• SimonBob.
• Tomato.
• AmzRigh.
• TWO A.M. UPDATE.

(Before you submit, please read the rules.)

The topic for this week is:

EBFGP - Are you enjoying playing EB again? This year, I kind of couldn't help myself, so I've actually beaten the game already. But I'm the exception that proves the rule! Tell us all about your rediscovery of this game of games.

Also, remember that you don't have to write just on this topic. You can send me a letter about anything that sparks your interest.

You don't have to write in on this topic if you don't want to. You can pick a topic and write about it, or, if you have anything else on your mind about EarthBound or Starmen.Net, please, send that in too! Everyone is encouraged to write in about whatever they're thinking about. Mailbag letters do not have to be long. They can be whatever length you want them to be, anywhere between one sentence and 1,300 pages. Please do not copy and paste the entire text of "Crime and Punishment" and send that to me. Although I've read it already and enjoyed it, my email account would be quite sad.

Use this form to send in a mailbag letter:

The topic for last week's mailbag was:

Summer Funfest 2004 - So the Summer Funfest is coming to a close, and Mailbag asks, what do you think? Did you enter? Did you enjoy any specific entries? Hey, are you curious how that SimonBob chap kept it together with that huge workload? This time around, feel free to share your thoughts and appreciation for the Summer Funfest.

We feature a mass co-operative effort this week. If you wrote a letter, expect to be abused by hordes of in-jokes and catchphrases you won't understand!

.....Or were you planning it before then? Either way, awesome job, guys.

- DruidMettool

*strokes chin* We plan everything in advance. We know all.

- Tomato

Phones scare me. They are the instrument of the devil.

P.S: Feels weird to write again.

- Steve-o

"Small" vacation?

--- SimonBob

The Gerbil, indeed, rocks.

I'm surprised at the entires. There's, like, none. maybe that gives y song spoof and upcoming really bad picture a chance.

So I leave off with this:

-99 Luft Balloons is still cool
-Granola bars are still good
-Johnny B. Goode = Hippie Fight Theme.

-Starman-Sigma

The entires? More like the partials! Ugh, it's 1 AM and they're playing Four Swords in the living room.

So I settled for writing a corps song using Smiles and Tears. And I think it turned out pretty well.

Peace, Love, and whole grain.

- Kent Bogar

Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so.

Its a good time to go to the beach in summer. I take the subway to get to the beach 'cause i live in NY. Brooklyn to be precise. But lets get back on topic: "How does Earthbound take place in the Matrix?"

#1- The Phones
You know how Neo picks up a phone and ZOOOP!!! He is out of the matrix? Well Ness (his name is just like Neo too!) is still plugged into the matrix for most of the game so he doesnt get pulled out but he can talk to people out of the matrix from them: Dad, Mach Pizza, Escargo Express. The phones even look the same!

#2- Delivery Service
How does Mach Pizza and Escargo deliver so fast and get into zombie infested Threed? They are from the real world! They go into the matrix into the desired location and deliver a virtual pizza to Ness and co.

#3- Lumine Hall
I could so easily imagine that thing saying, "Wake up Ness, the matrix has you..."

#4- Cypher/Pokey
They are both traitors! :D

#5- Neo/Ness
When Neo is the One he has control over the matrix. Ness is also the (Chosen) One and controls the matrix. They also both look alot alike. Their names are alike as mentioned before.

#6- Morpheus/Dr.Andonuts
They both free the One from the Matrix. When Ness and all his little pals go through the phase distorter they are getting unplugged! It is so obvious! Ness doesnt go back intime he goes into the real world! Dr. Andonuts didnt feel like explaining the whole human bio battery thing.

#7- Giygas/Agent Smith
Both dont have physical form. In the matrix the agents do but i mean in the real world (Cave of the Past). Agent Smith is so cool! Go Hugo Weaving!

#8- War against machines
Go kill robots with you psychic powers Ness/Neo!!!

So that is what i thought abouth the summer funfest.

(I know Laurence Fishburne!)

Zim-Ness

I'm going to tear your argument apart piece by piece. Don't take it personally.

1: Or maybe Ness is legitimately calling people in the world? My phone looks like a Matrix phone but you don't catch me calling anyone from Zion.

2: GPS satellite phone-locating technology. Once you've placed your call, the deliveryperson is given a general radius of how far you could've possibly gone. Then they do a little sweep of the location and pinpoint your exact placement, and make a big show of running up so you think they knew where you were all along.

3: Ultra-smart lichen. C'mon, you've got a Sound Stone, and lichen know stones.

4: So is at least one character in every sci-fi, thriller, suspense, action, and sports-entertainment movie. What's your point?

5: Ness can't control his environment, at least not to the extent that Neo could. Wreaking psychokinetic havoc and dodging bullets aren't the same thing.

6: Dr. Andonuts, a tough-as-nails freedom fighter? Somehow I don't think so. Why would he trust his only son to an unpredictable boarding school, then?

7: Agent Smith was in control of his actions, though. Giygas is just a wacky loose cannon. Kaboom!

8: Alright, I'll concede that the human vs. technology aspect is fitting. But you have to concede some root beer to me.

--- SimonBob

Are you writing a novel over there?

- MogOfGlory

Thank goodness for lazy staffers, then.

Anyways, it seems like not as many people are working on things for the Summer Funfest, but that's probably because they're hard at work for the Halloween and Winter funfests. I think we'll have strong showings for them all this year.

Before I go, I would just like to say that EB_Girl's clay entry is absolutely amazing, and I'm not saying this just because I'm her boyfriend. I mean, seriously, that is great work. Kudos, EB_Girl!

- Mansion Maniac

Sure, it's fantastic. But can it burn down an ice wall? I'm on fire.

Also In seekTag Jake(My brother) and me figured out that by the time ness walks ----------- that much jeff can only ------ So i c ness picking up speed and running away...while jeff is stuck walking.

One last thing I would like a stamina bar that lasted like 2 secs and just had the chars having there sprite move faster like sprite 1212121212121212 more than when they walk they go sprite 1....then2.....and them to just move alittle faster.

thx,

- jared

What?

- AmzRigh

I think that last one is what happens when people are paralyzed.

I was browsing through this one site, The Magic Box (http://www.the-magicbox.com/), when I clicked on the Most Wanted section. (http://www.the-magicbox.com/topten3.htm). If you go to that address, you may notice that Mother 3 is the 9th most wanted game in Japan!

This sparked a few questions in my head. One being, is Mother 3 being developed by Nintendo?

Could you try to find information on this? I tried, and found nothing.

Thank you for reading this.

-Dooz

Thank you for writing it!

Anyway, someone spots this link about once a month. I think it's kind of dumb that there's not as much demand for Mother 3 here as there is there, but hey, that's regionalism for ya.

Near as we can tell, Mother 3 is being worked on. That's all we know.

- lost

So in Spanish they say "butter peanut?" I'm going back to Canada where we just speak languages that make sense.

- Radiation

Actually I dropped them repeatedly. You just didn't notice because I wisely chose to juggle foam stress balls.

Wait a minute...............

(the sound of thu_wood running into the next room with white out and crayons and a copy of crime and punishment is all that is heard)

- thu_wood

Didn't PoliceN64 try to do that already?

- Bryan

I... uh... hmm. Got any content? I mean, I'm as big a fan of splash-page-only websites as anyone, but that's not winning Site of the Month any time soon. Unless Chewy gets bored. That site needs to hire EBROX as its webgineer.

Falc, SimonBob, and Mike's Archive:

July 15, 2003: Mother 1+2 US Release, EB Merchandise, Fanfics
July 20, 2003: M 1+2 Import, Sanctuary Locations, Trivia League
July 28, 2003: EBFGPS, Sword of Kings, Time Capsule feat. pre-staff SimonBob
August 9, 2003: Starmen.Net Forums feat. Grandpa
August 17, 2003: Mailbag Improvement Week feat. PappyCat
September 16, 2003: Fun Stuff Suggestions feat. Sephy
October 7, 2003: Petition Mention feat. Skulryk
October 20, 2003: EarthBound the Movie
October 28, 2003: Free Topic Week feat. Giovanni
November 6, 2003: Halloween Funfest 2003 feat. Jim
November 9, 2003: Starmen.net Radio feat. Picky
November 15, 2003: Alternate EarthBound Sites feat. DarthAndonuts
November 22, 2003: #earthbound feat. Carpainter
November 29, 2003: Staff Improvement feat. AoE
December 14, 2003: Forum Improvement feat. Atticus
December 17, 2003: Holiday Funfest
January 2, 2004: EB No Matsuri
January 10, 2004: Starmen.net Site Development
January 19, 2004: EarthBound in 2004
January 24, 2004: EarthBound Quotes
January 31, 2004: Mother 1 Soundtrack Re-release
February 8, 2004: EarthBound Over Easy
February 15, 2004: Change of Pace
February 22, 2004: Favourite Foodstuffs feat. Steve-o
February 29, 2004: Killed Off
March 21, 2004: Catch A Bunch
March 27, 2004: Then and Now feat. Steve-o
April 5, 2004: Winter Funfest Results feat. Carpainter
April 12, 2004: Something Springy feat. Jamie_M
April 20, 2004: 1+2=what now? feat. Dash
May 1, 2004: New Forums
June 1, 2004: The Site That Gives Back
June 29, 2004: Wacky Genetic Experiments
July 18, 2004: E3 Speculations
August 11, 2004: Summer Funfest feat. Tomato & AmzRigh
September 23, 2004: EBFGPS04
October 23, 2004: Vacation Special
October 30, 2004: Soundtrack Songs
November 6, 2004: Site Fundraiser
November 14, 2004: Halloween
November 28, 2004: EarthBound Influence
December 11, 2004: Scientific Errors
January 17, 2005: Space Time Conundrum
January 28, 2005: Is Mother 3 Coming?

TAFKACC's Archive:

May 25, 2003: Starmen.Net's Future, EB Date, Ness's Nightmare
June 1, 2003: Mailbag Length, Online Walkthru, EB Theory Special
June 8, 2003: EB Characters in Mother 3, Flukes, Mailbag Critique
June 28, 2003: Articles Debate, Pokey's Past, Topic Suggestions
July 6, 2003: Xod Tribute, PK Call'n, EB Trivia

GuyInSummers and StarmanDeluxe's Archive:

Here is the Hall of Fame, which contains the best letters from each week.