The 'Shroom:Issue 155/Staff Notes
Hello, readers of The 'Shroom! There's a new portrait beside this block of text, which means I am officially handling all the duties of the Director now. I'll let Rose speak more about that, though, because I have a few announcements to make and I'd like to try and keep these notes from getting too long.
As you read through this issue, you might notice a few new writers making their debut. We said that attracting new writers would be our biggest priority this term, and we are well underway with that project. I won't spoil the surprise, but we already have new writers lined up to debut next month, as well. Though we have a number of writers already joining our ranks, we always welcome new writers with new ideas or a desire to pick up old sections! Since the sign-up page was revised early last year, though, it's been harder for prospective writers and interested readers to quickly find good examples of past sections that they can sign up for. Doomhiker (talk) brought this problem up, and, with additional input from our dutiful Statistics Manager Ninja Squid (talk) and the hard work of all of our team Directors, we've overhauled the sign-up page to make it easier for you all to find exemplary editions of sections both past and current. You can click the links to get a feel for the kinds of a sections any given team aims to include and use those to generate your own ideas for new sections, or you can take a look at some past sections and simply apply to write your own versions of those. With that all in mind, it's a better time than ever to sign up for The 'Shroom, so if you've ever considered writing for the paper, head over to the overhauled page, find out how, and send in an application.
—Hooded Pitohui, Director
Greetings, beautiful 'Shroom readers! This is my first time in the Sub-Director chair, and I must say, it's pretty comfortable. I like the view from up here, you can look over the entirely of Pipe Plaza.
Thank you all so much again for the support and engagement you offered to Pitohui and I as we ran! To be here now is an incredible experience, and I know that I feel very fortunate to have this opportunity. Hopefully the two of us will be able to bolster The 'Shroom, and allow it to grow just as we dream it will. I hope your February has been love-filled and full of amazing moments, and please enjoy the rest of this issue of The 'Shroom!
—Roserade, Sub-Director
Staff Section of the Month for January 2020
| STAFF-VOTED SECTION OF THE MONTH | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place | Section | Writer | Reasoning | |
| 1st | Anton's Half-Baked Reviews | Hypnotoad (talk) | In the spirit of highlighting particular high points of sections this month, however, we want to again point out the quality of the research and how much we appreciate all the information-rich links Anton includes. The thing to highlight here is the organization. This is an information dense section, and it's a lengthy section, but Anton does a fine job of balancing them with clear subdivisions, each with their own focus. It makes it possible to read a piece or two of the section, turn to other sections, and come back to continue as necessary, and it's a good lesson for sections with a similar length and information-density. | |
| 2nd | Cooking Guide | The Pyro Guy (talk) | This is a greatly appreciated tribute to MCD from The Pyro Guy, first and foremost, but it also extensively leverages its use of images. TPG has a unique artstyle that shines through well here, giving a certain charming feel to his art here, and even infusing them with some clear emotion at the climax and near the end. Add on to some chuckle-worthy jokes in the accompanying text, and this is a solid example of an entertaining Fake News section built on a simple premise. | |
| 3rd | Peddler's Place | Toadbert101 (talk) | A lovely little tribute to MCD, it makes good use of both the art style and the humor to make an effective section. | |
| 4th | Koops, Your Emblem is on Fire | ManKoops (talk) | Koops gives a good demonstration of how there are always small changes and additions that can result in nice quality-of-life improvements for readers. Having that written summary of the characters, their stats, and the usual experience players have with them to reference at a glance as an accompaniment to the video is very nice. It gives Koops more room to elaborate on the strategy side of the section, not having to weave it into the flow of the chapters in the video, too. | |
| The 'Shroom: Issue 155 | |
|---|---|
| Staff sections | Staff Notes • The 'Shroom Spotlight |
| Features | Fake News • Fun Stuff • Palette Swap • Pipe Plaza • Critic Corner • Strategy Wing |
