#i don't know the thought process behind the animal choices

[spinitback]

you know these medieval paintings where the guy went "of course i know what a cat looks like"?

Anyway. Piers, Chris and Claire! Snill has friends!

[secondbeatsongs]

Hello, you said in some tags in a poll that Speed Racer (2008) is your favorite film. If you’re okay with it, I’d really like to hear more about why you love it. I love the Wachowskis’ work (they’re among my favorite directors), but I kinda ended up bouncing off Speed Racer (2008). So, hearing that it had a real impact on someone makes me very curious why. I’m not interested in criticizing your opinion or arguing with you, I’d just really like to know why you love it in the hopes I might be able to enjoy that movie more in the future.

oh god this is from seven months ago, I'm so sorry - but I do love almost everything about Speed Racer (2008) and I still think about it nearly every day.

I love that it's so bright and colorful and absurd. I love that it's an anime in live action form. and I love that at its heart, it is a story about love.

it's about the mistakes people make out of love, and the consequences of that. it's about the way children grow to understand why the adults around them make the choices they do, and maybe choose to do the same things. it's about taking risks for the people you love, and the pain of failing to change the world, because everything is capitalism and everything hurts.

(and it's also about being transgender btw. like, that's one of the main things about it - it is very much a movie about being transgender)

what if your father's choices hurt your older brother, and your older brother's choices hurt you, and now it's you and your younger brother staring down a future where you're going to end up hurting him by making the same choice?

and then...what if you can escape that? what if the broken parts put themselves back together, and the hope doesn't run out, and you're not alone with the things that haunt you? what then?

and now you're at the end and mistakes were still made, people were still hurt, but everyone's grown and changed and they're different now. and they've figured out that maybe, just maybe, you can change the world by doing something you love, by creating art and beauty and making people feel things.

maybe you really can defeat capitalism by driving a car really fast. and even if everyone thinks you can't...don't you have to try anyway? shouldn't you fight with the skills you have, the only way you know how?

what if it works?

and I'm not even gonna get into most of the Racer X stuff (because I want people to go watch this movie, and most folks probably won't be spoiled for it), but his whole deal is just...everything. I love him.

(if there's a guy from Speed Racer that I want to put in a jar and shake every so often, or maybe wrap in a blanket so he can have a nice nap, it's Racer X. he's a great character. prime blorbo material)

anyway I've been rotating this movie in my head ever since I saw it for the first time, and I think I've seen it...seven? times now? and I still cry at the final race, and I still get blown away by the intro sequence.

(the beginning of the movie is genuinely one of the best things I've ever seen - it does an amazing job of introducing you to the world and the story of the characters, and gets you emotionally invested in it right from the start. it's fantastic filmmaking)

also like. story stuff aside, from a technical standpoint, the movie is a masterpiece. it's the type of thing that people hated when it first came out, but when you look at it now and see how it was made, how it intentionally looks bizarre and cartoonish, plastic and surreal, you can see the exact vision the Wachowskis were going for, and it's brilliant.

the way they did the visual effects, the way they made the outdoor scenes feel so detailed, the way the driving and the tracks work - they put so much thought into that, and the behind-the-scenes vids show how cool their process was.

also uhhh cars go vroom, crash into each other, flip upside down, explode, maybe have bees and hammers in them sometimes?

(the above is me complimenting the unhinged vibe of the races themselves, which I love very much)

anyway I could make other full posts about the script of the film and how much I love it, or the cool side characters, or the fanfic potential of the amazing world of the film, or how I can prove that it's set in 1991...but I guess if anyone wants those rants, they'll just have to watch the film and then come talk to me. :)

(please. please come talk to me about Speed Racer.)

so, yeah! I kinda lost my mind there and made this post way longer than I intended, but I do feel strongly affected by this movie, and I hope this has helped explain why.

[neuroprincess]

Bunny Ears and Chocolate - Ava Coleman/Female Reader

Ava Coleman/Female Reader

Summary: When another celebration arrives, you think it's going to be one more blank day, but an unexpected gift and a wonderful girlfriend prove otherwise.

Classification: Slight angst, Fluff

Warnings: Reference to a reader's unhappy childhood, Ava being a romantic baby

Note: I should have posted this at Easter, but you know me, I just found it in my archived writings

Word count: +2200

Unrevised

Growing up in a home that was considered unstructured and not at all affectionate deprived you of many moments that other children had throughout their lives: the tooth fairy didn't even bother to leave 5 cents for each tooth that fell out, Christmas didn't have the same sparkle as the TV commercials and Thanksgiving was always summed up in canned food, maybe a fight between your parents in the kitchen at the end of the night. It was no different with Easter, every now and then you'd get a cheap bar of chocolate at school or from some kind neighbor, you didn't even take part in a neighbourhood egg hunt. The whole process was a gray area between so many celebrations, weekends and holidays spent watching movie marathons with lots of popcorn and a pinch of loneliness by choice. 

It was like that for years, until you met Ava, who never cared about any of this before and you thought it might be a good match when you started dating. However, she had this, her parents were affectionate and gave the best moments that continue to be remembered fondly when each of these dates arrives. You like to hear her describe every toy she got from some distant relative and later exchanged for something more interesting with classmates, the weird casseroles grandma invented for dinner or when she bought the first make-up with the money the fairy, aka her mom, left under the pillow. Between laughs and jokes, she always looks forward to hearing your stories and can't hide disappointment when the subject is suddenly changed, teasing you a little, but giving up so as not to make you uncomfortable. Deep down, you start to care and feel envious of all the lost moments, all the things you can't have, the invisible, dormant childish wounds festering. Wounds set aside, especially when it comes to her work as a teacher at Abbott.

"Miss Y/L/N, how do we know if the butterfly is male or female?" one of the students asks, leaning over the table to get a better look inside the transparent box.

"Don't be silly, Kayla!" another replies, rolling his eyes, and does the same "They're all female."

"Actually, not all of them are female, dear." you stand between them and point to the insect that's emerging from its cocoon, weeks before you found a caterpillar in Barb's flower beds and it collected itself in the cocoon, which coincidentally ended up hatching on the last day of school before holiday "That's a monarch butterfly, if there are dark spots on the hind wings it's a male and if not it's a female."

"But it hasn't opened the wings yet." Kayla observes sadly, for a child minutes can seem like a real eternity "It's taking too long..."

"That's just it, hatching can take from 10 minutes to 60 minutes, each one has their own time."

"Just like the rest of us," she adds with a hearty smile.

"You all see how incredible metamorphosis can be?!"

A little animated chatter starts up as your class waits anxiously to watch it fully emerge from cocoon, most of them debating which names to choose and how they would take care of it, forgetting the little agreement they had made, you decided to let them enjoy the moment before scrapping the hopeful children's plans.

"I don't see any spots!" Carson shouts excitedly "We've got a girl!"

After a while, they agree on a name and end up naming her Lizzy - cute, short and pretty. In third period, your kids gather to release her into the playground, and you take advantage of the moment to explain the relationship between butterflies and Easter and all the meaning behind the beautiful transformation. 

"Miss Y/L/N..." Kayla calls out to you shyly as everyone gets ready for break, most of them already running, the girl puts her hands behind back and blushes approaching the table "I saved this one for you."

She holds up an Easter egg wrapped in fluffy colored paper, a bow adorning it and making the package more attractive. The girl stares at you with her eyes shining in anticipation as you fight back imminent tears, not something you expected to happen when you woke up in the morning. It's your first chocolate Easter egg in all your years of life, a small, innocent gesture from a schoolchild that makes the entire wall built up around commemorative dates and traditions crumble in seconds.

"Thank you so much, dear..." you accept the treat with a little uncertainty, hands trembling as you hold the candy "I..."

"I knew you'd like it, it's very good, I promise." she says cheerfully and leaves the classroom, as if she hadn't just made a grand gesture.

As soon as the girl leaves, the principal comes through the doorway with her usual cheeky grin and full of curiosity about your reaction, asking herself what she could have done to you, none of which comes close to the real thing. Her presence is barely noticed, not even when she closes the door after the room has emptied, your eyes fixed on the adorable wrapping, the colorful patterns and the generic but cute note wishing Happy Easter.

"Kitten..." she calls for the third time, worried "Is everything all right?"

"Oh, I'm sorry, I was over the moon." you try to pull yourself together, compressing lips and bringing fingers to the corners of eyes, wiping your face "Hungry?"

"Just of you." Ava whispers seductively and takes two steps forward, standing inches away to steal a quick kiss "Now tell me what happened or I'll tickle the hell out of you." it's the kind of affectionate threat that doesn't make you laugh this time, it's a difficult topic to talk about, but maybe that's the time.

"Well, there's a reason I never tell holiday stories or have great comments for yours, I..." tears are there again, stronger and warmer, you take the candy to heart in search of comfort, the woman keeps quiet listening attentively "I never had any of that, my parents never gave a damn and I wasn't a demanding child."

"That?"

"Coins from the tooth fairy, nice dinners, Christmas trees, gifts and..." the Easter egg is raised with a certain pride, finally giving in to crying, tears of sadness and happiness mixing together "This! It's my first!" you finally admits, feeling a little childish at the thrill and excitement of something so small for an adult.

"Your first?" she is genuinely confused, staring at the simple candy, which for her has no great significance, then the realization of the fact hits her hard "Really?"

"Yes, one of my students just gave it to me." you whisper, feeling the tears wanting to come back again and a tight feeling in chest "I know, it's silly..."

"No, it's not, it's never silly, especially if it's something important to you." the woman responds quickly, wrapping arms around your trembling body and puts your head against her soft breasts, it's an intimate and comforting act "And if I'd known before, I'd have been the first person to give you a chocolate. And decorated the house last Christmas. Or better, I would have taken you to New York. I guess I just wouldn't have had a solution for the tooth fairy... but there are ideas on how to make up for it."

"God, you're the best girlfriend ever."

"Of course I am." Ava kisses your forehead and takes advantage of the position to slip her fingers under your shirt, lightly tickling the sensitive spots "So much so that I ordered tarts from that new store you mentioned last week."

She holds up the cardboard bag with the pretty logo and half a dozen tarts in various flavors. A delicious dessert for a pleasant shared lunch, which has become routine, a moment of peace to enjoy each other's presence in the busy and chaotic routine that is working in childhood education.

With a bag full of art supplies and a pile of exam papers in hand, you enter the apartment, struggling not to knock everything off the improvised jenga. Usually you would have the help of the tallest one, those long arms look so sexy carrying boxes full of children's books and covered in glitter, but after all that sugar and dough, she had to go home early with an stomach bug. Of course, in her pile there are one or two medicines and tea for her.

"Darling?" home is strangely dark, silent and there's no sign of your partner's vibrant personality "Ava? Are you feeling better?" you ask, starting to get worried, hurrying to turn on the light switches.

When the light turns on, you find yourself with one foot on what looks like a rabbit's footprint glued to the wood floor. Then another next to it, followed by another and another, the bags are abandoned at the entrance and the door closed. Step by step you reach the coat closet, where a chocolate bar is placed next to a card with the words "Our love is sweet as the place we started the day together... or as your coffee." handwritten in impeccable calligraphy. It makes you smile lovingly, she always jokes about the amount of cream you put in the liquid as you get ready for the morning, only to steal some of it with kisses. The fun mugs, perhaps one of the first things you bought when decided to move in together, hold truffles and the next tip. Seven cards later, almost every room explored and your arm full of candies, you finally reach the last place with the tip "No matter where we are, as long as we're together, we've found our home." and it's obvious that it's the master bedroom, where you love each other, talk about your days and plan the future, where you can strip away the burdens of everyday life and forget about the world.

"Do you like it, kitten?" the woman asks, coming up behind as soon as you open the door.

In the middle of the bed, there's a huge Easter basket of chocolates, from simple chocolate bars to decorated boxes of handmade truffles, with colorful wrapping and a giant bow, next to a big stuffed bunny, one of those fluffy ones that are too cute to resist hugging. A Happy Easter banner has been placed above the headboard and when turn around you let out a laugh when notice that the principal is wearing a fuzzy bunny ears, one up and the other down, a cute made-up nose.

"Welcome back, little baby!" she wraps her arms around waist and lifts you into the air, capturing your lips as she spins around.

"You... You did all this for me? Aw, that's so sweet and thoughtful."

"And all yours, I wanted to make your first official Easter something special." Ava puts you down and picks up a second bunny ear from the shelf, carefully placing it on your head "My cutie..."

"I'm literally speechless, all I can think about is how amazing you are."

"I know!" she jokes and leans in to give you another kiss "Sweetheart, you're a wonderful person and I'm sorry you didn't have any of these moments, but know that I'm going to make each of these dates unforgettable and unique, something of ours."

You stare at her in shock and feel your eyes sting, tears gathering at the edges of eyes, it's hard to control. This was the first surprise you've ever received in your life and certainly the best of all, every detail was thought of, planned and made especially for you, as well as the romantic touch she gave to every little and big gift.

"You don't have to do that..." you whisper, voice breaking with emotion, "I... You already do so much for me."

"I haven't even done half of what I want to do for you." your girlfriend smiles tenderly, her hand sliding gently across your cheek "You deserve the world and I'm going to do my best to give it to you."

"I don't even know how to thank you for everything." a feeling of being silly comes over you again, but it's quickly gone when you see the passionate smile on her plump lips "It's more than I could have dreamed of."

"You don't have to be thankful, baby, just enjoy it." she replies, lifting you onto her lap and standing face to face "Or enjoy it while you thank me."

Ava is funny and suggestive, walking slowly over to the bed, sitting there with you on her lap, surrounded by the candies and the cheerful decoration. She brings a hand up to yours, intertwining her fingers with yours. The comfortable silence is broken only by the soft sound of breathing and happy giggles.

"Shall we eat some chocolate and then watch a movie?" the woman asks, squeezing you a little tighter against her "We have the whole weekend to ourselves."

All you can do is nod, leaning in again to give her a kiss, this time slow and passionate, full of tenderness. She moans feeling your fingers tangle in the black strands, pulling her towards you and deepening the contact.

"I love you, baby." you whisper against her lips, knocking into the soft mattress.

"No more than I love you, kitten. You have no idea."

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[k-s-morgan]

hi katrin i am such a huge fan of your meta analyses on hannibal. i was wondering if you ever had any thoughts of what would happen during s4 and if you ever had plans of writing your own post-fall story. i feel like you would absolutely crush it!!

Hi! Thank you, I'm so glad you found my metas useful!

I'm so satisfied with S3 ending and with the stories of other writers that I never felt an itch to write my own version of S4. Largely because I genuinely think Hannibal and Will have overcome the worst of their obstacles in the show, and now they only have a way up. In my fics, I prefer to tackle the biggest conflicts and drama myself, so I don't have a story interesting enough to tell.

I have a list with the post-canon recs here if you're interested, though they are pretty old at this point.

As for my thoughts on S4, I have two versions, one that I think is logical and one that Bryan might have created.

For the former, I imagine Will and Hannibal learning how to live together, and Will slowly figuring out the extent and specifics of his darkness.

Will consists of unpredictability, and Hannibal is fascinated by it. I think Will is going to kill when an impulse strikes. For example, he might go shopping, without having any dark plans, and end up murdering someone because the circumstances pushed some unfortunate soul onto his path. Will might or might not display the body depending on his mood. Today he can be in an artistic mood, but tomorrow he’ll be in a violent and impatient one, wanting to destroy the body entirely and leaving a total mess behind.

Will might prefer to kill “bad people” in the first two seasons, but it’s the process of murder that excites him. So I see his righteous choices as a preference that helps him justify his dark nature partly, not the core reason for his violence. Hannibal seems to be moved by his interest in human nature and his hunter instinct, but Will, I think, is a truer killer because he actually feels drunk on murder. Unlike Hannibal, he looks downright euphoric when/after he kills Randall and Francis. In TWOTL, Hannibal is more focused on the fact that his dream came true and he and Will killed someone together, but Will seems primarily caught up in the murder after-shocks themselves. Hannibal thinks about Will, Will thinks about how beautiful blood looks under the moonlight.

So, I believe that at first, Will will stick to killing bad people like murderers, but once some times passes, his need for justifications will fade. He’ll move on to rude people, only his rude will differ from Hannibal’s. Hannibal doesn’t differentiate between genders and ages, but I think Will will. He’s interested in a feeling of power, like he himself says, in a sense of dominance, so he’ll look forward to a fight. He won’t be interested in attacking a teenager like Cassie, for instance, because the power imbalance is too prominent. But as soon as someone more equal does something Will heavily dislikes, something that wakes his bloodlust (a personal insult, physical or verbal abuse toward other people/animals, etc.), he’ll attack. He’ll be careful - he knows how to avoid being caught, but it will still be unpredictable and passionate. Will is a storm to Hannibal’s calm.

As for Bryan's version, he said a great variety of things about what S4 could be about over the years, to the point where it's nearly impossible to form one coherent picture. Here is my attempt on it.

Will is going to feel drunk on his newfound darkness and freedom. He was repressed for so long that now that he Became, he’ll be losing his focus and drowning in his own preferences, forgetting what they were and turning into a much more vicious monster any of us expected. He’ll be chasing the high he felt from killing Francis and failing to find it. He’ll be surrounded by blood, his past victims (hence the return of everyone dead, like Bryan mentioned), and more madness. A part of him will want to impress Hannibal, to prove that he’s a worthy partner (which is supported by Will seeking Hannibal’s approval throughout the show - the way he glances at him after biting Cordell is a good example; the way he has low self-esteem and knows Bedelia failed Hannibal’s expectations). So he’ll be acting more and more violently.

Hannibal will see that Will is losing himself in a new way. He won’t want to start a physical relationship with him (which Bryan mentioned) because he’ll be afraid that it isn't for the right reasons, that Will is too far gone to made decisions. So, he’ll feel like the best therapy would be to push Will even more and make him realize that he’s approaching their new life from the wrong angle, to make him figure out that this isn't the kind of killer he wants to be. To do this, Hannibal’s manipulation will entail them going after Alana and Margot.

Will won’t be fond of the idea but Hannibal will manipulate him into accepting it, intending it as a test that will finally make Will snap out of his state. So Will will initially help hunt them down but then he’ll realize this isn’t what he wants to do. Hence finally getting his mind back and being happy in S5.

[newtthetranswriter]

Birthday Twins?

Word count: 1338

Paring: Gojo x reader

Summary: What was supposed to be a night out alone to celebrate your birthday, turns into meeting another soul alone on what is apparently also his birthday.

Warnings: Forgotten birthdays, mentions of bars, Gojo is probably a little ooc. let me know if i missed anything.

A/N: Happy birthday to the Beautiful Gojo. I feel like at this point this Fic event has turned into celebrating different anime character’s December birthdays, but you know what, that’s fine. Anyway, thanks to [ena] for the idea for this one, as well as the one coming out on Hawks’ birthday. I hope everyone enjoys and remember to hydrate or diedrate.

   Birthdays suck, especially when you've spent every one alone. It doesn't help having your birthday so close to such a major holiday. Everyone thinks oh your birthday’s right before Christmas it must mean double the presents when in reality half the time people completely forget about your birthday. It's all about Christmas and the other winter holidays, birthdays come second.

   This year though I decided it'd be different, I may not have anyone to celebrate with, but I can still have a good time. I planned a night out for myself, going to a nice dinner followed up by a couple drinks at the club. So to start my night of fun, I got dressed in my best outfit.

    When I got to the restaurant, I got a few sad looks from bystanders, who I assume felt bad for me going out by myself. But I don't care, I’m going to spoil myself and have a good night. 

    Ignoring the pity glances, I enjoyed my meal. I had a small chat with the waiter before paying and heading out for the rest of my night.

    Making it to the club, I was greeted by the loud and chaos filled environment which people expect when going out. I weaved my way through the crowd, finding an empty place at the bar, and politely waved down the bartender.

    After I received my drink, the bartender decided to strike up a conversation. “So, what's a pretty thing like you doing out here alone?” They asked. I just rolled my eyes before thanking them for a drink, walking to an empty booth, to just watch the crowd.

     Settling into my seat, I looked at my drink, the bartenders words making me think about how truly alone I am at this moment. Sighing to my self, I raised my class in a mock toast, “Well, Happy Birthday to me.” As I was about to down my drink, I froze, having heard the exact same sentence in a more masculine tone from right behind me. I quickly turned around to see a white-haired man with dark sunglasses looking directly at me as well. Stunned, I couldn’t think of anything to say, the only thing coming to mind was ‘fuck he’s hot’.

     Noticing my stunned state, the attractive stranger spoke first. “Seems like we’re both in the same situation, care to discuss over a drink” He said with a smirk. I jumped, not expecting him to offer company. I guess he took my surprise as an answer and moved from his spot to sit across from me in my booth. “The name's Satoru Gojo. Nice to meet you.” He introduced, while sitting down.

    “Um Y/n Y/l/n, nice to meet you.” I said, still processing the events of the last few minutes. “So it’s also your birthday?” I asked the most logical question to start this conversation.

    Gojo just smiled before responding. “Yup, figured I’d spend it watching people make poor choices.” He said, gesturing to the club full of drunk people. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you spending the day alone?” He questioned.

    Figuring this was better than drinking my thoughts away, I responded. “I don’t have many friends, and even if I did, they would probably forget about my birthday anyway, everyone always does.” It was harsh, but the truth, forgotten birthdays were extremely common for me growing up. I watched as the man across from me frowned slightly. “So, Gojo, why are you spending the day alone? I’m sure someone as handsome as you, has at least one person to spend the day with.” I said in a slightly flirtatious manner, trying to lighten the mood.

    I watched as he smirked slightly at the complement before responding. “Actually, with my line of work, I don’t have much time to get out. Plus, it’s too dangerous to drag someone into my lifestyle.” Now that piqued my interest, what did this guy do for work that was so dangerous.

   “Well, then what do you do for work? What could be so bad that you don’t have a partner in life? Are you a criminal or something?” I asked, hoping to have not over stepped.

   It was clear that he had to take a moment to decide whether to answer or not, but when he sighed, I knew he made his decision. Finishing off his drink, he started talking. “It’s difficult to explain, the most I can say is that my job is to keep people safe, and it’s agreed upon by everyone in this field that I’m the best. Trust me, I’m not trying to be cocky. It’s the truth, everyone looks to me for help when they can’t fix something.” He said, looking down at the table. I took a moment to process, this guy wants me to believe that his job is so dangerous he can’t tell me much other than the fact that he’s the best. 

   It is hard for me to believe, but the look on this man’s face told me he was being truthful. “Well, if people rely on you that much, you have to at least have some friends to talk to?” I asked, hoping to learn more.

   I watched as a gentle smile took over his face. “Yeah, I do have a couple friends, but the ones I talk to most are my students. I’m teaching them how to do this job so they can take over when the older generation is gone, but sometimes it feels like they’re actually my kids.” He spoke about these students like they were his world. “I honestly don’t know where I would be without them.”

   “So you’re the strongest and a teacher, what can’t you do?” I joked, earning a laugh from the man across from me. “But in all honesty, it’s amazing that you’re teaching the future generation. I may not know what it is your job entails, but it sounds like guidance is a good thing to offer to them.” I smiled, making eye contact with him over the edge of his glasses, taking in his bright blue eyes for just a moment.

   He smirked, noticing that I was amazed by his beautiful eyes. “Thank you. Now, enough about me and what I do, What does the wonderful Y/n do for work?” He asked, shifting the conversation.

   Snapping out of the trance his eyes put me in, I thought for a second. “I just work at the mall. Nothing amazing, just a simple customer service job.” I explained, looking off to the side. Here I am talking with this guy who teaches the next generation of what ever job he does, and all I do is try not to get yelled at by cranky people all day. It’s obvious that he’s way better off than I am.

   “Hey, don’t be embarrassed by that, I don’t think I could survive a day dealing with entitled karens and grumpy assholes.” He said with a laugh. “Plus, without people working in customer service, this world would crumble.” It was clear he was trying to make feel better about it.

   I just smiled in response before thinking of another topic, as work was a boring on for me. “Ok, how about a change of topic, What is your favorite food?” I asked, hoping to smoothly change focus, but still keep talking.

   From the smile on his face, I could tell he was fine with the change of topic, as he went on to explain that he’s a fan of anything sweet and began listing some of his favorites. 

   That’s how we spent the rest of the night, talking about anything from our favorite food, to what shows we were currently watching. Sure, I started today thinking it was going to be another lonely birthday, but fate was on my side and showed me someone to connect with. Hopefully if this goes well then on our next birthday neither of us will have to spend it alone.

[mask131]

While I am on the topic of Netflix's Monkey King, I have two thoughts about the character of The Dragon King.

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD! SPOILERS AHEAD!

Thought 1: I was a bit dubious of making the Dragon King the main antagonist of the story, since in the original novel, Ao Guang isn't actually an antagonist, but rather a reluctant ally to Sun Wukong. This Dragon King does work as this strange mix of a watery Hades (Disney) and a male Ursula, but I was wondering about the choices behind it (don't get me wrong, I love water and sea-themed villains, I am just curious as of the adapting process). But having watched the movie now, I realize that this is actually another homage to Chinese culture - just not to the Journey to the West per se.

Netflix's Dragon King is ACTUALLY based on the character of the Dragon King from the animated movie "Nezha Conquers the Dragon King". You know, the late 70s Chinese animated movie? This movie was one of the big reasons people believe that, in "The Investiture of the Gods" novel, Ao Guang was a vicious being of chaos - when in fact he was not. It was in this movie that the Dragon King was depicted as a destructive antagonist all about causing storms and water-based disasters, and it also from there that the whole "The Dragon King eats children" comes from (the same "eat children" joke that the Netflix movie uses). Plus, the color palette or the new Dragon King and Nezha's Dragon King are also very similar, so the homage is pretty clear.

Thought 2: I am dumb sometimes - it took me a long time to understand why the Dragon King's final kaiju-like form looked like a bloated Godzilla. At first I thought they were just making a fat Godzilla joke or recreating the "giant Ursula" feel from the Little Mermaid final. Then I noticed that each time he was hit by the Monkey King, water flew out of his body, but I thought it was just some cool special effect. It was only when his body started twisting itself that I finally understood the joke: that the Dragon King had turned itself into a giant water balloon.

Which actually fills one of the eventual plot-holes there could have been. Indeed, it is shown that in this universe only the Immortals can become giants (Monkey King only gains the ability to grow in size when becoming fully Immortal), and yet the Dragon King is clearly not one of the Immortals given the way he talks about them. So how could he grow giant? Well here's the answer: he "cheated", he rather gorged himself with sea water like a giant sponge. It is basically the fable of "The Frog that wanted to grow as big as a Bull". Plus, of course, there is the obvious metaphor and image of the Dragon King growing as big and bloated as his own ego. Which in turns serves as a "mirror" for the Monkey King, because while he grows even bigger than the Dragon King, it is also the moment where Monkey snaps and becomes a madman (well, a mad monkey), his ego having grown even bigger than the one of the Dragon King.

[jerzwriter]

Different Destinations

I know I said tomorrow, @juudaimes-true-form, but I couldn't sleep anyway, so I did it now! Thanks so much for the three-word prompt: Jackie, Casey, Postcard. I did have to add Tobias to go in the direction I wanted to with this; I hope you don't mind. 😊

Book: Open Heart (Post Series) Featuring: Tobias x Casey Carrick, Jackie Varma Rating: Teen Words: 1,040 Summary: Casey & Jackie are spending a Sunday afternoon together; it's just like their roomie days - but then again, it's not. A/N: For those unfamiliar with my Tobias x Casey HC - Tobias comes from an extremely wealthy background on his father's side, whereas Casey's family really struggled financially. Per canon, Jackie had a childhood more in line with Casey's. This story takes place Post Book 3, about a year after their daughter's birth. @choicesjanuary2024 Day 7 - Reflection

It was a quiet Sunday afternoon, and it felt like old times. Casey and Jackie were lounging on the couch with a spread of snacks that both would have advised patients against eating laid out before them. That and wine... copious amounts of wine. They spent an hour catching up and laughing, and then they began the painful process of selecting a movie. They had to resort to a flip of a coin, and Jackie groaned when Casey's choices won. Another freaking romcom. Yep, it was just like old times... until a rustling noise from the corner of the room served as a reminder. It wasn't old times, Casey had a husband now.

"Babe," she said, stretching her neck over the couch. "Whatcha doing?"

"I told you, I'm going to go through my storage boxes in the basement. I want to make that area into a play space for Samantha, so I need to clear it out."

"12.5 rooms in this townhome, and you choose to do that in the one we're in?" Jackie quipped.

Tobias replied with a bright grin. "Aw, Jackie... you know I can never stay far away from you. Besides, I thought you might want to see some of my childhood memorabilia."

Jackie rolled her eyes as Casey assured him she'd love to see his trinkets, but they were watching a movie right now. Jackie's eyes flicked toward the screen, and she realized she found her salvation. One last look at Sandra Bullock, and she grabbed the remote.

"You know what, Tobias, this is the perfect opportunity to get to know you better!" She smiled.

"You see!" Tobias replied enthusiastically. "You see Casey! Jackie's making a valiant effort here!"

"Tobias," Casey sighed. "She’s trying to get out of watching The Proposal again.”

Tobias leaned in toward Jackie with a smirk. “Shit, we can bond over that, too.”  

Casey threw a pillow his way. “I can hear you! So, now that you two have interrupted my movie I’ll never know what happened to Sandra and Ryan....”

“Like you haven't seen this twenty times,” Jackie injected.

“... as I was saying, since you interrupted my movie, let’s see what you’ve got there.”

“Well, there’s this,” he grinned, holding up a small, green felt teddy bear that had seen better days.

“Please tell me that has sentimental value," Jackie said, tossing the object to Casey. "Because if it doesn't, and that’s what you’ve chosen to hold on to, I'm going to judge you."

“It does! That’s the first stuffed animal anyone ever won for me at a carnival.”

“Oh, really!” Casey teased. “And who won this for you, dear?”

Tobias sat back, cupping his hands behind his head. “Annabelle Worthington. We were in fifth grade.”

“Wait, shouldn’t you have won it for her?” Jackie mocked.

“We don’t do that sexist shit in this house, Jackie. Besides, I offered to let her keep it, and she said no. I was a hot commodity even then, ladies!"

Both of the women groaned and grabbed their glasses of wine.

“You know, I think we should go back to the movie,” Jackie suggested. “It may be better than your husband.”

Jackie and Casey’s conversation turned back to a patient as Tobias continued to scavenge through the box, soon after, he interrupted them once more.

“Holy shit! Look at this!” He gushed. “I haven’t seen this in forever.”

“What is it?” Casey asked.

Tobias handed them a stack of old postcards and stood over their shoulders to tell them about each one.

“That's when we went to Disney World when I was five. My brother wasn’t around yet, so I got all the attention.”

“Ah, so that's where it began,” Casey jested.

Ignoring her, Tobias tapped on the postcard Jackie was holding.

“And that’s Hawaii. We went to that resort every year. My parents made it a holiday tradition to avoid half our relatives,” he chuckled. “I didn’t realize that last part until I was older.”

“Where is this one from?” Casey asked. 

“That’s Tanzania,” he said enthusiastically. “When we went on a safari for my twelfth birthday! Damn, I have to go find the pictures from that trip!”

After a few more, Tobias gathered the cards and tucked them away in the box. “So what about you guys? Do you have any postcards from your vacation spots growing up?”

Casey and Jackie exchanged a look, eyes glimmering mischievously, they knew what they were about to do.

“Well, I don’t know?” Casey hummed. “But I'll call my mother. I’m sure she saved some. They're probably tucked away in our summer home. What about you, Jackie?”

“Me? Nah, they couldn't possibly be in any of our homes. After all, there were too many! But they may be in our family archives."

“All right...” Tobias said, slightly abashed. But they weren't done with him yet.

“Where did you go most frequently?” Casey asked.

“Me? Usually, the water park... you know... I was lucky because it was right down the street from me. It was open every summer, well... until the firefighters arrived and insisted on recapping the hydrants. Then all the fun was over."

“Oh, yes! We had a waterpark like that in Philly, too! Did you ever go to that location?”

“Nope, can’t say I did! But there was that special year when we went camping... to rough it.”

“Really, and where did you go? The Adirondacks? Jackson Hole?"

“My living room... the gas and electricity was shut off for a few days... that's why we were roughing it.”

"Damn! And you don't have a postcard of that?"

“All right, all right!” Tobias insisted. “I'm sorry. Sometimes, I forget that everyone wasn't an entitled ass like I was."

“Was?” Jackie smirked.

“Really, I’m sorry. I'm an idiot."

“Yeah," Casey grinned, reaching over to pat his but. "But you’re a cute idiot."

“Speak for yourself on that!" Jackie stated as she stuffed Cheeto in her mouth.

“Will you forgive me if I make you ladies homemade pizza for dinner?"

“That would be a start,” Casey nodded. “If you go get us ice cream for dessert, I think I can let it go.”

“Speak for yourself,” Jackie kidded. “I’m not forgiving him until he takes me to Tanzania!”

Tobias scurried out of the room, and Casey flipped the TV back on to Jackie’s great disappointment.

“You know, he’s really not an ass,” Casey insisted. “But every now and then, he forgets we weren’t all to the manor born.”

“Oh, I know,” Jackie shrugged. “But I hope he says something stupid like that every time I come over."

“Really? Why?”

“Because the man makes a great homemade pizza."

Thanks so much for reading! :)

@choicesficwriterscreations @openheartfanfics

Tagging others separately.

[marshmallowprotection]

What do you think of a VAE Saeran being told by MC and Saeyoung that they have a flat ready and want to live together the three of them, when he appears at the RFA party? In this scenario I imagine V told them Saeran was alive and with him and MC would have realised her feelings and that as soon as V felt better she realised she was never in love but had feelings for Ray all that time. Saeran wouldn't be aware of MC feelings unless they got to talk on the phone...I even think Saeran would have wanted to go back earlier but V got controlling again and stopped him until he felt he really had tamed...still in that scenario MC and Saeyoung would quickly get annoyed with V if he's too worried about Saeran being triggered and over sheltering him...

Well... I think it's important to understand that Jihyun made a fatal mistake in trying to protect Ray and Saeran the way he did.

He told himself he was doing the right thing by keeping the truth of their survival secret until he was certain they were at a place where they felt ready to confront everybody with their existence. The real problem with this is that Jihyun let them assume that Saeran was dead and never coming back.

So much of the pain experienced in the VAE in that regard is because of Jihyun's silence.

However, I understand why he thought it was the best choice, I just don't agree with his final decision in the matter. I think he told himself that he was doing right by Saeran. "I know he doesn't want to be near his brother or myself, but he and I need time to process what went on in Mint Eye, and I want to make sure he's safe before I he's forced into a corner with Saeyoung. Being around me made him feel like a caged animal, and I can only imagine it would be worse with his brother... so I will let them assume what happened until I'm sure Saeran's ready..."

Saeyoung nearly got rid of himself and Rika in that cabin and the only reason he survived is because Jumin, Jaehee, and even Vanderwood stepped the hell in to stop it from happening. That's the only reason... he survived. If it wasn't for them, Saeyoung might not have left that cabin when he did. This is one of the failures of V's After Ending, and it's the one that most people are haunted by because even if you can see why he did what he did, it doesn't justify it.

Jihyun's reasoning was: If I tell Saeyoung his brother is okay, what does that do to Saeran? Does he have to face charges because of Mint Eye? Will the Prime Minister find out about them? What about the agency? What if they find out Saeyoung's brother is alive and... and I let them see each other again? What happens? I've been trying to keep my promise to these boys, but one wrong move and I fuck it up even more than I already have. Saeran may not even want to see his brother ever again, so what happens if I force that?

He got in his head about it.

It wasn't okay.

The path paved to hell is made with good intentions. That's how I like to look at Jihyun at times.

That being said, onto your question what if Saeran got that offer from Saeyoung and MC? What if he was honest? What if he told them that Ray was alive? That Ray and Saeran were both alive both they needed to leave to heal first? Well, that's already a mess because Saeyoung is going to want to see his brother, and he probably won't take no for an answer.

I think he would push, unfortunately, and that in itself is already a mess that I don't know how to wrap my head around. I think he would have to relent and let his brother go to heal and work on himself, but how would they convince him to get to that point? I’m not sure. That isn't going to be simple. Saeyoung understands the logic and reason behind it, but he hasn't seen his brother in years, and now he has to accept that his brother doesn't want to see him because he spent so many years of their time apart thinking that Saeyoung hated him?

That's not... that's not simple.

He would want to live with his brother again. He would want to be safe and sound with his brother because how can he trust his brother with anyone ever again? Even if he’s accepted that Jihyun failed, why should he trust his brother with Jihyun again? So, I... don't know how that would play out. But, it's something to think about when it comes to this question. 

MC's outcome depends on how YOU respond to the situation.

Here’s the thing. Saeran and Ray aren’t going to want to be close to their brother at first. This isn't something you can force overnight. It's one thing to spend two and a half years working on finding peace and acceptance, and it's another thing to be thrown back into the fray like that. Even if they thought they were ready to handle the situation, it's going to be different once they face it firsthand. No amount of trying to prepare yourself can help you here.

The one thing I can give Jihyun credit for here is trying help those two advocate their needs. Saeyoung and MC shouldn't pressure the two of them to come back readily. Give them time. Give them space. Please. You can't push people when they're not ready, and if they're somebody who will put the needs of other people ahead of their own, you need somebody there to make sure you advocate for this self in the way you said you would before you faced this situation knowing the weight of what could happen. 

Some people might say it's good to have exposure therapy, but I say it's better to take your time instead of trying to rip the Band-Aid off when it comes to something this traumatizing and overwhelming. It isn’t Saeyoung’s fault that Rika used his likeness to torture Saeran and Ray, but the damage was done and it’s going to take time to unravel that problem. I’d like to think Jihyun does the right thing by helping them take their time to reacclimate to being around their brother, even though he already messed up a lot by letting Saeyoung think his brother was dead. 

By all means, be angry with Jihyun about that part, but don't kick Jihyun if he helps Saeran or Ray say, "I want to learn how to be close to you again, but I need time and space to do that. I can't just jump in without thinking of my health, too."

[apaechi]

here's my fluttershy redesign!! i have many reasons for the various decisions i made on this one.

firstly, obviously, she is an alicorn. thought process behind this was perhaps celestia rewarded her for reforming discord, discord demanded she be turned into an alicorn so she could be with him forever without aging, or discord flat out did it himself (since he is chaotic and celestia probably wouldn't have taken this very kindly) her horn is a little bit shorter than the average alicorn (such as celestia, luna, and cadence. when i make my twilight redesign her horn would be a bit different before and after her transformation but since thats not out yet you get this as an example) and about the same size as an average unicorn, since i wouldn't figure her to be a "true alicorn" if it were discord who changed her, or celestia just obliged to discord's request. she can still use magic, but it isn't "alicorn magic" i guess. she can use her magic and get stronger as twilight and starlight did throughout their lives but as a base level her magic is like any other unicorn's. she also has her little bat toofs which is the only thing that remained from twilight’s spell.

secondly, cutie mark change. i imagine her cutie mark could have gotten a bit more complicated after her transformation onto an alicorn (specifically the little details on it). but i wanted her cutie mark to be a little more inclusive of other animals since that's her whole thing. i wanted to keep the butterfly since it sui ts her so well and the colors worked well, but i also wanted to make sure i stuck to the 3 repeating design many have on their cutie mark but make it different to add more visual interest. obviously a representation of all land animals would have been a little too much so i just went with a few basics and called it at that.

3rd, the mane, tail, and coat. i really liked how her mane in the show was a mixture of her dads very light pink and hrr we mom's red, but since her coat is also yellow like her mom's i wanted to add a bit of teal/turquoise in her mane to show a little bit of more of her dad in her. her personality obviously is fairly similar to theirs but wanted to make her look like more of a mix. i imagine that during her transition into being an alicorn her hair would have grown longer but not flowy like celestia, luna, and future twilight's which is why it's in a bun but still fairly long because her hair is already long. she also has turquoise in her wings (and her coat as a design choice), because i don't think it's absolutely confirmed 100% but i know cadence was a pegasus before becoming an alicorn and she has purple in her wings which could just be a feature because she transformed that way instead of unicorn to alicorn like celestia, luna, and twilight. i am unsure about this since flurry heart does have darker pink on the tip of her wings and she was born an alicorn, but she is also related to cadence so that could just be that. future flurry heart does not have flowy hair and we dont know if cadence does or not, so maybe it would become flowy eventually but as of now it is not.

last, i wanted her to originally be a pegasus. most of the fandom can agree that yes, her personality fits being an earth pony (or even a unicorn) far more than it does a pegasus, but i think that's what makes fluttershy such a special and unique character. the story of how she got her cutie mark is too good to me to take it away from her, and i think that really shows that fluttershy stands out from the rest. she isn't like other pegasi and she fits more in with the earth pony crowd which is great! it shows that you don't have to fit with your "birth role" and can just be who you are.

and she has a little heart to reminisce of g3, the first mlp i watched as a kid!

but anyways, yeah thats my explanation for my decisions i made here! i hope you enjoy :)

[astro-can]

pfft what are you talking about I don't overthink that much

also me whenever I meet a new person at my new school:

person: hey what's up?

me: oh hey, I'm good. fuck I should have said hi not hey because now it seems like i'm copying them. how about you?

person: oh, I'm pretty good. what's your name?

me: oh i'm *name*, wbu?

person: my name is *idk*! so, what are some of your hobbies?

me: hobbies? HOBBIES? oh I have plenty of hobbies I like reading but if I say that then they're going to ask what kind of books I read and then i'll have to tell them I read whatever's trending because I can't tell them I read manga bc I would seem like a weeb and then they would think I'm one of those booktok girls who like dark romance when in reality i'm still stuck in my 12-year-old Percy Jackson and demonslayer phase, if I tell them that I like drawing then theres like a 80% chance that they're going to ask to see my drawings which I can't show them because I only draw my silly little ocs and anime characters and cartoons and that's embarrassing to show to other people, I can't say I like writing because they might ask what kind of things I write about and I can't say "oh I write fanfiction" because that's stupid and if they really want to know what kind of stuff I like to write about, then I would tell them the entire plot of the 3294673964932 stories I'm writing but then I might scare them off--

me: oh haha I like reading...and drawing.... FUCK WHY DID I SAY THAT AHHHHHHHH

person: oh cool! what kind of books do you read?

me: ummm just whatever's trending FUCK IM SO BAD AT THIS

person: cool, do you like music?

me: yeah totally!

person: what kind of music do you listen to? maybe rec me some artists?

me: WHAT DO I SAY I can't say that I like kpop because they're going to think i'm weird and a koreaboo even though i'm actually Korean but would they know that its kpop if I recommended a kpop artist? would they know txt? what if they search txt up in front of me right now and then they say "oh is this bts?" what do I do? if I say I like conon gray or taylor swift, i'll seem too basic. will they think i'm gay if I say chapell roan? well, I AM gay but that's not something I want to tell someone when i've first met them, especially since I don't know if they're an ally or not. ok, so what if I say mitski? would they think i'm depressed? would they ask if i'm ok? would I seem like a basic white teenager? I should just say mitski and lyn lapid those are my best choices--

me: oh I like mitski...chapell roan... FUCK I WAS SUPPOSED TO SAY LYN NOT CHAPELL IM GOING TO GO DIG MYSELF A HOLE what about you?

person: oh really? I like *music artist that I probably haven't listened to the music to before, probably someone like the weeknd or some rapper*

me: oh yeah I love the Weeknd too I have never listened to the Weeknd before i'm going to kms

person: anyways nice talking to you

me: was it really? was it really nice? am I nice? was I pleasant enough? did I stutter? did I fidget too much? oh shit, should I fix my hair? would they think I'm flirting with them if I tuck my hair behind my ear? oh gosh they're going back to their friends what if they're trash talking me what if they hate me and i've already ruined my reputation even though i've barely been here a month. i should've complimented them! I should've told them that I loved their hair or something....

yup that's basically my entire thought process. there's more but I can't write it all out because i'm not actually in a situation like that rn but that's the gist of it. help

[the-anemones-life]

It didn't take too long to find something of interest.

A bright yellow glow up ahead.

(An Iterator's Overseer!)

They hurried to follow the thing that observed them from the ceiling. That only confirmed their guesses. That simply must mean that they are at least in some close proximity for an Iterator to find them. Maybe they could use some help...After all, what are Iterators for if not to help their creators?

The Overseer seemed to be avoiding them, though. Frantically shifting places when not paying close attention to Fifteen Anemones blooming in White Snows' movement.

(Wait!)

They tried to open their mouth and say something, but all that they managed to vocalize was a simple high-pitched sound instead. All their further efforts to produce any coherent words were in vain, so they ended up resorting to simply pointing at their mouth and crossing their arms in an X sign to make the simplest and most obvious gesture of their communication problem.

And the Overseer made a nod. To the pipe.

(It wants to show me something! Great! Maybe it'll lead me into an Iterator's Superstructure... That would be pleasant.)

Following the instructions with great challenge as they conquered this new body's motor ability...they found that the Overseer led them to a dead end full of flying critters, clearly projecting a symbol of food, feast, gluttony. Their heart dropped.

(Are you... Oh.)

(It thinks I am a simple critter because I look like one.)

The Overseer continued to insist they eat the bats and their stomach betrayed them.

(...But it's right. I do need food.)

(Pfft, others could take a long time starving themselves.)

They stared at the bats as they rubbed their arm.

(...I couldn't. And...I don't know if this critter can.)

The Overseer was sharing tips for survival with them, a mere little creature. It was showing projections of how this species seems...to hunt their prey. And they really can't know if they'll find anything else that could be edible and could be processed by their stomach now...

They can't take chances like this.

After some clumsy attempts, they caught a few bats and reluctantly ate them.

(Mmm... It's not as bad as I thought. Then my main dish now is...bats.)

Quite impressed by their progress they looked at the Overseer that now was gesturing for them to go back, which they followed with more confidence. It was pointing in another direction, still pointing with the same symbol. Apparently, there's more edibles to find.

Going into the cave, they felt how they frowned.

(Ew. I'm not that positive about that one. Although I'm not that surprised after eating a living creature.)

So their new species consume bugs, it seems. At least their pupa. While they never tasted it, they can't not feel grossed out for a while. They sadly could never understand eating insects in their raw form. But they don't have no choice now, do they?

(It won't hurt to try...At least once.)

Fifteen Anemones blooming in White Snows picked up one of the pupae and took a bite. It...wasn't that gross, but they shivered and threw in on the ground still.

Their fellow Overseer changed directions and they followed it, still having some hope it'll give any useful information about the local Iterators.

(It's not that bad... At least it's helping me adapt. I already feel more comfortable in this body!)

It took them many attempts, but they learned balancing and leaping like animals do.

(I did it!)

They stood proudly, looking back at the gap, but something was off.

(I think...It's getting dark. I should find myself shelter for the night.)

It didn't take long for the ground to begin to shake, as the Overseer was frantically guiding them.

'' Waa! ''

They could only make an animalistic noise, but it reflected their reaction perfectly. It's terrifying!

The Overseer led them to a sort of construction they were sure they knew of. But for now all they can tell is that it is a shelter, and it's safe for them to stay. The door locked behind them - a kind of machinery they were familiar with and therefore felt sure in reliability - and they took a few moments to get comfortable and fall asleep.

[mauesartetc]

Hello, I hope to know your thoughts on the art style between Puss in Boots: The Last Wish and Disney's Wish 2023. They both have that watercolored-like quality.

But how come the former worked with its "painterly style to resemble a fairy-tale story"....

while the latter's "combines computer animation with the look of Disney's historical hand-drawn animation" didn't?

Then there's Spiderman: Across the Spiderverse, where every scene looks like it belongs to a comic book. Disney's wish succeeded in looking like a moving storybook -fit for a fairytale, but why does it look unpolished and half-done? If it's not a bother, I would like to know your opinion as a professional, as I don't have the words. Thank you.

I mean to be fair, 3D animation isn't my specialty and I haven't seen Wish in its entirety. But if I had to take a stab at it, the soft, low-contrast lighting on everything might have something to do with it-? I don't know if they were trying to emulate a certain art style by doing this, but there's just something muddy and vague about it. And that's a shame because past Disney films have used specific influences to fantastic effect. The animation of Enchanted was clearly inspired by the Art Nouveau movement, while the art direction of Atlantis: The Lost Empire was inspired by Mike Mignola's work. Wish is inspired by... watercolors? I guess? I'm not sure what the exact rationale was behind that choice.

If they really wanted to blend hand-drawn and 3D techniques, what was stopping them from using the same process employed in Paperman? (Or maybe they used parts of it but it's just not clear enough-? Like the scales are tipped way too far in 3D's favor for this film to have a truly unique visual style.) Sure, it's Disney's 100th anniversary and they had a strict deadline to hit, but it could be done if it were planned out far enough in advance.

It sucks because Disney is a massive company that can afford to take creative risks, but with Wish they played everything so damn safe. And because of that (at least from what I've heard), there's not much about it that's particularly memorable or interesting. We can't get a do-over on this tribute film, so hopefully Disney's 100th animated feature (assuming Disney's still around by then) won't feel so rushed, generic and obligatory.

[jennathearcher]

Thirteen horror movies that scared tf out of me

Thank you so much for tagging me @talesfromthecrypts!! I wanted to do this so bad and put entirely too much thought into it XD

Rules: list thirteen horror movies that at one point in time terrified the hell out of you

Skinamarink - probably goes without saying at this point; not everyone is gonna vibe with the visual style, and it actually helped a great deal that I watched it with someone who was bored out of their mind by it while I was ready to start climbing the walls from pure fear XD A+, 10/10, hate thinking about this so much :P

Hereditary - also a very obvious choice but COME ON. This is THE horror movie for me. Literally rewired my brain chemistry; totally changed the way I think about not only horror, but film IN GENERAL, just there is SO MUCH MORE YOU CAN DO??? Also points for connection to irl trauma of mine AND being the only movie to date that has made me curl up in the fetal position on a theatre seat 8D that moment when you feel so viscerally in danger you want nothing more than to flee the theatre but you also NEED TO KNOW HOW THIS FUCKING ENDS (you're not gonna sleep for a while and you're gonna LIKE IT DAMMIT) also extra points for being able to traumatize people without them actually having to watch it :P

Jennifer's Body - yes, believe it or not, I watched this movie as a teenager and it actually gave me nightmares XD seeing Megan Fox fully unhinge her jaw with like a gajillion teeth just did something to my brain, man :P and in retrospect I don't think it was a bad thing

Saint Maud - excellent movie, highly recommend it. Had to include it on the list because even though it didn't necessarily scare me as I was actively watching it, it was the sheer impact it left behind with me that has me like, cool cool cool, I can never watch that again :P seriously, I didn't touch another horror movie for six months after I watched this one

A Cure for Wellness - WE STAN THIS MOVIE IN THIS HOUSE however it has to make the list purely because I actively had an anxiety attack while watching it :P

Sleepy Hollow - another one from my teen years; I absolutely love it, and it's one of the first movies I can remember genuinely scaring the shit out of me while still remaining fun to watch?? Like, first time I was scared while watching a movie and didn't immediately have the desire to shut it off XD

Suspiria (2018) - god damn you Luca you gotta stop making adaptations that leave the source material so far behind in the dust that I never want to bother with them ever XD this one makes the cut because I watched it for the first time at home, and it's the only time where I had to actually pause the movie three-quarters of the way through and just. PROCESS. love this movie so much, will be salty forever that it financially flopped

The Conjuring - THE FUCKING HIDE AND CLAP SCENE. LEGIT ONE OF THE SCARIEST SCENES IN ALL OF CINEMA. MWAH. CHEF KISS. AMAZING. I physically GASPED the first time I saw it and I think you could actually pinpoint the moment I sold my soul to James Wan forever and ever :P

The Night House - sometimes you watch a movie and you think, "holy shit that was good," and then a year and a bit later you have to come back to it just to see if it is, in fact, as good as you thought it was, AND THEN IT I S. There is a stretch in this movie where even on the second watch I don't think I took a single breath during it. Just UGH. CINEMA.

Smile - I literally almost blocked this movie entirely out of my memory, that's how bad it fucked me up. You know shit is fucked when you had planned for this movie to be part of a whole evening of horror movies, only after watching it you're so fucked up all you can do is watch a couple episodes of anime and then go straight to bed. Is it perfect? No, but it scared the absolute fuck out of me so on the list it goes

Speak No Evil (2022) - oh my god I can't even. jdskdlsfdsf. I watched this on a WHIM and had to walk around my house in circles after for the better part of an hour. There's an American remake coming out this year with James McAvoy and if they do this right OH MAN. OHHHHH MAN.

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003) - listen to me okay LISTEN. I LOVE THIS MOVIE SO MUCH. This was my first real slasher movie I ever watched when I was a teenager just getting into actual horror movies and IT TOTALLY SCARED ME!!!! AND I LOVED IT!!!! feel free to judge me because I hate the original while still loving this one LISTEN IT JUST DIDN'T AGE WELL OKAY :P

The Lodge (2020): hooooooo fuck. I don't even know what I can SAY about this movie other than WATCH IT. It's underrated as hell and made me feel emotions hitherto only experienced by shrimp. Major content warning for pet death though, like BIG time, worst case I've ever seen in that regard

tagging: @afoxnamedmulder @thebarefootking and anyone else who wants to do the thing!! <3

[magnoliaroad]

Luxe Living Kitchen + Family Room

Hello friends! At long last, I am ready to publish two playscenes from my Petz 5 makeover project. The Luxe Kitchen and Luxe Living playscenes are now available for download. Be sure to check out my blog post below for a behind-the-scenes look at my creation process.

OVERALL AESTHETIC

In making these overhauls, I was going for a luxury living aesthetic featuring gold accents, neutral beiges, and a touch of rococo. Understandably, this may not be everyone's aesthetic! I have ideas for future themes such as cottage core/witch core, dark academia, Barbie, etc. Now that I have done the ground work of making a reusable PSD template of this playscene, making future variations will be much easier because I can quickly swap out the wallpaper, flooring, rug, etc.

KITCHEN

I don't have a lot of notes on the kitchen remodel as it was a relatively straight forward recolor. The window backyard backdrop was replaced with my remodeled version. I added a tile backsplash for a touch of realism. Various components like the sink and its handles were recolored to gold to go with the luxury living theme. The ugly curtains, orange floor, wallpaper, and yellow fridge are all replaced with a more toned-down, neutral look.

I spent the most amount of time cleaning up the curtain and the window sprites as these were poorly done in the original. If you look closely, you can see several pixel defects that never got cleaned up.

BEFORE / AFTER

FAMILY ROOM

Making over the family room was quite the project as it involved editing several animation sprites. Here are my notes on the different parts of the room.

RUG

I know that the rug's perspective is not 100% correct but when I tried to adjust it to better match the perspective of the room, the results were actually worse. Somehow, the "correct" perspective ruined the "cozy, intimate" ambience of the room. It's a little hard to explain but I hope this design choice isn't too immersion-breaking for most people.

FIREPLACE

The boring old red brick was replaced with something a bit more contemporary. Where the brick texture meets the golden grate, I had to edit the edge so that there is a mortar gap. I also edited the fireplace sprites to remove some ugly pixel halos that the original assets had.

MOUSE HOLES

I replaced the default mousehole covers with golden doors to match the Luxury Living theme because I thought our little mice friends deserved an upgrade too! Tremendous thanks to Reflet from the Petz Hacking and Modding discord for helping me figure out how to do this. If you're making a non-overwrite hexed family room, then changing the mouse holes requires an extra step in a hex editor - it isn't enough to just swap out the sprites in Tinker. If you would like to learn how to do this yourself for your own playscene creations, Reflet's solution is posted in the Petz Hacking and Modding discord.

WINDOW + WEATHER EFFECTS

Oh my glob this was a whole project in itself. I swapped out the outdated backyard backdrop with my remodeled versions. But this presented a problem. Replacing the window backdrop meant that I couldn't use the animated rain and snow sprites that came with the original family room. These weather effects were pre-rendered against the old backdrop, making them incompatible with my replacement backdrop. So this meant that I had to craft my own rain and snow effects from scratch, frame by frame. *eye twitch* But if we're being honest, the original weather effects weren't that great looking anyway. The rain is so faint and barely visible and the snow animation left much to be desired.

Moreover, it always bugged me to no end that the original weather animations do not extend to the bottom of the window. Whenever the window is open, there is a noticeable gap where the rain or snow animation abruptly ends. I'm baffled on how this passed quality control testing (or if was there any).

I corrected this in my version of the weather animation by adjusting the size of the animation to extend to the bottom of the window and then fixing the X and Y positioning coordinates of all the frames in Tinker so that the animation was seated in the right spot. (I used the selection tool in photoshop to measure that the window sprite needed to be seated 858 pixels along the X axis from the left, and 56 pixels down the y axis from the top). Additionally, the original window has this odd 2-3 pixel gap at the top of the window which I fixed in my version so that the window properly extends up to the curtain rod.

Unfortunately, I had to remove the window shine from my window frame recolors. For some reason when you import the images into Tinker, Tinker recolors partial transparency to black and ruins it. If anyone discovers a solution to this problem, please do let me know!

I managed to create the rain animation by using an old video effects software called Particle Illusion. I tweaked a pre-existing rain preset and then recorded my screen using Screen-to-Gif to capture the animation, making sure that the screen capture matched the exact pixel dimensions of the window.

I extracted the exact number of frames I needed, made it transparent, and created a layer mask on the left side of the canvas to account for curtain, which clips into the window slightly.

Then I exported these frames as individual pngs and then imported them into Tinker. Thank goodness for photoshop actions and batch editing for performing repeated actions, or else I would have lost my mind.

The snow animation was much more challenging because I couldn't find a good video effect animation I liked - and even if I did, making the animation loop flawlessly would have been nearly impossible. So I hand-made my own using an old school 2D animation technique known as "parallax scrolling". Basically how it works is that I created 3 "conveyor belt" layers of snowflakes, each with a seamless repeating pattern. These three conveyor belt layers would each move independently of each other at a different pace. Conveyor belt 1 would move down slowly at a pace of 1 pixel per frame. Conveyor belt 2 would move down a little faster at a pace of 2 pixels per frame, and conveyor belt 3 would move down the fastest at a rate of 5 pixels per frame. The multiple layers of snowflakes give off the illusion of depth, making it look like some snowflakes are farther away.

In order for this animation to loop seamlessly, I had to calculate (yes, super serious complex petz math) the dimensions of these conveyor belt layers to correspond with the pace at which they would be falling. If conveyor belt 1 was falling at a rate of 1 pixel per frame, my repeating snowflake pattern needed to be about 30 pixels tall because there were 30 frames. The fastest conveyor belt, conveyor belt 3, had to be a pattern that was 150 pixels tall because it would be moving at a pace of 5 pixels per frame over the course of 30 frames so 30 x 5 = 150 pixels.

Once I made these three separate patterns I copied and pasted them downward to make the "conveyor belts" that would move down the window over the lifespan of the animation.

To animate this, I would make a new frame and then I would move layer 1 down 1 pixels, layer 2 down 2 pixels and layer 3 down 5 pixels. Then I created another frame and repeated this again and again until I hit 30 frames. If I messed up anywhere (which I did), I would have to redo the entire animation. It took some experimenting to finally get it all looking correct and looping properly.

I decided to enhance the snow animation further by addressing a longstanding issue with Petz 5's weather effects. It always bothered me that it could be snowing in the game, yet the scenery remained unchanged to reflect the seasons. To improve this, I overlaid my completed snow animation onto the winter version of my backyard backdrop. Now, whenever it snows in the window, the scenery actually shifts to a wintery backdrop. I mean that would just make sense right? It speaks to the sloppy/rushed development for Petz 5 that they didn't make it this way from the get go. If a solo amateur like myself could do it in one weekend, I don't know why a team of developers couldn't. (If I am allowed to humbly toot my own horn for a moment and say so.)

BEFORE / AFTER

If you've made it this far, thank you for reading this! I hope this journal proves to be useful and inspiring for future petz content creators who may want to get into custom content creation and retro game modding. It's been such a therapeutic pet project and I'm looking forward to making more playscenes in the future. The next playscenes on the release radar will hopefully be my 4 seasons backyards. I am still finalizing those and hope to release those as soon as life allows. Thank you for patiently waiting, real life is hectic!

To download the Luxe Kitchen and Luxe Living playscenes, jump over to my main page at Magnolia Road - the download link is under Resources > Playscenes.

[hybbart]

Can we know the thought process/inspiration behind jimmy and tango design?? I found it really interesting, with their shape and everything. So I wanna know if you don't mind ofc! :D

Sure!

to start with I specifically went in with the intent to animate them. Because of that I wanted to create a style that was simple and quick to draw, a lot of straight lines and such. So I created my mcyt style specifically for that (it's started to bleed back into my regular style between not animating for the last several months and raau which is more detail oriented, but...)

For that I took inspiration from kim possible, heartcatch precure, gatchaman crowds, pokemon, and other art styles with simplified, long lines, and kept the designs super simple and easy to memorize and copy over and over. I'm a very inconsistent artist so it only goes so far but... you know. I also simplified the facial features with the eyes and nose and such, and decided to use solid filled areas where their design utilized black. (Jimmy's talons and Tango's claws)

For Jimmy I knew I wanted to make him very birb. Not as much as some of the more harpy level monster boy designs grian sometimes gets, but a bit more than just wings and a few feathers around the ears. I took inspiration from gatchaman crowds and oofuri's bird mouth design for his smile to give him a beak. I tried out giving him a beak lip like I've done in some other designs but it just didn't look right and was too small a detail.

I gave him long bird legs with bird feet cause I love me some inhuman leggies and I knew I wanted him to hop and hold up his leg like a bird. A lot of his bird features had how I would animate him in mind (often still and a bit jerky and very expressive with his wings and eyes) I am NOT good with wings so I decided to go super simplified with them, I knew I wanted them to sit like a heart on the avians' backs. I started out also with a super simplified version of the elfish feathered ears I often give avian monster boys, and at first in my first animation I treated them like ear wings but it looked too awkward and unappealing so I decided to just make them elven, but animated.

For his eyes... I know there was a lot of people who said it was this or that colour. I wanted them to be a bit more spooky though, so I made them brown but gave him a blue glow for his avian self, which changed colours in his other iterations. I also made them big and round to be more expressive, cute, and like his very cutesy skin.

Buff Jimmy was popular by then but I 1) hate buff characters and 2) had a hard time picturing Jimmy that way cause he's so cutesy and squeaky around tango and his skin is adorable. Plus, buff didn't seem very birdlike to me. I did give him a bit of that dorito shape and wider shoulders than hips though. Actually I very specifically tought myself how to draw small butts to draw jimmy to give him that twig-legged bird appearance and cartoony and so not to have his design as sexualized as my other art tends to be (this was a deliberate choice across all my MCYT art) I didn't give him facial hair again cause I'm not a fan and struggle to draw it, I wanted the ranchers to be well within my comfort zone for easy animation.

I wanted to give him and scott- who have very similar and simple outfits - more distinction from each other, so I decided to make his denim and gave him a collar that was like feathers. I also made the choice to give him a very low waist line in his clothing to make him look longer, and because I just like that look. I made his jeans skinny jeans that faded into his talons because it just worked better, emphasized leggies and looked better. I made the choice to give him visible stitching to make it look a bit more like denim too.

Overall the goal was to get that top-heavy but clearly light enough for it to not matter look that a lot of birds have. Also I gave him a stray hair to make his hair look a bit unkempt and feathery. It's stylish but no kept well. I also wanted to give him freckles but I knew I wouldn't be able to keep them consistent enough without limiting myself in a way I didn't like.

I made him slightly taller than Tango, cause I love tall Jimmy and short Jimmy equally and decided on opposite ends of average, but that gaps been growing since tbh.

For Tango... He had a few major inspirations. Cats (lions specifically), fire, and Dr Drakken. I wanted him to look very mad scientist but like, also Creature. The main goal was that he should look ready to crawl up a wall on all fours at any given moment, and have an extra cartoony silhouette. He should look like he's probably made of playdough, and his actual build should be ambiguous.

The pants and sleeves I made puffy inspired by the likes of Magi and Dr. Drakken but sleeker cause the material is thicker and i wanted it to flow into the boots (my first drawing i have clear separation between boots/gloves and coveralls, but i ditched that in the very first frame of animations lol)

I tried really hard to balance out the fire cat features without making him look like a demon. I'm not sure how well I succeeded. If I'm honest the sharp teeth were very much self-indulgence. His tail I made a literal line because anything else looked too thick and I'm terrible at drawing thin tails, and this would be easier for animation. The hair I wanted to look styled but also maybe possible fire but you cant tell quite? I wanted to take advantage of them being cartoons for effect with this art style.

His vest I'm honestly still not sure if it's leather or denim. I just knew I wanted something thick and insulated-looking. I wanted his clothign to be somewhere between engineer and punkish. You know he listens to his music too loud while working on some machine only he understands. And the kerchief was a decision made via a comity of my friends after trying out a few collar styles. His eyes I wanted almost shaped and smaller than jimmy's just like his skin, but still very expressive.

I also gave him a rougher appearance with the wild hair and eyebrows to give him... mmm... ugly isn't the right word, cause he's not. Jimmy is intentionally pretty, while Tango's kinda... feral, unkempt, a tad scary but in a silly way, a bit more goblinoid. Not conventionally attractive, I guess, but that's incredibly vague. I imagine his appearance being described in its movement first and foremost. If any of that makes sense...

But yeah most of his design is defined by sharpness and fluidity. He is liquid but like... a liquid made of knives. I try to make sure his face is a little shorter and sharper-chinned than Jimmy's. I wanted him to have very bombastic movements like he is living motion blur but very pointed. His movements probably come off a bit more masculine than Jimmy's in general, but that's not really something I intended so much as turned out to be an unforseen side-effect of my other design choices.

And, um, well that's it without getting into things I decided later on and other versions of them. the general concept is they're both very animated and cartoony but if very different ways, and take after birds and cats quite a bit. Sorry, this turned out to be A Lot. I really did spend a lot of time thinking about their designs while making them, since I knew I'd be drawing them over and over for animations.

[gaymer-hag-stan]

A Tekken 8 Review That Nobody Asked for From a Longtime Fan Who Has Been Playing for Ages But Is Not a Pro - That Title Is Too Long

Having spent a little over 24 hours playing the game on my PS5, I feel like it's an appropriate amount of time to share my first thoughts on it. I will try to keep spoilers to a minimum so just skip the "Story" section and you should be fine.

General Thoughts

A pretty healthy roster, overall happy with who we got. I do wish Anna and Christie were here, and I also miss Lucky Chloe. With Eddy already announced and Azucena taking over the "cooky dance-y character" I unfortunately don't see Christie or Chloe returning, but Anna better fucking do!

They all look great, even the ugly ones, they look satisfyingly ugly, if that makes any sense. The girls still suffer from the Madame Tussaud's wax figure syndrome that plagued the entirety of Tekken 7's roster, but, maybe I'm gaslighting myself, I do feel like they look a bit less plasticky than some of the initial teasers? Most of the redesigns are great, the hair (Lili's hair has never looked better), water and dirt physics all finally WORK and I love how all the clothing animates with the wind effect, the Fallen Destiny stage is a great one to illustrate all of the above. We can see Yoshimitsu's fingers after three decades! I'd love to know the thought process behind this redesign lmao

I love that they finally, after so many years of other fighting games having it but being inexplicably absent from Tekken, they finally added Player vs CPU matches! FINALLY! Finally I can pick my character and my opponent of choice, pick their costumes and set a stage for them to battle. I'm so happy for this even though it might not make any sense to anyone.

Combo Challenges! We finally have combo challenge in Tekken! Another common fighting game feature inexplicably missing up until now.

Gameplay feels a lot of fun. I wasn't sure about the heat mechanic but it's actually a lot more fun than I initially thought! I tried out all of the cast and am slowly completing both their story episodes and an Arcade run for good measure. I am obviously still maining Nina. They have decided to simplify a lot of her combo throws and I am having fun terrorizing people online with them by breaking their bones! I'm also using Arcade Quest to learn how to play as Lili and Azucena, some basic moves and combos and whatnot. I wanna also do Zafina, Jun, Jin, Hwoarang and Xiaoyu as well eventually. I think these eight will be my main squad for the time being. As a side note, King and Steve feel extremely fun to play, I haven't picked either in ages, but with King I was really close!

The netcode is, surprisingly functional??? We did recently switch to an optic fiber connection type, but I'm still on WiFi and I am having zero problems!

Jukebox is thankfully back again! I literally spent an hour or more before playing the game at all to decide which song goes where lol

Something that scares me regarding upcoming DLC, is that I do not see a season pass being sold anywhere except the Deluxe Edition bundle that costs 40€... I'm sorry but I don't give a fuck about owning 32 identical gold costumes or Tetsujin or whoever the fuck as my Arcade Quest avatar... I only want Eddy and the other three (one of them better be Anna!) thank you very much!

Story

"The Dark Awakens"

Believe it or not I haven't even finished the main story yet as I'm trying to pace myself through all the modes and enjoy them, savouring every moment. At the moment of typing this I am almost halfway through and I must say, even though I am still firmly in the "Drop the cinematic NRS style story modes" camp, and I would much rather have had either arcade mode with proper, canon endings back, or a revival and repurposing of the Tekken Force mode, in an SF6 World Tour mode type of way, out of all of Bandai Namco's attempts at a cinematic story mode, from SCV to Tekken 8, this has been the most satisfying attempt so far. I love that they are fully embracing the overdramatic nature of Tekken along with its campy side and it's present from the very beginning, with Jin throwing his bike at Kazuya's helicopter! "A Fate Decided by Fists" were we actually get to choose which fighters advance through the first round was the biggest highlight so far! I did not expect to fight Azazel again in 2024! I miss his Tekken 6 design though, he no longer glows according to his remaining health or has his limbs crumble away into scarabs according to which parts of him you're hitting. Also, I do understand why they felt the need to overemphasize how "Jin was a good guy all along and he's not like Kazuya" to redeem him and attempt to portray him as a more traditional hero, but I think they went way too far. Literally every single cast member, characters who've never met him before especially, makes a point of how good a person Jin is. Also, I do understand that there were a lot of people complaining that most of the cast were ignored in Tekken 7's story mode and I appreciate that they tried to include more of them this time, but it's so half assed and superficial. Like, Lili, Asuka, Hwoarang, Leo (who finds their missing father, a forgotten plot point from Tekken 6 of screen without a single explanation) Xiaoyu, PANDA offer absolutely nothing to the story so far other than to just be there and tell Jin what a good guy he is. And I say all that as someone who is firmly on Jin's side and despises Kazuya.

Character Episodes

Thank god they have more than one single fight this time! I would have liked it if they found a way to make each of them be canon. Like, I think every single one of the Arcade mode endings of SF6 is canon, if I'm not mistaken, and most of them seem to take place before the events of the main story, as a way to give us a clearer understanding of why each fighter fights. I think Guilty Gear does exactly that too. Nevertheless, I do appreciate that each fighter has fights specifically tailored to them, with specific opponents. It's not clear to me yet if they're completely non-canon or not, as in Nina's she seems to have been hired by Lee to sabotage G Corporation and Kazuya, I pray to God this is true and she's not actually, willingly working for that asshole, like, I'm still in complete denial that they threw her entire character development from Tekken 4 to Tekken 7 to the trash can just to go "NInA WiLl WoRK FoR WhOmEvEr"... She's also suspiciously missing from the actual story like, she simply just appeared in ONE scene so far and then left without doing literally anything. She also seems to only have special interactions with Steve and Lee so far when others get a lot more. Her handling story wise in this installment is insulting, considering she's the most popular female fighter in the series and one of the most popular in the genre...

Offline Modes

Arcade Quest

It's cute... It's certainly a cool way to mask your tutorial and the avatars are kinda cool, but they're nowhere near as good as what Capcom did with SF6 and World Tour. I must say I prefer Tag 2's Tekken Lab over this.

Super Ghost Battle

Ghost battle, after five attempts is finally fun! Tekken 7's was by far the worst attempt as the game would automatically pick opponents for you, matching you with much harder ones if you were winning too much and much lower ones if you were losing too much so that you wouldn't climb the ranks as fast and it would artificially increase playtime. Now that Tekken has actual single player modes other that the story there's no need for that, and they made it work. You simply choose from a list, and the ones that contain unlockable (useless) customisation options for specific characters are actually marked so that you can attempt to get the item you want.

Arcade Battle

I love that they still included a traditional eight battle long Arcade mode, even though they could have just had the character episodes and call it a day. My slight nitpick, again, is that they're still doing this thing that they've been doing since Tekken 5 or 6 where the first few battles are characters in their default costumes and then a horde of Namco's customized monstrosities attack your eyes... This is a huge pet peeve of mine, I understand it in the context of Ghost Battle, and Arcade Quest, but I do not want to see goofy customs in other, "serious" modes. On top of that, the ghosts you get seem to be from the Super Ghost Battle's catalogue of freaks, and are therefore higher difficulty than most, which in turn makes them actively harder than the mode's final boss which I think is kinda hilarious!

Tekken Ball

I will admit, I only played a single match and never touched it again. It is actually challenging, I'll give it that, but I don't see the appeal. I'd much rather have Tekken Bowl again back instead tbh. Also I wish that stage was playable in normal modes too.

Customization

Avatar customization is kinda whatever, but it works well enough for Arcade Quest and I don't really visit the Tekken Fight Lounge.

Character Customization however is where I have an issue. While I've seen lots of cool customs of various characters from other games and IPs, including Shimbori himself dressing up Super Battle ghosts as DOA characters!, I don't really care for the customization options? My only real use for Character Customization in Tekken so far was to recreate past / alternate outfits. Like, in Tekken 6 I would buy the schoolgirl outfit parts for all the teen girlies, in Tekken 7 I recreated Nina's 2P outfit from Tekken 4 using her Blood Vengeance catsuit as a base, stuff like that. In Tekken 8 all I'm getting is a huge catalogue of Zara's apparel... And all the unlockable outfits are either their default look with less clothes on, or weird cosplays of other characters. Why? Tekken Character Customization peaked in Tekken 6, where every single one of the 40 (41 if you count Panda, who I think had some different options from Kuma) characters had his own personal selection of outfits and items, matching their personality and look. I don't want to play as Nina dressed up as Ada Wong or in a business casual for a 9-5 desk job. They made everything way too generic and bland and, on top of that, we don't even have trademark pieces like Nina's purple catsuit, her ponytail, Hwoarang's taekwondo garb, Xiaoyu's Tekken 6 battle costume. The Tekken 5 veterans should have had their Tekken 5/6/TTT2 costumes and hairstyles on top of their Tekken 7 ones.

Overall, I am very very happy with this game! It seemingly does almost everything right and I am glad to see it improving on, literally, every single thing over Tekken 7.

Score: 9 / 10