'Shroomfest (Round 9) - DUCKS vs RABBITS

Diamant

Diamant

Gallant Ninja
Core 'Shroom Staff
Awards Committee
Poll Consultant
Pronouns
He/him
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'SHROOMFEST
DUCKS VS RABBITS​

Welcome to the ninth round of 'Shroomfest!

We are all here today to select which animal between ducks and rabbits should inhabit our all-new revitalized courtyard! Take a look at our 'Shroomfest section in the current issue of The 'Shroom to read the opening story, along with the first pitches from Sparks and Waluigi Time as they try to win you over to their side. If you're a little rusty on how 'Shroomfest works, or if this is your first time joining us, you can also find the rules and guidelines there. We're here for good fun, so join in!


What is 'Shroomfest?
A 'Shroomfest is a contest between two opposite factions who make posts to showcase the best qualities of their side, using humor, interesting facts, art, memes, or anything, really, to make their side of choice look appealing. Two team leaders, who offer their own points in support of their team, will lead the factions. The event will last for three weeks, and, during that time, you will try to earn as many points for your team as possible by participating consistently and making entertaining or interesting posts to earn bonus points.

Subject of Round 9
Which animal do you prefer, ducks or rabbits?

Ducks vs Rabbits 'Shroomfest Committee

Rules
There are three categories in which you can earn points for your team of choice each week.. In order for a faction to come out as the winner, it must win as many categories as possible. As any given individual can earn one point for their team per category per week (for a total of three points in a week, maximum), it helps your team the most if you turn out every week, and if you make entertaining posts that draw those on the sidelines into the event to support your team. For a full explanation of the rules, please click here.

  • VOTES: The number of votes for each side. To cast a vote on the 'Shroomfest poll, click here. Remember to vote once a week.
  • ENDORSEMENTS: The number of users of the community who endorse a team.
    • In order to provide an endorsement, simply post Endorse: [Team] in this thread, in bold, and offer a few short words of support (examples below) if you're so inclined.
      • Vote Ducks
      • Go Rabbits!
      • I support Team Ducks
      • Rabbits for the win!
  • EFFORT: The effort that has been put into the event.
    • There isn't a hard and fast rule as to what constitutes an "effort" post. As a rule of thumb, if you contribute something that reasonably takes more than a few minutes to create, it'll count.
    • Users must participate in the event by providing:
      • Arguments and Examples
      • Artwork
      • Stories
      • Memes
      • Other forms of creative work that reflect a degree of thought and effort beyond just a few words.
    • If you aren't sure if something counts as an effort post or not, ask the judge via Discord or via a PM!

'Shroomfest Guidelines
  • The designated judge (Ninja Squid) will open the event's thread. Following this post, the team leaders (Sparks and Waluigi Time) will hand over their opening post, which explains why they support their respective team and offers some initial points in support of their teams.
  • For a week, you will provide your own endorsements, facts, and ideas that support your team of choice.. You can make use of your own facts and opinions, or you can provide art, photos, stories, memes, and other forms of creative work.
  • Remember, creativity and entertainment value can be as important as detail! Something entertaining is as likely as a well-structured, detailed post to get noticed by other participants and the judge.
  • After a week, the judge will intervene with a brief note, highlighting the best posts from both teams. The judge will then reward with three bonus points to the "EFFORT" category to the side that seems to have brought the most interesting or entertaining posts.
  • Following the judge's intervention, the judge will leave both teams with a question, theme, or challenge, and the team leaders and their supporters will try to answer the judge's questions or otherwise make posts related to the judge's challenge or theme.
  • This cycle will repeat itself every week for a maximum of three weeks, offering a chance to win nine bonus points for your faction.
  • Once the three-week period has ended, the judge will conclude the event with a short message and invite the participants to come back for the results that will release during Issue 229 of The 'Shroom. Any message posted after this message won't be taken into account during the compilation of the results.
  • Please note that in an effort to keep the event civil, fun, and lighthearted, we ask that you please respect all the instructions. Any inappropriate behaviors (spam, flaming, personal attacks, etc…), and discussions regarding politics, social issues, or any controversial topics will not be tolerated.
  • The event will end on April 11th, 2025.


If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions for future 'Shroomfests, please contact Waluigi Time, Sparks, and Ninja Squid via a forum PM or on Discord.
 
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Ducks. Birds that spend most of their time swimming rather than flying! Such graceful creatures.


Waluigi Time has those crop-ruining rabbits on his side, but I shall prove to him that ducks are the better option for outdoor locations such as this. Not only that, but they won't eat our vegetables, it's a win-win!

Ducks are very underrated animals that deserve more appreciation. They inhabit ponds and other freshwater locations and bring joy to park and zoo visitors. They also fly around the world when it's migration season, so they're also intelligent and know what they're doing. I'm here to bring them justice during this 'Shroomfest!

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Look at how beautiful and colorful they are! It's no wonder why they're so adored by the public. Some zoos even allow you to feed the ducks! Very wholesome indeed.


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And look at those adorable baby ducklings! They're like aquatic chicks following their parents on the water… Awwwww so cute am I right?! Goes to show Rabbits aren't the only adorable animals around here!


Of course, I'm only setting the scene for what I'm going to bring these next few weeks. There are popular ducks in media that I intend to summon during the friendly little competition, but I'm keeping them all surprises until it's time to send them out!


So support Team Ducks to prove that they're superior over rabbits! They're more intimidating than you'd think…
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Hello there, Team Rabbits! Waluigi Time here to show you why you should support rabbits in this 'Shroomfest! They say pictures are worth a thousand words, so instead of composing a lengthy post, I decided to just put this picture up and call it a day.

look at the rabbits.jpg

Thanks for reading! Okay, just kidding. But seriously, look at them. I don't need to do anything for their public image, it's already built-in. But for now, how about I kick things off with some fun rabbit facts?
  • When rabbits are happy or excited, they perform a jump known as a binky. They twist their body and may even flip around in the air! Pretty acrobatic.​
  • Thumping their hind legs isn't just the basis for a cartoon character - rabbits do this to warn other rabbits of nearby danger. Isn't it nice that they look out for each other?​
  • Rabbits are born with their eyes sealed shut, but in adulthood, they have a field of vision that's nearly 360 degrees, can see for long distances, and even have night vision!​
  • Maintaining a balanced ecosystem is very important! Rabbits play a helpful role by keeping the populations of invasive plants in check.​
  • According to the UK's Pet Food Industry Association, rabbits are the third most popular pet in the world, only behind dogs and cats! Why yes, that does put them ahead of birds, thank you for asking.​
  • You've heard of the man on the moon, right? This varies from culture to culture - in Japan, they see a rabbit making mochi instead!​

So, what are some of your favorite things about rabbits? Perhaps some of you even have a pet rabbit at home - feel free to share your stories or even pictures, we'd love to see them!
 
The 'Shroomfest is on!
​
Will it be Sparks' duck season or Waluigi Time's rabbit season? This is now up to you! Remember that you can contribute a maximum of three points per week which can go to either Team Ducks or Team Rabbits, so come in and help them gain valuable points.
 
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Flordia:
Like you know that they say dude, birds of a feather flock together man, so like im totally gonna Endorse Ducks dude!
 
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Yoshi the SSM: "Ah. Another 'Shroomfest is upon us. Hmm... Very interesting idea. Now to..."
Doopliss.png
Doopliss: "Whoa! What is this?"
Yoshi the SSM artwork.pngYoshi the SSM: "Ah! Doopliss. This is a 'Shroomfest. It is animal themed this time with..."
Doopliss.pngDoopliss: "Ah. Well, Endorse: Pigs then."
Yoshi the SSM artwork.pngYoshi the SSM: "Ahem. As I was saying, it is between Ducks and Rabbits. Pigs aren't on either side."
Doopliss.pngDoopliss: "Oh. But pigs are so cute. Do I have to choose only ducks or rabbits?"
Yoshi the SSM artwork.pngYoshi the SSM: "Yes. The rules are the rules."
Doopliss.pngDoopliss: "Well, then I have to decide which I like better."
Yoshi the SSM artwork.pngYoshi the SSM: "In the meantime, I will Endorse: Rabbits. This will give you an idea on which I like better."
Doopliss.pngDoopliss: "Wait. I have an idea on how I can decide for myself. It will, however, take some time to accomplish."
 
I am totally allergic to rabbits and I think ducks are adorable, therefore I Endorse: Ducks
 
"How fleeting are all human passions compared with the massive continuity of ducks."
--- Dorothy L. Sayers, Gaudy Night

On the waterside, treading upon bent reeds, the dabbling wood duck settles into a hollow. Isn't it a lovely picture?

I must Endorse: Ducks.
 
I shall make it my mission to make a post every day for this 'Shroomfest! With the amount of rabbit supporters already, I feel a little outnumbered, but thankfully I have quite a few duck supporters behind me!

So I will start! I thought "why not talk about what ducks eat?"
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(Thank you Treehugger!)

As you can see in the diagram above, ducks like to eat various grains and vegetables (dry instant oats, seeds, cracked corn, peas, lettuce, spinach, kale, and pellets). Pellets don't fit into either food group, but they could be made from grains. Ducks could also eat snails and insects.

Contrary to popular belief, ducks should not be fed bread.
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(Thank you Girl Scout Troop 2822!)

This sign above talks about the hazards of bread for ducks. It makes their tummies hurt and makes them ill. It also makes them think they're full when they're actually not. Yikes!

If thrown into the water itself, nasty surface algae will grow and kill the fish inhabits the same body of water. The poor ducks then become sick, and the bread itself pollutes the water. I just learned a new duck fact today!

Hopefully you all learned something new about ducks! Endorse: Team Ducks! Go ducks!​
 
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Florida:
Like dude you want ANY reason to support ducks man, then just look at how Nintendo treats its ducks vs how DISNEY treats its ducks dude!
Like how many times can you confidently say that ducks have been featured in a Nintendo game? Like from my account only like 4-5 times dude! Meanwhile those rabbit bros not only have made a BUNCH of appearances since Mario 64 dude! But now there ALSO gonna be in the super mario bros movie too! Meanwhile the ducks get the shaft! Not cool dude, second Disney handles there ducks dudes SO much better than Nintendo does man! Like we've got the Richest Duck in the world, a famous crime fighting hero dude, and finally we got like a guy who recently celebrated his like 40th year anniversary man! So vote for ducks dude! Not just because there like awesome man, but also because the like get the short end of the Nintendo stick dude.
 
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"I beg to differ on behalf of Team Rabbits. Like the flamingo said, rabbits are much more prominently featured in Nintendo games, such as Harry Hare in the Super Nintendo version of Wario's Woods, a number of rabbit-like bosses in the Wario Land games, rabbits in Super Mario 64 and its DS remake, the most infamous of all being Nabbit from New Super Mario Bros U onward, the Broodals in Super Mario Odyssey being modeled after rabbits...And outside of Mario, there's also plenty of rabbit representation within Nintendo games. Such as various Pokémon modeled after the lagomorpha order such as Bunnelby and its evolutions, Buneary, Scorbunny, and other such rabbit inspired Pokémon...I could go on for a bit as far as Nintendo's representation of the lagomorpha order is concerned, but I think you get the idea. I'll return at a later time to cover any rabbit representation in non-Nintendo related media."
 
Going to put my support behind Team Rabbits this go-around. My main reason is the cultural iconography of rabbits. Them and their cousins, hares, are regularly found in worldly folklore, be it as a trickster character or a symbol of a larger deity. East Asia recognizes a rabbit when they look up at the moon (as opposed to the man in the moon), and several stories and mythos reflect this observation, including the Chinese zodiac. The most famous of Aesop's fables is the tortoise and the hare. Rabbits also exist in the cryptic world, with the jackalope. Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland prominently features both the White Rabbit and the March Hare, and several literary allusions to these characters have since followed.

All of that is to say, with how impactful rabbits have been to the world of storytelling, they tend to have my favor. I couldn't immediately tell you nearly the same amount of instances of ducks acting as this sort of historic cultural touchstone.

Quick later edit: speaking of storytelling, let us not forget the impact that rabbits have had on our community storytelling. Awards Killing Game 4 and Odyssey both had exceptional rabbit-themed villains
 
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