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On a similar but mostly unrelated note to my last post, I wanna bring your attention to this particular moment in SMO:
This game gets a lot of praise for how expressive Mario is compared to prior games, and I think this is one of my favorite examples. He's got this badass determined game face on when he's about to face off against Bowser for the final time... and then Bowser decides to kick it up a notch and taunt him. Enter Peach, who is panicking and crying out for Mario, and she's practically within arm's reach, which makes the fact that he's powerless to save her while Bowser's still standing that much more hideously cruel.
Just! Look at his face! How it goes from determined to horrified to pure, seething anger. This fight was already personal, and now it just got a whole lot worse, and all of that is conveyed brilliantly within the span of five seconds using nothing more than Mario's facial expressions.
That heightened expressiveness carries over into Bowser's Fury and SMBW, and maybe it's small in the grand scheme of things, but I think it adds so much to each games' experience, and I'm so excited to see more in future titles!
🇷🇺🇺🇦🚨 OVERNIGHT UPDATE ON THE RUSSO-UKRAINIAN WAR DAY 618
In the Kherson direction:
A Russian recognizance unit inside Krynky was destroyed as a result of Ukrainian ambush and shelling, destroying roughly 10 soldiers as they exited the village on its southwestern outskirts.
Russian Forces were heavily shelling the Krynky area using TOS Flamethrower systems.
On the second Ukrainian foothold south of Prydniprovske, Russian Forces were bombing and shelling the forward Ukrainian positions using FPV Drones in the hope of preventing the development of the foothold in this area.
In the Zaporizhzhia direction:
Ukrainian Forces launched offensive operations to the southeast of Robotyne using armored personnel carriers and judging by the video evidence, were destroyed.
Meanwhile, Russian Forces were heavily bombing Ukrainians positions west of Verbove using FPV drones on the forward positions of Ukrainian Forces in this region, no changes in territory.
Russian Forces launched strikes against the accumulation of Ukrainian ammunition in the fortified positions in the fields southeast of Novodanylivka, resulting in a significant explosion, suggesting an ammunition depot was in fact destroyed. Secondary explosions were recorded.
In the Novomykhailivka area:
Russian Forces continued bombing and shelling Ukrainian positions in the central part of Novomykhailivka using FAB500 bombs. This story has been on repeat all week.
In the Avdiivka direction:
Video evidence suggests Ukrainian Forces have a significantly vast underground network of tunnels in the northern Avdiivka area, not unlike the tunnel network Russian Forces used to destroy Ukrainian positions to the south of the city recently.
In the Bakhmut Direction:
North of Bakhmut, to the west of Yahidne, Russian Forces were heavily using FPV Drones to hammer the forward positions of Ukrainian Forces in the fields following the rail lines where Russian Forces developed their positions here, taking a small strip of territory in recent days.
Keep in mind that with the breakout of conflict in the occupied Palestine area and the difficulty of American authorities to produce ammunition, funding and equipment to continue Ukrainian resistance, ammunition and equipment is severely lacking for Ukrainian Forces, mostly forcing their forces to depend on commercial FPV drones to provide cover for their forces and to defend territory from Russian operations.
The result has been largely standstill for Ukrainian Forces and we only see the development of positions where ammunition has not yet run dry, such as by the footholds in the Kherson direction.
As a result, American authorities are pressuring the Zelensky regime to consider a negotiated settlement or ceasefire, however so far Ukrainian authorities have rejected the suggestion and Russian authorities have made it clear a ceasefire is out of the questions due to a lack of trust by Russian leaders in the intentions of American authorities, believing a ceasefire would just mean the rearming and reconstitution of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
So y’all know that post where I ranted and raved about Mario’s expressiveness starting with SMO? Well now I’ve got another marginally related post, because oh my God I’m making myself Feel Things.
This is another one of my favorite examples of that expressiveness, because I mean look at him. Five minutes in and this is the most sad and concerned he’d ever looked in a game at the time of its release.
And I got to thinking: seeing him respond so actively to unfolding tragedy after years of Nintendo refusing to let him emote is wonderful in and of itself! But you know what makes it particularly poignant the more I think about it? This is in response to hearing that, among other things, an older brother’s beloved younger sibling has been abducted — by Bowser, no less.
Now watch this scene and tell me Mario’s not thinking about Luigi being in the same scenario. He’s not just being sympathetic. He knows exactly the kind of pain and helplessness Cappy is feeling.