We see a very cluttered lab, filled with important scientific instruments as well as random glittery trinkets. A woman sits at her desk alone, dressed in a wrinkled lab coat, several empty energy drinks littered around her.
DR. JUPITER enters the room, holding a cup of morning coffee, and glances at the window.
DR. JUPITER
Have you…been working on that all night?
WOMAN
Yup!
(She jumps out of her chair.)
And I think I’ve found it, I’ve really got it this time! I mean, I hope–it didn’t go so great before, but I’m (almost) positive now!
DIRECTOR D. and MOREAU are watching the prisoners from outside the lunchroom, through the window. Inside, the GUARDS are leading the three to their table.
MOREAU
What if we just told them who we actually are? Perhaps they would work better with a bit of fear pushing them.
DIRECTOR D.
Do you really think we can intimidate them? They may be desperate, but I doubt they’d all be willing to obey our every command if they felt they were being used.
MOREAU pinches her forehead.
MOREAU
If only one of them could keep them in line for us…
As if almost on cue, more (real) prison guards enter the hall, leading an older man dressed as a pirate, just as the AGENTS leave the lunch room.
EREWHON GUARD 1
Hey, is there any chance we can add him? He slept past lunch and we couldn’t do much about it.
One of the AGENTS shares a concerned glance with D. and MOREAU.
MOREAU
(Points at the window, towards the three)
…I don’t think it would be safe to put him in with them.
The PRISONER chuckles, leaning towards her, showing yellowed (and one real gold) teeth. MOREAU backs away.
CRAWFISH
I believe I can handle them m’dear!
DIRECTOR D. turns to the AGENT.
DIRECTOR D.
Let him in.
D. and MOREAU watch intently as the pirate is led into the room. Surprisingly, the other prisoners do not protest his seating at their table. One of the GUARDS hand CRAWFISH a tray of food before leaving. CRAWFISH practically starts drooling, and ties a cheap napkin to his shirt as though he were about to begin a 5 star feast.
DR. HARE picks at his food.
DR. HARE
I understand that this place has limited vegetarian options but…why are the mashed potatoes green?
BLACK WIDOW
If you think that’s bad, I think I chipped a tooth on the bread here once.
The COOK (Note: The same chef who served Myron Van Buren in Survival Island) enters from the kitchen, scowling.
COOK
Is that complaining about the food I hear?
DR. HARE
Unsurprisingly yes-
CRAWFISH
Ah, don’t listen to ‘em! This is delicious!
(He turns to the COOK, aware of who she is but just playing.)
Give my thanks to the cook.
The COOK chuckles, and gives him an extra serving before walking off. CRAWFISH starts to chow down, while the rest look at him in confusion.
DR. HARE
You actually like that stuff?
CRAWFISH
Compared to the months of maggot infested biscuits I had to endure, this is heaven!
MORDRED
I had to endure months—years—ages without anything. Without the brilliance of my cybernetics I most certainly would have perished of hunger!
(Somewhat to himself)
Per aspera…
BLACK WIDOW
Oh here we go again with the sob story.
MORDRED glares at her, but once again his grin hasn’t faded. WIDOW doesn’t back away but loses some of her boldness.
MORDRED
I don’t want your pity, I want the world’s punishment for what happened—
CRAWFISH stands, slamming both hands on the table.
CRAWFISH
Enough! I’m certain everyone here has a horrible tale to tell, but can I have a meal in peace?
MORDRED
Who are you to order me around?
CRAWFISH turns to him, his tone suddenly becoming more cautious.
CRAWFISH
I was simply making a suggestion for your own good, sir.
Pause. MORDRED nods, and the tension in the room settles a little as they all get back to eating. We look back at DIRECTOR D and MOREAU, who are so interested in the prisoner’s behavior that they don’t notice a shadowed DR. JUPITER lurking behind them.
DIRECTOR D.
He—he’s a leader.
MOREAU
Of course he is. Even evil pirates don’t want to face a mutiny.
DIRECTOR D.
Yes, but he knows how to work with them! Mademoiselle, I believe we’ve found the ones who can work for us.
The camera follows JUPITER leaving them, both “psychologists” still not even suspecting his presence. He turns down a corner, before mumbling to himself with a faint smile.
DR. JUPITER
As have I, friends. As have I.
FADE OUT.
END OF EPISODE 1.
And here we are! I’m just as excited to see where this goes as some of you are, and I’m happy so many of you have expressed interest in this series!
Of course, I can’t have a Villain Saga post without mentioning the amazing recent additions to the comic GEAR made!
Poptropicans, we’ve got a major announcement to make.
The Poptropica Help Blog has sold its soul to the Poptropica Dating Sim. Henceforth, this Poptropica fan blog shall be in service to a fan creation about dating some of the game’s iconic villains.
In case you have not had the pleasure yet, the Poptropica Dating Sim is a brilliant simulator fan-made game where you, the player, can go on dates with Binary Bard, Ringmaster Raven, and Octavian. It’s all part of an experiment led by good old Dr. Morrigan to make the imprisoned bad boys, well, not so bad. And there’s going to be voice acting! 💋
Binary Bard, you have our heart.
And Octavian? We love our boy Occy…
We truly have to thank Jia/Magniventris, the genius behind the whole sim, for creating this ongoing masterpiece. You can play part of the Pop Dating Sim now on CloudNovel, and join us in awaiting its future installments! Forget seeing the PHB post about Poptropica news and clubhouse tours, we’re past that amateur hour. We know — the Poptropica Dating Sim Fan Blog is a blog you didn’t ask for, but it’s the blog we all need. Just look at how you can cheer up those sad souls! 😍
Maybe Ringmaster Raven will feel better with a little company…
So what are you waiting for? Start playing the unofficial Poptropica Dating Sim today, and bring us all your shipping and simping, your fan art and fan fights — we’re totally here for it. After all, we’re the Poptropica Dating Sim Fan Blog now. And no, we’re not sorry. 😘
Long, long ago, there were rumors of a Poptropica movie or TV series. Fans speculated on what it could be about, from a whole new story to a Mystery of the Map spinoff. Flash forward to today, and that dream never became a reality.
So in my traditional fashion, I decided to do it myself!
As much as I would like to see an epic, shiny, animated finished product, there’s no way I (and my carpal tunnel) could do all that, so I’ve decided to just release the script in episodic form! Stay tuned for a sneak peek of the first episode!
I’m going to try to update this fairly frequently (perhaps every week), but I won’t make any promises currently. I do have the plot all figured out from beginning to end, and plenty more script to release!
But enough with my rambling! Let’s get to the story!
FADE IN:
EXT. EREWHON PRISON — EVENING
We see the tall prison from a worms-eye view, near the ocean. Even though it is still evening, dark storm clouds surround the sky, shrouding the prison in night. A few windows glow as lights from inside the building are turned on.
A HELICOPTER lands, hovering a bit and billowing clouds of dust on the small landing pad next to the prison. It finally finishes its descent as we get a closer look at the area. Several prison guards are standing nearby, and a bearded man, DR. JUPITER, is waiting to greet whoever is inside the HELICOPTER.
A MAN jumps out from the side door. The darkness hides most of his face from view, along with a WOMAN who jumps out behind him.
MAN
Well, this isn’t quite what I expected!
DR. JUPITER
(chuckles)
Did you expect a luxury hotel?
MAN
No, I just didn’t think the weather would be so…
He looks down at the stormy waves, crashing against jagged rocks.
MAN (CONT’D)
…cliché.
DR. JUPITER
It helps protect us from onlookers, at least!
(He looks at the WOMAN)
And hello, Miss…
The WOMAN extends her gloved hand. DR. JUPITER takes the cue and kisses it.
WOMAN
Lesser. Camille Lesser. I’m his assistant.
DR. JUPITER
You seem awfully dainty for this line of work.
WOMAN
Trust me.
(She grins. There’s something a little suspicious about it.)
I have experience with these sort of people.
DR. JUPITER steps back. His friendly smile leaves his face.
DR. JUPITER
I should hope so. We’ve had many psychologists analyze our prisoners…few were able to help much.
MAN
They should be willing to work with me, if we give them time.
The smile returns to DR. JUPITER’S face. He steps aside, motioning for the newcomers to enter the building.
DR. JUPITER
Well then, let’s get started.
The two enter as the HELICOPTER ascends. DR. JUPITER remains behind with the GUARDS, discussing something with them.
As they cross through the doorway, framed with lightning-bolt decorated pillars, the WOMAN turns to the psychologist.
WOMAN
Well, that was certainly easier than I expected, Mr. D.
They enter a lit area, revealing the faces of notorious criminals DIRECTOR D. and MADEMOISELLE MOREAU. DIRECTOR D. smiles.
DIRECTOR D.
Trust me, miss Moreau, my plans are all very simple.
We look from the outside, as they head deeper into the prison.
FADE OUT.
“Erewhon contains some of the most notorious criminals in all of the world of Poptropica…but could their abilities be used for someone’s advantage?
Director D., a cunning and charismatic spy, and Madimoiselle Moreau, a sweet yet spiteful Frenchwoman, are both villains who have managed to avoid the long arm of the law. They have teamed up to start their grandest plan yet, but they will need a little help.
Will justice and peace prevail above these many conflicting schemes, or will these villains be consumed by their own ambition and follow a murky path as the world collapses due to a plan they may not even be aware of?”
Hey Poptropicans, this is a guest post from HfEvra, who will be discussing ideas for changes to classic islands should they get remade in Haxe. Enjoy!
Greetings, fellow humanoid creatures with unrealistic proportions who lack ears and noses! My name is HfEvra or Mess of a Being (or Messy Knuckle in-game) and I’m here today with a guest post about island stories.
Though the fandom at large seems to be disappointed by the changed gameplay of the first (and currently only) Haxe remaster, Mythology Island, its existence has made me hopeful that perhaps remastered islands could also have story changes in addition to gameplay changes. In this post, I’ll go over some of the story changes I’d like to see in future Haxe remasters. (Warning: Contains spoilers for Mission Atlantis, Super Villain, and Monster Carnival.) Without further ado, let’s begin!
#1: More on the aliens in Mission Atlantis
One of my biggest gripes about Mission Atlantis Island is how little we learn about the aliens of the story. Poptropica had already made an island about potential alien life (Lunar Colony) two years before the release of Mission Atlantis: Episode 3; and despite it being an island I have very mixed feelings about, I firmly believe that the story of Mission Atlantis pales in comparison.
The big reason for this is that in Mission Atlantis, the alien aspect seems to come out of left field with no prior build-up in episodes 1 & 2. It doesn’t seem really well thought-out, and feels a lot like it was just thrown into the story for no other reason than because the writers wanted to subvert the players’ expectations by having it so that an island called Mission Atlantis doesn’t even have an Atlantis.
At least in other mystery islands like Ghost Story and Steamworks, there was constant progress being made with the mystery. The more you played, the more questions were answered as to why everything is the way it is. The answers weren’t as blatant and in your face as islands like Mystery Train, but they were still there.
With Mission Atlantis, there’s barely any time for the alien mystery to be expanded on — we spend the entire second episode trying to find a way inside a mysterious underwater structure, and then spend the entire third episode trying to find a way out of it. We get a small slideshow near the end of the third episode, but even then, that slideshow doesn’t tell us much beyond the reveal that the fortress is of alien origin and has been underwater since before the continents were formed.
Zapped: A jarring circumstance for this little fella.
I understand that the reveal of the fortress being unrelated to Atlantis is meant to be a twist, but that doesn’t mean we can’t know a little more about the extraterrestrials to whom this vessel belonged. Sure, the artifacts and glyphs from Episode 2 are a start, but there are more ways to scatter clues throughout the story without having them instantly spoil the twist. After all, Super Villain and Mocktropica could leave a trail of clues; I’m certain Mission Atlantis could benefit greatly from it.
#2: The totems in Super Villain
Speaking of Super Villain Island, another story change which I’d love to see in a Haxe remaster is changing what the totems in the villains’ dreams are meant to represent.
The plot of Super Villain Island revolves around helping Dr. Jupiter by removing totems of evil from the minds of some of Poptropica’s most infamous villains in an attempt to bring them back to the light, only to find out that Dr. Jupiter is Zeus in disguise and that he wants to use the power of the totems to take over Poptropica. And though this isn’t necessarily a bad idea for a story, the plot suffers in its treatment of the totems less like a source of evil energy and more like a physical manifestation of a person’s dark side, which can simply be removed from a person’s mind with no immediate consequences.
Not only does Super Villain not at all address the aftermath of the totem removal and the (former) villains’ escape, it glosses over some other pretty important questions: Have these people been completely stripped of any and all evil? Is it possible for them to go back to villainy, or will they remain cleansed for all eternity? And if they truly are good now, what will happen with their former victims? Will they be obligated to forgive the people who have tried to ruin their lives?
The Big Sleep: A pirate just can’t get any rest around here.
Due to how the island immediately shifts all its attention to Zeus following the retrieval of all the totems, none of these questions are given so much as a passing mention. Not even the bonus quest gives us any answers — it’s basically a fetch quest that takes place in Zeus’ dreams. (By the way, is there any reason as to why the player can’t also just take out Zeus’ totem of evil and turn him into an ally? Wouldn’t it be very helpful to have the king of the gods on our side? Just saying.)
#3: The ending of Monster Carnival
Would you look at that? This month’s Island Flash-back actually found its way onto the list! And it’s for good reason.
If there is one thing that almost the entire fandom unanimously agrees on, it’s that the ending of Monster Carnival is extremely problematic due to the way it dehumanizes a man of color who was already treated as a literal monster by the narrative because of an aspect of himself that he had no control over. Although I do not fully agree with the idea that Ringmaster Raven did nothing wrong ever, I am of the opinion that the punishment is far too severe for the crime, especially considering how villains like the Shogun from Red Dragon and Scheherazade from Arabian Nights committed far worse crimes and got away scot-free.
I already made an entire video months ago talking about the messed up implications of Monster Carnival’s story, so I will not re-tread that ground. All I will say is that the way Monster Carnival went out of its way to give Ringmaster Raven one of the saddest backstories in the game and then stripped him of his free will to make him go through even more suffering is not okay. If I could change only one thing about Poptropica, it would be Monster Carnival’s ending.
Spread Your Wings: And fly on out of here, or you’ll be sorry.
(Thankfully, it does seem that the creators are aware of the community’s view of Monster Carnival, as evidenced by the Q&A with the CEO back in November. Does this mean that justice will finally be served after seven years? Fingers crossed!)
Hope you enjoyed this guest post by HfEvra (Mess of a Being). If you did, you might also enjoy other posts in our Pop Petition series.
The Poptropica Help Blog welcomes interesting Poptropica insights from anyone in the Poptropica community with thoughts to share. Interested in writing for the PHB? We’d love to hear from you! 📰✨
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