Friendly Member

Unfortunately, this is really the only category I can do. I’m not interested in rewards or banners or anything, but I still wish to share this. I haven’t been active at this forum for a while, so I can’t really say anything about the other categories. You might even say that I shouldn’t have the right to vote even in this category, but I’m going to do it anyway.

I vote for Pangaea. He’s the only member here that I met in person, and keep in contact with (albeit not very well ). He’s such a dedicated friend that I don’t know where to start! He’s nice and smart and funny and just an all-around great person to hang out with. Whenever I need someone to talk to, I know I can always turn to him (although I try not to do so too often). I don’t really have many friends, but he’s one of the few I would call my ëbestest’ friend!

Keep being you, buddy! Don’t let anyone slow you down and may the Squid-Who’s-Explicably-Wearing-Pants be with you!

Squid-Who's-Inexplicably-Wearing-Pants.... We meet again... And you are still so friggin' adorable!! I can't help it!! He's exactly like you said in your description: my favorite and most popular OC in your arts (I actually started drawing him myself, but it remains unfinish like a lot of my works)!! It's the eyes... I swear... THEY STARE INTO MY SOUL!!! Oh wait, I don't have a soul... Not anymore... *glares in my Shedinja's direction*

Sorry, this pent-up hyperness have to go somewhere!!

And that Trilobite continues to catch my eye!! It's just so beautiful in coloring, and I'll admit: it has this calming effect on me when I look at it long enough! And then of course, I break out laughing when I see the Fluffy Raptor!! I just wants to hug it!! X3

Which reminds me: I still have yet to really check out MLP: FiM. With so much hype around it, it's surprising that I've only ever seen one or two episodes so far...

On the second card, I particularly loooooove the LBT-esque text!! You melded the transitioning colors very well and the slight shadow really makes it pop out on the page. I'm also jealous how you managed to make the letters the same size and uniform and... well.... straight!! Whenever I try to draw a sentence and stuff, it always slants or shrinks in size or something!! But you pulled it off perfectly!!!

And I believe I might recognize Siak!! Nice work on her teeth and I love how you resolved your problem with the party hat covering her eyes. It adds a sense of charm to her character!!

Sorry it took a while for me to get this up. Know that although it might take me a bit of time to post a comment (everything seems to take a while for me nowadays), I'm still checking out your works. Said works are wonderful, as the other members above have stated.

P.S. I still have the card you made me, I hung it on the fridge so I can always see it!!

Got unexpected news!!

One of the employees at the pet store I frequent (Pangy should be familiar with it ) just rescued an abused Mama rat who was abandoned right outside their door in a very small carrier. Turns out, she was also pregnant. She had given birth (the employees told me how they thought the litter wouldn't make it due to the roughed up nature of their mother) and the babies have been weaned and sold... except for one, whom they suspect to be a runt, given how small he was compared to the others.

Enter me coming in yesterday evening after work, as I was picking up some toys and supplies for Koopa and Tanooki (who are coming along wonderfully, btw! They're getting fat and squishy!!). Hearing the story and seeing the lonely little guy, I knew it was meant to be!! Needless to say, I spent a lot more of my paycheck than I originally intended!! Oh well... That's what Savings are for!

If my stoopid, new laptop had a webcam, I'd totally make a video for you guys to see him, but alas, it seems I'll have to describe with words...

He is absolutely gorgeous!! He's a odd-eyed (one eye's red, the other a darker ruby colored) Dumbo with exceptionally big ears. I think those ears might be bigger to his body size than Tanooki's!! He has white, very soft fur and a spot of beige near his left eye!!

Currently, he's seven weeks old and living in a temporary cage. He's very curious and amazingly brave, compared to how Koopa and Tanooki were when I first got them. He seems completely oblivious to any noise or movement I make and doesn't run for cover very easily. He's an avid chewer; everything put into that cage must be nommed!! Not even his food bowl (no, screw the food, it's the BOWL he wants to eat! ), igloo, and the cage itself is safe! I gave him plenty of chew toys and his favorite is this Shish-kabob thing hanging from the bars that has several blocks of wood and a bell at the bottom... and of course, he's more interested in trying to eat the bell than the wood!!

He rushes to the door when I open it to see what's up, although he's not yet used to petting. He shies away from my hand, but doesn't seem frightened by my presence in his cage. In fact, last night, we had a moment where he let me pet him in the cage and he began falling asleep right then and there!! And when I stopped, he looked up at me with this face that said:

"Why'd you stop? Pet me, slave!!"  

I'm gonna be making efforts to fully socialize him and then I'll work on introducing him to Koopa and Tanooki. He's still too small and male rats are notoriously aggressive towards youngsters. So I'll wait until he's bigger and strong enough to hold his own if things get messy.

His name is Gizmo!  :^.^:

I suppose this also means that Sierra and Rinkus are free for the taking. I do seem to recall one or two other players wanting to do something with them… (I’m looking at you, Sparky. )

:!

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

MineminemineminemineminemineMINE!!!!!!!!!!!

Chapter 3

Everything in his mind was just an incoherent, nonsensical blur for a moment. Where was he? Opening his eyes, he saw that it was a pretty glum and blurry place, lit only by the sunlight flooding in from the small barred window above him. Lifting his head from the strangely soft ground, he squinted a bit before his vision slowly began clearing on its own to reveal his surroundings in better clarity. He was in a small, closed off space, covered in dust and cobwebs, with a large wooden doorway blocking him from the rest of the castle. And he found, with a dazed look downwards, that he was lying on a soft bunk. Well, that explained why the ground felt so weird.

Snapping out of his slow state of recovery with a few shakes of his head, within seconds he was once more bright-eyed and bushy-winged as he sat up on his new bed, now comprehending where he was. He was in a dungeon! How did...? Within an instant, he remembered everything in a flood. The doctors, the panic. Then they pressed something on his face and everything didn't make sense after that; it was all just fuzzy images and blabbering voices around him. Now he was 'waking up' here. Looks like Impacto really meant it when he said he was going to lock him up.

Now how to get out...

But before he could even stand to explore, the door open and in stepped a green-shelled Koopa Troopa, glancing about before his eyes settled on him. Pip glared back before looking towards the door. He was making no effort to hide his intentions to escape, let the whole castle know for all he cared. But however way he was going to get out, it wasn't going to be through that door as the Koopa Troopa closed it without a second thought on the matter, resulting in a small growl from the younger Koopa before the all-important question was asked to the stranger.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Kops. King Koopa ordered me to keep an eye on you." the Koopa Troopa answered and Pip rolled his eyes at both the fact that he was having a babysitter and from the fact that having one at this moment was totally unnecessary.

"Well, I'm cooped up in here, so how much trouble could I possibly get into?" At this, the Koopa Troopa chuckled in an amusement Pip couldn't understand. What was so funny? Well, him apparently as Kops answered with a smirk.

"You honestly don't think you're gonna stay in here all day, do you? We have things to do and places to go, so get up." This confused the Paratroopa. So this wasn't his final destination for the day? Well, he supposed that as a 'recruit', he would be given something of value to do around here and why not start as early as possible? Plus, this could be a good opportunity to esca- "But don't bother thinking about escaping under my watch. If you make a break for it, every Koopa in this castle has the authority to use whatever force is needed to stop you."

Damn it, this Koopa Troopa knew what he was doing... So much for that. So with a groaning sigh, Pip hopped off the bed, feeling a bit queasy at the movement, but none the worse after his trauma-inducing experience. By instinct, he casted a glance at his arm to see gauze pressed against his new wound, tied with bandage. He could also feel other band-aids on his other arm and knew they were probably from the vaccines. Kops caught the glance and grinned, leading the Paratroopa out into the hallway as he spoke.

"Yeah, Impacto told me all about your little break-down earlier," At this, a look of embarrassment came to Pip's face and he tried not to look at his apparent escort. "Heard it was so bad, one of the Shy Guys actually quit. King Koopa's probably gonna wanna see you later about that."

"Goodie." Was all that Pip muttered before pushing aside his feeling of slight humiliation at getting such publicity. After all, what did he care what a bunch of evil Koopas thought about him? "Any particular place you're taking me?"

"Well, right now, I'm feeling hungry, so we're gonna grab a bite of brunch before carrying on," Kops answered, always keeping track of his charge from the corner of his eyes and noticing the perplexed look he was receiving. Nonchalantly placing his hands behind his head in a relaxed posture as he grinned, he could understand why, as the kid no doubt expected him to act a bit more hostile than this. "Hey, I'm gonna be showing you around anyway. I might as well start with the most important place in the castle!"

"Your nice guy act isn't working." Pip informed him bluntly, crossing his arms in further emphasis. Kops only glanced at him for a long moment before rolling his eyes.

"Or maybe it just hasn't occurred to you that this isn't an act and I'm just being genuine here, kid." He responded in a bit of an irritated tone. Unfortunately, the issue wasn't going to be dropped as Pip scoffed in bitter skepticism. Genuine, his tail…

"Please," he grunted. "Like I'm gonna believe anything an evil Koopa like you says."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Kops retorted with a warning glare. "I didn't know being in a good mood was outlawed for loyal Koopas. If you want hostility, kid, all you had to do was ask. I would've tied you up again and left you inside that cell to have your brain rot in boredom. Would you like that, because I can always ask King Koopa about it."

For a long moment, they both glared at each other before Pip looked away with a snort. "Whatever."

Kops shook his head before continuing on towards their destination in silence, keeping himself from grumbling under his breath. His young charge had no such restraint however and he was mumbling the whole way there, falling quiet when they arrived at a double door and Kops pushed it open, a wash of noise and delicious scents washing over them as they walked inside.

Pip widened his eyes, impressed by the sheer size of this place. This was about four times the size of his school's cafeteria! And such size was most definitely needed as the place was crowded with other Koopas as well as Shy Guys and Goombas. The CafÈ itself was a combination of a typical Lunch Line and an All You Can Eat Buffet, the latter clearly for seconds and desserts. Tables were lined along the walls and Pip vaguely wondered if there would even be a spot available for the two of them. Casting his gaze up, he saw the chamber was lit by several fancy chandeliers and he kept in a whistle so as not to hint further that he genuinely liked this place.

Following Kops closely so as not to get lost, Pip hasn't noticed until now how hungry he was and he realized that he hasn't eaten since dinner the evening before. With all the stress that went on this morning, it shouldn't surprise him that it slipped his mind. The pleasant smells wafting around the room certainly wasn't helping. He couldn't help but wonder what kind of food was served here.

And the answer seemed to be, 'Everything under the sun'. At least that's what he concluded when he got close enough to scan the buffet tables and his stomach grumbled impatiently. Falling in line behind Kops, he took a tray and saw the servers were Buzzy Beetles with chef hats tied to their shells and aprons, busily carrying out their respective work. Pip has seen Buzzy Beetles before and the thing that caught him the most off guard was how these particular ones moved. Beetles and their Spiny relatives always walked on all fours. These didn't conform to that method of movement at all and they all bounded about on their hind legs, almost as skillfully as he could. Before he could question this, one of the Beetles bounced over to him, giving a pleasant smile.

"And what can I get for you, sir?"

"Uh," Pip responded, casting an uncertain glance at Kops, who grinned in amusement at the Paratroopa's obvious confused behavior. "Wha…what do you guys have?"

"Everything." The smaller Koopa-like critter responded, confirming Pip's previous conclusion. "But today's special is BBQ themed, so if you'd like to try the ribs or steaks…"

"This early? Really?" Pip started, only to receive another nod. Blinking, he considered the rare chance to enjoy a dinner-like meal for practical breakfast and only one thing came to mind. "How much would that be?" It was an instinctive question, and it earned a chuckle from the Beetle.

"Everything's free here, so help yourself." At this answer, Pip felt his beak drop open. And here he thought that Doc was just exaggerating, but it turns out everything really was taken care of around here. If he wasn't so wary of the whole thing, he might say that it was pretty awesome.

"Okay, can I get a rib, a T-bone steak, some sweet potato casserole, and white corn on a cob?" he requested, expecting some kind of reprimand for being greedy or something. But the server didn't even bat a glowing red eye as he nodded respectfully.

"Coming right up, sir!" Moving expertly as he gathered the requested food, the Beetle still somehow managed to balance on his hind-legs as he darted back towards Pip with a heavy plateful of fresh food. "Here you go. Would you like a drink with that, sir?"

"S-sure…" Pip said as he took the plate, still trying to comprehend that this was happening in real life. But even then, he still refused to verbally share how impressed he was, no matter how difficult it was becoming. "Uh, can I have a large chocolate shake?"

"Righty-O!" the server beamed, heading off again, and Pip finally understood that apparently the Beetles were refusing to touch the floor with their front paws while on the job so as not to contaminate the food. He wondered how long it took for them to master the technique. Within a minute, his server returned with a large glass filled to the brim with shake, with whip cream and a cherry on top. Pip took that too and placed it on his tray.

Alright, despite it being directed towards an enemy creature, Pip felt that he had to give his thanks before Kops (whom was served by another Beetle) led him towards a table. Apparently, Kops ate here often, as he headed straight towards one particular spot that was left free and he sat down, Pip sitting across from him. Looking at the Paratroopa, Kops saw that he still wore an amazed expression and he chuckled.

"So, you're liking the place?" he asked. Pip caught himself and quickly covered it up with the best look of disinterest that he could pull off.

"Whatever." And with that, he began sampling the food, finding it to be just as good as it looked…

Sometime Later…

"How are you still eating?!" Kops choked through his own wide-eyed amazement as Pip scarfed down another fork-full of the stack of ten pancakes in front of him. This was the Paratroopa's THIRD trip to the buffet and his appetite hasn't seemed to wane a bit. In confusion, Kops wondered how distended the young Koopa's belly must be underneath that shell! He knew Paratroopas needed to eat a lot to support their high metabolism that fueled their flight-related activities, but damn! Just where is this kid putting it all?!

Scooping in another beakful of food, Pip made an attempt to respond, but his speech was muffled by his stuffed cheek-pouches. Managing to swallow enough food, he no longer cared too much about maintaining his act of hostility as he squeaked. "This is…the best brunch…ever!"

And then, he shoveled in more food, which Kops interpretated as an attempt to swallow the pancake stack whole. Shaking his head in wonder, the Koopa Troopa startled as a loud roar echoed throughout the castle, causing everyone in the room to go silent.

"KOPS, REPORT TO ME WITH THAT PARATROOPA IMMEDIATELY!"

Everyone in the room took a moment to let their ears settle before resuming what they were doing as if nothing happened. Kops looked back to where Pip oughta be, only to find the seat vacant. Blinking, the older Koopa stood up and looked over the table to find the Paratroopa on the floor with a startled look on his face. Apparently, Pip had attempted to take off as a fear reflex, only to find that the food he's been eating now made him too heavy to pull off such a feat.

Recovering from his failed attempt to fly, Pip sat up as he looked about anxiously. "What was that?!"

"That was King Koopa. He does that a lot, but you'll get used to it. Kinda." Kops informed him, helping the youngster to his feet before leading him out of the CafÈ.

"Well, what does he want?" Pip questioned, his sense of disdain returning. Okay, he can probably tolerate Kops and these other subordinate Koopas, but Bowser himself? That was just too much to ask from the little village Koopa. So being singled out to meet the king like this was filling him with a rather acute sense of hate…and dread.

"Probably wants to see you for that whole Shy Guy incident, but don't worry, kid," Kops reassured calmly. "You're new, so he's probably just gonna give you a reprimand or something."

"Yay." Pip grunted sarcastically before trying to keep in a whimper as they soon arrived in familiar hallways. And just around the corner was the passage leading to the throne room. Holding back a gulp, he gathered himself in preparation and stood tall as they entered the room, Kops immediately bowing his head when he saw Bowser standing in the middle of the room.

"You bellowed, sir?" the Koopa Troopa inquired respectively, catching the monstrous turtle's attention.

"Of course I did!" Bowser scoffed, turning his piercing gaze to Pip. A sinister smirk spread on his muzzle, his razor sharp fangs flashing as he growled. "So you're the tiny creature that caused so much trouble in the medical wing earlier."

"I'm not tiny." Pip snapped, crossing his arms as he glared up at the dragon. "Now what do you want?"

Bowser bursted out laughing, obviously not taking the young Koopa's hostility seriously, and Pip growled softly at this open mockery. But even that growl choked in his throat as the King of Koopas wandered over, every footstep sending vibrations through the floor.

"Such a feisty little shrimp; you'll make a good addition to my Koopa Troop once you're broken." Bowser hissed in malicious amusement. Looking down at the defiant newcomer, he continued in a more serious tone of voice. "Now what I want is to know why you chased off one of my most trusted Shy Guys. Choose your words wisely, insect."

Pip most certainly chose his words wisely and he tried his very best not to falter as he met those red eyes glaring at him. "I don't have to answer to you. You're not the boss of me." He caught a worried glance from Kops, but Pip still stood firm in his position even as Bowser leaned down to sneer over him, a claw jabbing into the Paratroopa's chest.

"Do you forget who you're speaking to, worm? I'm more than your boss; I'm your god and you will treat me as such."

Silence as Pip held his own glare for a moment before making his final point…by biting hard into the finger that poked him. King Bowser barely flinched, but he tore his hand away regardless, snarling at this show of disrespect. The massive fire-breather seemed about to lash out physically before reminding himself that he had to show 'patience' with his new recruits. He's broken defiant Koopas like this before, and he's learned that physical punishment this early on would only strengthen the newcomer's resolve and make them even more uncooperative. Luckily, he's developed a very effective method that has converted many a reluctant Koopa. This mere teenager will be no different.

Looking to Kops, he growled out his words. "Is this one being kept in one of the special cells?"

At this, Kops turned his attention from worrying about the insane Paratroopa to his royal superior and he nodded quickly. "Yes, sir. Impacto felt that it would be a necessary choice. Said the kid was too much trouble to be the compliant-type."

"A choice well made." Bowser grunted before returning his attention to the child before him, his smirk returning as he proceeded to the next step of his specialized method. "Would you like to know how your village is doing?"

At this, Pip said nothing for a moment, his glare turning into a full-on scowl before he finally responded. "I don't need you to tell me, because I'll be back home before night-fall." He hissed as if it was fact, earning a scornful huff from his captor.

"You'll be back to the ruins of your home, Paratroopa." Bowser corrected. "Your precious little village has been completely destroyed; burned to the ground with nothing left."

"You're lying." Was all Pip managed to choke out, refusing to believe such a thing. Yes, he saw some Fire Bros. set houses alight, but surely the damage wasn't that bad. Surely, his fellow villagers would've saved the community in time. No, Bowser's just trying to psyche him out and he wasn't going to fall for it.

"Then by all means, try to escape. I guarantee you that it'll only bring you pain and misery." Bowser responded with satisfaction. Stand to full height once again, he turned his attention back to Kops. "Have you finished his orientation of the castle?"

"No, sir." Kops responded softly, feeling more humbled than usual from the tense atmosphere. "In fact, I was about to show him the S Wing when you called so he'll know what he's missing where housing's concerned."

"Excellent. Waste no time in getting there." Bowser demanded and Kops could tell he had reason for such urgency. Not going to question the royal Koopa, Kops nodded immediately, showing Pip the way out when Bowser gave them a dismissive wave.

And as soon as they were out of sight, King Bowser took another deep breath. "CRASH, REPORT TO ME NOW!" And his voice was still strong as it echoed out the room to travel down the halls in search of the target pair of ears. Crossing his arms, he had to wait but a mere few minutes before the summoned Hammer Bro. walked into the room, bowing his head automatically.

"Yes, sir?"

"Head to the S Wing quickly. I need you to provide a little…demonstration." At this, Crash's expression brightened considerably, a pleased purr coming from his throat as his Lord continued. "I don't care who you pick as your target, but make sure a certain little Paratroopa sees it. You'll recognize him as he'll be accompanied by Kops. And I want you to make every point clear to him on what would happen if he continues to be an idiot." He grinned. "And be sure it's extra bloody. I want that insubordinate brat traumatized by the time you finish, got it?"

"Most certainly, King Koopa." Crash stated with a grin, taking a hammer and wasting not a second in heading towards his destination, eager to take part in his favorite past-time…

END OF CHAPTER 3

Dat Face!!  

Fast Biter- *rambles like a lunatic* The franchise is dead, sharpteeth are no longer threatening, and I'm about to be tickled into submission. And you know what? That's. Just. Friggin'. WONDERFUL!! Hehehehehehehehe....
Spike- *thinking* Omg, he's finally cracked...

Ducky: We are going to have so much fun, yup yup yup! We will have tea parties, I will put you in a dress and make-up, and we will talk about boys whilst we giggle!
Petrie: *thinking* Kill me...

I'mma post this topic up before heading for work, but luckily, I have it pre-written. Here we go!

I've had TONS of insect OCs, a couple originating from my original story, but most created solely to take part in a massive Role-Play I'm doing with a buddy. Said RP began as an Ant Bully one (The Ant Bully is an obscure little movie not many people know about) and it was a place where we can introduce and create our Ant Bully OCs. It eventually evolved to include all our other favorite fandoms and our other OCs. Now I've decided to submit the original buggy OCs here! I know some people might be interested

Let's start with the first official OCs I've introduced in the RP! It's been years since the RP started, but I do believe that the first one was....

Mug, the Mosquito!



He was based design-wise on the mosquito enemies in the Ant Bully video game, and played a big part in the RP when it first began (technically, he wasn’t the first character I played; the Wasp Leader character from the Ant Bully was first, but he is the first OC). Sadly, over the years, he’s faded into obscurity in the very RP that created him and he’s only brought up a few times now.

Personality-wise, he acts like a tough-guy most of the time, but is a pretty friendly character. He is easily jealous of any guy approaching Dusk, his Madagascan Sunset Moth (a BEAUTIFUL creature who’s wings are often made into jewelry; look it up!) companion. He found her caught in a spider’s web and freed her from it; since then, they’re inseparable. He also dislikes having to set claw on the ground or any surface for that matter, as he knows that landing would make him an easy target for human swatting…

Fun fact! Male mosquitoes aren’t blood-suckers. Only the females require blood to develop their eggs. This is why Mug’s favorite food is mango juice! In fact, although he dislikes us indiscriminate humans (as we always swat at him despite his overall harmlessness), there has been several occasions where he actively saved human lives by chasing away plague-ridden mosquitoes. One of these occasions led to him being badly swatted and Dusk had to nurse him back to health. And still he holds no real grudge against us. Brave little bug…

Next, Mai Mai the Japanese Honeybee!



Not an Ant Bully OC, but an OC nonetheless. She (along with Shon mentioned below) is a character of my original story, Insect Wars, which can be found in the Written Word section. Any who read it would know that Mai Mai is a happy-go-lucky bee, who’s playful nature almost never falters. Her favorite past-time is rolling in the mud!

In the RP, she’s been accidently imported to America and spends her time trying to stop the evil menace that is Shon. Upon arriving to the lawn where the RP takes place, she met up with my buddy’s Ant Bully wasp OC, Aloysius. This wasp is a vegetarian and has serious OCD and Mai knew she found her forever-companion when he expressed dislike towards mud. Now she spends her time taunting him playfully (by throwing mud at him, or rolling about in the mud and then trying to hug him....she's lucky his friendship feeling is mutual), and trying to make do living without her colony. Occasionally, she experiences bouts of depression when she remembers the destruction detailed in the original story I mentioned above.

Anyways, I actually have to delay the submission Shon, the Japanese Giant Hornet (technically, Shon was introduced to the RP before Mai, but I wanted to keep this message in a neat little package). I'm currently redrawing his concept page. The next OC in line was supposed to be Hisoka the Mantis, but I'm also redrawing him. That means the next buggy to be introduced is...

Chirpz the Black Field Cricket!



This guy was a huge hit with my buddy and nearly anyone I showed this picture to. He is adorable!! And a scaredy cat that’s extremely paranoid that everything's out to eat, kill, and/or hurt him! And it's not like that isn't true; plenty of predators in this world would love to eat a cricket! But he’s also among the sweetest characters in the RP, with a real love for creating music via…well… chirping! He’s also very protective of his friends and they’re in danger, he’ll toss his fear aside and come to the rescue. If this involves predators, he’s surprising viscous in his defense of his friends.

He’s introduced in the RP when Shon captures him to give his butterfly charge (I’ll get into that when I submit Shon’s pic) a new friend. Chirpz was of course terrified, but quickly warmed up to the little butterfly. Now, he’s a recurring character in the RP. He has a mate names Chryseis and a daughter named Chatrina. And although Chatrina is not biologically his (long story involving a disturbing character I’ll reveal later), he still treats her like his own. His affection towards Chryseis wasn’t easy though, as he had to dodge the angry attention of my earwig OC, Mitch (whom I’ll also introduce later). Currently, he’s very happy with his life….and still scared of existence!

I'm just gonna submit three at a time, so as not to overwhelm the post or my viewers!  Hope you guys enjoy!

Gah! I forgot to update the story here. For the record, this story already has like...15 chapters up. But I'm not gonna overwhelm this thread, so....

Sorry for the delay, Campion. Hope you're still interested. Without further ado, here's the next chapter!

-~-

Chapter 2

"The raid was a complete success, sir! We've gotten as many recruits as we could carry!" a Lakitu gave the news to his King, grinning ear-to-ear in excitement to be the carrier of the increasingly rare phenomenon of good news. And hearing such a thing for once certainly put Bowser in a comparatively decent mood and a look of satisfaction crossed his facial features as he stood from his throne.

"Excellent," he snickered. "And what of the rest of the village?"

"As ordered, your Highness, the village is in shambles and the remaining residents were forced to retreat elsewhere." The Lakitu answered matter-of-factly, and the Koopa King let out a brief burst of laughter, unable to help himself knowing that revenge have gone so well according to plan.

"Even better. Perhaps now they'll give me the proper respect that I deserve." Carrying on to business, he put on a stern face as he crossed his arms. "Now where are my new recruits?"

"On their way, sir," –There was a knock on the throne room door- "Nevermind. They're here."

Practically on cue, the door opened and a whole swarm of Koopas entered the immense chamber, each dragging or carrying a terrified young Koopa ranging from practical hatchlings to young adults. Knowing the drill well as they've been through this many times before, each member of the Koopa Troop army began forming neat horizontal rows, their individual captives held in front of them in display. Bowser growled in amusement at the terrified looks he was getting from the unwilling recruits and to his greater delight, the fear intensified when he spoke.

"Welcome to your new home, recruits. You all should know very well who I am, but for those of you living your pathetic lives under a rock, I am King Bowser Koopa and your new boss from this day forward." He allowed his eyes to sweep over the sea of scales that was his audience and he began pacing back and forth between one end of the first row to the other as he continued his speech. "Every one of you has been selectively 'chosen' to join my army and to serve under my rule. Let me just cut to the chase here: cooperate and meld yourselves well into my Koopa Troop, and we won't have any troubles. If you resist, I'll make every effort neccessary to break you and trust me, it will be a painful process," He held in a chuckle at the whimpers that rose from the general audience. "With that in mind, I hope you all have trouble settling in. Now..."

He trailed off as he approach the first Koopa in the first row, seeing what his Koopa Troop had to offer him. This first one seemed promising as it was a baby Koopa Troopa held in the arms of an adult Koopa Troopa soldier. Bowser grinned at the sight. "Isn't that adorable?" he muttered in a slightly mocking tone before turning his attention to his soldier. "Are you willing to raise this hatchling under our ways?"

It wasn't really a question as the Koopa Troopa knew he essentially had no choice in the matter. Holding in a sigh, he gave a nod. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Make it happen." With that, the Koopa bowed his head a bit before he hurried off with the baby and Bowser stepped to the next Koopa in line.

Meanwhile, Pip watched fearfully as the giant, menacing-looking King came ever closer down the line. Every instinct in his body told him to fly, but it was made completely useless by the rope bindings still tied around his limbs. He most certainly didn't wanna be here and if he can just get free of this Hammer Bro. and wriggle his wings loose, then maybe he can make a break for it. It was a doomed plan, he knew, as he would be caught in an instant by the multitude of enemy Koopas here, but at least it was something! Wriggling and tugging, he struggled as best he could in his rope bondage, but he wasn't doing anything more than annoy his captor. With a grunt, he was easily pushed to his knees and he glared over his wing at his kidnapper, who glared right back.

Feeling the vibration of steps coming closer, Pip froze with fear as Bowser finally walked over to him and he quickly tried to gather his composure as he looked up with narrowed eyes and a sneer, attempting to hide his utter terror through typical adolescent defiance. This got a grunt from the King, who has seen it all before and wasn't the least bit bothered by this 'attitude', and the giant Koopa looked to the Hammer Bro. with amusement.

"Odd how you caught a Paratroopa, Impacto. Does this mean you're finally warming up to them?" he asked as a joke, to which Impacto shook his head without hesitation, glaring at his captive.

"No, sir. This one was trouble from the start..." It was true. Pip had made every point possible about making nothing easy the entire trip here. Damn it, if he was going to be taken against his will, he wasn't going to take it with drooping wings and a tucked tail! And begrudgingly, Pip had to give credit where credit was due: this Impacto guy had a surprising amount of patience not to bash him over the head with a hammer, especially since he apparently didn't like Paratroopas... Although, Pip could tell he was close to doing so on several occasions...

"A trouble-maker, huh?" Bowser snickered before looking to the Paratroopa. "I look forward to seeing how long this one will last before breaking."

With that, Bowser went off to the next Koopa in line and Pip felt himself get tugged roughly back to his feet. Impacto then proceeded to drag Pip out of the room and down a dark and gloomy-looking hall. The Paratroopa growled the whole time, making failed efforts to plant his tied-up feet firmly to the ground. Stupid ropes...and why did Hammer Bros. have to be so strong anyway!? Mustering every bit of strength he had, he made as violent a thrash as he could pull off. This got him nowhere, but it did earn a snarl from his captor and they came to a halt, Impacto snapping at him for what could be the tenth time today.

"Oh, for cripe's sake, will you STOP with your useless struggling?!"

"Let me go, and I will!" Pip snapped back. This got a huff and heated glare from his captor, but luckily, no physical harm was going to come to him...yet. Without another word, -at least not in coherent English; Impacto apparently was quite fluent in Spanish-, the duo continued down the hall and Pip groaned in frustration at still being held captive. Well, nobody said escape would be easy... "Where are we going, anyway?"

"To the medical wing," Impacto grunted under his breath. "As soon as you get your physical exam done, I'm gonna lock you up and then you won't be my responsibility anymore..."

"Gee, it's good to know how loved I am here..." Pip grumbled sarcastically with a roll of his eyes before his mind pondered his fate. Medical exam? Well, it made sense, he supposed. Keeping a record on him would be useful and he didn't think Bowser would appreciate a sick new 'recruit' spreading their germs all over the place... Although that usually means vaccinations, doesn't it? And blood samples? And don't both of those require needles? He tensed with a whimper. Needles...his biggest fear in the world. "Uh, yeah..." He started nervously, unable to hide his fear this time. "There's not gonna be shots, is there?"

"Why?" Impacto grumbled. "You hate shots?"

"Very much so, yes…" Pip was not ashamed to admit it. He remembered back when he was a hatchling; he never minded needles back then. He remembered how the doctor would prick his finger and then give him candy for being a good Koopa. Then that all changed when he was just a little fledgling. The details of his memory were vivid, although the reason for his first-ever freak out evaded him. Maybe it was because the procedure was different; maybe it was because the needle won't be pricking his finger this time; or maybe it was because the needle itself looked bigger than what he was used to.

Regardless of the reason, when he saw that he was gonna get a shot, he dashed out of there fast! He remembered fluttering as fast as his little wings can go and how close to the exit he got. Then, just as he was pushing the door to get outside, he got caught and was carried, beak and claw, back to the exam room. It took five doctors to pin him down and he remembered seeing the needle pierce the scales on his thigh…

He shuddered at the memory and if he wasn't tied up, he would've rubbed the spot on his leg gingerly. Ever since then, he's been terrified of shots more than anything else in the world and if this place so much as shows him a needle, all hell can break loose.

Unfortunately, Impacto chose not to answer his question at all as he reached the end of the hall and shoved open the double-doors with a grunt. Both Koopas were greeted with a sterile white environment typical of a hospital. Pip glanced about to find that the doctors were Shy Guys. He's seen several Shy Guys before, at a distance, but this was his first time seeing them up close. They were weird looking, to say the least.

Walking up to a counter, Impacto knew the drill well and didn't bother talking to the Shy Guy behind said counter as he took a clip board and then proceeded to drag Pip to some chairs. He pushed the Paratroopa into a seat before sitting beside him, pulling out a pen.

"What's your name?" the Hammer Bro. muttered. Pip wondered whether he should share his real information, but figured there was no harm in sharing a name. Besides, what if he got hurt while here? These things could help save his life or something.

"Pip Perry Paratroopa." He muttered softly, feeling slight embarrassment in his name. He couldn't help it; both his first and middle name was stupid in his opinion. Fortunately, Impacto didn't seem to care as he wrote down that bit of info before writing in the obvious parts, like Species, Sex, and Shell Color. As for the more ambiguous ones…

"Blood-type?"

Pip shrugged, feeling genuinely clueless. "No idea. I usually don't fill these things out…" Impacto grunted before leaving the space blank, a slight smirk creeping along the edges of his beak. After all, if the Paratroopa didn't know, then the doctors would have to figure it out for him… Finishing the papers to the best of both their knowledge, Impacto stood for a moment to return the paper to the counter before returning to his spot, waiting.

Luckily, neither of them had to wait long before a blue-garbed Shy Guy peeked out a door over to the right. "Mr. Pip Paratroopa?"

Impacto wasted no time getting the Paratroopa to his bound feet and dragging him towards the doctor. At this point, Pip was starting to feel like a ragdoll… Stupid Hammer Bro. … Leading the two Koopas to the examination room, the Shy Guy held the door open helpfully for them before following them in. Impacto hoisted the smaller Koopa up onto the table before wandering to the door and leaning against the wall, apparently standing guard. Pip wondered why such a thing would be needed before he felt the Shy Guy undo his restraints.

Feeling blood-flow in his hands, feet, and wings again, the young Paratroopa felt the powerful urge to run for the door, but he knew better, especially with his captor fiddling boredly, and yet threateningly, with a hammer. So instead, he sat up and rubbed his wrists tenderly, watching the Shy Guy carefully in case he was hiding a needle somewhere in that ridiculous outfit.

"So you're one of the new recruits?" the Guy asked as he prepared the stethoscope that was resting around his neck. Pip blinked at this thing's strange voice before nodding begrudgingly.

"Unfortunately." He grumbled as the Guy placed the cold disc to his chest to listen to his heart and lungs.

"You'll get used to it," the doctor responded in a cheery, laid-back tone as he put away the stethoscope and checked the Paratroopa's eyes. "This isn't too bad a place, y'know."

"Yeah, right." Pip hissed, crossing his arms before giving a surprised cry as the Shy Guy unexpectedly pried open his beak.

"Eh, you'll turn around once you see your first paycheck." Doc chirped as he examined the inside of the young Koopa's mouth quickly before letting go and moving to check his wings' condition, performing these tasks quickly and expertly. Pip chewed a bit, rubbing his cheek as his eyes widened in startlement at the doctor's words.

"Wait, you guys get paid?" he couldn't help but ask in his surprise. It didn't change the subject of his overall hostility, but it was still unexpected regardless.

"Of course we get paid," Impacto answered as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I wouldn't bother dealing with annoying Koopas like you if I wasn't."

"And the best thing is, your food and housing's already taken care of, so the money you make can be used for pleasure spending." The Shy Guy continued as he finished with the wing exam and then proceeded taking the youngster's blood pressure.

"Well, that doesn't change the fact that you're basically slaves with wages," Pip sneered, ignoring the tightening device around his arm. "Don't you guys have to follow Bowser's orders to a T or risk getting punished or something?"

At this, there was a pause and the Shy Guy glanced over at Impacto before answering. "Yeah, but it's still a good deal. Besides, most of the Koopas here follow King Bowser out of loyalty rather than fear or money. This might surprise you, kiddo, but King Koopa's done a lot to save our butts multiple times. Most of them just aren't made public," He removed the device from Pip's arm and took out the papers the two were filling out earlier, looking through them as he continued. "Just give him his due respect and you'll find he's not that bad a leader."

Pip rolled his eyes with a doubtful scoff. He knew what these guys were doing; they were trying to make it seem like it's not a big deal, but it's all probably just some brainwashing technique. They were just trying to convince him to their side of thinking. Well, they're going to find that this Paratroopa wasn't to be so easily fooled. All his life, he's been told that Bowser was just a greedy, bloodthirsty monster and so far, nothing he's seen suggested otherwise.

There was silence in the room as the Guy flipped through the papers before noticing something. "The Blood-type section was left blank."

"Yeah," Impacto spoke up. "The kid didn't know, so I figured you would find out for him." An amused smirk came to his face and the Guy grunted, putting down the papers and wandering towards the drawers. All the while, Pip was watching warily, having a feeling that something bad was on its way now that they were on the subject.

"We're on a bit of a tight schedule today, so we'll postpone your vaccinations," Doc stated and at this, the young Paratroopa felt a strange mixture of relief and dread. No vaccination shots, but does that mean- "Close your eyes, bud, you might feel a slight pinch."

Pip froze with a whimper. He knew exactly what those words meant and an oh-so-familiar terror washed over him, a terror that was actually worse than the one during the raid, and also worse than his fear of seeing Bowser for the first time. No, this one has been firmly planted and NOTHING was going to remove it, EVER!

So, in a typical Paratroopa reaction, he screamed and took off, almost braining himself on the ceiling as he fluttered about in a panic. "SHOTS! NEEDLES! KEEP IT AWAY FROM ME!"

"Hey, calm down!" the Doctor shouted helplessly from the ground. "It'll just be for a few seconds, and it's not gonna hurt that much!"

Pip knew very well that the pain of an actual shot wasn't bad at all, and it certainly didn't warrant this kind of reaction. But that did little to negate the fear and the whimpering Koopa swooped for the door, uncaring if there was a Hammer Bro. standing guard. He wanted out! Unfortunately, to nobody's surprise, he wasn't going to escape that easily and Impacto tackled him to the ground, holding the struggling Koopa down as Doc hurried over to get the blood sample. And Pip was still screaming.

"NO! SHOTS! SHOTSSHOTSSHOTSSHOTSSHOTS!" He was about to bite the hands that held him before the door swung open and hit Impacto, forcing him to let go in his startled burst of pain. A bunch of Shy Guys were crowding the doorway, alarmed at the noises coming from this room, and Pip knew he had to get away from them before they got the sense to pin him down too. So he took off again in the opposite direction, still shrieking at the top of his lungs.

Throwing himself towards a locker, he squeezed into the nice safe comfort within the space between the locker-top and ceiling, his wide and dilated eyes darting from one part of the room to another, as if paranoid more enemies will show up with needles! Below was chaos as the newly arrived Shy Guys began talking over one another as to what was going on. Finally, Doc managed to raise his voice above all the ruckus.

"Everything's fine! I'm just trying to get a blood sample from an unruly patient, is all…" 'Unruly' was a huge understatement and he looked up at the shivering bundle of shell perched above them, wondering how to get this done.

"Anyone have a tranquilizer gun?" one Shy Guy muttered before Doc glared at him.

"Yeah, let's dart the needle-phobic Koopa. I'm sure that'll help," he said sarcastically before shaking his head. "Besides, unless we get animal control, we don't have a tranq gun."

"Then let's call the animal control…" another Shy Guy muttered, prompting a face-palm from Doc.

"Alright, alright, fine," the blue-garbed Shy Guy grumbled, willing to make use of a certain point in their suggestions. Turning to face them, he whispered softly so Pip would be unaware of the plan. "We'll give him a small amount of general anesthesia. Enough to calm him down, but not enough to knock him out and endanger him."

The others nodded before they looked up at the Paratroopa. "Only," one of them started. "How're we going to get him down?"

Before anyone could answer, Impacto decided to help out in that department, as he felt it was his fault to some extent. He knew the Paratroopa hated shots and he thought it would be fun to watch the panic; however, he didn't know it would be this bad! He owed it to the Shy Guys for not giving them warning. Tossing a hammer at the smaller Koopa, he purposely missed him and ended up hitting the locker instead. Pip jumped at the unexpected hammer toss and the loud noise of the locker, and by pure reflex, he took off again. The Hammer Bro. quickly took a second to measure the distance to the airborne Paratroopa and to predict the panicked Koopa's course...

Within the confines of the room, Pip couldn't go very high and he was perfectly within jumping range, so Impacto leapt and tackled him to the ground, pinning him down again. Pip blindly struggled with everything he had, but there was to be no escape this time. The Shy Guys quickly prepped the sedative gas as Doc hurried over with the hopes of getting the blood without having to use the gas. Unfortunately, it proved useless as Pip still had enough sense to avoid the needle, kicking it out of Doc's hold and trying to bite anything that got into range.

Finally ready, one of the Shy Guys dashed over with the mask and pressed it onto the Koopa's muzzle, his other hand keeping the youngster from pulling away and retreating his head into his shell. Pip squawked and warbled in a Paratroopa distress cry, still struggling under the larger Koopa's hold and trying to pry the mask away. Unfortunately, more Shy Guys came over to pin his arms down as well and the restrained Koopa could do nothing but thrash in vain as the gas was turned on.

Pip whimpered as he felt his struggles begin to die down against his will and he began feeling very sleepy. His cries softening to incoherent grumbling sounds, he finally went limp as he bordered unconsciousness and his foggy mind hardly comprehended the prick of the needle in his arm. It was done and Doc sighed in relief, everyone around him finally relaxing.

"I think we should give him his vaccines now. We certainly don't wanna go through this again." He muttered, earning nods of agreement from his fellows. So those shots were given with no hesitation and within moments, the mask was finally removed. Pip hardly comprehended any of it, barely able to keep his eyes open and he was still limp as Impacto let him go and nudged him with a foot.

"How long's he gonna be like this?" he asked. Doc gave a shrug, too tired to come up with too specific an answer.

"Not too long; probably about 30 minutes. That should be enough time for you to take him to his new room without having to tie him up again." He answered, shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

"That's good…" Impacto grumbled, not knowing if he could handle another difficult journey with an uncooperative Koopa. Grabbing hold of the drugged Paratroopa, he hoisted him over his shoulder and walked out the door. With the departure of the duo, Doc quickly went over to the locker and began gathering his stuff, much to his fellows' confusion.

"Hey, whaddya doing? Your shift's not over yet." One of the piped up as Doc swung on a backpack and began walking for the door, answering as he did so.

"I'm gonna ask King Bowser about the chances of retiring early…"

END OF CHAPTER 2

The next chapter will be up a lot sooner! Sorry for the delay and I hope you guys are still interested!

"Probably due to the lack of human contamination!" Sparky chirped in response to Fyn's comment as she wandered to the bank. Taking Pangy's advice of caution, she scanned the water first before leaning down for a drink, always keeping her head level to accomodate her Flyer hat.

The water did taste decent, she supposed, but then again water tended to taste the same to her. She hoped her dinosaur body meant that she won't get sick from drinking such 'fresh' water. When that thought flickered in her head, she quickly sated her thirst before turning her attention to Fyn.

"You'd be safe drinking this water in your human form, right?"