The 'Shroom:Issue 177/'Shroomfest

'Shroomfest Written by:, , and Art by: and

THE 'SHROOM: END-OF-THE-YEAR DEBATE

'Shroom Research Lab: ''Hello, everyone! It's been a while, isn't it? Welcome to a new edition of the 'Shroom Research Lab Update. Here at our laboratory, after a long period of research, we were thinking that an era of peace at the The 'Shroom had begun due to a lack of conflicts. However, after some excavations at an old site that was once used for a congress, we have discovered documents that explain why there has been a lack of conflicts over a longer period than usual. Unfortunately, tut that period of peace came to an abrupt end when the Statistics Manager had his one chance to cause chaos during a confidential meeting with the Director.''

Ninja Squid was bored. He couldn't spend as much time as he wanted in the basement of the The 'Shroom working on his ninja projects, and preparing master tricks that could cause conflicts within the staff was becoming harder and harder. Why though? Well, there was one good reason actually. Ever since the paintbrush misadventure that concluded with The 'Shroom HQ as cold as an ice block, if not colder, Superchao, the janitor, blamed the whole mess on Ninja Squid, and decided that following and watching over him was the best move he could do to prevent any more problem from happening.

That, of course, didn't sit well with Ninja Squid, because any time he came up with an idea for a funny prank or mischief, Superchao was already behind him and looking at him with an ominous glare. Superchao was inescapable, even during their vacation to Isle Delfino, where the sneaky ninja had planned to cause a debate preventing the staff from forcibly visiting the bird exhibit in Bianco Hills to allow him to escape to Ricco Harbor in order to try the squid surfing activity that he thought was much more fun. Of course, Superchao prevented such a thing by following NS closely, thus the ninja couldn't go forward with his plan, leaving him grumpy throughout the vacation, which was actually meant to be enjoyable for everyone. It looks like the hours spent being locked inside the Statistics Manager office to study Isle Delfino's map went to waste pretty quickly…



After a vacation that did not go exactly as he planned, and with too much information about birds for his own good, NS and the rest of The 'Shroom staff were back to work and everyone's productivity went up. Our guess is that a good and relaxing vacation really boosted the team's morale, except, of course, for the Statistics Manager who had had more than enough of Superchao following him around everywhere he could.

December was around the corner, and Hooded Pitohui and Roserade gathered the team in the meeting room to discuss and share with the staff what everyone had to prepare for the Yoshi festivities. One of the plans was to build a giant ice sculpture of Poochy to celebrate the holiday season, and everyone had their fair share of work to do in order to make this possible. Although, to tell the truth, the plan to make the statue was mostly devised as a way to vent out the cold air in the HQ, which had become unbearable to the lovers of warmth inside the building.

While the staffers were going back to work after the meeting, Hooded Pitohui reminded Ninja Squid that he had to come in his office for a private meeting about the End-of-the-Year Awards, and that, to Superchao's displeasure, he had to be completely alone. Ninja Squid simply nodded at him, as he didn't want Superchao to notice his pleasure at being alone for a moment.

Back in his office, Ninja Squid sat at his desk and spent the next hour coming up with a scheme that could cause so much chaos that he could finally be freed from Superchao. His plans had been left lying idle in the basement for far too long, and it was time for him to go back to work in there. He wasn't sure what he could do, but then he thought on the ice sculpture… Finally, he had an idea…

The next day, as planned, Ninja Squid went into Piothui's office for the private meeting, so no one was around to ruin any of his mischievous schemes. As asked, he handed over the data for the End-of-the-Year Awards, and answered several of the Director's questions regarding the very matter. Just as the meeting was finally over, and as NS was about to leave the room, he smirked behind his mask, and then he turned to Pitohui, telling him that "Maybe an ice statue of Poochy isn't the best idea, actually".

At first, Pitohui was shocked that NS had said such a thing, and dismissed the idea of having something other than Poochy. The Statistics Manager, knowing well how much the Director loved birds, and remembering the suffering he had to endure going through the bird exhibit on Isle Delfino when he wanted to do other more interesting stuff in the island, knew exactly at that moment what to suggest.

The ninja went on, saying "I think a bird might make a better statue. You know, after visiting the bird exhibit in Isle Delfino, I must say, you're right! Birds are so much better than other animals, so why would visitors would want to visit an ice statue of a dog when they could see a bird instead?". He saw that Pitohui was buying the idea. At the sight of this, the ninja went further by saying "Also, according to legend, wasn't it the Stork who brought back Mario and Luigi safely to their parents when they were babies? I might be wrong though…"

At this very moment, Pitohui got up from his seat and rushed to look for Roserade, telling him that the ice statue would now be one of the Stork instead of one of Poochy, as an ice statue of a bird would be more interesting. At this very moment, Roserade became angry and told Pitohui to knock it off, saying he talked too much about birds, that birds are annoying, and that dogs are way funnier and cuter animals. At this moment, we could start hearing quarreling noises in the main hallway. Ninja Squid was delighted. His scheme had worked!



It was by then that all the staff were summoned outside the building, to the site where the ice statue was to be built. Pitohui told the team that he was now planning to build an ice statue of a Stork and he would go find the best-known ice sculptor in New Wikisburg to build it, but Roserade immediately cut him off, telling Pitohui that he was going to crush his ambition. He was ready to use all the funds of his empire in order to make sure the ice statue of Poochy would be constructed. At that moment, even the staffers started to debate among themselves about which idea was actually the best. NS looked at the scene and laughed. He contacted the managers of the congress, ordering them to prepare the courtroom. In the meantime, he went back inside the HQ, going into the basement to work on his projects in peace, with Superchao having bigger problems to manage that kept him from following Ninja Squid.



'Shroom Research Lab: ''While investigating the documents, we found out that rumors were going wild inside the 'Shroom HQ, and everyone was getting ready for the Birds vs Dogs Debate, picking a side, and preparing their defense. It seems like Ninja Squid went back in the basement, and was trying to spread more rumors by using his new E.M.M.I. pet he bought thanks to funds he got from an unknown individual. Apparently, there are leaks suggesting that he might have bought it from a mysterious shopkeeper, but we cannot validate these facts at the present. The 'Shroom Research Lab will provide more information at a later date regarding the debacle that was known as the ultimate fight between Hooded Pitohui and Roserade. Thank you for your patience!''

Staff Notes


Hahahaha, another successful scheme done! Now, I will be able to move forward with th- Oh! Uh...

Hello there, 'Shroom readers! Sorry about that, I was only thinking about finishing some Stats reports I need to do for the end of the year. Yeah, really... But I don't think that's something important right now. *Ahem*

It looks like the 'Shroom Congress is getting ready once again for another important debate. has decided to change the current plan for the Ice Statue and, now, he wants to do a Stork instead of Poochy. That didn't sit well with who prefers to stay with the current plan, since, well, Poochy is our mascot here, after all. Unfortunately, it looks like this whole conflict has degenerated into the two of them debating which animal group is actually the better of the two: birds or dogs. It seems like it's up to you now to choose a side, and to deliver the best arguments to convince everyone which would make the best ice statue. Anyway, speaking of, I just want to clarify that I have nothing to do with this mess, and I rather want this to be done in the courtroom instead of having this decided over a snowball fight. At this time of year, the courtroom has a much better temperature than outside, trust me.

I will again serve as the judge of the courtroom, so until the time comes for me to do my first session, allow me to first find my gavel that Roserade took from me last time when I was too busy elsewhere to take care of the colourful debate, which unfortunately made the 'Shroom office way too cold. Hmm... Maybe I could buy a heater while everyone is too busy to care about watching for me? What? Oh, sorry! I am just speaking to myself.

Anyway, I will be in the basement in the meantime. Make sure to pick a side, cast a vote below, and to join us in the debate thread in the forum! :-)

&mdash;Ninja Squid, Judge

Which animal group do you prefer, dogs or birds? Choose your side and cast a vote!

Join Team Birds


So, we find ourselves on the debate stage once again, do we? Well, all of you bird supporters out there, I'll assure you right now that we can and will claim victory! Dogs may be "man's best friend," and have a commendable list of accomplishments and diversity of breeds of their own, but birds have conquered the skies and have an unrivaled list of accomplishments. All over the world, birds mystify us with their beauty, serenade us with their songs, and impress us as they fly above our heads.

Over the next three weeks, we'll explore the many, many accomplishments of birds, take a look at what makes birds unique and cool, look at the intelligence of birds, and look at the most interesting behaviors and facts about birds. There's much to discuss, and I can only cover a fraction of it. That's why you, you supporters of birds out there, must join in the debate! Whether you simply cast a vote in the poll at the bottom of this page (you can vote once a week!), or whether you come into the debate thread to offer an endorsement of birds or make your own arguments, your support will be our updraft! There's far too much for me to cover alone, so please feel free to join in and share your favorite facts about birds!

[https://www.marioboards.com/threads/44572/post-2309863 This week, we'll start off by discussing avian accomplishments. Click here, learn about the pole-to-pole journey Arctic Terns undertake twice a year, learn about the blistering speed of the Peregrine Falcon, and join in the debate!] Together, we will show Roserade the appeal of birds and soar to victory!

&mdash;Hooded Pitohui, Leader of Team Birds

Join Team Dogs


Of course, Pitohui had to go and make everything a doggone mess once more. But don't fret, dear 'Shroom readers; I have led us to victory against him many times, and I will not be stopped now. This debate will be short and sweet, and assuredly, we can teach that dog over there some new tricks - namely, to appreciate dogs!

Throughout the course of this 'Shroomfest, we'll be going over the remarkable traits of dogs, their treasured history, and even some notable pop-culture examples of amazing canines. I can't do this alone, though! Through voting, making endorsement posts, or structuring your own arguments, you can help support Team Dogs in becoming the winner of this event, and then we'll finally be able to construct the statue our mascot and savior, Poochy, deserves.

Let's begin with some general overviews and remarkable facts about dogs. Come and join my side, unless you want to be barking up the wrong tree!

&mdash;Roserade, Leader of Team Dogs

Rules
In order for you to earn points for each teams, we have opted to divide things into three categories.

The result will depends on the number of categories a team will win. For example: If Team Alpha receives 12 endorsements, while Team Bravo receives 8 endorsements, that means that Alpha wins on the endorsements category. The team who wins the most categories will be declared the winner of the 'Shroomfest. In addition, the winner is officially and objectively the best according the The 'Shroom's law. Therefore, taking the win is very important!

Debate Guidelines
The debate’s thread will be opened by the designated judge who will make a brief introduction to the debate’s subject, along with the motivations of each team's leader.

Afterwards, for a period of three weeks, the team leaders and their supporters will try to convince you that their team is truly the best. They'll do this with arguments, arts, photos, and stories that will demonstrate the reasons why their choices is truly the better. After one week of debating, the judge will then write a brief note, highlighting the best cases from both team, and even question the various subjects raised by the team leaders and supporters. Afterwards, they will have to argue against the questions or subjects brought up by the judge, which will lead to further debating. This cycle will occur every week in order to keep the debate as fresh, and up to date as possible. Once the three-week period has passed, the judge will conclude the debate with a short message and invite the participants to come back for the results that will come out at the release of the 'Shroom's next issue. Any message or argument posted after this message won't be taken into account during the compilation of the results.

How to endorse a team: On the debate thread, you just have to post a simple word of encouragement for the team you choose to support. It is entirely possible to change teams at any time, by writing another word of encouragement to the other team to change side. Take note that only the last team you endorse before the debate ends will be the one that will be taken into account for the results. So be sure that the team you choose to support is the one you want. How to give points to the Efforts category: To allow your team to score point into the "Efforts" category, you must add valuable posts to the debate. Lay out your own opinion/arguments, create art or photos including your favorite animals (caption are allowed), write entertaining stories, or even make a meme or two. Making the most convincing and entertaining case is an important part of the debate. If you are unsure if something is worthy of the "Efforts" category, just ask the judge about it on Discord, or with a PM. Our main goal is to make the debate as accessible as possible.

'''Please note that in an effort to keep the debate civil, fun, and lighthearted, please, we request that you respect all the instructions. Any inappropriate behaviors (spam, flaming, personal attacks, etc…), and discussions regarding politics, social issues, or any controversial topics that veer away from the light-hearted nature of this debate will not be tolerated.'''

The debate will take place from December 18th to January 8th. To join the debate, click here.

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