Q: What is Meeting?
A: Meeting, by definition, is a strong
and unbreakable bond formed between two Koopas that must result in the
two Met parties being near one another at all times. To deny the bond brings
about grave illness or even death.
To explain it better, everybody has
a "gotta" sector living in the back of their brain (the primitive part
that all of our base impulses come from, like hunger and fatigue). Now
some of the "gottas" are more developed in some species than in others
and are what produce our attraction to different people based on certain
traits. In the case of Meeting, it is two different gottas reaching out
to one another.
-------------------------------
Gotta Jim: Hello? C'mon! I'm lonely
as all get-out. I got a host here with a great immune system and big healthy
fangs!
Gotta Betty: Huh? What's that? I can
hear you! I've got a host over here with a pair of nice eyes and genetic
makeup for a really sturdy shell and plastron! I think together we could
make a great team!
Gotta Jim: Hey! Sounds good! Let me
just get this idiot over there and we can talk some more!
Jim: Uh... wait, I don't even know
that person...
Gotta Jim: Just get over there, you
moron, or I will make you SO sick it won't even be funny.
-------------------------------
In the Koopas' case, they are an aggressive
species by nature, and busy themselves so much with conquering and ruling
their lands and kingdoms that many of them often live their lives and die
without ever marrying or producing an heir to their land. Because of this,
their number began to fall and as a species, they began to dwindle.
As time went on, the "gotta" area of
the Koopa brain honed itself and became more vocal, realizing that since
its host was generally too preoccupied with other things, it would have
to keep its eye open for an ideal partner on its own and, in order to attract
its host body to it, would have to create an undenyable bond of togetherness
that would mean serious illness or even death to deny.
As this urge became more of a common
phenomenon, forcing marriages throughout the various royal families, the
Koopas came to simply call it "Meeting". While Meeting had its desired
effect, it was looked upon as both a blessing and a curse, a blessing because
it was slowly repopulating the Koopa ranks and a curse because, while doing
so, it was forcing marriages between unwilling parties and breaking up
otherwise-happy relationships with its meddling.
Some of the more magically-inclined
Koopa families turned to the Magikoopas for assistance with unwanted Metbonds,
but to no avail. While magic could alter how the main part of the brain
thought and worked, it couldn't quite reach deep enough to effect the primitive
part that had forced the bond. In the end, the Magikoopas found themselves
being asked for love spells to ease the friction of having Met someone
the host didn't like very much.
As extinction of the Koopa race began
to look less likely and new generations sprung forth, the phenomenon of
Meeting became less common until it was largely regarded as an old wive's
tale among the younger members of the royal families.
The Gotta portion of the brain still
remains actively on the lookout and, on rare occasions, will still force
a Meeting. It generally occurrs between recluses or misfits who happen
upon one another by chance, hense why it is not heard of very often.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: Does Meeting occur in species other
than Koopas?
A: It's entirely possible that it could,
but it would have to be under certain circumstances. In the case of the
Koopas, as I said, Meeting became a necessity when the race wasn't thriving
on its own and starting to die out due to its own neglect.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: What if one of the members of a
Metbond is a hybrid? Like, why would Karma have Met Ludwig when she's part
Yoshi?
A: Karma has Yoshi traits, but is equally
part Koopa as well. Therefore the Gotta of her brain is far more developed
than that of a Yoshi and she is receptive to the force of Meeting. Any
hybrid in a Metbond must be at least half-Koopa for the bond to effect
them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: What if Meeting occurs between two
Koopas who are too young to get married?
A: In such a case, the force is much
more subdued, though it still commands that both Koopas be near one another
as sort of a mandatory friendship. As the Koopas mature, so does the Metbond.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: Can two different species Meet?
A: It is entirely a possibility that
all depends on whether or not there IS another species capable of Meeting,
and whether or not chance brings that particular pair together.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: Can a higher Koopa Meet an underling?
A: A good and fair question. It is
entirely a possibility. A member of the royal Koopa family could very well
be receptive to Meeting a common Koopa Troopa, though their bond would
likely be shunned and not produce any offspring.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: What happens if one of the members
of a Met couple dies naturally?
A: It's up in the air, really... the
surviving member, depending on how strong their bond was, may either suffer
a few days' sickness and then go on living as normal with the bond severed,
or likewise they may grow violently ill and die within hours of their Met's
passing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: What happens if one of the members
of a Met couple is killed?
A: This is far more dangerous for the
other person involved. The Metbond is severed so violently and quickly
that the Gotta portion of the brain falls into a turmoil and likely will
shut down the survivor's body entirely in response to the absense of the
other half of the pairing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: Can one force a Meeting?
A: While possible, it is a very tiresome
process and involves long exhaustive sessions of meditation and hypnosis.
To put it simply, the two Koopas under the hypnosis reach out to one another
with their minds and try to attract the attention of each other's Gotta
sectors. The failure rate is very high, but there are scattered known successes
with it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: If a Koopa's Met dies, can he/she
end up Meeting someone else later on?
A: In all probability, no. If a Koopa
manages to survive the breaking of such a powerful bond due to the natural
death of his/her partner, the Gotta portion of the brain becomes very quiet
and inactive, as it has served its purpose and is no longer needed. A Koopa
whose Met passes is generally likely to become a shut-in and no longer
have an interest in partnership of any sort, loving or professional.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: If a Koopa Meets someone but they
are currently in love with someone else, does it mean they can't love them
anymore?
A: Not at all, and that is part of
the reason Meeting has gotten the reputation of being a curse. It quite
literally comes out of nowhere, sometimes when one member of the Metbond
is already quite happily involved with someone else. In most cases, both
members of the Metbond do not know nor do they even LIKE one another when
it happens, and accomodations are made. In some cases, the other member
of the Metbond is invited to live with a current family out of necessity
while a current marriage still carries on unbroken and happy, but most
commonly, outside relationships do not survive the strain of the bond and
are broken off due to frustration or jealousy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: Can a Koopa who has Met someone
still fall in love with someone else?
A: Yes. The brain forms the bond, but
the heart does not. Unfortunately, a Meeting is valued on the same level
as a marriage by most who know of it and anyone a wandering Met's eye might
be attracted to will likely stay away to avoid trouble. As mentioned above,
most relationships do not survive the strain of Meeting out of jealousy
and the necessity of the other half of the bond's constant presense.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: How does a Koopa know when they've
Met someone?
A: They don't. Not right away. It's
not like there's a sudden bolt of lightning that strikes both their heads
and says "AND NOW YOU MUST MARRY!". Most commonly a Meeting will occur
during a large gathering or party of some sort. A few hours later, they
may find themselves continuously thinking of one person in particular that
they ran into that night in the sea of other faces. After a couple more
hours, the first feelings of sickness will start to settle in. This is
usually the red flag for most Koopas that something odd has struck them
and they try to get back in contact with the person lingering on their
mind. If it is denied further, the sickness will gradually intensify to
the point of dehabilitation when it has, quite rudely, become too great
a thing to ignore.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: Do Mets always hate each other or
can they eventually learn to accept one another?
A: Mets can, most certainly, fall in
love. It's all a question of whether or not the hosts are willing to put
each other's differences aside and give it a chance. Koopas, by nature,
are bull-headed sorts that don't enjoy deviating from a path once they've
started on it and most will deny a Metbond for as long as possible until
sickness drags them to the other person. It is more likely that Metbonds
that occur in younger Koopas will result in eventual love than it is in
older ones.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: Is there anything special about
offspring that result from a Meeting?
A: There is nothing that is hugely
special about them except they get the best of their parents' genes and
are generally a lot sturdier and stronger than most Koopalings their age.
If either parent has a birth-given magical ability, there is a 98% chance
that the child will inherit it as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: Can there be a one-sided Meeting?
Like say... Suzie Koopa Meets Dillon Koopa, but Dillon doesn't Meet her?
A: No. Meeting is the result of two
minds reaching out and linking, hense why there is a bond at all.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Q: If lots of meditation can force
a Meeting, can the same sort of meditation force the disbandment of a Metbond?
A: No. The link is hard enough to create
and impossible to disband except in the event of death.
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