#the only difference is the variety of wild stuff they experience

[honorary-evil-genius]

why is Remus Sanders literally Luigi from the marioverse

[gunsatthaphan]

✌🏻✨ ~ 2023 wrap-up ~ ✨✌🏻

another year gone, another post no one asked for djkghdf

I normally don't talk about personal stuff on here but like in the previous year I wanted do a little recap and give shoutouts to some lovely people 🧡

It hasn't been an easy year for me, I started a new job which has been stressful and annihilated my work-life balance which resulted in me being sick a lot & just being stressed for most of the year lol. I barely found time to maintain this blog which may not seem like it on the outside since I somehow managed to frequently post but it's been difficult. I know I don't have to be online 24/7 but the fear of slipping into irrelevancy due to lack of content remains. I didn't have much time to watch bls & asian shows in general which I still consider my safe space and escapism so I'm resentful that I didn't get to fully take in and enjoy the things I'm passionate about and make content about them like I did in the previous years. That being said thank god for all the weekend shows that I did manage to watch and fully focus on like Only Friends and now Cooking Crush and Cherry Magic. Those have been life savers lol and also thank god for all the talented creators who gave us tons of content; I will mention some of them below.

But aside from my personal schedule and despite not watching a lot of stuff, I still tried to keep an eye on what's going on in the BL world for my monthly breakdowns, which I still enjoy making and I will likely continue them in 2024. I also came to the conclusion that 2023 ended up being another rendition of quantity > quality in the BL-verse so not much has changed lol - not that I expected it to. We got a wild and extended mix of different genres and subgenres this year which was nice to see. We saw companies & actors experimenting a lot (with varying results), we got new ships, new fandoms and new enemies, as well as a variety of comebacks and retirements. My watchlist this year was limited to Thai BLs and my blog mostly consisted of gmmtv related content and like I said, if I had had more time I probably would have explored more different shows - but I eventually resorted to what's familiar. I guess I needed an anchor in midst of all my personal chaos lol.

But despite my short list, there were a few gems that I enjoyed. The big ones like Only Friends, Moonlight Chicken, Be My Favorite, etc., and the small, less popular ones like Be Mine Superstar, Mission Fan Possible and a few more. I enjoyed talking to friends & making content about them in the limited timeframes I had. My opinions mostly matched those of the general public but unfortunately there were a few disappointments that were bathing in a success that I could not wrap my head around - Dangerous Romance and A Boss and a Babe being at the top of that list, followed by La Pluie and also a few of the lakorns I watched. But anyway.

Anyone who knows me knows my blog has been 83% FirstKhao this year lmao, they're my favorite people in this industry and watching them act, interact & making content about them has been one of my highlights. I'm excited to see what 2024 brings for them and even if it's not a series, I'm looking forward to seeing what else they will be up to 🥺 🐈‍⬛ 🐈

I'm going into 2024 with mixed feelings but above all I hope I will get the chance to expand my watchlist a little. I will post a personal top10 of the shows I watched this year shortly; until then I want to talk a bit about some lovely people this year - I’m not good with words lmao but thank you for being you and making this hellsite a better place 🥹 lol.

@leonpob - bestie!!! 🧡 our BL opinions have drifted apart this year lmao but who's to say friendships are solely based on mutual opinions. You're the best, stay the way you are and here's to another year of sharing thoughts and hopefully finding more shows to watch together (no matter if trash or not lol) 😉😘  @mayalunas - ahhhh I loved talking to you sooo so much this year, we agree on so many things that I'm convinced we share the same BL braincells lmao. You're one of my favorite people on this website, thank you for being such a good listener and a positive & supportive person to talk to 🥺 I hope you have the best 2024!!! ily!!! 🧡 @khunvegas - GURL idk where you went this year or if you still exist sdjkds but just know I haven't forgotten about you and I miss our talks 🥺 come back pls thank. @my-wandering-rabbit - I love our random out-of-context talks once a month lmao, I appreciate you and I hope we will continue our ritual of me watching shows and you asking me questions without watching them kjsdhg @bl-recs-and-reviews - Bestie!!! I love our catch-ups on Discord, you were one of the first people I ever talked to like 4 years ago? crazy. look at us. I still love you, you're the sweetest and I love talking to you 🧡🥺 @dreamedofyou - ahh I absolutely love your blog!!! I noticed you a lot in my notifications this year so I wanted to say thank you so much for interacting with my unhinged content (mostly FK related lmao) - We haven't talked a ton but I think of you as a very nice person and I hope we can talk more next year 🥹🫶🏻

and then of course some more shoutouts go out to all the wonderful and talented creators out there; I will never be able to tag all of you so sorry in advance but here are a few that I appreciate, some of which have also mentioned me in their wrap-up posts so thank you for that!!!

@taeminie @seatawinan @loveisactivated @forcebook @jimmysea @guzhu-furen @daymork @itsallaboutbl @seatawinans @blneobin @blmpfff @wanderlust-in-my-soul @pranpat @milkpansa @raypakorn @ahxu-laowen @forcebookish @forcebookcorner @morkofday @chinzillas @seajimmy @dimpledpran @i-got-the-feels @bengiyo @benkaaoi @25shadesoffebruary @moonkhao @smittenskitten @respectthepetty @earthfluuke @pharawee @khaotunq @khaotunqs @pranink @gabrielokun @piningintrovert @zhaozi @markpakin @firstkanaphans @firstforkhao @khaotungsfirst @wen-kexing-apologist @firstkpp @firstmix @bunnakit @khaothanawat @alienwlw @ffirstkhao (I can't tag the last 4 for some reason..)

have the best 2024!!!

🧡🧡🧡

[mycochaotix]

hi mycopal :) I'm enjoying your blog and admiring your set up, seems very hightech. I'm also reading about cultivating a local (Australian) psilocybin variety we often find in pine forests. Could you point me in the right direction for more info to get started with a simple at home set up for beginners? thanks again for your good work :)

Hello there mycopal! Thanks for reaching out! I appreciate your kind words :) I’m super proud of my lab area! It has taken two years to put together by saving 25-50 a paycheck lol!! Humorously my roommate doesn’t like that i commandeered a whole room … haha, but here we are ;) What mushy are you looking to cultivate? Pscilocybe Tampensis or P. subtropicalis maybe? :)

note: my opinions and advice are based on my own experience and studious research :) there are MANY ways to skin things with… skin… lol; as such, my way should work for most but may not and there are many other mycoeducators with varied approaches that offer great insight in their own right :) I have a few vids on youtube (still new to content creating there and working on adding more) if you wanna see more of what I do as I outline it below! At the end of this long winded MCX response I will provide supportive resources for your consideration in order they are addressed in this response.

🍄Tip: get some nasalpharyngeal swabs so you can actively swab and store mushroom genetics you find in the wild for later reararch ;)

Pretext: I live in a (technically) tropical area so what i do with my research areas may be different than you! I am not sure how much of what im about to detail has been considered by you… but if youve considered it then disregard :) i like to break things down like you’re new new new incase theres any detail to miss.

Introductory Answering your Q: Basically you have to consider a handful of generalized steps for cultivating any fungus; and find TEKs (ie: guides by other mycopal’s that have yielded them success) and make your own tek— I always say that the mycojourney is coming up with your own tek, cobbled together from current teks that speak to you and also are appropriate for your resource availability :) after you get through my response you’ll have homework of studying resources but also: finding TEKs for your specific strain you want to work with :)

My preferred supplies-

Genetics: Dont know about the laws and availability where you live, but formal vendors (like innoculatetheworld ; sporeworks) and informal mycoeducators (who sometimes vendor spores) like PGT and Boomershroomer; are the only spore sources I trust (outside of my own stock;).

Boomershroomer makes quality inflatable monotubs and if you order one of her tubs she sends genetics with it! A little ‘secret’ ;) to be aware of!

PGT has a shop online thats only open sometimes but has a cool collectible trading card system for his genetics (buy the card get the microscopy supply with the card).

ITW and SW are generally up 24/7 and are more formal vendors that also sell microscopy stuff.

I currently use and recommend using 6qt shoebox totes for grow container (the kind that you buy in 5-10 packs from Walmart that have gusseted lids that allow some air flow for ‘sneakers’ to be stored hehe). Note that you can use 12/24/48/72qt etc, but I have no experience with those and they require larger set ups with fans, humidifiers, etc. i prefer less is more :)

I always promote a company called Microppose :) they do amazing filters and just started their own monotub production I think :) my fave substrate is CocoBliss coconut coir pith, and I use lab grade nutritional additives like: gypsum, lime, malt extract, and yeast off amazon in various stages of my process. For grain bags, before I made my own, I only trust: spawnmagic.com ; for my grains I use Producers Pride: Whole Oats (like what is given to horses) from the feedstore :) a 50lb bag has lasted me two years, no lie. I dont use bags, but jars for grain: i use brand: Ball, glass mason jars for spawn containers prior to moving spawn into a tub with substrate. I use Aozita wide mouth masonjar plastic lids (off Amazon) for my jars as they can be modified with filters and then pressure cooked safely and come with rubber seals :)

Now to go into detail to answer your question:

Here we go-deep breath-: lets talk cultivation and research starting:

1. Genetics: (a) multi spore syringe (mss) (can be injected into a grow bag but isnt ideal and may not produce viable strains) (recomended to use mss on agar to isolate your own colonies), (b) spore print/swab (requires agar) or (c) liquid culture (LC) isolate syringe (best option for immediate injection-inoculation of grain containers/bags with best chance for healthy growth and fruiting without time and hassle of the steps I outline further :)

1a. If you are able to work with agar (either make your own or buy premade sterilized, one time use agar plates): then you will start your journey by MSS->Agar->Isolate separate germinating colonies off mss agar plate to new plates (those become your mother isolate plates for each specific strain isolate for whatever strain youre working with). The mother plate should become your cold storage, reference plate as you study growth and fruiting characteristics of the colonies you isolate :) at that pont: You can then use some excised pieces of the mother plate (if in a rush, or if able to wait, till gen1 plates (transfers from mother plate to new plates that become duplicate isolates of the mother plate)) to inoculate a jar or two and also inoculate other plates to continue to ‘run the mycelium out’ / ‘chase the mycelium’.

1b. If you are not able to do agar work then I strongly suggest you seek genetics that are LC syringe. Basically, LC syringes are when mycopal takes a 2nd gen+ plate and moves some of that mycelium to sterile sugar water and lets the mycelium grow out in that water till its all filled with reproduced mycelium and can be sucked up into syringes for better more assured propagation of genetics ;)

Side thought: Spore swabs and spore syringed are dice rolls :) [Spore germination discussion incl quote from TMC- https://at.tumblr.com/mycochaos/uscrybal-commented-on-a-comment-i-made-quoting/pjzr0c86nlyt]

2. Grain spawn: once you have genetics hammered out, next is grain spawn. Grain spawn can be … well, any grain. Really. Mushrooms can colonize and fruit off of wet cardbord… 💯🍄😂, so what “type” of spawn is more about whats available in your area imo. Youll need to sterilize any grain spawn, unless using a premade bag thats already sterilized or taking chances with uncle bens (or similar) rice baggies that arent sterilized but are arguably cleaner than grains scooped out of a bags of grains from a mill or feedstore.

2a. Grain bags: milo, millet, rye berries, corn kernals, rice, whole oats, really any grain or berry that has a husk can be used :) some species prefer specific grains most work on all kinds of grains with varying levels of efficiency. Some grains are more or less robust and some do better when moistened and or pressure cooked than others :) i make my own grain but exclusively use glass mason quart jars :)

2b. Grain jars: my preference. I have recent grai. Jar prep and creation reels/shorts on my instagram and some on this tumblr if you wanna see specifics :) generally I do 15psi, 10 minute venting, for 1.5 hours for my grain and I do not soak grains, only low boil them for 30 min to soften husks and extract some grain nutrients to then use that liquid ‘grain soak’ run off for agar nutrients :)

2c. Uncle Bens rice bags: i dont do this and dont have any good advice on it. I have a UB tek link or two at end for consideration and there is a whole reddit mushroom sub i think r/unclebens (?) for this

2d. All in one bags: i also do not use these and do not recommend them generally. If you have never had a flush and are literally first timing it, then all in one may work fine :) but as much of the process you can source or create yourself the cheaper and often better, imo!

3. Substrate & Spawn-to-bulk (S2B): many mycopals have their own substrate preferences, but for me I prefer shaved coconut coir pith. I generally do a coir block 650g, 500g vermiculite (from garden store), and 50g gypsum + 50g lime for my substrate. I do not sterilize it, but I do heat pasteurize my substrate for at least 12 hours. In an air tight, insulated cooler (like for sodas at a party). You can also cold pasteurize. I like how Boomershroomer and PGT do their sub and learned from them then tweaked it for my own preferences :)

When my jars are fully colonized and observably free from contam, I will S2B using a clean butter knife :) I kinda cut down into the grain in pizza slices then swirl the knife around as I let grains that spill out mix with my substrate and basically do 1qt spawn to 2qt of substrate, saving maybe 10-15% of the spawn and substrate till end to make a special psuedo casing layer once bulk of spawn and substrate are mixed and compacted. Then I do a last sprinkling of the remaining grain like a baby lasgana and cover that with substrate.

Casing layer explainer: A casing layer is a layer of material applied on top of the colonized substrate in mushroom cultivation. It can help improve yield, reduce certain types of surface contaminants, and maintain humidity around the fruiting bodies. In my experience, using an organic sphagnum peat moss mixed with lime powder and filtered water has produced successful tubs without the need for pasteurization or sterilization. Before I used that i just used left over substrate as a casing layer :) — While some species require a specific type of casing layer after substrate colonization, most do not require one. However, adding a casing layer can be beneficial for improving yield and humidity control.

There are different ways to apply a casing layer. Some people apply it as part of the spawn to bulk (S2B) process, while others apply it only after the substrate surface is fully colonized or slightly before pinning. Personally, I have used a casing layer when colonizing pasteurized wheat/rye straw to provide an even fruiting surface for mycelium. I have also experimented with an organic peat and lime dust casing layer (no pasteurization or sterilization), which has helped retain humidity and has not resulted in any contamination. Personally, I've worked some APEs in that past that had a casing layer applied in the same instance as the S2B occuring, essentially the compacted bits colonized faster than the looser casing layer. Where I always use casing layer, is if I use spawn to colonize pasteurized wheat/rye straw, if only to provide an even fruiting surface for the mycelium! But, even then... most cubensis can fruit solely on pasteurized straw, with no casing layer!

4. Colonization and Fruiting:

4a. Youll need to find a TEK based on whatever substrate container you settle on using :) what ive outlined so far is my own tek, using 6qt shoe boxes and the materials ive outlined above. The substrate chamber/container can be a flat container/tote or could be fruited out the top of a grain bag/all-in-one bag OR could fruit off the side of a bag (if its a species like Oyster mushies that prefer side fruiting). I personally use unmodified tubs and will leave lid on my tubs while colonizing and then take lid off and replace with cleaned, upside down, misted 6qt tub that rests on the edges of the right-side-up tub to create a mini climate that allows more passive air flow, allows light to filter in from high angles promoting fruits growing upwards towards the light. Light isnt needed until pinning, and is a secondary trigger to pinning but a primary factor in pigmentation of fruits and growth direction of fruits.

Colonization of most mushroom fruiting fungi is generally between 68-80F, every species and even some varieties within those species, may have specific temp needs. The way mycopals control for this is many things that I dont have to use fortunately :) ‘Martha Tents’ are something to consider. Some use heating pads and humidifiers depending on where they live and where they are compared to the sea💯. I dont have any experience with martha tents or doing more than using my home A/C, a closet, and a heppa room filter to control my temps in the closet and with lots of trial and error…. I now leave my home at 72F, my closet warms to about 74 with the door shut and a/c at that temp, so i let plates, jars and tubs colonize at 74F and then I will move the tubs to open closet with more air flow and is closer to 72F when I am moving to fruiting :) Ive tried to be clever in how I use my space… so i use wire racks and know higher up on the rack is hotter and less air flow whereas lower is cooler and often more air flow.

Something I havent really gone into yet in this response is about sterility, aseptic environments, personal and environmental hygiene. All important to condsider…

4a. Heres my explainer on that:

Strict aespetic and hygiene techniques are not 100% and even using fancy laminar flow is not 100% contamination free potentials! Common contaminant sources include airborne spores, dust, and environmental factors. Pets that roam around your cultivation area could carry spores on their fur or paws, which may be released when they move through your space. Additionally, some fungal contaminants, like Kahms yeast, can present in distinctive ways and there are dimorphic fungal molds that have one or more alternate morphologies, main dimorphism being mold with a secondary yeast form (whence the mold spores get into human lungs, for example with blastomycosis perhaps) as an alternative reproductive presentation within its life cycle (based on temperature and environmental variables). It's essential to understand that spores and other contaminant-genetic cells are incredibly tiny and (in the case of most spores) can suspend in the air, waiting for air currents, light, or vibrations to move them around. Wet spores and bacterial cells oftentimes require animal assistance or liquid splashing/spritzing/spraying to move around, but can often hitch rides of natural environmental variabes (currents of wind, water, dirt, etc). Humans also carry a range of bacteria and fungal organisms on their skin, which can contribute to localized environmental dust and potential contamination when working in hyper sterile or attempted hygienic environments while researching fungi :)

4b: Primordia, Pins and Fruiting: Pinning is a colony activity (that impacts all sides of your cake once colonized) that shifts metabolic processes of the mycelia to pinning and fruiting, this is why when you start getting heavy side pins you rarely get any flat-surface pins and fruits (all the energy goes into what pins form and fruit, first). Additionally, I believe my suggestions will be effective in controlling for environmental triggers to pinning, it is important to note that side pinning can also occur due to other factors such as genetics or substrate composition.

You can reduce the microclimate from being created that promotes side pins, during the process, by ensuring that the substrate is firmly compressed, once S2B occurs, and then sprinkled with a .25" casing layer of the same substrate material (or peat+lime casing). I press my base spawn+cvg mix firmly, and ensuring that the surface is even with least amount of inconsistently level substrate surface. This early compression, keeps the cake against the wall for as longer than doing little to no compression of your spawn+sub. You should ensure your colonizing mycelium isnt exposed to the same lighting you would for fruiting, but light is only a secondary trigger to pinning, FAE+Temp Drop+Humidity pooling/then drying are the primary triggers for pinning once colonization has completed.

5. Harvesting and Dehydrating: i twist and pull my fruits, some will cut at base, some will float their cake with water and then cut or twist and pull at that poimt :) harvesting is preferential imo. I dehydrate fruits 125F for 24 hours in Air Fryer o. Dehydrate mode :)

Resources and foundational TEKs:

Genetics: innoculatetheworld.com, sporeworks,com, boomershroomer.com, pgtmycology,com

Casing layer post w/screencaps: https://www.tumblr.com/mycochaotix/723941213220339712/mycochaos-oldacnt-plzfollownew-one-of-my

Growing gourmet (book): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-CsyZenWzF8kHLviXM8pencZ4FAHDedh/view?usp=drivesdk

PF tek - Check this site out, gives a great layout of "PF TEK" and also BRF cakes as part of that TEK - https://www.fungifun.org/pmwiki.php/English/Pftek

HOw to make easy (cvg) bulk substrate (boomer shroomer): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7M6YHfaMyQ8&t=3s

how to make plates, slants, and LC - north spore - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4bzQQkh71Q&t=487s

pgt LC basics - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqwjUq31KgU&t=284s

Southwest mushrooms - mycelium grain spawn and LC - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxlJJpu3O_g

How to sterilize equipment such as petri dishes - MIcrobehunter microscopy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVtEBtxkhGk

mycelium inoculation in the lab - southwest mushrooms - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng_Wq9PnEVI&t=560s

Mushroom Cultivation, how it should and shouldnt look: https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/17231150

Recognizing and dealing with contamination: https://www.shroomery.org/forums/showflat.php/Number/23130868

Sterilization vs Pasturization - http://www.differencebetween.net/science/difference-between-sterilization-and-pasteurization/

Mushrooms, Molds and Mycorrhizae: A Fungal Immersion Course Part 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD1IL2dBLQ8

Mushrooms, Molds and Mycorrhizae: A Fungal Immersion Course Part 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bam3tF_a7M

Mushrooms, Molds and Mycorrhizae: A Fungal Immersion Course Part 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AiIUGGKjuwU

Mushrooms, Molds and Mycorrhizae: A Fungal Immersion Course Part 4 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLfwruf2xVA

Guide to Oysters, Gourmet, Freshcap - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZAjz6bZjpg

Cooking Oyster mushrooms, TGS - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qb2KF6kvhA

5 gallon bucket tek - oyster mushrooms - gourmet - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45b2t7fqhjA&t=60s

Mycophilia YT 'All About Aborts' discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9C8x_32Saxg

Bacterial colony morphology - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JZAFUPckUg

Mycelium morphology : how to select healthy mycelium when breeding mushrooms -- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leUpfsonVxc&t=1s

mycotrophic - agar xfers/sectoring off healthiest growth - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMxGwkj9Wn4

DayTrippers Microscopy library of contam and healthy mycelium examples: https://www.reddit.com/r/ContamFam/comments/nnquol/microscopy_of_healthy_mycelium_and_contamination/

PH trich conversation pt 2 DT: https://www.reddit.ccom/r/ContamFam/comments/jldtuw/my_garden_of_contam_free_grow_it_is_all_about_the/

DayTrippers Trip Tips - apply PH casing layer to prevent trich: https://www.reddit.com/r/ContamFam/comments/m3unbr/daytrippers_trip_tips_video_tutorial_on_how_to/

Trich contamfam library: https://www.reddit.com/r/ContamFam/comments/115gyj2/trichoderma_the_green_monster/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

If FAE is a problem: not pinning, getting Cobweb, Stroma Overlay! “READ THIS”: https://www.reddit.com/r/ContamFam/comments/jur5ar/daytrippers_trip_tip_why_cant_i_get_this_if_fae/

DayTripper’s Trip Tips: Two cultivation tricks to solve common problems of insufficient Fresh Air Exchange and Overlay growth in monotubs: https://www.reddit.com/r/ContamFam/comments/10w1yxm/daytrippers_trip_tips_two_cultivation_tricks_to/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3

[ac-liveblogs]

Hello! Just wanna say thank you to you & kyogre-blue (and the anons) for being like the only people I can find that agree that Genshin's storytelling is wack lol I'm surprised how many people praise the writing when it's so confusingly paced and conflicts they bring up don't really go anywhere or the payoff is lackluster. There so much unnecessary dialogue & the last acts of the main story are always such a big rushed mess!

That being said, I wanted to ask if there's any series(game, anime, manga, etc) you'd recommend that does the things genshin wants to do but better, or even just series you'd recommend in general or wish more people knew about!

Hi anon! Sorry for the late response, I have been adding and removing stuff from this list for a few days. I genuinely don't know why people think Genshin is well written - I can understand people thinking it's good in concept and that some of its high concept ideas are interesting, but the actual story itself? Beyond me.

Thank you in return for the validation - the more I see people go on about how great it is the crazier I feel...

As for recs...

The real issue is that Genshin tries to do a LOT of different things, but there aren't a lot of games that do ALL the things Genshin tried to do. That's what makes Genshin stand out, though obviously a lot of what it does do leaves a lot to be desired... I am mostly going to stick to anime/manga/games per your request, but if you like fantasy worlds with lots of lore there's a lot of western high fantasy that might also be your thing.

And you know, these are gonna be subjective recs.

In general, if you're looking for more JRPG fantasy games - Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Tales of Franchise are good places to start. They're all self-contained stories and you can easily jump from one entry to another. My experience with anything except Final Fantasy is really spotty, but narrowing it down a bit;

Tales of Vesperia and Tales of Symphonia are generally the most well-regarded Tales of games; they're on my 'to-play' list so I can't rec them personally. I am playing Tales of Berseria (very slowly) and quite enjoying myself, but it's supposed to be pretty different to the rest of the series.

Dragon Quest XI is a very well-regarded entry into the series, and the most recent. It's a fun game with a cute cast; it doesn't do anything particularly exciting and is a very standard 'save the world from the forces of darkness!' plot, but it's very cute and I had a good time.

As an generally well-regarded MMO Final Fantasy 14 probably comes the closest to encapsulating what Genshin offers, though I never got far (no shade to 14; I just don't like MMOs). Apparently the guy that wrote FF16 is also a 14 writer, but I thought FF16's writing sucked so take that with a grain of salt. Actually, FF16's combat reminded me a lot of Genshin too lmao. Lots of waiting for skills to cool down.

Final Fantasies 6, 7 and 9 are generally pretty safe jumping-on points - 7 being the most well-regarded for a reason, though arguments on the 'best Final Fantasy' can get vicious. 15 is also open-world but, uh, I got bored and couldn't finish it.

Final Fantasy Remake, Intergrade and presumably the upcoming Rebirth are very good, I just disagree with some choices made (and every they're not ALL bad choices.) Rebirth will apparently be open-world, but it's not a cheap investment to get them all.

Games that have elements similar to Genshin's;

Legend of Zelda; Breath of the Wild inspired Genshin's open-world and though it's not as pretty, it's certainly more engaging. It's not as story-heavy as Genshin. It handles exploration a lot better in almost all regards, imo.

Bravely Default and/or Octopath Traveller (party-based RPGs with HEAVY party customisation options - if you wish Genshin allowed for more variety/options there. Very different experience, BD is a 'complete party' and OT is '8 separate storylines')

Similarly, if you like character/party building and strategy games in general, while I didn't love the story Fire Emblem Engage was really fun to play. If you want a cute party and story, Fire Emblem Awakening is a pretty solid entry too.

Ace Attorney, if you need to detox after Fontaine's attempts at writing trials. Ace Attorney vs Professor Layton has a batshit ending, but its about witch trials, which is cool.

I'd also tentatively recommend Kingdom Hearts. A game about traveling to different worlds, meeting new people, searching for people that you've lost but still care about despite everything. Very fun hack and slash gameplay from KH2 onwards; iconic villain squad and some of the best (bonus) boss fights in the business, incredible soundtrack and plays around with identity and personhood as concepts in more interesting ways than Genshin does. Clunky and cheesy, but still close to my heart. But yes the worlds are mostly Disney.

Fate/Samurai Remnant is both probably currently the best introduction* to the Fate universe and a good game in it's own right. And if you like series with a fucktonne of lore and world-building that take their own spin on history and mythology, you'll probably like the Nasuverse. The original Fate/Stay Night will be getting an official english release later this year, along with Tsukihime. Witch of the Holy Night is also already out - they're meaty visual novels. FGO walked so that Star Rail could faceplant into the ground, etc etc.

Some general adventure anime/manga;

One Piece Live Action: Surprisingly, I really enjoyed this. You might also enjoy actual One Piece, on the off-chance you haven't already seen it. (maybe that's the more sensible recommendation? I really wish I liked One Piece more than I do) After all this time, Romance Dawn is still my favourite One Piece saga.

Hunter x Hunter is generally just good and fun, though its a bit of a slow start. Finally finished 2011's anime adaptation. It made me cry. Also, the Phantom Troupe are just. So fun. Chrollo my beloved scumbag

Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and Delicious in Dungeon are two adventure anime with extremely different vibes. Though you might already be watching those. Frieren has themes of living longer than your friends and companions, and watching people you care about vanish while you stay young - what it's like to experience that, and how to move on. Delicious in Dungeon is a comedy in a well thought out fantasy world.

Trigun's anime, Trigun's manga and Trigun: Stampede are all very different but similar narratives about a semi-immortal inhuman character traveling across an apocalyptic planet humanity failed to properly settle. I haven't watched the original anime, but the manga and Stampede were both fun.

If you haven't seen Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood yet, rocket that to the top of the list.

I'm currently watching a mid-2000s shonen isekai - Marchen Awakens Romance - with a friend. We're enjoying ourselves so far... at ep 40/ out of 100ish. If it gets bad it's not my fault.

Classic old-school isekai I haven't seen in ages are Inuyasha and Magic Knights Rayearth. Didn't finish InuYasha, actually. Fushigi Yugi is on my to-watch list.

Tsubasa Resevoir Chronicles is a mid 2000s adventure manga that involves a LOT of dimensional travel and found family feels. It gets very mind-screwy by the end and has a sister series partially needed to understand what's going on - xxxHolic, which I also remember liking though it has been a hot minute (over a decade) for both of them. Go manga, not anime. More of a 'alternative to Star Rail' rec, tbh.

I think if you mentioned some specific characters or potential plotlines in Genshin I might be able to offer alternatives? Like, if you liked the House of Hearth as morally grey found family trying to protect Fontaine, I could say you might like Moriarty the Patriot or Bungou Stray Dogs, but a lot of that's gonna be way more subjective than broader fantasy/adventure story recs...

(If you wish Scaramouche had ever been able to confront his creator and his vague allusions to 'having a heart' and personhood/identity were more of a thing - Lies of P! If you liked Diluc but wish he still did anything vigilante-like, you'll probably like... some... Batman media! Depends why you like Diluc! Stuff like that.)

The thing I've watched most recently that I really, really liked was Scott Pilgrim Takes Off. I read the books in high school and revisiting it (and it revisiting itself) was really interesting. The show has some extremely interesting animation choices and generally looks incredible - it's also pretty funny, so there's that. I'd recommend either reading the books or watching the movie first (the entire movie cast returned to voice act Takes Off, actually - and do an incredible job).

I've also been playing a shitton of Castlevania lately. I didn't like the shows very much, but I found myself enjoying the games I got on the Switch store.

[dingoat]

So, a whole two people had an interest in my thoughts on cathar in Star Wars and purring, which I guess is enough to prompt me to try and put some of them into proper words. I do want to preface this by saying my own personal thoughts and feelings on these matters are very much my own personal thoughts and feelings, coming from my particular areas of interest and professional knowledge, and have absolutely no bearing on how much I enjoy other people's takes/characters, or how willing I am to interact or depict other people's takes/characters! Everyone approaches these things differently and frankly I have no interest in nor take any pleasure from raining on other folks' parade or telling them how to write/design/depict their own characters. Mostly, I want to reassure people that it is in fact completely okay to have completely different ideas to the more popular fandom headcanons, it is absolutely fine to disagree, and it is very not cool to try and force a single way as the 'best' or 'most correct'. I also, personally, have way more respect for people who will readily admit that they imagine a character/species a certain way purely because it viscerally appeals to them- they dig the aesthetic, they just think it's cool/cute/neat, etc- rather than those who dream up a feature and use ham fisted imperfect science to try and justify it.

If you like your cathar to purr simply because you think it's lovely, you go and do you, I love and respect you for it, and my words going forward here and now are simply not for you. I'm not here to fight or argue or try to convince you otherwise, I have no interest in discourse! There are just facets of world building and character design that I know I feel differently about than most people and I'm making myself vulnerable here by sharing some of them.

(I am also going to talk about a little more than purring.)

So! A little bit of background on me and where I'm coming from.

Animals are my life, I have studied them academically and work with them professionally and have lived and breathed animals since my very earliest memories. I am fascinated by form and function, by taxonomy and natural selection and adaptation to environments, by behaviour and cognition, and I am deeply committed to conservation efforts. All of these interests are what inform and guide the way I think about fiction, they are what I enjoy about made-up species, sometimes I think long and deep, and sometimes I just have gut responses. (Also, most of you here wouldn't know me from a bar of soap and I don't expect you to believe anything I say simply because 'I said so'. I could be lying about my life experience! If any of my talking points are of genuine interest to you I encourage you, I implore you to research further on your own!)

Now!

Cathar!

Cathar are just one of many many many 'space cat people' that hang out in Star Wars land. I was first introduced to the greater Star Wars universe through a tabletop RPG and I found myself RAVENOUS for lore, to know what was out there, to help expand and flesh out our character's adventures with as much delicious and beautiful variety as possible. I love this stuff. I dig the obscure aliens, I love the nonhumans, and because of my interest in real world animals, yes, the animal-analogue aliens have always been particular favourites.

Star Wars has lots, and lots, and lots of cat people, and visually they vary from very-animal (fluffy, four-limbed Cor) to basically-human (hi, Cathar, hi, new-canon Zygerrians), with a bunch of in-betweens at varying levels of cattyness and a few novel features here and there. To me, applying every variation of 'earth felid' to every species of 'sapient feline' in the Star Wars universe is just kind of boring and scientifically improbable in a way that (personally) irks me. If Cathar are the only space-cats you think of and utilise in your corner of fandom, I can see why you might enjoy making them as wonderfully varied as all the wild and domestic cats we have around us, but I just don't feel the need. I am far more interested in seeing some-features-here, some-features-there. These guys more like tigers. These more like domestic turkish vans. These ones more like lynx but WHAT IF theyr'e from an ocean world?? I have fun with that. I don't need a tiger-cathar and a siamese-cathar and a lynx-cathar and a margay-cathar. I have way more space cats to play with, and where canon/legends falls short, I'll make my own thank you very much.

So, coming from this angle alone, I actively don't want to stuff my cathar full of every variant of earth-cat behaviours and abilities. I have literally no need to make cathar, arguably one of the most humanoid cat-people Star Wars has to offer, capable of purring. To me, they're physiologically pretty much human with some mild, superficial feline facial features and fuzzy bodies. Human mouths, lips, tongues, throat, speech capability. I don't think they meow or prrp or hiss or purr (at least, no better or with any different reason than a human might mimic these sounds), I even struggle to visualise them 'perking' their ears, and if I want a character that I can write with those more catlike tendencies, I'll pick something that isn't a cathar! (And if I want a tail, I'll write them as a farghul or something. I don't need my cathar to have tails, and the function and variety of tails is another thing vastly misunderstood and misrepresented in popular fiction, but that's a whole other essay.)

We've also got the whole thing where roaring and purring are mutually exclusive sounds. No cat species can both roar and purr, and it is a distinction in the hyoid bone (that supports the tongue/larynx) that makes a cat capable of one or the other. Some big cats might have little rumbles/growls that can sound a bit like a purr, but it's really not the same thing. Hollywood messes this up all the time, look at every cartoon lion and tiger out there, and while it's totally within your right to headcanon some cathar-specific vocal apparatus that allows for both, I simply prefer neither, because the unique position of this bone in humans is apparently the foundation of our ability to speak. I look at a human-proportioned head, and I imagine human equivalent vocal abilities (so yes, I'd imagine the same for zabraks, @gran-maul-seizure ). I might write a togorian capable of roaring, or a trianii capable of purring, as both are significantly more alien than a cathar in my eyes.

Splitting cathar up into different subspecies with different abilities doesn't really work for me either (a lot of fandom intra-species variation doesn't really work for me) because there are a lot of very widespread, fundamental misunderstandings of how natural selection operates, and what leads to different species in the first place, and even what makes a species at all.

If these points don't matter to you, again, I re-iterate, that's fine. Go ham. If all you want to do is make a thousand creative variations, if you want to make a cathar for every cat-look under the sun and that's what's fun for you, please go right ahead! But these points matter to me a great deal, and so I take great enjoyment out of including them in my world building and character thoughts.

[Why do these things matter to me? Because I want to see life on our actual, real world home planet earth preserved. I believe understanding the vast variety of life is essential to fostering greater appreciation and ultimately care of our natural world. Biodiversity is essential and so poorly understood/acknowledged by the general public and it is one of my genuine missions in life to increase and improve understanding in whatever avenues I have available! Not every rabbit is created equal. You can't replace one lemur species with another and expect it to fulfil the same role in the environment, they are fundamentally different creatures. One lizard is not the same as the next, one skink is not equal to the next! People stroll down the beach and cast their eyes over a dozen different shorebirds at once and yet all they see is 'seagull' despite so so many different processes and niches and roles operating right before their eyes! If people can't recognise a sandpiper from a curlew from a crake, let alone a wood sandpiper from a marsh sandpiper from a terek sandpiper, how can they learn, how can they understand that each individual species is doing something different in the environment? That when one species goes extinct, something is irrevocably lost? Helping people understand that one species can not simply be replaced with another, no matter how superficially similar, is truly important to me. Important enough to me that it matters in my fiction as well! That I get more joy out of seeing exploration of earth felids represented across multiple unique space cat species, rather than a one-size-fits-all-cat-man!]

So, back to the space cats. To me, personally, it is most believable to imagine that cathar evolved to a certain level of intelligence, sapience, technological advancement, within a single environment, and then these abilities allowed them to expand further into more extreme environments, cross oceans, survive in hostile climates, etc. A single, distinct species, with certainly some physical variation (just like humans) but within very specific parameters (just like humans - our skin colours and body shapes vary, yes, but across predictable spectrums; we don't have spider-monkey humans and chimp humans and mandrill humans and capuchin humans and snub nosed monkey humans and pygmy marmoset humans). I imagine that when the early cathar population spread, say, from a lightly forested landscape into the snow, they did not need to evolve a fluffy coat with snow leopard patterns because it was their ability to make heavy coats out of wildlife pelts and construct shelters and build fires that allowed them to move into the snow in the first place. They didn't need to develop camouflage appropriate to the environment because they could find colours to wear, they could dye or bleach their fur, their intelligence took over and allowed them to adapt much faster than natural selection ever would. Once they hit a certain point in their species' evolution, they did not need to continue to change physiologically to adapt to environmental pressures.

Could you look at it the other way? That the cathar-predecessor spread across their home planet and adapted into various environmental niches, developed new coat colours and vocal systems before actually becoming the intelligent and self-aware spacefaring cat people we know and love? Sure! But I would argue that it is deeply, profoundly improbable that what you would wind up with is a single species! I would argue that it's profoundly improbable that each one of these environmental variants would develop to the same level of sapience at all, let alone wind up able to produce offspring together, but y'know, the idea of multiple dominant species from a common ancestor is cool and fun too. The key, here, for my own personal believability, is multiple species. If you don't care about any of this in your fiction, fine! Do what's ultimately more creatively fun for you, but own that creativity rather than misrepresent science! And if you actually do like to consider species variation and evolution from a more real-world biology perspective, I encourage you to read and think a little more deeply, go beyond the rule of cool and get to understand the sheer, magnificent, overwhelming variety and beauty of our own home a little better.

My cathar don't purr, because biodiversity matters to me.

Footnote: Slightly more sideways thoughts, I guess, but I also kind of find the trend of giving animal-esque species cutesy animal-esque tendencies to be a little rude, and it's something I prefer to write into Imperial xenophobia rather than make fact for alien species. I don't find it especially fun to consider Aric Jorgan getting distracted with a ball of yarn or being placated with a saucer of milk or grooming himself with his tongue, and especially not any implications that the behaviours might be involuntary. I imagine it's a very tiresome, disrespectful gag for human Imperial agents to give a bowl of milk to their cathar colleague, and I imagine a Republic trooper wouldn't dream of insulting their cathar counterpart in the same way.

[willowistic22]

I want yall to consider vet/zoologist crutchie. I’ve always had this idea of him working with animals and the idea suddenly grew and expanded even further when i woke up this morning and decided to turn on nat geo wild. Let me explain.

Crutchie adores animals. The cute, the gross, the peculiar, the dangerous, the docile, you name it. He always had this dream lifestyle where he gets to work closely with animals, whether it’d be in an animal clinic or in a zoo or in conservation/perservation or research in general, and then come home every eveningn to his own place full of his pets.

His first job fresh out of vet school was in fact as a vet. He was hoping for a job in preservation/conservation or at a zoo but seeing that this was his first job, he’ll still take it. And being a vet actually allowed crutchie to handle a variety amount of cases. Most cases are just the regular hose pets or out of states farm, mostly bcs he’s still considered a junior there. But working as a vet was enough to see a lot of cases.

However he still wished to work in preservation. He wants to work with endangered species or rescued animals. And so he went out of his way to look for jobs out of the state in conservation centers. (Idk how that stuff works but you get the gist). Now i firmly stand with the whole crutchie, jack, and race are adopted brothers dynamic. Out of the three of them, crutchie is definitely the brother that would most likely move very far away. But this was out of state. Jack and race were a bit sad that he’s moving away but was supportive of his decision. dw the brothers and the rest of the friends always make time to do life updates through texts or calls.

Imagine their surprise when a couple months in Crutchie’s new job he announced that he was planning on moving to other countries? He’s fairly young when he starts off his conservation career to still be quite active but old enough with experience and knowledge a junior wouldn’t have. He gets recommended by his superiors to work in other conservation centers around the globe. Jack and Race was the most shocked and mostly bcs they’re his brothers. Despite the life updates they give, it’s quite hard to catch Crutchie at the right time to hv a proper catch up conversation. His way of staying connected with all his friends and brothers is by sending random life update texts in their big group chat (basically a big newsies gc) much like what the others have always been doing. Crutchie is too busy to call them himself, and most of the time he is content with not speaking with them for long periods of time. However he always does makes the smallest amount of time to facetime them, especially his brothers. And make time to go back to new york to visit them every once in awhile bearing gifts from where he’s living.

Living like this made him really proud of himsef. Of how far he has come. He was first adopted bcs his biological parents didn’t want a disabled child. Imo in modern era crutchie has a limb reduction on his right leg. It barely formed from just above his knee as a newborn and so his bio parents abandoned him. He was taken in by a couple of foster families first and was only given crutches as they cldn’t afford a prosthetic limb. When Ms Medda adopted him, he was able to get one. He went through a lot of challenges with his prosthetic leg, and even thought he might not be able to get the lifestyle he wanted with it. But when the world turned its back on him, Crutchie gave it a middle finger and fought through. With a job he loves, and experiencing a lifestyle in different countries as he continues with his passion for saving animals. It started from Brazil, then South Africa, then India, then China, then Indonesia, and then Australia. He stayed in Australia the longest though because there were a lot of cool conservation projects he was being recruited on.

All throughout his adventures of being moved around, he acquired two loyal pets he brought along with him. A black labrador with a right front prosthetic leg named Hunter, found limping in the streets of Brazil, and a black blind stray cat named Noir, found in a cat adoption center in China after living there for almost a year (breed unidentifiable other than “black fluffy cat” and Crutchie doesn’t care to find out what her breed is).

He earned his reputation worldwide after being apart of countless of conservation projects in various countries. By around his late thirties early fourties, he moved back to the states. On the outskirts of the state of New York, he settles in a small town near his permanent workplace. A conservation scientists in a wildcat sanctuary where they rescue wild cats (from unethical breeding, bad roadside zoos, disabled by poachers in the wild, the black market, random ppl keeping them as pets, you get tne gist) and let them live freely in their sanctuary till the end of their lives as wild as they want without being put on display, unable to be released to the wild for one reason or another. Crutchie also sometimes comes in to work in a local animal clinic every now and then.

Anyways yeah food for thought on vet/zoologist!crutchie?? Yeah<3

[waywardsalt]

my grievances with botw

Breath of the Wild is... undeniably a fantastic game, but it is very genuinely not the kind of game I like, and since I started playing it I’ve been enjoying it less and less so... I have a pair of problems with it that I’d figure I’d go into, as well as some stuff that, while weak in botw, were executed better in past loz games.

(small shoutout to @zeldanamikaze for encouraging this and having some points that i agree with and had some examples that i hadn’t thought about much initially)

Again, Breath of the Wild is an objectively impressive game, and I’m not trying to sit here and convince you that it’s a bad game. I’m just trying to point out things that detracted from my enjoyment of it, especially compared to my enjoyment of other Zelda games.

Before I get into the big stuff, I’ll just shoot off some quick little things that I think could’ve been improved:

- The dungeons generally felt like glorified shrines, and while they had cool mechanics and ways to access them, they were short and more or less pretty simple and all have similar visual and musical identities.

- Side quests and their rewards didn’t feel worth doing half of the time. I barely remember any notable ones off the top of my head and the longer ones just gave mostly generic rewards, which I suppose makes sense considering the limited amount of truly unique items in botw.

- Seeing the same enemies over and over again made the combat feel more like a chore than something to really engage with, not to mention that there is hardly any difficulty scaling beyond just making the enemies more durable.

- The story is fine, but in my experience, even seeing people go into more detail about the meanings of events, I never really cared for the events or the characters presented, since you don’t actually have to directly interact with any of that to play the game. Hell, you don’t even need to interact with the story at all to beat it, so the focus certainly doesn’t feel like it’s on the story.

- It would be a lie to call the soundtrack bad, but it’s sparse usage makes it hard to truly appreciate and the fact that most of it is meant to be more atmospheric generally makes them a bit less interesting to listen to on their own, though I will admit there are some fantastic tracks in botw, usually being some of the boss themes.

- While the Sheikah slate runes are cool, they feel very bland after a while, especially compared to the varied items seen in previous games. They’re good tools for an open world, but not much fun otherwise (the bombs were good though, since they had a variety of uses).

And that’s the quick stuff- again, mostly courtesy of @zeldanamikaze, since these are the examples I’ve seen her mention.

I have two big points that kind of encapsulate why I dislike this game and still adore the older games, that being: the minigames and the items and their relationships to dungeons.

Breath of the Wild is a very different game than what came past it, and I am very aware that it is a vast departure from those other games for a reason. However, this leads me to view it not only simply as a game not up my alley, but also as kind of inferior in some aspect to those previous Zelda games. Breath of the World is first and foremost an open world game, seemingly putting a focus on gameplay enjoyment above all else (not to imply that the ‘else’ is bad because of this, but I do think that the ‘else’ suffers in comparison to other Zelda titles.)

It may also be worth mentioning that the other Zelda games I have played is the following: LoZ NES, Link’s Awakening (Original and Remake), Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, Phantom Hourlgass, Skyward Sword, A Link Between Worlds, and Triforce Heroes. I have also played both hyrule warriors games as well as loz 2, wind waker, and minish cap, none of the latter 3 i have finished or currently have access to.

1: The Minigames

Minigames are common in Zelda games, so of course botw has a few scattered around it’s world. Botw’s minigames are very different than the minigames seen in past Zelda games, mostly due in part to the limited array of items and unique gameplay gimmicks available in botw. Botw’s minigames usually focus on different forms of archery, gliding, or rune usage: all things integral to normal gameplay. At best you get rupees or cosmetic items from most minigames.

Botw’s minigames are just slightly altered situations of normal gameplay. The bowling is just using stasis except this time the game has a special little arena for it. Pretty much all of the archery games are either just counting how many deer you can kill or if you can just hit some targets on horseback. There’s one race I can think of and one gliding activity I can think of.

This makes sense, considering that there are a handful of other non-minigame activities to engage in, but these minigames feel... hollow. None of the minigames feature gameplay exclusive to those minigames or feature gameplay only used in certain parts of the game. They all make use of readily available mechanics in botw, so they’re like tests of skill- but otherwise not really any worth giving a second-thought unless you want to see how good of a glider or archer you are or grab some extra rupees.

But they aren’t very... worth it or generally fun within the context of botw. It’s just another way to do something that is available to you pretty much all game. They don’t feel unique, they just feel like a task.

Previous Zelda games (obviously) have archery minigames and allow you to use archery when you get the bow and from that point onward. And yet the archery minigames are made unique from the rest of the archery in the game; ocarina of time’s archery minigame is simply just shooting at targets, but the possible rewards and the simple fact that not often are you going to be continuously shooting arrows at enemies make it a bit of a novel experience within oot. The minigames in past zelda games take advantage of the items and area-specific mechanics: they usually include item-exclusive mechanics like bombchu games, or take advantage of more specific mechanics, like the minecarts in skyward sword, the masks in majora’s mask, or being able to control gongoron in phantom hourglass.

They also gave genuine rewards- empty bottles, quest items, ship parts, new masks, heart containers or pieces, kinds of stuff that are hard to get and very valuable. They’re worth doing for reasons outside of just a little activity. The minigames in other Zelda games do really enhance the experience by taking advantage of situational mechanics or giving a unique usage for some items.

You can probably get every item in botw without playing all of the minigames. They have little actual purpose. But in other zelda games, they have a purpose in the greater game and provide novel experiences within the game.

2: Items and their relationships with the dungeons

Obviously, compared to past games, botw’s ‘dungeons’ kind of sucked. They’re fine in a vacuum, with interesting gimmicks and the like, but they’re really little more than glorified shrines with four different-but-similar bosses at the end.

In my opinion, one of reasons why the divine beasts just... fell flat compared to other zelda dungeons is the lack of unique items in general. The runes in botw are cool and useful but you get them at the start of the game and never get anything new. You are give every tool you need to beat all of the dungeons the moment you finish the tutorial.

Older zelda games’ dungeons being tied to their respective items is a big part- to me- of what makes those dungeons so good.

Obviously, the theming, musical themes, and larger layouts and more varied puzzles make them objectively better experiences, but the way they interact with item acquisition makes the whole thing even better. 

Even in a link between worlds, where you can get every item whenever you want from Ravio, each dungeon is still tied to one of those items, and one of those items is needed to successfully complete that dungeon.

The dungeons in past Zelda games are practically complex tutorials on how you can use your new items. They are where those items shine and they are designed so that those items are used to their fullest potential within. And then you must then use that item to defeat that dungeon’s boss, and you usually have no chance of beating that boss if you don’t make use of the dungeon’s associated item. It’s like a final test for the item, seeing if you know how it works enough to complete the dungeon and use it against a boss’s weaknesses.

The most recent example, and probably one of the best, is needing to use the whip to tear off koloktos’ arms in the ancient cistern, but the classic scenario of the bombs for king dodongo works well enough, and the bosses of majora’s mask requiring you to understand how the transformation masks work. There are definitely some bosses that require no use of dungeon items (moldorm in the tower of hera, either ghirahim fights), but the item’s usage is still showcased prominently in their dungeons.

Outside of the dungeons, too, the progressive acquisition of items makes more areas and secrets available to you, giving a much more palpable sense of progression through those games’ worlds.

In botw, you get every tool the moment you are released into the rest of hyrule, so while figuring out what to do with those tools can be fun, the sense of progression is dampened by having every item from the start and nothing you gain beyond that being needed for anything aside from a nice little ability to make things easier.

I’m not really too sure exactly why I never found botw fun the way everyone else does, but I think lackluster minigames and the general lack of items that aid a sense of progression are parts of it.

[malbecmusings]

Juneau, Alaska

July 26 & 27 - A warning that was stressed over and over and over by guides we talked to while planning this trip: DO NOT underestimate the bears. A grizzly has a sense of smell exponentially better than a bloodhound. With the ability of said 1,000lb plus behemoth to hit 40, yes f-o-r-t-y, miles an hour for up to 2 miles nonstop, shit could hit the fan faster than you could imagine. The prep we've done, including for a potential unfriendly wildlife encounter could be a book in itself. We're all carrying bear spray; the boy scout and I are each carrying a different type (potency/volume vs range). Everyone is also carrying chest holsters with big bore handguns, and yes, praying we don't have to use them.

My first thought this morning was one of of gratitude for not having any large, nosey critters come into camp in the middle of the night. My second thought was about how good I felt. We spent for-effin-ever trying out different tens, sleeping bags, and sleeping pads before we found a combo that we liked. Although it was in the 50's we stayed warm and didn't wake up feeling like we had spent the night sleeping on rocks, which is exactly what we had done.

Half our party was already up having coffee around the fire when I unzipped the tent to assess the world. The clouds were pretty low so there wasn't a need to get in a hurry. While everyone primarily responsible for flying is instrument rated, meaning we could get up and call for a clearance to fly into Juneau.... why?

Instead of rushing to get everything packed up, we decided to make a big breakfast and chill while we waited for the weather to lift. There wasn't as much concern about cooking this morning because we'd all be up and *might* be able to see or hear something coming. Our resident chefs went wild and made the biggest, best tasting breakfast burritos and pancakes I've ever had. My contribution to the feast was virgin Bloody Marys which were almost as good as the high test variety.

The ceilings lifted by the time we finished breakfast, got everything cleaned up, and the planes packed. We flew upriver in search of more gravel bars to do touch and go's on. I made two full stop landings in a slight crosswind that even I was proud of. It pays to sleep with know a good CFI.

Juneau holds the distinction of being one of only two state capitols that are wholly inaccessible by an outside road system. In addition to being a government town, it's also tourist central, with a yearly average visitor count of more than a million tourists. That's a lot, especially considering the metro population is barely 36K. But, it is stunning. Turn in any direction and you'll find mountains, the ocean, glaciers, and wildlife within arms reach.

We got lucky and found a VRBO big enough to house all of us rather than staying at a hotel. Bonus points for it being close to the airport. Our host was quick to recommend the Salmon Bake for dinner. Her instructions were to dress warm and go hungry. Imagine a rustic outdoor Cracker Barrel buffet. It was a bit very touristy, but isn't that the point? You can belly up to the bar, chill around a campfire and roast marshmallows, pan for gold, shop for stuff (of course), and enjoy an "Alaskan experience" while feasting on pretty decent food. Two tips: get a table by the creek if you can and get the glazed salmon.

Juneau Part II: We had a chill night and crashed early because we had a fishing charter scheduled this morning. Another cool, beautiful but wet morning. To hopefully minimize the risk of a lung issue flareup, I broke out both the layered cold weather and foul weather gear. It took two boats to haul all of us and the better part of an hour to reach the fishing grounds, which looked an awful lot like ALL the water we passed before reaching that spot. Our guides were amazing though. Between us, we caught a literal boatload of halibut, salmon, and rockfish surrounded by some of the most mind blowing scenery imaginable. The guides are going to process everything except what we saved for dinner and ship it to us when we get home.

We were planning to hike up to Mendenhall Glacier when we got back but pulling all these fish up from the bottom of the damn ocean wore us out. Instead we built a fire in the fire-pit, had a few drinks, and enjoyed a chill night. Tomorrow we head north again for another few nights off the grid. Our first stop will be the town of Cordova where we'll refuel and provision before heading to a Forest Service cabin on Hinchinbrook Island.

[yourfavsinbg3]

YOUR FAVS IN BG3: Link and Zelda from ToTK!

Link, the half-elf folk hero Ranger, and Zelda, the half-elf noble Wizard.

Reasoning and builds under the cut!

These are specifically from Tears of the Kingdom/Breath of the Wild because there is so much variety in the Links and Zeldas of the series as a whole! I've also only played BotW and ToTK so I'm most familiar with these incarnations. I do plan to attempt making other incarnations, but I'd want to get more familiar with those games first before jumping in. (I do know that OoT Zelda would be a monk, for obvious reasons, but beyond that I don't know much.)

Both Link and Zelda are half elves here because I feel that fits the Hylian aesthetic the best.

LINK

First up: why is Link a ranger and not a fighter? I decided on ranger because of their focus on wilderness survival. Plus, they've got the "ranger knight" subclass which implies service to a noble house; in my mind, that fits Link being the Champion of Hyrule and Zelda's chosen protector. Ranger's limited spellcasting ability is also a nice nod to the runes and abilities he's able to use in both Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom.

His background being "folk hero" feels kind of self explanatory; he's one of the most famous warriors in all of Hyrule, even if no one recognizes him when they first meet him.

Link is a wood half elf, for that movement speed buff. Boy's gotta zip around all day, he's gotta be quick about it.

Build

Despite him being a ranger from the start, the best class to describe Link would be the Eldritch Knight fighter subclass. However, having played that subclass, it can feel kind of underwhelming. I believe a Ranger/Fighter multiclass allows for a similar vibe while being more effective in combat.

For level one stats, he has 16 strength, 16 dexterity, 14 constitution, 8 intelligence, 10 wisdom, and 10 charisma (all pictured below).

I've chosen for wisdom to be kind of a dump stat because he's the Hero of Courage, not the Hero of Wisdom. Man's is a little bit stupid and that's okay. Also, in my experience, the most useful ranger spells are either passive buffs (like Hunter's Mark), or damaging spells that rely on your attack roll to hit (like Ensnaring Strike).

Once Link levels up, he'll be taking an immediate level in fighter. It's important to get second wind and action surge as soon as possible, just because of how useful they are in combat. Also, it's a good analog for flurry rushes and going absolutely ham with the apples to heal during combat.

Beyond level 2, there are a couple different paths that make a ranger/fighter build good. These are just what I've personally experimented with, so if you wanna do something else, go nuts!

One is to go three levels ranger and nine levels fighter. This lets you pick up the "Hunter" subclass and the Horde Breaker ability, which is very good. (Honestly all the Hunter's Prey options are great, it really depends on personal preference.) Fighter subclasses are between Battle Master and Champion; either are fantastic, but I've found Battle Master to be a little overwhelming. If you just want to whack stuff, go with Champion. If you're okay with strategy, Battle Master fits with the "lore" of BotW/ToTK Link better.

Another option is to just do one or two levels of ranger, and slam the rest into fighter. If you do a 1 Ranger/11 Fighter split, you get access to 3 attacks per turn, which is very very nice. A 2 Ranger/10 Fighter split is pretty much the same, but this time you get two spells. Whoopie! These builds definitely offer more raw damage, but I personally don't see the point in having this small of a split. It kind of makes Ranger redundant, so I personally wouldn't go this route. If you're hungering for extra attacks, Hyena ears let you make haste potions, but Wizards can cast it as soon as they get access to level 3 spell slots. (The Darkfire Shortbow also lets you cast it on yourself once per long rest. You got options if you wanna get extra attacks and actions!)

The inverse of this (10 Ranger/2 Fighter) gives you access to action surge, second wind, and you get access to much more spells and more interesting class abilities. This is my personal favorite combination, because I'm a filthy ranger defender. Even so, I can recognize it needs the little extra oomph fighter can offer.

ZELDA

Zelda was actually a lot harder to decide on a starting class for. She's definitely a spellcaster, and an argument can be made that she's a divine spellcaster and therefore should be a Knowledge domain cleric. (Also, her holding the Triforce of Wisdom? That's cleric shit if I've ever heard it.) I can also see an argument for her being a sorcerer, as her powers come from being a reincarnation of the Goddess Hylia.

If there was a divine soul sorcerer class in BG3, it'd be that, hands down. However, there's not, so I personally discount sorcerer as an option here. (Would love to see a Zelda build using this in pen and paper, though.)

(ToTK Spoilers in this paragraph) There's also a very convincing argument that it'd be most fitting to make her a dragon soul sorcerer, because gestures at ToTK. However, I don't think it fits beyond that, though the comparison makes me laugh. Figured I'd mention it for that reason alone.

I ended up with Wizard because most of her work, in both ToTk and BoTW, is scholarly in nature. Zelda is most driven by knowledge and her desire to do better by her people, as opposed to devotion to a god.

Build

Zelda's level one stats are 8 strength, 8 dexterity, 12 constitution, 16 intelligence, 16 wisdom, and 14 charisma (as pictured below). Her starting spells are Mage Armor, Shield, Protection from Good and Evil, Sleep, Magic Missile, and Feather Fall. Her cantrips are Mage Hand, Blade Ward, and Friends. As a high half elf, I gave her the Light cantrip as another nod to her divine power manifesting. (All in the picture below, but it might be hard to see.)

In terms of leveling up, I think an argument can be made that a cleric multiclass might not be a bad idea. However, builds like that are Multi Attribute Dependent (MAD), so they can be a bit difficult to level properly to feel effective. I've never personally experimented with it, and have been advised by friends who are better at this game to avoid MAD builds. I just think it'd be neat, which is why I mention it as an option.

Overall, Zelda has a pretty simple level up scheme: level up into Divination Wizard, get her hands on as many scrolls as possible, and keep learning spells till she drops. Wizards are a versatile and powerful class already, so while multiclassing is tempting, I personally avoid it here.

There is, however, a very very compelling argument for getting three levels in sorcerer, subclass of your choice. Using sorcerery points to get more spell slots, quickened spell and twinned spell... All extremely fun things to play around with. Plus, I love Wild Magic dearly. I don't think this multiclass fits Zelda very well, but it's such a good combo that I had to mention it.

[louradelatabay]

A Casual Stroll through My English Major Adventure

Hey language buddies! So, I ended up picking English as my major – it's like joining this cool book club with poems, novels, and wild ideas. Majoring in English is like embarking on a grand literary voyage via a variety of literary works, poetry, and cool ideas. Our ship is powered by our imagination and amazing literary works, such as those by Jane Austen or Shakespeare—true gems! We resemble treasure hunters in the language realm.

Shakespeare: The OG Storyteller

Imagine Shakespeare as the ultimate storyteller from way back when. His plays, like "Romeo and Juliet" and "Hamlet," are like timeless treasures. Picture these stories as epic adventures full of love, tragedy, and unforgettable characters. It's like the OG drama series that people still love today. Shakespeare's words are like a magic spell, making us feel the highs and lows of human emotions.

Jane Austen: The Rom-Com Genius

Now, let's chat about Jane Austen. She's like the queen of romantic comedies back in the day. Her novels, such as "Pride and Prejudice" and "Sense and Sensibility," take us into a world of manners, love, and social class shenanigans. Think of them like juicy soap operas set in the past but with a lot of wit and charm. Austen's words are like a window into a different time, yet her characters deal with relatable stuff, like love troubles and family drama.

Hunting Literary Treasures

So, sailing through the literary seas means discovering these gems. Shakespeare and Austen are more than simply literary figures; they're like old friends who crafted stories that still resonate with us today. It's like having a cool time-traveling buddy who uses words to take us on journeys!

My Go-with-the-Flow Decision

Now, here's the real deal. Why did I pick English? Well, my friends were into it, and honestly, I didn't know exactly what I wanted. I was just going with the flow, with no clear dream or destination in mind. It's like, "Sure, English sounds cool; let's roll with it." The funny thing is that I am the only one who pursues the journey of majoring in English; really, life happens, and the thing I am not confident with is the one for which I am creating a blog right now.

Writing Adventures: Fixing Words with Fun

Our writing game is strong. We fix words to look and sound awesome. Ever heard a grammar joke? It's like a funny detour in our word adventure. Like, why did the comma break up with the period? Because it needed space! Classic word humor.

Why This Journey Matters

Now, why is this whole English major thing cool? It's not just reading; it's a life guide. Characters in these stories teach us cool stuff like courage, love, and friendship. It's like having a wise friend dropping life lessons. Literature serves as a profound mirror reflecting the human experience. It express the depth of emotions, diverse perspectives, and the complexities of life. Essentially, literature is a timeless guide that enriches our understanding of the world and deepens our connection to humanity.

Shoutout to Language Adventure Buddies!

To all my language adventure buddies, let's make our sails big and have a blast! We'll ride creative winds, play with words, and keep this English-major journey super fun. Yay for word adventures!

[piraticoctopus]

Froslass headcanons

Alrighty, here’s a condensed version plus some folklore stuff. (The WIP long version goes into way more detail on certain things because I can't control myself. Hopefully I'll get around to posting it eventually.)

(Sorry about the formatting, but I couldn't get multi-level bullet points to work.)

Solitary-living, mostly nocturnal omnivore with meat as an important part of its diet; Diet shifts to almost fully meat-based during the coldest months; (I like to imagine that “souls”/“life energy” are separate from physical calories; since they can and do also eat actual food)

Tend to inhabit more forested areas, whereas Glalie prefer open habitats; This reduces resource competition between the two

Hunting method: manipulate prey by various means to lure them in, then incapacitate them by draining "life force", body heat, or directly freezing (or some combination)

Employ different tactics based on target, and thus have to be intelligent enough to learn from experience and observation; Some tactics might fall under aggressive mimicry

May alter the terrain to passively direct prey (for example, by making the route of easiest travel lead toward their dens; easiest route is where Froslass wants you to go)

Notable moves learned by level-up: Confuse Ray (since Gen IV), Captivate (from Gen V until its removal from the games in Gen VIII) (note: only works on opposite gender), Draining Kiss (since Gen VI), Will-o-Wisp (since Gen IV) (I just think this one's interesting for an Ice type)

Prey availability varies by proximity to human-inhabited areas; those living closer to humans have more room to be picky (better variety)

Humans (usually) know better than to fall for their tricks, but aren't off the table; Actual documented cases of humans killed by wild Froslass are few, but missing people are often attributed to them anyways

Teeth built for crunching frozen stuff (see wolverines as a real life example); Base Attack and Special Attack are equal, and it has access to Bite, Crunch, and Ice Fang through Snorunt; However, usually rely on Special moves

The way their mouths work means they'd either have to use the middle part of the "mask" like a weird beak, or would have to always bite off to one side or the other

Extra/unfinished food is frozen and kept for later, but will be arranged in an aesthetically pleasing way; They keep durable, non-edible remains to use as decorations

Collect non-food-related items of interest, too, such as rocks or man-made objects

Have an eye for finding beauty in the morbid and grotesque; Understanding of visual balance might make them good at things like flower arranging

Possibly possess some method for detecting thermal energy (heat) (This one is purely speculative and has no basis in canon); Seen in certain snakes and in vampire bats (only mammals to do this!); Physical mechanisms of how it works in animals might align nicely with Ice-type traits (requires heat-sensing organ and surrounding areas to maintain a cooler temperature); The diamond shape on its forehead could function as a heat pit??

Red possibly serves as an attractant of sorts?; Presence of a visually-obvious color is irrelevant if being seen by prey isn’t a bad thing (in fact, if you’re trying to bring prey to you, perhaps it's best if they DO notice you); This possibly conflicts with Snow Cloak? (unless they make themselves completely invisible to hide); Conclusion: 🤷‍♀️

I imagine that they sort of have a “torso”, but that at least the lower half of their body is hollow

Temperament generally calm, level-headed; Introverted but not inherently “shy”

Limited emotional displays and minimal outward expression; Hard to read

Face mostly obscured; Hand over mouth is a common pose, which hides it further

Capable of feeling emotion, just don’t tend to show it (there’s no need to do so if solitary, and doing so may even be detrimental)

Solitary traits impact their social behaviors: Generally bad at communicating, prefer to avoid conflict when possible, likely to stay quiet when upset

Cohabiting with others can be hit-or-miss; Will often simply maintain acquaintance-level relationships with others, apart from select individuals they decide they like; Do best when given time and space for themselves

Value self-sufficiency and tend not to seek help; Relationship with trainer may take some work because of this, especially if not caught as a Snorunt (requires patience)

Froslass would likely consider chilling in the same area as someone else while doing separate activities or just zoning out to be “bonding” (no judgment from me, because same)

Pain in the ass to do field research on, because they’re aware of observers and (like many Ghost-type Pokémon) find amusement in messing with equipment like trail cameras

Wild Froslass do not occur naturally in Hoenn

The not-headcanons-but-other-stuff:

Pokémon as a series is full of chances to explore the dangers of anthropomorphism and I could talk about it for ten years; Pokémon don't have human morals, yet some of them operate at a nearly-human level of intelligence, which is kind of terrifying to think about

Froslass is based on the yuki onna of Japanese folklore (see here for a good overview); It seems to largely be inspired by two varieties that make for an interesting combination: 1) The forest-dwelling, soul-sucking ones from Aomori/Niigata/Miyagi Prefectures, and 2) the version first written by Lafcadio Hearn [x], (this is the yuki onna story, and is the one where the yuki onna marries a human man)

Specific Pokédex entries seem to draw from other varieties, as well

If the Pokédex is taken at face value, Froslass is out here selectively hunting down physically attractive human men to take them home and eat their souls; This is exactly the image the devs have been going for this entire time, and no one can convince me otherwise

If the “Traces of a Lost Village” quest in Legends: Arceus is taken as true (and there’s no reason to believe otherwise), it implies that Froslass (or at least the one in question) is not only capable of physically disguising itself as human, but also imitating human speech and behaviors convincingly enough to pull off said disguise for years; I have seen no one talk about this particular detail despite all of the things it could do with such abilities, and it’s driving me crazy

To make that clear: the game devs of Legends: Arceus looked at Froslass, which has been stated more than once to prey on/victimize human men in some way (including in said game), and gave it the ability to convincingly disguise itself as a human woman; Combine this with the previous point about the Pokédex and Froslass is now an even more dangerous catfisher than it arguably already had the potential to be

[saintguard]

I had some big ol' hyperfixation this weekend that actually got me to write some stuff (and lose some sleep, because apparently the best time to have ideas is in the middle of the night).

This kinda midnight revelation-style of creativity has happened before, when I ended up writing a whole fan rewrite of the Legend of Korra at 3am on my phone. It's kinda wild and remarkably coherent, but I'll leave that for some other time.

This weekend's hyperfixation that I'm going to focus on came out of two places:

Some worldbuilding I'd done on a stream back in August 2022 using some of the campaign/worldbuilding guidelines from Beam Saber by Austin Ramsey (it's a wonderful game, highly recommend it). I'd created two settings in it, one of which was a manufactured war between megacorporations taglined as "Imagine if the Tour de France/Formula 1 was mech battles". The other, which is actually important for this, takes place in an unnamed region on an unnamed planet with an overall cold climate, currently split between three factions who are all trying to get their hands on some old (and sealed) super-technology. The region has the incredibly unlucky distinction of being the place with heaviest indication of said super-tech, so these three offworld factions rushed in to try finding the tech first, sovereignty and the concerns of the millions of people living there be damned.

I've been trying to get myself back into drawing lately, and I had the idea for a scene that turned into a short (at this point just sketched out) comic. It goes something like this: Pilot: "Again, why are we doing this?" Handler: "To keep us going another day, Mai." Pilot, watching a battle unfold in front of them from their obscured position: "...right."

My brain turned out to be very fond of this idea, to the point where I started thinking of scenes and characters for a whole comic. I ended up with a page of notes on my phone and another page on a doc on my computer. I'm fairly pleased with that, after being so creatively burnt out this year.

Here are some highlights from those notes:

I've come up with eight characters, but only two of them are named: Mai-Lin, aka Mai, a local mech pilot and our protagonist, and Kestrel, a Vraskan mech pilot who might be a lab experiment (the Vraskan State is one of the offworld factions, a military dictatorship ala Starship Troopers).

That comic I was sketching out would actually function at the beginning of the comic, with Mai and her squad third-partying a fight between the Vraskans and the UFL (different faction, a stratified democracy).

The cold climate means lots of cold weather clothing, including greatcoats for the Vraskans and a whole variety for the UFL. Not too decided on what the local fashion is yet.

One of the main throughlines would be Mai and Kestrel continuing to encounter each other, with Mai trying to break Kestrel's programming. They kiss at some point. Is it a good idea? Who knows!

I wrote not one, but two separate flashbacks for Kestrel. I'm really starting to understand the writer thing of "I love this character! I'm going to have absolutely terrible things happen to them."

Outlines of a few other scenes, with the highlight being just before a diplomatic summit. Kestrel's CO, a violent, domineering sort in a violent, domineering society, is accompanying a Vraskan diplomat who's also a military officer. The CO makes a comment about how much of a waste of time this whole summit is, to which the diplomat shows their full displeasure, culminating with “Your rank may be higher, but I outrank you. Are we understood?”

I love all of this, with one caveat - I don't know if I can deliver on my own promise. I can see in my mind's eye what all this stuff should look like, but I'm not sure if I could put pencil to paper and actually make it happen. Still, it's nice to gush about it, especially after all this time of feeling creatively empty.

[new-employeeamillion]

Year Four: A Lookback

I hope you’re all slipping into safe, warm and cheerful holiday environments. It’s a time of year to gather and rejoice, no matter who you are or how you do it. I’ve got a family reunion coming up in January, so I’ll be happy with myself if I get the Shrek review and a SpongeComs out by the end of the year. But enough about the future, here’s where I think back on Year Four.

Overall, I’m very proud of the videos I put out this year. Looking back on my early SpongeBob rankings and first year of series reviews, I get a little nauseous. The music’s too loud, the screencaps vary from good to potato, and I’m not a clever clog about certain things. I’m keeping them up and I see no point in remaking them, but I hope people watching my stuff in order will hit Year Two, and see it’s a big improvement in every area.

Other than just making the reviews better, I hope every year I’m on YouTube, I do something to make my content more distinct and enjoyable. In Year Three, I created my channel logo, and in Year Five, I’m going to start reviewing movie franchises more regularly. Yes, the Shrek video will be Review 59. But there’s a lot of little things that happened throughout Year Four that I hope have paved the way for a brighter future as EmployeeAMillion, and for my Employee-keteers.

Editing

Starting with the Foster’s review, I switched from iMovie to VN as my primary editing software. iMovie is so mindnumbingly basic that I had to use Cute CUT and Videoleap as secondary editing softwares just for effects. The “Where in the World” swooping shot in my Wild Thornberrys review is impossible to achieve in iMovie by itself, but it’s possible in Cute CUT, and it’s incredibly easy in VN. I’m amazed at how much they let you use for free. Dozens of transition options, animation for photos and videos alike, blending varieties that rival Medibang Paint (which I use for photo edits instead of Photoshop, get bent Adobe). If you’re interested in video production and only have an iPad, VN is my only recommendation.

The only crippling issue I’ve noticed is that the storage capacity is very low on free, but that’s how they get you to pay for it. As for the gigabytes of content I should be backing up, I just delete them from the photo album after a while and pray to the highest heavens that someone in the Netherlands is saving my videos. If my channel gets deleted in 5 minutes……at least I’ll have the experience and resources to start over successfully.

Scheduling

During Years 2 and 3, I used a roulette wheel to pick the next show on my agenda in a linear order, starting with Dexter’s Lab. Before then, I’d just review whatever I wanted. But now I’m more cautious about overdoing a certain network or time period. For instance, in Year 3, I covered 3 NickToons in a row across 4 videos (Avatar, modern FOP and Hey Arnold!). If someone subbed to me for Cartoon Network content, I bet they must’ve felt ignored, so for Year Four, I put together a more organised agenda. I planned the year out in advance with:

-3 NickToon reivews

-3 Cartoon Network reviews

-3 Disney TVA reviews

-3 miscellanious reviews (FOX, Hub, Warner Bros., etc)

-plus the mandatory stuff, Pokémon, ponies and a retro oddity

-all with corresponding dedicated roulette wheels

Additionally, I reviewed the Nick, CN, Disney and misc stuff in a row, before moving onto the next row (in a different order based on when I finish the show, but I bet I’m boring you now.)

The point is, for Year Five, I’m avoiding a potential problem I had this year, focusing too hard on the 2000s, by splitting the rows into decades. My first NickToon and Disney reviews next year (Rugrats and Quack Pack), are for shows that premiered in the 1990s. While Billy & Mandy as we know it premiered in 2001, it’s a big part of the Cartoon Cartoons brand associated with the 90s. And hey, the pilot premiered as a sneak peak on December 27th 1999, so you could ever-so-technically consider it a 90s cartoon. But I digress.

I’ll move through the decades as the year goes on, but I’m excited to get to the 2010s, as it’s not one I’ve visited on the channel very often outside of MLP:FiM, and some the decade’s earlier shows are old enough to be getting nostalgic for animation fans. I don’t know what I’ll cover yet, but it likely won’t be the big ones like Adventure Time and Gravity Falls. I’m more interested in bringing attention to the more niche stuff with smaller fan circles for this decade.

Saturation

In the past, my channel has had a mix of formats and subseries. Year Two was full of a VS series I called “The Show Down”, mainly made to fill the void left after PieGuy and Monsters Review’s “RE-Cast” ended. But I think there’s a reason both these shows have only lasted 2 years. My big Fantastic Voyage lookback was one of the most successful videos on the channel this year, being the 2nd-most viewed behind Dan Vs. The following Show Down is still resting in triple digit viewership. So I ended the series with the Star Wars Show Down, the 21st episode, and conveniently screened it on my 21st birthday. If I’m going to do multi-episode reviews, I’m no longer going to use the Show Down branding, I’m always going to cover more than two, and I won’t make pitting them against each other the emphasis. The C.A.K.E.D. review is a good example of how episode reviews of that variety will look going forward.

But I know what you’re going to ask- What about the Clone video?

I’m still planning on releasing it in Summer, but it’s run into some scripting problems. I’ve watched episodes and written up my final drafts on them, only to scrap them completely. I can’t cover every clone episode in the world, I’m limiting myself to 50. But choosing those 50 is the tricky part. I want to cover as many shows as I can as respectfully as I can this time, but also want to balance them out with instances [clone episode of weird forgotten French show from 1994] to keep the video informative. I like that I introduced a lot of people to Microcops last time, and always hope that my reviews can create new fans of something. So top priority for the clone episode is finding random, obscure shows, which is taking longer than I hoped.

I’m reminded of when Caddicarus used to have at least 5 other recurring series at a time, and completely understand why he retired all of them due to burnout. He slowly got better at his main show after that, and since reinventing its format, he’s been my favourite YouTuber. Of all time. It’s a valuable lesson to focus on quality, and making the kind of series you’re proudest of, that I’ve taken to heart.

The Employment Line

I’m out of education. After 3 years of studying to be a 3D animator (which is where my new 3D logo came from), I’ve grown disillusioned with the currently emotionally draining 3D animation industry, down here and abroad. I didn’t like having dozens of hours of work go to waste for retakes, I didn’t like having lecturers come in to tell us we won’t have families, and I certainly didn’t like hearing about the abuse professional VFX artists on blockbuster movies have gone through in recent years. I’m happy to have met friendly people at university who were accommodating to my needs, but I needed to get out of dodge before I spend the rest of my life in a digital sweatshop.

I may never be an animator, and I’d be surprised if I ever got hired to write for an animated show, but I’m still making money doing what I love. I’ve monetised my channel and put a few ads on my two most recent videos. So far, there are no mid-roll ads, and I never plan to add any. YouTube currently pays in peanuts, but I’m working a part time café job to make some money on the side. Next year, I hope to start working at the café full time.

I hardly share much about my personal life, but I thought you ought to know why there’s a higher chance of seeing ads on my newer videos than my older ones. I don’t do YouTube for a living, but I want it to be worth something.

TL:DR

VN rocks, I’ve improved my release order, slightly streamlined the content, and put the least annoying ads I could on the newest videos. This is the 4th day of Christmas, right? Well, if your true love is loaded and sends you the same things as every year, remember to give those calling birds a good home again.

[southvape]

Exploring Airlove Vape: A Flavorful Journey into the World of Vaping

Vaping has transformed how individuals use tobacco-containing substances, as it has become an alternative that is not only modern but also technologically oriented to the stuff. There are a variety of vapes but remain incomparable to other vaping products. In their size, performance, and variety of pleasing tastes, the Airlove Vape is particularly sleek, exceptional, and more than anyone else has ever offered. Regardless of whether one is a beginner or an experienced vaper, Airlove Vape's introducing different flavors guarantees and ensures that there will always be something that satisfies someone and better yet they will always keep on looking forward to the interesting experience.

What is Airlove Vape?

Airlove Vape isn't simply a device for vaporizers, it's a statement of class and effortless usage. Aimed at users who want to enjoy vaping without any difficulties, Airlove offers a small and portable product that can easily fit in one’s pocket. Not forgetting performance Airlove comes with a device that is well designed and has power that lasts for a long time, for users who care about how the device looks but don’t want to compromise on the aesthetics.

Airlove Vape not only boasts of an elegant appearance but also is famous for its ability to produce vapor consistently bringing the users the full flavor experience in every puff. It is the best choice for anyone who wants to switch smoking for vaping without noticeable changes or just looking for a high-quality vaping device.

The Unique Appeal of Airlove Vape Flavors

The flavor offerings are undoubtedly one of the biggest highlights of the Airlove Vape. For a great number of vape users, flavor options are as important, if not more so, than the device itself. Airlove is aware of this fact, which is why they created a variety of flavors that appeal to different preferences. From blends with hints of fruit to more classy, heavier tastes, Airlove Vape flavors are bound to suit many different tastes.

Fruity Favorites

Airlove stands out owing to the wide range of fruity flavors it can provide that are both animated and revitalizing. One can simply inhale a cloud of tropical fruits and picture relaxing on a beach somewhere tropical. Be it berry blends, citrus blasts, or tropical fruit fusion of mango and pineapple, Airlove Vape flavors cater to the taste of every fruit lover. While many users appreciate these flavors, some go further to mention that the flavors do not taste synthetic or sugary. Rather, Airlove struck the right proportions that all fruit flavors have the true representation which enhances the pleasure of using a cigarette.

Dessert-Inspired Delights

For more than simply fruity tastes, Airlove Vape flavors are perfect for someone who loves desserts. These flavors mimic all the desserts you love, without the calories! If you are a fan of desserts, whether it is the smooth vanilla custard or the taste of a hot out-of-the-oven pastry, Airlove’s dessert flavors allow your sweet tooth to run wild, without carrying too much guilt with it. No pun intended; the sweetness of these flavors that are inspired by desserts enhances the whole feeling of vaping. Each dragging of smoke does not feel tense, as if waiting for the end of the day, but rather has a pleasant aftertaste like a dessert. Whether it be a simple vanilla or a more interesting turtle cheesecake, these flavors will appeal to any person who wishes to enjoy the warm coziness in the form of vapor.

Menthol and Mint Options

For those seeking a more airy or refreshed feeling, Airlove has menthol and mint-driven lines. These flavors also appeal to those who like taking clean, crisp hits that don't fail to leave a fresh feeling in the mouth. The coolness experienced, together with a touch of minty goodness is refreshing and can be enjoyed at any time. A good number of Airlove Vape smokers who are ex-menthol cigarette smokers have been able to settle into vaping comfortably with these minty flavors as they are very pleasant and familiar. For the others, it is just a welcome respite from the thicker, heavier taste profiles available in the market.

The Benefits of Airlove Vape

Apart from its various flavor selections, Airlove Vape provides several other important benefits that easily make it one of the best-sellers in the market for vapors. First of all, one of the main benefits is the ease of use. The gadget is compact and can easily be carried in a person’s pocket or a bag making it easy to take with you wherever you go. Now, whether you are going out with friends, doing some chores, or just chilling at home, Airlove’s small structure allows you to always enjoy the best vaping experience wherever you are.

The ease of use in its design is yet another feature that stands out. Airlove, unlike many vaping devices on the market that are a bit more tedious in terms of setting up or maintaining, has been designed with ease of use at the very top. Refilling and recharging is easy and users do not have to spend long periods kitting up because of the device but instead enjoy the flavors and the experience.

For a beginner, using Airlove is very straightforward and you can start vaping in no time. Consistency in flavor is another advantage. There is never a worse feeling than a vaping device that has extremely varying flavors, but with Airlove, there is a rich, deep-tasting puff with every draw from the device. This even further guarantees that the vaping experience will be as enjoyable when using a dessert-flavored option in contrast to one of the fruity blends of which one has a favorite.

Why Users Love Airlove Vape

Airlove Vape has impressively built a fan base in a very short period owing to performance, design, and variety of flavors among other factors. The users in particular love the battery life since it is long enough for them not to worry about charging it every day. The smooth draw with no resistance is another feature that stands out, providing simple yet enjoyable vaping even for the most beginner users.

Flavors are often at the forefront of Airlove’s commitment to developing superior-quality vape flavors. The users praise the taste claiming that they love fruity flavors or dessert or menthol options the taste always comes through. Moreover, many people also like the fact that Airlove flavors do not have a nasty aftertaste allowing a more pleasant and long-lasting session.

Considering the smokers who are looking for ways to quit smoking traditional cigarettes and switch to vaping, the Airlove Vape is a perfect choice. Its high performance and the capacity to produce a constant flavor work towards enhancing smoking satisfaction, yet in this case, there is no tar and combustion.

The Airlove Experience

In the indeed busy marketplace, Airlove Vape emerges as a superior brand for users looking for tasty, easy, and convenient vapes. Airlove uses its wide selection of flavors, and its manufacture favorite is stable and even performance, hence this brand can be used by both professional users and beginner vapers.

 If you’re a tropical fruity lover, an admirer of desserts, or chilled cool menthol- Airlove appeals to everyone. There are different types of exotic vapes or Airlove Vapes you can find and you won’t be only choosing a device, You are also going to tobacco-free habits that are more enjoyable, pleasing, and comfortable and completely designed for the modern-day user.

[blackmythgame]

Classic Action with Dynamic Combat in Black Myth: Wukong

Black Myth: Wukong is set in a mythological China, kinda inspired by Journey to the West. Instead of playing as Wukong himself, you’re stepping into the shoes of his successor. If you’re interested in similar adventures, you might want to check out where to buy Xbox games that offer a comparable experience. You control a young, mute monkey years after the OG Wukong’s reign. You’ll be on a wild quest to track down Wukong’s relics and fix up the world that’s gone totally off the rails. Think mad leaders and power struggles everywhere. Helping these areas is just a side effect of following in Wukong’s footsteps. The story’s kinda lit, with some familiar faces from the lore, but the way it’s told can be a bit messy. Sometimes you’ll find our monkey hero ending up in random places without much explanation—whether it’s popping out of a chest, waking up with arrows in you, or teleporting through ancient statues. The narrative doesn’t always flow smoothly and feels like some pieces are missing. Combat is probably the weakest link in Black Myth: Wukong, but it’s not awful since the whole package is pretty well put together. You’re rocking a staff, which you can upgrade to focus on critical hits or defense, but it’s still just one weapon with limited variety. It’s got some Souls-like vibes, but it’s more of a classic action game. You won’t be managing attributes; instead, you’ll earn skill points to level up your abilities. These include mystical arts, martial arts, and transformations. Combat’s where things get interesting—while you’ll mostly be mashing the light attack button to fill up your Focus meter for a big hit, the unique abilities you unlock keep things fresh and engaging.

Exploring the Vast World of Black Myth Wukong: Hidden Clues and Epic Secrets

So, even though we’re comparing Black Myth: Wukong to Souls games, it’s actually way easier than you’d think. We only hit a few bosses that gave us major trouble, needing five or more tries, while most encounters were a breeze with just one or two attempts. If you want to experience this challenge yourself, be sure to buy PS5 games to enjoy the full experience. Enemies do get tougher as you go, and there are classic traps that can toss you off cliffs, but usually, you’re only dealing with one or two enemies at a time. The difficulty’s pretty chill—learning enemy patterns is fun and you don’t get wrecked too hard. You can die from a few hits, but bouncing back is usually easy. Black Myth: Wukong doesn’t do the whole hand-holding thing. There’s no quest journal telling you exactly where to go or what you’ve picked up. You’ll need to figure out the progression yourself. NPCs drop hints or clues about where to head next, but since the game world is huge, you might easily forget if it’s on the other side of the map. You’ll find tons of secrets and the lack of a guided journal just makes the whole adventure more epic.

A Must-Play for Fans of Chinese Mythology: Master Staff Moves and Customizable Combat

Black Myth: Wukong totally blew us away. It had a ton of hype from the start, but Game Science really knocked it out of the park. This game is a visual feast that brings ancient China and its mythology to life like never before. The story might be a bit hazy, but its creative vibes will definitely keep you hooked. The world and quest design are next-level, with each area packed with stuff to explore, keeping the game fresh all the way through. Combat might get a bit repetitive despite all the cool abilities and skills you can unlock, but the boss fights are super satisfying and make you think hard about your strategy. Black Myth: Wukong is an epic, immersive experience that’s a must-play for fans of Chinese mythology. On top of mastering different staff moves, you can mix and match spells, abilities, weapons, and gear to find the perfect combo that fits your playstyle.

[inkykeiji]

can you explain the learning curve differences between genshin and hsr 🥹🥹🥹 i’m not much of a gamer but im so intrigued by the art and stories and fics ive read (LMAO) that i’m really curious. but my gaming experiences r super limited to stuff like stardew and breath of the wild so idk if it’d be worth it :/ i tend to like straightforward combat rather than stuff that makes u have to memorize stats and strategies 😖😖

hmm i can try!!! i’m really not much of a gamer myself aside from these two, stardew + the sims HAHAHA so take all of this with a grain of salt!! <3

in my humble opinion, i’d say honkai star rail is easier. it’s turn-based combat, which to me gets boring and tedious after a while, but i don’t feel like it really requires you to memorize stats and strategies aside from which characters will work well together based on their abilities (ie some characters heal, some characters support, some characters are used to cause the most damage/brute strength, etc) since each only has like,,, three moves and all you have to do is press a button to get them to do that.

what does make it a little more complex are like, the relics, traces, and eidolons (aka artifacts, talents, and constellations in genshin). relics/artifacts are basically just items you can equip on your characters for extra buffs (more hp, more def, more damage etc etc i am not going to go into all of it because it is a LOT lmao. like there are ‘sets’ of relics/artifacts (4 items in total) and within those sets there are a ton of different versions of each of the four items,,, idk how else to explain it other than that HAHA). you find these items in a variety of different places, including what are essentially dungeons (called domains, usually). traces/talents are skill trees, more or less. and eidolons/constellations you will only be able to unlock if you pull multiple of the same character.

the other thing i can praise hsr on is it’s writing. the story hasn’t fully captured me yet (tho i think this is generally just a personal preference thing and not something that has to do with the writing itself) but the writing throughout the game so far (i only just finished the first planet) is tighter and more cohesive with more causality than genshin’s story, which flounders and becomes especially awful during inazuma, but gets much better during sumeru. also, genshin is an open world game whereas hsr is not, so the maps are much smaller and it’s easier to navigate around the areas.

i’ve never played breath of the wild, though i have heard many times that genshin was hugely inspired by it, so if you rly enjoyed that game then i think there’s a fair chance you’ll enjoy genshin as well! genshin’s combat is more fun to me, but it also requires more thought (people get REALLY into building their teams and their characters), because certain elements (there are seven: hydro, cryo, electro, dendro, pyro, anemo, geo) will interact in different ways with each other to deal more damage or create certain effects. each character has different skills and attacks, and you can fluidly switch between your party/team members during a fight.

genshin’s combat is real-time action based rpg type combat, and each character has a specific weapon they can use (there are five types of weapons but a huge variety of weapons within each category, so figuring out which weapon works best with which character (for example, which bow works best with childe aside from his signature weapon, which you can only get from the gacha system) is important). both have enemies that are weak to specific things, though i feel like hsr tells you much easier what those things are than genshin does lmao.

hsr does not have weapons, but they do have these things called light cones, which basically act as a buff for the weapon + base stats each character comes with.

honestly, both games have a ton of content + daily/weekly missions and dungeons, so both are overwhelming when you start, but if you want something a little easier, hsr is probably the way to go! you also obv have to level up and ascend your characters + weapons/light cones, but the games will tell you where you can find the ascension materials if you just click on the item itself.

WAAAAH SO MUCH ehehe sorry for all of the asides in brackets, it is a lot!!! but i hope this helps at least a lil and isn’t too confusing! if you do decide to play, each game has about a billion guides online that can be of great help if you need them! the gacha systems and grinding can be a total pain, but you can still have fun even without constantly pulling for characters n weapons (i have like;;; four 5 star characters in genshin and for a LONG time i was only using one, so!).