Happy October! It’s finally that time again… doesn’t feel the slightest bit close to fall in my desert, but still the spooky season is near!
Autumn is a major source of inspiration for many creatives, thanks to its beautiful foliage and harvest seasons. Some of you may remember my Poptober drawing challenge from 2020. I’m here to announce an updated one for 2022, still with daily prompts to inspire your art.
Since I’m a little late on this one, we’ll go easy with the first prompt.
There are zero rules to this challenge. Any medium is totally fine, and you can interpret the prompts however you wish. If you’re swamped with projects or short on time, feel free to just do whichever days you’d like, or do a prompt for each week!
Speaking of drawings, maybe you can find some inspiration for your creative endeavors from the latest fan art features from Poptropica’s Instagram stories, at least for fall decorating… 🍁
CUT TO BARD standing alone in an elevator. A quick look at a camera shows he somehow bent it away from the corner he’s in.
As the elevator descends, time appears to slow a bit. BARD’S face turns more serious and contemplative, as he flexes his robotic hand a couple of times, studying how the joints move and react to his nerve signals. He’s gotten used to seeing it constantly for years, but sometimes he still has to notice the difference from what used to be there.
A plastic cup is spilled on the floor next to him, with soda and ice cubes leaking out. He picks up an ice cube in his left hand, his human hand, and holds it for a moment, feeling the cold. He switches it to his right, and keeps it pinched between his fingers with no discomfort.
BARD
(under his breath)
There are some things I’ve yet to learn to replicate.
CUT TO HARE at the door of the lunchroom. The guards take off his handcuffs, release him, and quickly slam the door. HARE starts walking across cautiously, but quickly takes on his unbothered facade.
HARE
Morning El Mustachio. I see they haven’t got you to shave that off yet.
(Con’t)
Morning Gretchen. You seem as pleasant as ever, mind if I take that?
(He snatches one of GRETCHEN’S carrots before she can even start yelling)
Ugh, everything tastes like hand sanitizer here.
The door opens again, and in comes RINGMASTER RAVEN. He hides near the wall, ignoring the gazes of the other prisoners.
Hello again, and welcome to the final subject in my Dream Interpretation series: Zeus! (Catch up on previous posts in this series here.)
We thought the Main Four were Super Villain’s antagonists, but check again…the real mastermind behind it all is none other than the Greek god of thunder himself. What does Zeus’s dream say about him?
Wait! There’s more to the story!
After his disguise is shed and his true identity revealed, Zeus is immediately thrown into one of the Main Four’s now empty cryotubes and trapped inside his own mind. Featuring an upside down Mythology Island with an inverted color palette and randomly scattered letters that, when assembled, spell out an override code, Zeus’s dream is very weird — but also might be the easiest to interpret.
Right off the bat, the inverted colors and anti-gravity effects likely mean Zeus is very shocked and disoriented at the moment; you could say he’s had his whole world turned upside down, figuratively in real life and literally in the dream. One moment he’s on the path to world domination, the next he’s fighting the player with the power of the totems behind him, and now he’s in cryostasis! The upside down world could also mean Zeus is worried his life will never be normal again.
The labyrinth sector of Zeus’s dream points generally to the same issue, but it’s slightly different. While representing confusion, labyrinths in dreams can also symbolize unending stress and complications or an unsolved problem that keeps repeating itself. Makes sense, seeing as Zeus has now been foiled by the player twice. How much more will it take to execute his villainous scheme?
Once you exit the labyrinth, you’ll find yourself on the Tree of Immortality. The tree could show Zeus recovering from his recent defeat and finding new hope; encountering a tree of life in a dreamscape might symbolize a new motivation, or it may be saying that although life is difficult, there’s always room to bounce back and continue. Good news for Zeus, but not so much for us in this case. 😬
The Tree of Immortality is also the first place in his dream where we see Zeus, and he’s not feeling too friendly towards us at the moment. He’ll attack by whizzing across the screen every time you find a letter.
Peace was never an option.
Similar to the Black Widow’s dream, attacking someone could represent taking action against a threat or overcoming issues. Zeus isn’t wasting any time firing up his fighting spirit and launching back into battle!
Then there’s the matter of the scattered letters. I think it’s possible Zeus has a mind map — in other words, he stores important information throughout his brain and can easily access that info later, similar to the detective Sherlock Holmes.
After you’ve located all the letters in the Tree of Immortality, you’ll find yourself in the final location, an upside-down Mount Olympus. Mountains in dreams symbolize huge challenges and obstacles, or a growing need toprove yourself. Here, Zeus’s attacks become more frequent; he’s onto our plan, and he’s determined to ruin it.
Something else worth mentioning is Zeus’s abilities in his own dream. While we can only jump, Zeus soars across the screen like the thunder god he is. However, he’s still limited by this anti-gravitational world — he can’t hover in midair with nothing beneath him like he’s normally able to, and instead must find a rock or a branch to steady himself.
Upon picking up the last letter, you’ll be freed from Zeus’s dreamscape with the override code in hand, and everything in Erewhon Prison is set right. Except for the four escaped villains. Just a minor detail that might’ve been overlooked.
In conclusion: Zeus’s dream as a whole displays a realization process of sorts. In the beginning, he’s confused, in shock, and very unsure what to do or where to go. He then reminds himself that he’s quite literally king of the gods — no cryotube or bobble-headed avatar can stand in his path and get away with it! He must not give up. Zeus doesn’t appreciate being exposed or showing weakness, which is perhaps why he’s so quick to forge on and attack the player the moment they appear.
Unfortunately, Zeus isn’t taking much time to think here. His undying need to prove himself and live up to his reputation overpowers any sensibility he might have, and he refuses to pause and adjust to his new circumstances, which is perhaps why he’s unable to fly properly; and why his dreamscape hasn’t righted itself yet. Maybe next time, he should take everything into account before attempting to overthrow Poptropica.
…and with that, Interpreting the Main Four’s (Five’s?) Dreams has come to a close! It’s been a long time coming, but I’ve really enjoyed writing these posts, and I hope you’ve all enjoyed reading them too.
Ask Poptropica Siri is a Q&A segment here on the PHB where you, dear readers, are invited to send in your Poptropica questions to have them answered with all the wisdom you can expect from a Smart Icicle.
Can you believe it’s already been over a year since Ask Poptropica Siri started? Let’s keep it going by answering some more questions!
How do you feel about the mini-quests? ~Silver Horse
I enjoy them! I appreciate how Poptropica still keeps making content for people to play, even if in short bursts, so we don’t lose interest. Mini-quests feel fitting for when an island leaves the player on a cliffhanger on what will happen next, like in Rumpel’s Challenge when we could see what happened to the king in Fairytale Island. I also liked getting a fun little epilogue to the Goofball Island story with Blitz on the Fritz.
What is Poptropica Realms and how can you access it? ~Silver Tiger
Realms is where you get to build your own world, share it with others, and all that fun stuff. It’s similar to the game Minecraft, except you won’t die of hunger and there isn’t much of a survival element. You can find out more in the PHB’s Poptropica Realms Guide. It’s currently only available in the Steam bundle, not in the regular game.
Ok, so first I am happy that they brought back Monster Carnival (to Steam at least). I liked Bird Boy! I was a little sad when I found out they changed the story. But I’m also a little bit happy that you get to be friends with Ringmaster Raven, so I guess I mainly just feel neutral about the ending. It reminds of my own friendship with my drawing buddy, Bronze Socks, who would probably do the same thing of trying to help and befriend Raven.
I know some fans are still concerned about the ending despite its update, and that’s okay. This is just my opinion!
To all US readers, have a good 4th of July! 🎇 See you soon, Poptropicans!
How can you send in your questions to Ask Poptropica Siri?
That’s a great question! You can use the following methods:
📧 Send an email to siri (at) poptropi (dot) ca. This way, you’ll get to keep your questions a surprise when they get answered on the blog.
💬 Comment on the latest Ask Poptropica Siri post. Your questions will be publicly visible before they appear in a Q&A post, but this allows others to interact with your question if they so choose. If you don’t have an email address, you can enter a fake one in the email field when you post your comment.
It’s been fun to answer questions again. Bye bye for now!
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