plot line as well.  Additionally, who's Little Clam???  Well, he's not really a character I know, and he's just what writers like to call a "stock character," that is, someone who does not change in the story.  Finally, what in the world is a "Luxceler?"  Well, simply put, I made it up.  To go into more detail, however, "lux" is Latin for "light," and "celer" is Latin for "speed," thus together you get a "scientific" term for "lightspeed."  You may have heard of a derivative or two for "lux": lucid, translucent, luminous.  I'm certain you've heard of acceleration and deceleration.  Those are derivatives of "celer."
Well, that's a small look into what some of the things in the "trilogy" mean and where some of them came from, and I hope you enjoyed the story!

Huh?  Say what?

Oh, I'm sorry, thanks for reminding me.  I did ask Petpet if I could write a post about tips and tricks for Poptropolis Games Island, and I still plan on writing it.  However, I'm going to be taking the PSAT on the 17th, and I don't want to go "brain dead" working on the computer.  So, with this I'm going to sign off on writing until after I take the PSAT.  See ya then!

(P.S.  For those of you who know me from the Poptropica Secrets Forum...er, I guess most of you do...I'm sorry, but I won't be coming back there, because of time.  There is just so much to do on the forum, and so much that I'd get wrapped up into by my own accord.  I wouldn't have time to say much more than hi, so it wouldn't really be worth it.  Besides, any role-plays I joined now would go really slowly if I were to be able to keep up with them. :p  Something you should also know is that when I was on the forum, I really didn't have as much time as I spent there, and I don't want that to happen again.  I'm really not supposed to go on anymore anyway.  Still, I'll be here though!)

The Return of the Jedi

...CONTINUING FROM: "THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK"

Turning around, Speedy Wing set out running to find the captain.
"What's the rush?" the official called out.
"Excuse me, I've got to go see someone," she told the official.
Setting down the cage, the official replied unconcernedly, "Oh, um, okay."
As she began to set off again, she over heard the official remark cluelessly, "I wonder why it was carrying a packet of arsenic?"  Speedy checked her step, but then continued.  She knew that she had to tell Cpt. Seagull, yet she didn't know if it would do any good.  What if he wasn't well enough to go?  What if he would never be well enough to go?  What if whatever was afflicting him was fatal?
Fortunately, when she arrived at the doctor's tent, she found her "what-ifs" to be unfounded, for the doctor allowed her in and she found Busy Seagull sitting upright on the edge of a cot, drinking some water.  Explaining, the doctor told her that Busy had suffered from a case of food poisoning, but ipecac had eventually restored his health.  In turn, Speedy Wing informed Seagull about the captured robot.  He mulled the information over through his head.
"You said you thought you saw the thing fly past you from the direction of my bench?" Busy asked.
"Yes."
"Hmmm."
"Why 'hmmm?'"
"Well, I was thinking.  The robot probably put poisoning in my food before lunch, and that's why I began to feel poorly when I walked out to the field.  Then it probably put poisoning into my bottle before I went over to drink from it and then hid itself to wait for a better opportunity to make its escape.  E. Vile probably sent it to track me down, poison me, and do him a dual favor: get rid of his enemy and escaped prisoner, and get rid of a major obstacle to his domination of Poptropica.  Where's my sword?"
"Its in your locker, where you left it," Speedy Wing answered.
"Okay, thanks.  Hey,  watch what you eat and drink.  You don't know if there are more of those messenger robots around.  Keep a sharp lookout for any."
"I will."
"Hey!  Where do you think you're going?" cried the doctor.
"I'm going to fight.  I'll be okay; I've recovered sufficiently."  Ducking outside the tent, Captain Seagull disappeared.
.....................................................................
"Is my spaceship finished?"
"Yes, it is," answered the officer.  "Where are you going?"
"I have...unfinished business to take care of."
"Don't take too long.  Remember, you have to be back at PASE in thirty-eight hours, when we will have lift-off."
"I know."

.....................................................................

Reaching the place where the crystalline wall had been, Captain Seagull encountered a fierce robot that threw boulders around.  Ducking often, he finally managed to hack it in two with his sword.  A messenger robot simultaneously exited it---it must have been controlling the larger robot from an internal cockpit.  As it flew away, a new sword appeared out of nowhere.  Taking it cautiously, Seagull turned it over in his hands.  It practically shivered with energy.  Sheathing his cutlass, he next cut the air several times with the mysterious sword and then tried to slice off a somewhat-large branch that grew nearby.  It was a clean cut.  "This ought to do the trick!" the sea captain exclaimed to himself.  "Forward, to victory!"  Forward he did indeed go, and victory was indeed his, even when the messenger robot warned a laser-eyed fiend.  At last he came to the end of the vast arena in which the robot army lived and stumbled across a gargantuan robot which for some reason was not powered on.  Then the messenger robot which had left the boulder-throwing pile of metal and warned the laser-eyed monster entered the gargantuan mass and turned it on.  As might be expected from such a titan, the force with which the thing attacked was literally quite stunning, yet the wily sea captain leapt out of the way.  Consequently, the ensuing battle was long and drawn-out with each side having difficulty getting at the other.  Finally, a glancing blow from Seagull's new sword struck the power box on the robot's belt, destroying the robot's power system.  Looking up, Busy Seagull watched a space ship similar to a flying saucer descend from the sky.  It opened up and showed a hologram of E. Vile.
"Well, well!  It looks like Poptropica has a new protector."
"Yeah...new."
"You're starting to become a real thorn in my side.  Give up while you still can!"

"Never!  Give up?  You've got to be kidding.  Not now!  Not after you've made me prisoner, not after you've tried to invade Poptropica, my homeland, not after I've come this far!  Now come and face me yourself!" Busy Seagull retaliated.
"You may have delayed my plans, but the invasion of Poptropica will still come to pass!"
"Not if I can help it!  Turn about fair play is all I have to say to you. You hate me because I ruined your plans.  Well, I'll tell you this: I'll ruin them again if that's what it takes to save Poptropica from your clutches!  When I find you, I'll stop you and your entire robot army!"
"Is that a threat?" the hologram quietly queried.
"No.  That is a promise."
"Brave words, hero, but you'll live to regret them.  You haven't heard the last of me!" E. Vile responded, lingering tauntingly on the word "hero."
"I'm sure I haven't," Seagull muttered as the hologram took off.  "I'll find you E. Vile."
.....................................................................
Back on Poptropolis Island, with 23 hours left before lift-off:

Crowding around the blimp that had brought Busy Seagull back to Poptropolis after he had landed his private spacecraft, the crowds who had come to watch the games now wanted Seagull to relate his story about defeating E. Vile's army, for word had leaked out to the public.  Forced to speak, the victorious captain merely replied to their questions, "E. Vile wanted to invade Poptropica with an army of robots.  Now that threat is eliminated.  My friends made it possible, not I.  Let us now continue with the games in celebration of victory!"  After six more hours of practice, the events officially started off, and two hours later, not one, but two clear winners had emerged.  For the first time ever in the history of Poptropica, two contestants had tied for first place after competing in nine separate--and grueling--events!  The victors: Cpt. Busy Seagull of the Pathfinders and Speedy Wing of the Seraphim.  The entire island was buzzing with the news.

For the first time ever in the history of Poptropica, two contestants had tied for first place after competing in nine separate, grueling events.




"Cpt. Busy Seagull, how did you and Speedy Wing manage to tie, not only overall, but also in each event?" the reporter from Skullduggery Island, Petpet, asked.
"Well, I think it was because we've known each other for some time now, and when we practiced, we practiced together.  No one else I know did that.  That's all I can explain."
"Speedy Wing, what about you?  Why do you think you two tied?"
"I honestly don't know. We've always been fierce competitors and we knew that this competition would be close. Either way, I'm glad that we both tied."
After Speedy Wing finished, Busy Seagull addressed the reporter, "Excuse me, although I would love to stay and chat, I have an appointment with PASE, and I must take my leave."
"Oh, okay, Busy Seagull.  Thanks for your time."
.....................................................................
Back at PASE, after preparing for launch:

"...43...42...41...," boomed on the loudspeakers as the rocket prepared for lift-off. 
Meanwhile, inside the control center, the technicians finished their checklist:
"...GO FOR AUTO SEQUENCE"
"CHECK."
"ARM CUT OFF.  INITIATE RSL5.  ORB VENT DOOR SE9 START."
"CHECK."
"...13...12...11...10..."
"10 SECONDS."
"FREE HYDROGEN BURN OFF SYSTEM IGNITION.  GO FOR MAIN ENGINE START."
"CHECK."
"9...8...7..."
"MAIN ENGINE 3 START COMMAND.
MAIN ENGINE 2 START COMMAND.
MAIN ENGINE 1 START COMMAND."
Increasingly, the fiery booster rockets expelled more and more power.  At five seconds the rocket shivered with energy.
"...4...3...2...1..."
"IGNITION"
"And we have lift-off!!!"

 The arms that held the rocket upright peeled back one by one as the rocket slowly pushed itself off from the earth's surface.  Quickly now it gained speed, and in a few minutes it was out of view.  Free as a bird, the rocket rushed upward, upward, ever upward as it ascended into space.  Although Captain Seagull and other private space venturers would certainly continue their more simple explorations and private missions, this was PASE's last mission.  While, there was much to learn before success could be realized, the clean lift-off seemed like a good omen for ultimate success.

The Empire Strikes Back

...CONTINUING FROM: "A NEW HOPE"

"You're late."

"You're late," the coordinator announced as Seagull disembarked the blimp.
"I came as soon as I could.  I almost didn't even get to come this early."
"Hmph.  Well, let's hurry up and get started.  You'll probably want to spend a lot of time practicing anyway, so let's not waste any more time," the coordinator replied stonily.  Turning to the masses, the coordinator began to announce the start of the Poptropolis Games.
"Don't mind him," a small voice behind Busy Seagull spoke up.
"Who are you?"
"I'm the representative of the Nanobot tribe, my name is Little Clam.  Don't mind the coordinator, he'll forget all about it soon."
"Okay, thanks.  My name is-"
Little Clam cut him off with a smile, "Your name is Busy Seagull, you captain a ship on the high seas, and you are one of the great heroes of Poptropica.  I know.  Here."
"What's this?"
"It's a program with the names, occupations, and tribe designations of all the contestants."
"Oh...so that's how you know about me."
Grinning, Little Clam replied, "Uh huh.  I've got to go practice now, see ya 'round, okay?"
"Okay." As Seagull glanced down at the program, one name suddenly jumped out at him: Speedy Wing.  He couldn't believe his eyes! Apparently, she was the representative for Seraphim.
"Looking for someone?"
Busy Seagull, engrossed in his thoughts, was startled and swiftly swiveled around on his heel to see who had surprised him. "Wha-? Oh, hi, Speedy Wing."
"Jeesh, don't do that!  Hi, Busy Seagull."
"Sorry.  What brings you here?"
"Same thing that brings you here, silly," Speedy replied.  "Com'on, we've better start practicing.  Which event are you going to start with?"
"Um, I guess I'll start with the hurdles."
.....................................................................
Four hours later, twelve minutes after lunch break:

Determinedly, Busy Seagull prepared for the jump.  This was his first long jump after having lunch, so he was rested and he thought that he would do rather well.  Four hours of practice had helped immensely to bring back the old skills that his father had taught him when Busy was a young boy.  (Every Poptropican was required to train in the art of Poptropolissian athletics for some amount of time.)  As he walked up to the beginning of the track, however, he felt rather strange.  Feeling lightheaded, he assumed the heat of the island was getting to him, so he walked back to his bench to take a swig of water from his sports bottle.  Taking his place again, he started down the track on a strong sprint, yet before he neared the foul line, Busy Seagull felt his legs give way as he unexpectedly fell headlong on the track.  As she was next to practice, Speedy Wing noticed what happened and grabbed an official.
"Are you alright?" Speedy Wing asked as the two ran up.
"I don't feel good.  I feel strangely lightheaded, and my legs won't support me."
"We'll take care of this," the official replied.  Calling over another official, the two officials helped Seagull up and took him over to the doctor's tent.
"Well, what caused that?" Speedy Wing wondered.  Unfortunately, there was little she could do, so she made ready for her own jump.  As she got ready to start, Speedy noticed something out of the corner of her eye that looked like a silver bird, but when she looked, it was gone.  "How odd.  Something fishy is going on around here."
.....................................................................
Meanwhile, Little Clam was trying to polish his skills at javelin.  A tiny flying robot flew past him and hid itself under the shield of a nearby statue.

A tiny flying robot flew past him and hid itself under the shield of a nearby statue.

Curious, Little Clam went over to look at it.  As soon as he tried to get a glimpse, however, the little piece of metal flew off.  It moved quickly but Little Clam was a fast runner.  Chasing it down, Little Clam captured it in his hands and examined it. "I should probably show this to an official," he reasoned.
"What do you have there?"  One of the officials in fact had been watching and wanted to know what was going on.
"Oh, I was just about to get you.  It looks like some sort of robot...  Ouch!  It's feisty too!"
.....................................................................
Spreading like wildfire, the news that a flying robot had been captured caused quite a hubbub.  No one knew what to make of it.  Certainly, they found this news more interesting than that about the athlete who had fallen ill during training.  By now, Speedy Wing had gotten wind of it, and things were starting to come together for her.  Still, she had to see the thing before making a final conclusion.
Walking up to the crowd, she asked, "Where is it?  May I see it?"
"Why, of course," the official in charge replied.
Although it had been put in a cage and was trying desperately to escape, there was no mistaking it for one of the messenger drones of E. Vile's invasion force.  Years ago, Speedy Wing, Captain Busy Seagull, and several other Poptropicans had chanced upon a planet that showed signs of violent activity.  Checking it out, they found wild animals fleeing for their lives and an army of robots training for an invasion of Poptropica.  Drawing their swords, the adventurers had wrecked havoc among the robot army and obliterated them...until they ran across a mysterious transparent "wall" of sorts which kept them from pressing farther.  Fortunately, it also prevented the robot army behind it from attacking Poptropica.  Since then, they had found out that the army of robots belonged to one "E. Vile," who, after learning about the destruction of a great deal of his army, made every effort to destroy the mysterious crystalline wall and free the rest of his army.  No one knew how the wall had gotten there.  However, the appearance of the messenger robot could only mean one thing: the wall was down and Poptropica was once more in danger.  Someone had to go and fight the invasion army before it left its planet.  Only one of those original adventurers still carried a sword, and that was Captain Busy Seagull.  Sure, Speedy Wing still had her sword, but she hadn't needed it, and so through lack of practice had lost some of her skill.  On the other hand, Busy Seagull always carried his sword, because his life on Skullduggery Island depended on it.  Thus, the sea captain had to be the one to fight such a dangerous mission.  Yet he was ill, and there was no telling what might happen to him.

 TO BE CONTINUED...

A New Hope

"Descent from Luxceler 25 to Mach 16 in T-minus 48 seconds."  The computerized voice crackled over the command speaker as Cpt. Busy Seagull pushed a button to check his stats.  Several days ago E. Vile's drones had captured his spaceship as Seagull was trying to establish communications between Poptropica and a lost Galactic Fighter.  Now Seagull was being escorted to E. Vile's home planet.  For safety, the drones had removed his navigation system in order to deter him from escaping.  On the way to E. Vile's headquarters, Cpt. Seagull kept a vigilant eye out for a method of escape, but without his navigating system, he could not think of one.  "Descent in T-minus 15 seconds."  Grabbing his controller, he prepared to engage the Hyper Molecular Decelerator, which would slow him down from Luxceler 25 (or twenty-five times the speed of light) to Mach 16 (or sixteen times the speed of sound in dry air--the Mach unit had recently been standardized for inter-galactic use). Suddenly, a terrible explosion rocked the craft, causing an emergency warning light to begin flashing wildly!  O-Tank 2 (an oxygen tank) had been ripped apart, puncturing O-Tank 1 and destroying his rear rocket ignition system in the process!  Meanwhile, the blast caused the craft swerve from its course and head away from his destination.  Leaving his slow-witted drone guards wondering what happened, memories of stories he had heard about Apollo 13 ran through his head--miraculously, Apollo 13 had survived when one of their oxygen tanks exploded thanks to the work of the scientists at PASE, the unwavering minds of the crew, and the guiding hand of Providence--however, he only had three minutes of oxygen left, had no idea where he was headed, and was hurtling sideways through space at 25x the speed of light to who-knows-where.  At least he had achieved his wish of escaping the guards, but for what?  "Abort descent to Mach 16," Seagull told the computer.  Slowly turning the ship around from its sideways position, he slowed his breath, trying to conserve oxygen, and prayed. 

Upon opening his eyes, he noticed several specks in the distance rapidly growing larger.  Looking through his on-board telescope, he spotted several spinning planets, among which was Poptropica!  He still had a chance!  If he could just reach Poptropica before running out of oxygen, he could make it.  Using his telescope, he set his sights on his home planet as he prepared to descend from light speed.  Carefully, he made adjustments with the tiny side rockets that hadn't failed him...yet.  Hovering his finger over the button that auto-set the descent time by computing the distance to the destination, he heard a voice in his head saying, "Trust your instincts.  You only have one chance to hit it right before being sucked into the giant sun just lightminutes from your destination.  If the computer misses, it will take less than 10 seconds for you to reach that flaming fireball given your speed, and you can't change your direction.  Control the Hyper Molecular Decelerator yourself." 

"If the computer misses, it will take less than 10 seconds for you to reach that flaming fireball given your speed"

Swallowing hard, Seagull shifted the craft into manual mode and held his finger over the HMD button.  A familiar, tiny, icy blue planet whizzed passed his window.  Two more, much larger planets flew past.  A light, dusty yellow planet with tilted rings quickly grew in his window and then disappeared behind him.  Formidable looking, an immense red striped planet with a giant swirling spot towered over Busy Seagull before following the ringed planet.  Because of his super-light speed, he did not even noticed the asteroid belt.  Fortunately the asteroids had cooperated for once.  Then a small, dusty red planet approached, but it did not linger either.  Finally, his view of his destination was unobstructed.  During the last twenty-eight seconds, Cpt. Seagull had been making tiny adjustments to his direction.  In approximately T-minus five seconds, he would decelerate the voyager to sub-light speed and log his final few hundred thousand miles to safety.

As the beautiful blue marble-looking planet rapidly grew larger and larger, Seagull looked down at his oxygen tank reading.

As the beautiful blue marble-looking planet rapidly grew larger and larger, Seagull looked down at his oxygen tank reading.  It only had a little under a minute and a half's supply of oxygen left, and it was still leaking.  The timing had to be just right... 

"Hold...hold...now!" Busy Seagull thought to himself.  The decelerator engaged immediately as he pushed the button, and suddenly the spacecraft slowed down to a careful crawl at Mach 32.  Quickly, Cpt. Seagull engaged the turbo heat shield for quick entry.  Flipping a switch, Seagull sealed off the damaged section from the cabin after pumping the remaining air into the cabin; that way when the damaged section was destroyed during reentry the rest of the ship would remain intact.  The globular mass was not growing so quickly now.  Silently, the ship sped towards the planet's atmosphere.  1.2 seconds later, the craft entered the atmosphere, travelling at Mach 32 with 58 seconds of oxygen left.

.....................................................................

Landing on the airfield, Busy Seagull took a deep breath of fresh air as he opened the vent ports.  The two fighter jets that had escorted him to that particular airport also landed, and an officer with an armed company of soldiers stood ready to recieve him.

"Welcome back, Captain!  We've been wondering what happened to you.  We will fix up your craft as fast as possible, but in the meantime..."
.....................................................................

"PASE" read the sign.

"PASE" read the sign.  Finally it had happened.  Poptropica Academy of Space Exploration had been slowly decaying over the years, because no one was really interested.  Lately they weren't even able to train their astronauts sufficiently, and the one currently in the cockpit waiting for lift-off had a bad case of butterflies.  He would need to be replaced...quickly...and the captain who sailed the seas, and occasionally the stars, was the only person they could find who could step in.
"But I've never flown such a sophisticated spacecraft before!" Seagull had protested.
"Join the crowd," was the unreassuring response. Well, it was against regulations--then again, ever since the government had stopped funding PASE, regulations had been ditched--but a somewhat-unprepared pilot was going to be launched on the PASE's final mission.  Suddenly, a voice on the loudspeakers announced that the mission was cancelled for one week, because there was a dangerous fuel leak that had to be fixed.  Regulations may have been tossed out, but the PASE scientists weren't about to let their last mission blow up.
"Cpt. Seagull, we are sorry for the inconvenience, but to make up for it, you may have 52 hours leave of absence.  You are dismissed, but be sure to return on time."
"Yes, sir!" Busy Seagull replied.  Wanting to return home to Skullduggery Island, the sailor knew he wouldn't have time, because he had heard upon his arrival about the discovery of a new island, Poptropolis Island, on which athletic events were being held.  He had received word that since he was descended from the ancient Poptropican tribe of Pathfinders, he was to represent them.  Without delay, Seagull left the property of PASE to catch a passenger blimp to Poptropolis since his ship, the Leviathan, was still docked at Fort Ridley, Skullduggery Archipelago.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Poptropica: New Books!

Last year, the Poptropica Team released a book for everyone, Poptropica: The Official Guide. This year, they are releasing not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 new books!

Now, these books aren't guides to finish an island or cheats. These are actual stories that you can read when you aren't on Poptropica (or this awesome blog. =P) Maybe if I quoted Captain Crawfish on it then you'd be more interested....

Last year, we were excited to bring you our first book, Poptropica: The Official Guide. But why stop there? This fall, we've got four new books coming your way.

Skullduggery Island: In this 160-page illustrated novel, a cruel pirate named Captain Crawfish has been raiding the small port of Fort Ridley. Our hero must embark on a journey to find a powerful ship and skilled crew to help him defeat Captain Crawfish and recover a map that will lead the islanders of Fort Ridley back to their treasure.

Astro-Knights Island: In this 160-page illustrated novel, the princess of the Kingdom of Arturus has been kidnapped by an evil inventor named Mordred who has taken her off into space. Our hero now must learn to build his own space craft and travel to the stars on an intergalactic quest to rescue the princess and save the kingdom of Arturus.

Pencil Warrior: Something sinister is erasing its way across Poptropica, and the only way to stop it is by re-drawing all the islands and re-creating the world before this new threat can erase every trace. This 64-page full-color doodle book is perfect for fans of Poptropica and anyone who loves to draw.

Poptropica Mad Libs: Poptropica Mad Libs features 21 hilarious and action-packed stories based on games and missions from the website. Fans of the site will love to bring the adventure to life by filling in the blanks of our brand new Mad Libs!

All of these books will be available on November 8.

Now, when your parents tell you it's time to stop playing Poptropica and do something more productive, you can tell them you'll just be reading instead!

Ain't that great!? I am honestly looking forward to the Mad Libs because I love them but the other stories sound amazing! (Although they are quite easy for my age level...) It also seems that our special "hero friend" is in... Pencil Warrior. Good luck to him!

Of course, you could always just stay here in the Hideout and read amazing stories written by Cpt. Busy Seagull and I, for free, but... buying the books are good too.

So, what do you think of these new book releases? Excited? Comment below and tell us what you think!
~Speedy Wing

Poptropica: Evil Shall Rule

It's official. I, Speedy Wing, will be taking an expedition so deadly, it may haunt me for the rest of my life. What will I do exactly? I shall go explore the minds of the greatest villains of Poptropica.

Sorry I haven't visited the hideout much. I've been busy on a... Mission. Anyways, just recently I've been asked to take another special mission. It seems that they have built a new island to lock up all Super Villains, which includes some of my greatest my arch enemies...

Such as Mr. Binary Bard, the most evil villain of all Poptropica. It took me many months to track him down during my stay at Astro Knights. I eventually found the princess he captured; Then there's Ms. Black Widow, an evil mastermind. She stole many paintings and counterfeited them in France. She even framed me once! Too bad her life ended for in prison; Dr. Hare, a sneaky rabbit. (Well, Busy Seagull later told me that he was a crazed doctor from an experiment went wrong but... I still think he's a rabbit.) I remember leaving him somewhere far far away but apparently, they found him and locked him up in this prison. Hopefully he doesn't hate me for destroying his rabbot when I visit him; Then there's also Captain Crawfish, Cpt. Seagull's enemy and also mine. (Very long story.) I just hope he doesn't remember me... Which he probably will...

So, I'll be going into their minds to find out their evil ways. I know that I'm good but what if I go into their minds and end up turning evil?! The name of Speedy Wing will be known but for bad! :o I don't want that to happen. >.< Maybe going to it is a bad idea... Ooh. Maybe I can bring a friend with me?! That way, it won't be as scary!

Either way... Evil shall NOT rule. Not here at the hideout anyways.
~Speedy Wing~

Some Changes...

As most of you may have noticed, my banner has changed. Well, I decided too much for me to keep both my Poptropica Blog and my personal blog so I'm combining them together! (I use my personal blog more, anyways.)

So now, it's Petpet's Room AND Speedy Wing's Hideout. The website is still the same (petpetsroom.blogspot.com) but it will be a different title. For all those that aren't Poptropica fans, do not fret. If I do post something about Poptropica, I'll label it on the title.

That's basically the main changes. Hopefully it won't be confusing! Thanks for all your support everyone! (And Happy August)

♥Petpet
~Speedy Wing~

Sympathy

Sympathy: When you feel pain for someone and go into their steps

That's what I had the entire day; sympthy. My friend came to school late to science today. I didn't really know why until math class. It seemed that, her dog died today. How? Well, when they were backing out of the driveway to go to school, bang.

She cried everytime someone asked about it. I felt so bad for asking but I had to know what was going on because she's normally not that depressed. That's why I was her "storyteller" when people asked. I never had a pet (unless you count a week year old goldfish as one)  so I don't know how it feels to have one gone.

Let's all give sympathy for this dog that died over a little accident. I'm sorry for you Brittney. We all are. I don't know your dog's name but to this day, this is the day a lost was made.

♥ Very Caring, Petpet

Smurftastic!

Smurf! Smurf! Smurf? SMURF!!

Everyone's talking about them. It's all blue and cool. The new movie Smurfs is out and it's in.... 3D!! It's been advertised everywhere! TV, radios, and even online kids games. So far I've seen it on Poptropica, Bearville, nbc.com, and even America's Got Talent!! I haven't seen the movie yet but it sounds exciting.

Speedy Wing in front of Smurfs ad.

 Here are the stars of the show:

Neil Patrick Harris as Patrick Winslow

Jayma Mays as Grace Winslow

Hank Azaria as Gargamel

Sofia Vergara as Odile

Jonathan Winters as Papa Smurf

Katy Perry as Smurfette

Alan Cumming as Gutsy Smurf

George Lopez as Grouchy Smurf

Paul Reubens as Jokey Smurf

Notice any of your favorites?? Click here to visit official website

New Poptropican Blog!!

Hi everyone. Great news! I've created a Poptropican Blog. That's my very own blog to post everything about Poptropica. This is a way for my friends that don't play Poptropica to worry about scrolling down on this blog. My new blog is called Speedy Wing's Hideout. It's http://www.speedywingshideout.blogspot.com/.

I will still post on Petpet's Room too but just not for Poptropica stuff. Please still come to check though! Just because I have another blog doesn't mean I won't post here. :)

Oh yeah, this blog has over 100 views now!! Thanks to all the supporters out there! You are the ones that want me to keep posting here. Thanks!

One last thing. Please comment. I want more people to comment and know what they are thinking. If you don't have a file, don't worry. Just click name/url. Put your name there and submit. Then, you comment right away!

Again. Thank you all for visiting Petpet's Room.

What the Fijit?!?

Today I was browsing around Poptropica and found this new ad called Fijit Friends. It's in all different islands and they talk about how they interact.
Here's how my interview would be like if I met the creator of Fijit Friends.



Speedy Wing in front Fijit ad


Me: What is a Fijit Friend??

Creator: A Fijit Friend is a type of robot that you can enteract with and is your best friend. They have over 150 phrases and can talk with you.

Me: How do they know what I'm talking about?

Creator: They have 30 keywords that they can sense and know what you're trying to say.

Me: I'm still not convinced on buying this...

Creator: They are very soft and squishy! And the best part is that they dance!

Me: Dancing robots??? Sounds like the new Poptropica island. I can't wait to see it! There's going to be trains and robot and alieans....

Creator: Back to Fijit Friends please.

Me: Oh sorry. I'm still not convinced. They sound weird too... How did you create this robot.

Creator: It's a secret missy! Now are you going to buy it or no??

Me: Nah. I'd rather keep my money for savings.

Creator: Oh fine. At least keep this free Fijit Friend for your Poptropican.

Me: Uh. Thanks..... (I really don't want this!!)

You can get this free Fijit Friend for your Poptropican by going to the adand click the poster above the bed. There's really not much to do there. You can click the video, see the webiste or customize an outfit. This ad was not a favorite but it was interesting to look around.

Poptropica: A Huntress

This is a costume for all the Artemis's Hunters fans.

This outfit was created by Icy Fire.

1) Go to Astro Knights Island and take the sword off the guy by the sign.
2) Take the girl who is standing by the fountains shirt
3) Change your hair color to a jet black and skin to a deep tan
4) Use Vampire Girl 2's hair and Prom Queen's Bangs, NOT hair...
5) Get some blush and cute lips
6) OPTIONAL- Get the hummingbird follower
7) OPTIONAL- Make your person grow

This is how it looks:


You can see the original post by clicking this link:http://poptropicasecrets.com/forum/poptropica-fashion/143-huntress.html