The 'Shroom:Issue 117/Fun Stuff

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Staff Notes
Written by:

Happy Holidays! I hope you are all having a sweet time with your friends and family. Due to a Christmas miracle, we have ten whole sections this issue, all of which are of very high quality. Many sections this month are holiday-themed, so be sure to check them out!

Additionally, I would like to welcome to the Fun Stuff team! He will be writing Find the Differences for us. Don't get thrown off by his mad editing skills.

Section of the Month
Thank you all for voting Guess Who! as Section of the Month yet again! Additionally, congratulations to, whose section Guess That Game is already becoming very popular. Good job everyone; keep up the great work!

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Silly Stories, By You!
Written by:

''Special thanks to, , , , , our anonymous contributors, and everyone else who contributed to this project. Your contributions are in bold.''

A Merry Mario Christmas



“And next, please welcome The Fun Guys as they sing their new single, ‘Christmas Missiletoe!’”

As the crowd cheered, Pianta sat back down in his chair, adjusting his tie. His Christmas party had an extraordinarily good turnout. He had initially been afraid that hiring such a prestigious band of Toads had been overkill, but with a crowd this big, it turned out to be a great idea.

The lead singer cleared his throat and tested the mic; the crowded shifted excitedly. Suddenly, the Toads broke into song.

''It was Christmas Day in ‘98 ''My feet were completely bare ''When all of a sudden, out of the blue, ''My toes shot through the air! ''They flew across the living room ''And crashed into a chair ''They went straight through the cushioning ''And gave me quite a scare!

''My toes looked me in the eye ''Like I had done some wrong, ''“Sing about us,” ''the toes commanded, ''“for your next Christmas song.” ''Thus we shall carol about the Missiletoe For years and years to come.

“Absolutely beautiful!” The crowd burst into applause; many were crying. “What a masterpiece!”

“Bravo!”

“Encore!”

“Now, now,” Pianta said. “I’m so glad you guys enjoyed the performance! But it’s time for the Christmas dinner. Everyone gather ‘round!”

The group gathered around the massive dining table. “I hope you enjoy our banquet! As we speak, my chefs are doing the final touches to our main entrée, Trump Steaks.”

“Oooooh,” the crowd went. Mario, knowing better, plugged his nose.

“And out it comes!” Pianta announced. “And look, it’s an absolute beauty! Just look at that brown. And that texture! We’ve got enough for everyone to have three servings, so dig in!”

“The more you eat, the more Trump Steaks there will be,” the chef remarked. He started to pass out the food.

The group started eating their Trump Steaks. Bowser received a nice long Steak. Peach’s was a bit green. But Toad’s was a bit… wet.

“Ah! My steak is moist!” Toad complained. “It’s literally a Sloppy Joe!”

Mario told the chef that he wasn’t hungry, much to the chef’s dismay. “Well,” the chef replied, “at least try some Trump Lemonade. It’s –”

“Oh please no, not the lemonade!”

There was suddenly a knock on the door. “Another guest!” exclaimed Pianta. “But I thought everyone that I invited had already showed up.” He opened the front door. “Good day.” It was Donald Trump, who had come to the party uninvited. “Mr. Trump, we are thoroughly enjoying your steaks. But what are you doing here? I thought Mario kicked you out of the Mushroom Kingdom.”

“He did,” Trump responded. “So I decided to run for President of a faraway land called the United States of America.”

“Did you win?”

“You bet I did! I’m here to personally thank Mario. Without him, I’d still be stuck here ruling this land of sentient mushrooms.”

*    *     *

Pianta sauntered back into the room. “Whenever you guys are done, it’s time for the gift exchange!”

The crew gathered around the Christmas tree. Trump was first, and his gift was for Bowser.

“I present you the finest JINA,” Trump said, handing Bowser a vase made out of China. “I bought it on my recent diplomatic trip to JINA. I’m sure you’ll love my JINESE JINA.”

Bowser growled in approval.

Mario was next, and his gift was for Toad. He handed Toad his gift.

“This is something very dear to me,” Mario announced. “Something very meaningful, very special… but I have no need for it any more. Toad, I hereby present you 'Hotel Mario’s enclosed instruction book.”

“I’ve never even played Hotel Mario,” Toad complained.

“But this isn’t just any instruction book,” Mario replied. “It’s a souvenir from my battle with Trump! It’s 100% genuine – you could frame it on a wall or something.”

Toad, noticeably disappointed, then reached for a small envelope and handed it to Mario as a gift. “I met Santa in Coconut Mall a week ago, and I knew I had to get his autograph. I present to you a genuine letter from Santa.

“Are you sure that’s not a mall Santa?” Mario asked skeptically. “I used to work as a mall Santa – as a matter of fact, I volunteered as one just last week.”

“I dunno, he looked like the real thing. He had a red hat on. And facial hair.”

“A beard?”

“Now I think about it, it might have been a mustache. But he was fat, like he had just stuffed himself with pasta or something.”

“I…I think I know this person,” Mario replied.

“Oh, so you know Santa? Then you’ll definitely find this letter meaningful.”

“It’s not that… but thanks anyway.”

“Santa promised that I was on the ‘nice’ list. He said that he promised he would come straight down my chimney and put the presents right under the tree. He told me, right in that mall!”

“I don’t recall every saying that,” Mario said instinctively.

“Excuse me?”

“Never mind.”

“Tonight, I’m going to hide under the tree. I want to meet Santa again! He seemed so nice. If he doesn’t show up, I will be heartbroken.”

Mario gulped. “But I’m sure he’ll come, right?” Toad continued.

“…Yes…”

*  *   *

After returning home from the party, Mario contemplated how he would get Toad his presents. Midnight was coming quickly; he stuffed a few random objects from his inventory of junk. “Some magic mushrooms, he’ll like that… Oh! A Weegee Board! He’ll definitely enjoy that… what else, what else… er, I'll just give him part of my mustache.” And he yanked a few hairs off of his face.

Toad lived only fifteen blocks away. Nonetheless, Mario called for a Lakitu.

“Drop me off here,” Mario said to his driver. “The roof should be fine.”

The Lakitu lowered Mario onto Toad’s roof. With plenty of pipe-entering experience, Mario reasoned that entering the chimney would be trivial. He jumped right in.

“Why is it so hot?” Mario complained. “Oh no…” He wasn’t able to climb back out. He could feel his feet start to burn. Toad had forgotten to turn off his fire.

“Gah!” Mario shrieked as he landed in the fireplace. “Oh no, I’ve taken damage! This isn’t looking good.” Toad heard the noise and was running down the stairs. “Santa, Santa, are you all right?”

“I’m alright, Toad. Here are your gifts.”

“Santa, you look like an elf!”

“Well, I am rather short at the moment…”

Toad opened up the bag. To his dismay, all of the gifts were singed.

“I’m sorry,” Mario replied.

Toad gave Mario a hug. “Santa, I don’t care if my presents are burned. Thanks for proving that you’re real. I knew you’d come.”

“…Thanks.”

“I just wish my friend Mario was here to celebrate this magical experience with me.”

“Uh huh.”

With that, Toad retired to his bed, and Mario swore that he would never volunteer as a mall Santa again.

THE END


 * }

Word Search
Written by:

Power-ups are integral elements of the Super Mario franchise – they give special powers to Mario, such as allowing him to throw Fireballs. I’m talking about power-ups because they are the theme of this Word Search. It’s time for you to find the words – good luck!

Answers:

Crossword
Written by:

Happy Holiday wishes from PowerKamek! This month’s Crossword is based on Christmas, so I hope you enjoy. Merry Christmas to all of you!

Answers:

It's aMAZEing
Written by:

Greetings, everyone! It's the holiday season, a time where many people seem to have a bit more cheer. Although there hasn't been too much snow where I'm at, the amount of snow I've gotten still does a good enough job creating a holiday atmosphere that you'd see in a Christmas special or something. So for this month's maze, it's a Mr. Blizzard from Super Mario 64. Do you want to build a snowman? Well, you don't have to, because it's aleady there. Happy Holidays everyone, and I'll see you in 2017.

How to play:
 * Copy the image into an art program (such as Paint, Photoshop, paint.net, etc.)
 * Click the line tool and adjust the size as needed
 * Use the line tool to get from arrow to arrow
 * Zoom in and out as needed

Answer:

Picross
Written by:

As that frustrating 2016 draws to a close, I think everyone would rather relax than do anything challenging. So to celebrate a fresh 2017 on the horizon, I've got y'all three small Picrosses, which is the plural for Picross, probably. So sit back, relax, grab a hot chocolate, and enjoy.

How to play:
 * Any program with a fill tool works for this (even Paint); just copy and paste the pictures onto the program and follow these steps.
 * Each number on a row or column (called hints) represents a line of filled in squares on that row or column; for example, a row starting with "6" would have a row of six black squares with no white between them.
 * There must be at least one blank square in-between each line of filled in squares.
 * Each square is filled with either black or white; you can fill confirmed white squares with grey to help you keep track.
 * It's easier to start with the larger numbers.

Find the Differences
Written by:

Hey there, 'Shroom readers. It's Lord Bowser here with a new edition of Find the Differences!

This issue's edited picture is a piece of artwork from Super Mario 3D Land. Here is the original picture...



...and here is the edited picture.



There are ten differences total. Good luck finding them all! Click the button below for answers.

Mystery Images
Written by:

Happy Holidays! Welcome to Mystery Images. Use the following images to identify a character, cold place, and game. Good luck!

Game 3 - The game
Answers:

Thank you for playing! Come again in 2017 for more puzzles.

Guess That Game!
Written by:

Hello, and welcome to Guess That Game! In this activity, you have to guess a Mario game with the help of some clues. There is also a bonus round where you have to guess a non-Mario Nintendo game. The answers are at the end of this section. Since this is The ‘Shroom’s holiday special, there are more rounds than usual.

Round 1


 * This is a Super Mario Bros. game.
 * It is for the Wii U.
 * This game’s disk cover is colored green instead of blue.
 * In this game, Luigi got rid of Mario and swapped him with a purple rabbit.

Round 2


 * This game is a Paper Mario game.
 * This game was made in the year 2000.
 * In this game, Bowser steals the seven Star Spirits.
 * This game is known as Mario Story in Japan.

Round 3


 * This is a Mario Party game.
 * There is a place called Shroom City in this game (where players can write for The ‘Shroom!)
 * There are only four playable characters in this game.
 * The Koopa Kid is in this game.

Round 4


 * This game was released this year.
 * This game is not for the Wii U or 3DS.
 * Mario runs in this game.
 * This game is free, but it costs $10 for the full game.

Round 5


 * This game has clear pipes in it.
 * There are four bonus worlds in this game.
 * The boomerang flower is in this game.
 * Captain Toad is in this game.

Bonus Round


 * This game has squids in it.
 * This game involves painting the stage with ink.
 * This game is for the Wii U.

Thanks for reading! Here are the answers, cheater!

Guess Who!
Written by: http://www.thexephyrboard.net/XLights2.gif http://www.thexephyrboard.net/XLights2.gif http://www.thexephyrboard.net/XLights2.gif http://www.thexephyrboard.net/XLights2.gif http://www.thexephyrboard.net/XLights2.gif http://www.thexephyrboard.net/XLights2.gif http://www.thexephyrboard.net/XLights2.gif

'''Have an idea for a theme? Suggest it here!'''

Happy Holidays, and welcome to the 2nd Anniversary Edition of Guess Who! Exactly two years ago, during the holiday season, I started writing this section. I never would have thought that I would continue for so long. This section has since grown to be incredibly popular; I would like to thank you all for your support!

Like all of us, Mario has plenty of friends, along with a lot of enemies. However, he is always able to make peace with his rivals, whether through party or friendly competition. Love and reconciliation have always been key components of the holiday season, so for this special issue, both Mario and his biggest rivals will be here together in this month’s festive Guess Who!

'''Guess Who! December 2016

Theme: Friends and Enemies:   Together for the Holidays 

Warm-Up
 * 1) Since Mario Bros., this character has been collaborating with Mario.
 * 2) He’s a bro!
 * 3) He can suck ghosts in with a vacuum cleaner.

Level 1: Easy
 * 1) There’s a greater cause that causes this character teams up with Mario in Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars and Super Paper Mario.
 * 2) Since the very beginning, he has been karting alongside Mario.
 * 3) At one point, he lies to his son that his son has a mother, being Peach. (If you think about it, it’s actually a bit sad.)

Level 2: Medium
 * 1) This character saves Mario by catching him as he falls from the sky as an infant. How Mario’s speed doesn’t kill him and this character instantly upon impact, I don’t know.
 * 2) Likewise, Mario later saves this character after he is trapped by Bowser.
 * 3) When injured, this character cannot help but run around aimlessly.

Level 3: Hard
 * 1) Super Mario 64 would be completely unplayable if not for a member of this species.
 * 2) Stop making fun of their eyesight. It makes them upset.
 * 3) Sometimes, they go around with a fishing pole, saving players who have fallen into a Gorge.

Challenge: Not Exactly a Mario Character
 * 1) Mario once found him sleeping in Rose Town. He’s a very heavy sleeper.
 * 2) Mario can visit this character’s kingdom to race.
 * 3) This character has visited Bazaar’s General Store. He doesn’t like the shell shapes.

Answers:

How did you do? Regardless, thanks for playing this month's special edition of Guess Who. Please join me again next month!

Quiz
Written by:

Welcome to Quiz, a place where I... quiz you, on Mario stuff. Because it's Christmas this month, I have decided to create a snow / ice themed Quiz. So if it's too cold for you to go outside, stay in and have some fun.

Easy
 * 1) How many snow-themed worlds are in Super Mario 64?
 * 2) What cup is Mount Wario in in Mario Kart 8?
 * 3) Who is the leader of the Snowmads?

Medium
 * 1) What world in Super Mario Bros. is snow-themed?
 * 2) What is the name of the ice-themed court in Mario Tennis Open?
 * 3) Who needs to be fought so you can rescue Luigi in Super Mario 64 DS?

Hard
 * 1) What is the name of the third Snow Spirit in the Nintendo DS story mode of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games?
 * 2) What is the name of the boss of Shivering Mountains in Wario World?
 * 3) What is the only level that Centipedes appear in in Yoshi's Story?

Answers: