vicprobably

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got bored over the holidays and this was the result

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yes i'm a life series fan. yes i love devastating devotion and yearning. yes if you put those two things in a venn diagram it becomes a circle

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the seasons are changing,

so why haven't you?

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STILL thinking about Wild Life Shinyduo... in case you were wondering

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The ending is yours...

Finally finished my collage for Wild Life! This was so fun to make and has a ton of references to the alliances, other seasons, and more, so I hope you enjoy finding them all! Wild Life was so amazing and I'm so glad that I got to experience it in real time.

A list of the references, if you're curious:

The Fam is the Family Bingo card, the Tuff Guys are the list of materials, the Bamboozlers are the green tickets, Renwood Mound is the crown print, the Gs have all of their nicknames listed, and the Spanners are the ruler

3rd Life is represented by the "Go to Mount Desert" flier (which I can't BELIEVE I found), Last Life is represented by the Skull sticker (the boogeyman), Double Life is represented by the Wolf art (Tilly my beloved), Limited Life is represented by the clock, and Secret Life is represented by the letter tucked in the corner

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thinking too hard about Joel in the Wild Life finale - he lost his closest ally and his wife while they were out of his sight. he was relentlessly hunted by almost half of the server for a good portion of the session. his only remaining teammate turned around and tried to kill him as soon as they were in the final two... and despite all of that, when he won, he still had a smile on his face

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sometimes I sit back and reflect on how much passion and care Grian and his team put into the Life Series, especially as it's grown and progressed... the coding and design that went into Wild Cards, the cleverness and creativity of the Secret Tasks, all of the little animations and popups, even picking out specific game maps so that the players have access to a variety of biomes and building materials. on the Imp and Skizz podcast, they also discussed how well-crafted the cast of the Life Series is, and I totally agree - it's such a perfect group of people that work SO well together. you can tell that the series is being designed not just for the maximum enjoyment of the players, but also for the community. I see it in the little details like the lightning strikes for player's final deaths that started in Limited Life, and in bringing back beloved POVs like Jimmy, Mumbo, and Skizz's even after they've been eliminated... you can just tell that the Life Series is in good hands.

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every life series season has a villain, but not in the way you might think. it's always a symbol of some kind. it's not a person, but a concept, an ideal, an overarching force. that is, in every season except wild life

third life had circumstance. everything was new and hard to grasp, and no one knew what to do. the villain of third life was the world itself; think of the animal extinction, for example.

last life had brutality. both physically and mentally. it was rife with betrayal and isolation; reds had to abandon teams, and the boogeyman mechanic's paranoia forced everyone apart.

double life had love. love, and the fate it tangled itself in. it was a complex villain, but love killed them again and again, and rewarded the single person who didn't give in to it.

limited life had time. the passage of time itself was the enemy and everything was driven by that. they clawed their way to every last second, and time ate them all in the end.

secret life had the secret keeper. unyielding, unrelenting, unmoving, all-knowing. when the secret keeper forced them to do awful things, no one disobeyed, but hated it all the same.

wild life has grian. grian is representative of every wild card the world plays. he runs the command, and stops it at the end of the day. he is transparent about that. he accepts bribes for information, and unabashedly uses his knowledge to his advantage. he is Other. the players treat him the exact way they did the secret keeper; he's not a player like them this season, he's a symbol, and one of every awful thing that's happened to them at that

which is to say, wild life's villain is a symbol and an overarching force. it's just, for the first time, simultaneously a person, too. everyone else is realizing that too and are pointing their blades at grian, slowly but surely. it is SO fascinating

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now that Wild Life is done, I want to list my favorite alliances of each season (because there have been SO many good ones)

3rd Life: It's gotta be DesertDuo, Grian's POV was the first that I ever watched and his and Scar's chaotic shenanigans are my absolute favorite (runner ups: Flower Husbands)

Last Life: Magical Mountain were probably one of the most dysfunctional alliances, but Joel's Last Life POV is my favorite of the season (and maybe the whole series) and the moment where they both realize they're the boogeyman always makes me laugh (runner ups: the 3Gs)

Double Life: Gotta be the Ranchers, one of my favorite things about the Life Series is that it brings together creators that might not have interacted otherwise, and seeing Jimmy and Tango go from acquaintances to buddies was just so fun (runner ups: the Homewreckers)

Limited Life: I'm such a sucker for the Mean Gills, it's not even funny, Scott and Martyn worked so well together and I'm so glad they decided to team up, because it led to my favorite finale as well (runner ups: the Clockers)

Secret Life: the Mounders my beloved!!! I loved their "getting to know you" questions, I loved how furiously Pearl fought to get one of them a victory, and I loved their scuffed base (runner ups: Gem and the Scotts)

Real Life: Gem and BigB (I don't know if they have a duo name but they should) worked together so well and they should absolutely team up again

Wild Life: the Fam the Fam gotta be the Fam! Gem and Joel are a perfect duo, they bring out the best in each other and I love how much they trust each other while still teasing and bantering (runner ups: the Bamboozlers)

Genuinely there's not an alliance that I don't like, but I do have my favorites... let me know your picks in the comments!!!

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everyone say thank you grian for not including the "everything is food" wild card in the finale because if they'd been starving/poisoned on top of all of the other wild cards, episode 8 would have lasted like 20 minutes tops

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Gem and Pearl in the Wild Life finale were TRULY something else... serious what do you MEAN Gem called Pearl "cute" and a "wet cat" what do you MEAN she never got mad when Pearl tried to kill her and instantly tried to ally with her when she turned red what do you MEAN Pearl mourned Gem's death even "after the entire season" and said she felt "so lost" without her

Gem and Pearl in Wild Life are something else... like what do you MEAN Gem keeps referring to Pearl as thirsty what do you MEAN Gem said she'd let Pearl kill her "depending on how she does it" after denying the rest of her team... like why are they like this

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HUGE day for fans of the family

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time to pretend gem was in every life series :) [my other life designs]

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There is a spectrum.

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wild life finale tomorrow, make your final predictions now folks!!!

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When you think about it, there's two different ways to divide the Life Series seasons: by motifs and by strategies.

There's 3 different motifs, usually defined by the series mechanics:

"Priceless" seasons, aka 3rd Life and Double Life - lives are limited and if a player dies and changes color, it's impossible to go back; this leads to heightened tension and more centralized conflict

"Boogeyman" seasons, aka Last Life and Limited Life - the boogeyman curse is active, and while alliances are valued, there's always an undercurrent of doubt and betrayal

"Curveball" seasons, aka Secret Life and Wild Life - the overarching mechanic constantly changes the stakes and keeps the players on their toes, whether that be secret tasks or wild cards

And there's 2 different strategic approaches, easily defined by a key rule change:

"Stockpile" Seasons, aka 3rd Life, Last Life, and Double Life - Keep Inventory is off and items like armor, tools, and weapons are coveted and hidden. Stealing resources is common and wars can start over items like banners, wither skulls, and enchanting tables

"Resourced" Seasons, aka Limited Life, Secret Life, and Wild Life - Keep Inventory is on and players can usually stay geared up for an entire season if they commit to resource gathering early on. Players keep their most valuable items with them at all times

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I suspect that Wild Life episode 8 might be the finale so I'm prepping my drafts for all outcomes