#tropical take

[gameraboy2]

Tropical "Take" Saucy Movie Tales, March, 1936 Cover by Norman Saunders

[reunitedinterlude]

lean (1, 2, 3)

[aerequets]

beckys dad gets earnestly invested in providing yor and loid with as many vacations as possible so becky will stop crushing on loid

[notimeforlaugh]

once I promised phil as a tourist dad

here he is

[fisheito]

when a battle can't be solved with dark nova yakumo

[tropicalcontinental]

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

[bestanimal]

Oh I almost forgot, here’s my own personal arachnid propaganda: I have 11 of them as pets. 7 tarantulas and 4 true spiders.

I’m sure most people have already voted, but in case you’re still on the fence, here are my children. I don’t have good pics of them all (and I can’t post more than 10 anyway) but:

Figueroth - Brachypelma klaasi - “Mexican Pink Beauty”

Yet unnamed Brachypelma emilia - “Mexican Redleg”

Houdini - Brachypelma boehmei - “Mexican Fireleg”

Clifford - Brachypelma hamorii - “Mexican Redknee”

Pookie - Brachypelma albiceps - “Golden Red Rump”

Yet unnamed Tlitocatl vagans - “Mexican Red Rump”

Bambalam - Grammostola pulchra - “Brazilian Black”

Yet unnamed Phidippus mystaceus

Blueberry - Eresus ruficapillus - “Italian Velvet Spider”

🕷

Jolene - Kukulcania arizonica - “Black Hole Spider”

Sold to me as an “Arizona Wolf Spider”, I believe she’s probably a Hogna carolinensis - “Carolina Wolf Spider”

(I used to have more than just, uh, Brachypelma and Brachypelma-adjacent tarantulas; the Brachys have just outlived the others lol)

[5577v]

la femme

[thestalkerbunny]

My new great idea to infuriate my Classic DND purist friends.

I take THESE.

Paint 'Em like THIS.

[simply-beautiful-world]

[ladywaterfall]

to me. the g1 my little ponies are the most cottagecore coded of them all

[fashion4standusers]

pieces by Fanci Club

[emphasisonthehomo]

However you might feel about Jimmy Carter, one of the things he was very focused on during his lifetime was the eradication/treatment/research of neglected tropical diseases.

The World Health Organization defines them as:

Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) are a diverse group of conditions caused by a variety of pathogens (including viruses, bacteria, parasites, fungi and toxins) and associated with devastating health, social and economic consequences. NTDs are mainly prevalent among impoverished communities in tropical areas, although some have a much larger geographical distribution. It is estimated that NTDs affect more than 1 billion people, while the number of people requiring NTD interventions (both preventive and curative) is 1.6 billion. The epidemiology of NTDs is complex and often related to environmental conditions. Many of them are vector-borne, have animal reservoirs and are associated with complex life cycles. All these factors make their public-health control challenging.

One of these is the Guinea Worm, which is a debilitating parasite that President Jimmy Carter hoped to eradicate during his lifetime. He was unfortunately unable to do so.

Guinea worm disease (dracunculiasis) is a parasitic infection caused by the nematode roundworm parasite Dracunculus medinensis. It is contracted when people consume water from stagnant sources contaminated with Guinea worm larvae.

There is no known cure for the Guinea worm, the same treatment used today has been in use for thousands of years.

It is on the verge of eradication, and many hope for it to become the second disease eradicated after smallpox. Only 14 human cases were reported in 2023.

The easiest way to help prevent someone from being infected with the Guinea worm is by providing safe water.

The Carter Foundation is dedicated to the eradication of the Guinea worm and accepts donations.

[runerapier]

Sephiroth summons meteor

[cybernomads]

i took this back when i made this lore post, but i didn't have the chance to edit it until now

bonus: zoomed out version that messed up the lighting again

[fruitsofhell]

Yall, its time to ramble about visual/environmental storytelling cause this is silly article is driving me insane.

I won't argue for if the game should have had more constant and involved cutscenes like Robobot or Star Allies, but what I will say is that this game is VERY rich in story through the world design. The Forgotten Land as opposed to say the Land of the Sky in TD or the entire galaxy of Star Allies is like, DROWNING in writing and narrative. It builds so much mystery and intrigue through the theming of every world and even individual levels, with exploring both how the people of the land originally lived and how it's being reclaimed by nature and the animals.

I think the closest things maybe is Robobot and Halcandra in RTDL, the former having great little designs that key you into WHAT Haltmann is doing and what makes it so toxic. Halcandra though is the ultimate grand-daddy, the contrast between it and the Lor, and Egg Engines and Dangerous Dinner is full of theming and clues about the nature and history of the planet. AND THAT IS STORY, THAT IS WRITING! Especially when compared to say Star Allies, where most of the levels of the levels are just ye average Kirby themed fluff with little to say about the Jamba or the state they've left the galaxy in. But when you play through the casino levels of Robobot, as well as delightful theming and level design, you see that Haltmann is erecting literally the most predatory entertainment centers imaginable. When you step off the sleek futuristic Lor into the scrapyards and wastes of Halcandra, you get fun intimidating final worlds, and a good grasp on *why* the people who made the Lor aren't around anymore, and may even start questioning why Magolor made such a great fuss of dragging you to this horrible place. Music is also deeply important to this storytelling. Each of the factories/towers erected in ever world of Robobot's theme is a remix usually of themes related to older mechanical levels, subtly clueing you into where Haltmann go their technology from. Outside the Lor rather than the comfortable motif of Green Greens is this almost comically suspicious and disoriented theme once you're stuck on Halcandra and returning to Magolor with more doubts about his words. The final level inside of the volcano house a theme that is teasing the twist to come, and the theme for fighting Landia before the big reveal is less triumphant, and more majestic and pensive. Possibly trying to evoke more hesitance than confidence, even if most people wouldn't catch on to that on a first run.

But the cooler thing, is that while Robobot has this cool theming at key levels, and RtDL does at the end, this type of shit is pervasive ALL throughout Forgotten Land. Every world and nearly every level is a unique, well thought-out set piece! You get to see abandoned towns, cities, malls, stores, factories, resorts, and an amusement park, each which serves as more than just a fun location, but a clear picture of the world and the state its in. This intent is made clearer through the music and tone that goes out of its way to not highlight the destruction of these areas but their beauty, wonder, and mystery through the eyes of an clueless animals and our favorite pink alien. The abandoned Alivel Malls theme is a track as upbeat and peppy as what must've played over it's speakers in it's hayday, because the hustle and bustle breathed back into it by the animals and Kirby just exploring this mysterious complex is just as lively. The theme of the Everbay Coast is peaceful and sunny despite the Holine ruins because it's as part of the scenery to the animals and Kirby as the picturesque palms and sands. And Wondaria!!!!!!!!! OMG WONDARIA WHERE TO EVEN BEGIN WITH EVERY FUCKING LEVEL AND THEME IN WONDARIA!!! THIS IS WHY I CAN'T TAKE THAT CLAIM SERIOUSLY - y'know when I cried at Forgotten Land? In world 3. Not because of a cutscene or a line of dialogue, but just from the sheer emotion the setting evoked in me. The sweet, laid-back, starry-eyed wonder that it expressed from Kirby mixed with my own sense of nostalgia being aware of what that place was, and how beautiful it was to see it rediscovered and adored by Kirby and the animals of the Forgotten Land. It evokes such a strong feeling of bittersweetness, of existential dread comforted by the knowledge that the simple joys and memories we create places like amusement parks to share will continue on as long as there is life in the world. And unlike some of my musings about past games, this was explicitly intentional. What truly brought the tears to my eyes was remembering an interview where the devs were explaining how they were trying to keep the tone light and Kumazaki said specifically they wanted to evoke peace and beauty rather than loss.

LIKE THIS IS WRITING! This is storytelling, this is intention. It's just subtle, but not at all unimportant, and it ties into the more overarching plot. It raises the question constantly of where the people went that is answered by Forgo, and expresses the dichotomy between the simple innocence of the animals compared to the ambitions of the people who abandoned them and that is now possessing their leader. It creates stakes for Elfilis and Forgo's intentions to destroy everything so beautiful and pure about the current world, but as it absolves the current world of guilt, it puts into perspective JUST HOW LONG Forgo must have been locked away that things changed so much. And as softly as the exploits of the original people are portrayed by the game, knowing their treatment of Eliflis and Forgo as a thing of entertainment and tool for innovation is sickening placed in contrast with it. Like back to Wondaria, the way it shows how much space travel must have pervaded the imagination and escapism of the people either before or after Forgo's arrival is insanely smart. And it gives me chills in the best way seeing Kirby run around images of cartoon aliens from a civilization who would never meet him. Of Kirby, Elfilin, and Bandana sticking their head into a cardboard cutout of an astronaut meeting an alien, with the text "wish you were here" above in a script they don't even understand. A SCRIPT THE WRITERS MADE FOR THIS GAME SO THAT THEY COULD ADD MESSAGES LIKE THAT INTO THE WORLD FOR KEEN PLAYERS TO NOTICE AND MAKE CONNECTIONS. Like it's insane. The dedication the Hal Labs has to stuff like this is maddening! It's so sweet and heartfelt and crafty, I'm so pissed off how little respect it gets because people don't understand visual storytelling!!!!! Saying Forgotten Land is light on story is preposterous, it might just be one of the most finely crafted stories the series has had to date, and is just a really solid piece of science fantasy writing in general honestly. It is packed with environmental storytelling that drives me Up The Fucking Wall, Man.