#i couldn’t even export it correctly

[sailtomarina]

The Artist's Daughter

She was here again.

Draco Lucius Malfoy, First and Only Prince to the kingdom, stayed hidden in the stacks next to a row of tomes dictating the genealogies of the royal families dating back hundreds of years. He had his private tutor to thank for the tiresome task of locating the volume listing the exact ancestor Draco had failed to name correctly in his latest exam. The other day, he’d been here searching for a text that would answer which crops their kingdom specialized in for exports. Ridiculous, really. As if he wouldn’t some day have advisors to do all this research for him.

Then, just like today, he’d seen a girl wandering through the shelves. She hadn’t noticed him, of course. Draco was far too sneaky to be detected by some muggle, which she had to be given her unaware musings as she walked around with her nose buried in a book.

The first time, he’d remained hidden, even going so far as to cast a disillusionment spell on himself. As surprised as he was to see a stranger, he supposed that if they were to wander any of the handful of libraries in the castle, this was the most appropriate one. It was situated on the ground floor not too far from the entrance and ballroom. This is where most of the muggle texts were organized, along with an unfortunate number of historical texts currently pertinent to Draco’s education.

She’d struck him as pretty, albeit in a muggle sort of way. She’d worn a simple lady’s gown in a pale yellow that contrasted with the rich dark curls tumbling down her back. Freckles sprinkled generously across her pale skin, markings his cousins would have glamoured over from birth. If he guessed correctly, they weren’t too far apart in age, perhaps fourteen or fifteen. That was another indicator of her humble breeding—he didn’t recognize her, not from school or from the countless balls and feasts he’d attended growing up. She couldn’t be a noble.

Today, she wore a dress in a lovely sage green with tiny white flowers embroidered along the scoop neckline. Draco imagined her eyes to match the green, or to perhaps blink at him in a hazel hue. He needed to know.

“Who are you?” His voice came out much harsher than intended. 

He’d stepped out in front of her just as she was about to pass, causing her to come to an abrupt stop before crashing into him. Startled eyes, irises dark brown and glinting with a hint of gold, gazed up at him. He’d been wrong about the colors.

“Oh! I didn’t see you there. I’m Hermione Granger. And you are?” She stepped back to an appropriate distance from him, hugging a few books to her chest like armor.

“I’m Draco,” he said simply.

“The prince?” She didn’t sound too surprised, and eyed his unmistakable platinum hair.

“The very same. Why are you here in the library?” He’d finally tempered his tone to a more congenial one. 

“I was told I could read whatever I liked in here. My father is painting your Grand Ballroom.”

Ah. She was the daughter of the painter.

His mother made it a point to elect a new project as soon as the previous one was complete. Previous years had resulted in a reworked Imperial Garden, which boasted rose gardens with every imaginable variety, both magical and non-magical. A formidable greenhouse was added shortly after, and the caretaker they’d employed soon obtained and cultivated the rarest of specimens for use in medicine and potions. 

This year, Queen Narcissa turned her attention to the Grand Ballroom. She and his father adored hosting balls at every opportunity. What better way to display their love for art and beauty than to paint the entire ceiling and all its walls with depictions of magical beasts and figures from history. Circe. Merlin. Rasputin. Titania and Oberon.

Draco had assumed they’d hire a wizard, but he should have known that when it came to art, the king and queen saw no difference between magic or not. They simply wanted the best, and if that happened to be stationary art, then so be it.

“Find anything interesting?” He feigned interest, intent on keeping her talking. She was far more entertaining than pouring over volumes of ancestors alone.

She perked up at his question, and Draco could have sworn sections of her hair floated for just a brief moment.

Certainly not.

“I did! Did you know your castle is situated on top of the most powerful spot in the kingdom? All of the most prominent ley lines converge here underneath our feet!” She stomped one foot in emphasis. He wouldn’t be surprised if she went through several slippers a season if she always beat on them in that manner.

Wait.

Did she say “ley lines”?

“Are you a witch?” he blurted out, once again wincing at the gracelessness of his question. His mother would be mortified if she could hear him.

Hermione looked at him as if he was stupid. “Yes. Why else would your family let me wander around here by myself?”

“I don’t know, maybe because this is the one library of many where muggles are allowed? They do come here occasionally, muggle nobles, to garner favor with us,” he sputtered. He still couldn’t quite believe it. She was a witch. She was an unknown witch of his age. “Why don’t I know you? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before.”

“My parents are muggles. I might have a squib ancestor somewhere, but as far as we know, I’m the only magic user in the Granger family. They sent me abroad for schooling since Hogwarts doesn’t currently accept muggle-borns.” She raised her eyebrows as if challenging him, but Draco couldn’t find it within himself to care about her background.

Hermione didn’t fawn on him like the other girls who had paraded themselves around him at school. She didn’t bat her eyelashes or titter behind a gloved hand. She didn’t wear gloves at all, her slender fingers wrapping around ancient texts as if relishing the touch of the worn covers. She probably thumbed the pages like his instructors told him never to do.

He would have thought that would annoy him, but he instead found himself intrigued in this muggle-born witch who liked reading, wore slippers instead of heels, and forewent glamours.

“Do you want to see the other libraries?”

His words were like a spell, as effective at getting her to brighten as a cheering draught.

“Oh, can I? The king and queen won’t mind?” She nearly vibrated in her excitement.

Her hair was definitely twice the size it was before.

“Not if you���re with me,” Draco said with a smirk, though that was partially a lie. If they’d wanted her in the other libraries, they would have explicitly told her. 

“Well, in that case, what are we waiting for? Let’s go!” She made to dash away, but he caught her shoulder before she could do so.

“Allow me,” he said with a gesture towards the books still clutched to her chest.

“Oh, I can carry these.”

“Please, I insist.” It wouldn’t do if either of his parents not only caught him skiving off lessons with the girl, but allowing her to carry around books like some commoner. When she finally let go of her findings, he cast a featherweight charm and looked at her knowingly. She flushed an adorable shade of pink.

“They really weren’t very heavy, but thank you anyways.”

They spent the remainder of the afternoon exploring, only making it to two additional libraries. Hermione had only added to the pile of books floating behind Draco. He had to refresh the charm multiple times due to the sheer weight.

“You do realize you can’t remove these from the castle, don’t you?” He hoped this wouldn’t be the last time he’d see her, that she’d continue to visit along with her father for as long as there was work. “How long will it take your father to finish the ballroom?”

“To answer your first question, yes, I do understand that I’ll need to reserve these books to read later. I was hoping you could help with that.” He nodded his agreement, even as he inwardly danced with joy at the thought that he now had a reason to continue seeing the girl. “And to answer your second, it could take my father years.”

“Years?” Draco was aghast at the approximation.

“Years,” she repeated. “If you go take a look, you’ll see why. He’s not even working alone—he has an entire team helping with the moldings and scenery.”

Trust his mother to pick a project of such staggering proportions that it required multiple artists. On the bright side, that meant he’d have a long time to get to know Hermione, even if it was only during the holidays.

“It’s a shame you can’t attend Hogwarts.” It wasn’t until she tutted in agreement that he realized he’d said the words aloud. If she’d been like any other girl, she would have pounced on any hint of attachment on his part. She, however, did not.

“Well, if the king’s word is true, then I may soon. In exchange for my father’s work, yours agreed to update Hogwarts’ policies. I love Beauxbatons, but I can’t disagree that staying closer to home would make everything a lot easier on my family.”

“If you do,” Draco said the words slowly, hardly believing they were coming out of his mouth but needing her to know before it was too late, “then you should ask to be sorted into Slytherin.”

His heart sank at the way her nose wrinkled and lips turned downward in a grimace. “Isn’t that house renowned for pureblood ideology? I was leaning more towards Ravenclaw, myself.”

He nodded somewhat agreeably. “Books and cleverness…you could certainly do worse. They’re not a bad lot, if you ignore their tendency to disappear into their studies. Though…” he trailed off, reluctant to give away his feelings again without assistance.

“Though it might mean we don’t see each other? I wouldn’t let that happen outside of exams,” she said offhandedly. “I’ll keep in mind what you said. Snakes can be quite clever, in a sneaky kind of way.” The pointed look she sent Draco reminded him of how he’d approached her in the first place.

“Quite.”

A gentle melody played in the air, noting the top of the hour and finishing with eight long chimes.

“And that’s my cue. Hold on to those for me, would you?” Hermione leaned up onto her toes, laid the palms of her hands atop his shoulders, and pressed a kiss onto one cheek, then the other.

Draco could do nothing but stand still in shock at her forwardness. Then he remembered where she went to school and the strange habits the people of that land practiced. He cleared his throat to cover his awkward silence, but the crooked smirk she wore proved the attempt useless.

“When will I see you next?” He realized how needy that sounded as it came out, and hastily continued,“Just so I know when to have them ready?”

She flitted to the doors and didn’t respond until she was nearly through them, “I’m sure you’ll find me!”

And just like that, she was gone, leaving behind her stack of books, the echoes of her soft lips on his face, and the sweet scent of apple blossoms in the air. Draco wondered if she had perhaps cast some sort of love spell on him. How else could he explain his complete lack of reservation around her, or why her humble origins didn’t matter to him like he thought they should?

Queen Narcissa found him still in contemplation shortly after, and was impressed at the amount of reading material gathered around him.

“My dragon, there you are! Wilfred said he’d sent you to recover texts on our family history ages ago.”

“Mother, did you know the painter has a daughter?”

Narcissa blinked as she processed the odd question. “Master Granger? Of course. Hermione is a lovely, bright little thing. I told her she could read whatever she liked in our First Library. Why do you ask?”

Her son continued to stare at the wall, and she had half a mind to cast a homenum revelio.

“Draco?”

He came to with a shake and gave her one of his rare, full smiles. “No reason. I think we’ll be wonderful friends. You should make sure Hogwarts changes their acceptance rules before school starts again.”

Bewildered and bemused, she stroked a hand over his hair, so like his father’s. “I take it the two of you met?”

“We did. These are all hers.” He gestured towards the books once more.

“And here I thought you’d finally taken an interest in your studies.”

He snorted and she nearly pinched him on the arm for his cheek. She made do instead with a tickle to his side. He ducked away from her with a laugh, holding up his hands in surrender. “Mother, please! That isn’t fair! You know all my weak spots.”

She desisted in her attack with another indulgent smile. “And don’t you forget it. Just be careful with Hermione, dear.”

“What do you mean?” He tilted his head in confusion and she nearly sighed at his naivety. The young could be so oblivious, but she envied them their freedom.

She thought back on her own upbringing. The Blacks were more ancient and arrogant than even the royal family; her marriage to Lucius had been agreed upon at birth and as expected as the fact that clouds brought rain and Blacks were as pure as pure could be. She knew she was his from the beginning, and no amount of pining after others or imagining life in another place with a different name would change her fate.

Narcissa looked at her son, a near perfect replica of her husband aside from the softer grey eyes she’d bestowed upon him and his smile. He’d been so much like her at the start, but over the years he’d become more and more like his father. Now, today, he was like his younger self again.

She didn’t care what Lucius intended for his heir. She just wanted him to find happiness.

“True friends are difficult to come by, particularly for people of our station. I have a feeling that, if you nurture your relationship with Hermione, she’ll be someone worth keeping at your side.”

“What would father say?” he asked, caution and desire battling for domination on his face.

“He prizes power above all else.” This much was true. Lucius just happened to have a bit of a blind spot outside of magical families. “Apply yourself to your studies, help one another, and I’ll take care of Hogwarts and your father.”

Listening to his mother, Draco started to relax and let a bit of his earlier hope trickle back in. He wasn’t sure how Hermione had secured her approval, but she had. Greater deeds had been turned into ballads.

“Has anyone ever told you that you’re a bit terrifying sometimes?”

Narcissa smirked, immediately reminding Draco of wild curls and a smattering of freckles. The two women looked wildly different, yet they gave off a similar air of confident capability.

“I have been told. Once or twice.”

He made a note to tread carefully around Hermione in the future. If she turned out anything like his mother, he never wanted to be on the opposite end of her ire.

Oh, the feats they would accomplish together.

WC 2606

DHRMonth Prompt: Week 4 - Alternate Universe, September 22 - Royal AU

Cross-posted to AO3

I have half a mind to write a full story in this setting, since it spiraled into something I want to know more about. I didn’t think I used to have a thing for royal AUs, but maybe I do???

[kathybluecaller]

guys the digital nightmare is real. ive been trying to do stuff for a project but almost everything has gone wrong in some way. here’s a portion of the list detailing the times technology has failed me ;-;

CRT won’t display picture Tv won’t turn on properly Kept losing THE ONE CHARGER There was a dvd stuck in the back of the crt??? Couldn’t set up the dvd reader/burner Didn’t burn the dvd at all Burned the dvd incorrectly Couldn’t get scaling to match for printing Couldn’t even correctly draw with vectors Procreate dreams keeps goofing around Couldn’t set up a dvd menu right Couldn’t even open the dvd menu maker software Was struggling to export the sticker drawings Couldn’t find the file File was found but wouldn’t upload Had to fight a P D F FILE Printed while forgetting margins are a thing Couldn’t get the sticker cutter (machine) to pair (And before that couldn’t open the app because it had to update then go with the process of making an account) Couldn’t scale correctly again Cut incorrectly +5 times (Lost the charger again) Decided to finally calibrate the machine™️ but I was yet again struggling to print the sheet Printer was straight up offline Saved the file onto a flash drive but the printer didn’t pick up the pdf file Cried internally and tried to watch a YouTube video to guide me through this only for it to never load…

the current vibe

[sunnyworldwidelogistics]

Shipping to Saudi Arabia: How Sunny Worldwide Logistics Helped a Client Consolidate Shipments from 44 Suppliers

Shipping to Saudi Arabia: How Sunny Worldwide Logistics Helped a Client Consolidate Shipments from 44 Suppliers

Not long ago, a long-term Saudi client who has been working with us for almost two years told me they had a shipment ready. This shipment involved about 15 suppliers, and they needed us to make payments to the suppliers on their behalf. Since we’re familiar with each other, the client gave me the necessary information and hung up the phone. Handling 15 suppliers seemed manageable at first. However, a few days later, the client informed me there were nearly 50 suppliers involved! This was a huge challenge for me! Each supplier needed careful attention, and the workload was enormous. Any mistake could lead to problems, especially since we had to handle export declarations, customs clearance documents, trucking, and other procedures.

This isn’t an unusual situation for us. At Sunny Worldwide Logistics, we often assist clients with tasks beyond just shipping, such as factory inspections and quality checks, free of charge, making things much easier for them. When dealing with consolidation, our team is present during loading to ensure everything is done correctly and we send videos to our clients. If there’s any confusion with product codes, we remark the labels, count the quantities, and handle the details meticulously. We even help clients with small tasks, like repacking items purchased from platforms like Taobao, that others might overlook.

I noticed that most of the client’s goods were concentrated in three areas in Guangzhou: 1) near Wanling Plaza, 2) near Nan’an Road, and 3) near Huangsha Avenue. To help the client save on pickup costs, I decided to first gather the goods at our Guangzhou Huangpu warehouse.

The pickup was the most challenging part due to the number of suppliers involved. So, I divided the task into two parts: 1) For suppliers with larger quantities and higher-value goods, I convinced them to deliver directly to the warehouse. 2) For suppliers with smaller quantities and lower-value goods who weren’t willing to deliver, we arranged for trucks to pick up the goods.

Our company actually owns its own fleet of trucks, unlike many small logistics companies. In our industry, only about 10% of companies have their own trucks, and we’re one of the few.

Initially, I tried sending our drivers to pick up the goods directly from the suppliers, but this led to several issues: 1) The drivers found it inconvenient to pick up goods from multiple suppliers at once. 2) Communication with suppliers was challenging. 3) Traffic restrictions and congestion in the city center were serious problems. 4) Delays in unloading at the warehouse could result in extra charges, like waiting fees and loading/unloading fees.

After discussing with my supervisor, we came up with a solution: 1) Confirm the goods and pickup times with the suppliers. 2) I, along with my colleague Hank, went to Guangzhou to oversee the pickups in person. We followed the plan and collected the goods from the designated areas. This approach worked well, and we quickly gathered all the client’s goods and delivered them to the warehouse on time.

Since these suppliers are mostly small domestic sellers, they couldn’t provide proper packing lists, invoices, or customs documents. So, I provided them with Sunny Worldwide Logistics' multi-supplier document collection form and customs declaration form, asking them to fill in the details based on their goods. However, some suppliers couldn’t even use a computer, which was a big challenge. I ended up asking them to handwrite the information, and I entered it into the computer for them.

In the end, there were over 50 types of goods. With the help of my colleagues, we categorized them into 11 main groups and prepared the customs and clearance documents for the client.

[piperjistic]

But that’s the path of making games and trying out new game engines. I want to try out a bunch of game engines and be able to branch out as to different types of games.

A part of me wants to relearn coding (python) and learn HTML and whatever else in the game engines. Which isn’t a large list.

I’ve tried out Ren;py, RPG Maker MV, ink/inkle, and bitsy. I want to learn godot and GameMaker since those are more/most code based. Sure, I’ve only made one game in each format besides GD and GM, but I can at least comment on the rest after thinking with it.

I really liked Ren;py, surprisingly as much as I did. It’s honestly the best or at least is a pretty good Visual Novel maker, uses python making it easy to pick up, and extremely customizable. Its flexibility really makes me like it. I can envision its capacity for visual novels and kinetic novels of any size or type. If you want to make one then I definitely recommend it over trying to make your own in a different game system.

The loading/history/saves/options are already built in compared to doing it by hand. It can also export in html which allow for on-site play, which attracts more ppl to play it. I didn’t even realize DDLC was made from it so the coding can be pushed to THAT level is a cool spectacle, as well the sprite coding system.

Next I used RPG Maker MV…. Maybe because I was coddled by Ren;py for the instructions being built into the game and there being an actual direct website with documentation/notes inside but I was blind-sided by the lack of it in the engine and website itself. Fine, there’s still plenty of tutorial playlists available to explain it all. But…. I surprisingly didn’t like this one as much as I thought I would, I’m surprised by myself for my dislike.

I can see how the games are made from it and what it would look to code it in other titles made from it. It really changed my perspective and made my mind think when I decided to analyze a game I like made with MV. However, I struggled on the code and visual front.

Apparently the tiles have to be 48x48 or it’s over. Yes, they can be bigger/smaller as long as you add a *. But the rigid size and formatting for the tiles drove me made as I had to resize and format a 16x16 tile pack I bought, yet was failing miserably after asking a dev and watching a video. That’s why Clean Up uses the reg game assets and have no furniture tiles. I couldn’t format it correctly and was on a deadline. I do plan to update it but still.

My main issue was that MV and RPG Maker(s) in general are NOT made for Macs. No games nor engine works fine with mac. When play-testing, the game kept freezing or read an error code. I researched it and found there’s nothing I could or actually caused the error on my end.

FN-F5 was my fucking best friend as it resets the game whenever there are any issues and the game would work smoothly after that until something broke again. Some games won’t work on all macs and are noted constantly on game pages. Even exporting on mac causes issues with the WINDOWS build. Like damn, host advantage as the mac build is perfectly fine (not without resets fc) but windows? You could be missing assets like combat animations or something in the export without even realizing it. Can’t wait to get a Levano laptop— It was frustrating. I didn’t expect it to be easy or one and done deal, but it was ridiculous. Made me lose points on my grade too lmao. That leaves the question, do I recommend it?

Yes. I accept that the issues I went through were purely due to being on a Mac. I’ve seen other developers here using that engine and they don’t seem to face those issues. The interface after a few tutorials and research makes sense. Another big plus MV has that no one holds a candle to is the plug-ins and community behind it is the biggest. If not, second to Ren;py, but I seriously doubt that due to RPG Maker’s presence, and legacy.

I do plan to eventually buy MZ if it goes on sale. It’s able to do MV, handle different sprite sizes outside of 48x48 with finagling and more but better. I’m not paying 80 or whatever. Hopefully it goes down to 30 one day or I can upgrade with money.

I was introduced to Inkle/Ink and text-based games by my Interactive Writing class so I tried that out for a game jam, then a tiny-game for ink so I could figure out how to port it to itch. For Inkle website, it’s pretty good. You can link/unlink/relink stuff, lock choices, add variables and “highlight” certain points which is really good for navigation and a reminder. It took ~3-5hrs to code Temple Visit and that was my first time playing with it.

Honestly, it’s a good engine for beginning in text-based games. I tried twine and that one is definitely harder and has a learning curve but can have sounds and images added on compared to the porting process with inkle. Speaking of which, I like how you can transfer a story from inkle to ink and then convert it to html. Images can be added from ink snd whatnot. A few games are made from ink like Bury Me My Love and Highland Song. I don’t have much experience with ink even then, I only know surface lvl stuff like choices but it’s similar to python.

Lastly is bitsy, the itsy bitsy game engine ran on a site. Theres a downloadable version on itch I believe, but you can make it in browser with no issue and even if you close the browser it’ll save. It’s html export so on-site play with no zip file. A tiny learning curve and restrictiveness in the UI but that’s the point. You only get 3 colors (background, tiles, Avatar/sprites/items) but it’s still flexible as you can mess with the code to produce more.

It’s mostly straightforward, the only issue I ran into was the ending and dialogue panels. To “code” the game, it’s done under the dialogues of items and sprites and endings/exits. I’m not an expert but don’t try to add dialogue without it being “dialogue” for an item. There are games acting as tutorials for it and a community present so you’ll be able to find resources, especially on itch. Ngl, if I knew about this engine sooner for the class, I would of used this one instead of MV for it’s simplicity and how well it could be used for Clean Up minus the combat system.

I looked at godot’s interface, it isn’t bad. Just need a tutorial like a normal person does. Haven’t glanced at GameMaker but I could see myself using it for the block coding feature. If I did ever sell a game though, guess I gotta fork up $100 for it. The only good news is that it’s a one-time price. Gotta see if I like and will make a buy-able game first.

And the best part us that all of them are literally free to use! But the only concern of all the game engines I’ve used that’s downloaded consistently without fail is that they HATE macbooks. Ren;py hates it the least while MV hates it the most, without fail, with a fucking PASSION.

When I come up with cool game or Gamejam ideas yet don’t have the skill level for it 😭

[adamwatchesmovies]

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale (2010)

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is undoubtedly the strangest Christmas film I’ve ever seen. Blending holiday horror, a coming-of-age comedy, and the straight-up bizarre with its own Santa Claus mythology, this is the kind of story that you’d be crazy to green-lit but in practice inexplicably works.

In Finland, a research team has been drilling inside Korvatunturi, a mountain supposedly housing Santa Claus. After uncovering something deep in the earth, Pietari (Onni Tommila) observes strange footprints in the snow. Soon after, his father (Jorma Tommila) discovers an old man (Peeter Jakobi) with a long white beard that couldn’t possibly be Santa Claus… could he?

Only a mind as demented as writer/director Jalmari Helander could come up with Rare Exports, which means you have no way of predicting what’s coming next. You know there’s something buried in that mountain. Presumably, it’s related to the naked old man they've discovered but from there, it could go ANYWHERE. You’re not even sure what kind of movie this is and just when you think you’ve got the genre pinned down, it’ll switch. Inexplicably it all fits together.

Part of what makes this movie such a treat is how un-Hollywood it is. The mythology we’re introduced to is unlike anything we’ve heard before but it’s so quirky and off-beat it seems legitimate, like it was dug up out of some old Finnish version of Grim’s Christmas fairytales or simply what the kids over there believe. You can see the path another filmmaker would’ve taken like fresh tracks in the snow and all of them would’ve led somewhere you’ve seen before. This deliberately buckles your expectations in so many ways. Here’s an example that gives nothing away; there are no women in this film. We know they exist but you don’t see a single one. Is it just the way things turned out? Could be. I’m leaning towards it being a deliberate decision to put us just a little bit off-center, to keep us guessing.

And then, things take another loony turn. You were so busy figuring out what the deal with that old man was, whether Pietari’s dad was a villain or not, what the young boy needed to do to keep safe, what role the wild reindeer in the woods play in all this… when all the clues that were dropped earlier in the movie add up to this revelation that makes your jaw drop. Then, a tonal shift. Then, another. Somehow, the magic of the holiday, the childlike enthusiasm of this nutty movie blend it all together while keeping them separate. This movie has gore and murder but it’s also weirdly sweet and cheery. You’re not even sure if you’re reading it all correctly and then, you get an explanation for that end title. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Rare Exports: A Christmas Tale is best enjoyed when you know as little about it as possible. It’s darkly comic and gruesome but never feels excessive or mean-spirited despite its revisionist origin of Santa Claus There’s fairytale wonder present that gives it a whole lot of charm when you’re not gnawing on your fingernails like they’re gingerbread men. Because its story is so fresh and original, because it covers so many bases, I could easily see it as the kind of demented gem you’re drawn back to annually. (Original Finnish with English subtitles, December 11, 2020)

[ny-sims]

UV Mapping: Useful Add-ons and Tips

Hey guys! So ya girl has learned a lot over the past month and I wanted to share some of the Blender plugins and tips that I have used to make object creation a little easier and faster!

Let’s start with Blender versions: 

I like to use two different versions of blender when I am creating an object. 

I use Blender 2.77 to create the initial object and to utilize the wonderful TS3 tools by Cmomoney. 

I use Blender 2.91 for UV mapping since the majority of good plug-ins are too new for version 2.77 and the tools in the newest version of Blender are more user friendly.

Note: I create and export my mesh as a Wavefront object from Blender 2.77 first and then import it into 2.91 to arrange the UV map. Once I finish that, I export that object again and re-import it back into 2.77 with the updated UV map. I do this because sometimes the normals get messed up if the object is created in Blender 2.91 and then imported into 2.77 for baking. 

I recommend NOT triangulating the faces yet so that the mesh is easier to manipulate. Triangulating should be done once exporting the final mesh  imo. 

UV Mapping

UV mapping was easily the hardest thing for me starting out and it can still be kinda tricky.

The point of UV unwrapping and mapping is to ensure that a 2D texture evenly and nicely wraps around a 3D object. (See image below. Source: Google)

A proper UV map is also essential for creating a good multiplier, which consists of outlining the object and “baking” on it’s shadows. 

Without a multiplier, the mesh will look invisible in TSRW and in-game. If it is mapped or baked wrong, or the islands are outside of the UV area, the mesh can have empty spots or a bad texture. Here’s an example of a multiplier in Blender:

(Three separate cubes, rendered together, projecting shadows onto each other. There is a different multiplier image for each object.) 

Unwrapping:

Most of the time, using “Smart UV Project” works well enough to proportionally unwrap the object but it does not arrange the islands (the 2D faces of the object seen in the UV editor window) in a manner that will render an even texture. You have to arrange them (UV mapping) to get the desired result. 

There are multiple ways to unwrap a 3D object in addition to “Smart UV Project” , such as “Cube Projection” and “Lightmap Pack”, which work well too depending on the mesh. Test out which unwrap method works the best for you. 

UV Mapping Tools for Blender 2.91: 

UV Toolkit: This add-on is useful for aligning, transforming, arranging, and unwrapping UVs. I like to use this add-on to unwrap the islands proportionally. This plugin does cost at the least $19 but it is super worth it. 

TexTools: This one is a free alternative to UV Toolkit. It has majority of the same features, minus the unwrap capability. The layout features are more extensive than UV Toolkit. I use this one primarily. 

Magic UV: This tool is really useful for copying an islands layout and  works best with islands that are similar. For example, if I had a square island that I rotated and scaled larger, I could copy it and paste it onto a similar island for similar if not the exact same results. I use this to ensure that faces are identical in size and orientation. It can be hit or miss, but for a free tool it’s super helpful. 

Marking Seams:

You can mark seams on an object to change how it unwraps. 

Take a cube for example, marking seams on the edges allows the 3D faces to lay out flat and even on the 2D map. 

Marking seams “soft” or “sharp” will also change how the edges look in the game. (In the pic above, the edges in red show where seams have been marked. Source: Google)

Island Placement: 

It’s important to keep in mind where the islands are placed and in what direction the texture will be projected onto it. 

The x-axis on the UV map primarily affects how big or small the texture appears on the object. Stretching the Island along the x-axis will project more of the texture onto it. Keep in mind, however, that if the island is rotated, this projection changes as the x-axis has changed. 

The larger the island, the better the quality. If the island is too small and the texture projects really large, the texture can look super low-quality and pixelated in-game. See the affect of rotation below:

Overlapping Islands:

Complex objects are sometimes too big to fit on the UV map. This is where overlapping similar islands comes in handy. 

One major thing to note about overlapping is that when the object is baked, that bake will overlap and whatever comes out on top will be what is projected onto the islands.

Try to overlap islands in areas where you want the shadows and texture to appear the same.

 Be sure to NOT overlap islands that will be two different textures/channels. For example, when baking an RGB, make sure that only the islands that you want to be in Green/Channel B are overlapping or the textures will not project correctly. See example below:  

(Red/Channel A is the default color that always fills the entire image. The UV for the red cube is not overlapping with the blue or green cubes in the first image though. In the second image, all 3 are overlapping in multiple areas.)

Conclusion:

Learning the best way to UV map an object takes some time and really depends on how complex it is. 

I hope this helps! I couldn’t really find anything sims 3 related that was up to date when I was learning and just figured it out on my own lol. 

Thanks for the support guys! Maybe I’ll do something more in depth later on but it’s 4 am and a bih is tired so... I hope this is useful! 

[coconut-cluster]

Crowns and Cutlasses: Chapter Two

Chapter 1  |  AO3 link coming tomorrow!  |  my masterlist 

warnings: implied child abuse

When Roman and Remus turned fifteen, their father took them onto his ship for the first time. 

It was smaller than the ships Roman saw in the harbor from his bedroom window, but it was made of the prettiest wood he’d ever laid eyes on, rich and dark and rough under his fingertips when he dragged them across the railing, and its spot in the sea put the sunset in full view as it colored the sky gold overhead; he’d never been on a boat before, despite all his tutors’ sycophantic rambling about Unindra’s illustrious naval power and marine exports. He couldn’t predict the giddy swaying of the floor beneath his feet, or the way the wind blowing in his hair felt somehow more liberating. He remembered just leaning over the side of the ship, staring into the water and grinning at the way the sun made the little waves sparkle. 

His father let him and Remus marvel at the sights for a few minutes, then called them to the hull. He told them they’d learn to sail very soon, his voice booming against the peaceful quiet of the water, and that being able to captain a ship was just as important as knowing how to govern in the palace; it’s two sides of the same coin, he said, two types of leadership with different skills required. 

Remus asked which one he liked more. 

Their father fixed a cold stare on him. “I don’t trifle with liking,” he said lowly, and though Roman straightened his back and resisted the urge to stare at the wood until he disappeared, Remus just frowned. “We do these things for the control. Being able to lead a kingdom of peasants isn’t impressive; they’re docile if you do it correctly. Powerless, really. A king,” their father nearly spat, eyeing Remus’ unimpressed expression, “must be able to control a crew as well, even on the brink of mutiny.”

“Why would they mutiny if you’re a good leader?”

Roman knew the king’s outings with them were without guards for more than basic privacy. The boat was docked behind the palace, far away from the general harbor and even further out of earshot for anyone besides the three of them; no one heard the sharp sound of contact, or the sound of Remus hitting the deck as the king shook his hand out, or the soft hiss of pain from Roman as he dug his nails into his palms so hard they nearly pierced the skin. No one was around to hear any of it; their father always made sure of that. 

“You’ll start sailing lessons tomorrow at sunrise,” the king said, addressing them both though he only turned his gaze to Roman, who nodded aptly. Out of the corner of his eyes, Roman saw Remus’ hands curl into fists against the deck. “Don’t be late.”

With that, he stepped over Remus and made his way back to the palace, his back straight and gait almost leisurely. He’d no doubt return to his chambers and take dinner in his room, and their mother would fret over his absence and scold her sons for upsetting him when he’s already stressed about whatever issue she could come up with to defend him that week. Roman had half a mind to trail after him, follow in his wake like a lost puppy; the urge lit something shameful in his chest. 

He waited instead for his father’s figure to disappear completely before kneeling down and reaching for Remus, trying not to get dirt on his knees (lest their mother have his head); Remus’ knuckles were white as he clenched his fists, and Roman went to pull him from the deck, pick him up and dust him off, but Remus swatted his hand away, hauling himself to his feet and stomping off the boat without turning back. 

And Roman just stayed there. He thought briefly of his mother, probably waiting alone at the dinner table - Remus wouldn’t be coming to dinner either now, he was sure of it - and willed himself to feel sorry for her, something to push him toward getting up and heading back to the palace to join her, but he just felt something boiling over inside him. He didn’t have anywhere to let it spill; his father would wave him aside (or worse) if he caught sight of such unsightly emotions, and his mother would shush him, and Remus... Remus had it worse, Roman knew. He couldn’t bother his brother with any more troubles than what he already dealt with. 

So he knelt on the wood, alone, staring at the sky and feeling the sway of the sea beneath him, kneeling until the sun was pulled under the horizon and dusk drowned him in a salted chill. There was nowhere for the anger to spill over except there, his place on the boat right then. When he stood and started toward returning to the castle at last, he grabbed a small rock from the shore, made one thin, deliberate score in the beautiful wooden railing, and decided he hated ships. 

--

“And that, dear brother, is the glorious Horven!” Remus spread his arms wide, beaming at the main deck sprawled out before them at the helm. “Feel free to praise it how you see fit.” 

Roman took in the sight carefully; the rest Remus’ crew milled about, talking amongst themselves as they went through whatever routine they had, casual in a way that went so starkly against the image Roman had always had of anarchist villains, hollering for violence from their ships. (He always did think that seemed a tad dramatic.) He saw the boy with the dark eyes and the one with the scar talking in low tones on one side of the ship, and Logan and Patton doing the same across the deck, their heads close together as they spoke. Logan and Patton’s back were to the crew; every so often, Logan threw a scrutinizing glance over his shoulder, his mouth a stern line. 

“I see you’re speechless,” Remus said smugly. “Rightly so. She’s a beauty. If ships were people, I’d already have-”

“It’s great, Rem,” Roman smiled (and tried not to fill in the rest of Remus’ sentence in his mind). It was a genuine sentiment, though Roman couldn’t tell if the smile was truly from the ship’s splendor or the lingering effects of seeing his brother in person again, not only very much alive, but safe, too, and seemingly happy. It didn’t matter, he supposed; he just let himself smile and left it at that. “How’d you get a ship in the first place?”

Remus squinted at him and then nowhere in particular, his lips pushed out in a thoughtful pout. After a moment, he just scanned the deck, craning his neck like he was looking for someone in particular. “Long story,” he said absently. “Very boring story, and you know I can’t stand boring stories.”

“...I can’t imagine how coming to lead an entire pirate ship is a boring story-”

“Take my word for it. Ah!” He leaned onto the helm’s railing, his smile brightening once more as he found who he was looking for. He sent Roman a quick glance and nodded for him to step up beside him. “So,” he started brightly, propping his chin in one hand, “I know it’s been a spicy minute since I’ve been at the castle, but I think I would have remembered being in such enticing company, so do tell me that one,” he pointed, “is a recent addition to the castle staff.” 

Roman frowned at him, following his gaze and point to fill in the blanks. He nearly gagged. 

“Logan?” he said incredulously, looking between Remus and an oblivious Logan across the ship; Remus nodded for him to continue. “I- I mean, somewhat- he was the steward’s intern for a few years, you would have seen him if you ever actually went to lessons,” Remus rolled his eyes, “but he wasn’t my steward until about two years ago, so... I suppose he’s recent?” Remus raised his eyebrows, nodding without taking his eyes off Logan, and Roman almost gagged again. “Please, for the love of God, never use the word ‘enticing’ about him again. He’s about as enticing as an abacus.”

“Some people find math very intriguing, dear Roman,” Remus said loftily. Roman raised an eyebrow that Remus ignored in favor of staring again, a smirk tugging at his mouth. “He’s tall.”

“Oh, lord, please stop forever.”

Remus just grinned, and despite the positively topic of conversation, Roman felt himself fighting a smile, because it was such a normal thing for them to squabble about; he remembered a similar exchange when they were twelve or thirteen, when Remus dragged him to the top of the Grand Hall’s stairs to point out the visiting ambassadors and their assistants, only cackling when Roman wrinkled his nose at their stuffy postures and curt greetings. For a moment, Roman felt as if they were back at the top of the staircase, poking each other in the sides, smothering their laughter before someone heard and made them get back to lessons. When he thought about it, though, he found he much preferred the present. 

“I missed you,” he blurted. 

Remus’ smile didn’t falter, but it might have been because his attention was still focused on sizing Logan up from across the deck; he spared Roman a quick glance and said, absently, “Hm?”

“I missed you,” Roman repeated, turning his attention to the deck again, too, because it was suddenly a weighted statement, one he felt almost ashamed for feeling so deeply. As if missing his brother was something to be ashamed of. He wondered, for just a second, which royal lesson had instilled that in him. “I know the circumstances of this whole reunion are a bit... unconventional, but I’m glad to see you, Remus. I’m glad you’re okay.” 

Remus stared at him, eyebrows raised. They were both silent for a moment; Roman felt, for a split second, that he had messed up somehow, brought up sentiments not requited or ready to be accepted, and his heart sank as quickly as it had soared. 

But then Remus grinned again. “Good to know you’re still a sap.”

Before Roman could even frown in response, Remus yanked him into a hug, and tears sprung to his eyes almost instantly because it had been much, much longer than three years since Remus had hugged him. He returned the embrace, holding on as tight as he could, remembering how many times he’d wished he could go back and redo the last moments he had with his brother before he disappeared and deciding now was the redo. Now was the time he’d wished he had for three years, and he wouldn’t take a second of it for granted. 

“Alright, off before the crew sees me being sentimental and I have to stab someone to get their respect back.” Remus pulled away from him, but he kept his hands on Roman’s shoulders for a moment, lingering just enough to say, beneath the rush: I missed you, too. 

Roman fought a smile and jokingly swatted his hands away. “Are you sure ‘respect’ is the right word for what they have for you now?” 

“Of course,” Remus scoffed, waving away the idle crewmate at the wheel to take his place steering. He sent Roman a lofty look over his shoulder. “I’m very well-respected. I'll have you thrown overboard for suggesting otherwise.” 

“Oh, my sincerest apologies, Captain.” 

Remus grinned again, wide and utterly familiar, and finally, Roman let himself smile back. 

The sun was high in the sky above their heads, bright and brilliant and deliciously golden; as Remus turned his attention to steering, Roman went to the railing around the helm, peering into the water below and following the sunlight’s reflection on the waves, watching the little sparkles dance across the water. He’d hated ships since he was fifteen, dreaded sailing lessons and despised journeys to kingdoms across the sea, but standing here, now, he only felt himself smiling. Oddly enough, he felt at home. 

He hated ships, he decided, but the Horven was a welcome exception.

[exploring-art]

Review on Final Project

The Final Project is now complete, so its review time yet again!

Let's start off with three key things that I learnt through this

Watch your laptop's performance

Make sure you use (high performance) proxies!

Make sure to save constantly and make several copies!!

Throughout the post production of the film the programs were too heavy on my laptop, causing frequent program crashes, black and blue screens of death. With one fatal one causing the opened files to corrupt, setting me back 2 weeks right at the deadline! So make sure you keep an eye on your processes!

As mentioned in the previous blog, I decided to create a film about "sight" or specifically, what you can't see but what the camera "hears". It honestly was a lot more challenging than I thought to materialise my ideas, then having to repeat it again due to the corruption. But it was a fun challenge indeed!

Reflection

There is definitely a lot of things that I learnt from the first project, but more so in this final one. From effects, timing and blend modes, to playing with opacity, rotoscoping techniques and audio adjustments. But likewise there were aspects that I didn't realize or needed to develop more:

First was that I didn't draw enough frames again on the 16mm film. Unlike digital where I can insert more frames, since the 16mm was recorded using a Steenbeck, it made it difficult to add more frames. I did add a few more here and there by digitally editing them in Photoshop, but it just didn’t feel the same.

Second was rotoscoping. After researching and realizing that rotoscoping on Premier or Hitfilm required using the line tool and how it wasn't as versatile as I thought, I quickly searched how to import the video into an animating software and rotoscope that way. Unfortunately this was a lot more difficult than I imagined as well. I tried programs like Blender and Pencil 2D. But Pencil 2D did not support video import, and Blender was a bit confusing to use, especially in the short time I had.

My version of Photoshop was also missing the Dynamic Link so it couldn't import videos either. So I converted all the parts that I would like into an image sequence and imported them into the timeline, manually editing each frame’s time duration as the default is 7 seconds and I wanted it to be at least 0.03 seconds. My limit was rotoscoping and animating 30 seconds each day before either the day is up, or my steam runs out. Thus losing those 2 weeks meant that I needed to redo something that took me a minimum of 5 days. It also meant that since I couldn’t directly link the video content to the animation, I needed to make time markers such as the following to know how much to rotoscope:

16 sec of walking before clunk sound, then 6 seconds more before music starts

7 sec of wind

People walking 10 seconds

Horse = 3 seconds

More walking 7seconds

Bell = water

Waves 20 seconds

Listening to music and slowly sitting down

I also had to make sure that I saved it in parts not only to avoid corruption again, but to decrease the file size. Nevertheless, I learnt a lot about rotoscoping, animation and how to do that in Photoshop! Hoping to do it more for fun and casual use.

Lastly, timing. I felt like my timing for a few parts were a bit off after export, but when editing, it seemed to be aligned with the audio. I’ve tried several times but to make the deadline, I had to be quick as it takes at least an hour for the 5 minute video to render and be exported. There were a total of 6 audio tracks and 5 video tracks to care, keep an eye out for and render. Even though I was using the frame to frame hotkeys (< and >) to make sure that I was getting it in the right place, occasionally due to the proxies and lag, what I thought was in the right place turned out not to be. It became a bit of a gamble whether I layered them in the right place and paced them correctly or not!

Explanation

Sypnosis:

A blind girl goes about her daily life when she falls asleep on the bus. Only to realize that after getting off, she left her cane on the bus. Panic and anxiety start to set in until she hears a meow from a cat and starts to follow it. Calming herself down, her imagination starts to go wild as she envisions all these strange and mystical objects that appear before her based on what she hears, developing a peculiar and fun world to explore in from this unknown newfound place.

By utilizing the two different techniques, I was able to separate the two different “worlds” and perspectives. With 16mm film and 3rd person perspective as the “real world”, and digital rotoscoping/ animation and 1st person as the girl’s imaginative world.

Noises aren’t always as they seem. Similar to how foley artists use an array of different and peculiar objects to make sounds, a lot of the noises I got were used to inspire other objects. Such as the clunking of the light rails sounding a lot like chickens clucking or a boat in rough seas with its bell. The visual of the wind to represent zoning out to all the noise just like how everyone does, to buses that sound like whales as they pass by, and women running in heels to the footsteps of horses. I was also lucky to be recording when there was a band nearby playing, “giving” me the background music I needed otherwise I would’ve been stumped as to what to use. There were a few times where the transitions were a bit rough such as the movement to look at a bench and sit down, but it was a great experience. There are a few easter eggs here and there so I hope you can find them and that they were able to be expressed nicely!

I also learnt a lot about blind people and how they get by through a Youtube channel by Lucy Edwards. Learning and taking inspiration, the girl in my film travels and is notified a lot by morse code vibrations through her phone. The three messages that occur are:

Bus is coming

Searching for location

Location unknown

I was nervous at the beginning of rotoscope animations as I thought that each frame needed to have very smooth transitions, making it a very daunting task. Until I stumbled across a Youtuber named RubberRoss where he and a group of other animators would animate on a web game called Gartic Phone. It both intrigued and inspired me as though there were only a few frames and each drawn by a different person, how they were able to create a “story” with such high dynamics and flow. I quite liked the ending result of the rough effect it left which lead me to enjoy it (as not everything is smooth sailing in life).

Alas, this brings me to the end of my experimental journey for now. There are a lot of aspects to film that I learnt and there are still more to go in which I hope to check out in the future one day! There is a lot more I could develop on in my own techniques as I’ve only made two films, and even they have more things I could refine on. The final film is a bit rougher than what I imagined, but its roughish touch has quite a nice effect at the same time. One thing in particular that I could’ve changed is to see what effect would it have if I completely got rid of the original real-life film and just had the rotoscoping, possibly leaving the audience thinking more. Since they were done in Photoshop, if I would like to change that, I would have to go into Photoshop, hide that group, exporting as an image sequence, import it back into Hitfilm and then realign it back to its position. Nevertheless, I’ve had a fun journey learning a lot of interesting and unique techniques while expanding my knowledge!

Thank you for following and supporting me on this experimental film journey and hope to see you on my next art medium!

“There is no such thing as going back to square one. Even if you feel like you’re having to start over, you are trying again with more knowledge, strength and power than you had before. Your journey was never over, it was just waiting for you to find it again.”

― Unknown

(P.s animating the chickens was probably one of my favourite parts! Look at how fluffy they are~)

Fun fact:

I had a total of 1 hour of raw footage to sift through, totalling to 19GB

A total of 10 copies of the editing file

Split the rotoscoping/ animation part into 9 section after the corruption

Altogether the whole project is a whopping 50GB!!

[simtrospective]

Let me be the first to bring you the latest simming trend, before all the cool cliques kids jump on it: turning your sims into shiny plastic dolls and then “packaging” them into a framed background!

How is this achieved, you might ask? It’s so simple!

First, you must abandon your attempt at making a render after failing to apply the sim’s diffuse image to the render you’re trying to make. Make sure you stew about this. Make sure you feel like a big dummy even though you’re not really into renders anyway and you don’t connect with the pervasive simblr “aesthetic.” Which is fine, but it’s like... (not for you). Like, you like art for art’s sake but the whole thing reminds you of claymation, which is cool, but like--okay, remember “Celebrity Death Match”? Anyway, regardless, it’s just, like... you want to try something new just to see if you can do it. What’s the fuss about? You’d be happy just to try it once, just to see, but then everything just makes you feel so stup--

Then, about 24 hours after your initial failure(s) and existential spiral, locate a video tutorial that walks you through the texture application process a different way. Make lots of mistakes while following it. After approximately 25 minutes, follow it correctly! :D Nod silently. You’ve always been a visual learner. Well, visual and auditory. But more visual. So. Wait. Visual and hands-on, now that you think of it. Yes. Definitely. Definitely hands-on.

Next, start to set up your camera/lighting in Blender, once again following the written tutorial you pored over last night. Do everything wrong every time you start over (three times). When you’re not doing it wrong, do it right, but freeze, because none of the options in the screenshots you’re following can be located on your own screen. Start over. Scroll back up to the portion of the tutorial that references the last thing you did right and have your eye caught by reference to an “.obj” file. Close Blender.

Reopen Blender. Open up the last project you did correctly. Export it as an .obj file. Close Blender, then navigate to the folder in which you’ve saved your .obj file. Double click the .obj file to open it, smirking.

Paint3D pops up, and look! A weird inflatable PVC pool toy of your sim! Play around with it. Fiddle with the light. Animate it. Muse that despite this sim being the hottest male you have in your game, with many aesthetic qualities that you appreciate in real life men (mostly accidental, even though you made him!), gee, uh... he’s... kind of... u...g...l...y...?

Save your goofy little PVC person as an image, in the biggest size available.

Open the saved image file in your favorite image editing program, Photoscape X Pro, which you’re sure, like, three people have heard of. You suspect that this program is not the Pepsi to Photoshop’s Coca Cola, but is, rather, the Great Value Cola. Shake it off. You like it and that’s what counts, hmmph!, but that you like it is what makes you question its quality.

Mess around with the saved image file, adding adjustments, effects, frames, backgrounds, whatever, while simultaneously thinking that you’re stupid, what you’re doing is stupid, this is stupid, this looks stupid, this is kind of funny, this is kind of cute, actually, actually, you know what? This is so silly I’m going to post it with a dumbass, fake-ass, long tutorial that no one’s going to read but you know what? I figured out how to stick that damn texture on that model render thing and I like my screenshots and adjustments and frames and stuff and I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me that’s good enough for me.

(Sound convincing?)

Post it all. Post it all to the internet!

I did smile pretty big when that texture appeared in the right spot, but... boy, yeah, I’m out (at least until a couple months from now when I give it another try and it either all clicks or I end up dropkicking my laptop). Congratulations to all who can render; I look forward to letting the next trend pass me by. When I was at a point in my rendering project when success seemed on the horizon, I couldn’t help but think of a book title that accurately described the experience for me; I’m no David Foster Wallace fan, but even if I were to ~render a render, it all felt like A Supposedly Fun Thing I’ll Never Do Again.

[bennybentacles]

TUActober 2020: day 12- Majestic 12

(prompt by @totallyevan )

pls tell me i did the prompt correctly bc i have no recollection of the majestic 12

|...|

they are the rich and influentials, men who had way too much money and way too much time and a sinister mind.

meet John Lee Bowie, father of a MIT graduate and husband to a beautiful wife. outside of the walls of their secret society he's a congressman of Virginia, holding chess pieces and playing with people's lives. his wife doesn't care where he goes as long as the perfume doesn't cling into his expensive suit and his son couldn't care less to the politics career that he had paved for his son. he is a lonely man

Chad Anderson, a multimillionaire with houses that could house hundreds people and enough money to buy a country. below his feet are hundred thousands of employees working without even resting. in his hands are food that could feed the poor yet he kept them all to himself, kept them close and marked them up. he's a greedy man

Elliot Smith, a man who has boats that exports goods, ship food off to the foreign country but little did anyone know that the boats doesn't only carry good but kids too, all of them snatched from loving homes, all of them shipped to the unknown. he pockets the money and turns a blind eye ever though he knows what would happen to the kids he shipped off. he's a cruel man

Chad McMiller is a business man, owns buildings both in the north and in the south. he settled in Texas, sinked himself into the chaos of the ongoing fight against the discrimination and his hands throws money to the police to fund his new entertainment and he watches, amused as he sees how the fight rages on outside of his comfortable home. he's a horrible man

Timothy Black was from England, brought into America to see the world from another view but he chose to stay when he realized just how much he could manipulate naive Americans with his act. he grins and he charms and he acts in front of the camera, his eyes feigning innocence yet his hands has the most blood out of all of them, him craving the thrill that killing has bought him. he's a sadistic man.

Carl Davids, a man who rose from the bottom because of his wit. a child prodigy, he graduated at fourteen and conquered the world with his brain as his advantage and when the world stopped satisfying his curiosity, he delved into the darker side that he only heard from the hushed whispers behind closed doors. he is a curious man.

Anthony Edwards, a man who came from the influentials. he is born with a silver spoon shoved into his cruel mouth, never working even for a day in his life and wasting away while changing girls as fast as he changed clothes. his mind was long polluted with his father's influence, clouding his thoughts ever since he was younger. he wants the excitement he feels everytime he moves a chess piece in the game they call life. he's a carefree man

Steve Washington, a man with a wife and a kid and a house with white picket fences. he's what people calls a real american boy, with his blonde hair and blue eyes and the military background backing him up. he never thought he'll be here, planning how the world would go but it seems like he would and he is nothing but a soldier ready to adapt the the changes. he's a stupid man

Peter Weltz, a man who openly defied the government ever since he was young. questioning everything, wanting everything to change and he knew he had to do it himself because the world is helpless and he knows the change would only happen if he moves so he does. he's an angry man

Michael Gibbons, a man who had way too much weapon at his disposal. ready for the upcoming war that he knows is already brewing, waiting to blow over and spill towards the soil. he waits and he plans and he plants small details that would change the course of the battle, planting bombs back on Vietnam to start a war in the making. he's a terrible man

Sebastian Williams, a man with way too many contacts with the higher up, someone who knows how to twist his words and tangle into businesses and change the course of the whole room to fit into his perspective. he spoke with presidents and told them to start a war and he knows it's going to be a matter of time before it does and he waits. he's a persuasive man

Reginald Hargreeves, a man who came from nowhere and appeared one day, sweeping the nation in shock as he built a name for himself. he's calm and collected and oh so cruel to people and he knows the moment he brought this people together that he had set the course in motion, doomed the world to end one way or another. he plans and he schemes and he waits for the upcoming apocalypse. he's a smart man

and together, they are the majestic 12

[gloves94]

To Be So Lonely [Draco Malfoy] 5

Rating: PG-13 Pairings: Draco Malfoy/OC Chapter warnings: Bullying!

Raised as an orphan, Nel Saintday, endured years of torture from the Slytherin House. The Dark Lord only allowed her existence for her to serve a very specific vile purpose for him. Her birthright dictates for her to choose a side in the Wizarding War… But what would happen if she dares defy the Dark Lord and his wishes? And what happens when she falls for her tormentor? Will Nel fulfill her life’s purpose? And what side will her tormentor, Draco Malfoy, choose? The light that calls to him or the darkness…

CHAPTER MASTERLIST MY MASTERLIST

There had to be a mistake.

After a terribly long and very confusing day of classes which included getting lost a handful of times in the castle and landing herself detention. Nel stood outside the office of the Head of her House after a long day of classes.

She still remembered what she had said to Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress, the night before.

"T-There has to be a mistake," she said looking horrified as she addressed the professor.

"The hat does not make mistakes Ms. Saintday," she answered curtly.

She knocked on the heavy door waiting for the professor to invite her in.

"Come in."

Snape's office was exactly what you would expect the one of a Potion's Master to be. It had a particular order in which dozens of vials, boxes, and jaws containing ingredients and other substances were scattered all over the room. On his desk was a stack of scrolls that Nel could only assumed to be student essays. He had been the only professor to assign a ten-inch parchment on the first day of school. He had also assigned her detention for not being able to answer one of the questions he shot at her during his lecture. Something that amused her peers to no end.

"Professor McGonagall has expressed to me that you have some concerns about having been sorted into my house," he said bringing both of his elbows to rest on his desk, he pressed his knotted hands against his lips looking down at the girl before him with his black eyes. "Why is that?"

He looked angry.

"You see sir," She began feeling a little small under his gaze. "I'm very brave. The hat must've made a mistake," She looked down at her green tie and robes. "I just think I'd be a better fit in another house. Maybe I'd be a better Gryffindor? I almost feel as if the Sorting Hat didn't even take my opinion into consideration."

Not to mention all of her pureblood house mates had begun tormenting her due to her blood status, or lack of one.

"You don't look very brave right now," Snape said cooly. Making her self-consciously squirm under his gaze. "Recklessness, ignorance and presumptuousness? Are these traits that you wish to associate yourself with Ms. Saintday? He spat.

"No Sir," She responded tilting her chin down feeling ashamed. "Lift your head foolish girl," the professor spoke harshly. He seemed to have been taken this personally. Hesitantly she lifted it, standing a little taller as to not to seem weak. "I will not have you floundering in someone's chair when confronted Ms. Saintday. Being in this House- being in Slytherin is an honor that should be worn like a badge of pride. This is a privilege that few get in their lives. Tell me Ms. Saintday, what are the traits of a Slytherin?"

"Ambition, cunning and resourcefulness, sir," she responded looking at him in the eye attempting to seem  tougher than she really was.

"Good, now tell me, where you not cunning and resourceful when playing that childish trick on Ms. Parkinson and the others in the train? You must've gone out of your way to ensure that your plan worked out to your convenience. Correct?"

Her eyes went wide. She was expecting Snape to scold her or to take away House Points, but he did neither. Knowing her chamber mate, Parkinson had probably come to snitch on her already.  

"And if I recall correctly you were arrogantly boasting about becoming the 'best witch in your class' back in Diagon Alley. A trait which can be most likely interpreted to be ambition."

Elowen sat in silence. There was no use in arguing with Snape. His arguments were valid. He might've been biased in his opinion regarding Gryffindor House but that was to be expected.

"Now, get out of my office and stop wasting my time with such foolish concerns. I expect a ten-inch parchment on the History of Slytherin House for your detention, and don't let me find you with your head lowered for anyone Ms. Saintday, understood?" Snape said coldly.

She groaned at the mentioning of writing yet another essay. Despite the professor’s icy tone. Showing no weakness and being tough seemed to come with the package that came with being a Slytherin.

Without another word he dismissed her.

Xxxxx

Elowen returned to the Slytherin Common room with her head hung low. The worst part of it all was that she had no way of contacting Lucy. Sure, she could've tried to send an owl to her but communication between Muggles and Wizards like that was prohibited. Not to mention the fact that there were no functional telephones in Hogwarts.

"Cottonmouth," she sighed the password to the portrait and walked through it. A scattered amount of Slytherin were in the common room either hanging out or working on their homework together. The common room was like a snake pit, underground, underwater, with dark leather, wood and fabrics of all sorts of emerald hues. The most comforting part about it were the dim green lights that illuminated the room. The little light that came in through the dark windows reflected the shadows of mysterious water creatures that inhabited the lake.

"Back so suddenly?" Pansy Parkinson turned to shoot her a nasty look. "I'd figure Professor Snape would've dealt with you the proper way."

The girls around her sniggered at her comment. Potions class had been really embarrassing today. Snape had bombarded her with questions she did not know the answer to. He really hadn't been kidding when he had said he had given her some extracurricular material for her to read.

During potions class Draco Malfoy and his friends had been making means jokes at her.  When Nel snapped back, she interrupted Snape's lesson which had her landed in detention with him. Sometimes she couldn't help but feel like the Potions Master was purposely picking on her.

Pansy Parkinson was that girl with the short black hair that Nel had tricked into drinking toad tea back in the train. She quickly learned that she was a snotty, pureblood fanatic and thought she was better than everybody because her father imported and exported wand making supplies from England to other parts of Europe and Asia. It was also very obvious that she had some type of infatuation with Malfoy. She wasted no time in bombarding Nel with questions over dinner constantly stating the fact that she was brought up in a muggle orphanage and didn't have a single galleon to her name.

Nel stopped next to the black sofa arm were Parkinson was sitting and without even giving her a second glance stretched out an arm and roughly pushed her to the floor.

"Hey!" She protested from the carpeted floor. Nel didn’t even see when Pansy's wand shot out a green flash of light at her back.

"Slugulus Eructo!" She hexed.

Nel felt… funny. Sick was probably a better word for it. Her skin took a sallow complexion and her hands reached to her upset stomach.

The Slytherins leaned in eyed peeled waiting for the spell to take effect.

The girl reeled backwards slightly. She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out. Instead she gave a loud belch and a nasty green slug dripped out of her mouth and to the carpeted floor.

The common room was a laughing riot as she horribly gagged on the slime. Eyes growing watery from the horrible feeling.

Pansy was laughing so hard she was also clutching her stomach. The others followed in suit also cackling madly.

She raised her wand her only weapon and casted the only spell she knew, the one she had learned today. Lumos, but nothing happened. This only made them howl louder. Furious, sick, and completely mortified with her eyes watering she considered running out of the room. But she didn't. Pansy didn't see it coming. Before she knew it she was pinned to the ground with Nel's weight on top of her. She glued to her hands to her sides. The orphan smiled wickedly as she looked down at Pansy with vile intent.

She had brought this on herself.

"No! No! No!" Pansy cried out pleading, turning her head as far away from her as possible. Malfoy and Blaise Zabini were on the edge of their seats watching from a nearby chess game. Even Theodore Nott had lowered his book and was staring at the scene in disbelief. Other girls in the room looked disgustedly horrified. Daphne Greengrass looked like she was about to faint.

Nel smirked, she could feel a big slimy one coming. She belched several slugs on Pansy. The girl squirmed and shrieked at the slugs that landed on her. Pansy cried as a string of slimy saliva dripped on her. Elowen cackling maliciously before she felt an arm wrap around her neck in a chokehold and attempt to pull her off the girl.

Bullstrode. Millicent Bullstrode was a large girl who as far as Nel knew, her only positive quality was that she had a cute cat named Hokey. She didn't say or do much, being more of a quiet follower she tailed after Parkinson.

Pansy continued screaming as Nel barfed as many slugs as she could on her, covering her in slime and slugs from head to toe.  Millicent pulled with all of her strength until a booming voice interrupted.

"What is the meaning of this?!" One of the Slytherin prefects rushed into the room. She looked angrier than grossed out by the disgusting scene. With a flick of her wand all three girls pulled apart from each other.

The prefect wasn't patient in demanding an explanation. "You two, Snape's office with me now!" She pointed at Bullstrode and Parkinson. "And you…" Her eyes narrowed at the sick girl. "To Madame Pomfrey, now."

Nel vomited a slug and painfully moaned in disgust. Blaise and Draco were still laughing loudly at the scene.

"Malfoy you seem to be enjoying yourself. Escort Saintday to the infirmary," she barked. Her expression absolutely livid. Draco's mocking face immediately dropped. Blaise laughed at his friend and slapped his arm. "Pipe down Zabini unless you want to accompany Malfoy and Saintday for a walk down slug avenue."

The sick girl would've been lying if she said she didn't need Malfoy to ger to the Hospital Wing. Besides Malfoy's protesting and groaning the two made way to the West Lower Floor. Nel stopping to throw up her guts every couple of steps. Her complexion chalky, eyes watery. She made a mental note never to consume jello ever again in her life.

From her peripheral vision she saw Malfoy edging closer to her.

"Stay away from me," she raised a hand to keep him at a distance and glared at him. If he got any closer, she wouldn’t' have a problem projectile vomiting a slug in his direction.

"Hn," He leaned against the wall crossing his arms over his chest. "Suits you. That's what you deserve for making us drink that disgusting tea. Slugbreath."

That's it.

True to her word she turned and vomited a slug which landed on his emerald green jumper. "Ugh! Yuck!" He grimaced flicking it off his person.

She smirked in his direction. "Strange how I'm starting to feel better." She brushed past him.

Draco looked at her in disbelief. How was it possible to dislike someone so much in a day?

"Disgusting!" He exclaimed in a whiny breath.

"I know," she shot back with an unladylike groan as a slug nastily rolled down her chin.

"I don't mean the slugs," he wrinkled his nose. "I mean you," he shot back upset.

She turned to him angrily and grabbed his arms tightly pulling him close getting ready to aim a fat one straight at his face. "Get your filthy Mudblood hands off me!" "Stop calling me that!"  She said angrily still not knowing the severity of the slur he used against her.

A loud gasp made them both snap their heads away from each other’s fronts. They both turned to see a very horrified Madame Pomfrey looking at the two. "Mr. Malfoy! Ms. Saintday! What is the meaning on this?" She scolded. It seemed like she hadn't heard their conversation.

"I was asked to escort Saintday here," Draco pushed Nel's hands from his body. "And now I'm done," he scowled in her direction before stalking off to return to the Slytherin Common Room. She seethed glaring at his retreating back.

"Slugs! And on the first day…" Pomfrey sighed irritate. "Come along dear," She said placing a hand on the girl's shoulder keeping a stoic expression as she puked a couple of slugs out. "On the first day… And I don't even have any Treacle fudge for you."

Pomfrey had a terrible feeling it wouldn't be the first or last time that she found Elowen Saintday on one of her hospital beds. The Matron made the ill girl sit on a bed and gave her a basinet and some bubbly lime beverage to keep the nausea away. She said the hex should pass in a couple of  hours and advised Nel to spend the night in the room in case she still felt sick. Sometime later the Matron retreated to her private chamber leaving Nel alone in the spacious room.

She had been holding it together so well but being alone in the austere room. At night. Having no way to contact Lucy or anyone to talk to… Nel hugged the wooden basinet close to her torso more for comfort as she spat another slug out. Tears she had been holding all day slipped down her face from the nausea and mostly from the humiliation of having been spitting slugs out before her housemates. Not only that but her embarrassing faint attempt to strike Parkinson with a pathetic Lumos…

She sniffled, crying, and hiccupping through nasal breaths.

Laughter could be heard from the corridor approaching the entrance of the Hospital Ward. She gasped lightly and furiously wiped away her tears.

The door opened and she saw two figures shushing each other entering the hospital ward. The figures stepped in and they initially did not notice the girl that was sitting on the bed. They basically tiptoed in and began raiding Madame Pomfrey's cabinet taking few things, just enough so that she would not notice.

"Looks like she's out of Treacle fudge," one said to the other.

Weak sniffling filled the dark room and the two boys turned back to look at a pair of dark eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness. They saw a first year Slytherin girl weakly sniffling and hugging what looked like a bucket close to her chest.

The Gryffindors looked at each other for a moment before approaching the edge of the bed.

"I didn't know Slytherins could cry," one of them spoke with particular jest. "I didn't know Slytherins had tear ducts at all." The other added.

"I-I'm not crying!" She said defensively feeling her face burning from the embarrassment before a nasty slug made its way out of her throat in a nasty belch. This was mortifying and in front of these two boys…

She looked down avoiding their prying gazes.

"Eat slugs," The one said clicking his tongue, stating the hex she was under. "Rather nasty one," the other spoke.

Looking at them, recognizing the fiery red hair she realized they looked awfully familiar. Of course! She'd seen them at King's Cross with Ron and his family. They were probably his older brothers.

"I take it those gits at Slytherin haven't been very welcoming, have they?"

She shook her head slightly, eyes still lowered in shame.

"I deserve it," she spat some slime into the bucket. "I did make them drink that toad tea."

She wasn't expecting them to react so excitedly to that statement. "That was you!" One exclaimed before laughing loudly. "You're the girl Ron told us about!" the other added. "That was bloody brilliant!" They laughed.

"Tell you what," one of the redheads said. "Everybody knows House Slytherin is filled with pompous gits, but anybody that makes Malfoy croak outta be decent." She arched an eyebrow at this. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking George?" One looked at the other with a mischievous look. "Read my mind Fred," The other said with a peculiar glint in his eye. The twins split and both took a side next to the girl. She looked back and forth between them confused.  

"Your wand?" One said. She couldn't tell which one of them was Fred and which one was George. Diving into her pocket she pulled out her wand.

"Alright, we're going to teach you a very illegal spell." One whispered wickedly draping an arm over her shoulders as if he had known her his entire life. The other did the same. "Use it wisely. Can't let those gits have the upper hand. Can we?"

"Here's a word of warning, it only works on fatheads," one of the twins sniggered.

"By the way I'm George," one said pointing a thumb at himself. "And I'm Fred," the other introduced himself. "Just kidding!" They suddenly said in unison before she could introduce herself. And they once again introduced themselves by the others name before laughing at her confused expression.

"Call me Nel."

[petri808]

A Special Mommy

SFW Todomomo. A!Todoroki, O!Yaororozu. written for a twitter event, parent prompt.

It was tough when Alpha Shouto Todoroki was left a single parent raising two young children after his Omega wife lost her battle to cancer the previous year. The woman had been the love of his life, his mate, and it took a heavy emotional toll just to keep it together for the children’s sakes. So, for six months after the funeral, his sister Fuyumi would watch the children while he worked, providing them some stability.

The twins were only 3 years old and understood enough to know their mother was now an angel watching over them. Perhaps it was the innocence of childhood, to be comforted with mystical beliefs. But it was a relief nonetheless how well they were handling the loss. His family had been a lot of help, but he didn’t want to keep relying on them. So, one day his sister suggested he look into hiring a live-in nanny.

“You make enough to afford it Shouto. Someone who’ll come in, do some cooking, cleaning, and be with the children. We’ll still lend a hand, but Ryouta and Shiori could use a constant presence in their life, a surrogate mother in a way.”

Todoroki sighs and hangs his head. “You’re right. Though I don’t even know where to begin looking.”

“Hmm, place a job ad and I’ll help you screen applicants.”

“Thanks Fuyumi.”

Two weeks and several interviews later, Shouto was ready to give up. Each applicant they’d gone though just didn’t fit right to him. In fact, many of them seemed more eager to get close to a single Alpha then be a serious nanny. Until one day at work, he received a call from his sister telling him to drop by her home after work. ‘Ugh…’ not another one, he groans. He just wasn’t in the mood today.

As he walks up to the front door, Shouto immediately hears female laughter coming from inside. He lets himself into the home and goes into the living room where he finds Fuyumi and a pretty young woman sitting at the kotetsu.

“Shouto, come, come,” his sister waves him over. “I’d like you to meet Ms. Momo Yaoyorozu. She’s here for the nanny position.”

The woman stands up and bows to him. “Pleased to meet you Mr. Todoroki.”

“Like wise Ms. Yaoyorozu. Please, he gestures back to her seat. Formalities are not necessary.” He takes a position opposite of the woman. “It appears you two are getting along well.”

“I like this one,” Fuyumi beams, throwing in a small wink at her brother. “Ms. Yaoyorozu has all the right qualifications, first aid training, the works.”

He tips his head to the side, “Tell me, is your father an importer, because your family name is familiar to me.”

“Yes! He deals in beverages, mostly coffee and tea import and export from around the world.”

“Then why would a woman of such family standing and means want to be a nanny?”

She looks down with a slight frown, “well, you see I cannot have a family of my own. I’m infertile so no Alpha would want me.” Momo looks up again with a deep exhale, “but I love children,” she beams, her scent switching to elation. “It was a friend of mine that showed me the ad and suggested I try it out.”

His heart seized up from her words, and the light hint of sadness in the Omegas scent. To live your life thinking no one would want you just because you couldn’t bear a child had to be painful, and yet here this woman was smiling. When he’d arrived, her scent held no sadness which told him she didn’t let this get her down. That took strength.

“You’re hired.”

“Wait, really?” Momo holds up her resume to him, “don’t you want to review my resume first?”

He gently pushes them back to the table. “I don’t need to. My sister approved of it or she wouldn’t have called me, and I believe what you just told me now.” Shouto turns to Fuyumi, “did you tell her what happened to my wife?”

Fuyumi shakes her head. “I thought it best to let you explain why you need a nanny.”

By the time Shouto finishes the story, he could see the woman was holding back tears, because the moisture was evident in her eyes. It only reinforced his decision to hire her. “I am looking for a live-in, you understand? Because my job is a very busy one and the hours vary widely.”

“I’m truly am sorry for your loss Mr. Torodoki. But I know who you are,” Momo blushes. “You’re one of the top heroes of our country so I understand why it would be best this way.”

“Shall I bring the kids in,” Fuyumi questions her brother. He nods and she leaves the room, returning with the two flanking her sides. “This is Ryouta,” ruffling the boy’s hair. “And this is Shiori,” squeezing the girls hand. “They’re three-year-old fraternal twins. Can you say hi to miss Yaoyorozu?” She prompts the children.

“Hi,” they both respond still shying, hiding around their aunts legs.

Momo giggles with a smile, “it’s nice to meet you Ryouta and Shiori.”

“Miss Yaoyorozu will be coming to live with us,” Todoroki tells the children. “She’s helping daddy take care of the house and you while daddy’s at work. Is that okay?”

Both children side-eye each other for a moment as if communicating without words. Then turn back and nod, “otay.”

“I look forward to taking care of you two,” Momo addresses the children. “You can call me Momo.”

“Aunty…”

“Momo.”

“Aunty Momo is perfectly fine,” she beams back. “How adorable!” She looks to the adults. “Do they often finish each other’s sentences?”

“Sometimes,” Shouto answers.

“I think they’re adorable.”

After Fuyumi sends the kids off to play, and  leaves to work on dinner, the two adults finish their conversation. Between Shouto and Momo, they figure out when she’ll move in, the room she’ll have, salary, and any other pertinent information. Since this is the first time he’s ever worked with a nanny, they were bound to figure out other details along the way.

“I just want to thank you for this opportunity Mr. Todoroki.”

“Call me Shouto, please let us dispense with the formalities from now on. I’d prefer to feel like you’re a part of the family rather than an employee.”

The woman blushes. “O-Okay, Shouto. It really means a lot to me to do this.”

“No, thank you Momo. Your help is greatly appreciated.”

When he returned home that evening, Shouto felt like a small weight being lifted off his shoulders. The senses he got off the woman put him at ease, or was it her scent? It was calm and very relaxed, a person who is comfortable within themselves. Even though she knew who he was, it was obvious her intentions were focused on the children and that’s exactly what he was looking for.

Ryouta and Shiori meant everything to him. It was a chance to be the kind of father he never had. Them losing their mother so young also brought back emotions from his childhood, because his mother was not in his life for many years. Having Momo around will fill the kind of void that he never had filled, and perhaps will bring the woman her own peace and fulfillment.

After putting the kids to bed for the night, he looked at Momo’s resume. She was educated at a private school, well read and articulate based on the resumes verbiage, and her hobbies were simple enough. Shouto chuckled when he read that part. A tea connoisseur. She also had a very interesting quirk. ‘I wonder why she didn’t go into hero work?’ He dismisses the question for a later time and continues reading its description of a creation classification. The irony of having the ability to create anything, but the bearer is left without the ability to procreate. His brows furrow. Sometimes he questioned why life worked in these ways.

The following week, Momo moves into the Todoroki residence. Having come from money, the size of the home wasn’t a surprise, but the Japanese aesthetics were different than the Western style her father preferred. As she walked the halls and explored her new surroundings, she could still smell traces of the previous Omega, Shouto’s wife, lingering. It didn’t bother her one bit. Life was such a cruel thing to take a young mother away from her children or leave her mate all alone. Momo couldn’t fathom such a loss but knew the feeling of emptiness all too well. It made her all the more determined to make sure the twins had as normal seeming a life as possible.

“Yosh!” She rolls up her sleeves and gets to work setting up her room. It was a guest room, but she swore it was just as large as a master, complete with its own bathroom. There was three hours left before the kids finish preschool and she’d pick them up, so she wanted to get as much as she could done by then.

Time passes by like a babbling brook all smooth and gentle. The Todoroki family truly made her feel welcome and before long, her place in the home was a comfortable one. Momo felt less like a hired nanny and more like a member of the family.

With dinner’s completed, she works with the twins on their homework. At a preschool age it was quite minimal work but important for the foundation of their language skills. She set them up at a low table, the three of them huddled around it with the workbooks next to each other. The lesson today was matching words to pictures.

“Tori,” Momo repeats. “Which picture do you think that is?” At first the kids just stare, their brows furrowed unsure. “A tori is an animal with wings,” she flaps her arms in a flying motion. “So which picture has wings?”

The children point to a bird.

“Correct, Tori is bird!” She claps excitedly. “One more time. Point at the picture and sound out the word.”

“To-ri.”

“Very good! You guys only have one more to go! Okay, uma. Which one is an uma?”

One child points correctly, the other points to a cow.

“Shiori is correct. So uma is horse. One more time, point to the picture and sound out the word.”

This time both children point to the horse, “U-ma.”

“Very, very good!”

Ryouta and Shiori bounce excitedly in the spots, “yay!”

At that moment Momo sees them look up, past her. She turns and follows their eyes, seeing their father standing there with the biggest smile on his face. “Oh! Shouto welcome home! Are you hungry, I can make you a plate.”

He shakes his head. “Are things going well?”

“Oh yes, they pick up very quickly.”

“Then I’ll leave you to it,” he smiles again. “And don’t worry I’ll make my own plate for dinner, thank you Momo.”

“You’re welcome,” she smiles then goes back to the homework.

Shouto walks away towards his bedroom to change out of his costume and shower. But as soon as he was in the safety of the room, he braced himself against the door. ‘I hope she didn’t notice…’ seeing Momo with the kids, it was so… perfect. The juxtaposed emotions of sadness and joy had rushed over him at the sight, making his heart race and his inner Alpha squirm. He just hoped the woman didn’t pick up on the scent change.

That should have been his wife, sitting there with their children as they learned new things. It was unfair she didn’t live to see these moments. But at the same time, to see them so happy and relaxed with Momo warmed his heart too. Even though their biological mother couldn’t be here for them, she was becoming an amazing replacement.

It’s been almost a year since Momo had entered their lives and the vision of normalcy was simply beyond any expectations he could have had by taking on the nanny. Ryouta and Shiori were thriving, the house was tidy, and the Omega was a wonderful cook as well. It felt like a real home. Shouto sighs, ‘and her scent is just pulling to me.’

The woman has never done anything to cross that boundary. Momo was professional through and through. He too was torn no matter how lonely he was, because he wanted to be loyal to his dead wife. But the fact her base scent is setting off his inner Alpha spoke volumes. Friends, counselors have told him it’s okay to move on. But was he actually ready to?

That question was getting harder and harder to ignore, the longer Momo was in his life. He’ll always love his wife she was his first love. But… maybe it was time to move on. His children deserved a mother figure and who better than the woman they’d already developed an attachment too?

But he couldn’t make that decision on his own. Even the idea of courting Momo, Shouto wanted to make sure his children would be okay with it first. If they said no, he would understand. Maybe it was too soon for them to replace their mother and he had to respect it.

So, a few days later when his schedule clears, Shouto gives Momo the day off and takes the kids out for some ice cream. As they sit in the café eating, he decides to pop the question.

“Momo’s been with us for a year already. Do you two think she’s a good fit with us?”

“Uh-huh,” they mumble between the licks. “She nice.”

“I like Aunty Momo,” Ryouta adds.

“Me too,” Shiori confers.

“I’m glad you guys like her, because daddy’s thinking about courting her.”

“What dat?”

“Making her my mate and your new mommy.”

“But we have mommy awedy in heven?”

“Yes, and you always will. She would be another mommy.”

Ryouta sits up and his eyes brighten. “Wow, we gets more mommy’s?!”

“Daddy we spwecial?!” Shiori asks too.

Shouto chuckles and ruffles their hair, “very, very special.”

“Cool!” The kids high five and go back to eating their ice cream.

The Alpha sits back with a smile, well he got his answer. It was a bit of a surprise how quickly they warmed to the idea, but the answer was clear. “Before we go home, let’s get Momo some pretty flowers.”

“Otay!”

“But remember kids, don’t tell Momo about daddy’s plan, he wants to surprise her.”

“Otay daddy!”

With a bouquet of flowers picked out by the twins and a take-out dinner, the trio head back home where they find Momo lounging on the couch with a book and a cup of tea.

“Aunty Momo!”

“Hi, did you have fun today?” She hugs the twins as they rush up and jump on her.

“Dis fo you,” Ryouta thrusts the bouquet at her. “Daddy said he wanna cut you so dis a gwift.”

“Ryo!” His sister whacks him. “Das a secwet!”

“Oops!”

Momo’s eyes widen. “Huh?!” She looks at Shouto, “w-what are they talking about?”

Oh shit! He quickly prompts the kids off her. “Go play in your room till I call you for dinner.”

“Sorry daddy!”

“It’s fine, you’re not in trouble, just please go play so Momo and I can talk.”

“O-tay,” their shoulders slump a little, but they do as their told.

“Shouto, what— did I hear them right?” She felt so blindsided. “You want to court me?!”

He sits down next to her and lets out an exhale. There’s no lying his way out of this without getting into more trouble. “Yes. Today I asked them if it would be okay and they gave me permission. I’d planned on talking to you about it, but I guess Ryouta was just too excited.”

When all Momo could respond with was a deer in headlights stare, Shouto began to doubt himself. “I’m sorry, maybe it was too soon or too forward of me,” he makes a move to get up. “I bought dinner already so there no need to…”

She grabs his arm. “N-No, I’m sorry, it’s okay. I was just surprised. Please don’t rush away.”

“Momo, it’s fine, really. I don’t want to do anything to make you feel uncomfortable. You’ve been such a wonderful addition here that we feel like a real family and I—I don’t want that to stop.”

Her eyes soften along with tone, but hesitation still poured from the woman, “are the kids really that excited about me?”

“They are,” he chuckles and takes her hand, sweeping his thumb over the webbing. “At first, they didn’t understand but when I explained you’d be a second mom, they thought it made them special and they liked that idea. They like you a lot Momo. You’ve given them and me stability after losing my wife.”

“But, what about you?” Again, the fear Shouto smelled coming from the woman was palpable, driving his primal side crazy. “Are you asking me just because they need a mom for…”

This time he switches, cradling her chin and pulling her gaze back to him. “Stop.” His inner Alpha needed to allay her concerns. “I want you Momo.” He ghosts his thumb and forefinger over her skin. “I never thought I’d ever fall for another, but you’ve brought me back to life. My inner Alpha craves more from you and I agree. You’re smart, beautiful, my kids love you, you’re the best person to share our lives with.”

“But you know I could never have anymore children.”

“I don’t care about that. We already have two.”

The moisture built up finally breaks free and the tears trickle through. “Shouto you know I never meant this happen.”

“Neither did I, but here we are.” He smiles. “Say yes, Momo, please be my mate and the mother to Ryouta and Shiori.”

She leans into the hand cupping her cheek, placing her own hand over it. “Yes,” she chokes out in a soft sob and crinkling smile. “I’d be honored to be your mate Shouto.”

He leans in placing a soft kiss on her lips. The flush of heat and burst of scent brought forth from the woman drives him to press deeper into the kiss. “The honor is mine, Momo Yaoyorozu.”

[jeanjauthor]

Hello I came from the ask on waoiaf. I’m a different anon but I thought your answer was pretty cool. Hope you do not mind me asking but I am in a similar boat with merging two cultures. I am making a female prevelant book with five female POV’s and most are in the merchant world which I took inspired from the late mediveal- Renaissance Italian era, I have two that are in the nobility which takes more after 16th century France and partakes in Salic law. Do you have any worldbuilding fem tips?

I don’t mind being asked, no worries!  My thoughts & ideas might work, or might not, but then that’s true for any answer I’d give, lol.  It all depends on the situation.

Okay...so if I understand correctly, it’s not real-world history, but you’ve got a created world culture with some late medieval Italian renaissance flair and some age of exploration French aristocracy with Salic law issues.  Had to look up Salic law, lol (for those curious, the wiki article is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salic_law ), but yeah...basically criminal laws that evolved to include inheritance laws & patriarchal/misogyny based issues as well, predominantly the “women cannot inherit titles /powers /duties /property” bs for royalty & nobility...

Mkay, first question, and this is a genuine one:  Is it necessary to have misogyny imposed by law for inheritances?  If so, is it part of the story, driving either the plot or the character’s struggles and growth?  If so for either of those, remembering that you’re writing for a modern audience (and that readers’ tastes have shifted quite a bit in the last 10 years alone!), are these issues going to be addressed in the story and overcome in a meaningful way?

These questions are predicated on the basis that you’re not writing real-world history, but rather a created world based upon, but not dependent on, these incorporated influences.

One of the reasons why patriarchy & misogyny are so heavily incorporated into European history is because of the patriarchal & misogynistic influences of the Christian Church after around 300 CE, iirc; my memory of the exact dates is fuzzy, but that’s about when it gets going--prior to this point, the Christian Church was a lot more egalitarian.  So egalitarian, in fact, that many major early Church leaders were women, to the point that it actually started to overshadow the standards of Roman custom, culture, & law of the day--Roman women could own property and run businesses, even if they couldn’t vote...but the Christians! *le gasp!* They were letting women vote on how their cultural government should be run??

Yeah, it wasn’t quite that dramatic, not in a widespread way...but at some point, male leaders in positions of power (secular and/or religious) decided to NOPE women out of positions of power, to make them second class citizens, and even nope them all the way down into being barefoot preggers in the kitchen, etc, chattel.  They used the Christian religion as their vehicle to gain power, influence, and dominance over society, warping the original Christian culture and its values away from egalitarianism.

But that is the real world.  So does your created world have that kind of religious /historical /cultural influence?  This is important because we know that in our world’s history, Salic law remained pretty firmly in place for well over a thousand years...and we’re still fighting to change it for the better today.  Your world is different.

If the inherent misogyny, etc, in a Salic law system is going to be an issue for your characters, can they overcome it in meaningful ways?  Are there going to be changes to the customs, whether local or regional?  Are there going to be changes to the laws, whether local, regional, or national?--This particular plot setup & payoff would be absolutely lovely to see in a fantasy / historical-esque world setting, to see actual changes happening, and not merely token-esque changes or an “exception made for this one (1) character.”  A meaningful change is one that affects not just the main characters, but secondary and tertiary characters’ lives as well.

You may have to bring some A-Game arguments into the story for these females arguing for their rights to inherit land, property, businesses, to run said businesses, to not have to be married or under the domination of their fathers, husbands, brothers, etc.  And it would be great if some of the males in these ladies’ lives showed some open support for them...and absolutely smashing for males in positions of power & authority who can change the laws to do so in a publicly acknowledging way. 

Literally, if the ladies campaign for the right to own property and run businesses and be inheritors for their fathers & mothers, then have the King or whoever show it by publicly decreeing or announcing,  “We have labored for far too long under the assumptions of misogyny, and have been held back by the weight of these pointless chains, which shall now be removed...”

or “I was wrong to assume that Lady Allania could only have brought her family’s merchant business to absolute ruin.  Instead, she has created alliances with former enemies and prospered our kingdom...and I must admit that she is not the only woman so gifted and capable.  When any female is given the same respect, training, education, and opportunity as a male, they, too, can do just as many wonderful things, and it is time this kingdom’s laws reflected this great, untapped potential, thus I am revoking or altering the following laws (blah blah blah)...”  or at least something along those lines.

It’d be some hard work, but if you go this route, a lot of readers will love your story all the more for it, since it genuinely will be something different.  If you don’t...a lot of readers will do the *eyeroll* thing and go “ho hum, another standard ‘fantasy world based on Europe’ and all its historical problems... Next?”  Not all by any means, but it is something to consider.

...Now with all that said, the next question is, which part of Italy in the Renaissance is being copied?  Because if it’s Venetian, you’ve got the Doge Era for hundreds of years, which was pretty much a mix of royalty, arosticracy, republic, and democracy ruling the city, all of which helped to spread the strength and wealth of the merchant class.  But if it’s based on Milan, that was a centralized monarchy.  And Rome, of course, was ruled by the papacy, which, hoo boy, was misogynistic AF as well as hypocritical in how it sent out a LOT of mixed messages, lots of bribery and usury, plenty of power-grabbing maneuverings, plus most high-ranking members kept mistresses, etc, while decrying sex out of marriage, blah blah blah...

From the way you mention merchant classes, I’m presuming it’s much more of a Venetian (or possibly Genoese) influence.  Running with that idea as the main cultural influence...how deeply involved are women in the merchanting and crafting businesses?  The fact that these women are engaged in business means that they could theoretically be interacting not only with men, but with a lot of women--the workers of these industries, even if the vast majority of them are not allowed to be owners or decision-makers.

Skipping up to England, in London in Tudor times, there was a whole guild of women who specifically made thread-of-gold for export.  They were pretty much the only ones doing this (because it’s expensive to make, for the first part), and doing it of such fine quality that they could command hefty prices for their skills.  They had influence on the textiles industry, demanding the best materials for thread, and influence on the goldsmithing industry, in their demands for the perfect type of gold foil, just the right thickness and plibility for wrapping around threads. 

It was a small corner of the textiles industry in England, but it was a commodity highly valued by nobles & royals across the length and breadth of Europe, including all the way down to Venice & beyond...because Venetian merchants would trade in this thread-of-gold and cloth-of-gold that these English women were making.

You can see the power and influence that the crafting trades and merchant classes could have.  One of the strengths of females throughout history has been our ability to bring together communities to work for the betterment of that community.  Are these women leading or otherwise involved in a revolution (peaceful or otherwise) that will pressure changes to these Salic style laws?  Who are they working with? And are they working with the noble-born women you mentioned to try to leverage the powers-that-be into granting women their rights in areas of inheritance, property, and commerce?

This will depend upon the overall plot, of course, but if you want to have a strong female presence in your story, then consider how daily life runs for females, how constrictive the culture and its laws are, how much these women can and will push at those constrictive boundaries (because we all do that; it’s just a fact of humanity), and how both the other females and the males around them will react.

Being only scandalized /outraged /reactionary to such things is definitely an overdone reaction, but you can get rid of that tired trope by having those who are scandalized or reactionary eventually getting over it, coming to accept it, or even be enthused by it.  Also, there will always a number of people who will be intrigued and even excited by these proposed or attempted changes.  You can build some of these struggles into a popular movement--and you don’t even have to show all of it “on screen” as it were. 

Maybe your characters in their struggle to maintain control over the family pottery business talked with other female potters about their problems, their demands, and asked for solidarity in the face of misogyny.  Maybe these others carried the news to other towns, and suddenly Altraltia, a city a few days’ travel away, center of the finest porcelains being produced in the known land, is experiencing a high revolution by the women who do most of the actual work with the ceramics, demanding that they be given rights and powers equal with the men, or they will not make any more porcelain.

Since the men of Altraltia were depending on their women to do all the fancy stuff (women tending to have modestly better fine motor skills), now that the women are on strike, these men can’t fulfill all these orders that the nobles have commissioned.  The city is in chaos, word has come back to your main characters that the strikers are demanding that the king change the laws--and maybe the next thing you know, women in other fields, basketmaking, weaving, etc, are also demanding the right to have their jobs and skills and capacities for running businesses and receiving inheritances respected... All while your main characters are shocked, and maybe even doing their equivalent of the Steve Urkel thing of *blinkblink* Did I do thaaaaat?  (And then celebrating, of course, when the king does change the laws for the better.)

Sweeping social movements and cultural changes don’t have to happen just during the era of social media.  People will travel, people will talk, people will write letters or communicate in various ways.  And those who know how to bring communities together, to instill senses of injustice, demands for change, expressions of how to change for the better...these communities united in these ways will cause those changes.

And because it’s not based on Earth’s history...you can get these types of Salic laws changed, presenting a pro-fem story in your own created world.

...Again, it’ll depend upon your plot, but for sure, women will lean in toward other women for advice, for help, for change.  Throw in some men who genuinely want to support these changes that will better their lives and their world, and you’ll have a powerful story that can inspire readers in this world to lean in, work together, and change our world for the better, too.

Hope at least some of that gives you some ideas!

(*The trope of women fighting each other, ruining each other’s chances of advancement, is also another tired old trope that can be flipped or tossed aside. Watch Legally Blonde to witness how the main female rival reacts to the main character, toward the end, to see how this is done believably.)

[detectivedreameater]

Woah, Oh, It’s Magic|| Natalia and Marley

TIMING: Current PARTIES: @castillos-curses SUMMARY: A date, a staring contest, and a happy ending. 

Anyone who suggested Dell's needed a portfolio update, and Marley wasn't opposed to being the one to show them the ropes, especially if it was an attractive woman. Natalia seemed eager, too, to know what Marley had up her sleeve for the after party. And boy, was it gonna be a good one. She'd have to test the waters first, of course, but Marley had great intuition, and her intuition told her that Natalia was more than what she showed. Whether that more was a good more or a bad more, was all that was left to be sussed out. Either way, it was a win for Marley. She got to the restaurant a few minutes early, not her usual game, but it was important that she did this time. Watching someone's approach could tell you a lot about a person, and if Marley could get just thirty extra seconds of establishing a baseline with Natalia, she'd take it. Finally, dark curls appeared from around the corner and Marley couldn't help but notice she looked much nicer in person than in her online profile. "Good to see not everyone lies on their online profile," she jested, giving a grin.

Natalia wasn't the hugest fan of Dell's - to be honest, she barely went to any of the non-supernatural spots in town on any kind of a regular basis. But it was the most well-known and, she thought, least offensive of prospective human only bars to suggest for a first meetup. Marley seemed incredibly against the idea, which was just further points in her favor in Nat's mind. This Marley was not only hot, but also a cop, and potentially a cop who was well in the know? It was like hitting gold. She arrived at Dell's perfectly punctually, dressed down, unsure of what to expect for the evening. "You weren't expecting a catfish, I hope?" Nat replied with a smirk, tossing her hair as she peeled off her denim jacket. "It's nice to meet you - officially, and all. Though, I am sorry to have brought you somewhere that you have such a detestation for."

Marley gave a light chuckle, grinning from behind dark sunglasses again. She wondered if Natalia would immediately find them odd. She found a lot of people who were in the know did. "Maybe," she said coyly, strutting up to the door, "it works out either way for me. I'd just arrest them, so." She pulled it open to allow for Natalia to go in first, giving her a hand wave before following her in. "The only thing Dell's is good for is cheap pre-game drinks. And they're on you, so," she shrugged, heading up to the bar, "I can't complain, right?" Gave a grin as they reached the bar. Natalia was certainly nice to look at, even dressed down. Casual but still cute. Extremely attractive, with an air of mystery.

"Arrest someone for posting misleading pictures on a profile?" Natalia laughed, thinking she was going to like this woman just fine. She stepped inside, curious if Marley was going to keep the sunglasses indoors as well. Her online account didn't give off any markers of her being some kind of supernatural - but then again, not everyone was as obvious as herself. "Fair enough," Nat agreed, bouncing into a stool against the bar. "Two beers?" She asked the bartender, once gaining his attention. With a sly glance at Marley, she added quickly "And a round of tequila shots - thanks." He bustled away to get their drinks, and she grinned at Marley. "Might as well pre-game correctly, right?"

"It might not be real grounds for arrest, but it'd sure give them a good scare," Marley said with a snicker, following suit and pulling herself onto a chair next to Natalia. She hadn't taken her for a beer kind of gal, but the two tequila shots definitely made sense. Natalia was a confident woman, and she seemed very sure of herself. Marley appreciated that. "What's the point if you don't do it right?" When the bartender returned, she scooped up her shot and held it up to Natalia's, ready to cheers. "Here's to an exciting night," she grinned, before tossing it back, that burn traveling all down her throat. "So tell me," she said, leaning on the bar top, "what brought someone like you to White Crest?"

"I hope so." Natalia clinked her shot glass against Marley's, downing it in sync. She let out a small cough at the burn, licking her lips against the smoky tang. The plain taste of the cold beer made for a nice chaser and she took a sip, glancing at the mirrored lenses of her date. "Business, mostly." Nat answered truthfully, "Turns out White Crest, Maine is a great place to make a ton of money for my incredibly specific business." She laughed at the absurdity of where she had ended up. "I'm sure the cops around here are kept as busy as me, with everything that goes on." Her eyebrows raised questioningly, though the question was innocent enough.

Marley grinned. She couldn't help it. She was in a good company, drinking free alcohol, and everything Natalia said had that little devious hint to it that she often found herself using. "Business? What kind?" she asked, sipping her beer. She liked the tequila better, but this would do for now. "Oh, yes, we're kept plenty busy. There's definitely a lot more murder here than in Albany, but I like staying busy. Beats sitting around bored, plus every case here is always so...interestingly different. It's fun finding a new way to say 'coyote attack' when it was very obviously not a coyote. But hey, what Sarge says goes, and if I get paid at the end of the day, that's what matters," she answered, taking another long sip. Normally, she'd be looking around the entire place, picking out things that piqued her interest-- but here, only Natalia did. "I take it you're enjoying the town, then? You don't seem as timid about this place as most others I've met."

Natalia was leaning more honest than she might normally have. Marley seemed to be taking everything she said in stride, and perhaps throwing in some coy comments of her own. "I run an occult shop - on Amity Road. This town has proven incredibly lucrative for me." She chuckled, surprised at the woman's forthcoming nature, and surprised to hear her reference all those bogus 'coyote attacks' she kept seeing in the news. "Yes, those 'coyotes' just don't know when to quit, I think." It was interesting that she mentioned her Sargent enforcing the cover ups - was the entire police force 'in on it', so to speak? "I do like it here," She agreed reluctantly. "Money's great, I've made a lot of connections for my work...but I've been all over the world - it's a bit /quaint/ here, for my taste." Nat shrugged, taking another drink of her own to match Marley. "There are far more intimidating places in the world than White Crest. Though, I've never been to Albany - can't speak for that one."

"Occult shop, huh?" Marley said, grinning as an idea struck her. "Sounds like a very niche business, but I can definitely see why it's something popular here. Whether it's real or not," she added on, wondering how she'd react. Marley had a hunch, but it was always more fun to guess than be told. "Didn't think running an occult store would warrant world travels, or, er-- 'connections'," she went on, putting quotes around the word, a brow raising from behind her frames. "Don't bother, Albany is boring. Quaint is one word for this town, but maybe it's just because you're hanging out in the wrong places. C'mon," she said, downing the rest of her beer, "let's get out of here. I wanna take you somewhere fun." Slid from the bench and held out her hand, looking at her from behind her frames sharply.

Niche was right, though in this town that niche was a bit more mainstream than one small pocket. Natalia couldn't suppress a smirk at the question of validity of her shop. "I get plenty of business from people who believe and who don't." She replied coyly. "I didn't always have an actual store. Before this, I would travel all over buying and selling rare occult items for clients." This was, strictly speaking, the truth, though it was a little more in-depth than she let on. But Marley was moving on quickly, and Natalia liked that restless energy - it crackled between them as she wondered what her idea of 'fun' would actually entail. She finished her beer in suit, leaving a couple of tens on the counter to cover the tab. Her hand grasped Marley's after a second's hesitation and she scooped up her jacket on their way out. "Fantastic - what did you have in mind?"

 "And what about you?" Marley asked, not so coyly this time. "Do you believe or don't you?" She took Natalia's hand and wrapped her cold fingers around hers, leading them out of Dell's-- finally-- and towards the street that led to Amity. She knew exactly where she was going to take Natalia, and she was increasingly more excited to see the look on her face when they arrived. "It's a surprise," she said with a devious grin, hooking their arms together as they walked. "Tell me more about this fascinating job of yours while we walk."

Natalia was again taken aback by her upfront nature. It was rare that people so bluntly asked if she was being serious or not. "I do." Natalia decided to answer honestly, based on her own suspicions of her date, they could have a lot more in common than she though. "You could even call me a witch!" She made a pretend scary face, wiggling her fingers for dramatic 'magical' effect. "But would /you/ believe that? That's the real question." Once they hit Amity, Nat had a pretty good idea of where they were going - but it was a little shocking Marley even knew it existed. Their arms entwined, she chuckled. "I don't know what's there to tell. Taking away the exotic items and locations, I'm just a glorified import and export curator." Importing and exporting endangered species, killer monsters, deadly weapons...but still.

"You know, when you say it like that, I think I do," Marley said, grinning back at Natalia. The truth was, of course she did. Marley knew a few other spellcasters, after all. She tossed her head back and laughed at Natalia's display of finger waggling. "I get the feeling it's a little more than that, but fine," she said, pausing once they'd reached the entrance to the 'Dancing Dryad'-- a front for what was really inside. Marley reached into her pocket and pulled out a matchbook before leading Natalia inside. The little song and dance that was played to gain entrance to the Magic Circle was one Marley had done many a time, and she presented the matchbook along with a dip of her glasses-- proof she was of the supernatural variety-- before turning back to Natalia as the new door opened. "Now it's time for some real fun."

Natalia watched Marley present the requisite items for entry into the Magic Circle with a smug feeling of superiority. She /knew/ it. Hunters should hire her out for her impeccable ability to spot a supernatural being from a mile away, really. "I know how /I/ know about this place - but how do /you/?" Nat didn't miss that moment with Marley dropping her shades, though she wasn't actually able to see her eyes from this angle - more and more intriguing questions popping up as this night went on. As they headed inside - the bouncer giving her a nod in recognition - she looked around, hoping not to see too many people she knew here. "I like your idea of fun - this is certainly a better spot than Dell's, you were absolutely right."

"Can't a girl keep some mystery about her?" Marley followed Natalia in and up to the bar, ordering some nice drinks for the two of them, before turning back to her. She tapped the lens of her sunglasses. "So you are a real witch, then, aren't you?" she said, handing Natalia the drink. "Looks like I just keep getting more and more lucky tonight. First, you're a gorgeous lady, not an old man trying to catfish me-- and now I find out you're a real spellcaster?" She looked around the room, before finally pulling her glasses off. Even inside, the low glow of her red eyes was visible. "I suppose I owe you a little secret, too, since I know yours."

"Yes, really," Nat replied, taking the drink offered. She wondered if she should do a little fun spell to prove it, but really didn't feel like messing it up and losing face. She laughed in response with a hint of a blush creeping up her ears. Gorgeous, huh? Marley's secret finally revealed, she grinned like the cat that ate the canary. A /mara/. And a cop?? How wonderful. "I wonder if there's even one normal human in this town?" Nat asked, chuckling. "It is nice to not have to pretend for the rest of this night - how incredibly tiresome."

Marley grinned. "Unfortunately, there's all too many normal humans in this place, it really kills my vibe sometimes," she said with a wave of her hand. "But tonight we don't have to worry about that at all, right?" She tucked her glasses into the 'v' of her shirt and led Natalia to a more private booth in the back. "So, I take it you come here often? I caught the way the bartender nodded at you. One thing you should know about me is that I'm really good at reading people."

They settled into a quiet booth near the back of the bar, away from the crowd beginning to form at the bar, and she sipped on her drink. It had a bit of a fizzy sensation up her nose, without any carbonation to speak of - magic. "Yes, you caught me." Natalia sighed. Just /how/ good at reading people, she wondered? "I'm quite the regular here. This is a decent place to do business, and as you put it - regular people really kill my vibe." She smiled in response, looking into her faintly red eyes with interest. It was while looking in that direction she caught sight of a regular of her own - fucking Keith. He was making a vicious beeline for their table, so it was too late to pretend not to see him. "And here comes that business right now to ruin my night." She whispered to Marley, standing up and trying to head him off. "Keith - babe, I thought I told you I don't do refunds. You asked to curse your ex-wife, and I did!" The man got close into her space, eyes flashing angrily, and jabbing a finger in her face. "She's a worm! You turned her into a fucking worm! We have kids! The cat tried to eat her!!" Natalia stifled a giggle - it was kind of funny, and she'd been drinking. "No, Keith, /you/ turned her into a worm. I think your words were 'make her feel what she makes me feel like'? Curses are very literal. I only sold you the kit, you did it your-" As she tried to calm him down, he got a fistful of her jacket, shaking her a bit as he kept yelling. She stopped talking pretty quickly.

Marley was about to reply when Natalia looked straight past her. Turning her head, she noticed someone stomping towards them. A little ruffled that her night was being so interrupted, Marley opted to stay put as Natalia rose from the table to intercept him. She took a decent sip of her drink-- letting it fizzle in her mouth-- watching the two. A client, it seemed, mad about what he'd gotten for his money. Marley very nearly spat out her drink trying to suppress a laugh, putting a hand over her mouth. It was, however, very quickly stopped when the man grabbed her date. Marley was out of her seat in mere seconds, glad, for once, that her glasses were already off. "Hey!" she snapped, in a low growl. And instant the man's eye line went from Natalia to her, she stared him down until he was nothing but a crumpled mess on the ground, stricken with the fear she knew she instilled. When she felt satisfied enough to stop, she blinked and stepped back. "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to hit a lady?" she said flatly, before sliding back into the booth as if nothing had happened.

Natalia eagerly slid back out of the man's reach as he quickly dropped her and focused on Marley. She watched Marley stare the man down - no words exchanged, no physical blows dealt, yet he fell to the ground in a heap, shaking and terrified. Her mouth popped open, impressed and mildly scared. Mildly turned on. "Get the fuck out of here, Keith - I don't wanna see you again. Ask Vera to help you, she needs the money." He scrambled away, half-tripping and half-running. Nat sat back down into their booth, eyes fixed on Marley with an incredulous expression. "Thank you...for that. I'm terribly sorry to have /work/ interrupt our evening." She cleared her throat, still amazed at having seen a mara in action. "That was...interesting."

"If there's one thing I hate more than someone interrupting me," Marley said matter-of-factly, sipping her drink, "it's a man who thinks he can put his hands on a woman without her permission." She let her eyes wander from the table and up to Natalia. She didn't find her intimidating like everyone else, right? Did she think she was a monster, too? Like Deirdre? Like Erin? Like the rest of her kind? Ruffling her brow, Marley looked down, sliding her glasses back on. "Interesting is one word. I'm sure he'll think twice about messing with people now," she said, grinning again, though softer this time. "Now, where were we?"

"Agreed." Natalia nodded sagely, taking a drink with only the slightest of shake in her hands. Though she acted unflappable all of the time, having someone bodily grab her and scream in her face still took a minute to get past. "You're quite the knight in shining armor, I'm even more glad to have your company tonight." Her smile was flirty, looking over the rim of her glass. It was downright attractive to watch someone mentally scar a guy on her behalf. "I think the night was /just/ getting interesting, don't you?"

Marley, being the person she was, noticed the slight shake in Natalia's hand as she took a sip. Marley watched her for a moment, giving a smirk back. "I prefer the dark, no shining here." After a second, she removed herself from her side of the booth and slid in next to Natalia, taking her drink from her hand and setting it on the table. She looked at her evenly from behind her glasses, letting her know that she wasn't a threat to her right now, wondering if she needed to reassure her, before leaning in and pressing her lips to Natalia's. She tasted like sweet cinnamon and alcohol. When she pulled away, she murmured, "What do you say we get out of here? My place is right down the street."

[hermitcatlongposts]

Behind the game jam

The Sprites

The first thing I did was to make a butterfly sprite for the player. My workflow was to get a reference picture from the internet and use it as a reference. If you wanna see how it generally goes, see below.

And below is how I almost identically recreated it. Because I don’t have creativity or even brain of my own.

Here are different variants:

Animating

The secret to achieving beautiful (to me) animation was to desync the upper and lower wings. Notice how upper wings take the lead and lower wings lose behind.

I exported the wings and body separately and set pivot points in the inner ends of them.

Pivot point is a point that indicates the center of a sprite and sprite rotates around it. Most of the time pivot points are in the center. But this case is different.

Now let’s talk about programming (super long post)

My favorite part. But let’s skip the unimportant part such as player control, Z to shoot, Shift to focus, bullet pooling yada yada. The important part here is the bullet hell aspect. 

Disclaimer: It’s just a catalogue of what I did and it’s definitely not a place to learn from.

First let’s talk about hitboxes:

So in 2D (it’s not a problem 3D) physics, you must not move a collider without Rigidbody2D component. With that rule, now every bullet has to have Rigidbody2D component. Can you guess what’s next? Your computer will explode if you have 1000 rigidbodies in one scene.  The way I and probably others do is forget about physics system and just simply do the collision math myself. 

Thankfully circle collision is absolutely simple. You just check if the distance between you and your target is less or equal than the sum of your radiuses.

Which now means every single enemy bullet has to constantly access the player’s position and hitbox radius. I personally benchmarked different ways to access player position as a legion of enemy. Without further ado, here’s how it’s ranked:

Public static Vector2 Position that’s updated every frame by player.

Caching the “Transform” of player GameObject and accessing it locally.

Not caching the “Transform” instead using GameObject.transform or any other component such as singleton Monobehaviour instance.

Enemies also check if they get hit by players bullet. Reason why it’s not vise versa is because the number of enemies is not fixed. Enemies come and go. So if the player checked if his bullets are hitting enemies, he will have to look at enemies as a List<> that is constantly getting Added and Removed. And everyone knows that Array[] is the way to go if your goal is performance, which in this case, it is.  But! Player’s bullets are fixed. There are exactly a set number of player bullets. So every enemy can loop through the public static Array[] of player bullets to see if they’re getting hit.

Enemy bullets’ pooling and movement:

There are two supermassive object poolers. One for small diamond shaped bullets, containing 500 of it. One for bigger white bullets, containing 300 of it. Bullets of course don’t have Monobehaviours on them. They only have SpriteRenderers. The movements are governed by the enemy behaviour script.

Enemies have fixed sized Bullet[] array (it’s actually Transform[], if you’re a fellow chad Unity user) but it starts empty. When they decide to shoot, they get references to the bullets from the supermassive pool one by one. They also have Vector2[] array with same exact size. What it does is that it acts as the direction where each bullet will go. Since the sizes of these two arrays are the same, “for loop” will correctly assign directions to bullets and they are pushed towards their assigned directions.

If an enemy gets killed or finish their task safely without dying, they will now wait for every bullet they govern to completely get out of the camera. And once they do, it will let go of their bullets back to the supermassive pool for the next enemies to use and remove itself as GameObject from the game. Demonstrated in below gif.

Artwork

The infinite scrolling image in the background is supposed to be a grass field with yellow flowers on the sides... I’m not an artist as we all know.

Sound

My least favorite part of game development. Just looking at the word “sound” fills me with suicidal thoughts. (was that joke too dark?)

It took a huge time to find a perfect sound for player bullets and I finally found the sounds the shaking instrument called Maracas would fit perfectly and it did. Couldn’t find one for enemy bullets unfortunately. 

The music is created by a wonderful person called YouFulca. Click here for their website.

Lastly, I’ve done one thing that I’m extremely proud of. Although I can’t show that in this post for technical limitations. But if you actually tried the game, remember the four hits of drum sticks? Yeah that’s not the part of the original music. I added that. And I believe that it has a huge impact.