STANdground

After nearly 9 years, we can finally open FBW's models and view them. 🥳

Thanks to this tool by Sleepy Dalton👏: https://github.com/sleepydalton/Perianth

In it you can search for the model you want and set its animation and then export it to a .glb file where you can now view it in Blender.

Here's a couple of screenshots I took of character models in unused animations. To note, you can also view backgrounds and props too, not just characters.

1. Bradley on his phone

2. Craig watching TV

3. Heidi smilling for a selfie with the NK

4. Karen on her phone

5. Nichole from the cut Tolkien mission where she was supposed to be a combat ally, here she is doing a positive reaction

6. Scott getting hit

7. Scott's Grandma who is unused getting hit

Thoughts on Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow

Look, I know we all collectively hate Freud, but I have to get this off my chest: Cartman, Stan, and Kyle are the perfect personifications of Id, Ego, and Superego in the episode Two Days Before the Day After Tomorrow. I think they often represent the three, respectively, as individuals, but in this episode in particular the way they interact with each other just really encapsulates the whole concept.

Cartman represents the Id, the part of the personality that is solely focused on instant gratification, pleasure-seeking, primal needs, and, most importantly, being able to act without regard for society's morals and standards and in doing so, have no consequences. Throughout the episode, Cartman eggs Stan on and influences him to keep lying in order to stay out of trouble. Cartman is only concerned for himself and his immediate comfort. He does not care about any moral issues, and actively tries to prevent Stan from accessing his moral side by convincing him not to tell Kyle about what happened.

Kyle represents the Superego, the moralistic and idealistic part of the personality theory. Superego is also the source of feelings of guilt and anxiety, which is very Kyle. He is concerned with avoiding behavior that is wrong and as such, any inappropriate or immoral actions are met with guilt and punishment, or an attempt to rectify the situation. Not only does Kyle serve as the conscience, he also represents the 'Ego Ideal' - the expectation that Stan meet a certain standard in his behavior and decision making.

Stan represents the Ego, the part of the dynamic most focused on being realistic and keeping the other two parts in balance. When the episode begins, Stan is letting the Id, Cartman, influence him too heavily - without Superego around to provide guidance, Stan ends up doing something that hurts other people, and potentially some beavers, because he let himself be egged on by Cartman.

Yet even though he's not present, Kyle's influence is still there - Stan feels bad for what he's done and feels compelled to tell Kyle about it, an idea which Cartman rejects wholeheartedly. When Kyle does find out what they did, he immediately tells Stan that he needs to tell everyone what happened and take responsibility, because it's Kyle's role to act as the conscience and support the Ego Ideal.

However, Stan doesn't give in to Kyle's demands at first. His role here is to create balance in a way that is realistic, and his initial way of appeasing both the Id and the Superego is to go save Beaverton himself, so he can do the right thing - appealing to Kyle's conscience - but continue to lie about it - appealing to Cartman's primal desire for self preservation.

Of course, this idea ends up making things worse for Beaverton and almost gets them killed, so ultimately Stan goes the way of his conscience and does what Kyle said to from the start - come clean. But by then it's too late and his attempt doesn't work because the townspeople are just too stupid to understand what he's actually doing.

Bonus siblings!!

just for fun, I'm compiling a youtube playlist of classic era SP ephemera (commercials, shorts, promo material, stuff like that)