Operation: OHR Presents:

Episode #2

"The Monterey Penguin Story"

By Pepsi Ranger

What makes a hero in today’s world? Is it the frenetic circumstances of a legendary knight who slays the dragon and rescues the princess? Or is it the undying duty of a valiant law enforcement agent who rescues a child from a rabid dog? Or could it be the unrealistic performances of a nineteen-year-old super spy who saves the world from information overload? Or is it the desperate adventure of a lost soul who is just trying to make his way home?

Welcome to the Monterey Penguin story.

Monterey Penguin, born Monterey of the Northern South Pole, lived his early years as a small flightless bird who pushed around giant blocks of ice for his father’s slushee-making business. His strenuous efforts to transport solid objects twice his size, and his insatiable cravings for chunks of those ice cubes, helped him plump up to a healthy and respectable body. And even though his education took a back seat to his father’s demands, Monterey still persisted to be the best ice transporter on the entire continent. Even though most of his friends and family would argue that he was too slow at his job, they all agreed that he still loved it anyway. But they weren’t sure why.

As his days of work and play grew longer and longer, and his physique continued to reflect the pain, Monterey became the focus of local attention. His large body and minimal wisdom became the source of much admiration by many of the female birds in his surrounding rookeries. Though he would never admit to his growing popularity, it became evident that he was a star when the lady penguins started to flock around him and gawk at his gaping bulky wings.

It was during that time that Monterey met Ginger, the ice sculpting female penguin who would immediately capture his heart.

The romance never went anywhere, but Monterey was determined to win her heart anyway. Therefore, he took up the hobby of snow sculpting. He concluded that if he could identify with her interests, then he would soon become one of them.

The shock to his system almost took its toll on Monterey when he realized his days of slushee consumption were over. He spent nights rolling around in his burrow, dreaming of the day that he could ingest another one, but soon his thoughts returned to Ginger. And that’s when he committed his life to building snowmen.

But soon the fateful day came when she wouldn’t have to. It was about five o’clock in the afternoon when Monterey’s escapade in the snow would take a horrible turn.

He had been working on a snowman for about eight hours when he started getting tired. Even though his former job as an ice transporter kept him stuck with hard and rigorous activity for long stretches of time, his days as a snow sculptor softened his endurance, and this period in time proved that. He started to doze off. But his moment of rest turned out to be the worst mistake of his life.

Monterey was kidnapped.

Monterey’s life took a nasty turn when his kidnappers tossed his crate off the plane. It became evident that Monterey was far from home, and far from safety. When the crate touched the ground and popped open, Monterey found something that he never saw before. For the first time ever his eyes gazed upon grass.

His lack of knowledge of the world around him didn’t stop him from finding out more about it. He knew he wasn’t home, but home was where he belonged. And that’s where his adventure began.

After receiving some sound advice, Monterey Penguin set off to collect enough stamps to mail himself back home. And nothing was going to stop him from reaching his goal.

Fortunately, Monterey’s past as an ice transporter gave him the type of physique and endurance he needed to survive the adventure ahead of him. He would become the master of his own circumstances.

Even though Monterey was scared of his present circumstances, and missed the beach he grew up on, and the faces and feathers of those he loved, he knew he would never make it back unless he stood strong and used his resources to the best of his ability. And so he set off for the forest of ARRRRGHHHHHH to find the first of many stamps that he needed.

But retrieve the stamp he did, and he saved a baby cow to boot.

And that was the moment Monterey became a true hero. And that translated to great fame and prestige. He had gone from a snow sculptor to an adventurer virtually overnight. The people loved him for it.

And his feelings were confirmed by a popular vote. His adventure had become the subject of a huge fan following that voted him best out of a list of hundreds. His success as a hero left him speechless.

Monterey had traveled through forests and deserts to find his stamps. Other locations were still on the way. But his circumstances warranted the release of a computer game that focused on his problem at hand. And this game made him more than a hero; it made him a star.

And celebrated is a term that’s used loosely. "Monterey Penguin" the game scored reviews that gave it a rating of more than 90% out of a hundred. The people who played it agreed that it was one of the best games available, according to a Top 30 chart that held it at the very top for three months straight. Such popularity turned Monterey into more than just another penguin trying to make his way home. It had made him into a household name.

Monterey’s spotlight continued to grow as more and more people played out his story, experiencing the world that he too had to discover. And unlike many games that were based on a lost penguin, this one managed to hold the players’ attention.

Whether his stardom was justified or not, it soon took a strange turn when he began to experiment with a new way to live.

Monterey became the area’s leading source for parties, both tame and wild alike. All sorts of people from hunters to dancing eggs would show up and party until they dropped. Soon, the parties escalated from weekly events to nightly events. And the need to make each one better than the last became greater and greater. The life he once knew began spinning out of control. Soon it would come to the point that even he couldn’t stop the spiral.

To satisfy Monterey’s needs and desires, Susojos offered to take total control over the house refreshments, so that Monterey could spend less time concentrating on what would make things better. But, as it turned out, the refreshments were more than standard fare fruit punch and crackers. Within short time, Monterey’s house parties became known for its distribution of crystal meth. And sadly for the poor penguin, he became one of its junkies.

Despite what Monterey’s background music spoke to the world, his life was heading downhill. Reports of his problems became widespread, and there wasn’t a thing anyone could say or do to stop it. It was on May 13, 2000 that everything would come crashing to an end.

Monterey caught wind of his warrant and ran with all his might. But, his oversized body prevented him from running fast. He was captured before night had fallen.

On the fateful day when Monterey was escorted to jail, his cellmate Edgar Weasel was waiting with a big cake and a bigger smile. From that moment on, he knew he had to finish his quest to get home.

Two months later, Super Cucumber used the money they earned on their adventures to bail him out of jail. Within another week, Monterey was on his way to finish the quest he started. It was then that his life could start climbing again.

But Monterey didn’t need the postman’s stamps anymore, since fame and prestige had earned him a private jet. After hiring his own pilot, Monterey was ready to go home.

And so Monterey’s adventure was over, and his life of old could resume where he left off. His homecoming was welcome indeed, so much in fact that his father gave him a new job. Monterey was now known all over the continent for his expert skills in crafting snowman-shaped cherry cola flavored ice slushees. Life had finally become what he wanted. Even Ginger started to talk to him. That made him happy.

To this day, Monterey continues to live out his dreams of being the best at what he does. His days at the beach continue to last longer and longer, and his love for life continues to grow. He knows that he has to take better care of himself if he is to avoid such mishaps as a kidnapping in the future, but he is anxious to see what the future holds anyway. Thus the story of Monterey Penguin will continue to be an open book, and he plans on loving every page.

END CREDITS:

To Kathryn Miller -- "I wouldn't have had the drive to continue had it not been for your incessant prodding."

To Vidual – "Big thanks for your support over the years. Penguin'd not be here...and RPG Online wouldn't have been half of what it was. Thanks, man. You rock."

To Ken E Soto – "Helped build this community. You're quite an impressive creator, and I consider you a good friend."

To Phillip Grubb – "As Chris' father, I must say you inspired quite a bit of this game. I appreciate you being there, and playing a make-shift Dad when my parents split."

To Blaze – "Thanks for all the help over the years, man."

To TaunT – "Mortal was an inspiration to finally release my game. Danke."

To James Paige – "Without you, I wouldn't have met all these new friends. I wouldn't have found this lovely hobby. Thank you for your dedication. Look around. The effort was not wasted."

To Frogman302 – "Your commentary's kept me amused for quite a long time."

To @vatar (Goldenboy) / ToiletDuck – "Your MB arguments caused me to laugh without fail. Thanks again, you two. I hope you're both doing well."

To Jazz_Man – "You watch. Our song's gonna hit the Top40 soon... Maybe."

To The Newnet IRC Crew – "Our nefarious plotting will one day be fruitful...your shepherd commands it, so it will be so. *waves the crook of his staff dramatically* ...Or not. ;oD"

To Various Others – "...and many more. I ran out of space. You know who you are. :o)"

To Everyone Else – "...And where would this game be without the rabid, seemingly-unfounded fanaticism of a good part of the OHR community? Honestly, I don't know. Thanks for the undying support and the votes on OHRMonthly. Grubb and I extend our sincerest thanks."

All moonshiner action was monitored by the National Humane Organization. No moonshiners were harmed in the making of this documentary.

Next Episode:

"The Ends of the Earth Story"

©2001

O:OHR’s Behind the Epic