longer paste than i expected holy cow

Well, I didn't get in to AGDQ. Surprisingly massive paste ahead....

My Submissions
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I'm disappointed, but not as disappointed as I expected to be. I think I had mentally prepared myself for the rejection. It's made a bit worse by the fact that I really did consider this my last chance. As I mentioned in my last paste, I don't plan on traveling for any more GDQ events. It's just too hard for me to be away from  my kids and family for that time, and to use my vacation time and money on something for myself. Hugging my kids this morning was awesome. I'm really excited for where things are going with our family, and I want that to be my main focus.

I suppose I'll always have that little twinge of regret that I never was good enough to play in one of these. I never quite got to that top tier. I was close with this submission - it was definitely my strongest yet. But just not quite good enough! It's nice to know where I stand, and it's time I just accept that. So it's bittersweet! It's also a bit of a relief - because the amount of work and stress I would have put on myself to prepare for this would have been pretty extreme. I do not like the mindset I got into over the last month or so with submissions, and the stress and anxiety about not knowing whether I got in is just a lot to handle. I don't want to deal with that again, so I'm just not going to!

And beyond that, I'm actually *relieved* that I won't be playing a lot of DKC and/or DKC2 over the next few months. I'm ready to just move on from those games. And you know? I can be happy with the times I got in those games. I'm semi-retiring from DKC speedrunning, and it feels pretty dang good. To be done with a 33/48 in DKC and 41/131 in DKC2 is really satisfying, actually. Had you told me two years ago that I'd get those times, I would have been floored and amazed. I can be proud of that. I don't need to be "elite" to have had it all be worth it.

Games List/Final Fantasy Tactics
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Overall, as a viewer, I have to say I'm rather disappointed with the game list. Only one of the things I really wanted to see got in: the Mega Man relay. JermRo getting Toy Story in is cool for the luls, love GrandPooBear on Dram 2, and all Main Quests BotW is intriguing. I'm not saying it's a *bad* list - it's pretty obvious how much work they put into things. There is just such a huge list of games submitted and such a small amount of time that there's no way everything can get in. And there are several friends (Kirby, V0oid, Waffle, Fastatcc, Terrex, and a few others) who I am really happy to see up there. It's just not the list *I* wanted to see. And that's fine! Can't please everyone. But other than the DKC stuff (which are fantastic choices - no sour grapes from me on that!) and the above, there's little I'll tune in to.

*BUT* (and I know this goes a bit against what I just said...).... No Final Fantasy Tactics is an outrage. Claude would absolutely own that stage. There are very few games that have had *that* much research, development, experimentation, and just sheer execution put into them. I know that I can go watch runs of that on YouTube. But I want to hear the commentary that Claude would deliver to *that* audience, on *that* stage. I want to watch one of the best commentators and speedrunners out there deliver on his magnum opus. Claude and I don't know each other very well at all, but he has contributed so much to the games I've loved to speedrun - DKC and SMRPG - that I want to see him play the game he's put the most time and effort into. It would be a majestic exploration of one of my favorite games ever. I'm pretty much already over my submissions. I'm not over this one.

(ok fine outrage is a bit extreme. I know that cuts are hard, etc.. etc... I just thought this run really stood out on the list this time, and that this would be the chance. those mismanaged expectations are my own fault)

Stream Plans
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So anyways, I get the gift of a minor stream refresh! A chance to re-evaluate and re-prioritize what I'll be doing. And that's pretty cool.

In the coming weeks, I'll keep working on SMRPG. Sub-3 is officially the goal of the hour.

After that, I'm doing it. Glib's Penta-Hundo-Athalon (tm). The SNES Pentathlon. The Defining Games of a Generation. 100%.

So I have to learn Link to the Past 100% (sounds impossible). Super Mario World 96-exit (more impossible?). De-rust Super Metroid 100% (slightly more possible). Play Mega Man X (sounds fun... until I get tempted to learn strats. Then impossible.). And continue to stay "fresh" on DKC 101% (which.... actually does sound fun to keep doing without the pressure of big PB/marathon possibilities).

He wants to do this by December. Almost no way I'll get there by then. But I will *eventually* - and that sounds AMAZING.

Plans of learning Mega Man and Banjo-Kazooie just keep getting punted. But awesome stuff just keeps coming up!

And on top of all that, I'm going to continue to work through my Grand Final Fantasy Playthrough. Probably. Without the pressure of hitting certain times on a deadline, I'll feel quite a bit more freedom to do that casually. (This is probably the biggest reason why I'm not committing to "Pentathlon-by-December." I want to get there on my time, not because of some arbitrary, self-imposed  (Glib-imposed?) deadline. :-P)

Casual City
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The best part? I can play all those casual games on my backlog now without any guilt!

*Samus Returns. Working through the second playthrough, and should be able to get the best ending. Unless I suck. I might suck.
*Puyo Puyo Tetris is amazing, and I want to finish at least the single player.
*Mario-Rabbids - fun game. Maybe not my favorite, but I bought it, so I want to play it.
*Last of Us - I have a little bit left to go in this game, and I want to finish it!
*Radiant Historia - I got a little bit into it and then put it down for several months. Want to finish.
*Project Octopath Traveler - Started playing the demo. Really enjoy the demo. Want to finish the demo!

And best of all?

WHEN MARIO ODYSSEY COMES OUT I WILL PLAY IT A LOT AND IT WILL BE FUN.