The Waves of Change

Recently, the waves of change came a-rollin’ in, and with them came a new batch of occupants to the recently pimped Interactive fish tank. Some of these occupants may be entirely new to you, and some may be familiar faces. Some you may think you know … but you have no idea. As one of the new Tankkeepers, I want to take the time to introduce you to the entire population of the current Interactive Mario tank.

Link-a-saurus – The neon gourami. So far has been known to swim around the tank solo, wondering how he became so really, really, ridiculously good-looking. From the first time he saw himself in the reflection of the side-tank and noticed his blue shimmering scales, he knew he had to become a male model. He has been specializing in fin work.

S, E and O – These tiger barbs swim around the tank like they own the place, reminiscent of the Sharks, the gang in West Side Story. Petland told us that they had the potential to become aggressive … little did we know how great and deadly the potential actually was.

Harry Potter, Ron and Hermione – Harry was a Candy Sword, and the other two were Velvet Swords. Unfortunately, it appears that wizarding magic doesn’t stand up to pure brute strength underwater. We can only hope that the deaths of these three young fish don’t foreshadow upcoming events in J.K. Rowling’s Book 7.

Pongo and Perdita – These Dalmatian Mollies like to canoodle in corners and eat romantic dinners of fish flakes. It shouldn’t be long before we have 101 Dalmatian Molly puppies swimming around! But watch out, Pongo and Perdy – with SEO in the 'hood, Cruella doesn’t seem all that threatening anymore.

Cobra Kai­ – Cobra Kai is not one fish, but the entity of five tiny Tetras that swim stealthily along the bottom of the tank.

Bozo and Homey – the Clown Loaches. According to Matt Brummett, “they might be boyfriends - they always used to hide together in the castle all day long”.

FroZone and his brother – yes, there are actually two see-through catfish in our tank. One is quite a bit more see-through, not just a reflection of the other. The original FroZone can be spotted (if you have really, really good vision) hanging around the top of the plants on the right side of the tank. His brother is suffering from a case of amnesia and cannot remember his own name. If anyone has information that could lead to the identity of this tragically lost fish, please contact the Tankkeeper immediately. Altogether, it seems that both of these catfish are skittish and a bit screwy ... what could have happened to them in the months that the Tankkeeper was off duty?

Lucas – this Silver Dollar is another remnant of the olden days. Lucas hangs out in his rocking chair and yells at the new whippersnappers to get off his gravel! Dang kids …

Pucker – The Sucker fish is having the hardest time adjusting to the new tank environment. While he’s a laid-back guy and gets along well with the new tenants, he is finding it difficult to find anything to suck on to. According to an exclusive interview, he says “I only wish that Princess and her boyfriend could have wasted a little less money on pizza and sprung for a bigger castle. There’s hardly any room to eat on this thing! And those green tubes … don’t get me started. Even if they weren’t so slippery, I constantly have to watch for the fireballs they shoot!”

Mario – “It's-a-me, Mario!” His last name is also Mario, effectively making his name "Mario Mario." He is best known for rescuing Princess Peach from Bowser using his many powers, among them his amazing jumping ability.

Luigi – Luigi is Mario's younger brother. He wears green instead of red and is taller and slimmer than Mario. Luigi rarely goes on dangerous adventures when asked (fearing for his own safety), yet when Mario goes on one and nobody asks him, he is jealous.

Bowser – Bowser Koopa (sometimes known as King Bowser or King Koopa) is the supreme leader of the Koopa Troop, king of the Koopas, and the arch-nemesis of Mario and Luigi. Repeatedly, he tries to kidnap Princess Peach and take over the Mushroom Kingdom. Occasionally, the Koopa King has attempted to conquer the entire Mushroom Planet.

Princess Peach – Princess Peach Toadstool (sometimes just called Peach) is a princess first appearing in Super Mario Bros. She resides in her castle. She is often the damsel in distress. She was made infamous from Mushroom’s quote: "Thank you Mario! But our princess is in another castle!"

Princess Daisy – She is known to be a tomboy and her special abilities deal with flowers. She is best friends with Peach and rumored to be in a romantic relationship with Luigi. She is the brunette princess.

Toadstool – Toad is Princess Peach’s attendant and a longtime protector of the Mushroom Kingdom. Toad is not a very high jumper, but he is extremely fast when it comes to picking vegetables and digging through sand.

Yoshi – Yoshi, like most of his kind, spent the early part of his life living on Yoshi's Island, the homeland of the Yoshis and the entrance to Dinosaur Land. The island was a relatively peaceful place filled with relaxed and laid-back Yoshis. However, this was all to change the day the legendary Mario Bros. were born, a day that would not only change Yoshi's life, but the entire course of history.

Waluigi – The details of Waluigi's past are a mystery. He simply appeared in the Marioverse with no explanation to his background. From the scarce information that can be gathered, he has been antagonizing the Mario Bros. for quite some time; even before his debut in Mario Tennis.

Wario – Wario's greed pushes him to do evil acts such as the seizing of Mario's Castle. Due to his money-grubbing personality, he is not liked by many citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom. Wario has also been proved to be very cunning as he has tricked our red-clad hero on few occasions. His interests range from stealing treasure to running a mini-game company.

Diddy Kong – Donkey Kong also does battle with Mario and even joins him in parties and sports.

Take the time to stop by and say hi to everyone ... and to keep an eye on SEO. I have a feeling that we aren't out of rough waters yet ....