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By Flipline_Tony, October 9, 2026 12:25 pm

Vol. I: Issue 042                                                                                             October 9th, 2026

Breaking news out of Tricksylvania, where the town’s month-long Halloween celebration is officially in full swing.

Mayor Gretel kicked off the festivities last week by taking part in one of Tricksylvania’s oldest and most unusual traditions. Every year on the first night of October, the sitting mayor dons the costume of Pumpkinstein, the ancient folk monster whose legend has been woven into the town’s Halloween celebrations for generations.

Once darkness falls, Pumpkinstein makes the rounds, leaving specially carved pumpkins on the doorsteps of 31 unsuspecting residents. Those lucky recipients become that year’s Torchguard, with each member representing one of Tricksylvania’s 31 peaks.

And their job does not end with a pumpkin on the porch.

On the final night of October, all 31 members of the Torchguard gather at Fawksfire Square, torches in hand, for the ceremonial lighting of the Great Pumpkinstein Bonfire. It is one of the biggest moments of the season, bringing the month-long celebration to a fiery close right in the heart of town.

Between now and then, expect plenty of your favorite tricks, treats, costumes, and creepy traditions popping up throughout Tricksylvania. And I’ll be keeping watch for any new surprises this spooky season has hiding in the shadows, because Duke’s Gotcha covered!

Hiya friends!

Toby and the Cobblers are heading to Sakura Bay this weekend, and I was actually supposed to be there for the show. But, um… let’s just say those plans fell through. So if anybody out there wants two tickets, send me a message over on HeadCase. I’d rather somebody get to enjoy them.

As for Sakura Bay itself, well, the weather seems to be matching the mood a little bit. It’s looking cool, gray, and pretty soggy through the weekend, with plenty of drizzle, steady showers, and those low clouds settling in around the hills.

Things do start to dry out a little as we move into the new week, and we may even sneak in a few patches of sunshine here and there, but overall it stays on the cool and cloudy side.

So, umbrellas and light jackets this week, friends. Hopefully Sakura Bay gets a few brighter moments in there somewhere.

The Mumph here, and I’ve been keeping one eye on baseball and the other on all this CFL preseason drama. Biggest headline this week, the Starlight City Green Sox are now officially the Starlight City Bankrollers, and hoo boy, longtime fans have opinions.

I get it. Team names get wrapped up in memories, old jerseys, games you went to with your pops, all that good stuff. You change the name and suddenly everybody has something to say. Bankrollers is gonna take some getting used to, but give it time, folks. Put a few wins on the board and that new name might start sounding a whole lot sweeter.

Speaking of wins, the Burgerburgh Sizzlers are still perfect.

Burgerburgh jumped on Tacodale right away with two runs in the first. The Hardshells answered with one, but the Sizzlers tacked on another in the third and then spent the rest of the afternoon protecting that 3 to 1 lead. Tacodale finally broke through again in the ninth and made things interesting, but one last push was not enough.

MVP goes to Basteau at shortstop. In a game where the lead has to survive six straight scoreless innings, you want somebody dependable in the middle of that infield, and Basteau helped keep Burgerburgh steady all the way to that final out.

Final score, Burgerburgh Sizzlers 3, Tacodale Hardshells 2. Winner, Burgerburgh. MVP, Basteau.

My two cents, 3 and 0 is 3 and 0, folks. Burgerburgh keeps finding different ways to win, and right now those Sizzlers are cooking.

Hello out there…

Well, The Scoop is stuck talking trash this week.

How can I not? It is piling up everywhere.

Ever since Thrasher’s Heap shut down the Quickskip tunnel, garbage collection across the Continental Concordia has been grinding to a halt. Bags are stacking up on sidewalks, dumpsters are overflowing, and let me assure you, the situation smells every bit as bad as it looks.

What frustrates me most is how predictable this was.

Ty Quilton made the Heap’s intentions clear. And, not to polish my own shovel here, I raised concerns about that tunnel months ago. The Concordia had warning. Instead, its usual slow machinery kept turning until suddenly everyone was standing knee-deep in the consequences.

At the moment, Thrasher’s Heap has the leverage, which means somebody needs to stop posturing and start talking.

The public is already dividing over what should happen next. Some believe that, shady history aside, Thrasher’s Heap has a legitimate right to pursue sovereignty. Others want the Concordia to intervene and forcibly reopen the tunnel.

I understand the frustration, but force is not the answer. That road gets ugly very quickly.

What this needs is mediation. A serious conversation about sovereignty, regulation, waste access, and what each side is actually willing to give up. There is room here for both parties to walk away with something.

I just hope Thrasher’s Heap does not manage to turn one landfill into a landslide of concessions.

Until then, keep the windows closed.

And that’s The Scoop.

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By Flipline_Tony, October 2, 2026 11:15 am

Vol. I: Issue 041                                                                                             October 2nd, 2026

Breaking news out of Starlight City, where Georgito has just revealed the first major undertaking of his newly formed Munificent Monocle Trust.

At a press conference today, Georgito announced what he is calling the Ketona Counterpunch Project, an ambitious effort aimed at helping Ketona Beach recover from the devastating destruction left behind by Hurricane LePunch.

And if you have been following Georgito’s story, this is the move many have been waiting for.

When Georgito Grand Resorts went public earlier this year and propelled its owner to the title of wealthiest person on the Gurth, Georgito pledged to donate half of his fortune over the next ten years. At the time, he said the Munificent Monocle Trust was exploring scholarships, but that when it came to a major project, he was waiting for the right opportunity to present itself.

It appears that opportunity is Ketona Beach.

Georgito says the Counterpunch Project will play a major role in both the recovery and re-imagining of the battered beach town. But before anyone starts talking about resorts, boardwalks, or rebuilding the shoreline, the Trust is starting with the people who actually live there.

The first phase will focus on displaced residents, many of whom are still living in temporary accommodations after losing their homes to the storm. Georgito made it clear that stable housing will be the project’s immediate priority, giving families somewhere permanent to land before the larger rebuilding effort moves forward.

That larger vision is still being developed, but Georgito described the goal as something beyond simply putting Ketona Beach back the way it was. The idea is to help the town rebuild stronger, rethink damaged areas, and eventually restore the sun-drenched destination generations of visitors remember.

For a town whose leaders openly admitted they did not have the resources to rebuild on this scale, this could be the turning point they have been waiting for.

And before I go, a quick note from all of us here at NowTime News. Oakie Deloke is currently in the hospital with pneumonia, and we are keeping him in our thoughts as he recovers. We are all wishing him a smooth and speedy return home.

I’ll be tracking our friend’s recovery, along with the recovery of Ketona Beach as the Counterpunch Project’s plans turn into action, because Duke’s Gotcha covered!

Hiya friends.

Today we’re looking at Oilseed Springs.

Friday and Saturday are warm and mostly sunny. Sunday gets cloudier with some thunderstorms moving in, then Monday cools things down behind the front. After that, it’s dry, mild, pleasant, whatever. You know the drill. Sunshine, a few clouds, crisp evenings, classic early fall. Oilseed Springs is doing just fine.

So… there you go.

You know what, I’m sorry. I just don’t really have it in me to be chipper this week. Finley and I decided to call things off. He’s always out on Calypso Island now, and trying to keep a long-distance relationship going just got harder and harder until… well, here we are.

So, once again, I’m sorry if I seem a little off today. I’m just not feeling very sunny myself right now.

Oh boy. Well, umm… The Mumph here and… yeah. Alright. Let’s talk some baseball.

Maple Mountain came out swinging against Frostfield, putting two on the board in the first. The Batters answered with one of their own, but after that, runs for Frostfield became about as elusive as the Sugarsquatch itself.

The Flapjacks added two more in the third, another in the fourth, and one in the sixth, while Griddon settled in and completely shut Frostfield down. After giving up that first-inning run, he hung eight straight zeroes on the board, and that will get you an MVP every time.

Final score, Maple Mountain Flapjacks 6, Frostfield Batters 1. Winner, Maple Mountain. MVP, Griddon on the mound.

My two cents, Maple Mountain gave Griddon an early lead and he treated it like it was locked in a syrup safe. One run allowed, plenty of support, and a very tidy win for the Flapjacks.

Hello out there…

Something happened to me Wednesday that I have been trying very hard not to overthink.

Like I do every week, I stopped to pick up my comics and drove home. Standing beside my car in the driveway, I pulled out the stack to make sure the latest issue of Windstorm had made it into my pull list. As I did, a flyer for the upcoming SprocketWorld convention slipped loose and blew underneath the car.

I bent down to grab it.

That is when I saw the blinking red light.

It was subtle, tucked up against the undercarriage where I never would have noticed it if that flyer had not gone wandering. After a little inspection and considerably more finagling, I managed to get the device loose.

At that point, comic books could wait.

I took it straight to my friend DrydenTH3Cultivar, who knows far more about these things than I ever hope to. After giving it a once-over, he confirmed my concern. It was some form of tracking device.

Dryden immediately disabled it and agreed to dig into the hardware when he gets the chance. Maybe there is something inside that can tell us where it came from, who was receiving the information, or how long it had been riding around beneath my car.

Until then, I am making a deliberate effort not to fill in the blanks myself.

I have rattled quite a few cages lately. Thrasher’s Heap. NuBetcha. Ty Quilton. Even Gigaloaf Labs. More than a few people and institutions have appeared in this column who probably would have preferred otherwise. But suspicion is not evidence, and I am not going to point a finger simply because someone makes a convenient suspect.

Still, two questions are now sitting very prominently at the top of my notebook.

Who put a tracker on my car?

And what were they hoping to gain from tracking my movements?

I intend to find out.

And that’s The Scoop.

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By Flipline_Tony, September 25, 2026 2:07 pm

Vol. I: Issue 040                                                                                             September 25th, 2026

Breaking news out of San Fresco, where SprocketWorld has officially found its new home.

After losing its longtime venue in Oniontown, organizers announced today that San Fresco will host the next gathering of all things steam-powered, brass-plated, and wonderfully overengineered. And the city is wasting no time putting its own nautical spin on the festivities.

Plans were unveiled for a fully functioning steam-powered submarine, which will offer underwater excursions off the San Fresco coast exclusively to SprocketWorld Brass-Pass holders. Organizers are promising a one-of-a-kind experience beneath the waves, although I suspect anyone climbing aboard will want to make very sure all those gauges are pointing where they should.
 
 
This year’s headliners will also include game developers Matt and Tony, who will be presenting a post-mortem on their very short-lived online game that helped define the MMO-troidvania genre and, despite its brief run, built up a small but fiercely enthusiastic steampunk fanbase.

SprocketWorld passes officially go on sale next month, and if previous years are any indication, they will not stick around for long. So all you clockwork-craving cosplayers out there may want your goggles polished, your gears greased, and your ticket-buying fingers ready.

Between a brand-new host city, underwater adventures, and plenty of brass-and-steam spectacle still to be announced, SprocketWorld appears to be back on track. I’ll be watching for ticket dates, new guests, and anything else organizers add to the schedule, because Duke’s Gotcha covered!

Hiya friends!

Okay, so I got some pretty gurth-shaking news this week. The Cookie Scouts want to license my JamBones recipe! Can you believe it?! I still cannot quite wrap my head around the fact that my accidental dog treats have somehow turned into an award-winning cookie that people actually want to sell. Life is funny like that, I guess. Just when things are feeling a little rough, something comes along and gives you a nice little boost.

Anyway! Let’s head over to Powder Point and see what the weather has planned this week.

Things are starting off on the cool and gloomy side, with plenty of clouds, some light rain, and a damp little breeze hanging around through the weekend. But the good news is that the gray skies gradually start to break apart after that, and we finish out the week with more sunshine, slightly milder temperatures, and a really pleasant early-fall feel.

So keep the light jacket and umbrella nearby for the first few days, then get ready for a brighter little turnaround later in the week over in Powder Point.

The Mumph here, and I’ll be heading over to Portallini this Saturday to catch the Gondola 500 in person. Folks, I love a good race, but this one is in a class of its own. Hundreds of gondolas tearing through the canals, crowds packed along the waterways, checkered flags everywhere, you better believe The Mumph wants a front-row spot for that.

And before Portallini starts racing gondolas, their Gondoliers gave the hometown crowd something else to celebrate on the diamond.

Sakura Bay kept things scoreless through three, but Portallini finally found the opening in the fourth and pushed three across. From there, Fusaro and Mascaro kept the Samurais completely bottled up, and when the Gondoliers came back around in the eighth and hung another four on the board, this thing was put to bed.

MVP goes to Mascaro behind the plate. Catching a shutout is serious business, and he kept everything steady back there, working with Fusaro and helping make sure Sakura Bay never found an inning to build around. Nine innings, zero runs. You cannot ask for much cleaner than that.

Final score, Portallini Gondoliers 7, Sakura Bay Samurais 0. Winner, Portallini. MVP, Mascaro.

My two cents, when your pitching staff throws up nine straight zeroes and your bats eventually break loose for seven, everybody gets to enjoy the ride home. And this weekend in Portallini, that ride home just might be by gondola.

Hello out there…

It has now been five weeks since Hurricane LePunch tore through Ketona Beach, and while the storm itself is long gone, the emergency certainly is not.

The town’s limited recovery funds are being stretched across the basics: restoring utilities and keeping police, fire, and EMS services operating. Those are necessary priorities, and Mayor Trimkin has now begun calling for outside volunteers to help shoulder some of the enormous workload still ahead.

But for the families who lost their homes, there is another emergency unfolding much more quietly.

Many are still living out of motel rooms, unable to return home and unsure what happens next. How long will temporary housing last? Will money eventually be available to rebuild? Who do they call when they need an answer that goes beyond another general recovery update?

The residents I have spoken with understand that Ketona Beach does not have the resources to fix everything overnight. What troubles them is how often the conversation seems to stop at restored power lines, repaired roads, and city services.

Those things matter. But so do the people still wondering where they will be living a month from now.

Mayor Trimkin may not have every answer yet, and the money simply may not exist to solve every problem today. But displaced families still deserve clear information, honest expectations, and a seat at the table while those decisions are being made.

You cannot rebuild a town without rebuilding some sense of certainty for the people who call it home.

And that’s The Scoop.