Pillbug

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## General

Pillbug is a side character in *The Story*, serving as a very minor character that randomly appears at times. He is a small pill bug that often gets crushed or stepped on due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time, much like Bob. He is most often seen in Gasp Panels in the novel's official illustrations.

## Personality

Pillbug is a cute, harmless little insect who tottles his way through life one tiny step at a time. He doesn't speak all too often aside from yelling out "MI!" which is his catchphrase.

## Appearance

Pillbug is a small gray pill bug typically drawn with four legs and two antennae. He usually does not have a visible mouth, instead having two beady little eyes.

## History

Pillbug was originally introduced in the original version of *The Dream*, an early story based on a dream I had when I was young. When I was drawing the characters climbing up a large ladder, one of the stones on the ground got a mark on it that looked like an eye. Thinking it resembled a pill bug, I made it into one. It later served its purpose as the only thing to get sliced when the characters passed through "The Slicer", a giant swinging blade, sacrificing itself to save the other characters. From then on, Pillbug would randomly appear in all sorts of stories and even the novel when it later came to be. It's hard to say he's much of a character but he does have his moments to shine in *The Story*.

In Season 1, Nathan and Amber find themselves teleported to a place called "Pillbug USA" during Act II when Zack fries Steven on his grill. They end up in a house that is supposedly Pillbug's for a short while before returning to the big battle. This location made a reappearance in Season 5 during *Act V: Remembering Days* which was set during the conclusion of the play from Season 3. This time, Nathan and Sarah teleport to Pillbug USA and see that Pillbug has all sorts of photos on the wall from the various moments he appeared in the novel over the years.

In Season 2, Pillbug becomes a downright menace to society during *Pillbug the Hacker.* After Zack gets kicked out of the novel, Pillbug replaces him as Hacker and threatens to take over the world, forcing Nathan and Amber to fight him in an RPG-inspired battle. This proved that Pillbug was far more than originally thought as his gentle demeanor suddenly shifted to one of wickedness.

In Season 3, the characters deal with Kokiko, an evil vegetable juice in *The Best Juice For You is the Ruined Juice*. It creates an evil version of Amber that everyone must fight in a Bang battle in order to save the world from a dark, corrupted fate. At the end of this chapter, the evil Amber dissolves into a cloud of miasma, but it doesn't fade away. Instead, it is shown to enter Pillbug's body. The scene ends with Pillbug standing in the corner, drinking the evil juice with a demonic look on his face. Later in the Season, Sarah holds a slumber party in *Slumber Party: Night of Demise* and plots to kill Zack before the night is over. After following him into Amber's room and attempting to push him out the window, it's revealed that this Zack was actually Pillbug all along. He laughs wickedly, claiming he destroyed Amber's room because she didn't introduce him to the friend she had brought to the party. It is unknown how Pillbug was capable of doing all this, but it's likely due to the left over Hacks and the demonic juice potentially possessing him.

While he doesn't have too many appearances in *The Story* aside from a few brief cameos or situations that are rather harmful to him, he appears quite frequently in the novel's official illustrations. Most notably in Gasp Panels which are panels split into four that have a character reacting to something in each of the boxes. He usually appears looking shocked or happy.

## Quotes

> Mi!
>
> Pillbug's catchphrase

## Trivia

* When written, the G in his name is always drawn with a curly tail. He shares this quirk with FlamDawg.

## Gallery

Pillbug as he appears in the novel.Pillbug on the kitchen table.Pillbug appearing in a Gasp Panel.Nathan and Amber visiting Pillbug USA in Season 1.Zack turning into Pillbug when Sarah attacks him, revealing that he was Pillbug all along.FlamDawg buried beneath many Pillbugs.