Island Discussion #25: Herbert’s Redemption

Hello everyone!

Welcome back to this week’s Island Discussion. Last week I hooked you through a very ancient tale of a dragon named Scorn. I hope you found it interesting. Conversely, this week, I will be talking about the future! Well, a possible future is the best way to describe it as I do not know for sure what the future holds for us. It has especially been very cloudy lately as a result from rumours of Project: Super Secret in the works. Anyway, it is time to revisit one of Club Penguin’s famous (and huggable) villains… Herbert P. Bear!

Speaking of a cloudy future, we know for sure that Herbert is on the loose after he luckily escaped the hands of the EPF back in November. If you do not know already, Herbert stole the power source from the UFO which has caused it to malfunction and therefore it cannot operate properly. Because of this, the EPF have kindly allowed this UFO to stay docked on Club Penguin until they are able to find a new power source to operate the UFO once again. Gary came up with the idea of going back in time to collect power fragments of old meteors that hit the island during the prehistoric times. So for the third time, the EPF used the Time Trekker 3000 so that everyone can travel back in time to obtain as many power fragments as possible. Gary’s solution? Ducktape. And lots of it.

The Prehistoric Party is still continuing currently so we are not finished yet. In a week (4th February) the aliens are scheduled to depart from the island after their long stay. By then, all of the power fragments would have been taped together to construct an alternate energy source for the UFO. So expect the cute little aliens to leave very soon. Then I guess that concludes Operation: Crustacean. Or does it?

If you were present when Operation: Crustacean hit the island, you may would have remembered the aim of the operation to start with. The EPF were actually assigned to rescue Klutzy from the alien abductions, hence the name of the operation. However we soon found that Herbert was up to mischief all along once he stole the power supply and escaped via the escape pod. The question is, was this planned? Was this a trick? One thing is for sure, though: Herbert is using that power source for something. But what?

We have not, yet, reached the conclusion of this operation. Even though we have managed to save the alien puffles, two of the EPF’s suspects at large are on the loose with a very powerful source that can be used for something very villainous. Whilst we have been helping the alien puffles, Herbert and Klutzy may have been working on something worrying and the EPF have not been able to locate them both. It is definitely concerning. I think that this was all planned since it just happens to be convenient for Herbert. Without the UFO, the EPF would have been able to stop Herbert and Klutzy as soon as they attempted their escape, but this time, we failed. It may be time to prepare for something frightening very soon…

The whole point of this discussion, however, is Herbert. Herbert and his conscience. Herbert has a lot of perseverance that any person can admire but he uses it for the wrong reasons. He never gives up when the EPF foil his plans; it has even costed him years and years of planning and dedication to his inventions. It is clear that he knows the EPF is stronger than him so why does he continue his vengeance? Do any of you remember my ‘Herbert Theory’? Below is a link to this previous Island Discussion and I recommend that you read it to understand the rest of this post in more depth.

Herbert Theory

On the whole, I believe that every villain has a story. Skip has a story. Tusk has a story. Scorn has a story. Herbert has a story. The only exception with Herbert’s story is that it is currently anonymous. No one knows – exactly – why Herbert turned out to be a naughty polar bear. Surely something has influenced him to become this dangerous so in my Herbert Theory, I discussed possible scenarios where Herbert could have developed his nasty character. My main assumption was that Herbert had a rough upbringing. I know it is not specific but something made him end up isolated on an iceberg in the ocean. Either hate or insignificance could have driven him away from where he came from which is why I relate his behaviour issues with his old family. Maybe Herbert was treated with disrespect so Herbert is trying to gain his reputation by assuring that he has a powerful status. Herbert wants penguins to fear him to make him feel better and Herbert could be using Klutzy as a tool to make him feel like a prominent leader. He may feel small on the inside but Herbert knows that he is rather large compared to other creatures so he uses this advantage to make him feel controlling. Like I said earlier, there must be a story behind Herbert’s behaviour and a story like this one demonstrates a classic crisis of bullying.

I feel that Club Penguin could be portraying a message through the characters of Herbert and Klutzy. As it is a safe, online world for kids, bullying is something strongly discouraged by the team so using it as a concept like this could be teaching kids a lesson. However it is still unclear whether Herbert has experienced bullying which is why I actually suggested this concept to the team a while ago. Nothing is better than an interesting storyline on Club Penguin and who doesn’t want to find out about Herbert’s distant past?

All this hatred and jealousy for the EPF, who constantly foil his plans, may build up to something very climatic. Herbert’s redemption. What if Herbert finally realizes the true monster he is and adjusts his conscience? What if Herbert finally understands the meaning of his actions? Wouldn’t it be such a thrilling moment to witness Herbert redeeming himself? It is a likely story for Herbert to turn good but the only thing that can tempt him is a blast to the past! The EPF has a duty of ensuring that everyone is happy and comfortable on Club Penguin. I think it may be time to help out Herbert but discovering his past. From this, the EPF can finally understand why Herbert is acting so weirdly and we may develop sympathy for his tough life. We may be able to save Klutzy from his life of being a doll wrapped up in the hands of a villainous creature like Herbert. Herbert needs to be cured from his cloudy conscience to stop him from being a threat further on in the future. We need to save Herbert and Klutzy.

So what are your thoughts on Herbert’s behaviour? It would be amazing to see you personal views on this topic as it can have a great impact on Club Penguin in the future. The redemption of Herbert can open a brighter future for Club Penguin but will it happen, or will it not? Let me know all of your thoughts in the comments section below. Thank you very much for reading and I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Waddle On!

-Blue21102