[C] 'Greg Martin' Style: ON LIKE DONKEY KONG +Pals by Mast3r-Rainb0w.
A crossover commission for a client via DeviantArt, featuring a bunch of Nintendo/Rareware characters in the same artstyle of the late video game artist Greg Martin (1956-2013)! Recognize these characters? Everyone here's been drawn by yours truly! Enjoy!
Mini Fanfic #1296: Long Awaited Group Chat (Diddy Kong Racing)
Diddy: Alright, gents!
Diddy: The DKR Réunion Group Chat is officially a GO!
Banjo: And not a moment too soom. This a great idea to have this all set up for us, Little Buddy
Taj: Yes, I agree.
Taj: There is nothing more fulfilling and heartwarming in life than to catch up on old friends and reminiscing on memories shared along the way 🐘 ✌ ✌️✌️
Diddy: Lol I see u enjoying the emojis there, Teach
Banjo: Yeah, I always figured u wouldn't care too much bout anythin' technology related
Taj: You are half right.
Taj: I have been wary of most of their existence in the past, but I was able to adapt to some of it's usage overtime thanks to Timber and Pipsy. 🐯 🐭
Taj: I would've been a lonesome elephant lost in the sands of times if it weren't for their assistance
Banjo: ....U mean that figuratively or... literally?
Taj: Yes
Diddy: How did in the heck did u get urself lost in a desert, teach?
Taj: That is a story I am willing to share for another time ⌚
Taj: But for now, I predict our old friends will appear in our chat group at any minute now
Timberrrrrrrrr the Great and PipsyGirl01 Joins the Chat
Taj: Or a second lol
Pipsy: Hi Everyone!!~
Timber: Good day, mates! Hope we didn't arrive the chat party 2 late now
Banjo: Nah u two made it just in time
Diddy: Pispy! Timber my man!
Diddy: It's been so looong!! ☺
Timber: Way 2 long mate!
Timber: Hope the Smash Tournament been treatin' u lots well these days
Diddy: Oh yeah, it's been a blast!
Diddy: Never been a dul day in the Smash Family, even if we do have chill days lol
Diddy: Ooh! Like a few weeks ago when Banjo and I found our old Go-Karts sitting around our garage this whole time!
Banjo: The Go-Karts.jpg
Pipsy: My gosh! They both as good as new!~
Timber: Already bringin back great memories, I'll tell ya what ☺
Banjo: Our thoughts exactly!
Banjo: It feels so surreal seeing then again for so long, u know?
Diddy: We were riding them around around the town till we came across our friend Shadow at the stop light and told us to bring our karts back home..... 😒😒
Banjo: Apparently there was a recent law in place prohibiting anyone from driving Go Karts and Extreme Gears around the streets
Pipsy: That's make sense. The roads has been pretty busy and dangerous this time of season
Timber: Yeah and i have no doubt it was already hectic with a certain chimpanzee behind the wheel lol
Diddy: Hey, I was being XTRA careful behind the wheel that day, thank u!😤😤
Banjo: It's true.
Banjo: He was driving super carefully in the middle of the road that day
Diddy: Exactly!!
Diddy: Tell 'em, Banjo!
Banjo: Even if he did do a few little drift boost here and there
Diddy: Dude!!
Banjo: What? It's what happened.
Banjo: Besides, u know I can't lie to Taj for the life of me!
Taj: You were wise to share your story with great honesty in the chat, my bear friend
Taj: Surely you remember my lesson on being honest by now, Diddy 🤨🤨
Diddy: "Honesty is the Best Policy that could send you to inner peace and freedom" I know 😒😒😒
Taj: Do not try and sass me in this groupchat, young man!
Taj: It is a very important life lesson for all of to learn by
Diddy: And u think I don't know that already!?
Diddy: God ur worse than Cranky in the lecturing department!
Pipsy: Good to know the stubborn side haven't left you these days lol
Diddy: Stubbornness is the most outstandish form of maturity
Timber: Bet DK told ya that one, huh?
Diddy: No. It was Momma Daisy, but that's beside the point
Diddy: How's life been treating u to guys recently?
Diddy: Or should I call u lovebirds now hmm?~ 😏
Timber: Ha-Ha very funny, mr. wise chimp lol
Timber: To answer your question however, we've been havin' daring adventures of our own these days
Pipsy: We've actually met up again during one a while back funnily enough. I believe it was located in the prehistoric time(?)
Pipsy: It was the most terrifying experience in my whole life, but Timber's assistance and overall presence helped me gain more confidence in myself and my researching abilities the more unparallel journeys we get ourselves warped into.
Pipsy: Though, that being said, it does make me feel kinda bad for slowing him down and having me save my tails numerous times along the way lol
Timber: Hey now, that's not true at all, love
Timber: We would've never completed each worlds' tasks, much less get out of all of them unscathed without your quick thinkin' and strategy plannin'
Timber: And I hope you know more than anythin' that I'll always have your back secured no matter what kind of trouble we get ourselves into
Pipsy: 😊😊 And I'll have yours secured as well, Timber~
Pipsy: I love you so much~
Timber: Right back at ya, Shelia!~ 😉
Banjo: Awwwwwwwww~
Banjo: U two are adorable together already
Diddy: We gotta have ourselves double date one of these days! U guys and Me and Dixie
Banjo: Ooh! Can Kazooie n' I tag along too?
Banjo: Been a while since we went out eatin'
Timber: A Triple Date it is then!
Pipsy: Can't wait for it already~
The Kruncher Joins the Chat
Krunch: Wazzup nerds
Pipsy: Krnuch Hiiii!~
Timber: 'Sup back at ya Croc!
Banjo: Welcome to our groupchat old friend!
Diddy: 'Heard u been pretty busy these days, Mr. Engineer
Krunch: That Mr. Engineer of the Month to you, Monkey Boy
Krunch: I've been bustin' tail out, fightin' every tooth n' nail, overtime to get that and a promotion for once
Timber Yooo Congratulations Mate!!
Taj: 🎊 🎊 🎊 🎊 🐊🐊🐊🐊🐊
Krunch: Ohh God who's been teachin' Taj how to use emoji?
Pipsy: I....might've gave him pointers while teaching him how to use the phone at the same time
Pipsy: Sorry~ XD
Krunch: Of course
Taj: ☺ ☺
Krunch: Ur gonna get tired of this sooner or later old man
Taj: Highly doubt it, but I shall savor every fun of this as much as I can nonetheless
Taj: Also, I am not that old, you know! 😠😠😤
Krunch: Whateves
Papa Titptup Joins the Chat
Tiptup: Howdy do, my fellow racers!
Pipsy: Tiptup!!~
Diddy: Wazzup my guy!!~
Timber: Long time no see, mate!
Banjo: Howdy to u too!
Krunch: Been a while, Shell Boy
Krunch: What's this I hear about u being a dad these days?
Pipsy: Yeah, is it really true that you're a papa now?
Tiptup: Yep! All twenty of them
Tiptup: They're all growing up so fast, everyday, I'll tell you what lol
Tiptup: Take a look.
Tiptup: Me & My Offsprings' Photo Frame.jpg
Pipsy: Awwwwwwwwwwwwww They're all so adorable!!~ ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )
Timber: They look like mini, cute versions of u, mate!
Krunch: Right?
Krunch: I could hardly tell them apart lol
Diddy: Do they ever tire u out sometimes?
Tiptup: Oh yeah, undeniably lol
Tiptup: But that's one of the many hurdles of being a father after all
Tiptup: I wouldn't trade all my little angels for the world regardless
Pipsy: Awwwwwwwwwwwwww x12~
Timber: Good on ya, mate. Truly 😁
Taj: We here at this groupcat wish you the best of luck with you and your beautiful family, old friend ☺ 🐢
Tiptup: Thanks guys
Tiptup: And thank you and Kazooie again for helping me hatch Tiptup Jr in the past, Banjo
Banjo: Don't mention it, Tiptup 😁 👍
Banjo: Don't tell her I said any of this, but Kazooie has been missin' the little guy for quite some time now
Tiptup: Lol is that right?
Tiptup: I always knew she has a heart
Banjo: Oh most certainly!!
Banjo: She just has her way of showin' it sometime, ya know?
Diddy: (Gets Smack Upside the Head by Kazooie) Oww! (Rubs his Head Pouting the Softie in Question) I'm not wrong, you know!?
Kazooie: (Glares Down at Diddy) Yeah, you are. I ain't soft to anyone! (Smiles a Bit at Her Boyfriend Sitting Next to Diddy on the Sofa) Who isn't my Honey Bear~ (Gives Banjo a Smooch on the Cheek) Try not to put that much damper to my image, will ya, hon?~
Diddy: (Scoffs While Rolling his Eyes) As if you have any- ('SMACK') (Gets Smacked Upside the Head by Kazooie Again) OWW!
Diddy: Kazooie smacked me for tampering her so called "Image"
Krunch: Bout time someone smack that chrome dome head of yours lol 😈
Diddy: Get bend
Bumper The Badger Joins the Chat
Bumper: Hey guys!
Bumper: Hope I didn't join here too late
Krunch: There's my partner n' crime!
Pipsy: Bumper!!~
Timber: U made it here just in time, mate
Banjo: Howdy
Tiptup: Hello!
Diddy: Bumper! Glad u can make it here, my man!
Diddy: I just have one itsy-bitsy question to ask if u don't mi-
Diddy: HOW IN THE WORLD OF ALL THINGS BANANA DID U GET YOURSELF ARRESTED ONCE!!!!?
Timber: Yeah, ur supposed to be the most responsible outta the rest of us, right along Pipsy and Tiptup!!
Tiptup: And that's saying something considering how much of a safety nut I was in the past!
Pipsy: We were so worried when we first caight wind of the news!! 😣😣
Pipsy: You didn't get yourself hurt along the way, did you?
Taj: Everyone in the chat, please settle down!🛑🛑
Taj: I understand each of your concerns, but Bumper is in his right to not share that incident with all of us if he does not feel comfortable to do so.
Bumper: Thanks, Taj, but I really don't mind telling you what happened
Banjo: Are u sure?
Bumper: Positive!
Bumper: It all happened a really long time ago anyways
Bumper: But long story short, I was stopped by the police after making a Bit of a mad dash straight on a lonely lonely highway. I realized I completely forgot my wallet at home the very moment he asked for my license and registration and before I know it, I was taken to the slammer
Bumper: Fortunately, i only stayed there for two or three days until Kruncher here bailed me out and got me working alongside him at the Engineering Place downtown to where we live at
Bumper: Which I gotta say again, thanks you the opportunity you've given me, Krunch. I really appreciate
Krunch: Nah, it's no problem. We're pals
Krunch: Plus, I'm pretty sure u and the other nerds would do the same for me if I were ever in a jam myself
Krunch: Ur all are good like that, u know.....
Pipsy: Awwwwwwwwwwwwwww ×infinity~
Timber: Well, whaddya know? U really do have a heart after!
Tiptup: A Heart of Gold is more like it lol
Diddy: I always knew we would have him soften up these days lol
Krunch: Yeah well I'm bruffing over it as we speak no thanks to u clowns
Krunch: But I guess workin' at my new job and talkin to u chumps again is far better than bein' K. Rool's lap croc for the rest of my life
Diddy: Amen to that, brother!
Taj: I am proud to see how far you've become as a man, Krunch
Taj: And I am very happy to hear that the rest of you see doing wonderful in your own lives as well.
Tiptup: Hey, speaking of which, aren't we forgetting two people?
Bumper: Yeah, Drumstick and Conker
Bumper: I always wondered what happened to those guys
Banjo: Drumstick has been looking after his own race themed amusement park these days
Banjo: I think it's called the "Drum Roll Racing Park"(?)
Bumper: Gnarly
Banjo: Right?
Banjo: And then there's Conker.........
Banjo: We haven't kept in touch for a good while now,but from what I've heard from Taj
Banjo: Let's just say he's been dealing with his own set of problems these days.
Pipsy: Problems?
Timber: Crimey, what's been going on with him this whole time?
Tiptup: Is he okay?
Taj: It was a long, challenging story. A story that is not in my place to share I'm afraid
Taj: All you need to know is that he is not quite the same Conker you all once know, but rest assured that he is okay in a physical sense, so you mustn't worry.
Taj: That goes double for you, Banjo my friend
Taj: I don't want you to keep worrying over him all day, do you understand?
Diddy: He has a point, bud.
Diddy: U always have been the worrywart of the gang
Timbsr: And ur concern for us would always ended up making us worry about u in the long run
Pipsy: So please don't worry your fluffy head over Conker for us. We may not know what he's going through either, but we can all hope that's he's doing okay somewhere. That's all we can do for now
Banjo: Yeah, you're right.
Banjo: I'm just relieved to hear from him again, even if it is little
Diddy: U said it!
Diddy: Even if we're short on two people, I'm really glad we get to come together and do this, u know?
Banjo: Yeah, we should definitely do this groupchat thing more often!
Tiptup: Sure!
Pipsy: I'm down!~
Timber: Same here, mates!
Bumper: I don't mind
Krunch: Beats doin nuttin all day after work
Taj: And the best is yet to come, my friends!
Taj: For we still have a certain reunion gathering to set up, organize, and mingle!! 🎶🎶 🎶 🎶 ✨️✨️🕺
Taj: 🕺 🕺 🕺
Bumper: I did not expect you to be fan of emojis there, Taj
Taj: Of course! It is a fascinating sight to behold with endless of possibilities within one device at hand 📱
Krunch: This won't get tiresome after a while.....
Pipsy: Let him have his fun, Krunch. He more than earned after all the help and guidance he given us in the past
Krunch: Fine. Whatever.
Krunch: So when and where is the party is gonna take place at anyways?
Diddy: Timber's Island at 6 'o clock pm, in two weeks!
Diddy: Oh and Hey, Taj!
Diddy: U mind if I bring a few of my Smash Friends to the party along with us?
Taj: Not at all!
Taj: Everyone is welcomed to our special event of the evening!
Taj: Except for Wizpig. He is forever ban 😤
Krunch: Ain't he still riding around on his rivket in space?
Taj: Perhaps, but you can never be careful when his presence is lurking around
Diddy: Well, if he ever does come back, we'll be ready to take him down anytime, any place!
Pipsy: Yep!~
Tiptup: Yuh-huh
Krunch: 🔥 🔥
Bumper: Roger!
Timber: U got that right, mate!
Banjo: Waring and ready!
Banjo: But u know....I feel like there's one more thing we're missing here.....
Diddy: Yeah. Or maybe.....Someone I guess?
Time Tracer!! has Joined the Chat
T.T.: Hi everyone
Duddy: T.T.!!!
Pipsy: Oh my gosh T.T!! ( ˶ˆᗜˆ˵ )
Bumper: T.T!!
Tiptup: Long time, no see!!
Timber: It's been so long mate!!
Krunch: And here I thought you we never hear from u again!
It's time for T.T.! Diddy Kong Racing is one of the weirder games in this series, and I thought it would be funny to give it a character. And thus, T.T. was invited to Super Mario Spikers! You have to wonder what he's been up to all this time though. Did he retire from the track and become a bareknuckle boxer? Did he put his knowledge of racing to good use by raising crawfish for underground illegal crawfish racing? I NEED TO KNOW!!!
-
Before I get into him, I suppose I should go over how much of a "Mario universe" character he actually counts as. While Diddy Kong Racing is undoubtedly a DK game, the rights to the characters are split up. While Nintendo owns Diddy Kong and Krunch, since he's a Kremling, Rare owns the rest of the characters, and they've made merch based on them under the title of "Rare Racers", since they don't have the rights to Diddy's name obviously. So they're kind of like Banjo and Conker where they've gone off and spawned their own series, even if there's no game attached to it.
The way I see it though, their one game appearance was a DK game, and I don't think Rare's interested in using them again outside of merch, so I'm willing to extend the umbrella and allow them in the roster. Your mileage may vary, but that's my stance on their viability. (This doesn't include Conker and Banjo though since they actually have their own games unlike the other racers, although there is a non-0% chance I might add Banjo anyway for funsies. Not for awhile though)
And now, on to T.T. himself! In terms of design there's really not much you can do to change a living stopwatch to make him more "fit" for a violent sport. The most I did was add couple bands around his body, and emblems on his gloves. I attempted adding clock numbers to his face, but that just made the design feel a bit too cluttered, so I scrapped it. So I'm not necessarily super proud of the design but I really wasn't sure what else I could do.
At the very least, I'm pretty happy with how I actually drew him. I tried combining his designs from the N64 and DS versions, keeping some details Diddy Kong Racing DS added while keeping the original's cutesy charm.
Lastly for aesthetics, I based his team icon on the amulet you get from Time Trials in Diddy Kong Racing, specifically the N64 version of it. Albeit, the way I drew it looks a bit more stylized.
Last thing I wanna cover is his attacks, because the theme of him stopping time actually does have an origin, albeit a very weird one. Stopping time was never a thing he could do in Diddy Kong Racing as far as I'm aware, but he could do it in this weird Club Nintendo comic "Sag niemals Holerö!", where it was some weird secret power he unlocked. He also meets Mario here, who was vacationing in Switzerland. These comics were weird so I'm not super interested in taking a lot from them, but I thought it would work here.
And I think that's all I have about T.T. The Diddy Kong Racers are weird, but they're a fun kind of weird, and I think it would be fun to do more of em in the future.
One more T.T. - Banjo interaction. I imagine even Banjo has a limit of sass he would take from anyone, and I feel everyone seems to forget HE'S A BEAR.
