#but theres other super cool settings available!!!!

[arolesbianism]

The sadness and agony that emerges everytime I start a new oni save and am forced to remember what it's like to have a dupe without a hat only to put them in a hat because I think they'd look cute only to remember hats make half of them look bald but I spent this long maxing out a skill for them so Im too stubborn to back down and remove the hat

[seuonji]

彡 a different feeling — chwe vernon

notes ๑ x fem reader, fluff, college setting, long fic, friends to lovers, cursing, vernon is sooo oblivious (and unserious), vernon loves yn so much. they are so teenager here and they’re still figuring out how everything works. lowk dramatic.

2k words

「big thanks to my bestie who proofread this but also we both were in the middle of a food coma so there still might be some mistakes<3 」

—songs depicts how the characters feel at the moment.

first part + currently playing - your face by wisp

๑ 'i want to feel, only when im with you."

the door of your class finally opened after what felt like an eternity. "yo," vernon who had been waiting for you says as he puts his arm around your shoulders.

"hey," you responded still not making eye contact with him, you were busy queueing songs to play during your travel. once you were done you gave him your other earphone and leaned on him slightly, "thanks for waiting by the way." "always," he smiles at you softly.

as you walked with vernon and looked around your school you noticed the stares you got from certain vernon fangirls. you knew it was kinda unfair for you to keep clinging onto your best friend like this, but something gives you a bad feeling in your stomach when you think of seeing vernon with another person. of course if ever he got with another person you’d stop, but for now, he was yours to keep.

"i think the girls in my class like your cool-guy-stance, they couldn’t take their eyes off you seeing you outside the window," you teased, he was always there waiting for you as long as you guys didn't have a conflict in schedule, he would always be able to get you from class and commute with you to your home. it's been like that since you guys got close in the beginning of college and found out you guys live near each other.

"im flattered," is all vernon had to say. you softly chuckled at his emotionless face. you moved on from the topic and talked about anything interesting that happened that day.

second part + currently playing - by your side by flatsound

๑ 'but i don't want to say goodbye, because it’s safer when i'm by your side.’

you guys got on your train and you sat on the only available seat. you gave up offering the seat to vernon, he would never take it. he stood in front of you and held the bar at the top to keep balance as you continued on with your story about a girl you dislike.

"and then, when i walked into the room kel said "hi yn!" and she hugged me!?" you expressed your disgust with your tone. "isn't kel the girl that talked shit about you?" vernon asked, super intrigued with your gossip. "EXACTLY- hey vern you missed your stop," you noticed when you took a looked at the train route. "huh- no i didn't?"

"you're going to seungkwan's place no?" seungkwan was vernon’s best friend from highschool. "i'm bringing you home first tho?" he mimicked your tone and rhymed. you laughed slightly and played with the hem of his jacket, "you don't have to bring me all the time.”

you lied. you preferred it when he stayed. train rides were more bearable with him.

he gently held your wrists in his hands and fiddled with the charms of the bracelet he gave you, “i’m not doing this cause i have to, i’m doing this because i want to.”

he was telling the truth. he loved being around you more than anyone else. that isn’t to say he didn’t want to meet his friends it’s just, a few more minutes with you, if he can take it, he will.

you grinned and leaned your head on his arm. he looked down and patted your head with his free hand. you don’t know why but something in you screamed that you wanted something more than this.

something felt different.

third part + currently playing - theres this girl by sign crushes motorist

๑ 'theres this girl, i hope she knows, how much she means to me.'

vernon got the key to seungkwan’s apartment that kwan gave him after realising vernon practically lives there. also one time vernon had to pee really bad and he was just outside the door knocking profusely— but seungkwan was wearing earphones and couldn’t hear him. but generally it could just be convenient and good for emergencies!

he quickly opened the door and threw his stuff on the floor along with his shoes.

“KWAN,” vernon stands infront of his friend that’s sitting in his living room, head rested on his hands like he was in a midlife crisis (he was). seungkwan slowly lifts his head revealing his bloodshot eyes with the glare that screamed don’t mess with me. vernon calmed down and pushed his suffering friends bangs away to touch his forehead, “you good bro?” “fuck college.” “true that.”

“hey vern,” seungkwan's roommate jeonghan walked in from the hall. they’ve been livng together since college started. "hey.”

“i'm taking a break and what’s up with you? you seem tense,” seungkwan got up from the floor and walked to the kitchen.

“i think i want to confess to yn," vernon stood in the center of the house like a lost cat.

both seungkwan and jeonghan froze. two people that hear at least 5 stories about yn per day. is it actually happening? is their otp actually getting together?

"excuse me?" seungkwan furrowed his eyebrows. "woahhh," jeonghan still stood in the hallway like the standing emoji. "who slipped up first?" he added.

"no one slipped up? i don't even think yn sees me that way."

"you oblivious gremlin- you two are closer than some married couples i know." seungkwan hissed. "that's just how we've always been." seungkwan slammed his hands on the dining table that was separating him from throwing hands at his blunt friend. jeonghan picked up the conversation as he hung his arm on the youngest's shoulder, "okay, why do you want to confess?"

"i can't really see myself being with anyone else."

"that's a good reason."

"i think i only have eyes for her." "okay this is getting cheesy," seungkwan cuts him off.

"but what if yn isn't interested and then our friendship becomes weird and then i have to live a life without her," vernon lays on the couch out of frustration.

"vernon, you and yn already act like a couple what makes you think a label changes anything," jeonghan stated while seungkwan nodded in agreement and took a sip from his glass while his free hand was on his hip. he was serving wine aunt.

jeonghan leaned against the wall and watched the helpless boy sulk, "i'm only gonna tell you this once, you'll never actually get together unless you try. and it's better to try. before you know it, she might be taken away by another guy, yknow?"

"yea," vernon replied defeatedly.

"you guys are close enough for you to try and it would be crazy for her to not have caught feelings, especially with the way she reciprocates your actions." he continued.

“kinda true.”

“unless she’s only close with you to make her crush jealous," seungkwan sips again as both stared at him, jeonghan with a hateful gaze and vernon with a, 'i thought you were on my side' look.

jeonghan instantly got up and ruffed up seungkwan's already messy hair and they bickered about why kwan would even say that. but anyways, regardless of what these two said, it all depended on vernon to make his move.

+ currently playing - ur so pretty by wasia project

๑ 'i'm so scared that the moments we shared won't happen again, i don't want this to end."

the typical routine of you clinging onto vernon happened again the next day. your arm was wrapped around his left arm, his right hand held your phone and it was his turn to queue the music today. you were expressing your joy with slightly jumping and tugging his arm over knowing that tomorrow would be the weekend but vernon was thinking about how you two might not be doing this anymore by tomorrow.

as you calmed down there was a silence but vernon broke it, “yknow you’re never going to get a boyfriend if you keep doing this.”

your heart sunk to your stomach, ‘where is this coming from?’ you thought but you maintained your composure and muttered, “i know.”

vernon looked at you, “you don’t want one?”

“i do.”

as you said that, vernon felt the world fall from behind him. could you be talking about the crush seungkwan made up— vernon was practically losing hair and sleep over a sentence he heard yesterday. having a crush on his best friend was one thing. realising he might have been inconsiderate to you was another. he knew how physically affectionate he is with you but he never bothered to ask you, was there someone else in your life that you wanted to share these experiences with. actually that was more or less a question he didn’t want the answer to.

at this point you both stopped walking and the air was heavy. your voice reached his ears but he didn’t know if it felt as sweet as before, “vern?” you stood in front of him reaching for his arm.

eventually he couldn’t bottle his feelings anymore.

he cupped your hands and spoke, “yn i really like you, like since we got close— since i met you probably so if you like someone else just tell me i can handle it,” he can’t handle it, but this was the right thing to do, right?

it was so silent you could hear the breeze.

vernon continued “i don’t want to hold you back, i want you to be with the person you like—“

+ still playing - ur so pretty by wasia project

๑ 'so hold me, don’t leave me.’

you launched yourself onto him and hugged him.

vernon couldn’t tell why you did that. was it out of pity? a friendly hug?— you guys hug all the time but why did this feel different from the one last week? in the end, he couldn’t find it in him to care if there was a motive or something of that sort. he just wanted you. in that moment all he could do was absorb it. he closed his eyes and caressed you in his arms.

“vernon?”

“yea?”

“i like you too. you idiot.”

vernon stood there dumbstruck. ‘no way,’ he mouthed.

he would’ve called you out for pranking him if it wasn’t for your overly sentimental voice that pierced his heart.

there was a long pause before he responded, “you sure?”

you slightly parted from the hug to face him, “fuck you mean ‘you sure’? does it really look like i’m looking at other people?” you sandwiched his face in between your hands. his arms were still around your waist and he laughed at your reaction, “sorry, sorry.”

you beamed at his gentleness and he got so lost in your eyes. “do you want to date me?” he said breathily. you jumped back into the hug, “of course!?”

—

‘there’s no way that worked,’ vernon thought. you two continued your walk to the train, while holding hands! but also vernon’s legs felt like jelly from the shock. he was walking so slow you thought you were going to miss your train.

fortunately you both got onto the train and got to your usual position. you got on your phone with one hand to reply to any messages you had while the other was holding vernon’s.

vernon was also on his phone and he couldn’t fully pay attention to you, “sorry, give me a second i need to tweet this to seungkwan and jeonghan.” you snickered at his seriousness and way of phrasing.

———

vern, kwan & han

vern: i did it

kwan: you burnt something down?

vern: i’m dating yn

han: WOAHHHH 👏

han: i told you!

kwan: don’t get too happy, this could be another one of his dating yn dreams. did you just wake up?

vern: *attachment of you two holding hands*

———

he instantly got a phone call from the two and it ended within mere seconds. you could still hear someone talking on the other line but vernon hung up.

“seungkwan and jeonghan invited you to dinner tomorrow.”

“are they your parents or something.”

“more or less.”

it was a calm train ride until you realised something. “why did you keep talking about me liking someone earlier?”

vernon sighed, “fucking seungkwan.”

[kiruliom]

hihi reddit's mogai peeps, welcome to mogaiblr, here's a (not so) small guide by your host Vivian to help you grow accustomed to this place.

press the read more/keep reading thingy to continue, dont worry, it dont bite!

general tumblr etiquette

tag your stuff, they wont be seen otherwise.

do not crosstag (tag a group youre complaining about), or tag unrelated stuff

reblog, reblog, reblog! if you see a post that interests you, reblog! this is super important as there is no algorithm and all the like button does is basically save the post for later

tag triggering things!! [thing] tw or [thing] cw should suffice, dont tag every possible version of a trigger, you only have 30 tag slots, it's the reader's responsibility to block all possible tags as theres no limit on blocked tags. I suggest trigger tagging after the 20th tag as tags after the 20th one dont show up on search (stupid I know) but still gets blocked okay

get a profile photo as soon as possible, this site has a massive bot problem and if youre thought to be one you will be blocked without hesitation

if youre on pc, I highly recommend you get xkit, its a browser extension that helps a lot with your tumblr experience

these are the basics, these have been talked about over and over with twitter refugees as well so I wont drabble on them too much

mogaiblr etiquette

1: keep in mind the intersectionality

the mogai tumblr community has a lot of overlap with other communities, namely the disabled community, nonhuman community and plural community. respect them, and listen to them, for they are your allies. you will see the overlapping community get referred to as "LIOM" a lot (like in my username), it stands for labels, identities and other minorities and is meant to be an all encompassing umbrella.

2: make your posts accessible

as I just said, theres a lot of disabled people in this community, so its important to make your posts as accessible as possible. I will talk more on this later

3: dont be afraid to ask individual blogs

there is no subreddit posting system, and if you just post a general question you likely wont get any answers, if you get seen at all, so dont shy away from asking individual blogs about stuff, if their asks are open, it means they WANT you to talk with them and ask them stuff, so never view it as bothering them. the askbox doesnt always say "asks" and similar stuff though due to being customizable, so just know its the little button to the left of the follow button.

4: check pinned posts

pinned posts are posts that are pinned on top of a persons blog, when you open someones blog, theyll be the first post to be seen upon scrolling down. a lot of people use these to introduce themselves, set boundaries, give request rules, talk about availability, etc. so its important to read these through whenever possible.

more on accessibility

1: image descriptions!!!

its basically where you describe the image, as the name suggests, tumblr has an alt. text function for it but it doesnt always work so little [boxes like this] right under the image is ideal for most, yes it makes it look less pretty, but is your aesthetic worth more than someone whos visually impaired not being able to understand the post? trust me no one cares if your posts are pretty or not. anyway, the ideal way to know how to describe an image is pretend youre explaining it out loud to someone across from you, who cant look at your screen for whatever reason.

2: plain text!

yes, tumblr has a lot of cool text features (like bold or italic, or even colored [PT: like bold, italic, or even colored. end PT]) but this is, again, unfortunately inaccessible, due to tumblr being a broken website it often doesnt register formatted text for screenreaders, plus it can be hard to navigate for people with disabilities even without a visual disability. this goes for fancy text and symbols as well (like stars emoticons or a cursive text font). so you have two options, offer a plain text alternative or dont format text at all. offering plain text can be done in the same way as image IDs (theres even an example above).

3: eyestrain

bright colors are awesome, trust me, Id know, but not everyone can view them properly without a migraine or even worse, a seizure. so its important to tag your posts with eyestrain if you decide to make a brightly colored flag, or even better, do your best to make the flag accessible instead, with slightly duller colors with more (or less depending on the flag) contrast. it doesnt make your flag as ugly as youd think, trust me ^^

4: availability cant do one or more of the things mentioned above for any reasons? dont fret! theres blogs out there that can help you, most of them do this out on their own accord.

currently the most active ones are @plaintextpro , @accessmogai and @transflorall (my blog hehe), who specialize in plain text, image descriptions and eyestrain-help respectively

thats about it that I can think of!!! thank you for reading, and if theres anything you'd like to add, dont be afraid to!

[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

[leclerced]

what are ur fav games?

oh baby i have a lot to say, im sorry. ive been gaming my whole life so theres a lot. i know i’m forgetting some, but here we go. im adding a read more because it accidentally got kinda long bc i nerded out

im a whore for godd howard sorry i mean todd howard games, just games developed by bethesda really. top two of all time are skyrim and oblivion from the elder scrolls franchise, they are impeccable games. oblivion has the strong nostalgia factor, it’s definitely outdated graphically but i love the way it looks. its like a dreamland to me. i’ve been playing skyrim since release, i have bought it on just about every console, multiple times. well worth the money in my opinion. both have incredible story telling, world building, characters, gameplay is pretty simple. i could go on forever. it is the only game ive ever played that i have always wanted to pick up and play again immediately after, i have hundreds to thousands of hours on it. oblivion is just in the hundreds, but still a lot.

the other games by todd howard are incredible too. i love new vegas and fall out 3 and have played those a few times each, but didn’t play much of 4 but i need to tbh. post apocalyptic isn’t generally my style but these games fascinate me and have since i was a kid.

starfield is my latest obsession and i put it down after one playthrough to give myself a rest so i could come back to it and enjoy it fully! its an incredible game that fucks your mind up, beautiful graphics and lovely characters that feel incredibly lifelike and weirdly like real people to me. love everything about it.

onto other games ! i play a lot of fortnite with friends it’s just simple and easy, fun. not a lot to it other than that but ive been playing for 5 years so i feel like if i don’t call it a fav im doing it a disservice.

portal and portal 2 are my favorite puzzle type games, also a mind fuck but very very very enjoyable. super satisfying to beat. have been playing since childhood. was playing portal 2 last night and its still just as fun as it was 10 yeas ago

star wars jedi survivor and fallen order were beautiful, i’m not a star wars fan or a souls like fan generally speaking but i had a ton of fun. it was challenging at some points but its really satisfying beating the bosses they throw at you.

i played it once but it takes two is a super fun two player game that made me cry.

little big planet, little big planet 2, and sackboy (skipping 3 and karting bc i didn’t play much) are all super super fun!!! i think lbp and lbp2 may only be available on ps3 so you may not be able to play those, but sackboy is on ps4 and ps5! lbp and lbp2 are games i grew up playing and love so so much but i can’t explain them tbh. just fun.

cyberpunk is another super fun one, ive only played it once but i tried to 100% it and gave up. im gonna go back to it and start a new game soon though because there’s multiple endings and i need to see the secret one.

the borderlands games are good and kinda brain melty. cool stories, incredible art style, great characters, there’s a lot to the game i can’t begin to describe. it’s food if you like to focus/fixate on something because there’s a ton of grinding and enemies respawn after leaving areas and returning. there’s different characters to choose from and perks to create different skill builds, theres an entire community that has created builds you can follow and guides to farm the best loot, so if that’s your thing i recommend it!

love playing assetto corsa and pretending i am a formula one driver. i wanna get a sim racing set up but they r expensive.

[shantnusingh]

Unleashing the Best: HyperX QuadCast — Your Ultimate Professional Microphone

For capturing audio, streaming video, and creating videos, a top-notch microphone is essential. Professional HyperX QuadCast produces clean audio and pleases the audience. Continue reading if youd like to get this fantastic microphone to enhance your audio!

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The Best HyperX QuadCast microphone is readily available from local and online retailers of electronic and audio gear. To ensure it is genuine and of high quality, it is recommended to purchase it from HyperXs web page or from authorized merchants. Well-known websites sell it, and theyll bring it right to your door.

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Source: https://timesofrising.com/unleashing-the-best-hyperx-quadcast-your-ultimate-professional-microphone/

[battlinghurricanes]

LITYERSES HEADCANONS!!!!!!!

I saw some other headcanon posts for him, so I felt inspired to throw my own ideas out there! I think some of my headcanons are pretty different from the ones a lot of people have of him, but I always like reading other people’s ideas so hopefully people will like this too!

(also theres a lot, this is long *cough* my bad)

- After the incident in The Lost Hero, after Midas dies, Lityerses is homeless. His father’s mansion is destroyed and it’s not like he has anyone to turn to.

- They mention in The Lost Hero that the Hunters of Artemis came across Midas and Lityerses earlier. When they did, Lityerses heard in passing about Camp Half-Blood. It’s the only place meant for demigods that he has even the slightest knowledge on, so he sets his sights on making it there.

- It takes eight grim months to reach New York. It’s half a miracle, slowly taking busses, hitchhiking, and sometimes just walking to the next city. Monsters attack him the entire way and he adds plenty of new scars to his collection.

- There’s no reliable way for him to get money. He gets much, much better at using his powers as a son of Demeter. He uses it to grow fruits, vegetables, and any sort of edible plant so he can at least have food of some kind.

- He goes to New York City because he doesn’t know what else to do. He doesn’t even know if the Hunters were talking about the city or the state but he figures he has to start somewhere. Unfortunately, the Triumvirate notices his presence before anyone from Camp Half-Blood does.

- He follows some demigods to Nero, who sent them to collect him. He offers a position working for the Triumvirate in exchange for food, lodging, and other basic support. Lityerses is tired and he wants to sleep in a bed and have proper meals he doesn’t have to worry about acquiring.

- He accepts, not caring if what the Triumvirate is doing is shitty or not. Nero sends him to Indianapolis to work for Commodus.

- Apollo’s decision to give him another chance was very affecting. Especially coming from ancient times when the stories of the gods on earth were far more real and immediate, he knows very well how the gods could treat mortals as simply disposable.

- He had never questioned his belief that any mortal who got wrapped up in business with a god suffered a horrible fate because of it, whether the god intended it or not.

- But then Apollo saved his life and defended him at the Waystation and told him he trusted him and Lityerses’s mind keeps drifting back to him over and over and over.

- His mind wants to reconcile what Apollo did for him with what he knows about the gods. He can’t, and that makes him feel a great many things that he can’t pin down. Apollo decided to care about him when he had no reason to, and he doesn’t know what that means for him.

- He feels a twinge of gratitude whenever he steps into the sunlight and pulse of anxiety whenever he wonders if he’s okay on his quest.

- He thinks about Meg, his little sister, and hopes they’re keeping each other safe.

- Lityerses can occasionally seem really dull, indifferent, or unresponsive because he gives super minimal reactions to things sometimes, but that’s really not the case.

- Being in the modern world for him is sort of like a slight, but near constant sensory overload. Sometimes, his brain is too busy processing other stuff to fully load up an emotional response. He’ll react to something in his mind but he won’t express it outwardly at all.

- Leo, running up: Wanna help me strap a firework to a crossbow bolt and try to shoot it into the office building across the street to see if it’ll blow up in there?!!!!!     Lityerses, with a completely flat voice and blank expression: I think that’s a very bad idea.

- It’s definitely not all the time, but it does happen.

- (Me? Projecting sensory issues onto every character I like? It’s more likely than you think.)

- He has a very “go with the flow” attitude, to the point of being a character flaw sometimes. It can make him easy to manipulate.

- (Commodus: hey lityerses go put this barbed wire and war helmets and metal teeth on these ostriches     Liyerses, in his head: uhuh uhuh uhuh uhuh yeah cool got it i hope i still have some fingers left tomorrow)

- He’s working on it though. He’s working on it.

- One side effect of this is that whenever Leo makes some pop culture or meme reference, Lityerses will just nod and agree. It takes Leo forever to realise that he was just lying going along with it.

- *mid conversation*  Lityerses: I’d go get some food, but I don’t have any money     Leo: dude, you’re literally just the 69 cents vine, not enough for chicken nuggets     Lityerses: oh, for sure     Calypso, overhearing: wait, you understood that??     Lityerses: no, I’ve never understood a single word that’s left leo’s mouth       Leo: what?!!!! but you said you understood my reference to that dril tweet the other day, right?!      Lityerses: yeah, of course      Calypso: what’s a dril tweet??      Lityerses: I don’t know.       Leo: YOU TRAITOR

- Another side effect: he’s a complete pushover for Georgie.

- At one point, when some of the Waystation crew are walking out in the city, she complains that she’s tired and wants to be carried. When her moms gently refuse, she immediately goes over to Lityerses and holds her arms out and says that she’s tired. He doesn’t even stop walking, he just swoops her up and puts her on his shoulder right away.

- Hemithia and Jo glare at him but he just avoids eye contact. “She’s already up there, too much effort to put her down now.”

- He was in the Fields of Punishment in the Underworld and wow was it incredibly traumatizing.

- His memories of death are sickeningly agonizing, but they also usually feel distant and unreal. Sometimes, though, they’ll worm their way into his dreams with horrific clarity. He’ll wake up in a cold sweat, hyperventilating, with full body tremors he can’t control.

- One morning after waking up like that, while sitting on the floor regaining his composure, Hemithea comes in to see why he wasn’t up yet. He pulls himself together in due time. He doesn’t answer any of her questions.

- He never talks about it, but he’s truly terrified of dying. He never was before, but now that he knows what’s waiting for him...

- It doesn’t help that he knows that, no matter how careful he is or how well he defends himself, he could die at any moment if Thanatos decides to bring him back to the Underworld.

- It weighs on the back of his mind that, at least on a technical level, he has no right to be alive. Sometimes he can’t help but think that the things he does now don’t matter in the end, because there’s no reason he would get a second judgement when he does eventually return to the Underworld.

- He does his best to shut that down and remind himself that trying to do the right thing helps the people around him, no matter what happens after his death, but the thought exists and it is painful.

- He really never voices these fears because he feels like all he can really do is try not to think about it, and when he does, he tries to forget as soon as he can. It’s a burden he shoulders as quietly as he can.

- He isn’t used to owning a lot of material possessions, both from how he lived in ancient times and then from being homeless for a while. He’s only ever described wearing that Cornhuskers shirt because it’s the only one he owned for a while.

- Not long after joining the Waystation, the first time he was going out somewhere them, Jo snapped that it just made him look stupid, trying to look tough by going without a coat when it was so cold outside. Earnestly confused and defensive, he tells her that he just doesn’t own one.

- After that, she insists on filling his wardrobe until he has enough clothes.

- (Speaking of the Cornhuskers shirt, he just picked it out on a whim, sort of thinking of Demeter (They grow corn here like we used to grow wheat, right?) and sort of just thinking it looked cool. Olujime once tried to talk to him about how some college teams were doing and Lityerses just goes “What’s football?”)

- He doesn’t really get modern fashion trends. Leo offers to catch him up, but he declines very quickly.

- In ancient times, dyes and patterns available for clothes were much more limited and much more expensive. He’s fascinated by all the colors and prints people can wear just all the time now. Lityerses wears a lot of bright colors because he thinks they’re cool and fun. He likes red, blue, and purple the most but he’ll wear a lot of stuff.

- Along with not really following any trends, he also hasn’t picked up on a lot of unspoken gender connotations that come with modern clothing.

- When the Waystation are first trying to get him some clothes, he picks out a pink jacket and Leo snorts at him like “You’re going for pink?” Lityerses just stares at him like “Yeah. It’s just pink.” Leo sort of realizes and goes, “Oh, it’s just, you know...” to Calypso. But Calypso is also just staring blankly and says, “No I don’t. I don’t get it. Is there something about pink?” And Leo notices Hemithea glaring daggers at him and he laughs nervously and goes, “Nevermind, it was a stupid joke anyway.”

- Hemithia: Leave the ancient demigod and ex-titan blissfully unaware of our complex, modern gender stereotypes.    Leo, sweating: gotcha.

- He pretty much just wears what he finds comfortable. Generally it’s just t-shirts with jeans or basketball shorts.

- Lityerses is a super clingy sleeper and will reflexively grab on to anything within arms reach while he’s asleep. (He’s a big spoon by nature.)

- Leo discovers this and now, whenever Lityerses falls asleep on one of the couches, he’ll entertain himself by slowly pushing a pillow up to him until he inevitably grabs it and pulls it against his chest.

- No one gets those pillows back until Lityerses wakes up.

- He’s very buff. His muscles aren’t super defined, nothing at all like a bodybuilder, no six pack abs or anything. But he’s built. Thick arms.

- He’s very limber and flexible too. He has great balance, which lets him move as fast as he does in combat. He’s quite physically fit in general.

- He’ll never admit it, but he ended up getting attached to the highlights in his hair he got when Apollo revealed his godly form. He thought they were fun and different and he sort of missed it when his hair grew out.

[pachimation]

hiya, I really love your art, and how you make your latest stuff look really vintage and aged, it’s really super cool and I was wondering if you’d be willing to share your process for that?? thank you so much and I hope you have a wonderful day!!! :D

aww thanks so much! and of course i can share my process, no prob!! ^^

i’ll be using this piece as an example, and uh, for the context of it u might have to look on twitter lol. but whatever

it’ll be a bit long so everything is under the cut

(this is just based on my process, and i know its weird and csp specific.

feel free to pick and choose pieces from my process!)

and also the programs i used were procreate and csp and i have a mac. u could probably do this with other set ups, but this tutorial might not be super helpful near the end

i usually make my lineart in procreate and import it into csp as a .psd file

for this, in procreate, select the file you want to export and click PSD and then I airdrop it to my mac.

i think the only thing about the lineart i have tips on is to keep it toothy/gritty if that makes sense?

i use the 6B pencil in procreate with a bunch of tweaks to the pressure sensitivity and opacity/size change.

but anything with a good size jitter should do the job!

in csp i shade and color the piece.

picking out the colors is a whole other mess

feel free to ask about it but ill skip for now ;v;

flat colors

csp has a lot of nice halftone options!

group up ur lineart and everything thats black rn in a folder and above them set a clipping layer to add

fill it with a color lighter than black; the less pure blacks and white u have on a piece the better

feel free to go to town w the grunge or noise texture of ur choosing! the grittier the better bc during this step i try to get the feel of worn off ink. just make sure the linearts still visible, though. u went through all the trouble to make it after all! ^^

(i have specific brushes but again thats something else u can ask me about)

above all the layers, make a multiply layer and do something similar.

same advice as above

this is ur “paper” texture, tho, so try to keep it more even in tone so things don’t get too messy

(but if it works for u, feel free to do it! find what works is my advice!)

ok time for some super csp-specific steps (sorry to non-csp users)

the csp asset store/website(?) has a lot of nice textures and brushes available.

look through it if u haven't

it will make ur life so much easier

theres a really nice tileable watercolor texture set there

(this one specifically)

(it also had some really good paper texture bc whoever made this is a godsend)

i slap that over the color layer, set it to clipping, and mess with the blending modes

its usually a tossup between soft light, overlay, multiply, and the overlay texture effect tho

theres another optional step of using the overlay texture effect on a paper texture

i didn’t do it on this example sorry :’(

i think i used another watercolor texture set to soft light on this piece?

after that, if u want, i like setting a noise texture at a v low opacity over everything for extra jitter

(i use this one. u can just make it in csp and probably any other drawing software but im lazy lmao)

save it as a png/jpg/etc.

and ur done!

i do some extra stuff to the final image like scale everything down and add a bit of a 3D effect for a bit of extra kick

(but again thats a bit complex and specific so feel free to ask but ill keep it short

for your sanity’s sake)

(and once again, the final image! ta-da!)

some tips to keep in mind i guess

jitter, grit and noise textures are very good things when u want something to look rough

avoid pure blacks and whites; most paper isn’t printed pure black or white and it only gets more faded and colored with time

if ur super lost, look at reference!! theres a lot of good artists and media out there to get inspiration from, and looking at scans of actual old comics is a nice way to see if ur work looks aged

(also u don’t have to use old comics as reference; i like looking at old vcr footage for reference bc of the texture!! :D)

that’s all i have for my general process

uhh for specifics feel free to ask

i can make more tutorials but this one is a general overview, i just didn’t to take up too much of ur time….

but i really hope it helped! and im very sorry if it didn’t 

i’ve never made a tutorial so im sorry if it didn’t answer ur question and also im sorry if this one’s not very useful

thank you for reading!!!

and thank you to whoever asked! :D

[toomanyfandoms02]

The Photographer // Matthew Gray Gubler x Reader

So I made a one-shot based off of the picture down here!

Word count ~ 3.1k

Summary - y/n is a celebrity photographer, and Matthew's birthday is coming up. This calls for a birthday shoot.

Ever since I was in sixth grade, I dreamed of being a photographer. But back then, I was just taking candid pictures of my cat (Peanut Butter), and random flowers that my mom had graciously planted for me. I really never planned on taking nice, professional pictures of people.

But here I was.

I went to 'California College of Arts' in San Francisco for 4 years. After that, I had a bit of trouble getting myself out there. I had a decent following on my instagram. People liked the pictures of my dog, and the pictures of nature that I took on my many travels. But likes and follows don't get you money, at least not enough. So I switched my focus onto more interesting things.

Advertising yourself as a photographer wasn't an easy task. You had to be ruthless, and be willing to get rejected and not back down. So I did what any semi-sane person would do.

I messaged over 50 celebrities asking of they wanted to do a shoot with me. I sent them my prices, and what kinds of shoots I was willing to do. I didn't have much hope for it, but it was worth a try.

And that's where it began.

Out of all of the messages, Andrew Lincoln, AKA Rick from The Walking Dead messaged me back.

*Hello Miss y/l/n! I've actually seen quite a few of your nature shots and I have always wondered how your photos would turn out with people. I would love to be your Guinea Pig.*

He sent me days he was available and I did his shoot. After posting his pictures, my popularity shot from there.

That was a few years ago, I was now taking photos for multiple celebrities. I was ultimately known for my black and white shoots. I had, in fact, just gotten done with a shoot of A.J. Cook. She had requested *me* to take her pictures for an up and coming article that was being written about her. I, of course, gratefully said yes, being a huge fan of hers, along with the whole Criminal Minds cast.

I emailed her all of the pictures I had taken, edited and all, while simultaneously posting them on my instagram.

It was mere hours later before a notification popped up on my phone of an email that I could not believe. Theres no way that he was emailing me, right?

*You have an Email from Matthew Gray Gubler*

*Hi there! I saw your shoot on AJ's instagram and my birthday is coming up. My manager wants me to do a birthday shoot, and we both like your black and white style. I know it's not usually the kind of thing you, birthdays, do but I figured it was worth a shot, and I think you have some real talent. Let me know when you are free next. I am on a break so my schedule is relatively flexible.*

I could safely say that it was a good thing that I lived alone because I don't think I have ever screamed louder into a pillow. Matthew has been one of my favorite celebrities for the longest time. If we were going to be completely honest, once I started watching Criminal Minds, I immediately had a crush on him. This wasn't exactly the profession to be in if you were going to have a celebrity crush. I was often invited to red carpets and movie premiers, so I met quite a few stars. I never thought I would have to worry about slipping up on my professionalism.

Because I never thought I would even meet him.

My obvious answer to his request was yes. I would never *ever* miss an opportunity to have a photoshoot with someone so inspiring and meaningful to me. So I started writing an email back.

*Hi Matthew!*

Should I address him like that? Is that unprofessional?

*Hi Mr. Gubler*

Abso-fucking-lutely not.

*Hi Matthew!* We are gonna stick with that. *I don't know if this is too short of a notice, but I actually have a free spot tomorrow. (Of course if that doesn't work for you, I can figure something out for later, and try to fit it in before your birthday). I have a few ideas for props that I can send you? Let me know how I can help.*

I sent it and ran my hands through my hair, tossing my phone back onto my comforter. I had taken pictures of so many awesome celebrities:

• Selena Gomez

• Robert Downey Jr.

• Dylan O'Brien

• Grant Gustin

• Holland Roden

• Danai Gurira

But this was by far the coolest one, in my mind at least.

While waiting a little to anxiously for a reply, I decided I was going to make myself some lunch, Ramen. I set my phone on the counter as I boiled my noodles, peering over at the blank screen every few seconds (but really they felt like **minutes**).

Just as I was adding the flavour packet to the bowl my phone buzzed. I jumped slightly, spilling part of the packet out of the bowl.

"Damnit." I quickly wiped the salt into the trash can and snatched my phone, seeing another email.

*Tomorrow is actually perfect, and I would love to hear your recommendations on props, clothes, anything really. I'm going to leave my number on this email so we can have easier contact of that's okay with you.*

Wow, alright. I will now have Matthew Gray Gublers number in my phone. I made a contact for him.

**It's y/n, soooo for props. I figured I could bake you a cake! I took a few baking electives in college so I could make a really nice one and we can do something with it. I recommend you bring clothes you like to wear that are black and white. (Other colors work too, but it just looks and flows better if it's black and white). I will set the rest of the stuff up. I will be ready for you by 1 pm if that's okay.**

*You would bake me a cake?! That would be super cool thank you! I would love that. I will bring a few black and white outfits. Would it be weird if I brought a black and white Kimono?*

A chance to see Matthew in a kimono? Please yes.

**Oh my gosh please do. I would love to take pictures of you in an infamous kimono of yours.**

*Awesome! I will see you tomorrow at 1. Heres my managers info for you to sell the billing to.*

He attatched his managers email. I just sat at my kitchens island, smiling like a true dork at my phone.

**And here is my address, I run the studio at my house. What is your favorite cake and icing by the way? :)**

Was a smiley face unprofessional?

I need to chill out.

*Vanilla cake and chocolate frosting possibly? I will eat anything though probably. :)*

Now I was really smiling at my phone like a psycho idiot.

**Alrighty, see you tomorrow**

Since I didn't want to wake up too early tomorrow, I decided I was going to start the cake tonight. I had quite a few recipes held in my cabinets. I located my vanilla cake recipe and put my pre-made chocolate frosting on the counter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After about an hour of preparing, making a cake from scratch, and putting it in the oven. The cake was finally done and cooled. I added black cocoa to the frosting to make it completely black and got out my white gel.

*You made it 3 decades :)*

Was scrawled in calligraphy on the top of the cylindrical cake. I added white drips down the sides and white multi shaped sprinkles to the bottom part.

I set it in my fridge and got ready for bed. I know it's going to be hard to sleep just thinking about tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My alarm woke me up at 10 am, never before this had I woke up with a smile on my face before 12.

I took a quick shower and dressed in a white and blue floral romper with my hair in a high ponytail. Now it was time to set up backgrounds for the shoot.

I had two stations downstairs where I took all my photos. I set the first one up very normal with a white background and a rustic black stool. The second one was set up with another white background but littered with black streamers and big *30* black and white speckled balloons strung at the top.

Once I was done with all that. It was nearing 1. I slipped the cake out of the fridge and slid it onto my island. I glanced up at the clock above my stove.

*12:49*

Since I just had a little bit of time, I went a put some simple makeup on. I usually don't wear makeup when taking pictures of people, but for obvious reasons, I was making an exception.

Just as I was leaving my bathroom I heard a knock at my door. I walked swiftly to my door and opened it shakily.

"Hi!" He held up the clothes that were hung lazily over his arm. He smiled that million dollar smile and I could have sworn he looked me up and down.

Wishful thinking I guess.

"Welcome!" I stepped out of the doorway, silently inviting him in. "If you wanna set your stuff down, those stairs to the right lead you down the the studio."

"Thanks." He scurried down the stairs as I grabbed the cake and followed him down. I set it on a table that I had down there, he peered over at it and immediately burst into fits of laughter.

"I knew you had a sense of humor, so why put something normal and boring on the cake." I laughed with him as he tried to catch his breath.

"This is so perfect." He laughed a little more. "Thank you, so much." I shrugged with a smile. I posed him in front of the streamers with the cake.

He made some silly faces and smiled like there was no tomorrow. Next I brought him to the more plain station, sitting him on the stool. I looked through the lenses of the camera and glared a bit.

"Hey can you put your left leg up on the second peg of the stool?" I asked, pointing to his leg.

"This one?" He put it on the third. I shook my head. "This one?" He moved it down the the fourth. He was smiling a sly smile, seemingly challenging me.

"Let me do it for you." I had to pose people often, but posing him was going to be a little harder for me, considering I found him painfully attractive.

I moved his leg up to the second one and patted it.

"Now leave it there, so I don't have to help you again." I giggled, walking back to my camera. Taking a picture of him leaning forward on the stool and smiling. I then made him laugh and got a good genuine one of him leaning back and laughing. After all that, I proposed that we eat some cake and took a break.

I cut him a slice and handed it to him with a smile.

"So, tell me about yourself." He said, eating a bite of his cake.

"Well, I have always enjoyed photography. I love all types of art, so I also draw and paint often. And I have a black cat upstairs. His name is-" and I stopped, blood rushing to my cheeks. He is most certainly going to ask me the name, and I do not want to tell him.

He stared at me expectantly. "What is his name?" He motioned me to go on.

"Uh," I laughed a little awkwardly, setting my hands in my lap and staring at them. "His name is Spencer. As in Spencer Reid..." I glanced up at him and saw a huge grin break out on his face.

"So you like Criminal Minds? I never would have guessed. You just don't seem the type."

"Well all my memorabilia is in my room, just so people don't think I'm weird for having quite a few framed and signed posters." I smiled up at him, pushing around the remaining cake crumbs on my plate.

"One, That's not weird, that's awesome. Two, can I please meet Spencer and take pictures with him in my kimono."

I don't think I have ever heard a better sentence in my entire life.

"Yes, absolutely! I'll go get him." I clunked up the stairs on my search to find Spencer. I went to his usual spot first, my bed. Luckily he was sitting there, licking his outstretched foot. "Hi baby! You are about to take pictures with the guy you are named after. He almost as cute as you!" I grabbed him from the bed an headed back downstairs. I walked in with the accidental impeccable timing to see Matthew in his barely tied kimono, showing off his chest. My eyes widened a bit and he tied it off fully.

"Is this the famous Spencer?! He is so cute!" He reached his arms out at Spencer. My little fluff ball curled up into him instantly, cuddling into his silky kimono.

We took many many pictures of Spencer and Matthew together. I think maybe my cat likes him more than he likes me now.

"Okay, last idea. How about we just take some more up close pictures of me feeding you some cake?" It came put as a question because I didn't know how comfortable he would be with it.

"Perfect!" I cut another slice of the cake and brought it over to him. We were both sitting on the floor.

"This might be a little awkward, okay?" I giggled as I leaned back to get his whole face in the shot. This proved to be very difficult as I was using my left hand to take the picture. I fed him the cake with the right as he looked at the camera with a more seductive look. I could have melted into the floor.

I decided to switch hands so I could take the photos better, but now my very uncoordinated hand was the one picking up the cake. As I went down to get another section of the cake for another angle of feeding this sculpture of a man, I instead dipped my thumb right into the deep black frosting.

"Shit, I'm so sorry hold on." As I went to stand up and grab a napkin to wipe my thumb off, Matthew grabbed my wrist lightly.

"Hold on, uh, I have an idea, before you do anything." I sat down with a confused look. "I saw someone do this in another shoot. But we totally don't have to do it. I just thought it would be a different idea." His words were more rushed than usual.

"I'm sure I've done weirder things for other shoots, don't worry. It's *your* shoot." I reassured him, though my head was swimming wondering what he was going to do.

"Ok. So. What I'm going to do is put your thumb in my mouth, and I'm basically gonna, uh, suck on it while kinda smiling?" He could barely get through the whole thing without laughing.

"Alright, weird request but I like it!" I giggled for what seemed like the 30th time today. "And to make you feel better, yes, I have done weirder."

"Thank God."

"So I am guessing you want me to do something like this with the rest of my hand, ya know, the part that's not in your mouth." I stated as I placed my hand on his cheek. He let a slow breath out, staring into my eyes.

"Yeah, exactly."

"Okay." I said with a shrug, grabbing my camera from the ground. He opened his mouth with an all too familiar wide grin as I placed my thumb in. His mouth closed around it and he smiled, just a little. I brought my camera to my face, capturing the moment that I would have forever in my mind and in a small frame on my bedroom wall, for sure.

I slipped my thumb from his mouth and watched as his face turned extremely red. To save him embarrassment, I immediately stood up and grabbed a napkin to wipe the rest of the frosting off.

"Can I see it?" He motioned to the camera. I nodded, sitting down right beside him, showing him the picture. It showed off a closer look at the rose tattoos I had near my wrists and the shiny watch that was gifted to me by my mom. "It turned out good! I really hope I didn't make you uncomfortable."

"Oh no! Of course not. Total opposite." As soon as I said that I regretted it.

"So that made you extremely comfortable?" A sly smile was making it's way onto his face.

"That's, that's not- You know what? Sure, yes." I chuckled. "You don't really make me uncomfortable at all to be honest. So no, you didn't make me uncomfortable."

"Well I'm glad." He smiled and we sat in silence for a moment.

"Well I guess that's it yeah?" He nodded. "Well this was fun. Thanks for being an excellent subject to take pictures of."

He gathered his stuff as we went back upstairs. Once at the door, Spencer came up to him, rubbing on his leg. He bent over to pet him.

"So, I'm not sure if you are single or not." I could feel the blood draining from my face. Was this really happening right now? "But I wanted to know if you wanted to go on a date?"

Yes, this was happening right now.

"Really?" I could tell I sounded extremely excited, but at this point, I didn't even care.

"Yeah, you are super laid back, funny, talented, and you aren't scared away by how weird I am." He laughed, "So yes?"

"I would absolutely love to."

"Great. I'll text you." He winked and waved as he closed the door, leaving.

My back went against the door. I couldn't keep in the squeal so I just embraced it and squealed my heart out, doing a little dance.

Which was quickly ended when I heard a knock at the door.

"I'm sorry, I want to get to know you better immediately." He let out a nervous chuckle. "Are you free for the rest of the day?" I was sure that my face was red as a tomato.

"Yes I am." He grabbed my hand, dragging me outside.

"Then let's go."

[severelynerdysheep]

i used to support you but i really dont think its cool what you said to that person talking about the cost of vegan alternatives. i live in a really small town and its really tricky to avoid all animal products. theres not much variety in the stores and some plant based products do cost a lot (which im fortunate enough to afford). i liked the idea of doing as much as you can to not support animal exploitation, but i feel like i keep seeing you insult people when we dont know their situation :/

That person was a troll who's been creeping on my vegan related posts (and others) for a while with BS like inviting me to “suck” their “nuts” alongside a comment about chicken flesh. They also literally just said in the last reply that they don't consume animal flesh and rarely consume other “animal products”, which means that their next argument that they have to rely on “animal products” because vegan alternatives (like plant-based meats which they cannot consume the animal flesh version of because they just said they don't do that) are too expensive cannot also be true. Because the two arguments are directly at odds with each other so both can not be true. So they were lying. An9d I’m not just going to sit and smile and be super polite when someone blatantly makes up shit about such a serious issue of injustice.

And to be honest I’m not sure what you're talking about with the“ I keep seeing you insult people when we don't know their situation” I don't remember ever insulting anyone who didn't set that tone by insulting me first. I mirror the tone of others, I don't just go around insulting folks who aren't acting in bad faith. But if you are acting in bad faith (while being insulting yourself) about such a serious issue then yeah, I might get a bit testy. 

Also, what I said about the cost of plant-based diets is absolutely true. While not everyone can have access to a fully plant-based diet as a vegan (Being minor with parents, being homeless and relying on foodbanks which often aren't vegan-friendly etc.) And that's absolutely understandable and should never be judged. It is absolutely true that a plant-based diet is still the cheapest worldwide with the staple “vegan alternatives” being things like oats, beans, lentils, pasta, nut butter etc. Like the only “vegan alternatives” which tend to be more expensive are things like branded plant-based meats (though cheaper/same priced own brand ones are available) plant-based ice cream, plant-based cheeses etc. All of which are extras and completely unnecessary. And I’m not going to pretend otherwise to appease others. 

If you don't like that, then feel free to unfollow me. But I’m going to keep speaking the truth regardless of what others feel about that. 

[izukult]

This is such a cute idea! I’m addicted to making weirdly specific Spotify playlists so this is perfect. I have an ✨eclectic✨ music taste but my favorites are usually bedroom pop (mxmtoon, chloe moriondo, khai dreams, etc), romantic classical (think Debussy and Revel), and indie (although I like some Megan Thee Stallion, AC/DC, Nirvana, etc when I’m hyping myself up). As far as my personality goes, I’m pretty insightful and like to support people whenever I can, even if I don’t know them well. I can be a little chaotic sometimes, but I like to think it’s a chaotic good. I love tea, blankets, philosophy, deep conversations, the outdoors, and writing. I’m also an INFP and a Taurus :)

Sorry if that was too much, thank you so much! Take care of yourself and stay well

- Elle ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

( @snoozless ) you don’t understand how bad i want to be your friend. 😐😐 ok so you kind of get bonus 😀 but it rly might not be bonus because akfjakdkw. so, i gave you matsukawa!! but he’s not always like revered about so if u want a character lmk!! i am. in love w him tho. you’re so sweet you would balance him out and yall would be equally chaotic together.

he would have philosophical questions w u!! he might just be a little blunt & might accidentally cut the convo short, but he would listen to everything you said.

he’s used to a wide variety of music bc i’m convinced the seijoh playlists are absolutely fucking cracked like so loud. so he really could sit there and listen to anything. and i mean ANYTHING. like if you wanted to put on christian rock he’d awkwardly try to tap his foot on beat for you.

but, that doesn’t mean he’s gonna geek over you i feel like he’d be pretty private about the relationship. he’s not like secretive but he’s not gonna post you every two seconds yknow? he wouldnt put prom photos, but if yall went to look at the stars or go on a little hike he’d take a pic and youre wearing baggy sweats and one of his shirts and your hair isnt brushed for shit and it’s way too dark to properly make your face out and he’d put that shit on his main absolutely 😒

this man would be the kind of mf to look up his “crush’s” zodiac just for shits & giggles, so if he randomly knows a taurus fact, don’t question it<3 (he looked up your compatibility and he will take that to the grave)

issei is an infp idc. so yall got that in common.

he’s genuinely so pretty.

bc i took so long, i’m going to put descriptions for all the songs i love you thanks for requesting sorry for taking forever i’ll link the playlist and list the songs<3

1. silly girl- chloe moriondo

okay while this song is actually kinda sad, i think tHIS is pretty cute. issei comes off as this intimidating guy, and the more you get to know him the more you forget ab this idea of him you had or whatever? like the lyrics “i made him perfect, cause i wanted him to be” are really prominent in the point i’m tryna make because like even tho the lyric is obviously sad bitch shit, music is up for interpretation and this is like “hello ok he actually a real mf and shiiit maybe he cool😁✊”

2. nice boys- TEMPOREX

kinda sad. i don’t care how unemotional he might act, everyone has shit that brings them down. PLUS HES A PISCES THERES NO WAY HES NOT SAD SOMETIMES. this song just really taps into insecurities for him, and the song just gets under his skin in like a very therapeutic way. also “because he’s a pisces” some of his emotions are super intense so the “because he cares too much” line hits him fuckin hard

3. IV. sweatpants- childish gambino

this is some shit he listens to more with his team, absolutely. no doubt they blare this shit during weekly practice. but, he really really likes the song. so, when you’re hanging out and he has the aux? it’s one of the first ones he puts on. you two jam to it together. he’ll come up w dumb little dances to fit with certain lyrics (stole some of them from oikawa and hanamaki, but he won’t tell you)

4. you get me so high- the neighbourhood

okay unfortunately i must say him and hanamaki get fuckin faded in empty fields at two am all trashy like. but they make it look good idc. and if you smoke, cool, if you don’t he does not care. he always associated getting high with,,, getting high and everytime he listened to this song it just was one of his getting blazed jams, but now he’s got like a different kinda “euphoric” feel with loving you? like i said this bitch is a pisces even if he doesn’t overwhelm you with affection, he thinks ab you 24/7

5. 80’s makeout session- dacelynn

thIS SONG IS SO CUTE. but it’s p self explanatory. in love and also spare a kiss pls

6. can i call you tonight- dayglow

i feel like actually coming to terms with genuine feelings for someone would be kind of weird for issei. like no offense, but he sees it as kind of a pain in the ass. i genuinely think he would be someone to put his all into work or a task in front of him. he’s super intuitive, and constantly uses it to be better. whether it’s in volleyball or like cremating ppl i guess (HE WORKS INA FUNERAL HOME POST TIME SKIP IF U DIDNT KNOW). and it’s the same in relationships, but it’s also harder because he can’t have this complete clear head because you make his brain go kinda fuzzy. so, this song is like his little way of expressing that even tho he was like ‘internally conflicted’ this mf chose to go for it and that’s how much u mean to him

7. clair de lune, L. 32- claude debussy

i’m gonna be fucking honest with you. even though he’ll listen to anything, i really don’t think this man is looking up ‘classical romance study tunes’ playlists in his free time. he definitely enjoys the music, but that’s only if someone points it out to him. and he’s listened to you talk about it before, and watched you as you heard the piano and gauged your reactions and thought u were pretty cute he’s not gonna lie😼. so he definitely just looked up classical romance and picked the first recommended song and added it on there. he’ll dance w you a lil bit, but it wouldn’t be that quiet, intimate slow dancing in the dark you think would come w this song. itd just be a little sway as he hugs you from behind while you get water, or he twirls you once randomly with a laugh UGH I LOVE HIM

8. like real people do- hozier

ok. this one was fun for me. idc. double meaning lol. so this song is literally about two dead bodies in a bog and ,,, and he works in a funeral home PLS LMAOFJAJDJA I THINK THATS SO FUCKING FUNNY AND SO DOES HE. but also this song literally is my idea of love. this is my idea of love. and yall listen to it, with your stupid little death joke, but he looks at you and he’s just like ‘oh’. yknow? YKNOW?

9. BS- still woozy

like i said, i think he puts a lot into work. and he literally plays for a powerhouse school there’s no way he doesn’t practice a lot. so that means there’s a lot of time where he’s physically not there and definitely can’t text, because he’s trying to improve. and while he wouldn’t stop volleyball for someone else, he understands that you are like super amazing for being so Cool with him not being the most available. the song just reminds him of how compassionate you are and also he does miss u when he’s at practice YKNOW?

10. i <3 u- boy pablo

this one made me so fucking soft ew. ok. this song reminds him of you so so much. he’s totally okay being vulnerable with you? and even though he has pretty heightened emotions, he’s never felt like so strongly for smth other than like ??? volleyball and caring ab his siblings (BUT HE FEELS DIFFERENT FOR U THAN HE DOES FOR A VOLLEYBALL AND HIS SIBLINGS PLEASE😁). HE LUVVVVV YOU

11. heart-shaped box- nirvana

so many reasons. for one, simply fucking JAM. yall would scream this on a drive. if you ever got drunk together, this would be the first song you play. also, little lyrics remind you of each other. (the pisces lyric in the first and third verse, and even tho the flowers aren’t being used in a sweet sense in the song he does remember talking ab flowers w u, and now any flower is mentioned and he’s like “ah yes. my girlfriend.”)

12. pluto projector- rex orange county

FUCK. FUCK THIS SONG. GOD. NO. LIKE HE REALIZES HE’S IN LOVE WITH YOU WITH THIS SONG. HE T E L L S YOU HE’S IN LOVE WITH YOU WITH THIS SONG. the first time, he just sends you the name of it like ‘pluto projector <3’ and you listen and it’s so sweet and ur like ayo turn this shit up. and he adds it to your playlist, which definitely gets a smile from you. and then one night like two weeks later youre just laying together, and he’s running his fingers through his hair and he pulls away for a second to grab his phone and he turns the song on and you just listen to it in silence and it’s so fucking intimate. and he’s just like “i don’t think i’ve ever related to a song more” and you think he’s making a joke so you tell him to shut up (also jokingly) and he just laughs and it’s dark in his room and he’s playing with your hair again and he just goes “god, if you’re telling me to shut up over that i don’t even want to imagine how you’re gonna react when i tell you i love you” and it’s right around 3:10 in the song i’m literally so gone for him. bye you cry and try to hide it but he can tell HES PERCEPTIVE

13. i wanna be yours- arctic monkeys

okay for one, it’s a good song. it’s a song he absolutely let’s play in the background, just to cover the static lol. but also? ALSO? THE TITLE APPLIES TO YOU THE FUCK? it’s as if,,, he’s whipped,,

14. supermassive black hole- muse

hanamaki prolly showed him this song, and it’s one of his vibe songs. he will do falsetto while singing it if he’s in a really good mood and it just makes everyone laugh, including himself. it actually kind of grosses him out, because this song used to literally just be a song he would aimlessly go hard to but NOW his little bitch ass is like “you set my soul alight”? i guess i relate and “oh baby, i’m a fool for you” well, surely i’m not a fool but yea i get you muse sing it. it’s so gross. at this point he wants one thing that doesn’t make him think of you, just to prove that he’s not that gone, but he struggling

15. desperado- rhianna

i’m sorry to say it but this song makes him feel like a bad bitch LMAOOOOO. like if he’s ever getting pregame jitters or anything, he will just play this song. whether it’s on the speaker or in his headphones, he puts this shit on full volume and gets a lil too cocky LOL. this is also on the main seijoh playlist no doubt. he wants to share his bad bitch song w you, so you can aLSO feel like a bad bitch?? dUH

IM SO SORRY FOR THE WAIT BABES! IF YOU WANT ANY OF THE SONGS CHANGED (or even the character) LMK!! UR AMAZING ur so sweet it makes me ill

[rnoonsetter]

hey what’s monogatari about? you reblog a lot of stuff for it and it looks like a lot of fun so i wanted to know if i should get into it

hmmm honestly i don’t know how to answer this for a lot of reasons, but ig primarily because monogatari is very problematic in almost all ways imaginable. it’s seriously got some major flaws, big enough that i think most people would have trouble looking past. it’s basically every horrible stereotype about anime. it’s a show that comments on sex and sexuality, but is also completely draped in it, often to an uncomfortable extent. there are children in the show who all have a metaphorical asterisk next to them so that we can see their bodies on screen, or have them joked about. not to mention the little sister trope in some sections of the story (especially nisemonogatari). the books are arguably better at this but honestly, it’s such a large presence in the show that it’s basically impossible to give a blanket recommendation of this series and i beg anyone reading this to proceed with caution. there’s a great video by under the scope [here] that i feel touches on a lot of my personal issues with it. if you’ve seen that video and you’re still interested, there’s a watch guide under the cut, and skip guides for incest and loli stuff at the bottom

now with that out of the way, monogatari is largely about one massive lesbian polycule it’s about the main character, araragi, and the supernatural manifestations in his town. in the world of monogatari, things called “aberrations” exist which give physicality to the emotions of humans, and these aberrations often manifest in harmful ways, like a monkey’s paw. someone who araragi knows or meets is burdened by an aberration, and he has to help them solve it. that’s the general conceit of the “first season”, whereas the later seasons tend to branch off and have far more varied plot lines like the cool time travel stuff in second season. also i recommend watching in this order: 

bakemonogatari (15 eps)

kizumonogatari (this one is a set of three movies)

nisemonogatari (11 eps)

nekomonogatari kuro (4 eps)

------------------------------

monogatari series second season (23 eps + 3 recaps)

hanamonogatari (4 eps)

------------------------------

tsukimonogatari (4 eps)

owarimonogatari s1 (12 eps)

koyomimonogatari (12 half length eps)

owarimonogatari s2 (7 eps)

zoku owarimonogatari (movie)

yes it’s long, but honestly if you’ve seen bakemonogatari, then you’ve got a pretty good idea of whether or not you’ll wanna continue. there’s books that exist beyond the first three seasons, but it seems like for now they’re taking a break, since we haven’t gotten a new show since zoku owari in late 2018. you’re gonna wanna pirate the show since a lot of it isn’t available legally. also i haven’t seen all of the series, only most of it. oh and there’s no english dub so you’re going to have to read the subs. there’s an absolute shit ton of dialogue so here’s my tip for going into it: the faster people talk, the less important the topic is to the overall story. there’s lots of tangents and red herrings, so don’t take everything seriously. the characters tend to joke with each other a lot, so try to see not just what they say, but what they’re not saying as well.

also some extra notes on watch order since this series is super complicated

-kizumono is really weird. its technically first in the timeline and the book for it was published right after bakemono. the anime however delayed it until basically the end and its treated like this huge mystery the entire time. i get why they did this [kizu is really interesting and they clearly spent a lot of time on it] but tbh its a really good hook for the series since its GORGEOUS, and the books put it early so i will too. i find it important context for koyomi’s character and tbh the transgenderism of this arc is off the charts

-nekomonogatari black seems like recap but iirc theres some cool shit later on so dont skip it

-you can watch hanamono after mayoi jiangshi [the time travel arc], since thats when the book was released but tbh it cheapens the end of second season somewhat so i dont recommend it [however hanamono is my favorite arc and it is REALLY good imo]

-a lot of people say you can skip koyomimono but the wiki says its important to owari s2 and i havent gotten that far :<

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

if you wanna skip the weird stuff with underage girls

skip bakemono 3 and 5. 4 is important and cannot be skipped. i would say skip nadeko snake [9 and 10] but nadeko is really important later. feel free to skip the climax of this arc since its the grossest but you should at least be familiar with her.

theres also some shit in nisemono you should skip since nisemono is... the worst individual entry wrt uncomfortable sex stuff that has no plot bearing. if youre also skipping the incest stuff itll be detailed down below [skip 1, 2, 8, 9, and 11]. skip nisemono episode 4 once you get to the bath scene and skip the beginning of ep 6 until mayoi leaves. theres some gross stuff in ep 7 but iirc its really short and 7 cannot be skipped

skip second season eps 17-20. its arguable whether shinobu time was important bc it introduces a new character but this arc is by far the most egregious wrt shinobu/mayoi/ononoki and overall kinda sucked ngl. also mayoi ‘‘dies’‘ so at least you dont have to see her anymore.

if you wanna skip the little sister stuff

skip nisemono 1, 2, 8, 9, and 11. skip the rest of episode 5 when koyomi starts cleaning karen. skip the beginning of ep 10 until they get to the donut shop.

[the-lonelybarricade]

darling dearest, i am in need of some advice and you were the first person i thought to ask (your fanfics are so deep, you have unrivaled wisdom. also you are an adult, which is very useful right now)

so, acting means a lot to me. in fact, it means the world. one of my first coherent sentences as a baby was, "mommy, i want to be on tv," so of course i developed an interest in theater.

it's my first year of high school, and my first thespian convention, and it's 500 dollars. for some context here, my parents had their first kid in high school. my mom never graduated, my dad joined the army instead of going to college. and then they had four more. on top of that, my dad's retired so we're all around dirt fuckin poor hahah. in other words, no one in this family has 500 dollars to send me (except for my middle sister, but that really is too much to ask for).

except for me! i had the money! only, it's in my college fund (which is 660 right now, no one set up a college fund for me as a baby--i only started saving two years ago). like i said, we're dirt poor and no one has the money to put me through college. my sister is a lawyer and has been practicing for years, and is still 200,000 dollars in debt from student loans. i'm having to rely on being smart to apply for scholarships and grants, and if i'm really special, i can get into harvard for free. which is such a huge deal, and one i'm kind of counting on.

even if i don't go to college, i need the money for when i ditch my home state and live in the big city for my big shot at being a successful actress. i can't do this every year. i've already decided to drop cheerleading and adv math next year so i can get a job (i'm not allowed to get one until i can drive). but i don't know if 3yrs of work will even be enough if i want to do normal teenager things and still go to college. chances are, i'm not getting into harvard, much less for free. i'm not gifted like i was as a little girl, and i think the stress would be too much. my mom says she'd help but she's saving for her own house and already getting me my own car, and she doesn't have money either. i don't think i can ask her for that.

thank you for even bothering to read this, thank you times one thousand if you respond.

Goodness lovely, I'm so sorry to hear you're going through this. This is such a big burden to carry and I know it must be really intimidating to think your future is restricted because of money. But take a deep breath, we're going to talk about some things, okay? I'm still new to being an adult myself, I'm in my final year of uni and money is hard.

So first let's talk about this $500 for your Thespian Convention. First, if this is a school event, a lot of schools do wave or reduce fees like this for families that can't afford it. They also may offer scholarships. I would look into seeing if that's possible, but otherwise let's talk about covering that cost from your college fund. I'm assuming from your language that you're American, which means that if you're earning the federal minimum wage (7.25/hr) it will take 60 hours of working to pay that off. That could take anywhere from 2 weeks to a month to work off if you're working part time, so you need to ask yourself if you feel like the thespian convention is worth a month of work that you could be putting towards your college fund. (Also, I know you said you can't get a job until you can drive, but maybe see if there's anything local you can do for extra money, like maybe tutoring or babysitting?). And if you can't go to this Thespian Convention, see if theres a less expensive alternative you can pursue.

Another important thing to consider is that, if acting is definitely what you want to do, you don't need to go to college to be a successful actor. Leonardo Dicaprio, Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, there's plenty of major A-list actors that skipped college alltogether to pursue their careers. Here's a list. And if going to college is something you really, really want to do, you also don't have to go to college immediately after graduating high school.

This is something they didn't push a lot when I was in high school, and this would have been mind blowing for me when I was a freshman. In my high school going to college was like the expectation for families that could afford it. And they also offered great support for struggling families and first generation students. But I did something super unconventional for my town and I took a gap year. And that gap year changed my life. So my love, you don't need to worry about 3 years being enough time to do normal teenager things while working your butt off to pay for school. You can give yourself as many years as you need to get that money together, or to pursue your acting career or both. College is ready for you when you're ready for it. There's no set timeline. And I wish they told high schoolers that more often. I wish I was told that sooner.

But let's say that you really want to go to college and you really want to go as soon as you graduate high school. That's totally fine too! Let's talk about your options. Getting a full-ride scholarship is competitive and a lot of pressure to put on yourself. I say go for it! Go for as many as you can and apply for every scholarship available! But also give yourself the breathing space to think about other options. This is a list of no-loan colleges in the US. These are schools that will meet 100% of your financial need if you get accepted. Now the tricky thing is you still have to pay for your EFC (estimated family contribution) and sometimes your FAFSA (federal application for student aid) grossly overestimates how much your family can actually contribute. But it will definitlely eat a big chunk of that money away and there are still loan and scolarship options for that remaining sum. Also when applying for these schools a lot of them do offer an application fee waiver for families that can't afford it.

There are also loads of private scholarship available options from various companies. Talk to your high school counsellors, they *should* have great resources for finding this kind of stuff. I wish I could remember where I found all of my scholarship info, but it's been almost 5 years since I've done that research. I think maybe fastweb was something I found useful? And I also found this website and this website after a cursory google search just now. I'm sure you'll find good sources too! Freshman year is not too early to start applying to private scholarships. A lot of them are directed at seniors, but there are all kinds and sometimes they're just fun contests with small rewards, but it all adds up!f

You can also try killing two birds with one stone! See if there are any acting jobs available either in your local area or even just online! Maybe set up a fiverr and read scripts for people, or see if you can work as a counselor for a theater camp in the summer. My first job was as an acting job as a dancing penguin at a local summer festival when I was 14.

Okay and now I feel obligated to tell you something. You don't need to go to college in the US. This probably sounds outrageous as a freshman, it definitely would have to me. But I'm literally typing this from where I now live in the UK, after taking that gap year and realizing that american school is ridiculously expensive and way less cool than european schools? Do your research, there's lots of options available to you and the US is not your only one. I've saved loads of money going to school here and I'm happy as a clam. Here are some fun links.

Anyway my love, I know that was a lot of information and I'm sure none of it magically solved your problems or took that burden of your shoulders. But take a deep breath. Everything will happen in its own time and there will always be opportunities for you to pursue being an actor. There will also always be the option to decide to go to college at any point in your life. The biggest and most important thing is to just not give up. Focus on the here and now, focus on your grades, and the rest will follow. You got this, I know you do. And please, always feel free to come to me with any questions or even if you just need to rant in my inbox, I'm here <3

[iridescentides]

rules: to show appreciation of gifmakers and how much they grow and what they do, post one of your first gifs and one of your most recent gifs, then tag some gifmakers to see how much they’ve grown and improved.

i was tagged by @smilecapsules! thank you so much sarah!

okay i couldnt decide on just two gifs to post, so this is really just gonna be a giant journey through all my gifmaking progress up to this point. for your sake, i have hid it under the read more.

if you want the tl;dr version, it can basically be summed up in that i went from this:

to this:

in just one year!

here is one of the first gifs i ever made:

back in 2016-2017 i used an app called gif toaster on my ipad to make super simple basic gifs from videos that i downloaded from youtube, with another ipad app that is not available anymore. this gif is important bc girl meets world (and specifically rilaya) is what made me want to gif in the first place! i was so inspired by all the beautiful, deep, creative edits made by the gmw fandom and wanted to make cool stuff of my own. i definitely had a phase where i edited the lyrics to girls like girls onto every wlw pairing i ever shipped.

next theres this one:

which is a sample from probably the worst gifset i have ever created. i dont delete anything ever, so if you go far enough back in my tag, its still there. i used to edit gifs frame by frame, with like 4 different apps/websites. that clover? i painstakingly added it in the same spot over and over to each individual frame!

and here’s the last pre-photoshop example i will include:

when i learned how to use overlays on lunapic and had a very prolific text post meme phase, which i mostly put to work on my andi mack sideblog. despite the absolutely awful quality, this gifset has more notes than most of the sets ive posted. descendants 2 was so fun to post about.

i pretty much took a year off from tumblr in 2018, stopped creating stuff for the most part, became disconnected from lots of my old online friends. BUT THEN a bitch came back better than ever and finally took the steps to start learning photoshop in the summer of 2019! here are some samples of things i made when i had just barely learned to use photoshop:

i started off with a gifset of my favorite band, bc ultimately my motiviation for making gifs always has and always will be to preserve the things i love the most. a few things to note here: i think i pretty much only added a brightness layer to this (bc i didnt know how to color yet), i hadnt heard of optimal dimensions so i didnt bother resizing this, and the image is vertically squished, which i didnt know how to fix at the time. i remember that it was a huge accomplishment for me to learn how to add text.

next we have this one:

where i started learning how to use brushes. i was very focused on the umbrella academy when i first started using photoshop, and i was determined to teach myself to add pretty colors to things!

but THIS is where i changed the game:

THIS is where it really started, folks! i had seen enough coloring tutorials to learn how to use selective color layers. and the first thing i did with them was oversaturate my cyans into oblivion. this was the best gif in the set, and everyone’s skin was super yellow toned in all the others.

from there i became more adventurous:

this sally gif marks a point in time where i started getting comfortable with my position as a gifmaker. i started to develop my coloring own style. but funnily enough, at this point, i still didnt know how to sharpen yet! i was still editing in frames instead of timeline, and i couldnt figure out what the people in tutorials were talking about when they mentioned timeline stuff.

in december i posted a hairspray gifset that i would define as the moment i learned and started mastering the vibrant coloring that i still do to this day:

after this i arrived at what i consider to be my current style in terms of coloring and creativity.

[warning, coming next is a massive dump of recent (since march) gifs that im very proud of]

so there you have it! i went from struggling and being very hard on myself for not having edits that i thought were as good as other people’s, to really finding my style and voice as a gifmaker. im so proud of how far ive come and everything im able to make and do now! if you are someone who is just starting out as a gifmaker, my advice to you is to not worry if what youre making isnt perfect! it takes a lot of work and practice to get to the place you wanna be, but definitely enjoy the journey, read lots of tutorials, and always try to keep learning!

im tagging: @ewangmcgregor​ @dancingwithourshandstied​ @colewald​ @asterflor​ @zu-ko​ @queenrojpag​ @stanzier​ @vangoghs​ @crayonstoperfume​ @tmhnks​ @diegohargreves​ @timeslord​ @gabriellabolton​

[barrendome]

the 2b2t survival guide

are you planning to play on 2b2t? have you been playing but can’t seem to get out of spawn? or have you been waiting 12 hours in queue to no avail?

in that case, have i got some stuff for you! heres a handy guide about how to actually play, and some tips to help along the way!

step one: preparing

you can just hop right in and go, but it is smart to know a bit beforehand.

know what you're getting into. the server has no rules to it, so you just have to expect a fuckton of disgusting shit, slurs, etc. just kinda accept that, and ignore it.

get a hacked client. sure, you can play on vanilla, but doing that will make your life harder. the best client to use is impact, but if you really need to you can download wurst instead.

make a plan. although this is optional, its smart to do. you can just wing it if you wanna, but it’s helpful to have a goal for what you wanna do in the server.

step two: queue

queue is basically inevitable, but there are a few things you can do to make the wait less painful!

decide if you want priority. priority queue is a godsend, it takes 30 min at MOST to join the server! but on the other hand, its 20 dollars per month. if you’re planning on playing for a long time and dedicating lots of time to playing? get priority. if you just wanna check the server out? don’t worry about buying it.

join when nobody else would. the best times i’ve found are near 1-3am, or on a weekday in early mornings. you’ll still have to wait hours, but not as long as you would otherwise.

pray for a server restart. when it restarts, turn on auto-reconnect (if you have that) or just keep on trying to connect. you’ll get onto the server extremely quick if you’re able to join right after a restart.

do something else. multitasking is the best way to wait. leave queue running in the background and check on it whenever you can, but fill your time with other stuff. i usually draw or watch videos when waiting!

step three: common sense

you gotta use normal common sense, but also server-unique common sense.

remember: there are no rules. people are going to kill you. people are going to grief you. people are going to say gross shit. the worst kinds of people are here on the server, you have to accept that.

what you build is gonna go. no matter how nice it looks, how far out it is, how tiny it is, whatever. its how 2b2t works. when you build, you have to remember that its going to get destroyed one day.

you aren’t safe. no matter how far away you are, or how nice that one person is. don’t get lulled into feeling secure, stay on edge. better safe than sorry.

enderchests are your friend. you’re definitely gonna die, several times, so keep any important things in your enderchest. for more space, put everything into shulker boxes and store the boxes in your enderchest. this is why silk touch pickaxes are something you’ll need: because your enderchest is the only safe place for your items.

signs are the best communication. carry a sign with you, and read all the signs you find. its not important, but its fun to read what people write, and its nice to make your own mark on the world with just a simple sign.

don’t trust anyone. or at least, be cautious of everyone. if you run into someone, expect deaths, and be cautious even if they give you stuff.

you aren’t special. oh, so you watched a bunch of fit videos and know everything about the server? no you don’t, shut up. you’re gonna spam things in chat and grief a bunch of builds to become a notable player? you’re gonna become a minor annoyance, shut up. you read this guide and now know how to become the best 2b2t player ever? my guide is shit, shut up.

everyone hates new players. don’t openly say you’re new. just stick to yourself for the first while of joining.

step four: chat

so you’ve joined, and you connect to see.. the constant spam of chat.

hide the chat. go into settings, and turn chat off. usually chat isn’t worth looking at, except for warning about server restarts. if you wanna keep chat on, just turn down the opacity.

use /ignore. theres bots constantly flooding the chat, so if you wanna keep chat on, spend time quickly ignoring all the bots.

don’t ask for help. you do not wanna let everybody know you’re new, and if you don’t get ignored, people will send gross shit or fake help instead.

if you have a question, ask google. like the point above, asking for help isn’t a good option. search stuff up on google or the 2b2t subreddit before asking chat. and try not to ask obvious questions either.

don’t get into arguments. don’t rile people up or argue, its kinda risky, and again some bad shit will get sent your way. its really not worth it. if you get angry at some gross shit people are saying, just /ignore them, because fighting them will make you just a laughing stock.

step five: escaping spawn

i know what you’re thinking, “tumblr user barrendome! stop rambling and just tell me how to actually PLAY now!”, and yeah yeah, okay, i will.

turn your hacks on. what i’d suggest is turning on storage esp, player esp/tracers, search (search for blocks like melons, crops, wood, etc), and things like that. also keep xray and freecam ready, and make sure you set keybinds for those.

collect, store, die, repeat. i never did this, but my boyfriend did, and it worked incredibly well. he would collect as many resources as he could, store them in an enderchest whenever he saw one, and then either die of hunger or something else. he’d repeat this process until he had enough stuff in his enderchest to get him out of spawn.

save your hunger bar. try not to run, and try not to jump. its hard, but its important. most deaths are from hunger in the first while of playing, so just try not to get hungry. for this exact reason, the main thing you’re looking for is food.

don’t go into the nether right away. spawn nether is impossible to get out of, so travel on the overworld for about 2000 blocks, and then its safe(ish) to go into the nether.

20000 blocks is the safer zone, but its still spawn territory. outside of 50000 blocks is when id consider making a base if you really need to, but try to go much farther if you can. 

step six: just outside of spawn

so you’re out of the major spawn area... now what?

find food, farm food. get as much food as you can, thats the most important thing to do at this moment. make sure you have as much food as you could need, and store some in your enderchest.

make a temporary base. you can make a small house, a hole, or even just a dirt hut. just make sure you have a place to store all your extra stuff, and a place to stay for now. (sidenote, don’t put a nether portal right beside your house.)

find a bed. later on, beds aren’t a big deal, but at first they definitely are. try to find or make a bed, and set your spawn somewhere. i’d suggest hiding the bed somewhere near your temporary base, but don’t make it visible.

get geared up. use your xray and get some diamonds, look through dungeons for enchanted books, make yourself tools, etc. its best to get what you need now that you’re out of spawn.

go fishing. you can get food, enchanted books, xp, etc. going fishing is actually super useful. the autofish hack is your friend right now. but don’t go afk when fishing, you can get kicked for it.

remember the nether highway myth. if you have almost nothing, and are travelling on the nether highways, there’s a good chance a high-level player could stumble upon you, take pity, and give you stuff. remember not to trust anyone right away, they could still end up killing you. but there is still a chance that being on the highways could get you everything youd ever need. again, though, make sure to put everything in your enderchest!

step seven: planning and playing.

im ready! ..what do i do now?

make a goal if you haven’t already. if you wanna be a nomad? plan where you’re gonna wander. if you’re gonna make a huge base? plan where to build it and go out there. if you’re gonna go visit monuments? figure out which ones and their coordinates, and start walking. gonna join a group? figure out which one would be safe and fun to join, and try to get in.

get as far from spawn as possible. unless you wanna stay near spawn, try and get 100,000 blocks away or further. and if you really wanna keep a base intact, don’t stay near any of the major highways.

have fun! as rough this server can be to play on, theres a lot of cool stuff you can find, and its important to find joy in the chaos.

and that’s all for now!

i may have forgotten things, so feel free to send me anything i missed! but i hope that everything i was able to write down will be enough to help anybody that wants to join 2b2t.org, the oldest anarchy server on minecraft!

[journaloftomfooleryandjapery]

All the TOP 10 OF THE DECADE posts made me want to make one of my own, so here’s my 10 fave games this decade:

Yakuza 0  Shovel Knight  Nier Automata  Metal Gear Rising  Gunvolt Chronicles Luminous Avenger IX Final Fantasy XV   Scott pilgrim vs the world the game Undertale Persona 5  Doom

Danganronpa 2, New Vegas, Touhou Luna Nights, Katana Zero and Mario Odyssey all only barely missed out, and it was a tough decision not to include them. I loved the shit out of those games but thinking it through I decided they were just slightly less loved by me than the above.

Below the cut are some extended thoughts (of varying length) on the games included:

Just CTRL F if you wanna find a specific one

Yakuza 0

Every Yakuza game is delightful and this is definitely the best one, in my opinion. The Yakuza games appeal to me for a lot of reasons: the combat, the story, the variety of activities, the look of it all and the music. I feel like its a very unique game experience with its blend of weird in-depth side activities, serious crime drama, manly man masculine combat friendship melodrama, metal gear-esque convoluted conspiracies and a surprisingly compassionate view of the world it takes place in. 

The combat is what drew me in initially because it just feels good, the feedback of stomping on a dudes face in yakuza is delivered perfectly, and the attacks are brutal, hard and flashy. Its a very solid and satisfying combat system and in 0 its the best it has ever been. The ability to switch between 3 different and equally fun fighting styles on the fly really lets you mix things up and adapt your approach, every style feels fun and useful. If i had to pick a favorite it would be slugger, but its a tough choice, and they are all very viable and FUN.

Yakuza 0 also gets big points for having the best story in the series. The protagonists feel much more interesting in this era, the fights feel more earned in this game than others, the relationships are incredibly touching (I’m almost mad majima didnt stay with makoto) and the substories (and some parts of the main story) are the funniest they’ve ever been. Stuff like the quasi-stealth mission where you have to make sure women don’t see you buying a porn magazine for a child, and the extended scene of kiryu trying to guess the right business manners for a meeting had me laughing so much i was i was almost in physical pain.

The extensive business and host club substories get you tons of extra game content and are good enough to almost be there own game. The other games in the series have extended side activites of varying quality, but i think 0 had a rare case of all of these being, basically, perfect. The team obviously agrees since host club management came back repeatedly, but never as good as it was here.

Being set in the 80s elevates almost everything in the game because of the outfits, money flying out of every enemy you attack, the classic sega games you can play at the arcade (Outrun is so much fun and I’d have never have given it a proper go otherwise) and the disco minigame everyones made a meme out of (that music is so catchy).

As a final note this game has the best boss fights and music in the series, which is a very high standard to surpass when you look at the rest of the series. The dual final boss fights, the recurring boss for kiryu and almost every majima fight are highlights of the entire series for me. 

0 is going to end up being one of the few games I’ll never sell my copy of because i want it available for me to play forever, its a complete delight.

Shovel Knight

This game has been analysed to hell and back, so i wont have much original to say i suppose. Admittedly i did enjoy the first campaign but it didnt completely win me over, plague knights campaign and beyond was what really made this an all time greats for me. It’s one of very few games that gets the NES+SNES platforming appeal 100% right and essentially surpasses most games of the day, with almost perfect pacing, challenge and level design. IT helps that the whole world and story and look is charming as all hell. It’s an easy game to love and the more you play it the more that feels justified. Being PACKED with great content is also a plus. If you liked the first campaign you can just keep going through a set of campaigns about as good that only really rehash some level assets. I would say its one of the best 2D platformers ever for me, if not quite my true number 1.

ALSO JAKE KAUFMAN KNOCKS IT OUT THE PARK WITH THIS SOUNDTRACK

Since i have little else to add to the shovel knight discussion, here’s my ranking/thoughts on each campaign

Plague of shadows. BEST storyline, great levels with a really cool gameplay gimmick, the characters are all cute and the ending really makes me feel for him. both sorry for him at first and then a very real AAAAAAAWWWWWWWWW for LOVE

King of cards. king knight is just fun as hell to play as, he doesnt have that many tools but his movement is just crazy fun and i love the flair in all his animations. also has that rad final boss. joustus is ok i guess.

Shovel of hope. uuuuuuh what can i even say about this. its good, and the melancholy dream bits add a lot to the mood of the story. we’ve already analysed this campaign within an inch of its life i dont think i can say anything new. wish we could fight the battletoads on pc.

Specter of torment. still fun and i appreciate the tone change, but i didnt care as much for the characters and the mega man-esque level select doesnt suit shovel knight imo. specter knight has a lot of fun movement options though. mainly i just love GRINDING and the diagonal slash. i dont give a fuck about reize

Nier Automata

I feel a tiny bit ashamed i have so little to say about this considering it is one of the most emotional experiences i have ever had with a story. If i lsten to the final version of weight of the world i still cry just from remembering this game and how it made me feel. i think its one of the greatest narratives of the century but i can barely get across the appeal to anyone who hasnt already played it. its a story about hope, despair and the nature of the human race that never feels like its preachy or pretensious or taking on more than it can handle. it made me feel all kinds of emotions deeply and intensely, it genuinely made me burst into tears about 10 times, maybe more. even putting aside the ggrand narrative, theres so many cool character moments and bits of world building and visual eements and tragic little side stories that you would need a whole book to talk about them all while doing any real justice to them. i loved it so much that im paying £70 to see an orchestra do the soundtrack live. I want to hug and kiss 2b and 9s better. i just love it deeply and i find it hard to explain why it makes me feel that way, but its a dark beautiful and hopeful story where every moment feels earned. the despair of the story giving way to genuine hope with the rest of the world helping you fight for it is such an intensely emotional moment that you could never replicate outside of this kind of story and medium. how the fuck do i explain that to anyone that doesnt already get it. I’m glad this game exists

Metal Gear Rising 

Well, complete tone shift here. Platinum made a lot of great action games in the last decade that all dig into that same itch for DODGE SLOW MOTION BANG BANG BANG alongside great soundtracks, visuals and awesome set piece moments. Just intense, flashy, awesome combat. Picking a favorite of the decade was the hard part, because a platinum game had to be one of my faves of the decade. The closest was transformers, but mgr has a couple of things about it that put it above the rest of the platinum catalog for me.

The story actually works very well at still being metal gear while in the platinum formula, its about the cycle of violence and FINDING YOUR OWN PURPOSE and it works weirdly well. The strangest part is that it feels like a legitimate sequel to metal gear 4 tonally while still being the crazy action game it is

Raiden is just super fun to play as, while I’ll always miss the DODGE SLOWMO in a platinum game parry and zandatsu give a great flow to fights and there’s real exhilaration to parrying a hard chain of attacks and tearing out a bunch of enemies spines at once every time

raiden is also just  a fun protag, it truly allows me to embrace that kind of stereotypical edgy cool anime swordsman he embodies

BEST PLATINUM SOUNDTRACK DO NOT @ ME

Bosses just rule

one of the best final bosses ever, in my opinion? maybe that’s controversial, but armstrong gets an insane amount of characterization and pure PRESENCE out of such a small amount of screen time and the fact he feels like such a perfect rival to raiden so quickly is kind of nuts to me. within about half an hour you are ready for the ultimate final showdown with everything at stake, and then the gameplay 100% delivers on that with a fight that is challenging as hell and just feels climatic and intimidating. its a little thing, but having this dude just smack you around with his hands and almost no fighting skill after a game filled with crazy flippy cyborg ninjas makes him feel TOUGH and the way you finish him off? it just rocks, plain and simple. I don’t think i need to justify slices a massive dudes chest open and ripping out his giant still beating robot heart as the music climaxes and our cool edgy protag literally says WE’RE DONE HERE. truly, it has to be this way.

Gunvolt Chronicles Luminous Avenger IX 

For fast twitchy 2d platformers this barely beat out Katana Zero and Touhou Luna Nights, but i think its just a little better. The skill ceiling on this game is high as hell and once you really get to grips with it, its an experience you cant find anywhere else. its just satisfying as hell to be able to get through the point where you can ZOOM  through these levels by making use of copen’s dash and lock-on and weapons well enough. once you get good enough to get through a hole level without touching the ground, you just cant go back. I liked this enough to get an S rank on almost every level. this game just rules, man.

story, art and music are all great as well. but they pale in importance next to zippy jetpack zoom zoom fun time.

also great for having a cool twist that i genuinely did not see coming at all

Final Fantasy XV   

For context, my experience of FFXV was not the base game so i cannot personally address the concerns of the version at launch, which i hear from others was a total mess! The game has been updated and changed so much that it is probably almost unrecognizable aside from the absolute base aspects of it. The version i am talking about is, as far as we know, the “final” version released right before Episode Ardyn. There was of course an update after this, but it only added DLC compatibility and a few items, so it means very little in the grand scheme. I also played all of the dlc and watched all the periphery material to get the full, messy disjointed experience. it is also worth noting that the only other FF game i have played is the classic title Mario Hoops 3 on 3 Basketball. I feel it important to tell you this before getting into things so that you can have a full idea of the perspective i come at the game from.

This was chosen over Mario Odyssey and someone will probably kill me for that. I just think its a great emotional story that does a fantastic job of making you care for all the characters, and the world feels massive and full of cool stuff to see. It’s my favorite open world game and i love The Boys.  its not the kind of thing i usually play but i think it genuinely had a great story and its a very fun game to just explore and spend time in. ffxv truly understands the emotional bond between The Lads and it is fun to kill big monsters with your party

(they kinda ruin the last cutscene in english, in japanese he says I LOVE YOU GUYS and it makes me cry but in english he goes U GUYS ARE THE BEST which just isnt the same. a small nitpick though. a lot of this game made me cry regardless, its just great at creating an emotional bond)

I admire the insane level of ambition in the visuals and scope, and i bought every dlc for it because it was just that good. the ifrit boss fight and all the giant monsters are just amazingly epic in scale. the “found a cool rock” post is what i truly admire about this game summed up. 

all the ancillary material for the game is great and worth getting into, with the exception of the Comrades multiplayer expansion. Everything else adds depth to the story and the world without being entirely necessary for you to get through the story. the anime and the dlc all really feel worth getting into without being something you have to see to get The Full Experience

the giant monsters are cool

Scott Pilgrim vs the World: The Game

Being from 2010 this game only just makes it in, but it was my favorite beat em up this decade and a source of great nostalgia for me. It had a pretty big impact on music and art tastes in regards to games, and in retrospect this games existence was very much a dream team scenario. Paul Robertson is a great sprite artist who does a lot of good work, Anamanaguchi have gone on to become one of my favorite bands (another winter is still one of their best tracks imo) and at the time this came out i was obsessed with scott pilgrim. That plus the beat em up gameplay makes this kind of a perfect blending of a lot of my specific tastes. Playing this brings me back to the time in my school life that i played it very distinctly, a more comfortable time in my life for sure, and i think the game still stands up excellently. I hope that someday it will get a rerelease so others can enjoy it. I give this another play through every year or so, but i wish id gotten the dlc while it was still available

Doom

ITS VIOLENT ITS FAST ITS FUN ITS METAL

i like this game because of the intense adrenaline rush and violent catharsis it gives me, essentially a constant dopamine rush

fun game good

Undertale

I’m glad i got to this before the massive wave of spoilers and popularity came about. It’s a great story with some fun gameplay, and i think SANS UNDERTALE was one of the best boss fights this decade. Its a shame that for so many new players this experience is going to be ruined by spoilers

Persona 5 

Danganronpa 2 and fallout new vegas were close contenders for this last spot. I actually made a post about my thoughts on this game before https://journaloftomfooleryandjapery.tumblr.com/post/184341270554/nue-is-great-love-his-goofy-design-when-life-will but essentially 

Essentially, its got a great cast of characters, a cool slick look, great monster designs, a fun gameplay loop of collecting monsters and grinding stats while waiting for the next big event, and a surprisingly good story

No idea if royal is any good, but its on a pretty small list of games that i might actually take the time to replay