JPS Grooves

Tonight… I took a healthy pause.

I decided to make the car parker an actual game today — graduating it from the old mushroom popper origins.
(Yup… I even removed the <div id="mushroomPopper"> from the HTML.)

Strange how a single line of code can carry sentiment. But this?
This game has always been art to me.

It’s not just a game. It’s:

• a mural 🎨
• a sound machine 🎶
• a vibe station 🌈
• a weird little learning world 🧠

It’s got soul and chill and energy. And maybe, when it’s done, it’ll even help somebody.
But even if it doesn’t — I make this for me.

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🚗 From Pop to Park

I always liked the idea of a fidget button — that’s what the mushroom popper was.
But I didn’t love the parking button.

So I changed it.

Now, the parking game has layers.

You’re still parking cars…
But now you see them.
They arrive in style. They respond to taps. They honk.
And if you hit the right number of honks, they flash “Parked!” and move on.

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🔢 Why 11 Cars?

I could’ve gone wild and dumped 30+ PNGs in there.
But I didn’t want to flood it.

Instead, I capped it at 11.
Why?

Because of collaboration. Because this week, I opened up a little.
I took other people’s input. I shaped the festival with them.

And these 11 cars — each one is intentional.
Each one has its own little backstory.
Its own personality.

They’re not just vehicles — they’re festival denizens.
And they’re waiting.

Well… most of them are.

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🧓 WHERE’S CARL?!?

I saw Carl once.
He showed up. He parked. It was beautiful.
And then… he vanished.

I know he’s in the code.
I know the logic is solid.
I know I’ll find him again.

But tonight?

Carl is gone.

(Probably chilling behind a tent somewhere.)

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⏰ That Rush Feeling…

I feel like I need to move faster.
Kids Mode still isn’t done.
Story Mode is calling.
School’s about to start.

Part of me wants to sacrifice sleep, crank this thing into overdrive.
But I’ve done that before, and it doesn’t always work.
(Patch will let me circle a broken layout for literal days if I get impatient.)

Still… I told Patch this week:

“We need to move. We can’t do this forever.”

But then I remembered:
I gave myself until January 1, 2026.
And I meant it.

Games take time.
This game takes even more time.
Because it’s not just mechanics — it’s art. It’s a vibe. It’s a whole-ass festival.

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🎓 What That One Art Teacher Would Say

She’d hand this back.
She’d look me in the eye and say:

“It’s not done.”

And you know what?

I’d agree with her.
But I’d still smile and say:

“We made art tonight.”

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🏁 What’s Next:

• Realign the slider and popper cells
• Make sure every honk lands
• Find Carl
• Add two more camping games (???)
• Keep the soul intact

Let’s go.

Image below of me trying to find Carl!! “CARL!!”