Community Creations

Community Creations: July 2017

Spotted Dragon

community-creations-logo

Hello once again everyone! Spotted Dragon here bringing you the July recap for Community Creations! This month’s theme was literature and the featured work is not in any particular order. Be sure to check out all the featured artists!

No clue what’s going on? Go see our intro post.

Top 5 Picks

Note that some featured stories, while none are NSFW, can contain intense descriptions that may not be suited for everyone. Sorry DRTI fans, but that fanfic has a mature warning for a reason.

Hidden by LillySparkle$

When you wake up, bright and early in the morning, when the promising rays of sun poke through the blinds and into your room, you forget. You forget your not living in a normal home, or that your life could end at any moment. You forget that bombs or weapons could plummet down from such a peaceful sky, ripping you away from those you love. You forget you will never see  your friends, you neighbors, your cousins, even that kid who picked on you in class, ever again. You forget the constant throb in your chest and throat and the flips your heart does too often when you hear a tiny noise. You forget you are living in a war. As  I wake up, I allow myself to absorb the reality- to take in the fact that this is not an ordinary day and that I don’t have to trudge myself over to school. School. I surprisingly miss that demented place- that place where I was a straight D and F student and nothing but disappointment. My thoughts are slowly killing me, so I force myself out of bed. A quick scan of the ripped up hotel room and I already can tell that my parents and the Pietermans were already out on the island. I grab the opportunity to take a shower, turning on the cold water. It was rare every one was out of the room so early. My parents moved to the Amity a month and 2 weeks and 6 days after the the first bombing started so they could help victims  in the hospital. Amity Island is currently the “safest place in the world” and yet it is anything but safe… READ MORE

The word choice and descriptions are totally immersive and paint a detailed picture. Not much is known about this fictional world yet, nor its characters or its relation to Poptropica, but it truly is off to a great start. A few grammar errors, but everything that Lilly wrote makes me want to read more! Find her blog here.

Keeper of Chaos by NineTenOnetyOne

Zeus’s glowing face turned pale as his breath hitched in his throat. The gaze he gave her remained unbroken, and he stared at her for what seemed like an eternity. As much as he tried to deny it, she was there, at the foot of his brilliant golden throne, staring him square in the face after lifting her eyelids, revealing those horrible, beady red eyes.

The gold rays of the heavenly light heavily shone off of the bronze armor plates that capped her shoulders, each pointed off with one aciculate spike. It was as if Zeus was looking at Apollo’s crown, and even he could barely keep his eyes open at the intensity. A strap crossed the goddess’s chest and down to her waist, acting as a holster to his brother’s trident upon her back. There was plain evidence that his other brother contributed to her aid, as his crown sat comfortably upon the mop of her electric blue hair.

Zeus could sense hands trembling on the solid gold coated arm rests of his throne. He clutched the ends of them to the point where they could be crushed from his mighty grip.

To imagine that a god as powerful as Zeus- the KING of gods, if you will- could be frightened of another entity was truly mind-boggling. Zeus was a god; superior to any living, breathing mortals. Who would cause the almighty god of thunder this much of a threat?

Delighted at his fearful reaction, her wide, mocking grin flash across her black lips, then parted to speak the words:

“Did you miss me?” she asked, her voice bringing back such horrible, vivid memories from the past.

Geraki… READ MORE

This story too has amazing word choice and description. NineTenOnetyOne doesn’t miss a beat, throwing the reader right in the middle of a tense situation. It brings back a fan favorite Poptropican, Zeus, and is a great tale for those interested in Mythology. Each sentence left me on the edge of my seat. And this is just chapter one! Fine her DeviantArt here.

Raven… claw by ArtisticAsianBunny

ArtisticAsianBunny - Ravenclaw

Okay guys, I’ll admit it… I’m a sucker for puns and this is adorable. I couldn’t not feature it. Proving that visual art can fit into the “literature” theme, ArtisticAsianBunny references Harry Potter (as I’m sure most of you can tell) by connecting the Ravenclaw house to our beloved Ringmaster Raven. How did we not see this earlier? I feel like he is an underappreciated character and this simple, but magical blue color palette does him justice. Find her DeviantArt here.

Of Darkness and Shadows by SuperGrape1

Our story begins in a college building on Mocktropica Island where a science teacher can be seen trying to give his class a lecture about neutrons and atoms, but they are too busy playing Mega Fighting Bots to pay him any attention. The science teacher just sighed as he sat down putting down his lesson plan suddenly to the teacher’s surprise a black looking smoke was coming out from his hands and he was freaked out by this. However, the black smoke soon stops coming from his hands and the teacher looks confused as to what just happened. Suddenly, a young lady walks up to him saying “hey brother, what are you doing?” the young lady asks the science teacher. “Sadly nothing, what do you need?” The science teacher asks the young lady revealing that she is his sister.

“I got an invitation to go to an island called Fantasy Island, and I think we should go, what do you think?” His sister asks with glee. “I don’t know Lidia, I’m a science teacher, and I have tons of paper work to do, and I don’t know if the principal will let me take the rest of the week off” The science teacher replied revealing that the lady’s name is Lidia. “I think that I can convince him to let you take the rest of the week off, besides you have been working very hard brother” Lidia says to the teacher smiling. The teacher just smiles as he says, “Yes, I know, but it’s just to keep Mathew in school, things have been hard for him since” The teacher says before he starts to tear up.  “I know Xavier, I know, but you could use a break, and I’ll have someone look after Mathew, alright?” Lidia said revealing that the science teacher’s name is Xavier, and Xavier just smiles as he hugs his sister Lidia.

“Thanks, sister, you’re the best you know” Xavier asks Lidia smiling.  “I know, and I’ll go talk to the principal, so I’ll be right back” Lidia said smiling, and with that Lidia walks off to go talk to the principal. Xavier suddenly clutches his head as a dark voice in his head begins to speak to him in his mind saying, “Embrace your destiny” The dark voice said coming from inside his head. Suddenly what appears to be flames of black fire circles around him trapping him and the room goes dark around him. “What’s going on?” Xavier asks starting to freak out, and panicking confused as to what, is going on around him… READ MORE

Not as much description as the others, but the plot can really pull you in. Lots of questions are left unanswered thus far in the story and curiosity can really hook a reader. There’s a lot of potential in how the fanfic can go and how it fits into the world of Poptropica, but a bunch of possibilities are already thrown in and this is just chapter one! SuperGrape allows the reader’s mind to imagine anything and everything. This story was even nominated for a Poppie! Find her DeviantArt here.

The Illiad by DanaKelly AKA BeanSkelly

DanaKelly aka BeanSkelly - The Illiad

Okay, I have many reasons as to why I featured this piece. First of all, I’m pleasantly surprised by the referenced story! The Illiad is a tale that many of you will most likely read in school (if you haven’t already) and is definitely a classic. Not the expected mainstream dystopian novel! Second of all, the time and effort that Bean put into this drawing is obvious. I remember simply seeing the lineart in a previous month, but the color is just stunning. The perspective is excellently executed and the shading of the neutral tones is breathtaking. Seeing this historic moment in a Poptropica-like style perfectly captures the educational part of the game and how fun it can still be. Find their DeviantArt here and here.

Honorable Mentions

Ruby Child by PegaKid2012

nurse: *pulls out baby MK* congratulations, it’s a girl, what would you name her?
MK mom: look at her gorgeous eyes, shiny as a jewel
MK dad: no, not a jewel, something more than that, let’s call her…
MK mom: i will name her… ruby
MK dad: ruby, hello ruby
baby MK: *giggles happily*… READ MORE

Cuddly In Wonderland (Disney AU) by TechnoBunny16
Diary of a Wimpy Shark by JelloMcFellow

August: How do I Participate?

Community Creations is a cool series for anyone in the Poptropica community to join in on. To sum up what it’s about, it’s basically a chance to show off your artwork, creepy fan-fic, realms, costumes, and anything else that pops into your mind.

If we really like the piece you submit, we will feature it here on the PHB! As long as it relates to that month’s theme. So what is August’s theme? August’s theme is…

Fashion!

With the Poppies coming to a close recently, almost everyone who was celebrating the event showed up in a dashing, formal outfit. Whether it dress or suit, everyone looked fabulous if I do say so myself. In continuation of this trendy attire, I thought that this would be a great theme! It also gives those who loved making Poptropica outfits, but aren’t artistic in the drawing sense, a time to shine.

Similar to the rules of our literature theme, all costumes will be accepted this month. However, other media is accepted too as long as it relates to fashion! Draw your Poptropican in their classy Poppies outfit or make a stunning pose on the catwalk in the Photo Booth. Create a perfect back to school outfit or write about your Poptropican’s odd experience in the clothing store on Night Watch Island. Didn’t win the Poptropica Costume contest? Send in your old submission for another chance to show it off! The possibilities are only limited by your imagination!

Artwork - Grunge Costume
SD’s Poptropica Costume Contest Entry
  • Submitting: Comment below with a link to whatever you’ve created OR share it with me (SydVC aka Spotted Dragon) on DeviantArt, Twitter, or Discord.
  • Results: I will feature 5 of the submissions as well as 3 honorable mentions.
  • Limitations: Nothing NSFW, and make sure you relate to the theme.
  • Due Date: I will take any entries before the end of this month. Submit as many things as you’d like!

I will always be sure to let you know I have seen your creation. Bonus points if you make a compelling description for your piece! While quality counts, I’m mainly looking for something to simply catch my eye, so don’t be afraid to join in!

So what are you waiting for? Go make something awesome!

~SD

Clubhouse, Home Island, Membership, Store

A Little Color In Your Summer: Pop Worlds Updates

Spotted Dragon

Hey everyone! Spotted Dragon here with a Poptropica Worlds summer update! And this one comes with a lot of big additions to the game that we’ve been waiting for.

popworlds summer update 1

I’ll start off with what everyone will be happy to hear about: the colorizer is here! This is a feature that many of us have missed and it’s one that was even listed in our first Pop Petitions post!

With it, you can color your hair and skin any way you see fit! Just like in Original Poptropica. Once you change colors, you won’t be able to go back to the exact tone you had when you first logged in, unless it’s included in the basic palette we’re provided, but either way this is a big step forward for our customizing possibilities.

popworlds summer update 4

The colorizer is located in the closet, but there is one big drawback: only members can pick any color they want. The rest of us can only pick colors from a small color palette. While the addition of the colorizer is great and everything, this puts a damper on the feature for most players.

Talking about changing colors, this isn’t the only update bringing color into our summer (or… not depending on where you live). We also get two new color changing outfits! There is a male and female version, but every player is able to buy both, no matter your gender! That’s great if I do say so myself.

popworlds summer update 5

Sadly, many accessories in these outfits are for members only. But they do look pretty cool! A Poptropican in the a full color changing outfit also shows up on Home Island, right outside your door, to tell you about the new things in the store. In addition to these color changing costumes, there are also new summer themed outfits in store! We’ve seen promises for these outfits before, but they haven’t shown up until now.

popworlds summer update 6

Crop tops and rompers, huh? These 8 brand new costumes have a very modern look to them. Anyway, all outfits are available to players of any gender too, which I’m glad to see is becoming a norm for Poptropica. Sadly, many of these outfits are completely members only.

I am a bit disappointed about all the membership restrictions, but I do like some of the new accessories. If only we could customize lips/mouths at this point too, right?

Lastly, we have one more summer update to share… a House Expansion! We’ve all seen the locked doors in our house and it’s finally time to unlock one of them. What lies behind the door you ask? A beach themed room, fit for summer! My apologies to those living where it’s not summer at the moment.

popworlds summer update 2

Personally, I was expecting these expansions to just be like the main room we already have. I was not expecting an entire theme! Anyway, to get into this room you have to first find the key. No, it’s not hidden somewhere where you’ll have to go on a quest to find it (which is a bit disappointing to be honest). The key is simply located in the Decor Shop, under the (you guessed it) key tab.

After unlocking the room, you also gain access to new beach themed decor! 19 new items should be available to purchase, marked in the store with a blue banner and key symbol. From pineapple wallpaper to windows with a palm tree view, there’s lots of new items to choose from.

popworlds summer update 3

Sadly, expansions are for members only. I saw this coming, but it (like the other membership restrictions) is super disappointing. I understand that Poptropica needs membership to earn money (and that membership needs to be worth buying), but I feel like regular players (like myself) are gonna be missing out on a lot.

With these summer updates, many players have been complaining about missing house decor and house resets. Even before this update, missing items have been a problem. But fear not!

According to Poptropica’s Twitter, this issue shouldn’t be a problem any more.

So how do you guys feel about these updates? Let us know in the comments below.

~SD

Clubhouse

Poptropica House Tour: Slanted Fish

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans! It’s Slanted Fish here, and I’m kicking off a new series on the PHB: Poptropica House Tours! It’s exactly as it sounds – tours of player homes on Poptropica Worlds. If you’ve got an awesome house to show the world, I implore you to send in a guest post, and you could have your house seen by readers of the PHB!

Anyway, come on in! I’ve been spending a lot of coins on all sorts of house decor, and it’s making my space look pretty fun. So it’s about time to have some guests over!

When you first enter my house, you’ll notice a fish plaque hanging above the door, along with a fish tank to your right. It wouldn’t be Slanted Fish’s house without some remnants from the sea! I’ve also got a pool table and antlers in this hangout spot. Plus, the dresser should come in handy if you want to try on outfits from my closet!

Heading to the left side of this area, you’ll find more living room space to chill in. In addition to a gargantuan TV, there’s also a computer if you’d rather be entertained on a smaller screen. You can play Poptropica Worlds while in Poptropica Worlds? Uhh… weird.

Guests are welcome to the comically tiny black couch – or is it my plush red chair that’s comically large? Either way, that seat’s reserved. If you’d rather not be a couch potato, perhaps you’ll enjoy painting on the nearby easel, with the ram as your model.

If you’re feeling hungry, you can help yourself to food from the kitchen – no, don’t eat that thing… it’s a lamp, not a real hamburger. Sorry. Plenty of stuff in the fridge, though. How about some ice cream?

There’s also a dining area up here where you can sit and talk over delicious grub. The map of Poptropica islands, along with the Viking shield, has been known to inspire many a conversation about the various adventures that can be had on Poptropica.

As you might be able to tell, I like my plants… especially that Venus flytrap, which makes life a lot easier without flies floating around the food. Also, anyone here know how to play the piano? Maybe you could play a few tunes for us.

Ready for the third floor? Let’s take the rope up.

If anyone needs the restroom, here we are! The toilet itself is conveniently covered by a potted plant, which is about the best we can do until house expansions become a thing. There’s also a gilded bathtub in here – good for a nice soak. A couple of pictures hang on the walls, including this portrait of some old-fashioned guy I don’t know. He kind of looks like the governor on Skullduggery Island. Hey, it came in a nice frame, okay?

Finally, if you hop over to the left, you’ll find my bedroom. Here, of course, is a luxurious queen-sized bed to lay my fatigued adventurer body on every night. It’s also accompanied by yet another aquarium, some plants, and even some books for pleasure reading. Cozy!

And that concludes this house tour! I hope you enjoyed getting a look at my Poptropican’s home. I’d put up even more things that I’d bought, but there’s currently a glitch preventing more of my items from showing in the decor section, which is why I don’t have island trophies anywhere. Oh well.

As mentioned before in a Pop Petition post, it would be super cool to be able to interact with many of the objects in our house, instead of them merely sitting there. How awesome would it be to jump on our couches, water our plants, or snuggle in our beds?

Anyway, thank you for joining me on this house tour of Slanted Fish’s aquarium abode! If you’ve got a well-furnished house to share, click here to find out how you can write a post like this one and send it in as a guest post for the PHB for tons of Poptropicans to see.

See you next time on Poptropica House Tours!

~slantedfish

Reviews

PHB Review: The New New 24 Carrot Island (Worlds)

Purple Claw

24 carrot review

Haven’t ousted the Hare yet? Check out our 24 Carrot Island Guide (for Worlds).

Hey there, Poptropicans!

As you may have heard, a remastered version of the classic 24 Carrot Island was released on Poptropica Worlds not too long ago, making it the second island adventure on Worlds. And we’ve got to say, it’s a whole lot better than Crisis Caverns.

Here’s a short animation the Creators recently put out to highlight the new 24 Carrot:

24 Carrot Island was originally released in 2008 as the fourth island, then re-released as a SUI (sound-updated island) in 2013. Now, in 2017, it’s back for the third time, making it the New New 24 Carrot! It’s undergone some modifications, which we’ll be covering in this review. Warning: Spoilers ahead. (We suggest playing the island before reading on!)

With that out of the way, let’s get into the review of the New New!

Storyline & Characters

24carrotreview3

Since this is a remastered island, the plot of the adventure mostly keeps to the original story, with a few twists added into the mix.

The premise is this: You land on the island, and the mayor tells you that all the carrots have disappeared, causing financial disaster to the whole town. And guess what? You have to be the one who finds them! Yaay! 😀

So, as long as the thirsty carrot lovers cry over their precious vegetable gone missing, your investigation begins! If you’ve already played 24 Carrot on Poptropica Original, you know how it goes – but the Worlds versions comes with new surprises. Namely:

  • While the Movie Theater used to be a common room, it’s now been turned into a new space called the Carrot Museum, which displays various carrot trivia. (You can find it all on our 24 Carrot Guide.) It seems that such museums are going to be a staple feature of Worlds islands, as Crisis Caverns had its Visitor’s Center for similar displays as well.
  • The Carrot Museum is host to a new character named Rhonda, a carrot-crazy lady dressed in a big carrot suit. Possibly more nightmarish than the infamous Jersey Devil of Cryptids Island.
  • Various characters have new lines. The additional dialogue makes for a richer experience overall!
  • Some graphics have been improved. We’ll talk more about this in the Visuals section down below.
  • Remember how the lady in the diner gives you free milk in the original? Well, screw that, because she now wants tips! 😛
  • The diner doesn’t have a hair colorizer. Much sad. We want the Colorizer back!
  • Whiskers the cat is now trapped inside of a newly-added barn space, caged there as bait for catching Dr. Hare (why Dr. Hare would fall for cats, we have no idea).
  • A new character, a man named Maynard, is behind Whiskers’s disappearance. He’s an ex-minion of Dr. Hare’s who escaped from the factory.
  • To get the factory blueprints, you have to give Maynard a metal part that can be found just outside the factory.
  • There’s no Carrot Transporter in this reboot.
  • The Smelter Room is gone. Instead, when you fall, you end up at a part of the vents where you can pick up a pair of Drone Ears.
  • The final destruction of Dr. Hare’s rabbot looks quite different. We’ll get to that in the Gameplay section of this review.

We really like this mix of old and new. It feels familiar, yet it’s not the exact same package as before. It feels like just the right touch of nostalgia, yet also with various improvements made to contribute to a richer story with relatable, comical characters. The additions of Rhonda and Maynard make the experience more interesting, and it’s also great to see the original cast of characters turned into Worlds avatars.

Gameplay

24carrotreview1

This island is full of platforming and obstacle-dodging. From the flapping trapdoors of the pipe entrance to the boxes spitting out of factory machines, all the classic maneuvering mechanics are there. Again, those who’ve played the original version might find it familiar – and as a plus, there weren’t too many glitches to speak of.

The biggest difference is probably the new mini-game at the end of the island, the final showdown with Dr. Hare. In the original version, you moved the rabbot to hit four meteors, which would destroy the machine. In Poptropica Worlds, the rabbot sends mind-control droids down to earth, and you have to shoot at all twenty of them using a carrot cannon conveniently perched over the factory.

carrot3

Gameplay-wise, this change provides a bit of an extra challenge from the original. And story-wise, this change is significant. In the original, there isn’t quite enough to tell us what exactly motivates Dr. Hare to steal all the carrots and then run off to space, but in the Worlds version, we’re told that Dr. Hare wants to mind-control the entire planet from space. Now there’s a big motive!

Visuals (Art Direction)

24carrotreview4

Once again, the Poptropica artists prove their skill in crafting a stunning visual environment. It’s simply one of the best parts of Poptropica, and in this island remake, they’ve upped the ante and made things better than ever. Now, trees sway ominously in the background, the signpost weakly flashes “Rot Land,” and even the gas guy has a spiffy new cap. Little details here and there all help to immerse you into the story.

The lighting and shading is all well placed, and the color scheme really creates a dreary, but not completely hopeless mood. Just take a look at this sampling of snapshots below:

Check out those yellow and brown hues! Of course, the mood shifts drastically at the end of the island when all is made right again, and the bright blues really make you feel like you’ve turned the whole place around with your hard work. It’s all quite beautiful.

Keep up the good work, Poptropica artists and animators!

Verdict

From the re-interpreted story that mixes a perfect dose of nostalgia and novelty, to the combination of familiar and new gameplay elements, and of course, the well-placed artistic details to supplement the story, it’s clear that this remastered version of 24 Carrot is a wonderful and welcome addition to Poptropica Worlds.

Compared to the first Worlds island, Crisis Caverns, this island is definitely an improvement. Minor drawbacks are a few glitches and quite a bit of back-and-forth movement, but it’s still a step in the right direction. Our verdict: 4/5 carrot boxes.

24carrot-rating.jpg

Thanks for reading our review! We’re excited for what’s next in Poptropica Worlds, but we’re sure the kids from the factory – Shy Sky, Sleepy Bird, Magic Socks, and Crazy Comet – are just happy to be away from the crazy old Hare.

24 Carrot Diner: The Gang’s All Back! by SlantedFish on DeviantArt

Which version of 24 Carrot Island do you like best, the one on Poptropica Original or Worlds? Share your thoughts in the comments!

– the PHB team –

P.S. For the perspective of just one player, who lent his insights to this review, check out Purple Claw’s review originally posted on Clawtropica.

Contests, Livestreams, PHB Parties, Poppies

Recap: Poppies 2017 Winners and Party!

Slanted Fish

Hey Poptropicans!

Throughout this month on the PHB, we’ve been hosting The Poppies, our annual Poptropica community awards event. This is our third year of doing the Poppies, and as usual, it’s been a blast! From nominating to voting to partying, we’re grateful to celebrate the Poptropica community with you.

Even the Poptropica Creators showed interest in our Red Blue Carpet event!

The main event, which celebrated the Poppies winners and the PHB’s ninth birthday with a lively party on the PHC and Poptropica Multiverse rooms, has just wrapped up. Thanks to all who attended – can you find yourself in the recap collage above?

We see amazing costumes at every PHB event, but this year we really wanted to highlight some of our favorites. So, we’ve compiled a selection of some stand-out outfits from the Poppies attendees in the Multiverse rooms! Check out their snazzy suits:

best poppies outfits

Kudos to Red Crush, Greedy Shadow, Mia (aka Grumpy Cactus – she also won Best Poptropica Fansite alongside her friend LillySparkle$!), Sporty Boa (who almost died for his outfit!), and Spotted Lion! Y’all are looking especially fly on the blue carpet.

Of course, what you really wanna know is who won, right?! We announced all the winners via a livestream during the party, but in case you missed it, you can catch up on it below. The video contains commentary from several PHB authors – Brave Tomato (main host), Spotted Dragon, Silver Wolf, and Lucky Joker – as well as pics for each category and a breakdown of voting percentages via charts (to show how the other nominees fared).

Below the video, we’ll also list out all the winners and the second-place runner-ups.

And the Poppies go to…

A huge congratulations is in order for all the winners of this year’s Poppies!!

Winners should have received a printable paper Poppie trophy from us via email or social media, and nominees (those who made it to the voting round) have been given badges. Thanks to Spotted Dragon for creating these! If you earned a Poppies trophy or badge but did not get one, we may not have your contact info – if so, do let us know!

Here at the Poptropica Help Blog, we can’t stress enough how blessed we are to be able to write about something we love and have so many readers who keep up with our shenanigans. Whether we’re planning creative parties or putting together island walkthroughs, it’s a pleasure to play Poptropica alongside all of you.

So thank you. Thank you for being part of this community, in big ways or small ways, whether veteran or newbie. Thank you for seeing us to our 9th year – from 2008 to 2017, it’s been a pretty long journey, and it’s not over yet. Here’s to more to come!

We’ll see you next time on the blue carpet!

 ✨ Don’t stop poppin’! ✨

– the Poptropica Help Bloggers –