#because they used real locations instead of editing background on top???

[ddeck]

andor looks so good, i need to kith everyone responsible for cinematography, set decoration, costume design and editing on their forehead

[noxiatoxia]

hi!! i hope you don't mind the ask ^^ i was wondering about how you got started with sprite ripping, specifically through tinke, because im trying to learn myself so i can rip as much as i can from the d.gray-man ds game and well..... it's definitely quite the process and im really unfamiliar with these things ;;^_^ i actually found your blog while searching for information which is why i thought to send an ask :0

Hey! I'm pretty flattered you thought to ask me!

So, I'm gonna go through several games, because it highly depends on the game and what you see. That way you have a lot of examples to work with.

Let's start with Death Note: Successor to L as that is the game I'm most know for ripping the sprites from. It is also a bit unstraight forward, which helps some things in explaining.

Upon opening the .nds file in Tinke, this is what we see.

Locate the "data" folder, click the +.

See this data.bin? Despite its icon, we do not want to unpack it.

Instead, we want to Open as > compress

You'll get a popup window called "Select Offset". Don't do anything; just click "Accept".

After a second of waiting, suddenly we have this huge list of new .bins! So where do we find the images?

Scroll until you find the LAST [IPAL] .bin. Everything under it will be the game's sprites.

So, everything under "data_15108.bin [IPAL]" in this case. So...where are the images?

Under it is data_15109.bin. And under that, data_15110.bin. Open as > compress them both.

Based on icon, we can see we have a palette file and a tile file. First, we have to open the palette file as a palette.

Now, let's see what happens if we open the tile file now... (as a tile, of course)

Well...that doesn't look right. For reference, this is the sprite in question:

So, why does it look like that?

What if we manually adjusted the width? You can hold down the up or down arrow to see it change in real time.

But setting it to 128.... (half)

Looks about the right size, just...cut off. We'd have to adjust the height, too.

Or, we can try opening it as a map instead and see if that helps. So let's try opening this file as map instead.

Ah! Did all the work for us! But...where's the other half of the sprite? And why are the colors weird?

Let's Open as > compress the .bin below...

...Well, there's the other half. So, you'll have to stitch them together. Ok, what about the colors?

This is where the palette comes in. Tinke will use the colors of the last palette you viewed. Thankfully, we know this is Light's palette since the palette file precedes all his sprites. But why is it showing up wonky?

See these bold colors up top? This is our issue. We need only one of these bold colors that is clearly not supposed to be a color in Light's sprite. Why? Because that will be the color of the sprite's background (which we can edit out later.)

See this start byte button? Keep clicking up, you will see the squares slowly move backwards (idk how to describe it, just hold down the up button and see for yourself). Do it until only the last bold color remains. Cyan, here.

Now, let's go reopen the image as map.

Perfect! You can even click that "Transparency" button to turn the bold color transparent.

Now, all you have to do is click "Export"

Here's the output:

Of course, the same will have to be done with the sprite below it, and then you'll have to stitch them together in any editing software or art software (MS paint, firealpaca are both free) and there you go! the sprite :)

Now, not all games are like this. So let's look at another.

Let's do Pokemon Black 2 (this is the JP version but as far as I know, both games have the same file paths)

Already, this looks WAY different. No Data folder. Just an "a" folder, with a million sub folders. How are we ever gonna find what we want?

Well, there's 2 answers. One is Google. I googled "Pokemon Black 2 sprite files locations" and got this answer:

So a > 0 > 0 > 4...

But what if Google doesn't have an answer?

Well...Sorry to say, at that point, it's a game of trial and error. You're going to have check everything yourself (that's what I had to do with the Death Note game).

But back to Pokemon. So, I open as > compress....

A little different here, too. But If I had to guess, 4_19.RLCN is our palette, and 4_20.bin (after we open as compress) will be our image.

Right I am. But opening the image as map, it still looks weird. I'll mess with the width - that usually works.

Just a few clicks of the down arrow and we got Bulbasaur.

However, this palette doesn't look like Bulbasaur at all. There's no green or anything...maybe the actual palette it at the bottom there?

So it is! You can tell just by looking at the colors that this is meant to be for Bulbasaur. The greens, blues, and reds for the mouth. Now, the question is how to get the right palette on it...

Unlike Light's palette from earlier, this one is much smaller, so we can tell the palette size is actually 16/16, not 256/1

Just switch it over.

I did 40 for the offset again, as this seems to be a regular number used for palette offsets.

And wouldn't you know it!!

Okay, I've hit image limit so i'll stop here. But I hope this helps. Some games are encrypted or use file types not recognized by Tinke, so if you're having additional troubles you can message me again :) otherwise I hope this helps. When in doubt just try opening everything and anything lol.

[onmypinkmother]

Today's very special and lengthy One Donut a Day is about one of my favorite Hoops and Yoyo shorts 

Its a cute little animation of Yoyo taking a walk around listening to the song Sugar Vendor by Softee. 

Love the use of real locations. Piddles house is so cute too. I want to live there so badddughh!!! >w<

It's such an interesting short as its the only one of its kind, It feels branded like it was supposed to be its own recurring series but its not.

 So after watching something like this I wondered how hoops and yoyo collaborated with an indie band but finding that kind of information is hard. First of all the band, Softee was an indie Pop band from Kansas City, Missouri had a pretty short run starting in 2009 and going for a few years before becoming inactive. 

Excerpt from their youtube channel description,

“Softee is Sarah/bass/lead vox, Mimi/drums/vox, Flora/cello/keys & Steph/guitar/vox. A super fun lo-fi indie pop band from KC, USA, Softee met at work and are designer/illustrators by day and power popsters by night. They LOVE it and have a blast!!! We have 2 EPs & 2 singles available on itunes and amazon!!”

Looking at their page cant give me that much but it's something. Their albums are hard to find let alone catalog how many releases they’ve made. What I can find is 2 Ep’s and sugar vendor on a compilation album FIRST BLOOD which is the only way to listen to Sugar Vendor in good quality. Or like at all. Their youtube page has some of their songs performed live however the band being active in 2009 does not equate to the best quality. 

They’re cool but I wish there were more answers. I'll try to find some contact info for members of the band and how they came in contact with Hallmark. Maybe they had ties due to their design work? If they did the (really nice) art for their albums and banners) they do match the styles Hallmark has for their media in this era. Their art has this cute little baby squirrel? I think thats what it is these icons and posters are nice.

 So if I think the obvious thing is to either contact Mike Adir and or Bob Holt but that would seem like a hassle because I'd have a billion questions about Hoops and Yoyo to ask them. 

Well now that that section of the post is done with theres some merchandise based off this short, an Ipod case. It has Yoyo on one side with his ipod with some edited headphones instead of wearing the Apple Earbud style earbuds he wears in the Short, and Hoops on the other side just bein silly :p 

Heres some things I ripped from the flash file. I wanted to rip Yoyos adorable little head bobbing but this ones really strange compared to other flash files i’ve digged into where I could not find this animation by itself in the file. 

So have these of Yoyo and Piddles and the full backgrounds uncropped.

Speaking of the backgrounds I wondered where Yoyo was walking. So for fun I tried to find out what the real world locations of the walk and map the trail so lets see where these locations are now. 

Yoyo Takes a walk around 63rd street in the Brookside District in Kansas City Missouri possibly due to the band being from there maybe they frequented the spot. So lets reveal (almost) all the real locations from the short.

Location 1 - BlueBird Cafe 

The short begins and ends here and Bluebird Cafe is actually a CVS :( I think has been for a long time.

Location 2 -  Coffee Depot

Coffee Depot has an interesting history as it was once a Goodcents sandwich shop to now a Starbucks so it kind of is a Coffee Depot but less cute and more corporate and a big lack of a giant coffee mug on top I don't know if that was there at all or edited in.

Location 3 - pink house :) 

My personal favorite location as its such a pretty house. Unfortunately it was repainted in blue by the company that currently occupies it, a pest control service. I have no idea what previous business occupied the house as when i find other images of the house it seems to be up for sale. An odd point on googles street view shows one capture from 2011 when the house was still pink frozen in time. Such a shame a pretty house was repainted :( 

Location 4 - restaurant and DOGGONE IT!

Yoyo sits on the bench, reads a paper, and has a little dance break in front of these 2 buildings on a which are 3 stores. The restaurant is now 2 separate stores, a pet salon and a framing shop. Doggone it is a clothing store now.

Location 5 Ye olde donut shoppee

So this is the one I have no ideas about, reverse image search didn’t give me a clue and i took a street view tour around the area but did not find a matching building so this ones odd so please if anyone can find it let me know.

Location 6 - Chillis Delli

The location Yoyo passes but waits to cross the street is actually a restaurant so its not too off.

Bonus thing! - Hallmark location 

While researching the street I viewed old videos touring the area and had stumbled upon an old hallmark store there on the street. So I believe this may have something to do with the connection to Hallmark and Softee idk thats just my theory.

This has been a very long and big project post when it wasn't supposed to be, however the questions keeps piling and I enjoyed researching for this one. Next post may not be as long but will still have lots to it. 

Hello again and goodbye for a little - Penny <3

[kafus]

i'm very excited for the new kaf song tomorrow judging by the tiny preview they've posted of it, mondo grosso good and it sounds amazing so far, however i'm having really conflicted feelings on the teaser of the music video

excuse me for the quality of these screencaps, this is the best i got

kaf's model maybe looks kind of different here? not like how kiji is supposed to look? she is literally SO far away it's impossible to actually tell for sure, not to mention this mv is absolutely drowned in intense lighting effects and static, but

the reason i bring this up is because. some cursed knowledge for you all. kamitsubaki does semi frequent art exhibitions you can go to in real life in japan, consisting of various media and often technical experiments. like i know there was some sort of VR experience pertaining to VWP at the last one where they had VR headsets in the location for people to put on in a specific room. but anyways they also decided it would be a good idea to make. a realistic looking kaf??? there was a whole art display dedicated to this realistic kaf model and tldr it's just really jarring and weird. i'm literally going to put it under a cut cause it weirds me out LOL

NOW all of that being said. YES i am wondering if the kaf in this mv is This Model, which it very well could not be because i can't fucking See anything (like this "virtual human" kaf has a part in her hair, it's not just flat round across the top of her head, but this mv preview is SO staticy i literally can't make out whether she has a part or not)... and like i sure hope it isn't BUT. but. if it IS the virtual human model and they're experimenting with it again for some fucking reason, they better make it look cool and actually make me like the mv regardless. i'm hoping that if it is, her being in different lighting instead of starkly lit on a white background in an uncanny way and environment will not make me hate it and at most just be kind of amused by it/not able to take it seriously

(also for those who aren't into kaf or not as much and may be super befuddled by this, no this is not and will never replace her model even if it is used in this mv, this is like an alternative art project for kamitsubaki and not a new normal. if it was i think the fandom would be out for piedpiper's blood. i'm fine with them being a little goofy from time to time i don't think anyone would be super chill about them fully replacing kaf with uncanny real woman)

edit: OH YEAH I MEANT TO SAY ALSO laplace is back so even if it is VH kaf im so excited to see my fish guy i'm winning

[o-pandora-o]

Baker MC: April Fool's Special

Baker MC strikes again! Fooling the Demon Brothers in April Fool's by their realistic cake. How would they react?

Note: I would like to apologize beforehand, some of the brothers turned out to be boring rather than funny. I will try to edit this when I have the time.

Lucifer:

[No image was available for this]

Background: You planned this with the Anti-Lucifer squad. You hid all his pen in his room leaving a suspicious "pen" that looks like the pen he usually use. Satan put a powerful spell on the pen, removing its sweet scent to avoid the suspicion. You put a hidden camera to see his reaction.

Luci daddy came home tired from all the things he'd done in RAD.

He still have some paper works to finish, he put the paper works in the table and sat on his chair.

Ya'll saw him eyeing the "pen"

He picked up the pen and was gonna start writing until he glared at the camera and crushed the pen.

It was a chocolate and strawberry cake

He licked the strawberry (the filling of the pen) that splattered near his mouth, made a grin, glared at the camera and said "Run."

You all ran for your lives, spreading inside the House of Lamentation

Did you succeed in running : Nope

Did you three hang from the ceiling: Yes

Ya'll saw him smirk and laugh like a madman afterwards

Bonus:

Lucifer took a picture of you three hanging from the ceiling and sent it in the group with Diavolo.

Ofc ya'll didn't knew, you were hanging from the ceiling

Levi made it a meme and posted it on Devilgram AND gave Lucifer and Diavolo a printed copy

April Fool's to you

Mammon:

Credits to: The BakeKing

It was your turn in making dinner and Mammon kept bugging you if he can help.

"No Mammon" you kept on saying but he was still bugging you.

You weren't really mad at Mammon (honestly you thought it's funny), but to make things interesting...

"I SAID NO MAMMON" you shouted at him.

"LOOK WHERE YER CUTTING HU--AAAAHHHH!!!" You cut your hand and blood was running.

"AAAAAH! LOOK WHAT YOU DID MAMMON" you screamed.

"MCCCCCCCC YOUR HAND" yes I can see Mammon He screamed loud enough that it can be heard at Diavolo's castle.

Glad you two are alone in the House of Lamentation though

You were wearing a long sleeved jacket and the "cake" was your hand; it was like a lava cake, instead of chocolate it was darkened and smoothened strawberry puree.

You glared at him and blamed him

Poor boi was crying, kept apologizing, and saying the lines of "I'm sorry", "I'm so dead", and "Let's take ya to the hospital".

He shitted on his pants and kept panicking poor boi

It was hilarious tho

He was crying and you couldn't hide the laughter

"Oi! Did someone hit ya in the head? WHY ARE YA LAUGHING YER HAND WAS CU-" and he he saw that the interior of the so called "hand" was made out of strawberry and strawberry puree.

"April Fool's Mammon!" you told him as you finally reveal your real hand.

"MC! Why did ya prank me?! It wasn't a good prank! I thought you-" You shushed him while you gave him a small bag of grimm.

"Is it for me? Are ya sure ya ain't pranking me this time?"

"Yeah, now buy what you want to buy, I will just go to my room for a while" you replied.

Cue you teleporting

It was a bag full of gold-coated chocolate that looks (and is heavy) like a bag of grimm.

"MCCCCCCC!!!!!"

The next few days you see Mammon pouting and murmuring things about you.

You felt bad so you left grimm on the floor of his room every time you were near it

Leviathan:

Credits to: The BakeKing

On April 1st, Levi was required to go to the school for academic purposes, so you took this chance to play a lil prank on him.

When Levi was away, you hid all the items that he usually use: computer, consoles, Azuki-tan pillow, and some Ruri-chan figures.

And you took time to make realistic cake that are very similar to those you hid.

When he was almost home, you placed all the realistic cake on his room.

You were supposed to go on a raid with him when he comes home

Cue him coming home and going to his room

You visited the him in his room, panic reflecting off his face.

"Levi, is there something wrong?" you asked

"Ah, it's this computer, it doesn't open! And it seems I'm kind of making a dent on it too. It's so weirdddddd" he said

He got a bit forceful and his finger created a hole on the computer

"Eh? Cake? Mc did you do this? Lmao"

You hand him a note that says "Look for the cakes, the location of the real ones lie at the last treasured cake"

"Oh boy mc a scavenger hunt, its like the new anime I was watching 'My fiancée is a criminal mastermind that kept giving me clues to find the missing items and bodies to make myself famous' " I'm really sorry I really suck at names

So he proceeds with finding all the cakes, and he got all the real things for his room however...

" MC where is my limited edition Ruri-chan that is dressed like a succubus?"

"It's there, it was with the other Ruri-chan figures" you said as you were looking at the figures that he was holding

Turns out Mammon saw all the goods on your room, and took the chance to get one since he knows it wasn't yours.

April fool's? I guess.

Satan:

Credits to: SideSurf Cake Studio

You were helping him in his cooking duty today.

You requested that both of you make human food because apparently you "missed the taste" of the cuisine.

So you took care of the usual ingredients of the cuisine: vegetables, onion, garlic, meat and etc.

He didn't know or did he that you secretly placed realistic cake counterparts of it.

When it was cooking time, he selected the cake counterparts (this boi might be smart but you were from the human world so he thought it was correct).

He started cutting an onion, to his dismay he saw a soft chocolate interior.

"Huh? That can't be right, I believe onions should either have violet, yellowish, or whitish hue inside"

"Hmmm yeah, let me try this one" you said as you grabbed another onion and proceed to cut it

"Hm, this one is the right one, I wonder what happened to that" you said

STOP THE CAP MC

"Hm, anyways I will proceed in cutting the rest"

Bottom-line all he cut was cake and what you cut the real one

"Satan, maybe you were cursed? All the ingredients that you touched turned into cake" you said as you were preparing to take the meal to the dining area.

"I suppose that is the case, however... "

"Hm?" you said as you were supposed to bring the meal outside.

"However I have outsmarted you MC, I knew it was you who made those realistic mini cakes" he said as he took a bite of the onion cake while grinning smugly

Smart boi #2

"I-uhhh No it was not- Hey wait a min! If you knew why did you continue to make me believe you were fooled!" you replied

"April Fool's MC~, if I didn't do that I wouldn't have  extra time to spend with you" he said as he got out patting your head

Satan, you slick son of a bish

Asmodeus:

Credits to: Etsy

This guy is late for school

Did you plan to make him late? Yes No

Cue flashback: you ruined his beauty sleep 3 times which resulted in kicking you out of his room and made him wake up late

Well even though he is late, he would still do his morning routine without rush

Priorities ✨

You put a small camera on top of his cabinet to see his reaction

After hours of bathing he sat down to his dresser

He grabbed his toner and when he squeezed it lightly it nothing came out

"Ehhh? That's weird, I could've sworn this is the new toner I bought" he squeezed it more and the toner was destroyed revealing a squished vanilla cake

He sighed and said "MC did it again"

He tried looking and poking all of his makeup just to make sure it's not mini cakes

10/10 are all mini cakes

He saw a note that said "In the drawer lies the real make up hehe April Fool's day!"

When he came to RAD, he was already late for 4 hours

"MC when I said I wanted Makeup mini cakes, I wanted it for my birthday! Not today!"

Is disappointed at you

Will frown and pout when he pass by at you during school

Well you feel bad at pranking him so you treat him at an exclusive spa

Beelzebub:

Credits to: The Custom Cake Shop

I mean Bell eats everything, so is there even use?

Beel had the whole day working out

Since he didn't have much money (not that you persuaded him to bring less, no-) his only option is to go home and eat

During the time he was working out, you made different flavored cakes and pastries into dishes. You made a ton of (chocolate-strawberry cake into) cheeseburger, (cheesecake) devildom sushi, cake turned into slushy (the container can be eaten too), plates can also be eaten, etc.

Well you made Beel drool, he didn't waste time so he sat down and took a bite of the cheeseburger

He was slightly shocked because it was sweet rather than savory

But that didn't stop his hunger

It was about 10 mins till he finished what you have created in 12 hours (and more)

"MC all you made was really delicious, now I want something salty to eat...Let's eat dinner!" he said as he dragged you to eat

April fools to you

After that whenever you gave him something to eat/drink (like a glass of slushy or something) he would try to also eat the container

Poor kitchenware and Luci's budget

Belphie:

[No image was available for this]

This boi knows

Smartboi #3

You gave him a pillow that is the same as the pillow he usually carries

He didn't really say anything about it, but he knows for a fact that it is cake

He slept on it

Your hard work in making it realistic,, he slept on it

You came back to his room and you wait for him to wake up

"Mcccccc, this is so fluffy like my favorite pillowww, but it's not really a good way to prank someone, but on the other hand it's really convenient...."he said as he yawns and signals you to come to his bed

He took a bite of the errrr pillow and said" This is really good, like the last time you made a toilet paper, but you know what else is good?"

My love for you jk

" Hm?" you replied

" This!" he said as he began tickling your sides

You fight him back and tickle his sides when you had the chance

It ended of as you two were panting and laughing in bed

Poor cake pillow forgotten

[izusun]

head empty no thoughts just bakudeku journalist/yakuza au where izuku is a rookie journalist who decides to (try to) go undercover to get a story on the yakuza and gets the shock of his life when he runs into his childhood friend katsuki (who he hasnt seen since grade school). But katsuki is actually a double agent ALSO working undercover for the special victims unit in the police force (its still fuck twelve tho) to find several missing girls in a sex trafficking ring (they chose katsuki cus if his ties to the yakuza through his maternal grandfather) and basically both of them lying to each other about everything except their feelings, maybe throw some angst in there with a shootout scene where one takes a bullet for another (its katsuki taking the bullet lbr), then at the end they both find out the truth about each other and turn into that spiderman pointing meme. Anyway this is all just one massive excuse to imagine bakugou with a yakuza tattoo sleeve and on his back.

I HAVE A BACK TATTOO EDIT!!! IT’S NOT BKG BUT IMAHINE IT’S JUST HIM

wowie, isnt it? (i did this out of simping. toji’s just a fine fine man)

izuku’s a freelance journalist. while some of his works are already published, they were published under his pen name deku. no one truly knows who deku is, thus infiltrating a yakuza under the pretence of being a low ranking gang member who was desperate enough to sell their… themselves to the yakuza was easy for one akatani izuku.

he used a fake last name, forged papers acquired with the help of his best friends ochako and mei. the fake last name was the easiest way for izuku to protect inko and his step-father toshinori (who he doesn’t know is the chief of the police department).

izuku’s background was also changed. instead of being the loving son of yagi-midoriya inko and yagi-midoriya toshinori, graduating as the top of the class of both his high school and university, and earning his master’s earlier than the rest of his peers, he became the orphaned son of one akatani mikumo.

akatani izuku did not finish university and worked at the local library and at the restaurant to save enough money to pay for his student loans. this is what the yakuza saw when he was steadily climbing up the ranks.

he started as a member of the street gangs, then increased his depth of importance that the yakuza was able to recognize his worth and accepted him in the family.

the moment his position is secured, izuku gradually and steadily stops the production of his intel, and began recording and collecting evidences about the yakuza.

he was able to establish good rapport between him and the yakuza and so they began pulling him within the inner most circle of the yakuza. izuku doesn’t let the chance slip and pretends to work with them with more vigour.

that’s when he meets katsuki.

katsuki who happens to be the yakuza’s leader’s heir’s bodyguard. (jfc thats too much ‘s)

izuku sees katsuki who looks well off (playing the part of being a well paid member) and izuku feels like hiding away because he’s dressed in a ratty sweatshirt and faded black jeans (again, playing the part of underpaid college drop out who’s desperate enough to join an actual crime organization.)

izuku was scared that katsuki would call him out on his front, but katsuki was just shocked that this was what izuku ended up being. he doesn’t know that izuku’s faking everything and thought that izuku went off the grid only to pop up as a member of the yakuza.

katsuki feels torn because fuck, how can i bust this shitty yakuza when it might catch deku in the crossfire?

so katsuki tries to distance himself. at least maybe then he wouldn’t feel guilty of throwing deku to the police or he wouldn’t need to have endless one-sided debates about what to do.

then the fallout happens.

someone other than katsuki was undercover, but their cover was blown and they were killed. katsuki’s position was almost jeopardized, but he was able to slither his way and smooth out the accusations.

it was izuku’s cover, however, that did not leave unscathed. someone was able to dig up izuku’s real life and that’s when the warehouse that they were in exploded in series of gun fight. izuku and katsuki were running away, shooting anyone on sight. katsuki called backup but they were arriving too late.

from behind, katsuki sees some henchman (who’s been shot and ready to pass out, but still so so loyal to the family) fire his gun. katsuki jumps and covers izuku, intercepting the bullet with his body.

the police arrive at that time, thankfully, and was able to apprehend the main members who were in the warehouse. in different locations, other undercover agents began worming their way in the family and effectively taking it down.

katsuki’s rushed to the hospital and izuku’s taken in custody for series of questioning. his many evidences in regards to the family and their ties (within the government, the banking systems, the police) was able to prove that he is innocent, and was rewarded for his work.

once he’s let go, he visits katsuki’s hospital room and sits by katsuki’s bed, waiting for him to wake up. they have a lot to catch up on.

[darkdevasofdestruction]

Where they take you on vacation - 7 Brothers + Diavolo

Found out the edits are made by @devilgram​ who has such a beautiful blog and posts so many Obey Me! things that are so cool! You did a great job with all the edits! <3

LUCIFER

Lucifer would like to take you to Romania, mostly because of all the stories of the great Wallachian ruler Vlad Tepes/The Impaler and wants to find out more about his ruthless yet effective methods of insuring no crime happens in his country ( and hopes they will work on his brothers too ).

Apart from the gorgeous landscapes from the mountainside, the possibility to go to the seaside, or see the different types of regional architecture ( like the unique Black Church ) from different cities, he’d also like to get a full experience of the language, the music, the traditions ( customs, clothes, foo ) and feel for a day like a native from the old ages. 

Even more, he’d find it very nice if you were to try out one of the traditional outfits, and would take a picture of you at the mountains, on a nice field, and put the developed picture in his coat, looking at it whenever he is working and misses you.

He can get pretty salty about the fact that there are still people who believe the Bran castle is Dracula’s true castle, instead of the Poienari fortress and wouldn’t hesitate to express his displeasure, but would appreciate the castle and everything displayed there nonetheless.

Also, would be the first to go to the Horror house, holding your hand if you get scared, and would feel incredibly proud that you trust him and feel safe around him, but would get such a kick out of using his demon form while at it, to scare the actors there.

His whole aesthetic draws people near as if they would actually approach a vampire royalty, which allows him to puff his chest out in pride, so hey, you’re dating a vampire now!

Would take you out at the fanciest restaurant, just to feel how the life at this place is.

Would love to take long walks on the beach at the sea, your feet in the water, holding hands, and just admiring the moon and stars while waves are your music.

You’d mostly stay silent and enjoy the atmosphere, but sometimes you talk a few words, and that’s when Lucifer is the most relaxed, calm and tender.

He would saying that he loves you with such ease for the first time in so long, and the kiss on your forehead would be so soft that it brings you more butterflies than any kiss ever could.

Lucifer looks so ethereal in the light of the moon, it’s almost like he’s glowing, and when you tell him, he’d actually blush softly, before chuckling and stroking your hair, not denying, nor agreeing with your statement.

---

Mammon

Mammon loves to spend money and grab it, so what better place than Las Vegas?

He’d love for the two of you to dress super fancy and flashy, in matching colours if possible, go gambling, scam people and experience the luxury night lifestyle, go to clubs, loud music and expensive alcohol and all that.

But Mammon isn’t all about the flashy and exciting night time, instead, he would mostly love to just see the world with you by his side, and his goals is to make you happy, to he does everything he can to go sightseeing with you and reads in advance about whatever places you could visit and tells you some fun trivia about the place, he’s treating you to the fanciest food and drink places, and would spoil you rotten when going shopping, loving to see you do a little catwalk for him every time you get out of the changing booth.

He’d definitely insist on buying super cute animal Pyjamas.

He’s a huuuuuge fan of the “His Queen/Her King” trope and loves showing you off as much as possible, so get matching Tshirts or jackets and he would be SOOO proud and would laugh confidently and proud all the time, his arm around you, saying how cool you two are together and all that.

He wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he honestly doesn’t believe he’s good enough for you, but when he sees how your dazzling smile is always directed to him and you cling on his arm whenever you watch the Lights Show on the big buildings, see the beautiful fireworks or watch the impressive singing fountain...Well, he can’t help but blush and kiss your forehead, feeling butterflies in his stomach.

He’s the kind of guy who would spam his DevilGram with either couple pictures in different places you visit, or just cute pics of you or you two messing around, and his account is actually very popular for the #CoupleGoalz trend.

At night, he would like to either cuddle with you and watch a movie, or go drive through the city at night, watch the night lights, and go on a cliff, stargazing and chatting openly about everything, because honestly, this guy is always dismissed and insulted by his brothers, it’s always a relief and a fresh air when he can be himself and just...Talk with someone. 

---

Leviathan

Levi is the biggest weeb in the world, so the first place you’d visit together is Japan.

Anime conventions, wearing cute kimonos while going to festivals or roaming the streets of Kyoto or Akihabara, couple cosplay (Henry and the Lord of Shadows), buying merch of your favourite anime/manga/game, going to Vocaloid concerts, buying the newest Ruri-chan figurines, trying out new video games that just came out and so on.

Actually wants to go to a Pokemon cafe and fangirls SO much about all the cute pokemon themes there.

He would get you all the cutest Pokemon plushies, especially if you’re not all that into Pokemon but want to share that interest with him, so expect a Skitty, Vulpix, Shaymin, Eevee and all its Eeveelutions, Milotic plushie, while he would already be collecting plushies for the rarest Pokemons, but he’s incredibly happy that you want to do this with him.

He also gets an Ekans just for the Lolz and let’s out his tail, mostly for troll purposes, but it makes you laugh and he could swear his heart stopped beating and his cheeks were redder than ever.

He secretly got you a maid outfit and would love to see you wearing it, but he’s too embarrassed to actually say.

He would blush SO much seeing you in a kimono with a nice hair pin and a fan, while going to see the Sakura trees blossoming and you look like the Sengoku type of heroines from the dating sims he plays so much (to get experience and not fuck up with you), but somehow, you’re so much beautiful than any CG he’s every seen, no matter how gorgeous the art is.

He would get lots of packs of Pocky and despite not saying it out loud, would put a pocky in his mouth and you’d get the hint and munch on the other end of the pocky, in the end kissing him softly.

Levi.exe stopped working.

He would love taking pics of you alone, because you’re so beautiful, and would edit them to look as ethereal as possible, if you want, to even have fantastic backgrounds, and would take pride in how popular your DevilGram/InstaGram is.

He also changed his Lockscreen to have you with your hand in a half-heart gesture, while yours has him with the other half, so whenever he looks at the clock, or sees a new notif, he sees you smiling, with a cute kitten filter.

His Wallpaper is the two of you kissing, edited with a few hearts, sparkles and a little “I love you” written in cursive in a corner (you edited the pic and suggested you both use it, but he denied, so you changed it yourself for him too, while he was busy gaming, and he liked it so much that he couldn’t change it back to Ruri-chan.)

---

Satan

Satan would choose England first for so many reasons!

He’s such a perfect gentleman and seeing everyone so polite and chivalrous there makes his heart bloom and would up his gentleman shills even more, wanting to impress you and make your heart skip with everything he does.

Loves to take you to different castles, see in real life everything he read in books and saw in movies or TV series, and he’s so mesmerised by the beauty of everything that he forgets he promised to be your guide, but his bright smile and the way his eyes sparkle in curiosity and glee make up for everything.

Besides, he’d definitely go back to you and explain in very precise detail the reason for his fangirling.

He’s a little nerd so bookstore dates are a huge YES, and more - CAT CAFES where you can read at your heart’s content. HUGE YES.

You’d both get our of there with tons of books that you will read together, cuddled up under the blankets while enjoying an aromatic tea that Satan prepared for you, together with some nice scones.

He’d want to go with you to Shakespeare’s grave, Dicken’s house, would like to see anything involving the Romantics and so on, since he’s in love with British literature.

Satan wants to go see the Harry Potter theme park so much, and would buy tons of merch for the two of you, and wants to go in full Hogwarts robes and wand with you.

Would take a gazillion pics of you together, that only you can see since it may ruin his reputation with his brothers for geeking out, but he’d love it if the universe was actually real.

He’d also take you to King’s Cross to take pic near the wall where you get to the 9 3/4 Platform.

And no trip to England could exist without a visit to Sherlock’s house, pretending to be detectives, and at Madam Tussaud’s Wax Museum to admire all the figures and potentially take troll pics with them.

---

Asmodeus

Asmo wastes no time in taking you to Paris, of course!

And the first thing you do is have a coffee at the restaurant located on top of the Eiffel Tower.

He would, throughout all the trip, take tons of selfies EVERYWHERE, and aeshtetic pics of either you alone, him alone, or together.

He’s a Devilgram and Devilr celebrity, after all!

Loves going to all the little cafes and drink a hot beverage with you while looking and judging all the passer-bys, how they would never compare to how beautiful and fashionable you two are.

He takes you to the Versailles Palace while wearing the most glamorous outfits, and despite all the pics taken, he will tell you stories of when he visited the place long ago, and more, will tell you of the paintings displayed, since he’s rather knowledgeable.

Asmodeus will take you everywhere, but first, the Lafayette Galleries, all while streaming every second there, to shop everyone how amazing the place is.

Would pics the both of you sooo many pretty brand clothes, new skin care routine and make up products, that you almost wonder where he has all the money from, especially to pay someone to carry them back to your place.

Would take you to a lingerie shop where he’d make you try on all the cutest outfits and would buy them all, especially because he thinks they will make you more confident and wants to make sure you never thing bad of yourself, because if you’re dating him, then you’re obviously the most beautiful being he’s ever seen, inside and out. (he doesn’t count here, of course)

His wallpaper is a selfie of you two smiling and making a peace sign, from the top of the Eiffel Tower, seeing all Paris in the background, at evening, with the beautiful sky and the night lights all over.

Would take you on a cruise on Seine, serenading and drinking a glass of bubbly champagne, admiring all the buildings and the happy people sitting on the banks of the River, enjoying the scenery.

And of course, there’s no perfect trip to the City of  Love without some very tender and sensual love-making, with so many compliments, praises, soft touches and gentle kisses from Asmodeus, followed by a relaxing bath with milk, honey and rose petals, scented candles, bubbles and ambiental music, and of course, a lot of cuddling all night long.

---

Beelzebub

Beelzebub would want to go to Italy, since it’s the country with the best human food, and what better place to eat it them its home country?

Would actually love to go sightseeing with you and seeing all the pretty stuff there is.

He appreciates the architecture, statues and paintings of every historical place, loves to find out more about the country’s history and traditions and would like to take scenic pictures of all the places you visit...

And make a couple album where he puts pics with either you alone or together.

It’s his most treasured possession and nobody except Belphie knows about it, and while he is happy that his brother is happy, he would say it’s so cheesy.

Would have fun when doing the classic “Pushing the Pisa Tower” picture, would like to sing when you go on a Gondola ride in Venice, and pretend to be a gladiator at the Colosseum, while you’re his Caesar.

If you get him a necklace or a keychain, he’d never take it off and has it as his lucky charm, kissing it whenever he misses you or wants the day to go good.

After he understands how the food is made, he’d want to make it himself, so you cooking together would be so cute and fun, and the way you see the love and tenderness in his eyes as he looks at you laughing, while your face is covered in flour...

He’s such a precious and soft baby, and he loves you so much.

Also, he’d love to carry you around just for fun and because he loves holding you close to him, so either bridal style on on his shoulder, you say it, and he’s gonna do it.

Will also like to take lots of short videos with you two, just fooling around, giggling, laughing, making jokes, kissing, pretending to be kittens, having flour fights and all that, since they’re beautiful memories and whenever he’s sad, he watches them and he forgets the reason he was sad in the first place.

---

Belphegor

Belphegor would take you to New Zealand, because he saw how beautiful and green the landscape were, thanks to the Lord of the Rings movies, so he wanted to see what would be like stargazing on such a flowery field, or sleeping in a Hobbit hole.

He’s pretty sleepy all the time, but that doesn’t mean he wouldn’t take you to see the big cities as well, eat out, shop for souvenirs and so on, but his heart is taken by the simplicity and peace the countryside and forests hold.

Belphie would actually like to have his head on your lap as you stay at the bottom of a tree and read, much like Froddo Baggings would, waiting for Gandalf.

It’s a guilty pleasure of his, but he wants to see ‘Gandalf’s’ fireworks, and when a festival like that happens, he’d hold your hand tight, having a soft smile on his face and a tender look in his eyes.

Despite not saying it very often, he will confess his love for you.

It’s barely above a whispers, but it’s genuine.

It’s simple, small, but meaningful and beautiful nonetheless.

As you stargaze on the field, he’d tell you the names of all stars and constellations that you can see, and would tell you some trivia he knows about them.

Would take a few pics here and there, but his favourite one is one where you two are on the ground outside, both your heads on his favourite pillow, while looking at each other, both of you having such genuine and pure love in your expressions.

If he ever wakes up earlier than you, and likes to troll a bit, he’d get his tail out and tickle your noes, smirking at how cute your half-asleep reactions were, but would play innocent when you ask about it, only kissing your nose to make you forget and reassure you that it was only a dream (it wasn’t).

---

Diavolo

Diavolo is so easily excitable, despite his age and title for the next Devil Lord, but honestly, he wants to take you to Iceland to see the Northern Lights that you spoke so fondly about.

There are so many pretty things to see in the Devildom alright, but none of them quite as fascinating to him as how the sky lights up with so many different and beautiful shades of green, blue and pink, it’s almost unreal!

Who would have thought that the Human world could hold such natural wonders?

He could have sword you were a witch or something, and just wanted to impress him with your magic, as if charming him wasn’t enough, but this beauty makes him behave even more like a child, leaving him speechless and breathless.

Diavolo would kiss and hug you, spinning your around so many times, if you allow him, you forgot to count, which is his way of thanking you for showing him this place and he’s honestly just so happy that he can share this precious moment together with you.

You tell him some old stories about how they say the ancestors’ souls watch over everyone from up there, and that even the animals who died have their souls there, living in peace and quiet.

Despite knowing it’s obviously not true, the tales humans come up with are so creative and make so much sense to their beliefs, he’s genuinely fascinated by all these old stories and would like for you to tell him more.

Iceland’s landscapes are also to be taken into account, and Diavolo will take thousands of pics of you literally everywhere, just because you’re so cute and he’s so damn happy and wants many memories together.

Would like for you to take a selfie with his phone, while at the Northern Lights, and would make Lucifer frame it so he can have it on his desk whenever he’s working, and whenever he gets bored, tired, or just misses you, he’d gaze fondly at the picture and would occasionally kiss it.

[poirott]

This is the 2nd part of the "Riddle of the Spinx" interview with Death on the Nile cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos for British Cinematographer November 2020 issue (part 1 transcribed here). The full interview has now been released on the British Cinematographer website. I've included some of the text below!

In Part 2 Zambarloukos talks about shooting with the cast on location in Egypt and doing a particularly complex single shot of them on set, how they did the opening b&w sequence of young Poirot as a soldier, and built sets of Abu Simbel and the pyramids, the use of realtime footage projected on LED screens to make the studio sets look more realistic, what part of the Murder on the Orient Express set they recycled for Nile, etc.

Q: This was shot like Murder on the Orient Express at Longcross Studios with plates filmed on location in Egypt. Was it ever a possibility to shoot entirely on location?

Haris Zambarloukos: The issue is that 1934 Egypt barely exists today. For example, in the 1960s they moved the Abu Simbel temple 300 metres away so that the Aswan Dam wouldn't flood it. So, we built the entire four-storey high Abu Simbel at Longcross, complete with banks of water. The same with Giza and the Sphinx. In the 1930s the Nile went up to the feet of the Sphinx. Now all you see is the concrete expanse of Cairo.

Secondly, it's difficult to shoot complex shoots on a river while floating, taking all the cast down there and scheduling them, on top of ensuring everyone's safety on such a high-profile project.

Our whole design and research went into creating a set. We wanted to build a life-size boat inside and out; not to break it down into small sets but to shoot it as if we were on a boat. That’s a huge undertaking. Jim Clay built an amazing set to scale for the Karnak. It was so big we needed to build a temporary sound stage around it. We also wanted to use some real daylight when we got great sunlight in Longcross and use a little bit of water to basically film the boats carrying guests to the Karnak.

We recycled the railway from Orient and built the boat on that so we could wheel it in from outdoors to indoors. We built a very elaborate lighting rig that you could pull back and see the entire boat in one shot. You could step onto the boat and walk through all the rooms which were all lit for an analogue film f-stop. It was complicated and took most of our planning but I personally don't think you can tell the difference when we cut - even from a shot filmed outside in real sunlight juxtaposed with one in apparent sunlight on our sound stage. It's seamless because we took such great care and a detailed approach to our rig and construction.

In Orient you created some stylish direct overheads of the train carriage. You've told us of the Steadicam dance sequence in Nile. Were there other stylistic flourishes?

Inside the sound stage we went twice round the Karnak with the entire cast all choreographed for this one great reveal of a murder. It was really hard work to do. I understand why it was cut in the edit although they have kept a lot of other single long takes and there are lots of places where you see the whole cast in a single shot.

However difficult you might think setting up a long single is in terms of lighting and operating, it is equally, if not more difficult, to block a scene with multiple actors, keep the audience engaged and choreograph it in a way that is exciting and at the same time reveals things gradually. There's a lot of pressure on a lot of people in shots like that. Everyone's got to be on top of their game. Because we're all so interdependent, it's a domino effect in that the further you go in the take, the bigger the responsibility is for not getting it wrong whether that's the operator, focus puller, the actor saying the final line, the gaffer lighting a corner at just the right time. We always get excited about those shots but also very nervous.

You augmented the studio work with plates photographed on location in Egypt. Tell us about that.

We filmed on the Nile from a boat with a 14 8K Red camera array. We had a 360-degree bubble on top of the boat and two three-camera arrays pointing forwards and backwards as we travelled up and down. We specifically chose areas where modernity wasn’t present (or where it was, we removed it in post) and we also shot plates from the point of view of passengers onboard the Karnak.

VFX supervisor George Murphy edited the footage and stitched the plates together into an essentially very, very advanced virtual reality rig in which I could pan my camera. We did that before principal photography, so we never had to guess a month or so later what to put there. That’s a big help. Most shoots do their plate photography afterwards. It meant I could pretty much place the camera on any deck of the Karnak for any scene and know what the background would be.

As with Orient, did you play back footage realtime on LED screens outside the boat set?

I'd love to have done it live but on Orient we were only dealing with one wagon's windows at a time. It was still the biggest LED set-up ever done to that point, but the Karnak set is 20 time bigger than that. There aren't enough LED screens available – plus it would have been prohibitively expensive.

Instead, I went for a much larger version of a technique I'd used on Mamma Mia which was to hang back projection screens all around the boat – 200m in circumference, 15m high. We used Arri SkyPanels at a distance to create a sky or a part of the background. It could also be converted into a blue screen when we needed to. It meant that if I had a shot looking above the horizon line into the sky then it could be done in camera.

How confident were you of retaining colour and contrast from set to post?

I took stills on the recce and we used those to the create colours with this back projection for our skies. I take prints (not digital stills) so there is no misinterpretation. A still is a piece of paper that you can see. Once something is emailed across and seen by someone watching on another screen the information can get lost.

At the same time there were a lot more checks and balances put in place. We had a projector at Longcross and I watched dailies with (dailies colourist) Sam Spurgeon every lunchtime. With Kodak and Digital Orchard we have a very quick process to convert analogue filmmaking into digital by the next morning. Film is processed at night, they scan at 4am and by mid-morning those digital images are transferred to our dailies suite at Longcross. At lunch we’d watch it digitally projected, having been processed, scanned and graded at 2K.

I check that first and give notes to Sam and those get transferred onto our dailies which is what Ken, the editorial team, VFX and studio team sees. That's a major check. It's me with someone in a room, rather than me talking over the phone which is a big difference. I have a very good relationship with Goldcrest and (DI colourist) Rob Pizzey who also sees things along the way. I supervise the grade at the end. So, there's no need for anyone to interpret anything. It’s a collaboration in which we all look at the same images.

Did you shoot black and white for the opening scene or convert?

We shot colour for a couple of reasons. Although Kodak could manufacture BW 65, there is no lab in the world to processes it. Plus, there’s a certain skill to grading BW using colour negative and the added benefits are that that you can place a grey tone to a colour. For example, you could take red and decide it will look a very dark grey or a light grey, so you get very detailed tones. Ultimately, I get much more control in the DI this way. They were very monochromatic battlefield sets and costumes so it was quite limited in this case. The Germans wore grey and the Belgians wore dark blue and it’s a dark sooty gas-filled battlefield but you could manipulate the blue in the sky a little bit more and certainly manipulate the intensity of people’s eyes - especially if they had blue eyes (which Branagh does).

How did you handle sound sync?

To do sound sync work on Orient we used sound cameras that are twice as heavy as high-speed cameras, so I wanted to develop soundproof housing (blimp) for our camera on Nile. I took the problem to Stuart Heath at BGI Supplies at Longcross. They've made all sorts of props for us before, from Cinderella’s carriage to the furniture on Nile. I told him that I needed it really quickly. All my other attempts had failed. Stuart suggested using a material that they soundproof the interior of helicopters with. He brought a draper in who basically measured the camera as if making a dinner suit for it and quickly made a couple of versions for us. It was very effective and really opened up the Steadicam possibility for us. All from just wandering onto a workshop on the lot and asking a friend if he had any ideas about how to achieve something. In the old days that’s what everyone did – the answer was somewhere on the lot.

Finally, after six films and 14 years working with Ken Branagh, could you tell us what makes your relationship tick?

It is a fantastic friendship. To begin with you must be able to maintain a professional friendship with any cast and crew which is all about doing your very best and understanding where you have common aesthetics and shared thoughts about humanity. Ask what kind of world you want this to be, because that will come through in your filmmaking.

As you say, I've spent years working in close proximity to Ken and we have a mutual affection and admiration for each other otherwise we wouldn't be doing it for so long. He is relentless in pursuit of perfection and in his advancement of storytelling and is inspiring to work with. It means you have to be as relentless in your area of craft.

I think we both like making the same kinds of films. I'm a Greek Cypriot who grew up with Greek myth and tragedy. Ken's love of Shakespeare is legendary. You can easily see the lineage between Aeschylus (the ancient Greek creator of tragedy) that goes all the way to Shakespeare. Perhaps that appreciation for the human condition in its best and worst forms is the tie that binds.

Photo credit: Rob Youngson

Source: britishcinematographer.co.uk - February 4 2021

[mandadoration]

you’re a fine girl - i

summary: Agent Whiskey would really like you to say his real name for once, and you refuse, playing this little game of his until he finally makes you say it. The circumstances for it aren’t exactly ideal, though. 

word count: 3, 758

pairing: agent whiskey (Jack Daniels) x reader

warnings: canon-typical violence (and then some), swearing

a/n: Don’t ask me how the layout of Statesman HQ works. I really don’t know, and I’ve watched the movie to try and glean some more info, but I’ve decided, like many things, to bullshit it. This will have a predetermined length of three chapters!

chapters: i 

Read this on AO3

You think it’s hilarious just how stereotypically American the Statesman agency was. Besides the front of it, a Bourbon whiskey distillery that just happens to have racehorses (you never understood that part) on a large expanse of land and have a large influence on the liquor industry all over the US, the agents that were a part of it were just so in-your-face full-blooded American. Hell, even your equipment reflected that, with electric lassos and souped-up sawed-off double barrel shotguns, to cowboy boots with razor sharp spurs and Stetsons designed for stealth and espionage. Statesman was 100% committed to proudly showing off their roots. But you couldn’t really shit on them too much since you were one of their agents as well. That would be severely discrediting you and the work you do.

Even if some of the agents teasingly call you a city-slicker. 

Although you were a Statesman through and through like your mother before you, you had been raised on the less… southern half of the country because of where she was mainly stationed. Good ol’ New York was a whole different territory than Kentucky. She had still made sure you kept up with your training and be ready at a moment’s notice to take over for her. Statesman were proud of their line of agents, names often passed down from parent to child. Built in loyalty, you supposed, and a good way to keep an eye on those who knew secrets. As the world expanded and keeping the peace grew harder by the minute, they’ve strayed far from that tradition, and the organization grew to include people that had no prior connection to it. Your mom had been insistent she at least stay true to that part of Statesman, and often showed you how to watch over New York from the high rise building to groom you for the position in the future until you graduated from your unofficial codename of Ice Tea. But you had moved south to live on a small ranch a few miles from the distillery after she had died on a recon mission instead of staying up north in the concrete jungle. You inherited her position and her moniker as Agent Brandy, supervisor of the intelligence part of the agency and relocating to home base at the same time, but Agent Whiskey had taken up position up in New York in your stead. 

Speaking of Whiskey, there he was, sauntering up to you with a smile playing on his lips as you flicked through reports on your tablet. You spare him a quick glance and a polite smile before you turn your attention back to the reports and mission debriefs, hoping that was enough to leave you alone, but instead he leans against your desk and crosses his arms, and you try your damndest not to look at how his arms make the seams on his jacket strain.

There’s no animosity between you and Whiskey at all, and you’ve said as much when Champagne informed him he would be taking over the New York territory instead of you. You didn’t feel guilty or mad or anything really that you decided to move closer to Statesman because it was your choice, and Whiskey had taken it in stride. You two were just doing your jobs, and that was all. You would even go to say that you were close friends with him, giving him pointers about the secrets of New York while he told you all the gossip about the other agents. The work he did would make your mother proud. 

But why was he so insistent on hanging around at the Statesman headquarters in Kentucky so much?

“Your mission debrief isn’t scheduled until Tuesday, Agent Whiskey,” you say, eyes roving over your calendar before swiftly swiping it off your screen to pay closer attention to Tequila’s report. That man was awful with writing. Did he even have the spell check on? You click your tongue and run the editing software, intent on letting that run in the background while you browsed through various agent requests (there was Gin asking if you could fashion a 200 proof liquor), but Whiskey puts a hand on your tablet and pushes it out of your view. 

“I know, sugar,” he says in that damn Southern accent that manages to make your ears burn. “Just thought I’d come down here to see my favorite intelligence supervisor.” You roll your eyes, but can’t help the smile that threatens to split your face. You turn your tablet off and put it down.

“Do you know many intelligence supervisors?” you ask, but your efforts to get him to leave are already an afterthought at the back of your mind. Every time you hold a conversation with him, the amalgamation of your New York and Southern accent sounds crass compared to the honeyed drawl of Whiskey. Two completely different regions. You suppose he might feel the same whenever he’s in New York. Perhaps you two had more in common than you had initially thought. 

You’re off track. It’s maddening how easily he is able to pull a smile or a laugh from you and completely derail you. Even on the worst of your days, he’s able to ease you with just a reassuring smile or touch. Whiskey shrugs and shifts where he sits. 

“You got me there,” he laughs. “But that don’t mean I can’t come see you, does it?” You rest your chin on your hand as you fiddle with your tablet pen. He’s trimmed his mustache, you note.

“I suppose it doesn’t, Agent Whiskey,” you say. Anytime he flies over to the Statesman HQ, you usually see him the same day he lands, if not, you’re the first thing he goes to see. It’s sweet. 

“What does it take for me to convince you to call me Jack, sweetheart?” Whiskey asks, nearly whines, really. He’s been insisting you call him by his real name in private recently, insisting that you were far past those formalities. 

“When you stop calling me those pet names of yours,” you retort back. He looks mock-offended. 

“That’s never gonna happen,” Whiskey says. You raise an eyebrow. 

“Then there you have your answer,” you say simply, and go to pick up your tablet again when it chimes, but Whiskey stops you and pushes it back down flat against the desk. 

“You work too much,” he says, as if that was a decent enough reason to interrupt your work. “Pay some attention to me instead.”

“And I’m starting to think you don’t work enough,” you sigh, and slide the tablet out from under his hand and you turn it back on and check over the editing software. “God knows you spend enough time pestering me.” You don’t tell him that you don’t mind. In the hectic pace in your lives, Whiskey is a nice constant that you find yourself falling back on. 

The software has managed to fix most of the typos and obvious grammar issues, but it’s mangled the nuances of Tequila’s informal writing. You sigh again and swipe the report onto your computer screen to manually edit it before you can send it to Champagne. Whiskey hops off of your desk, and he walks around it to lean over your shoulder to skim the report as well. 

He’s close enough for you to smell his cologne. Smoky, mellow, and warm. 

“Why don’t you just send that off to Ginger to edit? Or Soda?” he asks, voice rumbling in your ear. “‘m sure you have other things to do other than grade Tequila’s piss poor work.” You clear your throat and try your best not to become too distracted. 

“They don’t have high enough clearance to read this report,” you answer. “Nor do I think they have the patience to. Besides, Ginger is tech and Soda is medical. They’d either shoot themselves or shoot me.” Whiskey laughs and leans in a little closer. 

“But I have the clearance to read this as you edit?” he asks, voice low. “You flatter me, Brandy.” You blink, then gasp, whirling around in your chair and narrowly missing clipping his chin with the back of your chair as you push him away from you and back around your desk, smacking him as you do.

“You are a menace!” you exclaim. Whiskey just laughs, humoring you and letting you push him when it would be frightfully easy to just stand there. He blocks your hits and eventually grabs a hold of your wrists to stop you. 

“You love it,” he says, and your face flushes as you try to scowl at him. 

“Get out of my office so I can finish this report,” you order, pointing at the door. Whiskey pouts, but makes his way to the door. 

“Yes, ma’am,” he sighs. He tips his hat at you. “You be a good girl while I’m gone, sweet thing,” he says in a sing-song voice, and the door clicks shut behind him before you can do some serious bodily harm to his person. 

---

You don’t really know what constitutes being “a good girl”, and you don’t really have the chance to find out because you meet with Whiskey again a few hours after he had barged into your office when Champagne calls you up to discuss some technicalities that he had remained vague on.

It’s a short underground tube ride to the Statesman office building a few miles outside the distillery, and an even shorter elevator up to the top floor. Whiskey is already there when you walk in, so you go ahead and take a seat across from him, pulling up your notes in case anything important pops up. You give him a small wave, and he tips his hat at you with a smile. You turn to the man sitting at the head of the table.

“Well, Champ,” Whiskey says, “why’d you call us here?” Champagne fiddles with the lid of a decanter of whiskey before he smacks his lips together and leans back in his chair. 

“Statesman is considering adding another location in California, and I need your expertise,” he announces. He motions to you. “Sent the plans to your tablet, Brandy, but here’s the gist.” The t.v. screen at the other end of the table switches from Statesman stocks to a blueprint of a high rise located in San Francisco, alongside some smaller buildings scattered over the city. “I’m planning on sending Chardonnay over to oversee construction, but this is only the third location to be located in such a large city.” You skim over the notes. Although they wouldn’t be building a distillery, there would be a sub-HQ over there, as well as some Statesman-sponsored bars to keep up surveillance. “The first one being New York, and the other in Nevada.”

“Is there something we should keep an eye on?” you ask, scrolling through various material requests. While the other could handle the usual materials, you would have to put in a special order for the military grade stuff. “What’s the occasion?” Champagne shrugs when you glance over your tablet. 

“It’s been something I’ve been thinking about,” he says. “Stocks are doing good, and there's no looming threat- seems like a good time as any.” You nod. 

“Then why us?” Whiskey asks. “I think Brandy is more than capable of handling this herself.” Champagne furrows his brows. 

“You are in charge of our New York office, aren’t you?” 

“Brandy grew up preparing to take over for it,” Whiskey says. 

“Well--”

“He’s right, sir,” you pipe in. “Whiskey’s about to go in for a mission anyways. There’s no point loading his already full plate. I can handle it.” Champagne presses his mouth in a hard line, but eventually taps the table. 

“Alright then. Brandy, I’ll let Chardonnay know you’ll be taking part in it so he can refer to you with questions. Agents, you’re dismissed.”

Whiskey moves for the door, but pauses when you don’t follow him. You wave him off. “I’ll catch up with you; just need to talk to Champagne about something.” He nods, and leaves. You back around to face Champagne with narrowed eyes. “What are you up to, old man?” He tilts his head and pours some whiskey into his glass. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Bringing Whiskey into this,” you clarify. “You know I can handle this project by myself; why try to rope him in?”

“Thought it be a good experience,” Champagne says, taking a sip and swishing it around his mouth before he turns to spit it out into the spitoon. You wrinkle your nose. 

“For Whiskey?”

“For the both of you,” he corrects. “Whiskey gets to learn more about the technical aspects, you get to, well, spend time with him.” You raise an eyebrow.

“And I want to spend time with him because…?” 

“Don’t you know?” Champagne asks. You shake your head. 

“What? We’re good friends, but we’ve got different jobs,” you say. “So I don’t see a reason why I should be spending time with him outside of what’s necessary.” Champagne just hums with a pensive look on his face. 

“Alright then, girl.” He waves a hand at you. “Off to work.” And Champagne doesn’t elaborate any further. 

---

You are far too busy trying to sort out the semantics of some sort of stirrings of a coup on a Chilean website to go and debrief Whiskey when Tuesday rolls around, so you send Ginger in your stead. She accepts without complaint, but you can see how she frowns when you tell her so. You’ve never gotten the details as to why the two never seem to get along, but Ginger is the most capable person you can think of to take care of things when you’re not able to. 

It takes you a solid 45 minutes to try and go through the Chilean Spanish compared to the Castilian variant you know, but you determine that the rumors of a coup bears no real weight and all it is are empty threats despite the traction it’s gained so far. You suppose you could’ve run the translation, but there were too many nuances and codes that couldn’t be translated over. Just to be sure, you set up a surveillance bot to continue to track the progress and alert you if anything significant happens. By the time you do, Ginger walks in, looking a little frazzled. You frown. “You good, Liz?” Ginger just puts down the debrief folder on your desk as she plops down in the chair across from you. You raise an eyebrow, but slide the folder over and survey the notes she’s taken during the debrief. Nothing out of the ordinary. Just Whiskey complaining that he has to fly to Spain to deal with some black market firearms dealers that have gotten too confident. Apparently last time he was there, some sailors tried to swindle him. There’s some quotes of his with choice words in the margins saying so, accompanied by a doodle of him with an angry expression. “Whiskey give you a hard time?” you guess. She nods and takes off her glasses to pinch the bridge of her nose. 

“I honestly don’t understand how you can stand him sometimes,” she says. You shrug. 

“He treats me fine, if not a little persistent,” you note mildly. Ginger snorts and puts her glasses back on. “Hasn’t given me a reason to dislike him. Yet.”

“That’s ‘cause he likes you,” she says. Your stomach flutters at her comment. Then after a moment of pondering, Ginger says, “Think he was in a bad mood because you weren’t the one debriefing him.” You frown. 

“Would it have mattered if I did?” you ask. “You’re perfectly capable.” 

“It’s not capability,” Ginger sighs, leaning forward and resting her forearms on your desk. The motion jostles the cup of pens on your desk and you reach to adjust it back to its place. You click a few things on your computer to pull up the flight details for Whiskey. Scheduled for 5:50pm, an overnight flight that lands in a remote location in Madrid where then he would be promptly escorted to Andalucia. 

You wonder if he’ll come visit you before he leaves. 

You shake the thought out of your head before you go back to look at Ginger, who’s looking at you curiously. “If not capability, then what?” you ask, fighting to keep down the blush that’s threatening to overtake your face.

“You really don’t know?” she asks, almost critically. You furrow your brows. There’s that question again. 

“Is there something I should know?”

Before Ginger can answer, a knock resounds at your door. You give Ginger an apologetic look before you call out, “Come in!” You don’t know why you’re surprised, but it’s Whiskey, again, with a bright smile on his face before his eyes darken at the sight of Ginger. She bristles.

“I’ll see you later,” she says, reaching over and giving your hand a small pat before she gets up to brush past Whiskey, and she closes the door behind you. Whiskey seems to relax at that, and takes the seat she was in. 

“If you’re here to complain about going to Spain, Agent Whiskey, I can’t do anything about it,” you immediately say before he can get a word in. He takes off his hat and puts it on your desk, running a hand through his hair. 

“I wasn’t here to complain,” Whiskey says, chuckling. “You wound me, Brandy.” He puts a hand over his heart and stares at you with a woefully sad face, looking at you with big, warm brown eyes, akin to a kicked puppy. “Missed my favorite intelligence supervisor at the debriefing.” You throw a pen at him, but he just catches it and puts it in with the rest without breaking eye contact. 

“Doubt you’re here just to see me,” you say. “Shouldn’t you be packing for your flight?”

“I’ve got time,” Whiskey says. “If I remember correctly, it’s not until 6:00. Gives me a little under 2 hours until I gotta leave.”

“5:50,” you correct him automatically. “So less than that. You’ll wanna leave in an hour or so to account for traffic.” The grin that spreads across his face makes your heart beat a little faster. 

“You keepin’ track of when I’m ‘bout to leave?” he purrs, leaning forward. You scoff, but think in the back of your mind that there’s some truth to that. 

“I’m the one that booked your flight with Triple Sec,” you say dryly. “Be weird if I didn’t know what time exactly, Agent Whiskey.” Whiskey hums, but leans back in his chair and spreads his legs in an almost obscene matter that leaves you thrumming in your skin. 

“Jack,” he says.

“Hm?”

“My name is Jack.” You laugh. 

“I know what your name is, Agent,” you say. “It’s kinda my job to know everybody. Feel like we’ve already talked about this about a million times by now.” 

“Still, it’d be nice to hear you say it,” he says, almost absentmindedly as he picks at his nails, brows furrowed in a vulnerable expression. Your face falls at his soft tone. To be honest, your refusal to say his name was more because you perceived it as a game. Whiskey would press you to actually call him by his name, and you would coyly refuse, and he would leave with a promise that he would get you to say it one way or another. But something is clearly bugging him. 

You reach a hand forward, towards him, touching the other edge of your desk. Close enough for him to reach for it. His gaze snaps to your hand, and something tells you that Whiskey wants to. There is some kind of longing in his eyes that the firm, hard line of his mouth is trying its hardest not to betray. “You okay?” Whiskey’s fingers twitch. Something holds him back. 

He clears his voice, forcing a smile on his face, and the moment is broken. “Right as rain, sugar,” he says. “Pre-mission jitters, I suppose.” You suppose that’s not totally unwarranted. Whiskey would be going on into the field on his own due to the delicacy of the mission, the only backup available being Triple Sec piloting the plane. And, well, Whiskey didn’t exactly blend in with the typical Madrid population with his loud voice and louder personality. Statesman didn’t have a base out in Europe either. You give him a reassuring smile, and you try not to think too hard at how the tension seems to melt out of him at that. 

“I’m sure you’ll do fine,” you soothe. You retract your hand, and honestly at this point it seems as though Agent Whiskey has taken up permanent residence in your mind because you swear you spot some sort of deep emotion as his eyes trail after it. “Just like you always do, Whiskey.” The muscles in Whiskey’s jaw work as he clenches his teeth together before he claps his hands and stands up, that same charming smile on his face but not quite reaching his eyes. 

“Well I suppose that is some improvement!” he says. You tilt your head. 

“What do you mean?” Whiskey pulls the flask off his belt and takes a swig. 

“Got you to say my codename without all the preamble, now, didn’t I?” he says, winking at you. You stammer and flush red with embarrassment. He holds up his hands in surrender. “Now before you start wailing on me like last time,” he says, “I’ll see myself out. Like you said, I still need to pack. I’ll see if I can bring back a souvenir for you while I’m across the pond.” You cross your arms. 

“That won’t be necessary.” Whiskey shrugs and heads for the door. 

“Can’t stop me, can you?” You smile at him. 

“Guess not,” you say, almost to yourself, then your gaze falls to his hat still sitting on your desk. “Wait, Whiskey, your--” He holds up a hand. 

“Hold on to it while I’m gone, ‘kay?” he asks. You nod. “Good girl. Give me something to look forward to when I come back.” You make a motion to grab a pen, bursting out laughing when he moves to catch it when you feign a throw. He smiles, too, more genuinely this time. “See you in a couple days, darling.”

And you can’t help but start to miss him when the door clicks shut behind him. 

---

Forever Tag: @mabelleen​ @mando-vibes​ @isaissafail @adikaofmandalore

[simp-for-spencer-reid]

Sugar with a Side of Coffee: Ch. 6

Chapter 6: I’d Like Her to Stick Around *Edited to add a paragraph and some clarification :)

“Where did you sneak off to yesterday?” Derek was already on his case and he had only taken two steps off the elevator. Spencer had ended up walking home after leaving Cate’s door because there were no more buses running enroute to his house. He had gotten home later than anticipated, and stayed up thinking about his time spent with Cate. He must have stared at her goodnight text for an hour.

“I went for coffee.” Spencer replied, trying to hide his smile. He thought back to their chess game, if you could even call it that. It was more like Spencer sacrificed all his pawns to Cate until he finally captured her king. He could appreciate that she at least knew the rules of the pieces, saving him the time to explain it. 

“Mhmm, I’m sure that’s all. Did you at least kiss her?” Derek had deduced that Spencer hung out with Cate, and it definitely had nothing to do with him in Penelope’s batcave, tracing his phone to get his location after seeing him leave early. 

“No, we’re just friends.” Spencer tried to keep the blush from creeping to his ears as he thought of kissing Cate. 

“Well, if you need any pointers-” Derek was cut off by Hotch calling them into the round table. His face looked as though this would be a rough one. Spencer just knew this would be an overnight case. For how many days, he wasn’t sure, but it was the first overnight case in a dry spell of about two weeks.

On the plane, he played chess against himself. In his memory, he could envision every move Cate played during their game. He could even pinpoint the space that the pawn occupied when their fingers grazed against each other for the first time. It was as much of a spark as in any cliche book he’d ever read. 

“Reid,” Hotch pulled him from his thoughts. “What are your thoughts about the victimology?” Reid had to glance over the file to answer the question. Cate was consuming his thoughts.

Cate must have played Spencer’s goodnight voice message about ten times. His soft voice was something she could get used to. Twice their hands brushed last night and Cate wanted to know what it would feel like to have his hand hold hers. She ran her hands over her face, trying to prompt herself out of bed. She had a short shift at The Empty Mug today. 

As soon as she stepped through the door, she was met with Marta’s parents, practically jumping up and down. Marta was already behind the counter, rolling her eyes at her excited parents. 

“We have a special request for you!” Miranda bubbled. “We need you to bring this set of coffee beans and our creamer to the Government building across the city. The actual government wants our coffee!” Miranda shook her husband's arm. “Can you believe it?” 

“Wow! Yeah, of course I can run this over for you.” Cate was shocked. She didn’t bother to put her things down; she assumed she would need her identification to bring the bags of beans and their creamer to the building. Miranda put everything in a big brown paper bag, to make it easier to carry. 

Cate had to show identification to get access to the lobby. She felt underdressed, seeing everyone in suits. Glancing around the busy lobby, she wondered if she would see Spencer. As she was taking in the huge lobby, the bustling blonde from her first day on the cart appeared next to her, sporting some green framed glasses that matched her cardigan and her shoes. 

“Hi! Are you here with coffee?” Penelope had to pretend she didn’t know everything about Cate already. It was hard to refrain from running a background check on the girl who Spencer was so smitten over, but when Derek convinced her to track his phone, Penelope just had to know more about her. 

“I am, here is the beans and the creamer, I’m assuming I’m not allowed up into the offices.” Penelope nodded. 

“Yeah, that’s all top secret. You know, real confidential government stuff.” Penelope nodded while she spoke, feigning a serious face. After some pleasantries, Cate exited the building and went back to the shop. Penelope hoped that sometime soon she could give a tour to Spencer’s girl space friend. Not girlfriend. Yet. 

Cate’s short shift allowed her to be home early and do some chores around the apartment. She got her laundry into a basket, and carried it down to the basement to catch up on a few loads. As her clothes spun in the washer, she pulled her phone from her back pocket. A new voice message from Spencer lit up her lock screen.

“Hi Cate, it’s Spencer. I just wanted to check in and see how your day was going? I’m out on a case for a few days. Hopefully we can hang out again when I get back. Um, bye.” 

A smile spread on Cate’s face as she held her phone to her ear, playing his message a few times before speaking into her phone, leaving Spencer a message of her own. 

“Hi Spencer, you don’t need to introduce yourself every time. I can see your name as a contact.” She laughed mid message. “Right now, I’m doing laundry, nothing too exciting. Let me know when you get back!” Cate sent her message and imagined it flying over the states into Spencer’s phone. She felt selfish and hoped they solved the case soon so Spencer could come home and she could see him again. 

The team was getting closer to solving the case and getting the unsub every hour that ticked by. Spencer felt his phone go off in his pocket, and was waiting for some downtime so he could see for sure if it was Cate. It was getting dark and the team had just gotten to the bottom of the unsub’s routine. They’d be able to catch him tomorrow morning, surround him at a warehouse he frequented in the early morning hours. 

After the case was closed, Spencer was finally able to sneak away from the team to listen to Cate’s message in private. The way she said his name made his stomach do flips. He sent a short text to her, letting her know he was heading home now and would be home by the afternoon. 

On the jet, he was exhausted and sank into the seat across from JJ, folding his arms over his chest. His eyes were shut, but he could feel her watching him. He peeked one eye open and saw her smiling at him. 

“What?” he asked, sitting up, realizing he wasn’t going to get much sleep. 

“Nothing, just wondering when we’re gonna get properly introduced to your friend on the other side of your phone. It’s the girl from the bar and the coffee cart right?” Spencer smiled back at JJ.

“Soon, hopefully.” Spencer thought of the brunette that was taking up all his thoughts. “I’d like her to stick around.” He admitted to JJ.

When Cate got word that Spencer would be home at the same time she’d be done with her shift, she was excited to see him again. She had gone home, brushed her teeth and changed out of her uniform for leggings and her old college’s crewneck. Cate opted to bring a small backpack instead of her small purse. She put some travel essentials inside just in case. 

She took the bus to Spencer’s apartment, thinking about what the inside would look like. When he sent her his address, she didn’t realize how close he lived to her. She slowly walked up the stairs to his floor and looked for his apartment number. Upon finding it, she knocked on his door. She was surprised how quickly Spencer opened the door. 

“Hi,” Spencer stepped aside and let her in. “Come on in.” Cate looked around his apartment, it was different than she imagined, but she was right about the books everywhere. She turned back around to Spencer, looking at him in his glasses and sweatshirt. It was odd not seeing him in a button up and cardigan, but it was a sight Cate could get used to seeing. “You can just put your things on the counter.” he said as he escorted her to his kitchen.

“Nice place.” Cate told him. “It’s very… you.” She had thought of a word to describe it, but settled on how perfectly it suited Spencer. 

“I didn’t plan anything to do,” Spencer admitted. Cate checked her phone for the time.

“What do you have for movies?” Cate asked.

“They’re mainly in foreign languages..” Spencer trailed off.

“That’s okay, do you mind putting captions on so I can read it?” Cate asked, finding a middle ground. 

“Deal, I can also translate.” 

The pair sat on Spencer’s old style couch. It was clearly made for looks rather than comfort. Cate had one of Spencer’s crocheted blankets draped over her legs, which were tucked up to her chest. Spencer was more relaxed, one arm over the back of the couch, legs crossed out in front of him, head resting back. He was glad to finally relax after a hard case. Cate could have sworn she saw his eyes shut a few times. 

The movie, which Cate assumed was in Russian, was about the theory behind the missing Romanov daughter, Anastasia. Cate only pieced some things together, thanks to have seen the cartoon kids movie of the same name. 

It wasn’t until she heard gentle snores coming from Spencer that she realized he had fallen asleep. She was so wrapped up in the plot of the movie, she hadn’t even noticed how she had tucked her toes under one of Spencer’s thighs for warmth. She had rested her head on the back of the couch, her temple coming into contact with Spencer’s hand. She had pulled away, not wanting to wake him. It could’ve been her imagination, but she could have sworn that his hand followed her head, missing the contact.

Cate was growing tired as well, but didn’t want to miss the last bus to her apartment. She uncurled herself from Spencer’s couch, and laid the blanket over him. She found a pad of sticky notes on his coffee table, and grabbed a pen to write a small note to let him know she left. Before leaving, she took one more look at Spencer, completely at ease on his couch, a peaceful expression upon his face. She reached for his glasses, and put them on the coffee table next to her note. She too, knew how falling asleep could ruin a good pair of glasses. She had a pair that never sat the same way on her face ever again after sleeping in them by accident.

On her way home, Cate called Marta to keep on the phone with her, to make sure she got home safe. Marta demanded to know the details of the afternoon spent with the agent. Cate left out the part of him falling asleep, she didn’t want to embarrass him. Once home, Cate gave Shrimp a few treats and left Spencer a voice message 

“Hey, just wanted to let you know I’m home safe. The movie was great, I had fun. Sleep well, Spencer”

Cate finished her message and decided to go to bed herself. As she laid in bed, she thought of the day’s details and her time spent with Spencer. She could feel herself growing more and more attracted to him, which was exciting and also scared Cate at the same time.

[richincolor]

New Releases

Happy early book birthday to a whole slew of YA books out this week: The Magic Fish, This is All Your Fault, Charming as a Verb, and more!

Charming as a Verb by Ben Philippe

Henri “Halti” Haltiwanger can charm just about anyone. He is a star debater and popular student at the prestigious FATE academy, the dutiful first-generation Haitian son, and the trusted dog walker for his wealthy New York City neighbors. But his easy smiles mask a burning ambition to attend his dream college, Columbia University.

There is only one person who seems immune to Henri’s charms: his “intense” classmate and neighbor Corinne Troy. When she uncovers Henri’s less-than-honest dog-walking scheme, she blackmails him into helping her change her image at school. Henri agrees, seeing a potential upside for himself.

Soon what started as a mutual hustle turns into something more surprising than either of them ever bargained for. . . .

This is a sharply funny and insightful novel about the countless hustles we have to keep from doing the hardest thing: being ourselves. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Come On In Edited by Adi Alsaid

This exceptional and powerful anthology explores the joys, heartbreaks and triumphs of immigration, with stories by bestselling and beloved YA authors who are themselves immigrants and the children of immigrants.

WELCOME

From some of the most exciting bestselling and up-and-coming YA authors writing today…journey from Ecuador to New York City and Argentina to Utah, from Australia to Harlem and India to New Jersey, from Fiji, America, Mexico and more… Come On In. With characters who face random traffic stops, TSA detention, customs anxiety, and the daunting and inspiring journey to new lands, who camp with their extended families, dance at weddings, keep diaries, teach ESL, give up their rooms for displaced family, decide their own answer to the question “where are you from?” and so much more, Come On In illuminates fifteen of the myriad facets of the immigrant experience.

Rural Voices: 15 Authors Challenge Assumptions About Small-Town America edited by Nora Shalaway Carpenter

Gracie sees a chance of fitting in at her South Carolina private school, until a “white trash”-themed Halloween party has her steering clear of the rich kids. Samuel’s Tejano family has both stood up to oppression and been a source of it, but now he’s ready to own his true sexual identity. A Puerto Rican teen in Utah discovers that being a rodeo queen means embracing her heritage, not shedding it. . . .

For most of America’s history, rural people and culture have been casually mocked, stereotyped, and, in general, deeply misunderstood. Now an array of short stories, poetry, graphic short stories, and personal essays, along with anecdotes from the authors’ real lives, dives deep into the complexity and diversity of rural America and the people who call it home. Fifteen extraordinary authors – diverse in ethnic background, sexual orientation, geographic location, and socioeconomic status – explore the challenges, beauty, and nuances of growing up in rural America. From a mountain town in New Mexico to the gorges of New York to the arctic tundra of Alaska, you’ll find yourself visiting parts of this country you might not know existed – and meet characters whose lives might be surprisingly similar to your own.  — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Long Way Down: The Graphic Novel by Jason Reynolds illustrations by Danica Novgorodoff

Jason Reynolds’s Newbery Honor, Printz Honor, and Coretta Scott King Honor–winning, #1 New York Times bestselling novel Long Way Down is now a gripping, galvanizing graphic novel, with haunting artwork by Danica Novgorodoff.

This is All Your Fault by Aminah Mae Safi

Rinn Olivera is finally going to tell her longtime crush AJ that she’s in love with him.

Daniella Korres writes poetry for her own account, but nobody knows it’s her.

Imogen Azar is just trying to make it through the day.

When Rinn, Daniella, and Imogen clock into work at Wild Nights Bookstore on the first day of summer, they’re expecting the hours to drift by the way they always do. Instead, they have to deal with the news that the bookstore is closing. Before the day is out, there’ll be shaved heads, a diva author, and a very large shipment of Air Jordans to contend with.

And it will take all three of them working together if they have any chance to save Wild Nights Bookstore. –– Cover image and summary via Goodreads

Daughters of Jubilation by Kara Lee Corthron

In the Jim Crow South, white supremacy reigns and tensions are high. But Evalene Deschamps has other things to worry about. She has two little sisters to look after, an overworked single mother, and a longtime crush who is finally making a move.

On top of all that, Evvie’s magic abilities are growing stronger by the day. Her family calls it jubilation—a gift passed down from generations of black women since the time of slavery. And as Evvie’s talents waken, something dark comes loose and threatens to resurface…

And when the demons of Evvie’s past finally shake free, she must embrace her mighty lineage, and summon the power that lies within her. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen

Real life isn’t a fairytale.

But Tiến still enjoys reading his favorite stories with his parents from the books he borrows from the local library. It’s hard enough trying to communicate with your parents as a kid, but for Tiến, he doesn’t even have the right words because his parents are struggling with their English. Is there a Vietnamese word for what he’s going through?

Is there a way to tell them he’s gay?

A beautifully illustrated story by Trung Le Nguyen that follows a young boy as he tries to navigate life through fairytales, an instant classic that shows us how we are all connected. The Magic Fish tackles tough subjects in a way that accessible with readers of all ages, and teaches us that no matter what—we can all have our own happy endings. — Cover image and summary via Goodreads

[britesparc]

Weekend Top Ten #472

Top Ten Suggestions for Future Star Wars Games

Concluding an accidental trilogy of Top Ten lists that feature the word “Star”, here we journey back to a galaxy far, far away. This is also one of those lists that’s been bubbling under for quite a while, since the announcement (feels like ages ago now) that Disney have shopped the Star Wars licence around to a number of developers, and we’ll get future games from companies other than EA. But really it goes back even further, because for me Star Wars and gaming are inexorably linked. I associate my teenage PC gaming phase very closely with Star Wars, because it occurred in the mid-nineties, when Star Wars games were truly ascendent. In a run that I would argue stretched from the release of X-Wing in 1993, right through to Knights of the Old Republic in 2003, it felt like just about every genre was getting a nod from the House of Skywalker, and generally speaking the games were excellent. This time also saw the resurgence of Star Wars as a multimedia powerhouse, with the films getting reissued on video (and in Widescreen!) before the 1997 release of the Special Editions, the subsequent DVD releases, and then in 1999, the beginnings of the Prequel Trilogy with The Phantom Menace. You could argue that that’s when the wheels fell off, because even with the “Han Shot First” controversy and mixed reaction to some of the new effects shots, the late-nineties releases had been warmly received, Star Wars felt cool and exciting all the time, and anticipation was building to fever pitch at the thought of new movies. Amidst the Jar Jar hatred there was, I think, a bit more antipathy towards stories set in the Clone Wars, and although there were still some very good games being released (the first LEGO Star Wars came out in 2005!), the spark of the Golden Age was mostly absent.

Could we be entering a new Golden Age, or at least a Silver Age? Maybe; hopefully! I really, really enjoyed Jedi: Fallen Order and Squadrons, even though neither are perfect and both have plenty of rough edges. Now that the Skywalker Saga is out of the way and the franchise as a whole is spreading out into new areas (check out the number of Disney+ shows on the way), perhaps we’ll see all different facets of the galaxy explored in games too. And that’s what this list is: ten possible games, set in the Star Wars universe, that I think would be cool.

For the most part I’m not trying to invent a whole game; rather, it’s “Star Wars in this genre” or “Star Wars with this hook”. There’s probably an exception or two here and there, but you’ll get the drift. Some of these have been in my mental wishlist for years, from right back to when I first played X-Wing on my mate’s Mac, or when I installed a friend’s copy of Dark Forces from floppy disk (we, er, did that in those days). One of the best things about Star Wars is that it contains multitudes; George Lucas really did create a whole galaxy full of weird side characters, intriguing backstory, and funky-looking locations (aided and abetted, of course, by a bevy of talented collaborators). What corner of the universe couldn’t support a game of some kind?

So here’s to the future, to the newly-rechristened Lucasfilm Games, and to ten titles that could all benefit from beginning with those classic blue words on a black background.

Jedi Padawan RPG: I’ve wanted a game like this for about twenty years: a third-person action-RPG where you play a Padawan. You create your character and build your lightsaber, and then follow your master on missions around the Republic, learning the ways of the Force and developing your character. In a way, Fallen Order has adopted some of these ideas; the fact you only use a lightsaber and Force powers, for instance. But in my mind this is more similar to something like the first Fable, or maybe Mass Effect, where you’d have a hub to return to (the Jedi Temple) and then go off on missions that you could choose. All the while there’d be a plot bubbling up, and an arc to follow, and all sorts of quasi-open-world Jedi shenanigans. It’d be cool if they could make lightsabers feel like the really dangerous one-hit-kill weapons they are in the films, or if you could use them to, y’know, open doors and stuff. Maybe this could be set in the “High Republic” era we’re starting to explore.

Deus Ex-style first-person RPG: I suppose this one could be reductively called “Cyberpunk on Coruscant”, but the idea is you’d play someone – not a Jedi, in my mind – going on quests or solving some kind of mystery, shooting people in first person whilst also upgrading your body and abilities in typical RPG style. I wouldn’t want it to be too dark; I don’t like it when people try to make Star Wars “edgy”. But that Mandalorian or Rogue One tone of seriousness interspersed with Star Wars’ typical melodrama and weirdness would be good. I see your character as a small-time crook or maybe a minor mercenary who by circumstance is forced to take missions for either the Rebels or the Empire (or maybe First Order and Resistance); perhaps mirroring Poe Dameron’s journey from spice smuggler to X-Wing superstar. It’d be cool if there was Fallout-style hit-modelling on characters, and if your arm or whatever got damaged, you could have it replaced with a robot one.

Star Wars meets Elite: I even have a title for this one: “Scoundrel”. Basically, like I say, it’s Elite but in the Star Wars universe; you have a ship, you fly from planet to planet, you trade goods or offer passage, you spend your money on upgrading your ship or buying a new one. You’re Han Solo, basically; hence “Scoundrel”. In my mind it’s set at the dawn of the Rebellion, so you can choose where your allegiances – and your ethics – lie. Take on official Imperial assignments? Help their war effort? Stay neutral but legal? Stay out of the politics, but, y’know, smuggle a little bit? Run a bit of spice? Or do you go all-in and work for the Rebellion – even take part in military action? Maybe it could even run all the way up to Return of the Jedi and give you the chance to fight in the Battle of Endor! C’mon, this one has “hit” written all over it.

Clone Troopers turn-based “Tactics” game: by “Tactics” I mean like X-COM or, well, Gears Tactics; turn-based team combat games. I think of all the groups of military characters most suited to this style, it would be the Clone Troopers; they’re a well-organised military force that functions as part of a team. We know there are loads of types of Troopers, with different uniforms for different jobs, so there’s lots of room for customising your team, as well as experimenting with different classes. Plus if they die there’s more to come, they’re just in vats! Get Temuera Morrison to voice them all for added authenticity.

A point-and-click adventure: this was the first ever idea I had for a Star Wars game, because at the time I was really, really into adventures. This could be anything; I’m not too fussed on the plot. Some kind of mystery obviously lends itself to the format. Whether you play as the same character all the way through or switch protagonists (a common genre trope), I don’t mind. But I want it to be a fairly straightforward, old-fashioned point-and-click game, with no action or QTEs. Make it look like Thimbleweed Park, make it look like Clone Wars or Rebels, make it look as real as possible, it’s all fine; just give me a slow-burn narrative adventure story in the Star Wars universe please.

Lemmings, but with porgs: yeah, there’s nothing more to add to this. Maybe you play one of the Space Nuns, or even Chewbacca, and you have to help out all these crazy porgs? They’re just wandering around, getting into mischief, chewing on the Falcon or playing with a lightsaber, and they’ll kill themselves if you don’t help. That’s it. That’s the game. Lemmings, but with porgs.

Rebel base construction/management game: my template here would be stuff like Evil Genius or Two Point Hospital: real-time games where you build different rooms or services in a given play space. So, the Rebels are constantly darting all over the galaxy, setting up shop temporarily and then evacuating when the Empire comes a-calling; here, you have to kit out the different bases, often to service different aims (a recon base, an aerial support base, a training centre, etc), and in different planetary conditions (think Hoth, Yavin, or Crait). Obviously there are essentials: communication, power, accommodation. Then you can build starship docks, weapons arrays, bacta tanks, astromech services, even Jedi training rooms. Instead of attracting “customers” the idea is to be recruiting new Rebels, so the bigger and better your base, the more troops you have. Maybe there can even be some kind of meta-game where the progress of the war is smoother if your bases are better? But there’d be virtually no combat, apart from maybe shooting probe droids or scaring away wampas. Anyway, I think it sounds cool.

Rebel Commandos cover-shooter: I guess this could also be a Clone Trooper game, but we’ve already had a Clone FPS, and I just invented Clone Tactics up the page a bit, so let’s spread the love. It’s basically Gears of War but with the Rebel Alliance. Think about the Battle of Endor or the Battle of Scarif; teams of well-trained and battle-hardened troopers up against superior odds but still kickin’ ass. Unlike the rent-a-clone nature of the Tactics game, this would be more story-driven, with a small team (four, maybe, as it’s a good number for co-op) who have to infiltrate and/or assault heavily-fortified enemy positions. I think this could be good with a nice narrative behind it, fleshing out the Star Wars universe, and maybe offering a bit of those Rogue One-style shades of grey.

Fallout Shelter-style Jawa Sandcrawler management game: utini! Jawas are great aren’t they? Whether it’s electrocuting Artoo, cheering at podracers, or just eating the shit out of a great big egg, everyone loves a good Jawa. How can you make a game about Jawas? Well, what about if you’re this tribe or group or whatever of Jawas, and you’ve got your own knackered sandcrawler. And as part of the game you have to develop it, tart it up a bit, recruit new bands of Jawas, and then, y’know, rob droids and flog ‘em. Like Fallout Shelter, you have to build and maintain different rooms in the sandcrawler to grow your people and earn more cash from droids, but you’re constrained a little by size. The sandcrawler can’t be expanded too much, and although you could upgrade to bigger ones, you have to make strategic decisions about where to allocate precious space. I see this as being quite low-fi and stylised (bring back Yoda Stories!), and working as a kind of chilled-out time-wasting game on Switch or something.

Homeworld, but in the Clone Wars: and we’re back to the Clone Wars again! But here, we kind of have to, as it’s the only war in the Star Wars wars that features two huge and evenly-matched armadas (Rebels vs Empire and Resistance vs First Order are both very much “scrappy underdogs up against vast organised militaries”). Playing as the Republic or the Separatists, you have to maintain huge fleets of capital ships, support craft, fighters and bombers, and go on missions to attack, defend, or escort. It’s probably the best way to recreate the feeling of that absolutely vast battles we see in the opening minutes of Revenge of the Sith. Maybe an add-on could even give us ground battles too, recreating scenes such as the Battle of Geonosis. Anyway, sounds cool don’t you think?

Incidentally – and speaking of the Star Wars of it all – this is the first week that we’re not watching a War for our family movie night. We’ve done ‘em all! All the episodes of the Skywalker Saga, the two live-action spin-off movies, and even (well, me an’ the eldest) the animated Clone Wars movie. I might do another Top Ten ranking them, based on the kids’ opinions; that’d be interesting. Although – of course – we’ve only got a couple of weeks to wait until the two Ewok movies hit Disney+. What a time to be alive!

Now, the Ewoks – there’s a good idea for a game there…

[camillemontespan]

the things we say at 3am [drake x camille] [one shot]

I stole this edit from Pinterest, I’m aware it’s Sam and Ruby, but as he is my Drake face claim, it kinda works. 

Warnings: NSFW.

There’s a lot of differing moods in this one shot.. fluff to angst to NSFW. 

Taggin’ @burnsoslow​ @moonlightgem7​ @fromthedeskofpaisleybleakmore​ @ibldw-main​ @jovialyouthmusic​ @mskaneko​ @saivilo​ @gardeningourmet​ @loveellamae​ @sirbeepsalot​ @katedrakeohd​ @dcbbw​ @pug-bitch​  @walkerswhiskeygirl​

***************************************************************************************

Drake and Camille stumbled into the palace foyer, their shoes squeaking across the marble floor.

'Shhhh!' Camille hissed, holding her fingers to her mouth in an exaggerated gesture. 'You'll wake everyone up!'

Drake rolled his eyes and lolled against a marble column, trying to keep himself up. 'As if I give a fuck,' he replied with an air of exaggerated grandeur and extreme bluntness.

Camille broke into a giggle and Drake smiled as he watched her.

They were both drunk. Hammered, in fact. A drink at a dive bar had turned into drinking a whole bottle of whiskey which had turned into shots. Now it was 3am and they were back in the palace in no fit state to be seen by anyone.

'Do you think we'll get beheaded if they see us like this?!' Camille suddenly asked, her eyes bulging.

Drake laughed dryly. 'Montespan, we haven't beheaded people for like... 500 years. Trust me, I think we're safe.' He then frowned. 'Or maybe that applies to hanging...'

He shrugged and traipsed up the stairs to their rooms, tripping over his feet as he went. He heard a scuffle and bump behind him and when he turned, he saw Camille lying in a tangled heap on the bottom of the stairs, legs akimbo, laughing her head off.

'I fell!'

Drake sighed and stumbled back down to help her stand up. 'Of course you are a complete liability when drinking,' he muttered.

Camille stuck out her tongue. Drake chuckled. 'You're cute when you do that, Montespan.'

Camille smiled mischievously and pointed her finger at him. 'Drake Walker thinks I'm cute.'

Drake turned pink. 'Nah..'

'You just said it,' Camille teased. 'You think I'm totally adorable.'

'Well... Kinda.'

Camille smiled. 'I think you're cute too.'

There was a loaded silence filled with a lot of swaying. Drake cleared his throat and took her by the arm. 'Come on, let's go to bed.'

'I'm not sleepy.'

'Same but you clearly need to lie down,' Drake replied, before tripping up the step and cursing under his breath. He exhaled and clung onto the bannister of the stair case, not wanting to fall.

Camille giggled again. 'Walker, we can do this!' she said. 'We can make it up these stairs!'

Drake shook his head. 'It's like fucking Everest!'

Camille grabbed his hand and began to drag him up the stairs, whispering encouragement and hiccuping.

'Who designed this palace?' she whispered, panting as she dragged him.

'Constantine,' Drake replied shortly.

'Why so many stairs?'

Drake groaned. 'Because Constantine is an asshole.'

Camille whipped around to face him, her brown eyes huge. 'TREASON!' she hissed. 'Oh my god, he's gonna behead you now!'

*******************************************

They managed to make it up to Camille's bedroom. It took her four attempts to unlock the door - she kept dropping her key and stopping every few minutes to regale Drake with her favourite moments from the TV show Queer Eye.

Finally, they got inside.

Drake thought he wasn't too drunk, at least compared to Camille, but he soon realised that the room spun around and he felt a little light headed so maybe he was drunker than he thought.

'Wanna order pizza?' Camille suggested.

'Montespan, the pizza place is closed now,' Drake told her. 'No pizza for you.'

Camille sighed. 'Shame.. Oh well. Right, pyjama time. Are you staying with me?'

Drake started. He didn't understand. Why had age suggested he stay? What the fuck was going on? His room was down the hall. There was no need for him to stay.

Camille blushed. 'It's just fun hanging out with you, s' all.'

Drake shuffled on his feet, unsure of what to say. Nobody ever said it was fun to hang out with him. Camille must be absolutely blind drunk right now.

But he agreed to stay.

Because it was fun hanging out with her too.

*********************************************

Drake knew Camille was hammered because once he agreed to stay, she promptly began to undress so she could change into sleepwear.

Drake harboured secret thoughts about Camille Montespan. Thoughts he didn't want her to find out.

Like how beautiful she was.

Or how he liked the smell of coconut in her hair.

Or that he often wondered what it would be like to kiss her, touch her, have her.

So when Camille pulled off her top and started to stumble around the room to locate a pyjama top, Drake averted his eyes. The image of Camille in her bra was an image he could do without. Yes, he imagined her. Often. But to see the real thing would probably push him to admit everything he felt.

She found a silk camisole and sleep shorts. Camille pulled them on, giving Drake relief. Clambering into bed, she pulled her knees up to her chest and eyed him.

'Drake, are you going to keep swaying in the corner of the room all night or are you coming over here?'

Drake blinked. WAS SHE INVITING HIM TO HAVE SEX WITH HER?

Stop it. She's just wondering if you will sit on the bed with her. Nothing more. Stop overthinking. Stop panicking. Jesus it's like you've never talked to girls before.

Drake cleared his throat and awkwardly sat on the edge of the bed. Camille raised an eyebrow. 'I don't have a disease, you can come closer.'

Drake blushed and shifted so he sat beside her with his legs stretched out. Camille smiled softly. 'Why are you so awkward all of a sudden?'

Drake shrugged. 'I don't know..'

'Drake.' She didn't believe him.

He sighed. 'It's dangerous for me to be close to you, Montespan.'

Camille frowned. 'What do you mean?'

I mean I really like you. More than anybody else. I think about you all the time. I dream about you. You make me happy which is a feeling I've not had in years.

Drake didn't say this though. Instead, he pulled the duvet cover over his face and burrowed down, keen to hide. It was really comfy. Was this Egyptian cotton?!

Camille burrowed under the duvet with him, kicking him gently. 'Drake, talk to me,' she whispered.

Drake closed his eyes. She was so fucking close to him right now. They were practically sharing body heat.

'Talk about what?'

Camille smiled. 'Anything. Like.. Your dad. Tell me about Jackson Walker.'

Drake bit his lip. He had mentioned his father a couple of times to Camille but he hadn't realised that she was interested.

'What do you want to know about him?' Drake asked, his voice thick.

Camille snuggled down into her pillow. 'What he was like. Was he like you, all brooding and sarcastic?'

Drake laughed. 'Nah, that's all me. Uh, dad was different. He was loud and always happy. He lit up the room.'

Camille grinned as she listened to Drake, nodding encouragement. She found that when Drake was drinking, he was more open to talking about his background. She was so curious about him.

'But in his job, he was very serious,' Drake continued. 'Like we could be playing together one day but as soon as he was asked to do a last minute task, he dropped everything. The job was his life. Cordonia first.' Drake's voice had taken on a bitter tone now. 'We always came second.'

Camille reached out to gently touch his hand. 'He was keeping you safe by doing his job,' she murmured.

Drake shook his head. 'Nah, I saw him suddenly turn from being loving dad to guard in an instant. I swear, Camille, if I ever have kids - and that's very unlikely - I'm always gonna put them first.'

Drake stopped talking. Why are you talking about children?

Camille's eyes were fixed on him. She looked serious now, though her eyes were slightly bloodshot from alcohol.

'I think you'll have kids one day,' she said softly. 'No reason why not. Also, just because he put his duty ahead of everything doesn't mean he didn't care about you. I bet you were his greatest joy.'

Drake reddened. 'Shucks, Montespan.. I will tell you something though. If he met you, he'd really like you. I can imagine him talking your ear off about New York, he always wanted to go but never got the chance.'

Camille giggled. 'I would have taken him to my favourite cafe where they serve cronuts.'

'I bet you would have,' Drake murmured. His eyes were now on hers. Camille blushed and rolled over.

'Sometimes I think I should leave this suitor competition,' she said. 'Just admit that I don't want to take part and I don't want to be royalty.'

Drake moved closer to her despite himself.

'How come?' he asked, waiting with bated breath for her answer.

Camille looked over at him and smiled sadly. 'I think you know.'

Drake blinked. No he didn't. What did he know?

Camille looked away, focusing on the tassel of the cushion that was in the corner of the bed.

'Camille.'

She turned to see Drake lying on his side, facing her, so close. She could smell the whiskey on him with a hint of leather and smoke. She wished she could bottle it.

'It's 3am,' Drake whispered. 'Anything we say is in this moment, in this time. It's just us. The world is asleep but we're not. Why do you want to leave the competition?'

The drunkeness was fading now. This was a serious conversation now.

Camille looked at him nervously. 'We kissed in the Beaumont study,' she said.

Drake tried not to blush. He had tried to push that memory to the back of his mind and had been successful, despite it being absolute torture, and now she was bringing it up.

'We did, yes,' he replied, keeping his voice level. Act cool, act cool.

Camille bit her lip. 'Did that.. change things for you?'

Yes. Certainly made me start thinking that I was a shit best friend and that it should have been Liam kissing you. But I enjoyed it. A lot.

Drake tried to think of how to answer. It was 3am. This was the time for honesty.

'Yeah it did,' he replied.

'Me too. Like you have always been around and you have helped me so much in this competition. But more than that, you've kept me sane by taking me out for drinks, going to restaurants-'

'Things I shouldn't be doing,' Drake interrupted. 'Liam should be taking you out, not me. He asked me to look out for you and I overstepped.'

Camille shook her head. 'No. I needed a friend. Sure, I have Hana and Maxwell but you're different. You make me feel like I'm at home. Maybe it's because we talk about America? And we watch shows on Netflix? I. I..'

Drake closed his eyes. 'Camille, stop talking.'

But she couldn't stop talking. This was word vomit. She was being excruciatingly honest, despite knowing she shouldn't be.

'I think about you all the time,' she whispered, her voice cracking. 'You make me laugh. I don't feel so... Lonely when I'm with you. All the other ladies ignore me and treat me like the shit on their shoe. Liam barely sees me, not that I really care. But you're the constant. You're always around, even when you're hiding in the corners of the ballroom.'

Drake couldn't believe what he was hearing. She had never said anything like this to him before. She must still be really drunk. She wouldn't remember this in the morning.

'And I'm not that drunk any more before you accuse me of not realising what I'm saying,' she told him. 'You said it yourself. It's 3am. Everyone else in the world is asleep. It's just us.'

Drake reached out to take her hand. She was right. He had told her to be honest and tell him why she wanted to leave the competition. So he may as well join her and be honest too.

'I think about you all the time too,' he murmured. 'Even before that kiss. As soon as I saw you, Camille, God.. I wanted you. I always have.'

Camille wiped her eyes that were starting to well up. Drake took her hand away and began to wipe the stray tears from her cheeks, so gently. His fingers felt calloused against her skin. But he was being so gentle and so kind.

'I honestly wish I could take you out of the contest myself,' he continued. 'But to do so would be to betray my best friend who's only ever had my back. I can't hurt him.'

'But you have feelings for me..' Camille whispered. 'You're re really going to ignore your feelings?'

Drake nodded. 'I've gotten pretty good at it the past five months,' he told her. 'Practically an expert.'

Camille rolled onto her back and looked up at the ceiling. 'I'm not like that,' she said. 'This is torture. I have to dance with him and take part in those damn events when really, I just want to talk to you. That's all. Maybe he would understand?'

'He won't, Camille,' Drake told her sharply. 'He'll feel betrayed. Besides, if you waltzed out the competition and ended up in my arms, your name will be dragged through the mud. I can't let you do that to yourself.'

Camille rolled back on her side to face him now, her eyes flashing. 'Maybe I don't care,' she said. 'Maybe I want to end up on your arms at the end of this. It would certainly be a reward.'

Drake bit his lip. 'Montespan, don't talk shit-'

'Why?' she demanded.

'Because if you keep saying you want to end up on my arms, then damn it I'll have no choice but to do it!' Drake ground out, exasperated. 'Do you realise how much I wish I could just hold you and pretend you're mine? I would do it in a heartbeat if only it didn't cause Liam any pain -'

'Forget about Liam for once!' Camille burst out. 'Just do what you want to do FOR ONCE! Stop making excuses. Stop being his little fucking lapdog and fucking do something for yourself!'

They stared at each other for a long, long moment.

Fuck it.

Drake made the move first.

Their mouths collided. Drake pulled her close so their chests were flush against each other, his strong arms wrapped around her delicate frame as he kept her in place and kissed her like he was drowning in her.

She tasted of whiskey and smelled of coconut. He dragged his fingers through her dark hair, tangling it in his fists. She let out a groan against his mouth and Drake felt his instincts take over.

It was pure animal instinct. His body was now suspended over hers, his arms down on either side of her head as he kissed her mouth, cheeks, neck, collar bone. He could feel her legs wrap around his waist, pulling him in closer, and he knew she was enjoying it. He was practically ravaging her.

His hands swept down to run under her silk camisole. Camille arched her back and moved to take the garment off, exposing herself to him.

Drake looked down, his eyes scanning her breasts and toned stomach. 'Jesus, Camille,' he croaked.

Camille blushed and reached out to unbutton his denim shirt. Drake pulled it off and saw Camille's eyes widen as she studied his broad shoulders and wide chest. His arms were corded with muscle. His body was functional, made for the outdoors. It did not to deserve to hide under that denim shirt.

She ran her fingers down his chest towards his belt buckle. Drake closed his eyes as he focused on her touch, every movement feeling electric. He heard the belt buckle unclasp and his eyes flew open. Camille smiled mischievously.

'Talk to me, Drake.'

She loosened his belt and unzipped him. Drake stared at her fingers as they moved expertly. 

'I've wanted to do this with you for a long time,' he croaked, feeling his cock straining to be free from his boxers. 

Camille slowly pulled down his boxers, releasing him. Her eyes widened. 'Wow..' she breathed. Drake smirked at her reaction and wrapped his hand around his length, slowly pumping up and down, in a bid to surprise her more. Camille watched, her eyes fixed on him, watching as his hand grasped his hard cock, pumping up and down the length, eliciting groans from Drake himself.

‘I’ve thought about being with you for a long time,’ Drake continued, his voice raspy as he worked his cock. 

It was 3am. Honesty time. 

'Fuck me Drake,' Camille whispered, beginning to pull down her sleep shorts.

Drake stopped pleasuring himself and helped Camille take them off. He leaned down to hook the string of her thong between his teeth and pulled it down her hips, then further down her thighs and then to her legs. He soon cast the thong away to the floor.

Camille chuckled. 'Drake Walker, you're kinky. Who knew?'

'There's a lot you don't know about me, Montespan,' Drake murmured.

Camille grinned. 'Like what?'

Drake smiled like he had a delicious and dirty secret. 'For one thing, I love oral,' he whispered.

Camille spread her legs to give him a full view. Drake laughed and hunkered down. When his tongue darted between her folds, Camille groaned his name, her fingers clenching the duvet cover.

'Oh my God..'

Drake continued to cast a spell, twisted dark magic, constant enchantments. His tongue circled, twisted and played with her, dancing to the sound of her cries.

'Please,' she panted. 'Fuck me. We both want to.'

Drake stopped to look down at her seriously. 'Really?' he asked. 'You genuinely want this?'

Camille nodded. 'Yeah. Why wouldn't I?'

Drake struggled to work out her reasons. Camille understood instantly from the expression on his face.

'Drake, you may think you're unworthy, that you don’t deserve happiness,' she said quietly, 'but you are worthy, I promise. Please. I want you. Can you just ignore your inner thoughts? I want to be with you, right now.'

Drake let out a breath and his eyes roamed down her body, taking her in. Finally he spoke.

'Since I met you,' he murmured, 'You're all I've ever wanted. I've denied myself, believed you didn't feel the same but now..'

Camille looked up at him earnestly. 'Now?'

Drake chuckled darkly. 'I was a fucking idiot.'

Camille reached up to catch his lips with hers. She ran her fingers down his spine, making him shiver in the most delicious way.

'I've dreamed of this for months,' Drake whispered, positioning himself at her entrance. 'No regrets from here on out. No feeling guilty. No thinking about how other people will think. Are you with me?'

Camille spread her legs further and reached out to hold his hard cock, gently pressing it against her, teasing her, making her want more.

'I'm with you,' she whispered.

Drake plunged in. Camille arched her back, crying out his name as he filled all of her, and Drake groaned her name as he felt every part, knowing he was staking a claim on Camille Montespan.

**********************************************

Afterwards, they lay tangled together, their breathing coming out heavy.

'How do you feel?' Camille whispered in the dark, her naked body pressed up against his.

Drake smiled. 'I feel happy.'

Camille gently moved so she was soon straddling him. Drake took in her slender frame that was illuminated in the moonlight and took a mental picture.

For so long he had imagined this woman on top of him. For so long he imagined her body and how she would scream his name while he made love to her. For so long he imagined moments like this with her. 

Now he knew.

Camille Montespan was the one.

If she didn't have the suitor competition, Drake would take her away right now. But reality was different.

So instead, he watched as she ground her hips against his, groaning his name as she felt him fill her completely, and he captured this moment to remember forever.

Because despite everything, Camille would end up staying in the competition. Liam would choose her to be his queen and Camille would have to say yes. There was no other option, not really.

**********************************************

Camille ground her hips against Drake's, feeling his length fill her entirely and for a moment, she felt like she was free.

As she felt his hands grip her hips and his mouth groan her name, Camille made a promise to herself.

She was going to quit the competition and declare her love for Drake Walker.

Because she loved him.

She loved him.

Her brown eyes flecked with gold fixed on his. In the dark, at 3am, all she wanted was to tell him the truth. But right now, he looked content. Happy. Fulfilled.

Why make it more complicated?

Instead, Camille began to rock against him, round two of the night, and listened to his deep groans. She would tell him at another time. Another 3am.

But in her heart, she knew.

I love you.

[auiyoncesmind]

After Effects Text Effect Tutorial

A while back, an anon had sent me a request on how to do the fancy little text effects for a previous gifset I made, so that’s what I’m here to show you all today. Here, we’re going to be going from this:

to something like this:

What you will need:

Photoshop (I have CS5)

After Effects (I have CS6, though this tutorial should work with other versions; I will provide links on where to get AE somewhere down below)

Basic knowledge on how to make gifs in Photoshop

A folder or two for your gifs (I’ll explain why as you read on)

Your scene/shot already giffed in Photoshop

The font(s) you will be using for your gifs

Some time and patience (because this is most likely your first time doing this, and it may take a minute to get the hang of it)

As this tutorial is very lengthy, detailed, and image-heavy, I want to divide it into separate little parts:

Part 1 - Opening Your PSD in After Effects

Part 2 - Adjusting Your Timeline Panel in Preparation for Your Text

Part 3 - Typing and Animating Your Text

Part 4 - Rendering Your Composition for Photoshop

Part 5 - Saving Your Final Product

PART 1 - OPENING YOUR PSD IN AFTER EFFECTS

The first thing you’re going to want to do is make your gif however you want it. Since this is solely a tutorial that teaches you all the fancy text effects, I won’t be delving into a basic gif tutorial, though if you would like me to do one of those, or if you want me to direct you to some tutorials that helped me with my giffing, then I can definitely do that for you as well.

Here is what my gif looks like with my coloring and without any text on it:

However, we’re not going to do the whole “save for web and devices” thing just yet. Before we go into the tricky part, you wanna make sure you’re fine with the coloring that you want to use, and after that, we’re going to open After Effects. When you open up the application for the first time, it may end up looking something like this:

What you’re gonna want to do next is create a new composition. Go to Composition > New Composition to create a new canvas for your gif. A little menu will come up, asking you what size you would like the composition to be. You want your composition to be the same size as the gif itself. So make sure the box where it says Lock Aspect Ratio is unchecked, and type in the dimensions for your gif (the gif I’m using for this example is 268 x 200). For the frame rate, I keep it at 29.97 frames per second for the best results. Once you’re done with that, click OK.

Once you have your composition ready, you’re going to want to open the PSD in which your gif is made into After Effects. To do that, you will go to File > Import > File..., and it will ask you to select your PSD. You should see something like this once you’ve made your selection:

You want all your layers to be there when you make your edits in After Effects, so just click OK. Your PSD will then be located on the left side of the screen. Underneath that, you will see this big, blank space labeled Comp 1.

Your next step is to drag the PSD down to this blank area, and that is when you will see your PSD cover your composition that you previously made.

PART 2 - ADJUSTING YOUR TIMELINE PANEL IN PREPARATION FOR YOUR TEXT

One important thing before we actually get to the text part itself. When you load the PSD into After Effects, you’re going to see this little timeline panel towards the bottom of your screen. It’s similar to what you would see when you would do the whole “frames to layers” thing when you make a new gif in Photoshop. Here, you’re going to notice two things: 1) the gray time ruler (that long, gray bar with the yellow end points) is used to determine what is visible when you’re working on your gif, and 2) the short, light blue bar shows you your gif itself. However, usually when you load a new PSD into After Effects, you’re going to end up with a lot of unnecessary time that you won’t be needing.

Towards the very bottom is this little slider that allows you to get a better glimpse of the duration of the PSD you chose. Drag it far enough so you can see where your gif starts and ends. Once you’ve done that, you’re going to drag the gray ruler exactly where your gif ends.

Note: You don’t have to drag the smaller ruler on top of the bigger one; it’s gonna move on its own when you drag the bigger ruler to your end point.

Now you know exactly when the text for your gif is going to stop moving. Your primary goal is to showcase the entirety of the effect you would like to choose, and I will show you why that is in a minute.

PART 3 - TYPING AND ANIMATING YOUR TEXT

Here’s the fun part that you all have been waiting to see. Go to the panel towards the top and select your Horizonal Type Tool. You can choose any particular font you would like for your gif. For the purposes of this tutorial, I am going to use the font Questa Grande. Once you’ve selected your font, type your text over your PSD. You want your PSD to be centered over your PSD, so go to Window > Align, and you should see a little alignment box towards the right side of the screen. I placed mine in the same area with the Character and Paragraph tabs.

When your align tab is ready, click on these two center alignment options, and your text should be exactly in the center of your gif.

Note: You have to turn your Caps Lock off in order for this to work, as it will not only not center your text, but it will also cover your composition in one solid color.

As you will see in the timeline panel, the red bar represents your text layer. However, it is stretched out way past the point where your gif actually ends.

Align this red bar with the light blue bar as shown above. This will definitely come in handy when you are working on applying the effect itself and making it fit in your gif, which we will go into next.

The next step — and the for-real fun part — is where you choose the text effect you would like to apply to your gif. Over to the left side of the screen, you will see a tab that says Effects & Presets, and here contains a bunch of folders and whatnot filled with effects that come with After Effects itself. You’re going to want to click on the one that says *Animation Presets, and from there, you will click on the one that says Text.

At this point, you can experiment with different text effects and see which ones you like. I’m going to show you a couple of examples of how certain effects look, because depending on the one you would like to choose and how long your text might be, you may need to make a couple of adjustments. For instance, when I go under Animate In > Fade Up Characters, this is what my gif now looks like:

Notice how the animation was able to complete itself before it reaches the end of the gif. That’s what you want for your particular gif. If you’re able to get all of your text to fit like this, then you can skip to the rendering section, if you like. Now, in some cases, you may run into animations that may not be complete when you play the whole thing through. Let’s say I decide to go to Animate In > Twirl On Each Character instead. This is what it would look like when you leave the animation as is:

What’s happening here is that some of your text gets cut off towards the end, which more than likely means that you would have to change the time stretch for the effect you’re using. What do I mean by this? Well, try right-clicking either over the text on your gif or over the text layer in your composition panel (that big space where we dragged the PSD earlier) and go to Time > Time Stretch..., and you will get this little window that comes up.

You will have to change the percentage showing in the box where it says Stretch Factor in order to squeeze all of your text in at once. You can experiment as much as you want with this until you get your desired look. I’m gonna type in a stretch factor of 70 just to test it.

However, when you change the stretch factor of your text, then that red bar in the timeline panel is no longer aligned with the light blue bar that represents your PSD. If you leave it like this, then there is a chance that your text might cut off and disappear, leaving the remainder of your gif blank. So you’re going to drag that red bar back across and line it up with the light blue one so they’re together again. Now I’m ready to test the text out once again.

This time, the whole animation is able to play itself out so you can see all of your text appear in the gif. For some people, this particular stretch factor may be cutting it a little close, so if you want to lower it to, like, 60-65 or something like that, you can definitely feel free to do that, if you want.

Here’s that same gif, but instead, I use the Raining Characters In animation and set the stretch factor to 90:

Like I said, feel free to experiment with different effects, because there are a lot of text effects already in the application that you could use. If you somehow don’t find something that you want that’s already in After Effects, feel free to look around for more text effects online, apply them to your application, and then try and follow the steps I provided for you previously.

This is another optional step, but if you’re editing your text over a very bright background, you can change the text color from white to something else. In this gifset I made not too long ago, for example, I had changed the text in one of the gifs to a particular shade of blue. To do that, you would go to the Character tab (located in the same area where I put my Align tab) and change the Fill Color (that little white square next to the available fonts).

PART 4 - RENDERING YOUR COMPOSITION FOR PHOTOSHOP

Now you have your text, the animation you would like for your gif, and all that other good stuff, so now we’re going to save it so we can open it back up in Photoshop. Go to Composition > Add to Render Queue, and you will see this appear towards the bottom of the screen.

My screenshot shows multiple different compositions here for the purposes of this tutorial, though yours will only have just one since you’re starting out. There are two main areas we want to focus on changing here: the one that says Output Module, and the other one that says Output To. When you first add a composition to the render queue, the output module will be set to Lossless. Click on where it says Lossless, and this little window will come up.

The format is automatically set to AVI when you open it, but you want to change it to PNG Sequence. And for the channels section, just change that to RGB + Alpha, and then click OK.

Earlier in this tutorial, I said you would need a folder or two for your screencaps. I said this because when we changed the format to PNG Sequence, that means the gif we added the text effect to in After Effects will be saved as multiple PNG frames after it’s being rendered. In order to keep these frames organized, I personally like to make a folder for the PNG sequence to be saved in.

After making a new folder to save your frames, you’ll want to go to the Output To section and click where it says Comp 1_[#####].png. It will ask you to find the folder that you want to save the sequence in. Once you select that folder, click OK. Once everything looks okay, all you have to do is click Render, and your gif will be saved to that folder.

PART 5 - SAVING YOUR FINAL PRODUCT

You will now need to open up your PNG sequence in Photoshop in order to make it into a gif. To do this, go to File > Open, and find the folder where you placed all of your screencaps from After Effects.

Click on the first screencap within that folder, and then check the box where it says Image Sequence. That will ensure that all of the screencaps within that folder load in your Photoshop document. Once you do that, click Open.

Another dialogue box is going to come up, asking you what frame rate you would like to use. It should be set to 29.97 frames per second. If it is, click OK. If not, change it to 29.97 fps and then click OK. Now all of your frames are all together. Next, go to File > Save for Web and Devices..., make sure your file is under the file limit (3 MB) before changing the Looping Options (towards the bottom right of your dialogue box) to Forever, and click Save. I prefer to save this gif in a separate location from where you placed all of your PNG screencaps previously.

Then open the gif you just saved. You should see that all of the screencaps are set to a screen delay of 0.03 seconds in the frame animation panel. This delay makes the gif move too fast. For the best quality gifs, you want your screen delay to be set at a normal speed but also not too slow (e.g. 0.07). I set my screen delay at 0.05 seconds for all my gifs.

To do that, click this gray button on the top right of the frame animation panel and go to Select All, which will select all of your caps in the panel at once. Then click on the 0.03 on any of the caps you see, and then go to Other..., which will pull up another dialogue box asking you what set delay you want to choose. Then type 0.05 in the box and click OK. Lastly, go to File > Save for Web and Devices... once again, and click Save. To distinguish your final product from the faster gif you saved previously, just change the name (or, if you want, you can keep the same name, and then a dialogue box will come up asking you if you want to replace the gif or not; at this point, just click Replace, because you won’t be needing the faster gif anymore).

And that’s basically it for this tutorial. I know a lot of people aren’t too familiar with After Effects or much less even know how to use it, but since we’ve reached this point in the tutorial, I want to leave you with a couple of extra tips:

You may want to practice using text effects with smaller gifs. I say this because the file limit for gifs (3 MB) may be restricting for big gifs, especially those that are 540 px.

Going off the previous point, make sure that your gif doesn’t have too many frames in it to the point where it goes over the file limit.

The process for this tutorial is basically the same with edits or graphics, except you don’t have to really worry about the file size as much as you do with gifs, because the majority of your image will be still. However, it’s always important to check anyway in case something happens. If you end up with more frames in your edit/graphic than necessary with the text effect(s) applied to it, feel free to delete whatever you’re not going to be using once you get ready to save the final product.

I encourage you to experiment with different text effects and see what works. Not every text effect you look at will work out, depending on your personal preferences. I’m still kinda new to After Effects as well, so we’re all learning here lmfao.

When testing new effects, make sure you press the First Frame button in the Preview tab (it’s gonna be that one arrow pointing to the left towards a vertical line) so you’ll know that the animation will start at the very beginning of your gif. This is very important, because if you don’t do this, then the animation will start wherever your current time indicator (that yellow thing that goes back and forth in your composition panel) had stopped previously, and then you won’t be able to see the whole animation.

If you make a mistake at any point in testing out new effects, just go to Edit > Undo so you’ll know where you’re at.

Just practice using After Effects in general. You may end up finding something that I haven’t even come across yet. That’s totally fine. Not everyone is gonna understand it right away, so study it as much as you can.

For those wondering where specifically I got AE, I don’t remember the exact link (when I got it, I was looking for it on my old laptop, which malfunctioned before spring break this year, unfortunately), though it did take a lot of Google searching for the link to AE CS6, so if you do that and find a good link, feel free to share it so more people are aware. But for the sake of this post, here are a couple of links to posts where you can access a download link:

maxiresources downloads by @maxiresources​

How to Get After Effects by @alternatetutorials​

Adobe CC 2019 Suite by @yeahps​

Activating CC 2018 Programs on MAC (Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, etc.) by @kaeveeoh​ (this should work for PC as well)

Make sure all of the links work when you're looking for one to download After Effects. If the ones I provided don't help, I'm sure you can ask at least one person from @yeahps or any other popular Photoshop blog for some advice.

If you have any questions on any part of this tutorial, feel free to message me anytime you want. Other than that, if this tutorial has been helpful for you, please give it a like/reblog. It would be greatly appreciated.

[russellacali]

What is Empowerment Technologies?

This blog, Empowerment Technologies, is an insight into what I have learned on our lessons about Empowerment Technologies: ICT for Professional Tracks, for 11th grade, under the teaching of Miss Shaira Denise Dela Cruz. The goal of this blog is to promote ICT and give you some insight into ICT

The first lesson that was discussed was, what is ICT? ICT is the abbreviation for Information and Communication Technologies. It refers to technologies that provide access to information through telecommunications such as mobile phones, wireless networks, telephones, and other communication mediums. The current state of ICT is WWW or World Wide Web.

The World Wide Web(WWW), commonly known as the Web, is an information system where documents and other web resources are identified by Uniform Resource Locators, which may be interlinked by hypertext, and are accessible over the Internet. It has three versions which are Web 1.0, Web 2.0, and Web 3.0. Web 1.0 is the first version and most web pages were static or “read-only web.” 

The second and most used is Web 2.0, which allows users to interact and contribute with the page instead of just reading a page, the users are able to create a user account. Web 2.0 offers us five features: Folksonomy, Rich User Experience, Long Tail, User Participation, and software as a service.

The last is Web 3.0. Its aim is to have machines understand the user’s preference to be able to deliver web content specifically targeting the user. Web 3.0 hasn’t released yet as it still has some problems. Those problems are compatibility, security, vastness, vagueness, and logic.

Moving on to the next lesson which is all about ‘Online Saftey, security, ethics, and etiquette.’ 

The Internet consists of tens of thousands of interconnected networks run by service providers, individual companies, universities, and governments. It is defined as an information highway, which means anyone can access any information through the internet. That is why the internet is one of the most dangerous places, the reason why it is important how to keep yourself and your personal information safe. Some of the information that is in rick when spoiled on the internet are names of your immediate family, address, phone or home number, birthday, email address, your full name, and your previous and current school. It is important to keep this information top secret as cyber-creeps can use these to find you. 

To keep yourself safe:

Be mindful of what you share online.

Do not just accept terms and conditions, read it.

Keep your passwords to yourself, and make sure your password is long, strong, and unique.

Do not talk or meet up with someone you don’t know.

Never post anything about a future vacation. This can signal some robbers about which date they can come and rob your house. It is better to post about your vacation when you got home already.

Add friends you know in real life, don’t accept someone you barely know or met.

Avoid visiting or downloading anything from an untrusted website, make sure to check the icon beside the search box. *picture* According to DigiCert Blog, “How to Know if a Website is Secure?”, Look at the URL of the website. If it begins with “https” instead of “http” it means the site is secured using an SSL certificate (the s stands for secure). SSL certificates secure all of your data as it is passed from your browser to the website’s server.

Make your home wifi private by adding a password.

Make sure to install and update antivirus software on your computer.

Do not reply or check links from suspicious emails as it can lead you to an untrusted site and can hack your laptop or social media.

To give you more information, here are some of the internet threats that we need to be aware of and try to avoid:

The Malware, stands for malicious software. It includes virus, worm, trojan, spyware, adware, and ransomware. The virus is the most common malware. It is a malicious program designed to replicate itself and transfer from one computer to another (internet, local networks, FDs, CDs,etc.). Worms is a standalone piece of malicious software that reproduces itself and spreads from computer to computer. The trojan is a malicious program that disguises as a useful program but once downloaded or installed, leaves your PC unprotected and allows hackers to get your information. Spyware is defined by Webroot Cybersecurity as "malware used for the purpose of secretly gathering data on an unsuspecting user." It is a program that runs in the background and spies your behavior as you are on your computer. Adware is malware that forces your browser to redirect to web advertisements, which often themselves seek to download further, even more, malicious software. Lastly, Ransomware, also known as scareware. This is a type of malicious software from cryptovirology that threatens to publish the victim’s data or perpetually block access to it unless a ransom is paid.

The Spam, this is any kind of unwanted, unsolicited digital communication, often an email, that gets sent out in bulk.

The Phishing, is a cybercrime in which a target/s are contacted by someone posing as a legitimate institution to lure individuals into providing sensitive data such as personally identifiable information, banking and credit card details, and passwords.

Lastly, before we move to the next lesson it is important to know ‘The Core Rules of Netiquette’ are excerpted from the book Netiquette by Virginia Shea.

First, Remember the Human.When communicating online, practice the Golden rule:  Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Remember that your written works or messages are read by real people, therefore you should ask yourself, "Would I be okay with this if someone else had written it?" before sending it. 

Second, Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in real life. It is a must that your best to act within the laws and ethical manners of society whenever you inhabit "cyberspace." Standards of behavior may be different in some areas of cyberspace, but they are not lower than in real life. Be ethical. Don't believe anyone who says, "The only ethics out there are what you can get away with."  

Third, Know where you are in cyberspace. What's perfectly acceptable in one area may be dreadfully rude in another. And because Netiquette is different in different places, it's important to know where you are. Thus the next corollary: Lurk before you leap.

Fourth, Respect other people’s time and bandwidth. Online communication takes time: time to read and time in which to respond. Most people today lead busy lives, just like you do, and don't have time to read or respond to frivolous emails or discussion posts. It's your responsibility to ensure that the time they spend reading your posting isn't wasted.

Fifth, Make yourself look good online. One of the best things about the virtual world is the lack of judgment associated with your physical appearance, the sound of your voice, or the clothes you wear. However, you will be judged by the quality of your writing so keep in mind the following tips: (1)Always check for spelling and grammar errors, (2)  Know what you're talking about and state it clearly

Sixth, Share expert knowledge. The reason for asking questions online works is that a lot of knowledgeable people are reading the questions. And if even a few of them offer intelligent answers, the sum total of world knowledge increases. The Internet itself was founded and grew because scientists wanted to share information. Gradually, the rest of us got in on the act. So do your part. Despite the long lists of no-no's in this book, you do have something to offer. Don't be afraid to share what you know.

Seventh, Help keep flame wars under control. "Flaming" is what people do when they express a strongly held opinion without holding back any emotion.g. While "flaming" is not necessarily forbidden in virtual communication, "flame wars," when two or three people exchange angry posts between one another, must be controlled or the camaraderie of the group could be compromised. Don't feed the flames; extinguish them by guiding the discussion back to a more productive direction.

Eighth, Respect other people’s privacy. Depending on what you are reading in the virtual world, be it an online class discussion forum, Facebook page, or an email, you may be exposed to some private or personal information that needs to be handled with care. Thus, Just as you expect others to respect your privacy, so should you respect the privacy of others. Be sure to err on the side of caution when deciding to discuss or not to discuss virtual communication.

Ninth, Don’t abuse your power. Some people in cyberspace have more power than others. There are wizards in MUDs (multi-user dungeons), experts in every office, and system administrators in every system. Knowing more than others, or having more power than they do, does not give you the right to take advantage of them. For example, sysadmins should never read private emails.

Tenth, Be forgiving of other people’s mistakes. Everyone was a network newbie once. So when someone makes a mistake, whether it's a spelling error or a spelling flame, a stupid question or an unnecessarily long answer, be kind about it. If you do decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely, and preferably by private email rather than in public. Give people the benefit of the doubt; assume they just don't know any better.

The last lesson that was taught to us is ‘Advanced Word Processing Skill’. This lesson focuses on the software word processor the ‘Microsoft Word.’

A Word Processor is an electronic device or computer software application that performs the task of composing, editing, formatting,  and printing of documents.​

Microsoft Word is a word processor developed by  Microsoft and the first released on  October 25, 1983.​ Microsoft Word has features and functions which are not mostly known by others. These are the Auto-Correct, Grammar Checker, Read Aloud, Template, Thesaurus, Mail Merge, and Text Wrap. 

Advance Features of Microsoft Word are discussed. Beginning with the kinds of Materials we can have in Microsoft Word.

The first is Pictures. Generally, these are electronic or digital pictures or photographs you have saved on any local storage device.​ There are three file formats that pictures have which are JPEG or Joint Photographic Expert Group, this can support 16.7 million colors so that it is suitable for use when working with full-color photographic images, GIF or Graphics Interchange Format, this is used for computer-generated images that support animation,  can only support up to 256 colors., lastly, PNG or Portable Network Graphics, this is similar to GIF except it has smaller file size but does not support animation, it can display up to 16 million colors and allows the control of the transparency level or opacity of images.​

The second material is Clip Art. This is generally a GIF type; line art drawings or images used as a generic representation for ideas and objects that you might want to integrate into your document.​

The third is Shapes. These are printable objects or materials that you can integrate in your document to enhance its appearance or to allow you to have some tools to use for composing and representing ideas or messages. The fourth is Smart Art. Generally, these are predefined sets of different shapes grouped together to form ideas that are organizational or structural in nature.

The fifth is Chart. Another type of material that you can integrate into your Word document that allows you to represent data characteristics and trends.

The sixth is Screenshot. Sometimes, creating reports or manuals for training or  procedure will require the integration of a more realistic image of  what you are discussing on your report or manual.

Moving on to the most focused part of the lesson which is the Mail Merge. Mail Merge is a useful tool that allows you to produce multiple letters, labels, envelopes, name tags, and more using information stored in a list, database, or spreadsheet. When these two documents are combined  (merged), each document includes the individual names and addresses you need to send it to. The two components of Mail Merge are the Form Document, this contains the main body of the message we want to convey or send., and the List or Data File, This is where the individual information or data that needs to be plugged in (merged) to our form document is placed and maintained.​

It was demonstrated to us, how to use and make mail merge, and here’s mine:

Before ending this blog, I would like to show you some of my modules for the subject Empowerment Technologies(ETech): ICT for Professional Track.

First, the open forum about the “How can you promote Netiquette?”

Second, an assignment about “Cyberspace:  Share an experience that you have always tend to do but later did you discover that it is not a standard of ONLINE SAFETY, SECURITY, ETHICS, AND ETIQUETTE. “

Third, another open forum about “What is the importance of Microsoft office in your education?”

Lastly is another assignment, making an Infographic: Promoting your specific track/strand. My infographic is a promotion of my strand, STEM or Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Hope you learn a lot from this blog as I learn a lot from my subject teacher for  Empowerment Technologies(ETech): ICT for Professional Track. 

Let this day be filled with success in all the ventures you make today. Have a great day!

Photo Credits:

1

https://curatti.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/WWW-Image-1.jpg 

2

https://go4customer.com/articleimages/1581925569Safety_Internet_Day.png 

3 

https://futureofsourcing.com/sites/default/files/articles/internet_attacks.jpg 

4

https://i.pinimg.com/originals/fc/37/e1/fc37e162244d19115d88ab58e07ccc2b.png 

5

https://cdn.guidingtech.com/imager/assets/2019/05/226896/Image-Best-Microsoft-Word-Online-Tips-and-Tricks 2_4d470f76dc99e18ad75087b1b8410ea9.png?1558678050 

[holidcy]

i am actually embarrassed to say how long this intro too me to write out ? so im not gonna say it ! it’s not like it took be 3 hours or anything 👀 . and for what ? idk because this intro is a mess . but anyways ... i’m mia , i’m a whole twenty years old which really just feels like a glorified teenager but whatever , we’re not here to talk about that right now . we’re here to talk about my lil baby holly . guys she is literally the sweetest human ever ? but also ? to sensitive for her own good and really the good of those around her ? very happy feet energy coming form this girl . but without further ado , below you can read up on holly & if you wanna plot give this a like . also my discord is 𝖒𝖌𝖐'𝖘 𝖜𝖍𝖔𝖗𝖊#9789 if you wanna plot there or just generally chat !

𝐆𝐄𝐓 𝐈𝐍 𝐃𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐇

full name: holiday elena addams nickname: holly ( she’s basically turned this into her name , not one really calls her holiday ) , holls , elle ( by her parents ) birthday: june 3rd birthplace: chicago , illinois hometown: highland park , illinois ( although the family home was located in highland park her parents would in chicago and holly even attended private school in chicago ) residence: new york city , new york nationality: american ( est. 1999 through birth )  ethnicity: english ( maternal & paternal , 50% ) , polish ( maternal , 25% ) , spanish ( paternal , 25% ) religion: catholicism  orientation: heterflexible ( she claims being straight but in all actually she’s not closed off to anything despite not having much experience outside the opposite gender ) languages spoken: english ( fluent , first language ) , spanish ( fluent , second language ) , polish ( conversation , third language ) , mandarin  ( conversational , fourth language ) . father: leandro oliver addams  ( 49 years old )  was born & raised in chicago , illinois by a politician / businessman & a philanthropist . leandro went on to take a little bit from both of his parents as he is a highly esteemed business tycoon as well as being regarded as one of the most charitable men in the world .  ( relationship:  there has never been a day that has gone by where the two didn’t get along . if there is anyone in this world who gets holly it is her father . truly , daddy’s little girl . the two of them are as thick as thieves . ) mother : susanna renee addams ( nee daniels ) ( 48 years old ) was born & raised in long island , new york . the daughter of a hedge fund investor & a stay at home mother . susanna grew to be an amazing cosmetologist and which the help of her father’s amazing business mind she was able to start up a salon in new york city . she gained the most devoted clientele , loving every second of her work . she took a break for almost a decade before deciding to return to the beauty industry . today she has salons across the globe in chicago , los angeles , toronto , london , and new york city .  ( relationship: susanna often had to play bad cop when it came to parenting and because of this the two butted heads quite often whilst holly was growing up . despite this , her mom is her role model and the two have always had a friendship that underlined their mother - daughter relationship .  ) social class: upper education: attending new york university ( s. 2018 ) she spent her first year of university at usc , she’s majored in creative writing at both universities  career: author ( her book is a coming of age mystery called privilege that she’s recently admitted to writing the full book during a coke binge ) , internet personality , philanthropist , socialite , and student  notoriety: being apart of the prominent addams family , amassing over 32m followers on all social media platforms , publishing a new york times best selling book at the age of seventeen . weight: 120lbs height: 5′5″ hair color: brown ( with blonde highlights ) eye color: brown positive traits: benevolent, high spirited , extroverted , romantic , honest , affectionate , intelligent , friendly , ambitious , passionate , approachable , charming  negative traits: immature , vain , garrulous , critical , sensitive , stubborn , inattentive , naive , sarcastic , obsessive , insecure , impractical , irritable likes: anything strawberry flavored , flowers , driving fast , pink , watching the first snow fall , birthday parties , lips gloss , netflix , sunkissed skin , dogs , peanut butter , agatha christie , redecorating , driving with the windows down , long plane rides , denim jackets , taco bell , orange juice , makeup , sports , female empowerment , online shopping , fresh berries , roller skating , photography , writing , tea dislikes: liars , driving in the snow , coffee , having no siblings , deep water , bad drivers , body shaming , pizza , hateful people , being rushed , cuss words , repetition , disloyalty , being alone ,  horror movies , dentists , silence , cheap perfume , criticism , the unknown , traffic , wine , poptarts ,  small spaces ,  hobbies: reading with a hot cup of tea , video editing in the back of a car , smoking before bed to help fall asleep , going out to eat with her parents , napping , hiding alcohol in her bedroom , painting alternate universe cartoons , attending big soirees , stashing drugs in jewelry boxes , sleepovers with her closest friends , talking the dogs on walks , early morning instagram lives , old disney marathons , scribbling in a notebook while snuggled up in bed  chara inspo: olivia baker ( all american ) , leila faisal ( all american ) , tan france ( queer eye ) , elena gilbert ( the vampire diaries ) , dorothy gale ( wizard of oz ) , lucy pevensie ( chronicles of narnia ) , lara jean ( to all the boys i loved before ) , elle woods ( legally blonde ) , jeffree star , jenny humphrey ( gossip girl ) , cassie howard ( euphoria ) fashion inspo: vsco girls , bella hadid , megan markle , rihanna , selena gomez , perrie edwards , emma watson aesthetics: ghostly sounding music playing as background music to a pen to paper , eyes widened at the chance to do something positive , the annoying beg for approval , infectious energy , a pout so crippling , the swell of regret as you sneak a bottle into your bedroom , tanned skin tousling with silk sheets , big eyes threatening to shed a tear , the zip of a pink mclaren 

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘 𝐄𝐑𝐀

holly is the only child to leandro and susanna addams ( the addams family 👀 ) . she was born with not just a silver spoon but the silver spoon . the addams are a prominent american family , that are regarded as one of the leading industrialist during the gilded age . in short her families been billionaire rich for a long time and are known as one of the families to bring wealth to the city of chicago . she was incredibly spoiled growin gup as you would assume but by the grace of her parents teachings she was anything but a brat . she had being filthy rich and being an only child working against her and she still managed to be the most giving and down to earth child . from a young age holly would give her toys to other kids during play dates & ask her parents if she could donate the things she didn’t use anymore to the less fortunate . 

although her father had a busying career as he took over the family company just a year before holly was born , but in spite of that he always made time for his family . luckily her mother had stepped away from her career soon after meeting holly’s father , so she was able to be a stay at home mom and be there for every important moment of holly’s life . by the way , susanna was straight of of a real housewives show only just an overall better person ? they had dinner together as a family every night , threw parties at the house for every big moment in holly’s life . everything from birthdays , graduations , academic honors , to becoming captain of the cheerleading team and everything in between warranted a celebration in the eyes of susanna and leandro . 

she grew up extremely sheltered , mostly because her parents wanted to keep their little girl well their little girl . they didn’t want the world to taint her . she went to church every sunday and even wednesday nights , if she wanted to have a sleepover it was always at the addams household , and her parents met the parent/s of every kid she befriended growing up . 

despite their attempts her parents couldn’t shield her from one thing . getting her heart broken and at sixteen she experience her first bout of heart break . the boy she’d falling head over heels for just stopped talking to her one day , with no rhythm or reason he moved on to another girl with a blink of an eye . she couldn’t understand why ( pst ? it was because she slept with him and that was all he wanted to begin with ) someone could be so cruel an play with someones heart like that . it was her first experience of how the world could really work and in all honesty , holly couldn’t handle it . she got her hands on her parents bar room in the house and would literally drink every night before bed so she could sleep . 

this soon turned into her going to parties , promising her parents "i just want to hang out with my friend , i wont touch any alcohol” and her promise was always kept , she didn’t touch alcohol at these parties instead she smoke weed and on the chance one of her friends had it on them she’d do a line . 

this double life , if you would , didn’t lead to any real issues , at least not while she was in highschool . she still graduated top of her class  and even got accepted into her dream school university of southern california .  it wasn’t until she was a semester deep in usc that she realized she was losing control over her life . maybe it was a mix of her derailing mental state , being separated from her parents , and the los angeles social make up . whatever it was holly wasn’t too far gone to see she needed help . 

instead of going back to school the following semester holly checked herself into rehab . her parents freaked out , unaware their daughter had touched a substance a day in her life . it was a long process and took alot of owning up for her own wrong doings but after a couple months she checked out of rehab and flew out to her parents .

she had decided upon leaving rehab that her best bet directly after getting out would be to surround herself with people who loved her . during her short stint in california her parents had made the temporary move to new york city so that her mom could focus on the salon in the city , so holly transferred to new york university to continue her studies and be around her parents .

she lives under their roof , despite being more than self efficient thanks to her multiple branches of income including her trust fund but she figures there is only so much more time before they leave to go back to chicago that the more time she spends with them the better off she’ll be when they leave the city . speaking of , she doesn’t know her parents will be leaving the city in the next few months . on a positive note they plan on paying the rent in the apartment they live in for her until she finds somewhere she likes better .   

today , holly is a sober ( she smokes weed here and there but it’s not a addictive so it fine 🙄 ) and happy . although due to how sensitive the girl is anything could make her snap , she’s incredibly fragile guys . like capable of having a mental break at any moment but like we ignore it because if we bring it up it’ll happen . wooo . 

not so fun fact ? when she has an off day she’ll literally sit in her room holding either a bottle she had hidden in her walk in closet or stares at the coke she keeps in her jewelry box . she hasn’t used any of it but she tells herself its there as a reminder when really it’s a crutch for if she ever needs it again , she has easy access .

secret time ? she pushed her ex boyfriend of a balcony while she was drunk . this happened before she went to rehab ... perhaps you could say it was what prompted her to realized her crazy ass needed to go to rehab . ummm , it’s not acceptable and she knows this but one thing we all need to know about holly is that holly + substances + being upset = toxic shit that is always the equation and there is never another answer to it . 

𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

a girl squad or just a squad in general really , give my baby her lil group of people please

maybe a fellow chicago native ? who she dated in highscool and you know is the one who dropped her like a hot potato after she slept with him

ex hook ups 

frenemies but more like a blair & lil j circa season 1 situation ? 

someone who just doesn’t like her , but like she does everything she can think of to get them to like her 

an unrequited ting were he’s leading her one so he can sleep with her ?

or maybe someone has a crush on holly but she just doens’t have the heart to tell them she’s not interested so now here she is kissing and OMG YUP NOW SHES SLEEPING W THEM ...

someone she races ? she loves cars especially fast ones

a we hang out and watch/obsess over sports but the whole time i can’t help but think about how hot you are kinda vibe ?

someone who is v bad for her and they know it but she doesn’t care because she like them so much & he likes her too but knows he’ll hurt her ?!

someone who sees that she might be teetering on falling off the wagon ( maybe they were over her place and saw the stash of substances all over her room ), maybe they’re trying to get her to stop smoking weed bc they feel like for her that’s a huge gateway  

smoking buddies where they literally just hot box cars together and munch on taco bell talking about why sound vibrates & shit

someone who she used to party with & be wild with ( could be from chi or nyc because she visited alot as a kid ) and now they feel like she’s a lame bc she’s sober

she’s a good influence on them ? they’re a bad influence on her ? ride or dies ? partners in crime ? only friends when there is a substance involved ? sugar baby vibes ? unlikely friends ? flings ? crush ? friends with benefits ? everytime they are around one another its a fight ? someone she lets crash at her parents place sometimes ? someone she’s backstabbed but like she got tricked into doing it ? anything fluffy , anything angsty ... reall just anything you got , i’ll take !