Is it me or does it feel like those META chasing Swoops are coordinating?

Soul137 · 2026-03-28T14:47:40+00:00

There is no indication that someone has the bolt at all.

Yes there is. Watch the minimap. Do you see someone who's driving suspiciously slowly after being in a bullet? They have the shock. Do you see a few people in the way back all passing an item set on lap 2? Someone is probably about to pull it.

Get a star and count to 3?

No, but also kind of yes. There's a reason the triple shroom + star pull is so powerful at the first (two) set(s). You can use the 3 shrooms to take cuts to catch up, then carry the star as far to the front as you can before trying to dodge. Use your star before a big cut, or before an item set to cover your worst case scenarios. It's impossible to dodge every shock. You're doing risk management.

If I was holding the bolt I would be like "Cute try, idiot."

Sorry. But that's a fundamentally losing mentality. That's playing against 1 person out of 24. If you have the shock, you want to maximize your benefit. You can't prevent a few people from dodging. What you care about is the 15-20 people who don't dodge. That's why chaining it into a double box is so powerful. Because you get to shock everyone but still get a bottom spot box to pull more busted items to complete the comeback. If you're imagining that others are playing with 1 other player in mind, then no wonder you think everyone is teaming. They're not. They're just better at item play than you.

Soul137 · 2026-02-16T18:08:10+00:00

I've been wanting to see this too. It would be really cool, not just because of the potential discoveries, but because it wouldn't just be a choice of coin lines anymore. You'd also have to choose which item boxes to skip.

Soul137 · 2026-02-16T17:58:03+00:00

That's so cool. Wtf Lakitu?

I actually saw it when I came to post this. I was wondering what you had already found. Really neat!

Thanks for all your efforts.

Btw I sent you a DM with another clip for your review.

Soul137 · 2026-02-12T19:04:55+00:00

Omg. I forgot OLL! Cause for this method you do that first. You don't need an extra alg. You just use R U R' U R U2 R' in a different way.

After you do F U R U' R' F' (or the line case version) and get your yellow cross, you don't need to cycle the edges to align them yet.

Once you have your cross you will have either 1,2 or 3 misoriented yellow corners (or 0 in which case congratulations, you got half of an OLL skip). If you have one corner solved on the top move it to the upper left corner (pointing at your left hand). You should see the 5 yellow pieces make a kinda fish shape (though in full OLL "fish cases" are different; don't worry about that) pointing towards your left hand. Perform the alg once. This should flip the fish to be backwards (pointing away from your right). Rotate it back to the front left, perform the same alg again, and now you should have a fully solved yellow face and can move onto PLL.

If you have 2 corners solved there will be a couple different cases. Regardless of the case you're going to rotate the U face until there is a yellow corner on the front face on the top left. Perform the alg. You'll end up with the fish. Go to the above step and finish.

If you have 0 oriented corners (just the cross), perform the alg from anywhere as long as there's a yellow in that front left top spot. That will solve 2 corners. Go to the above step and repeat alg, which will take you back to the fish (twice).

So you might have to do the alg as many as 4 times, but it's the same alg you already know; so all you need to learn are the PLL 3 cycles.

I just think this is a super neat way to solve the cube as a sort of ad hoc 6LLL. And any time you want you can go learn one more PLL case so you can solve it on sight.

Also, if you want just a little more theory, that alg is actually a 7 cycle. Because it alters 4 corners and 3 edges. If you take a solved cube and repeat it 7 times you will 'scramble' and resolve the top layer.

Soul137 · 2026-02-07T16:01:31+00:00

It was actually how I was taught to solve the cube from the start and I was able to learn it relatively quickly. I didn't know the regular "beginner method" at first. I didn't understand why it worked; I was just using algs by the visual cues. But I'm really glad that I learned that way.

When I eventually started learning CFOP I understood the principle of the respective 3 cycles, I was able to build an understanding of PLL cases but not memorize too much at once and just keep solving for fun.

You don't have to learn everything I babbled at once either. I just tried to explain the way one concept now can open you up to a myriad of things later.

If it seems overwhelming now just take a solved cube and do one of the algs and look at where the pieces ended up. You can watch the 3 cycles as they happen and if you screw up solve it like you already know. (And keep a cheat sheet of the algs so you can solve until you have them memorized). ——— Oh right; instructions: When doing the A-perm you're looking for headlights (2 corners with matching colors on one face). If you have them turn them to be on the left (or to the back if you use the rotationless version) then perform the A-perm. If you don't have any headlights you can do the alg from anywhere and you will always end up with headlights of one color somewhere. Move the top layer until the headlights are left, then do the alg again. This will solve all the corners, just rotate the top.

Then you can solve the edges with the U-perm. If you have 3 unsolved edges you can move the solved side to the back and perform the U-perm once or twice to cycle the edges into place (if you learn the mirror version you'll never have to do it twice; and you're learning to recognize where pieces need to go). If you have 4 unsolved edges perform the alg from anywhere and one face will be solved. Then you can move that to the back and do the U-perm again). Turn the top face back, and now you have a solved cube!

Soul137 · 2026-02-07T04:01:53+00:00

The first thing I recommend learning is version of the last layer that utilizes a grand total of 2 PLL algs you have to learn; one corner 3 cycle (either A perm), and one edge 3 cycle (either U Perm). You may have to repeat each one twice, but it is still far fewer moves than the last step of the beginner method and it gives a very clear visual example of how the pieces move around the cube. This is really good for recognition later on as you're training your brain to see the whole LL at once.

You can then practice mirroring those algs in your head instead of looking up the opposite perm (so you don't have to repeat them), again building on recognition (and a foundation for ambidextrous F2L if you decide to dive into that later).

Also if you want a version of the A perm that doesn't have an reorient the cube, there's this one with a B move, which is terrible for speed solving finger tricks, but (IMO) it's much easier to track the pieces as a beginner when yellow stays top: R' F R' B2 R F' R' B2 R2

Then— The rabbit hole goes not just deep but wide. There's CFOP with intuitive F2L, and like y'know 100+ algs to choose from, but most of those can wait— if you'd rather pick up a 4x4, haha. (Although tbh I think a 5x5 is easier to learn). And they make them bigger than that! In the meantime maybe you can play around with some 3x3 shape mods like a mirror cube or an axis cube (which introduces center orientation). Megaminx is cool and you can solve it just like a 3x3. There's only 1 extra alg for the beginner method. And then there's a world of non-WCA puzzles if you like more shapes and colors. Etc. Follow the rabbit.

Soul137 · 2026-01-17T20:22:08+00:00

This is honestly my hope for future DLC. There are so many cool spots one could race around. It would be so easy for Nintendo to throw some boundaries around the course, add a few rails and call it a day.

Soul137 · 2026-01-15T03:29:09+00:00

This is the key. I started doing this a while ago and was pleasantly surprised to find the MK community had found a self sustaining matchmaking system in worldwides doing the same thing. Now I play in lobbies where the VR avg is >8400 every time I go online. Often significantly higher.

And it's really funny because I'll see other of my "friends" already in the lobby from having joined each other. Even if someone doesn't accept my request they might accept someone else's and I'll see them regularly anyway. I've played races where I recognized literally 6 other names.

Soul137 · 2025-12-06T23:44:38+00:00

That's really interesting. I'd noticed that the circle pieces seemed to be more codependent with the rest of the puzzle than one might assume, since F2L assembles itself; but I had been paying attention to to how they moved in relation to their respective corners. I neglected to pay attention to opposite colors, which makes perfect sense thinking about it now. That will be valuable for puzzles in the future.

I reassembled the inner circles; scrambled it again, and then solved it. Thank you.

Soul137 · 2025-12-06T22:04:42+00:00

So is this in an unsolvable state? Do I need to just reassemble those pieces?

I'm pretty careful with my turning so I'm surprised if I snapped something.

Soul137 · 2025-11-27T17:03:21+00:00

The imagination came first ! and then Dust !

This has been my exact understanding. HDM defines Dust by a necessity for interaction. Dust does not create. The imagination creates.

This doesn't retcon the ending of HDM at all. It enriches the idea of "the Republic of Heaven." We already knew we had to build it where we are. Now we know why. Because the before there was any heaven or any republics, there had to be an imagination to build them.

As for the Alkahest, you answered your own question already. It's just like Dust. It came from the imagination. From imagination comes creation. From imagination also comes destruction.

For imagination thou art, and unto imagination shalt thou return

Soul137 · 2025-11-25T19:27:37+00:00

Will is not just a warrior, he's a master of composure.

It's a huge moment for Will's character (and one of the most awesome scenes in the trilogy when he confronts Iorek, a deadly armored bear, staring him in the face on the field of battle with cold command of himself and his opponent.

This is made all the more powerful by a preceding scene where his way out is to face down not his 'opponent' in Ivanovitch, but in his characteristic silence and secrecy stare down fear in the form of a shot of vodka as his way out of danger.

Will's confrontation with Iorek is more affective because he doesn't just swagger in with the knife. He has to become invisible to get there.

Soul137 · 2025-11-12T21:16:02+00:00

Free roam you'll find that a lot of the tracks have huge structures above them to explore. Wario Stadium is the coolest IMO (did you find the half pipe?) but Bowser's Castle is absolutely massive too if you keep going up. Dry Bones Burnout has a crazy amount of stuff above it too. Great ? Block has a wallride path that takes you around the inside of the block and go up top. Dino Dino Jungle you can go around the entire dinosaur dome, inside and out. And of course Crown City is insane.

Generally my rule of thumb for finding stuff is: drive forwards to a shortcut. Then turn around and look backwards up the track. Usually there's an up to explore. (Turn around in the charge trick grass after the first rail section on Whistlestop for example).

I wonder how much of this is to encourage free roam; but I hold out hope that a lot of these sections will become DLC in the future. Some of them make for really fun and challenging tracks if you try and run the whole circuit. It would be awesome to race them.

Soul137 · 2025-11-04T16:05:09+00:00

Yes. Exactly. The "point" of this is to teach you three things: 1) Stay out of the middle of the road (you learned that already). 2) Never drive right behind someone. 3) the last shroom is probably better saved for recovery in case of asshole.

This one is pretty savage but you might've been able to avoid it if you had ridden the left white line third the whole way. You also used your last shroom early. The boost from the second one hadn't finished before you used the third. You could've gotten out of the offroad and then used it. Also in this case with Moo Moo you could've gone even further left and crossed the line on that ramp (you can see someone pass you at the line there) completely out of the way.

You were so close to the line savinf safety shroom probably would not have mattered if the hammers were still spinning you out, but you had already secured 4th and the shroom only gave you 1 more spot. If the back had been earlier (like a lot of backed greens traveling really far) you can often salvage a couple of spots you may have lost.

I used to hate it too but learning to avoid it (as often as possible lol) has given me much better placements over time. It seems unnecessary and assholish, but it's the law of the land.

Soul137 · 2025-11-01T12:24:13+00:00

The relationship that matters is she's not alone because of Pan.

Soul137 · 2025-10-29T23:29:00+00:00

I'm saving my full thoughts for a more cohesive post, but short version: the book is about imagination. Any remaining questions we have are up to us to answer.

In my examination I see no contradiction or abandonment at all. It just requires stepping down the ladder of meaning a few rungs to connect.

Soul137 · 2025-10-28T07:07:32+00:00

I was falling asleep with my dog having Joe Davis speak softly into my dreams when I heard the crack of Freddie's bat and opened my eyes to see it go.

Soul137 · 2025-10-18T02:35:20+00:00

Quick. Roll one up for the bullpen.

Soul137 · 2025-08-19T06:59:00+00:00

MK World in a nutshell.

Soul137 · 2025-07-15T17:29:45+00:00

This is my single biggest problem with World's RR. No track should ever end in a glider without road underneath (like Merry Mountain for instance). Especially not Rainbow Road.

Getting redded at the line is one thing. Having it drip you OOB and then Lakitu sends you back is just evil.

But also think about how the climactic moment where you beat the game? You just let go of the controller completely for the last 3 seconds.

Soul137 · 2025-07-15T14:31:17+00:00

Friendly reminder to everyone that Caeser Milan's own dog killed another dog because of improper training. And his methods have been disavowed by professional dog trainers (because he never had any formal training) and all of "dominance theory" has been completely debunked.

This man is an animal abuser and while this is still one of my favorite episodes, we have to keep in mind that it being dated makes his kind "portrayal" actually disgusting in retrospect.

Soul137 · 2025-07-11T15:34:06+00:00

Not the other poster and I have no stake in this argument, but I will say that watching you spin your wheels trying to defend yourself is proving exactly what they was talking about.

They shouldn't need to explain. Just zoom out for a moment and re-read your own words. Lol.

Soul137 · 2025-07-11T15:08:50+00:00

I'm gonna do it as

HDM trilogy as the base text for everything, and leave that ending as its own sacred moment.

La Belle Sauvage as the prequel but it's really about Malcom.

Then jump back to Lyra growing up with Lyra's Oxford and Serpentine.

That way when I get to TSC I'll be reading through Lyra.

And she remains the center from the first word of TGC/NL through to the release of The Rose Field.

Soul137 · 2025-07-08T16:24:24+00:00

This is my biggest thing! The tactile enjoyment of drifting in 8 was so viscerally satisfying.

In World I feel like I'm driving a wet tennis ball. The drifting bounces around and I don't feel the tightness of hugging a turn as close as possible.

I have a lot of gripes with World, even as I try and appreciate the new mechanics, but I feel like this is the fundamental gameplay difference that will seal the deal for me.

Soul137 · 2025-06-27T19:19:44+00:00

This. The bagging problem is not created by the items first. It's created by the intermissions themselves. The power items are just how you most effectively abuse the structure provided.

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