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 Shallissa who currently serves as a Managing Editor for Club Penguin Armies.

Designed by Gabgeirl

Shallissa, also known as Sha, first joined the community in June 2019, however, the army they were recruited into soon became a controversial one. Before that did happen, Sha started to learn the ropes and grow within the army. She went on to become a Third-In-Command as well as a Legend within the army before departing in August 2020.

Despite Sha’s lack of experience in a leadership role, she went straight into the Templars of Club Penguin‘s leadership. She did not take her time in Templars lightly. She went on to declare war on her former army, calling out its owner for being manipulative, a bully and much more. Their time in armies, up until that point, was one that no-one should have to go through. Yet, they were able to learn from this experience and become much stronger.

In January 2021, after bidding farewell to the Templars, they opted for a new experience. This time, they joined the People’s Imperial Confederation as a 4ic. The month saw the revival of the army, marking its third generation. Therefore, Sha had the opportunity to make their own mark in the newly reopened army. They used this opportunity well as they soon rose up within the ranks to become Leader on January 18th.

PIC during an event in early 2021

The army community was reeling from the death of Flash Player, but PIC kept their momentum up. They managed to maintain their pace, becoming a staple of the small/medium army community. Their events would bring average maxes of 16+ consistently, showing their determination to keep the community alive. Five months after their rise to leadership, Sha stepped down from their position. This was not the end for Sha in the army though as they became the army’s second-ever Chairwoman.

A war between the Confederation and Golden Troops saw Sha return to the army as a leader. The war raged on for eight weeks with 17 battles being held. Despite the number of battles, the Confederation managed to win 15 of the battles. This was not the only war that they helped lead as they helped lead their army through World War VIII. The war was between major alliances, seeing the community split as armies joined in left, right and centre. Ultimately, there was no winner as the Vengeance Alliance and the Western Bloc agreed to a neutral peace treaty.

The feisty army continued to fight in other wars in 2021 but on February 21st, 2022, Sha went on to retire from the army. In the summer, she went on to become a 2ic in the Army of Club Penguin. She helped the army for a couple of months before leaving armies, once again. They did return to the community at the end of the year, however, their heart was elsewhere. A year after the People’s Imperial Confederation had initially closed, they went on to revive the army in February 2023.

PIC’s revival event in February 2023

Since its revival, PIC has been a mainstay within the SM community, making itself known as a force to be reckoned with. One instance of this was World War IX. Sha, alongside others, was instrumental in World War IX, leading the Sapphire Concordat to aid ACP in its time of need against the Blue Sunset Alliance. Even though neither side was deemed to have won the war, PIC made its presence felt. Whilst leading PIC, Sha has proved their capabilities as a leader and a community member, showing their great skill.

Outside of individual armies, Sha was an Editor and Moderator in Club Penguin Army Headquarters. She currently serves Club Penguin Armies as a Managing Editor, ranking up all the way from Reporter in Training.

When asked about their favourite moments in armies, Shallissa fondly remembers the Sidie Rangers, PIC’s war against Camperjohn64, their Beach Brawl III win and the Blazing Alliance era of the army (Fire Warriors and PIC). These were just some of the amazing memories that they shared. All of these moments are different but they hold a special place within Sha’s history showing the good and the bad times of their career.

Pic during their war against Camperjohn

Outside of the community, they are a loving cat owner who loves to give their cat “snuggies”. With this in mind, they also have a huge passion for animals and plan to become a veterinary nurse. She currently works as an animal attendant at a pet hotel so she is always doing something she loves. Sha is also interested in gaming. They grew up around people who loved gaming so it became a hobby for them. Some of the games they played were Minecraft, Halo and other first-person shooter games. However, one of Sha’s favourites is the Sims. This is clear as they bought all of the expansion passes for the game.

Despite these indoor hobbies, they love to travel and explore the outdoors. During their time in Australia, they have been able to take some amazing pictures. One of the pictures that they took is below:

The picture is simple but it shows two animals, presumably in the wild, with one seeming protective of the other. Much like humans, animals have a duty of care for their loved ones and capturing a moment like this can be precious. It can also be rewarding for Sha as they are surrounded by things they love daily.

To find out more about Sha behind the scenes, Club Penguin Armies approached them for an interview.

Who is Shalissa behind the scenes and outside of CPA?

Outside of CPA I’m a very shy person, but once you get to know me I won’t shut up lol. I am a proud mother of three cats, Jemma and I adopted all of them in less than a year. I worked as a surgical assistant at an animal hospital for two years which inspired me to work and become a vet nurse, I love any opportunity to work with animals. I am chronically addicted to tik tok and I have the weirdest for you page that I’m so proud of. I love watching random reality shows, right now I’m binging teen mom 2 and older seasons of the Kardashians.

Behind the scenes I’m ensuring that every PIC groupchat ends in “ville”. I’m also making sure I’m following Rowan Alden’s every command (pic dictator grrr).

Looking back on your times in armies, do you feel like you have done what you set out to accomplish upon joining in 2019?

I never really had any goals when I joined armies. For a long time I was using it as a distraction from things going on in my personal life. I was very close to retiring in 2020 when I left RFCP, but I had so many people in CPA I cared about that gave me a reason to stay. When I joined PIC I felt so loved and welcomed, I formed genuine lifelong friendships that inspired me to be the best version of myself. Since then I’ve worked so hard to make sure each and every PIC member feels as valued as I did. As a result PIC has become one of the most influential S/M armies in the CPPS era, and we have an incredible group of people dedicated to our friendships and PIC’s success. With this in mind, and my relationship with Sidie, I’ve accomplished more in armies than I could have ever imagined.

How did you come to meet Sidie and grow close to Sidie? Did armies help you two grow closer? Were there times it did the opposite?

Sidie and I met in 2019 after she joined RFCP. We were really close friends but the army got to us and I started having issues with her, when she finally left RFCP it got worse. When I eventually left as well she was one of the first people to contact me, we talked it out and she forgave me for everything. Both of us were in other relationships at the time so we just remained close friends, but by the end of 2021 we were together. Armies definitely played a significant role in the beginning of our relationship, the time we spent together while leading is what strengthened our friendship, which made a romantic relationship feel completely natural. We have so many inside jokes and memories from over the years, a lot of them army related, so there is no doubt that armies brought us together. The different time zones made things super difficult, with both leading and finding time to talk to each other. Things got very stressful at times but it never made us grow apart, if anything working through those issues made us closer.

What inspired you to study Itas a veterinary nurse?

At my old job I was hired as a kennel assistant at an animal hospital and it was my favorite job ever. They eventually promoted me to a surgical assistant position so it was my job to prep the animals for surgery, monitor the anesthesia, and help them wake up and recover. It was the coolest experience ever and I knew then that I wanted to work in vet medicine permanently.

What does the future hold for Shallissa, inside and outside of CPA?

Inside CPA I’m not too sure yet! I had plans to retire from PIC sometime in the next couple weeks, but it’s important to me to leave behind a strong legacy that will survive in the absence of Sidie and I. I’m confident in PIC’s current leadership and staff team so we’ll see what happens! Irl things are about to get crazy with school starting soon. I’m super excited to spend another year in person with Sidie, and I’m so excited to see where life takes us (maybe to the shelter to get a fifth cat?!)

It seems like Sha has big plans which they will be putting into action soon. However, their army is at the forefront of their mind. Going forward, PIC will be undergoing major changes which could determine which path the army takes. But will it be able to succeed? Will Sha find success outside of PIC? Will we see Sha retire from armies altogether? Whatever she does, we wish them the best of luck in their future endeavours.

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