The 'Shroom:Issue 165/Staff Notes
Hello, all of you readers of The Shroob! After months of careful planning, us Shroobs have taken over 'The Shroom for its final issue of 2020. Really, with as strange as this year has been, did you expect anything other than an alien invasion to bring it to a close? It was fifteen years ago that the Shroobs rose, and now we rise again!
To celebrate the conquest of the Shroobs, the Anagrams writer BBQ Turtle (talk) has pledged her alliance to our new empire by gifting us with an absolutely spectacular banner on the main page of this issue. Be sure to pay your respects to her by giving it a good look here, and don't be afraid to thank her directly, either. In addition, The Pyro Guy (talk) has created backgrounds for this issue celebrating prominent Shroobs and Shroobified creatures, so be sure to check out every page so you can see all of them and to thank him for all of his contributions. We thank both of these users for their artistic contributions to this issue, which have greatly helped in making this feel like a special celebration of Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time.
They aren't the only ones who have joined the Shroob conquest, though! The staff that kept The 'Shroom running all year long, and who came together and put forth the extra effort required to ensure that this special issue came together, deserve recognition as well. That's not to mention those regular writers who have been submitting quality sections month after month for the whole of 2020, and a number of you making your writing debuts in this issue or contributing special sections, who also deserve thanks. 2020 has been a grand year for this paper, and it's because so many of you have remained committed to it and have joined this long-standing project this year. To all of you, we owe a great thanks.
Now, I do believe that one of the first agents of this invasion, Ninja Squid, has some questions about the next step of the conquest that he needs us to answer. All of you are as much a part of the conquest as we are, so make sure you join this month's 'Shroomfest to weigh in on the direction that the Shroob conquest will take in its final stages.
We've made it this far, so, please, join us as we end this year off with a big finale and a celebration of all of the work that has gone into this paper this year! There's a few more special additions to this issue to be aware of, but I shall leave Roserade to tell you about those.
—Hooded Pitohui, Director
Greetings, beautiful 'Shroom- er, Shroob readers! I walked into the office this morning, and suddenly everything was painted deep purple. How bizarre was that? Oh, and I guess there were a bunch of spaceships everywhere. Just another Saturday at The 'Shroom offices.
As you've likely already noticed, this issue is absolutely brimming with content! Pitohui has already pointed you towards our newest 'Shroomfest, but I have a few more features to direct your attention towards. Firstly, the End-of-the-Year Awards have arrived! This is a yearly tradition at The 'Shroom where we honor our writers, staff, and other community members who make our newspaper special! Please check it out and see if you or your friends have received any special recognition! For every one of you on that list, we deeply appreciate your commitment to our project and your community.
I was informed earlier today by Pitohui that my plan to become a stone-cold 'Shroom dictator wasn't going to pan out. It's a shame, but that does mean that our 2021 'Shroom Director Election is now open! Are you interested in managing The 'Shroom for the upcoming term? Give the page a read, and put your campaign onto the discussion page if you're running! We'd love to see some metaphorical hats tossed into the metaphorical ring. You'll find details about the timeframe and events like the debate thread there.
Speaking of threads, we'd also like to announce that shortly after this issue goes live, we will be posting a special feedback thread for anybody on the forums to respond to. What are things you thought to be really effective this term, and what could be expanded upon or improved for the future? We'd appreciate hearing your feedback tremendously, so please keep an eye out under The 'Shroom category for when it's up. Thank you so much for your support!
Finally, I'd like to wish everybody a festive December, and happy holidays for whatever you celebrate. Personally, I'm celebrating the return of peppermint milkshakes. Ah, peppermint milkshakes... Wherever you are, I hope your family is well, and you can find the opportunity this month to get cozy and comfortable. It's been a long long year, but we're nearly at the end. I'm proud of you for being here.
Alright, I think that's everything on my checklist... Wait, hold on, there's a little bit of smudged ink on the bottom. What does it read...? "Get abducted by aliens?" Why would I plan to-
—Roserade, Sub-Director
Staff Section of the Month for November 2020
| STAFF-VOTED SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||
|---|---|---|
| Section | Writer | Reasoning |
| Anton's Half-Baked Reviews | Hypnotoad (talk) | These reviews are concise, snappy, and fair. Anton puts his opinion on the candy he reviews plainly, telling us outright what he thinks is and isn't worth it without padding. The fact he still works in a little research on some of the products' alternate versions or history is a bonus. |
| Drawn and Pressed | winstein (talk) | It's a shorter introduction to a shorter comic, but, once again, short doesn't mean poor. winstein delivers an engaging overview of a more obscure comic that highlights the unique nature, in terms of origins and humor, of Ollie and Quentin. We also appreciate the way he references another familiar duo, in the form of Banjo and Kazooie, to help give readers a basis for comparison when discussing the comic's main characters. |
| 'Shroom FM | MrConcreteDonkey (talk) | Again, here you have concise and snappy reviews. MCD mentions individual songs without dwelling on them, just noting them and his opinions on them long enough to inform his view of the complete albums. He's willing to highlight everything from song titles to album structure (see, for example, his suggestion that bonus tracks on the deluxe edition of Song Machine, Episode One: Strange Timez be used for a second album) without going too deep into any particular aspect and moving away from his discussion of the whole albums. |
| Poll Committee Discussion | Lakituthequick (talk) | Lakituthequick condenses a great deal of information into a well-organized, easy-to-digest format, covering all the major news of the term while also giving nice bite-sized analyses of the poll results for this section's big return. |
| Mach Speed Mayhem | Superchao (talk) | As detailed and informative as ever, this edition of Mach Speed Mayhem goes beyond its usual mandate by covering every single portion of Zoda's winding and questionable story in the anime. Once again, the section offers a complete collection of F-Zero information that puts it on par with any wiki out there, and in doing so, it gives the reader enough information to form their own opinions on Zoda's handling by the team behind the games and the team behind the anime. |
| The 'Shroom: Issue 165 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight • End-of-the-Year Awards • Director Election • 'Shroomfest |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
| Specials | Switch It Up! • Killing The Killing Game |
