Welcome back to Behind The Scenes, the column where we look into the day-to-day life of a community member. This time, we will look into the life of Toxic Storm, who currently serves as a Senior Reporter.
Designed by Gabgeirl/Edu
Toxic Storm‘s journey on Club Penguin started in 2007. Whilst he was playing the game, in search of mascot locations, he soon came across armies like Ice Warriors. This army piqued his interest, however, he did not join them. Although, he continued to play the game and came across others along the way.
Another army he remembers stumbling upon is the Shadow Troops in 2014 or 2015. This time, he decided to join them and discover what they do. He was intrigued by them and continued to learn more about armies whilst fighting alongside them in a tournament. However, like many army members, he became busy with schoolwork, leaving little time for the army.
Ultimately, he parted ways with the army community approximately a month after joining. Despite this, he remained a player of Club Penguin and he even played Club Penguin Rewritten after Club Penguin’s closure in 2017. It was while he was playing CPR in March 2020 that a new army recruited him into their ranks. This army was Help Force. Help Force is known for many things but one thing they are synonymous with is stamp events. It was during one of these events that Jayden and Juanita recruited him into the army.
Toxic Storm aka Naji2 participating in a Help Force event in March 2020
Since then, Storm has remained an active part of the community. Over a month after joining HF, after earning Staff-in-Training, he saw that Shadow Troops was alive. This reignited a spark within him. He joined the ranks of ST and worked his way up to Fourth-in-Command under Pjayo and Thomas‘ Leadership. As fate would have it, the army soon merged into Golden Guardians. Storm was able to keep his position in Golden Guardian, learning a lot more as time went on.
It was during this time that he got to know Catalyst, whom he would go on to create the Coup Crusaders army with, alongside others. From there he was able to achieve small success but also suffered some setbacks. One of the setbacks he faced was his coup from the army he co-created. Before that though, he joined the Army of Club Penguin, completing its training regiment, Elites and Special Weapons And Tactics. He managed to do this whilst still leading the Crusaders. However, his run in the first two armies were short-lived.
After being couped, he focused on SWAT, achieving Leader-in-Training before later being removed from the army. He then revived Shadow Troops by merging Midnight Troops into it. In October he co-managed Secret Service alongside TD999, ending his run in Shadow Troops. It went on to become a successful small/medium army under the two’s leadership. Within 14 days, they managed to top the S/M Top Tens, showing the success they had.
However, on December 15th, TD999 announced the closure of the army due to real-life responsibilities. The army has gone on to have multiple generations with both leaders returning at one point or another. The army also went on to become a major army in April 2022. It is clear to see the legacy that the two helped to create and mould.
SS’ last event in 2020
Since leading SS in 2020, he has led SWAT, helping them win a Halloween tournament, led SS again, created Wet Army Penguins, led the Mercenaries, rejoined Help Force, joined the Doritos and was HCOM in Templars. It’s clear to see that Toxic has a big history within the community. However, in recent months, he revived the Coup Crusaders and went on to win the Double Deck The Halls tournament alongside the Rebel Penguin Federation in November.
Outside of armies, Storm is finishing his Bachelor’s degree in English as well as trying his hand at producing music. Even though it was just a hobby of his, Storm produced music for Penguin Remix, a private server. He is also a big sci-fi fan. Originally, Storm loved the fantasy genre but Cyberpunk, the game, made him want to explore the sci-fi genre. He has not looked back since.
Looking towards the future, Storm plans to write a sci-fi book. He is currently reading 1984 to gain inspiration. One of his friends recently published a book, this has helped him to realise what he wants to do too. Alongside all of this, Storm is a gamer. One of his favourites, apart from Cyberpunk is God of War. The single-player game offers up an experience like no other, putting gamers to the test.
Club Penguin Armies reached out to Toxic Storm to find out more about him.
Who is Toxic Storm outside of armies?
Toxic Storm is currently a preservice teacher with big dreams. I am also an artist who plans to go into the music industry through djing and music production in the future.
Where did you get the idea for the names Toxic Storm and Naji2? Could you share the history behind them?
Naji is my real name and the 2 came from the fact that I couldn’t have Naji or 1 beside it. So basically Disney made me choose that name in 2007 and I went with it in every club penguin related game or private server i used. Toxic Storm is a stage name I chose for my music career. It was made out of my desire to use the biohazard symbol as my logo, I thought it looked cool and edgy at the time.
What made you want to study English?
Well it’s a great language that can be used almost everywhere you go in the world. It is also a language I’ve been taught since a very young age in school, but mostly through Disney TV shows and music. I found it to be something that is fun to major in and can open many doors for me in the future when I decide to persue a master’s degree or a PHD. I still have a semester left, so I can’t wait to help people learn this language and improve myself artistically and spiritually through writing and reading texts filled with valuable knowledge.
Do you have a top 5 favourite games, if so, what are they and why?
The first game I’d say is the Grand theft Auto series, specifically GTA San Andrias and 5/Online. Its usually an open world game with endless possibilities and options where you can live out your dream life. The second is the Red Alert2/ Command and conquer games, I really enjoyed it as a kid. These gamed allowed me to use my mind to come up with fun strategies and attacks, it also usually comes with fun campaigns. The 3rd is the God of War and GOW ragnorok games, it’s the first game I was able to complete a single player campaign in. the story is beautiful and the gameplay is immersive. The 4th is Club Penguin due to me playing it since I was 6 years old. I liked the many updates and parties it had, it felt dynamic and evolving each passing year. Lastly I’d like to mention Cyberpunk 2077, I didn’t play it at launch thankfully lol. I liked the music in it, the story where you won’t have a happy ending but you have to keep on fighting for what you believe in. That game showed me that a Sci- fi Dystopian story could truely challenge how you feel about the real world and what could possibly happen next, it opens doors to many questions about humanities future and how we might end up like that one day if all goes horribly bad.
What made you want to become a reporter for CPA? Has it inspired you to write?
It’s a great place for me to improve my writing skills and get feed back on it. This opportunity also helped me interact and meet new people through many great and informative interviews. Writing for CPA was something that allowed me to contribute something to the community before my inevitable departure from it due to work or rl matters.
What’s next for Toxic Storm? Where do you see yourself in the future?
The future is uncertain but I think my army career might end soon when I finish my degree and I’ll have to move to writing and league related work only. I do have some unfinished business to deal with and an army to build, so ig it all depends on my rl situation in July the month of my eventful graduation from university.
It seems like Storm has big plans for his future. With his degree almost completed, he wants to continue to learn and grow as a writer, gaining valuable knowledge along the way. However, his time in armies may come to an end sooner rather than later. With that being said, do you think Storm will continue to lead the Crusaders? Will he help them to rise once more? Or will he have to depart sooner than he’d like? We, at Club Penguin Armies wish Storm the best of luck in his future
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Mchappy is interning at Club Penguin Armies as the Chief Executive Producer. Max held him at gunpoint to finish his biography.