#gorgeous animation as i'd expect from this studio

[100-gar]

Controversial take but i watched all of jjk, in subbed, so it had my full attention 100% of the time, and i am of the opinion that it just fucking sucks.

So me and my wife were talking about it, and we were trying to figure out why people like it and we've come up short. I do not understand what's so appealing about this show for so many people. Can someone PLEASE tell me.

[mysaldate]

AFK Journey review by a beta tester

AFK Journey came out yesterday and I see it getting quite a lot of attention so I figured I'd at least put this out there so that people don't go into it expecting something it's not.

I have been in the testing of this game and continued to provide feedback all the way from the alpha test back in the fall of 2021 and through all the beta testing that started in April or May last year. I have also been aiding in making lore-focused streams about AFK Arena for over a year and seeing as AFK Journey is supposed to be set in the same world, this will be relevant later. I have also been contracted to make officially-backed videos about AFK journey – a deal I left for a number of reasons, not least of all the reasons I have for writing this post. Now with credentials out of the way, let's get to the actual review.

The visuals take your breath away

Let's start with something positive – this game is gorgeous. Farlight Studios have outdone themselves yet again and after the vibrant and futuristic world of Dislyte, their take on Esperia is surprisingly tame, in a good way. The colors are soft and lovely, the models look amazing, and the customization screen of the main character is awesome! The characters look great and move in a smooth fluid fashion. Ult animations, idle animations, and the overall feel of the characters as well as the skins added into the game thus far are all nice and fit into the wider world well, not to mention look wonderful and clean, a lot of effort and skill went into making them. Sadly, if we ignore the skins and ult animations, this has been the case since the alpha without any major changes.

Gameplay could be improved upon

I will be up-front about this, I don't care about gameplay all that much. However, I have to say, the game is not open-world, despite claiming to be so. If you venture off the paths, you get stuck on fences, stuck on bushes, stuck on rocks, or just prevented by an invisible wall. There is no swimming, no climbing, no gliding, or most other things we came to associate with open-world games. The vertical gameplay is a plus to be sure and you get to pick characters to follow you around without having to use them in battles which makes the exploration more fun. The overworld puzzles are creative and fun too! The real issue comes with... everything else. At the start, fights in the overworld are easy. However, they will scale up way faster than you can level and you will soon be adding an additional roadblock to the list: enemies. The combat itself is creative but requires attention as the autoplay function is usually wonky at best and outright damaging to your party at worst. AFK Journey is not living up to its AFK title either. One thing I found really annoying was the story progression not being tied to the AFK rewards. You have to grind a separate set of battles to increase the AFK rewards you receive. The AFK rewards and story also still cap each other so you won't be able to progress in one without progressing in the other.

Outside of the main story, the game offers multiple game modes. If you don't enjoy PvP, be warned that the game puts great emphasis on doing your PvP arena every day and being good at it if you want to build any good characters. The game also has a labyrinth mode which tracks your health across multiple battles and allows you to gain upgrades as you go. This mode is somewhere between AFK Arena's and Dislyte's in terms of fun. It is more varied than AFK Arena's which makes it more fun and less repetitive, however, you have a limited number of characters you can bring in which severely limits how varied your gameplay experience might be. It was also recently nerfed to the ground and now poses little to no challenge. Honor Duel is another PvP mode in which you buy upgrades and then fight randomly generated players with supposedly the same level of upgrades as you. If you can claim eight victories before three losses, you win the run. However, the factions and characters are currently so imbalanced that depending on your luck, you may not win a single battle in a run or you might breeze through all of them without any effort.

The gacha element is pretty much non-existent. If you scrounge up enough resources to pull, you likely won't get anything much. You'll be relying on hand-outs of pulls and PvP shops to build your characters. AFK Journey should not be called a gacha game. It is, at best, a game with rare gacha elements.

Co-op is a lie

While AFK Journey does have a cooperative mode, in the form of connected guild dungeons, it is not really what it advertises to be either. All your guildmates can separately whale on some enemies together and depending on how you do, you will receive rewards that are generous compared to what the rest of the game offers. You can lend your friends your characters but they'll be the ones fighting with them, not you. The most social aspect of the game is seeing other players around the map and spending your friend points to buy different animations to perform at each other. The chat function is also pretty bad, though not as terrible as it is in AFK Arena.

The guilds and friends to add also don't work cross-server. So if you have a friend on another server, you won't be able to see them or talk to them or enjoy even the limited interactions that are actually in the game.

The story is disappointing at best and nobody knows the world

You may have noticed I've been avoiding talking about the story of a story-focused game. This is where the biggest disappointment lies. Let me preface this by saying, the story didn't always use to be this way. It used to be actually really really good back in the alpha and even at the start of the beta. However, in the last three months, the game underwent five or six complete rewrites of the main story, each worse than the last. As things stand right now, there is no nuance in protagonists or villains, there is a literal diarrhea conversation (like an actual conversation, several scenes long) for no reason, most of the story could be summarized on one page and the rest is pointless bickering that makes every other character utterly unlikable. The main character is an amnesiac going by the title of "Magister Merlin" despite the fact that Merlin from Arthurian myths, whom this is clearly based on, is an existing character in the world of Esperia.

In terms of lore, AFK Journey is not even close to what it promised. It promised to be a game set in the world of AFK Arena – a world with surprisingly rich and interesting lore that has been built up over the years. Unfortunately, it is very much not that. Not only are important world events treated as nonexistent, not only does the writing erase character relationships and dynamics, but the writers couldn't have even been bothered to learn the basics of the world they're working with. Factions get swapped around randomly for no reason, and important factional politics have been flipped on their heads. An organization that is supposed to be an outcast is now the ruling class, the timeline is all over the place, and even the names of things are not only inconsistent with AFK Arena but also inconsistent with Journey's world itself. The loading screen already breaks the world by telling you magic didn't exist until the "Fall of the gods" which is supposed to have happened recently, yet the entire time you will be running around ruins of magical civilizations from ages long past.

Speaking of the gods, there are characters who straight-up don't know what a celestial is. If you know anything about Esperia's lore, you know how important religion is to its history and how jealously the gods guard their authority. The thought of someone having completely no idea of what they were is strange, to say the least. The game also invents new gods instead of using preexisting ones with the same function and even disregards events relating to the gods that changed the course of Esperian history – such as the death of Esperia's primary goddess Dura. In fact, AFK Journey doesn't even consider Dura important enough to have a model. Once again, this is the primary goddess of this world. As for the characters brought over from AFK Arena, they have been butchered beyond recognition. The warlord of an entire country who slew countless enemies is now a pacifist whose only interest lies in spicy food, a hard-working girl who, for the sake of her family, developed her skills until she was recognized by the stars and became the fulfillment of a prophecy is now an angry Mary-sue who was always perfect and didn't actually need to work for anything – and gets offended if you suggest otherwise, the list goes on.

The sound design is refreshingly good – for the most part

As a game with voices, we have to talk about those first. The voices, for the most part, are alright. None of them really stands out as particularly amazing, though I do like a few of them more than the others. I like Fay's voice quite a bit. Sadly, none of the characters from AFK Arena is voiced by the same person anymore, and in most cases, it is a massive downgrade. And that isn't talking about the worst offender of all – Valen, one of the main characters you'll have to listen to the whole time. Valen used to have a voice that fit his character – suave and kind of bold and full of life. Now he sounds like he's still going through puberty, and he's a whiny crybaby at that.

The sound design outside of the voice acting is great. Once again, this is a very strong point for the game. The music and background noises are great and even the menu sounds are not disruptive in the least. If anything, they feel natural to the world.

PC client could as well not exist at all

This is coming from second-hand knowledge as I have played AFK Journey on phone but so far the reviews I've seen appear to be as follows: Game lags when walking, freezes when trying to talk to NPCs, and is prone to crashing. Mobile devices perform better for AFK Journey than PCs do.

The mystery of translation

Back in January, the only publicly admitted localizer has been fired from the project. About a week and a half ago (around 10 days before the game's launch), the official Discord posted an application form looking for translators for the game. Apparently, the game has several translations already out at this moment, but none of them particularly good. Some are even so bad it's sort of funny. In a really... pathetic sad way. It probably doesn't help that they're still looking for translators as we speak.

In conclusion...

I wish I could recommend AFK Journey, I really do. I've been excited about this game ever since its announcement and I've been providing as much feedback as I could throughout both alpha and beta. The organization has been awful and the game suffers for it. Internal changes happened a few months back and since then, everything about the game just fell apart. Even things that were good before got ruined and now all that remains is pretty visuals and nice music with nothing else worth paying attention to. It is a major letdown when it could've been incredible. The game is nothing it was advertised as – it is not an open-world game, it is not a gacha, and it is most certainly not set in the world of AFK Arena.

I hope the people who decide to play it can still find some fun in it regardless.

[goshdangronpa]

For the ask game: Miu Iruma. Naturally.

Hi, friend! Yes, naturally I have some thoughts on this character. Just a few, really.

I'm just gonnaaaaa put this readmore right here

Sexuality Headcanon: I actually like a lot of different reads for Miu's sexuality. She's yet another DR lesbian who needs to be freed from comphet. She's pansexual who'd go for anything that moves. She's asexual and all her sex talk is a clumsy effort at blending in with a society that expects girls to make babies. Take your pick!

Gender Headcanon: Miu is transhumanist and not that attached to her fleshy form. She loves her boobs, but she'd be down with exchanging them for spherical cannons. She brags about having a bombass vajayjay, but she'd totally install a robot dick that shoots lazers.

A ship I have with said character: You already know, I'm irumatsu all the way. Just at a glance, Kaede is a fun foil for Miu: a friendly yet stern prep who dresses conservatively for a rude and goofy punk who casually wears BDSM gear. But Kaede's no meek square for Miu to pick on. She's got dignity, and she'll fight back. Thing is, Miu crumbles easily under the slightest pushback. Kaede understands that, but she'd never use it to get a permanent edge over Miu. Instead, she makes sure to be the one person who actually tries to understand the human being beneath the gorgeous girl genius. And that, in turn, encourages Miu to drop her defensiveness and open up for once in her life. It's really healthy for Miu ... and it'd keep things interesting for Kaede. This dynamic spins in my head like a dynamo. It's dynamite!

A BROTP I have with said character: Maybe you don't always need to have heart-to-hearts with someone. Maybe a relationship can just be two people dissing each other every day forever, and that's enough. Maybe Miu enjoys verbally sparring with Kokichi because he's the one guy who can actually keep up with her (he'd say it's more like she tries to keep up with him). A friendship of dueling wits, two people who spend their free time coming up with clever insults, trading them with each other at school, then ending it by asking, "Same time tomorrow?" In a way, they might need each other ... so they don't terrorize the rest of the world.

A NOTP I have with said character: Eh, I don't really have one? None that I feel too strongly about, anyway.

A random headcanon: Miu has very strong opinions on cartoons intended for small children. The kind of person who vehemently tweets that animation is cinema but only watches franchise movies from big studios. The kind of person who would tell kids they deserve to die for not caring about the original Teen Titans series. The kind of person who's ranked every episode of a show they barely even like ... Dang, I'd watch Miu's YouTube channel.

General Opinion over said character: One of my top three Danganronpa characters. Hell, top two. I love the huge personalities in these games, and few are bigger than the self-proclaimed gorgeous girl genius. Bombastic yet secretly meek, generous yet condescending, socially clueless yet sharp-witted, beautiful yet devoid of rizz, the worst person you'd ever know yet a person I'd like to have a non-alcoholic beverage with. She's awful because she thinks she's the best, and the worst part is that she's right. Miu fuckin rulez.

[derekscorner]

Fated Rantings: I am the bone of my sword!...but it's Studio Deen!

I just finished the Studio Deen Ver.

And I won't lie, I liked it. I liked it quite a bit actually. Most of that fondness boiled down to animation. Even though this movie was made in 2014 it retained the style of Studio Deen's earlier 2006 adaption.

In other words, it was that early 2000's animation I love but with a movie budget! This dosn't make it automatically better what Ufotable did of course but it is something I enjoy more on a personal level.

I know animation is a hell of it's own kind but I can't help but like that older hand drawn (or mostly drawn) style more. I feel more engrossed in it in a way that extends beyond nostalgia.

It is something that I can't fully explain as to why.

I personally find it gorgeous

I truly wish there were more gifs that I could add to this post. Hell, I wish I had a way to just copy & paste what I watched into this post to show what I mean.

There was so many little animation things I noticed that I loved. Such as Rider's movements as odd as some were, the battle between Shirou and Archer, or the over exaggerated bits from expressive characters like Rin or Taiga.

I think my favorite was the fight between Saber and Berserker. It wasn't as amazing as the fight from Heaven's Feel but I found myself enjoying it for its own merits.

Part between I like this older animation style and partly because it shows how strong Saber actually is.

Of course, a part of that is due to Saber's servant body and I know it's a joke in the visual novel that she's weak as befitting her frame when not using mana to reinforce her body.

But that shows just how monstrous her mana core is. In life she was seen as a goddess of war on the battlefield. She became the legend of King Arthur thanks to that mana core and the raw power it applied to her body.

In conjunction with her earnest work and training to be a knight of course. All the power in the world is useless without temperament.

My point here is that I appreciated seeing her be effective against Berserker without the Saber Alter enhancement. It's great to watch in it's own way but I like this too.

Granted, even with my hyping of Saber's power, this is still Heracles we're talking about. If you rely on brute force alone even Saber's normal (fully healthy) form will struggle after a while.

A funny thing I noticed was that one of the most popular Saber gifs actually come from this movie. Specifically the shot of her disappearing.

But I must digress. I'd love to showcase more of what I mean but I'm finding difficulty with gif hunting for this specific movie. Not a surprise tbh but a let down.

Even if the style of animation is something I specifically love I at least wanted to show it more. I'd hate to ask any reader, the few I get, to search them on YT.

But oh well, ONTO STORY-

Or lack thereof

Just like with the Heaven's Feel movies I expected them to skim over things. It's disappointing yes but it's a given. I've stated it many times but the original 'Fate/Stay Night' is a visual novel.

A book in the form of a video game with a multitude of narrative pathways, several endings, varying scenarios, and a large cast. It is impossible to truly adapt that to an animated form if I'm being frank. Especially since every route is a timeline that does happen in the broader Fate universe.

This is why most Fate anime adapt the story as best they can. Deen's take on Fate in 2006 did this by trying to adapt several aspects of multiple routes. It wasn't the best approach but I could fully enjoy it due to having lore context prior.

The same can be said of this movie. I have seen the UBW anime since then, the Heaven's Feel movies, I know the parts it's skimming so while disappointing it's not deal breaking for me.

If you're new to Fate however or if you're unaware of 'Unlimited Blade Works' as a story route you will have lesser impressions. Although, if you've read the Fate Stay Night remaster made for Steam & Switch you may enjoy this movie even more than I.

There is no better place to start nor any better place to gain context than that remaster.

Something of Note

While there was little in the narrative that caught my attention there was some things. Mostly it was just me noticing small differences. Some funny and others appreciated. I was very happy they combined the Rule Breaker scene of the 06 anime and the UBW story route.

The whole Taiga exchange earnestly irks me so I like that this movie fast tracked it. That said, there is one thing that did catch my eye. It was during the Shirou vs Archer scenes to which Shirou says that he'll;

"I don't care if someone manages to beat me but I will not lose to myself!"

And that- well that is beautiful to me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do think Shirou is a fool and I've stated as much in my UBW post. (link)

But just because I find him a fool does not mean I find him badly written nor this battle without weight. My biggest reason for thinking him the fool is that he's undermining his own dream due to how little he values his own life.

You can't save anyone if you don't at least prioritize yourself to a degree.

But I agree with what Rin says in both adaptions of UBW. I do think the world needs more of a fool like that. Shirou's heavily flawed but that's good writing imo.

I admit that I like his growth in Saber's route or Heaven's Feel more because he grows beyond that flawed part to be a specific person's hero. Those versions of him somewhat escape the trappings of Kiritsugu's shattered ideals.

But this, this line here is also good. One's greatest enemy is themselves and Archer embodies that. Even his desire to kill Shirou is a flawed plan because heroic spirits exist in the Throne and the throne exists outside of time.

By virtue of the very paradox that lets him and Shirou exist in the same era he's still going to exist even if this Shirou dies. The Fate world is full of timelines that either die for reasons or persist and Archer comes from a timeline that's already spun it's story.

Killing a part Shirou won't free him, it'll only create an alternate history that may or may not end up "pruned" by the cosmic powers that be.

I could make a joke about how Shirou did technically lose to himself but that'd be nitpicking a joke. No.

Shirou is right here. Not in the sense that justice always wins or that his way of living is okay but because he refuses to let what he stands for to lose to his own weakness.

And yes, the UBW anime also has this message but it comes off as them arguing in circles to me. Heck, I still do not think Archer is fully wrong either as he speaks from experience.

The nuance that I seemingly missed with the UBW anime (I reread it as I typed this) is that core message. Shirou hates that Archer gave up.

I still think they're arguing in circles but not in a bad way. It's meant to show the cycle they are trapped in and the hypocrisy of the dream they have. The flaws in the way of life.

But losing for reasons beyond your control and losing because you gave into that lesser side of you is two different things. You should always strive to be better than your yesterday.

And the fact that Shirou gets that happy afterlife with Saber in the later versions of the novel shows it imo. He still lived that tragic life but unlike Archer, Shirou found a hope and respite at the end of it.

Conclusions

Tbh this was smaller than my usual Fate post and has fewer meaningful words. This is because the UBW anime put three posts worth of ranting in my brain.

For me, the best part of this movie was the aesthetic, that animation or even the small things it skimmed that I didn't like otherwise. (such as the Taiga hostage swap)

Heck, I even liked the battle between Archer and Shirou more in this one. It's not as grand as the other UBW but I like that personal fight more because it's a very internal and external struggle. I even like that Shirou managed to physically adapt and best Archer even though that should be impossible.

But most of all I just enjoy that it was a fun return to that 2006 style of Fate that I liked more than I thought I would.

I'm sleepy now, bye~

===========================

For my other experiences with Fate go here: https://derekscorner.tumblr.com/tagged/fated-rantings

[yukidragon]

Jack is le snake {forgot the specific species}

Shaun is a black cat, change my mind

Ian is a Shiba Inu, change my mind

But what about Nick and Joseph? Would Joseph be different than a snake? Maybe a dragon? I can see that.

Would Nick be a species of bird {raven/crow for example} or would he be a reptilian?

Goodness, these questions are making me wanna draw them again and remove my artblock!!! >w<

I don't think Jack's specific snake species was ever given even after I made the initial fursona headcanon post, but he was a white snake with red markings, as you can see here with this gorgeous picture Sauce drew. Credit, as always, goes to them for their amazing art.

On that note, consider joining the SnaccPop Studios patreon for even more gorgeous art if you haven't already. It's definitely well worth it in my opinion, and it helps support the team!

I totally agree with you that Shaun is a black cat. A shiba would definitely fit Ian.

The species I would pick for Nick is, hmm... Sadly, we have pretty limited info about Nick, so it's hard to say. My first thought is an animal that fits well with therapy dogs. Perhaps a cheetah who has two little puff pom pets to help him with his stress after a certain snake keeps slithering through the grass.

Well, maybe a not. Aside from the therapy dog angle, there's not much about Nick that screams cheetah to me. Plus we already have a cat with Shaun. A raven is a good possibility, but I'm not so sure. I'd need to give it some more thought...

Joseph would probably be a snake like Jack considering Jack is just Joseph wearing a clown mask, essentially. Though I certainly would enjoy seeing him as a dragon, regardless of the name he uses, as evidenced by the past couple dragon Jack headcanon posts here and here. Heck, you could have the best of both worlds with an eastern dragon that has a snake-like body. It would fit with Jack having supernatural powers.

It would be interesting if Joseph as a snake has a more muted color palette, while Jack's is brighter. It feels like there should be some sort of metaphor with a snake shedding its skin and looking different afterwards here somewhere...

As I recall there is a legend about a carp becoming a dragon. Maybe a snake could do the same. What if Joseph started off as a snake, but became a dragon as Jack?

Speaking of dragons, expect more dragon headcanon posts because it's the year of the dragon and y'all are enabling my dragon fantasy indulgence and I love you for it. 💖

@channydraws @earthgirlaesthetic @sai-of-the-7-stars @cheriihoney @illary-kore @okamiliqueur @kurokrisps

[theharpermovieblog]

#HARPERSMOVIECOLLECTION

2023

www.tumblr.com/theharpermovieblog

🎃HALLOWEEN LIST 2023🎃

I watched The Revenge Of Frankenstein (1958)

We're headed back to Britain' Hammer Horror Studio for the second time on this year's list.

Dr. Frankenstein escapes the guillotine and finds himself hiding as a doctor in a new location, only to be discovered by a young scientist looking to continue Frankenstein's research.

Hammer made several Frankenstein films, a lot of which are fantastic and fun. What makes them so great is Peter Cushing's portrayal of Doctor Frankenstein as a man of evil and cruel intention. An obsessed mad scientist of dwindling conscience.

Cushing is fantastic in this role, and I'd say it's his best character and his best work. His looks of disdain and madness trickle through his proper British exterior, revealing a deeper and more complex character than most other versions of the infamous doctor manage with such subtlety.

Director Terence Fisher is behind some of Hammer's greatest films, including their original Dracula and Frankenstein films. His films are definitive of the Hammer genre and classics of horror filmmaking. His style is forever embedded in my mind and he is an incredibly influential director, if you ask me.

This movie is a colorful treat of gruesome activities and spooky atmosphere. Along with a solid script, which stays true to the character of Dr. Frankenstein, It has everything you'd expect from a gothic horror about grave robbers and reanimated corpses. Tesla coils and flickers of candlelight. Eyes and hands displayed in suspended animation. Secret work in late night laboratories, as Frankenstein attempts to put the brain of a crippled man into a fresh body.

It's a gorgeous, engaging and fun gothic movie that reminds us that Hammer was making some of the very best horror of the 1950's.

[wheatbeats]

I did this last time and it got a couple notes, so why not again? Here's my ranking for all the shorts from Star Wars Visions: Volume 2.

Screecher's Reach - holy shit. Holy shit. I knew I would like this one going in because Cartoon Saloon owns my ass, but I never thought I'd see animated Star Wars horror. This one was genuinely creepy and seeing such a poor character fall victim to the lies of the Sith was heartbreaking, and unique for Star Wars content. I loved this short.

Aau's Song - I know the phrase "Ghibli-esque" gets thrown around annoyingly often, but I feel like it actually applies here. The gorgeous natural vistas, the emphasis on the nobility of simple work, a loving family dynamic, the power of a child and the magic of love, it's all here. The character designs are lovely, the music is moving, and I love the vocal performances too. This one is really close to the #1 spot.

The Spy Dancer - I somehow forgot that Studio La Cachette has been responsible for some of the most astounding animation of the past couple years, but oh my god did this short make me remember. Not only is the animation gorgeous, but the characters are so vividly portrayed in such a short amount of time, and it weaves a compelling story completely separate from the lore of the Jedi and the Sith. I'd love more Star Wars content like this.

Sith - the visuals of the painted world in this one are maybe some of the most out-there, artistically, in this whole bunch, and I appreciate such a strong vision. I feel like tumblr is gonna have the hots for our former-Sith protagonist, but I'm always a sucker for droids who are Just a Little Guy.

In the Stars - I love Lilo & Stitch in space. The visuals walk the line where I'm not 100% convinced whether they were cgi or stop-motion, but either way they're extremely impressive. I personally don't vibe with the character archetype that Kichina embodies, but I like her dynamic with Koten, and the arc they go through is pretty rock-solid.

The Bandits of Golak - I have mixed feelings about this one. I like the clear Clone Wars influence in the character designs, and the action staging is pretty great. I also love the sheer Bollywood energy that the Inquisitor brings; I'd love to see more Star Wars villains with this kind of energy instead of more blandly evil bureaucrats. That said, the character models are kind of stiff (especially in the human faces), and Rani is just... so annoying. Chanuk is a good boy, though.

I Am Your Mother - I'm kind of shocked that Aardman even decided to do a short for this volume, but I'm not complaining. When you get Aardman on board you expect a certain tone, and this doesn't disappoint. It's not nearly as funny as Aardman's best work, but it's still a good time and a nice balance with the darker shorts like Screecher's Reach.

The Pit - I really respect this studio and it's unique circumstances, but I feel like this short was missing something. Putting aside the animation, which looked great in still shots but didn't move super well, I feel like this short has nothing that ties it to Star Wars. The stormtroopers could have been any evil army, the kyber crystals could have just been gold or diamonds, the pit itself could have just been on Earth. This short has a good story to tell, but it makes absolutely zero relevant use of Star Wars lore.

Journey to the Dark Head - I'm sad to put the Studio Mir short on the bottom, but here we are. Mir still delivers on some astounding individual cuts of animation that live up to their lauded work on The Legend of Korra and Voltron: Legendary Defender, but I feel like overall the direction of this short was a little chaotic and confused, and the thrills didn't last for more than a few moments each. Moreover, the plot barely made any sense, and failed to sell a convincing story even using a longer runtime than any other short this volume. And I'm sorry, Eugene Lee Yang; I'm happy to see you here, but it just wasn't a very good performance.

[riddlerosehearts]

saw wish just now!! i can confirm that youtube absolutely compressed the hell out of the effects in the trailer and it visually looked a million times better irl lol. still not as beautiful and unique as i expected it to look, but i love asha's gorgeous textured braids and i am glad that disney is trying new things with their art and animation. i hope this isn't the first and last movie they do this with, because i feel like it really could look amazing if it had been more polished.

unfortunately i also just... didn't enjoy wish anywhere near as much as i expected to. i didn't really like most of the songs, and while i was annoyed to see people judging asha and calling her a generic quirky girl before the movie even came out, i now have to admit that i don't find her very unique or interesting either :( same goes for rosas itself, it didn't feel like there was anything special about the setting. magnifico was the most fun part of this movie to me and that's not something i'd normally say--usually in disney movies i do love a good villain but i prefer to talk about the heroes and their journeys. but magnifico was a fun departure from the "no villain" trend we're currently on and the "every villain is a twist villain" trend we had before that. he only seemed like a good guy for about 10 minutes and was very obviously ruthlessly evil the rest of the time. i wish the queen had stayed evil too tbh, and i guess if i had listened to the soundtrack before watching the movie i would've known she wouldn't, but oh well. i just think a true villain couple would've been more fun than her turning on him once he went too far.

anyway uh... this was supposed to just be a few sentences and not a full review lol. so i guess i'll just say that it takes very little to make me tear up during a really good animated movie but wish barely made me feel anything and i was expecting a lot more out of it. even after seeing it get mixed reviews, i was still really hoping to love it because i've seen some of my favorite movies get trashed by critics while movies i either hated or thought were very mid were treated like the greatest thing ever. but in this case i find myself agreeing that it wasn't all that special. i also think that it was very obviously trying to utilize the nostalgia of longtime disney fans to get us to love it, with things like asha wearing a cape that made her resemble the fairy godmother, a boy named peter dressed in all green at the end wishing to invent a flying machine, and one of the wishes showing a girl sewing aurora's dress... but i can honestly say that the "once upon a studio" short felt to me like a more genuine, heartfelt, and emotional celebration of disney's history than wish did. wish kind of just made me wish i was watching encanto or elemental again.

if you're reading this and you love wish then don't let me stop you!! this is just what i'm feeling right now after getting out of the theater. i was very excited for this movie and wanted to love it so much more than i did, but in the end i guess it just wasn't for me.

[auxiliarydetective]

Ooooh good question. Honestly, I'm not really sure. There definitely would be some changes caused by the medium itself and their portrayal in it.

Luna, first of all, would have her magic looking completely different. I just can't stop imagining how freaking beautiful live action Luna would be with her gigantic white wings, flowing platinum blonde hair, blue glowing eyes... and her magic would be absolutely gorgeous! Shields that look like actual crystals, beams of light that look like, well, light! Lense flares, those halo thingies around street lights if your vision is a little screwy... She would be so stunning. Her relationship with Sanji would also be a little different because Sanji is different. In the anime/manga we have the goddess and her over-the-top lovestruck idiot husband, in the live action it would be the goddess and her golden retriever boyfriend, and that would be so freaking cute. I love them, your honor. I could also see her joining in on Zoro and Sanji's bickering in this version. In the manga? No way. She's not getting into physical fights. But throwing little backhanded insults into the mix is absolutely her style. They come when you least expect it and you never know which of the two it would be directed at.

Inari! Inari would be changed a LOT between the anime and the live action, simply because live action Inari with her three eyes might actually be creepy. So, she'd probably have her third eye covered more often than she has in the anime/manga. I'd imagine they'd probably use makeup to make her eyes look larger. Inari's character is also more or less reliant on the cartoony-ness of the manga in the way that I imagine her having lots of physical comedy and effects like stars, hearts, etc. and those just don't work in a live action. So, those parts of her character would probably be more subdued, but the main aspects of her personality would still be intact, some even be strengthened. Her talking about singing flowers and trees and whatnot is way funnier and more absurd in a live action than in an already whacky anime. Also, getting back to the aesthetics again: I would just love to see her devil fruit transforming her hair and eye color, her powers, and her fighting with her war fans in a live action medium. It would look so freaking amazing. Also, the live action might give you more of an idea of how young she actually is, something that One Piece's art style isn't too good at. I mean, just look at her twin Pudding, she does not look 16.

Oooooh hell yeah, Cora time. Cora would thrive in the anime, simply because her devil fruit powers would be so great to draw. Imagine a Disney/Studio Ghibli style sequence of her sewing a dress, it would be lovely. Or her fighting using one of her enhanced threads with cool drawn slow-mo shots. She'd also definitely be one of those characters that monologue in mid-air during a fight. Her trauma would be more subdued in the manga/anime. Oh, also, she gets the added bonus of getting to bonk people (aka mostly Zoro) on the head when they're being stupid. I love that manga trope for her. I can also definitely see her getting a variation of Hancock's running gag, as in she blushes a lot and is constantly seen head-over-heels for Zoro and Sanji but then acts like it's nothing - because this is the anime/manga, folks, there is no romance here. That's a lie, it's my canon, so there is romance, but I imagine it would be a little less obvious.

Felicity is another character who would greatly benefit from the anime/manga format because it would turn up the cuteness to 1000. Picture lots of stars, sparkles and hearts and whatnot, and the cutest tail/ears emoting ever. Also, you could do so many things with her devil fruit powers. Anime and manga sometimes have words written out across the screen, right? Like "gloom", "sparkle", you know what I mean. Yeah, that's a Lily thing. Overall, this is one of the few characters whose personality would actually be amplified by the media change because her emotions could be visualized and amplified so freaking much. Also, her incredible agility is something that doesn't work too well in a live action but works really well in an anime. Imagine her actually getting the zoomies across the ship. It would be great.

Finally, Aurelia, who actually HAS two versions. First of all, her story is a bit different between the live action and the anime/manga. I haven't fleshed out her story in the animanga just yet, but I imagine she maybe shows up at the finale of the Baratie arc to safe either Zeff or Sanji's life. Her role is generally kept a lot smaller there. In the live action, she's there earlier but still manages to miss Mihawk's fight against Zoro and then comes back to verbally kick Arlong's ass, actually semi-officially adopts the Straw Hats as her protegés and escorts them to the Conomi Islands with the explicit instructions to get Nami back and kick Arlong's ass for real - because Nami asked her for help in this iteration. She didn't even meet her in the animanga. Anyways, personality differences: Animanga!Aurelia is probably a lot more cool than OPLA!Aurelia, and I mean that in the "cold" sense. She's more similar to Mihawk here and seems to not care as much. Imagine a fusion between Hancock and Mihawk with some elements of Shakky thrown in there. OPLA!Aurelia is a lot warmer and motherly but no less terrifying, if not more terrifying because you have the actual contrast of her gently kissing Sanji on the head and giving him gifts versus her shooting Kuroobi and yelling at Arlong. Generally, I see OPLA!Aurelia as openly warmer because she shares more screentime with people she has grown attached to and cares for. Animanga!Aurelia also has that warmth, you just don't get to see it as often, so she appears colder. Also, OPLA!Aurelia would be confirmed trans whereas animanga!Aurelia probably would never get that far. And animanga!Aurelia's fanservice quota would be through the roof, but that's a given. She's the one characters where I forgive lots of fanservice though, maybe even encourage it, because she is the seductive type.

I love your brain, you're asking amazing questions!

Here’s a custom Q for you if you don’t mind! When you’re writing for your One Piece OC, do you tend to picture them most as Live Action, Anime, or Manga? Or perhaps a combination of the bunch?

+

If you tend to write/create them more geared towards one of the mediums, what might their adapted-to-another-medium alternate set look like?

Hi, thanks so much for your question! It seems I can answer asks normally on desktop, and I was thinking about this exact thing just now while working on my masterlist redux, so here we go:

It actually really depends on the OC! Both Luna and Inari were created when the Live Action wasn't even announced yet. They're also introduced in the story at a point that OPLA hasn't reached yet, so I never really thought a lot about how they would be presented in the Live Action when it came out. Cora and Lily were created specifically for the Live Action, so they don't even really have an anime-style counterpart. I haven't drawn one yet for either of them but I would love to some day. Aurelia, my newest darling, was originally supposed to be an anime girlie, but then I started imagining what part she might play in the live action, and now she exists in both worlds. Generally, when writing, I stick to the main canon of whichever media type I'm writing for, but I'll use the other version to fill in holes. For example, Cora's backstory is 100% based on late anime/manga events, and I wouldn't put it above myself to maybe sneak OPLA's earpiece den den mushi design into an anime/manga fic simply because it's cool and practical.

Anyways, when I picture my girls in my brain, here's what I see:

I view Luna as a sort of semi-realistic figure (because she wasn't a OP OC originally, it's a long story), somewhere between the anime's artstyle and, well, a normal human being. This is why it's incredibly hard for me to pick a potential faceclaim for her, because I have this set face in mind and nobody seems to really fit it perfectly. If I had to pick though, I'd probably go for either Joanna Vanderham, maybe Morfydd Clark, maybe potentially Samara Weaving. They all have details I don't 100% like and they would need to have way lighter hair, but they would work.

Inari I view as 100% anime style. It's hard for me to not see her as this cartoony anime girl with three huge blue eyes. But if I had to pick a faceclaim for her, my current pick would be Amanda Arcuri.

I'll skip over Cora and Lily here because I view them as their live action forms for obvious reasons, though Lily is still more cartoony in my brain simply because of her ears and tail. I definitely wanna draw both of them in anime/manga form one day!

Aurelia is a special case because she exists in both canons, but I see her as her live action variant most of the time. I don't 100% know why, maybe it's the leftover brainrot, maybe it's easier, but that's just how it works with me.

So, I hope this sorta answers your question! Thanks again for asking, and have a lovely day!

[agentem]

Eternals, initial thoughts

I saw it. Spoiler cut.

I've been posting about ETERNALS for weeks and I started to feel a bit guilty, like I was a corporate shill. What if I didn't like it? And it was as bad as some reviewers were saying.

I'm pleased to say it's fine.

I don't think it's "the worst" Marvel Studios movie. (I still think that's Incredible Hulk, which I had trouble connecting to.) I don't think it's "the best" either. (Probably Black Panther but the ones I rewatch the most is either Thor Ragnarok or Iron Man.)

This does have a huge villain problem. In that the Deviants are not individualized. I thought perhaps Kro would be more, but he's not. He's just sort of the biggest Deviant.

And of course the Celestials as the ultimate bad guy (spoilers I guess) is very difficult because they are huge space gods and there isn't much there there.

I'd put it on a Guardians Vol 2 level of "I don't care about this bad guy"? Maybe?

I thought Gemma Chan was great. She's definitely the lead and I'm so happy we have our first WOC lead actress.

I, of course, loved Salma Hayek. I read one review that said she didn't get enough to do and they wanted her to be more Salma Hayek-y. When I read that I thought it was racist and they wanted her to be a Latina stereotype. And after seeing the film, it's racist and they want her to be a Latina stereotype.

She was so Salma Hayek. But not the funny, loud Salma Hayek. This is the Salma Hayek who has rescued nine stray dogs she was worried were going to die on the street, adopted a pet owl and who knows how many random animals. I'm so glad we get to see that side of her on film because she is a humanitarian and someone who is a protector. (She is also gorgeous and funny and smart and a good writer. Women can be lots of things!)

I had sort of guessed from the marketing (we never see her at the end battle) that Ajax would die. I was prepared for that. I wasn't prepared for Gilgamesh. I need time to process that.

I loved Kumail as Kingo and Brian as Phastos. Of course I loved Phastos. No one clapped with me when Phastos kissed Ben. I really wished we got to spend more time with Phastos, Ben and Jack. I'm worried about Ben and Jack now that Phastos is gone!

Oh, no now I'm thinking about Ben and Jack seeing Phastos taken away like Dane saw Seresi taken away. I'm going to be worrying about this for years, I suspect. I had been so worried something might happen to Ben or Jack, I wasn't worried about Phastos enough!

PROTECT THE GAY FAMILY.

The one element I expected to connect to that I didn't was Thena. I was very emotional when I heard she had mental illness and something like PTSD. I have depression and anxiety and have suffered PTSD from a sexual assault. And I know Angelina Jolie has dealt with mental illness in her life as well. But it felt more like a plot contrivance that kept her weak at convenient moments. I kind of would've liked her to fight at the end with the white eyes, sort of just let her go nuts (like the Hulk). Sometimes that is what you want.

But perhaps if they explore it more that she has real memories of previous planets and they have traumatized her, I could get on board.

What else?

Oh regarding the post-credits scenes, everyone told me Harry Styles was in it but no one told me PATTON OSWALT was in it. I'm a nerd, people. You are burying the lede.

Also was that Jeffrey Wright's voice at the end? Is the Watcher talking to Dane?

ETA: Chloe Zhao has confirmed it is Mahershala Ali. See later post.

[sunflowerim]

I LOVE YOU 3000!

-PART 48

After Harry, Niall and Taylor arrived at LAX, they stopped for a little to take pictures with the excited fans who'd spotted them on the airport. The management had arranged for their transport to the hotel and soon enough, they were fetched by cars sent by their teams.

Louis arrived a few hours later, with Zayn and Liam. He was among the set of hosts for the red carpet of Academy Awards as was Niall, Zayn had an invitation from both Harry and Taylor's teams, having designed both their outfits for the evening and the movie for which Liam was the music producer was nominated. They were greeted by enthusiastic fans too but managed to get out of the airport quickly.

And thankfully for everyone, Harry and Louis were staying at different places.

93rd Academy Awards

Situated at the heart of Hollywood, the red carpet is a very intricate program. The 500 feet long red carpet was adorned with artists, photographers and interviewers. Bleachers had been set up on one side of it which contained hundreds of enthusiastic fans who'd come across from different countries to have a glimpse of the glam event.

Stepping out of the limousine with Taylor, Harry tried ro calm his frantic heartbeats. It would be unwise to lose his cool in front of hundred cameras and so many highly esteemed artists and a certain someone.

He was clad in a striped red and dark blue suit and beside him, Taylor in a gorgeous body con dress. Zayn knew perfectly well what would suit the two of them. Harry nervously ran his fingers through his hair, which had grown out a bit and curled beautifully at the ends.

Numerous flashes went off as they made their way across together and the fans cheered and waved. Soon they were led to separate section which was roped off from the entrance ; the nominees were to be interviewed before they entered the building. Harry's heart skipped a beat as the air carried a voice with heavy northern accent, a voice he knew so well. Taylor had heard it too and to his utter horror, started leading them towards the voice. As they made their way through the crowd of people, he spotted Louis, having an animated conversation with Robert Downey Jr. He'd been nominated for his movie Dolittle. Louis looked so happy that Harry stopped dead in his tracks. He was seeing Louis laugh after a long time and he certainly didn't want to go stand in front of him and wipe it away.

Much to his reluctance, Taylor held his arm and walked over to Louis. Louis smiled heartily at Taylor and as soon as he spotted Harry beside her, his smile vanished, just as Harry had feared. Little did Harry know, that it took everything in Louis' power to hold his ground and not stupidly smile at Harry. Louis had been wondering for the past few days if he had indeed been hard on Harry and whether or not it was just a misunderstanding, but seeing him with Taylor again, sort of brought him back to square one.

"Hi," Taylor beamed.

"Hey Taylor, good to see you," Louis replied, looking around, possibly for Roman or somebody else to rescue him.

"Looking good," Taylor said with a smirk.

"Haha thanks," Louis blushed, "you look gorgeous."

"Thank you Louis. Are we on camera yet?"

"No, just one moment, someone will be here."

Louis was obviously confused at Taylor and Harry being in front of him. Had the list been changed? Why didn't anyone tell him? And WHAT are the odds of him getting the interview he dreaded.

In a few seconds a cameraman arrived and just when Louis was supposed to start, Roman appeared out of nowhere.

"Good lord, where have you been?" Louis asked.

"Sorry, something urgent came up," Roman replied and then turning to Taylor he said, "So Taylor, we have a special fan who has journeyed for 32 hours to see you. Would you like to meet her?"

"Why of course! Lead the way."

Harry made to join Taylor, but she just turned around and said, "I'll be back," leaving Harry with Louis and the cameraman, who was ready to start recording.

Seeing no way out, Louis decided to get it over with as soon as possible.

"So Harry," he started with an unusually high pitched voice. He cleared his throat and resumed, "this is your first time at the Academy Awards. How does it feel?"

Harry hadn't spoken even once when Taylor and Louis were talking. His voice seemed to have died away in his throat. At that moment, he just wanted to hug Louis and apologize. With great difficulty he regained his composure and replied, "I'm nervous obviously and also very excited. It's not everyday that I get to be in the same room with so many special people."

"Speaking of special people, it's really wonderful that both you and Taylor got nominated and it would be double the celebration if both of you won tonight."

Harry could feel the edge in Louis' voice, and tried to push back the pang of sadness that was rising in his stomach.

"Yeah, definitely, I do hope both of us win."

"Well then good luck."

Harry smiled and stepped back from Louis, and instantly Taylor arrived again and took his arm as they made their way inside.

After an hour more of interviews, Louis found his way inside to where Zayn and Liam were sitting. They had arrived with him before the red carpet event began. Zayn noticed how flustered Louis looked and understood what the reason could have been.

"You okay Lou?"

"Yeah I'm fine."

"You don't look so good."

"It was very warm outside, I'm tired."

"Sure there isn't anything else?"

"No."

Before Zayn could press further, the lights dimmed out and the voice of the host boomed through the speakers,

"Welcome to the 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.."

Harry wasn't sitting that far and Louis had to force himself to look straight ahead. He wouldn't let his eyes stray to where Harry was sitting with his girlfriend. Harry on the other hand, couldn't help but steal glances every once in a while at Louis' direction.

The ceremony proceeded pleasantly, other than the prickling sensation Louis was having, a feeling of being watched, everything was good and soon it was time for Harry's category.

"The next award is for the Best Actor and I'd like to call Leonardo DiCaprio on the stage to present it."

Louis stiffened. He was sure Harry was super nervous. He'd wanted to win this so badly.

With as much subtlety he could muster, he looked at Harry's direction, hoping to catch his eyes and at that very moment, Harry looked at him too, brows slightly furrowed with anticipation. He gave a little nod in Harry's direction and hoped that Harry understood him ; that he was proud of Harry no matter what.

Both of them looked away at Leo DiCaprio's voice booming through the speakers, "and the Academy Award for best actor goes to-"

Silence filled the hall and Harry could only hear the sound of his heart hammering in his chest. Louis' acknowledgement had been a comfort, but nothing had prepared him for this moment.

"--Harry Styles!"

The hall erupted in a roar of applause and cheers and Harry nervously stood up. After hugging Taylor and Niall and glancing once at Louis' direction, he made his way to the stage.

Harry had always been a shy person and currently a hall full of people, looking at his direction didn't make it easy for him. His heart was racing, given the adrenaline rush and he couldn't stop smiling. He was given the microphone to give a speech, but he just couldn't think of anything proper to say.

As the applause subsided, he started,

"Thank you so so much for the award. When I was working on the movie, I certainly didn't realise that we would come this far. My Policeman is an important movie and I feel lucky that I was chosen for it. Thanks to my director and my entire team who guided me throughout. Thanks to my family, currently watching me from home, who always supported me in everything and thanks to my loved ones for always wishing the best for me."

He let his eyes linger on Louis as he said this and a second later, the hall echoed with claps again.

The next category was for Best Actress and as expected, Taylor Swift bagged it. Confidence radiated from every inch of her face as she took the microphone for her speech.

"Wow, I wasn't expecting this, and was really nervous about it, even though my friend told me that I ought not to because this is like my 100th Oscar."

She air quoted the last word and winked at Harry as the people around laughed. "But thanks to the people who supported me through out the years and got me where I am today. I would be nowhere without you guys. Love you all." The applause after her speech was deafening. She was truly an icon.

For the rest of the evening, it became increasingly difficult for Harry to sit still. He couldn't wait for it to get over so that he could talk to Louis. But these things are easier said than done. As soon as the ceremony was over, he was being dragged back to his limo, as they were supposed to go to the after party hosted by Jennifer Aniston. It was more like a get together really and if Harry tried, he could get away, but Taylor wouldn't let him.

"Louis is coming too," was all she had to say to make Harry voluntarily come with her. This time Zayn got in with them too and they stopped at Zayn's studio for the change of outfits.

PREVIOUS / NEXT

INTRO

[guyinlovewitheremika]

Oooh could you expand on why you liked the op?? I honestly don't know what to make of it yet, especially since it felt so different from other ops, but I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Absolutely will do!! This took longer than I wanted cause everytime I sat down to write I started getting distracted from the OP and just listening to it on repeat lmao

To start this off, I should add that throughout the week leading up to release date, I was following a couple of leakers on twitter who did drop some info on the OP; mainly that Shinsei Kamattechan were returning, the title, that it wasnt gonna feature any characters and instead be a metaphor for the “cruelty of war”. Knowing all of that had me pretty excited but also gave me the right expectations, so it wasnt too jarring to see at first. 

But, to jump into this, first of all, I just loooove the visual style in general. It mostly just being static shades of white and light grey, with these very washed out colors exploding and flowing onto the image...it’s absolutely gorgeous! Like I just really dig this color scheme. And it’s highlighted even further by the gorgeous, fluid animation...these explosions look so good! I’m also just a big sucker for familiar characters/entities being represented in a sort of timeless way...be it a portrait, a statue, a monument, whatever (think smth like this), so seeing Eren and the other titans at the end there was just an absolute treat. Whatever that thing is, I want some kind of print/purchasable piece of merch of it because that heap of titans looks amazing. 

The song also just bangs tbh. It’s such a weird agglomeration of instruments and vocals but I find it comes together really well. The childrens choir, the piano at the beginning, the distorted vocals and most importantly that E-violin!!! so fucking good! Honestly I just love the way this song sounds and Im more hyped for the full version than the ost release atm (even tho I love what we heard so far from that too). The combination of the visuals with the music too is great here...I’ve never seen a flamethrower used in combination with the beat of a song before (outside of mad max fury road I guess lol?) but goddamn its just such a cool fucking combination I cant get over it. 

I have some thoughts on the imagery and the symbolism and my interpretations of it all, and I wanna get into those too, but really, the main thing I absolutely love about this OP is how different it is. Just as the marley arc is probably the most different of all in the manga, just as the new studio has made a show that, in many ways, looks feels and sounds vastly different from the old Attack on Titan, the OP encapsulates all of that by just being this new thing and succeeding at it

I love WIT’s OP’s, I love Linked Horizon’s work on the show. But honestly, the “Linked Horizon hype OP” genre pretty much peaked with Guren no Yumiya for me. I still like all the others, but overall, OP 1, 2, 3 and 5 just feel a bit too same-y for me, especially given that I honestly don’t think any of the follow ups surpass the original. Heck all these other songs even reference GnY in some capacity--I cant help but feel like they could never let go of Guren’s success and never tried something else. Except for Red Swan of course, which is also my 2nd favorite WIT OP. It’s slower, it’s sadder, it’s melancholic, and vastly different from all the others, and I really appreciate that. It tries to be its own thing and it succeeded for me. And “My War” even more so feels like it has a very distinct, unique vision, goes all out in that way, and it just works beautifully.   

And it’s that distinct, unique vision that I wanna dig into lastly here, because, just as the marley arc does for this manga, I find that out of all the OP’s, My War most explicitely depicts and visualizes many of the core thematic ideas of Attack on Titan and brings them directly into the forefront. I’ve seen a bunch of cool interpretations of the song at this point, and someone may have somewhere already said all this, but I wanna throw it in here regardless

After countless battles, sacrifices, victories and losses, Eren and the survey corps were able to win the war against the titans that their walled world was stuck in for a hundred years. Their gigantic enemies were defeated, and freedom ought to lie ahead. But no, beyond the shores is just more...more oppression, more war, more death and more sacrifice. The history their king to from them is one of war and oppression, a never ending cycle of violence, spanning back 2000 years, continuing forward. One oppressive regime falls, only for the next to take its place. This has been the history of mankind since the dawn of man, and it continues on and on and on. 

This is what this episode shows us, another military battle around another walled encampment, and this is what this opening shows us...a world perpetually at war. Man’s hatred for one another leads to conflict, to war: it’s continued existence in history and continued technological advancements are the perfect visual representation of this. Man’s capacity for war breeds more war, and it takes lives and it takes freedom and it doesnt stop, it just keeps consuming. 

The Opening starts off with battleships, artillery fire, mortars, flamethrowers, nuclear explosions and a titan spine forming among them all, until the birds of freedom fall dead out of the sky. Neverending armies of soldiers march the streets, airships rule the sky, but all the soldiers, all the military craft, the marleyan military and the paradisian soldiers all fall to pieces and get destroyed. War and conflict rage on and all the pieces fall to the ground, littering the earth in nothing but death and destruction. And at the end, atop this mountain of corpses and mayhem, the titans arise, reaching forward, attacking. They are born from mankinds neverending cycle of destruction, the physical manifestation of our inner demons that lead us to kill each other. 

I thoroughly believe that this sequence of events most perfectly encapsulates all of attack on titan. Look at the marley arc: the years of their attempts to wipe out Paradis island lead the island and the attack titan straight to them, delivering a terrible blow to them during their declaration of war. 2000 years ago it was the warmongering, slave hording king fritz who had a girl hunted for sport who brought about the era of the eldian empire, creating a system to eternally maintain the titan’s ability to wage war and rule the lands that would wind up ripping humanity apart. Look at the final arc: all of humanities hatred towards the island devils birthed the final attack titan and his horde of demons who have come to trample the world underfoot. The titans have always arisen as the consequence of man’s tendency towards conflict and death. Eren’s titan first formed from inside a titan who just killed him, his last titan was born out of his own death yet again. Titans are man’s desire to kill given shape, and the more man kills and fights, the more titans arise. 

It’s a bleak and terrible look at the cruelty of the world, that I think the OP highlights immensly well. It’s a gorgeous looking and sounding 90 seconds, and despite its contents being essentially horrifying, its fun to look at and listen to. Isayama once said about Eren’s attack in marley that “what eren does here is the worst thing. but if you were able to feel just a little bit of excitement from it, then it was worth drawing manga all this time”. Somehow, one way or another, we’re drawn to conflict, despite how terrible it is. And I think this opening manifests this beautifully 

[chaosstar290]

Reasons try out Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore.

Nintendo's been pretty casual with porting Wii U games over to the Switch, and for good reasons. Normally, I'm not all into porting games that I've already played, but my personal favorite games on the system that lack good marketing and advertising are now getting the attention and love they deserve.

Take Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for example, one of my favorite 2D platfomers. The game originally sold 1.72 million copies worldwide on the Wii U. Not very good numbers, huh? However, the Switch port managed to beat those sales numbers with 2.25 million units sold worldwide by the end of March 2019.

So while this could be seen as a way for Big N to earn more $$$, this is also a way for those who never owned a Wii U and missed out on some of the system's best titles to give these games a shot. Now we just need a port of Xenoblade Chronicles X and The Wonderful 101...and Star Fox Zero, I guess.

But that's a topic for another time. This post is specifically for my favorite JRPG on the Wii U only to be tied with Xenoblade Chronicles X....Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE.

This'll be a long one, so here's hoping you'll stick with it until the end.

Development

Before I get into the reasons, lemme educate you guys a bit. Back in January 2013, both Atlus and Intelligent Systems made a teaser trailer for a potential Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem crossover for the Wii U.

The trailer was mostly just a slideshow with various character artwork. Despite this, there was a decent amount of hype surrounding it. But development around the game was pretty silent. That is, until we fast forward to the Nintendo Direct in April 1, 2015. We got a trailer of the ambitious SMT x FE crossover that fans were waiting for...but this was the final product.

Needless to say...neither SMT nor FE fans were happy about this. The fandoms were incredibly salty and foaming at the mouths, basically calling it a Person 4 Lite with a hint of FE. Heck, they're probably still posts on this site from 5 years ago that'll show that.

Fast forward to the games initial release, and you'll see quite a few positive reviews and thoughts about TMS. Unfortunately, the sale numbers were not all that great for the game. Obvious reasons being that it was a Wii U game, and many fans of both SMT x FE were not happy with how it turned out.

And to be honest, I wasn't feeling the game myself at first. It seemed too lighthearted and upbeat, and the J-Pop, anime-ish aesthetics were very off-putting. However, the more I saw about the game, the more I was drawn into it. Somehow all that disappointment I had about TMS originally just washed away. And considering it was a new IP, I decided to give it a chance. And hoo boy...I was generally pleased.

With that outta the way, let's get into why I'm excited for the Switch port of game, and hoping people will give it a fairer chance.

The Setting

The plot of Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is mostly simple. You start out as high schooler Itsuki Aoi, the main character of the game encountering his childhood friend Tsubasa Oribe at an audition event to become a idol. It isn't until moments later in the game that the area gets overruned by shadowy creatures known as Mirages that suck out the creative energy known as Perso-- ah I mean Performa from the other idols and audience.

Poor girl doesn't know what's gonna happen next.

Despite our main characters seeming unharmed by the effect, the Mirages drag Tsubasa into their world known as the Idolsphere. And of course, courageous Itsuki takes action to follow and rescue her.

After trying to make a daring rescue, Itsuki gets bombarded by a Mirage, but somehow manages to awaken it. Taking the form of Fire Emblem Awakening's protagonist Chrom. Itsuki does the same with the Mirage that captured Tsubasa that takes the form of Cedea from Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon. The two awakaned Mirages, however, suffer from a bit of amnesia and can't quite remember who and what they are.

From there on, Itsuki and Tsubasa form a partnership with Chrom and Cedea, encountering various characters trying to reach their way to stardom while trying to draw back the opposing forces from taking over Tokyo and the world. Typical RPG stuff, am I right?

It's a fairly standard and slightly cliche plot with some common anime tropes, but for this game...it works. It's a plot that's incredibly silly, upbeat, and over-the-top, but again...it works for this game. And I love it. It may not be original, deep, or complex, but the story does its best to not take itself too seriously, and it doesn't fail to keep a smile in my face.

Aside from the vanilla cookie-cutter MC Itsuki, the various casts that you meet are incredibly charming, and go through their own personal growth as celebrities. Though you mileage may vary on this.

The Gameplay

The combat is the real star of Tokyo Mirage Sessions. Basically, it's your standard turn-based combat system...but with a few twists. If you've ever played a SMT or Persona game, then don't be surprised that elemental weaknesses make an appearance here. Along with that, the Triangle Weapon system from Fire Emblem also makes an appearance in the game.

But if you're not familiar with either franchise then give you a basic example how this works. Say that you've encountered an armored Mirage wielding an axe. The weaknesses on that enemy are both lightning and swords, and Itsuki just so happens to have both the necessary element and weapon equipped.

In case you're wondering...how the Triangle Weapon mechanic works in FE is that Swords beat Axes, Axes beat Lances, and Lances beat Swords.

The interesting thing about this is that once you exploit an enemy's weakness, other characters will jump in and combo extra attacks. These are called Sessions, and their not only powerful...but also flashy as all hell and it's glorious. Not only that, but there's also Duo Arts where two certain characters will sometimes perform a song that unleashes a powerful attack...which also strings up more Sessions. As broken as this sounds, it actually is pretty strategic for taking down harder enemies, and they can also form Sessions...so be careful.

There's more to the gameplay like roaming Tokyo, exploring dungeons, and upgrading your characters and Mirages by Tiki from Fire Emblem Shadow Dragon as well.

There's mixed opinions on the dungeon aspects of Tokyo Mirage Sessions, but...I personally enjoyed them. Aside from the first one. Once you get past the first dungeon, they get better as the game progresses. From exploring a darker version of Shibuya where you have to avoid giant cameras from sending you back to the entrance of the of the room you currently entered, to venturing through a maze-like TV studio.

There's also side-missions that you can do with your main cast that'll help them grow and develop even further. You'll be rewarded with either a special cutscene or a special attack. Or maybe both.

The Visuals

Go go...Persona Rangers?

If it wasn't obvious from the amount of images I'm posting, Tokyo Mirage Sessions is a very colorful game. Fitting with it's lighthearted theme, the amount of colors the game throws at you makes visuals aesthetically pleasing. Heck, you could make these your personal wallpaper on your phone or something.

Sure, Tokyo Mirage Sessions isn't nearly as strong as Persona 5 graphically or even artistically, but like most Nintendo games...what their games lack in terms of detailed ultra-hyper graphics, they make up for it with giving their games gorgeous artstyles.

Also, this game has some reeeeeally good artwork.

The Music

J-Pop plays a pretty big role in Tokyo Mirage Sessions, so expect a lot of vocal tracks. If you're not into this kind of genre of music, then you might wanna stray away from this game. If you are (or if it doesn't bother you), then you're in for a treat. As someone who really isn't into J-Pop myself, the songs in this game are incredible and catchy followed by some beautiful cutscenes. Reincarnation from Kiria Kurono and Feel from Tsubasa Oribe are some of my personal favorites.

The music from outside the vocal tracks are pretty good too. The normal battle theme and the Illusion Shibuya dungeon theme are just to name a couple.

What's New?

Like I said before, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore is a port of the Wii U version, but with added content. Any DLC that was added in the original game will part of the base game in the Switch version. But let's talk about the new stuff.

EX Story and Songs

The EX Story is basically a dungeon that you explore in short bursts. Here you'll find new costumes such as a Joker outfit from Persona 5 for Itsuki, or an Annette outfit from Fire Emblem Three Houses for Mamori Minamoto. Or you can have a much easier time grinding for EXP. Also, much like the side-stories, this dungeon will also explore the main casts' issues and help them grow.

New songs will also be added in this port. A duo song called "She is..." sung by Tsubasa and Kiria is one of them.

Sessions

By making Sessions even more powerful and ridiculous, unplayable characters like Tiki, Maiko Shimazaki, and Barry Goodman will also join in Sessions.

In addition, a Quick Session option will be added. Which is a major upgrade in my book. One of the big issues the Wii U version had was while the Sessions were fun to watch, they took forever to get through with the more characters that joined your party. There are also smaller improvements like the Switch version having faster loading times.

Conclusion

Hopefully, this long as hell post will spark some interest into those who'll give the game a shot. I know there's small nitpicks like the lack of English voice acting and censorship, but the latter is a topic I'd rather not delve deep into.

Regardless, these small cons are greatly outweighed by the large pros this charming game has. If you're an Atlus fan, a lover of JRPGs, or wanting to play something that'll ease the wait for Persona 5 Royal, I highly recommend you give Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE encore a shot.

If you're also waiting for Persona 5 to actually come to the Switch like me, this game is next best thing we've got for the time being.

This is one of the most stylish menu screens ever.

[comebackassholes]

🧡 Counterbalance by @louandhazaf Harry Styles loves two things: teaching ballet and racing motorcycles. Those two worlds collide when his greatest rival on the track, Louis “Tommo” Tomlinson brings his tiny siblings to Harry’s class.

🧡 time slows down whenever you're around by @butyouneverdo or In which Louis plays "soccer" and falls for the wrong boy and Harry works in a flower shop and falls for Louis — again. American High School AU.

🧡 Face Your Fears by @sadaveniren Harry is a single father, pretending to be a beta after his alpha mated him and left him. He’s getting by just fine raising the twins when Louis walks into his bakery. Too bad him and Louis will never be a thing.

🧡 i'd never sing of love if it does not exist by @butyouneverdo Louis narrowed his eyes and walked over to Harry, smirking mischievously. His blue eyes had a certain gleam to it that made Harry’s insides feel a little funny. “Do you wanna do this?” he asked, after a while.

“Do what?” Harry asked.

“This…,” Louis said. “Use each other for sex…at all hours of the day and nothing else.”

or No Strings Attached AU

🧡 That's What I'm Here For by @taggiecb Louis Tomlinson is a dairy farmer on a tiny farm in eastern Canada. His wife of nearly thirty years has left him and his children are all grown up and out of the house. Louis needs help running his business but has no idea where to even start looking. Luckily for him his children know just the man for the job.

🧡 (Something's Been) Hiding In My Heart by @lululawrence Or a Sweet Home Alabama AU where Louis comes home to finally get his divorce from Harry finalized so he can move on with his life. Alderford holds its own set of challenges when he returns, but by facing his past maybe he can find the healing he so desperately needs.

🧡 An Unbalanced Force by @kingsofeverything Harry has the rest of his life planned. 

Marriage. Career. Kids. Happily ever after.

But sometimes plans don’t work out.That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

🧡 back and forth (i kinda like it that way) by ariadne_odair girl!direction where they all work at a magazine. Liam is the big boss, Zayn is her girlfriend and raises her eyebrows a lot. Louis is 24 and a sports journalist, and not equipped to deal with Harry, who's a gorgeous 21 year old intern, that will be leaving at the end of the summer - so it's not like she should get involved anyway, right?

🧡 just a touch of your love by @a-writerwrites The only thing standing in the way of Harry and Louis getting together are...well, Harry and Louis.

🧡 Snow Big Deal by @kingsofeverything Louis is a professional snowboarder set to appear in ESPN The Body Issue and Harry is an assistant photographer working for the magazine. They have more in common than they think.

🧡 From Now Until Forever by objectlesson The girls go to Britney Nite and Louis wears Juicy track pants and Harry is not ok.

🧡 long way from the playground by ariadne_odair Louis should really get over being in love with her best friend. Harry doesn't help by acting less than platonic. Liam is Liam and Niall is the best wing woman ever.

🧡 Bleeding Love by @gaycousinlarry Louis is an animal rights activist who throws red paint at fur coat wearing it-girl Harry Styles. Then there's a crack in the surface and something new starts bleeding through.

🧡 I'm In Trouble Deep by Allthelivelonglarry, orphan_account, sammie4jones, Scrufflecake Louis has been nothing but clear with Harry from day one. “Don’t fall for me,” he said, eyes bright and dancing, fingers in Harry’s belt loops tugging him forward even as his words pushed him away. “I’m not your happily ever after.”

🧡 Show Me Life Like I've Never Seen by @all-these-larrythings Louis never expected to leave the small art studio three blocks down from his job with anything besides the painting he caught a glimpse of and simply couldn't forget.

🧡 Like an Endless Summer by objectlesson Or, Louis is a riding instructor at a summer camp, and Harry is a fellow counselor who he’s been successfully managing his crush on for the last two summers. That is, until Harry shows up this year leveled up and lethal, and all Louis’s formerly perfected veneer of nonchalance melts like a popsicle in the sun.

[glamrockmonarch]

ok official request for u to tell us all the history or timeline u have in ur head of what goes down w current bri n rog that leaves them single like I'd rly like to kno what happened to sarina n anita n how the taylors n May's react to their dads having young new wives or gfs n them having kids (I'm sorry I dont mean to hound) but mostly about sarina n anita I'd be fascinated by what storyline u have about what happens to them,, I lov ur work btw adore ur blog take ur time tho tysm 4 ur work!!!

Alright, so I have already done this for Roger and for Brian with their respective so’s.

But since you wanna know about their families I will do it again and it might be a bit different (cause I want to make it that way): 

ROGER: 

You getting together with Rog was a big deal only in your heads, Roger was concerned because he had ended things with Sarina after meeting you and it was no secret among his children that you two had great chemistry - Lola went as far as to point out to her sisters and brothers that you did not even need money or attention, so your relationship with their father could not be something out of interest. 

When you and Roger finally happened it was a bit chaotic, you had not intended on going fast with him, the two of you tried to keep things on the down low and you would never be each other’s date at events - even if you were attending the same party. It was difficult for you to let people know you were together because of the age gap and the fact that Roger did divorce his wife because of you - Sarina was not happy to be pushed away by a man she trusted and loved so much, although since they did not have children together it was somewhat an easier separation for the drummer from his previous ones. For his children, it was too, even though the British press had the time of their lives destroying you on the regular, Roger’s kids were supportive of their father no matter what. Which meant that they had your back.

It was great having this kind of support, and since you worked on PR you would always lend them a hand where needed, of course, Roger loved to see how you had a more normal job and still remained relatable to his kids. Especially helping out Rufus and Lily with their social media accounts. 

It took you about three months to be living together and after that only a year to be married. Undoubtedly, you were going at quite fast, not wanting to spend any time, you got to know each other to perfection, Roger taught you about cars and music, he challenged you intellectually, which most people would not know: he was well informed of the political issues worldwide and you sometimes found yourself having arguments about something you read on the newspaper earlier. 

Having children was not exactly on the plans, you did not intend on getting pregnant during your second year together...this scared you as much as telling his children about the relationship had scared you before, with the difference that now Roger seemed to go pale at the sound of the words that came out of your mouth. 

“Pregnant!” Roger’s eyes were blown wide as he stared at you, half-hoping it was a joke. 

“Due in March, love!” You tried to give him an honest smile, but it did not reach the corners of your eyes as it should have. 

The thing was, this baby was not planned...still, Roger was not mad, how could he be? You were young, smart and gorgeous! But most of all, you were scared - he could tell. Roger was scared too, but at least he had already taken care of his other children, he knew how to do to at least half-ass the parenthood thing. You did not. Then came the topic of the press. God, they would judge him so badly for having a child at his age... and what about his grown-up children? 

Rufus was pissed. Not pissed at you, he was simply mad knowing that Roger told him last. The first to hear the news was Rory because Roger needed to vent to someone, this happened to be his eldest daughter, who listened and then shot her father back with a simple “so what?” She showed her father support and comfort, encouraging him by telling him what a great father he had always been, even through his separations all of his children always knew that things would be alright because Roger remained close to all of them, never leaving them and never turning his back on them. Rog felt a lot better, which translated into you feeling a lot less scared since your husband was so positive and supportive. When you decided on telling his children about your pregnancy half of them already knew, and they were all happy for their father, enthused by the thought of a new family member to have fun with in the future. 

BRIAN:

THE WORLD WAS COMING TO AN END THE DAY BRIAN AND ANITA SPLIT UP. Anita was simply not into Brian’s self-doubt, she was old, yeah...but she was also so full of energy! She just wanted to keep performing and her husband obviously craved for his wife to be home with him when the days were rough and the nights rough. So, yeah...Brian was left single again. And the man does not know how to be alone, he is bad at it. He needs someone to rely on, someone to share his busy thoughts with and someone to listen to when he is being too stubborn to make sense of anything but his own patronizing ideas. 

Lucky for Brian, you were in town. You met at the studio while he was working on the guitar version of 20th Century Fox Fanfare, he was on the studio for not too long but while he was there you were told to remain in the mixing booth in case the musician needed anything. Of course, working the job of an assistant was not what you intended for when you took the internship at Universal Music, but it paid some money you needed and it also got you a chance at learning a little bit more about music production. 

Brian was a gentle giant, you learnt that first time you met, and while you did not expect much more than that first time meeting you were pleased to see him again after the highly publicized separation from his wife. You did not intend on being flirty, though Brian was no twelve-year-old boy and he caught on to your hair flipping and nervous laughter. He took his chance as he saw it approach with every step he took towards the exit door at Universal, and you were pleased to hear him say he would love to have you drink tea with him sometime. The rest was history. 

You became an item, although not too fast as Roger had done with his girlfriend... no, no, no. You went at it slow and methodically, as one would do when one follows the scientific method. 

Observation. You were possibly opposites in many areas, personality wise the two of you got along, curious and creative, you hated to be proved wrong but loved to hear good reasoning. You had scientific training too, but you pursued a different career path than originally intended. With a degree in Chemistry, you were a good rival to Brian’s rhetoric. 

Hypothesis. Brian was falling in love with you at the same exact rate you were falling for him, even as you probably should not you would always try to follow him in his adventures into the farms when he worked on his environmental projects. Saving badgers was nothing that concerned you too badly, but you took interest in it after watching Brian and Anne take care of a couple of them. Animals seemed to become something you loved. 

Experiment. Telling his children about you. Uh...that was one of the ugliest diners you have ever attended. There was yelling, there was crying and sadly some of it came from you too. His daughters were not having it when you told them about your relationship, and it got worse when Ruth saw the ring already lying on your finger. 

Things were tense with his children for the whole of six months while you planned your wedding, the only moment when it softened was after the actual event when it was more than clear to everyone around that your and Brian were meant to be, each of you giving equally dorky and adorable speeches at the beginning of the reception.

It was also hard for Brian’s kids to come to grips with the fact that they were going to have a little half-brother or sister soon once you announced your pregnancy plans to them. Brian was aware that you wanted children from the moment you got together, and who was he to keep you from having them? Of course, compromises were made and you agreed on having a single baby together was only for the best. Ruth, Jimmy, and Louisa were reluctant to accept this new addition to their family, but once your baby boy was born, the storm seemed to clear off. The May children were astounded at the sight of the little man, all of them looking incredulous as the baby shared a huge resemblance to Brian - therefore to them. 

“Is that a curl?” Ruth wondered, glancing down at her own curls while Brian laughed. 

Of course, the boy had the darkest scarce hair on his head, but there did seem to be some waves already twisting whatever few hairs there were...

[fey-changeling]

Random Stuff I've Heard People Say Term 1.

●Classmate A: [Teacher 1] is attractive too.

*whole room stops*

Classmate B: What?

A: I was just saying how attractive [Teacher 2] is, might be because he looks like Jesus.

*laughter*

A: I dunno-the long hair

Classmate C: Yeah. I like his eyes. Sometimes I just gaze into them. I thought it was just me.

...

A: Have you seen the photo of him before he had long hair and a beard?

B: Oh, yeah. It's kinda weird

A: Omg you stalked his facebook too?

B: No i just saw his id badge wait you stalked his facebook

Multiple: *laughing* stalked his facebook

A: *laughing* yeah he has facebook.

●Student: Do we need to be on specific counts?

Teacher: *leans back against the barre in a kind of well what have we been talking about we are at a dance school kind of way* favourite question of the day, of the week. Actually favourite question of the year so far.

● Student: I'm in love with [teacher]. I am. I am so in love with him.

●Student A: He's got this fit Jesus vibe going on.

Student B: how old is he?

Student A: don't care

Student B: ohmygod.

Student A: He comes up and touches you and I'm like what do I do? Do I acknowledge it or touch him back or...

Student B: Ohmygod. That's what you would do.

Student A: *leaning on B with intense 😍 expression* yeah.

●Student A: I get all sweaty and not cos I like mad fancy him. [I just can't do eye contact.]

●We've established he's got really soft hair.

[Do you think he knows that his students fancy him?

I mean he must know that he's fairy attractive.]

●Student A: it's okay. He knows that i like him.

*silence literally everyone thinking you looove him*

Not like that.

*literally everyone thinking yeah right*

You guys!

*Laughing*

●Teacher: This fucking middle back exercise, why can't I get it?

●Teacher: There are no ticket barriers at Deptford or Greenwich. You didn't hear that from me.

●Course Leader: If the Foundation year is the best represented in the school I'll buy you all a present at the end of the year...You suckers, you really think I'd do that?

●I'm not sitting up here coz i want the status it's just because I don't like sitting on the floor. Maybe I do want the status.

●Student A: [Teacher] kinda scares me

Student B: I think he's cute.

●Student: I'm 20, it's legal!

*hysterical laughter*

S: not like that!

●We can come to an arrangement.

●If you don't have teachers to perv on it's not a proper lesson is it?

●I don't have Christmas spirit I have Vodka.

●We're communist as in you're all equal and I'm in charge.

●I have no expectations (for you) whatsoever.

●[Christmas Parties]...One where you invite staff. I'm sure they'd be more than willing to, you don't have to, we can go out on our own we are adults.

●You should know if you're borderline fail. None of you are...currently...for me.

●You can still use the studio for self directed learning. *[Teacher] sticking his head through the door nodding in a yeeees you will stay and do self directed learning*

●What are you offering?

...my body...

●You lot get weirder by the week.

●I'm really enjoying your position.

●Teacher: My wife is from Stoke...Only three good things have come out of Stoke: Robbie Williams, the Spitfire, Royal Dury. *whole class waiting*

Student: What about your wife?

Teacher: No.

Student: We won't tell her.

Teacher: She already knows.

●[Teacher] with his t-shirt over his head and hands over his eyes during the pirouette exercise.

●[Different teacher] literally throwing himself on the floor when 95% of the class got the timing wrong that he just went through.

●*Teacher nearly crashes into a student* I have excellent spacial awareness.

●My orgasmic ball!

●Not when you were 15 at mary sparkles school for the bright and talented...I've never demonstrated that in my life...except when I was 15 at mary sparkles school for the bright and talented. That was not the name of my dance school by the way.

●I don't kill animals I'm not a psychopath.

●*we're standing in 4th position* May the 4th be with you. Little Star Wars joke for [me].

●You've got more tilt than that, my dear.

●But you'll be with [teacher] on Tuesday *as said teacher walks through the door*

●I can be Santa 'cos I have a beard.

●*seminar about nutrition and balanced diet* What were you eating when you were dancing (2 1/2 hr performance every night)

...Pizza...

●*me wearing a wooly hat that looks like a cat, at least three people standing around me stroking said hat commenting on how soft the hat and my skin is*

●*to me* you're the class cat now.

●*to me* You should be in Cats, y'know the musical

● Ah we'd better take our shoes off or he'll spaz out. (The 'he' in question was standing right behind her)

●You're doing the grand battement the grand battment isn't doing you.

●...you've got adult cereals and kids cereals and when I say adult cereal I don't mean they've got nude pictures on the front.

●The guy who changes in the studio rather than the changing room which is four seconds away.

●The girl that seriously over shares her sex life.

● Your homework for Christmas is to eat and relax. The first Monday back we're doing anaerobic training.

● Christmas challenge is to sit by yourself, no music, no phone and take ten deep breaths. You'll probably get to four and start crying.

●You wouldn't be laughing if this was an audition you'd all be fucked.

●*Door jammed open by bin closes by itself* Teacher: ghosts.

● Student: Fuck.

Teacher: I agree.

●Why are you starting on a 2 it's burning me!

●Teacher: We have to finish on a group hug

Literally everyone: Aaaaaaaaaaawwwwwww!

●Why does she call us a gorgeous group? Maybe she thinks we're all just really fit.

● Teacher: It's to the rhythm of jingle bells.

Musician: On purpose?

Teacher: Yes. I am the spirit of christmas.

Musician: Aaaah the grinch.

●This email