This is the final segment of a four-part extended âMy Place in Poptropicaâ guest post series by ShinyB1rd. Catch up on parts one, two, and three here. Enjoy!
The Great Decay
Another glorious year has passed, and the ever-so-beloved Shiny Bird continues to restore harmony across Poptropica, along with the mysterious stranger who goes by the alias Mighty Sky⊠In other news⊠The Booted Bandit of Pelican Rock was reportedly caught by Shiny Bird after a series of unusual eventsâŠ
Channel 7 Pop News, 1st day of year 3 of the Gilded Age
I entered 2016 optimistic considering we were just coming out of the Gilded Age. In the beginning of the year, I still went by my usual routine with Poptropica: log on every day and cause mayhem in the Early Poptroica common rooms. However, as the weeks went on, I began to realize that Poptropica hadnât posted anything on the Creatorsâ Blog for some time⊠Strange⊠Even when they did post, it wasnât anything that interesting (to me). I was looking for new content, but there hadnât been anything new for a while⊠By the end of January, I was beginning to question the future of the game.
In the midst of February, Monkey Wrench Island came out. Even though it was short and intended for new players, I found it to be quite enjoyable, fun, and entertaining. Other than this, however, February wasnât all that better than the previous month. The Creatorsâ Blog was becoming stale and new content was scarce⊠Whatâs going on here? I wondered.
Months had passed and nothing interesting was coming out of Poptropica. Sure, there were a few prizes here and there, but nothing really worthwhile to me. I was beginning to play less and less, to the point where I only checked in on Poptropica once a week â not even logging onto my account, but just looking at the Creatorâs Blog to see if they had come out with something new.
In April, the news of some ânew Poptropicaâ came about. I initially had mixed feelings for it, but I wanted to stick with an open mind â after all, they just announced it, so Iâd have to wait and see before I could rightfully judge.
Desolate
âŠthe best word I can use to describe the period between 2016âmid-2018⊠I logged on very little, as there was little to do. Nothing had me excited. Even the launch of the overdue Poptropica Worlds was a disappointment for me.
To make matters worse, late 2017-2018 was also a period where I entered a state of deep depression (admittedly, it still persists to this day, but it is not as bad as it was during this time), hence my online activity was becoming quite scarce.
Ignition
October of 2018 came around, and I still didnât played Poptropica as much as I once did. I was in my senior year in high school and was beginning to drift my attention away from the game and more into school. As October dragged on, however, a thought randomly popped into my head: the annual Halloween costume contest on the PHB!
Lately, I had been checking in with the PHB, as it was the only place that was coming out with cool and interesting things about Poptropica. Meanwhile, the game itself seemed to have been abandoned by its creators.
Anyway, once I remembered the annual contest, I wanted to participate. So I checked the PHB, and sure enough, they were hosting another contest. I read through the post andâOH MY PRETZEL STICKS, THEYâRE GIVING AWAY FREE MEMBERSHIP?????!
I froze, fantasizing about the endless possibilities of a free membership⊠the exclusive stuff I could get from the storeâŠÂ the bonus quests I could gain access to at the end of each island⊠the clout I would get from the glowing membership status that would appear at the top left corner of the screen next to my battle rank every time someone hovers their mouse over me. I could hear myself laughing in the common rooms at everyone else as Iâd spam the spacebar with the exclusive Poptropolis Games Discus in my hands, freezing them, and forcing them to their knees and beg for mercy. âFEAR ME, NONS!â I would shout.
But in order for all that to happen, I must take action⊠Iâm now a man on a mission. Immediately, I went to work. I logged onto Poptropica filled with new determination, a feeling I hadnât felt in yearsâŠ
A New Hope
He sat there, staring back at the computer screen, proud of his creation. But would it be enough to take the prize home? Hours of effort put in, even creating a little poem about it just for safe measure⊠But could it all have been in vain? Only time would tell.
He had wanted to be a part of this particular community for a long time, but he never knew where to start. Deep inside, he was more afraid than anything. This is my best shot at it, he thought. Heâd spent hours writing just one comment, consistently erasing it and polishing it in an effort to make a good first impressionâŠ
When the midnight hour struck, he settled down and hovered his mouse over the button that read âpost.â Deep breath. Closed his eyes, and, in a whisper: here goes nothing⊠He lifted his finger⊠and pressed downâŠ
*Click*
âŠThe End.
A Final Word
Youâve reached the end. Yaaaay! Now, a few words: I can hear some of you saying, âShInY, hOw DaRe YoU EnD In A cLiFfHaNgEr! ThAtâs, LiKe, BaSiCaLlY A CrImE â dId YoU wIn ThE cOnTeSt???â Yes, I did!
I won, got my membership, and enslaved every innocent soul in every common room spamming the Poptropolis Discus for hours on end got back to playing Poptropica more frequently. I even slithered my way into involvement in the PHB⊠well, kinda. So far, the only things Iâve really done around here is hang out in the comments section on each blog post and post my opinions on things, maybe referencing a meme or two⊠and thatâs really it.
Later, I discovered the PHB Discord server. I joined, but never really said anything, lol. Mainly because Iâm⊠well⊠kinda scared to be honest (as I mentioned in my authorâs note at the beginning, I am a little socially awkward, hehe).
Anyway, when the summer (of 2019) hit, I decided to take a break from Poptropica, as well as refrain from posting comments on the PHB, in order to focus on college. (Believe me when I say it: college hit me hard, like, for me itâs basically the equivalent of being run over by a bus.) Still, I might come back and try to be even more involved in this community, though probably not until I get myself adjusted to college. Weâll see how it goes.
Well, I hope you liked my little story, despite the length. (I was originally gonna try to keep it shorter, but Iâm just kinda used to writing long and didnât want this to be any different, so I ditched that idea, lol.)
My fellow Poptropicans, donât forget to stay fresh, and go crazy out there (not too crazy, though!). Most of all: keep on shining!
This is your friendly neighborhood bird signing off. Peace.
â Shiny Bird 
Hope you enjoyed the final part of this âMy Place in Poptropicaâ story!
If you havenât already, we invite you to send in your own (and they donât have to be as long as this one!). Please include your username and a minimum of 500 words, typed with good spelling and grammar, and divided into labeled sections. If you send in your story, we will continue to post new community MPIPs!
Interested in writing for the PHB under a different Pop-topic? Take a look at our Write for the PHB page for ideas, guidelines, and more. Weâd love to hear from you!
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