Look what I found at the national portrait gallery!

Lila Rossi: I’d Say She’s a Good Villain, but Then I’d Be Lying (300 Follower Special)

Deception and cunning are easily two of the most important traits an antagonist could have. It shows that even if they don't have the strength to overcome obstacles, their wit is more than enough. This kind of trait is why characters like Lex Luthor, David Xanatos, and Princess Azula are so beloved, simply because of how intelligent they can be as villains and pose a real threat to the heroes.

It's clear that the Miraculous Ladybug writers want Lila to be seen as this, but the writing seriously fails to back that claim up.

Easily one of the most controversial characters in Miraculous Ladybug is Lila, mainly for the writing surrounding her. But there was a time where she was actually more of an ambiguous character, mainly for the lack of screentime she had until Season 3. But unfortunately, the more appearances she's had have painted a very poor portrait of an antagonist.

Lila's Tragic and Sympathetic Motivation for Hating Ladybug

Lila's first appearance was at the tail end of Season 1, “Volpina”. She was a new transfer student from Italy, and quickly made friends with a lot of her classmates for the lies she told, including being friends with Ladybug (which Alya blindly believed without doing any research like any excellent journalist). But because of how close she was getting to Adrien, Marinette, in a rare act of selfishness, transforms into Ladybug just to chew out Lila for lying about knowing her, humiliating her in front of Adrien. And this is the only motivation we get for what Lila does afterwards.

I'm not saying that it's wrong for Lila to get upset at Ladybug for doing this, and I like the moment of weakness Marinette has, but this is literally the only explanation we get for Lila deciding to side with Hawkmoth, a literal terrorist. As much as I hated the way the arc turned out, I could still understand Chloe siding with Hawkmoth, as it was clear that Hawkmoth was manipulating her and taking advantage of her ego. Lila? Ladybug's mean to her one time, and that inspires her to conspire with a complete stranger who brainwashes people to attack the city, which endangers innocent people and causes God knows how much in collateral damage if not for Miraculous Ladybug fixing everything.

I just don't get how a single negative interaction with someone is enough to conspire with a literal supervillain. Even in Season 3, when Marinette and Lila truly became enemies, it was because she risked exposing all the lies she told, which could damage her reputation. Sure, it's petty, but it makes sense for Lila to want to keep up the illusion. If she was simply an antagonist to Marinette in her civilian life like Chloe was before “Miracle Queen” , I'd be fine with that, but the writers clearly want her to be seen as on the same level of evil as Hawkmoth. I'll get into why that doesn't work later on.

Why Lila is an Excellent Liar

In my Master Fu analysis, I had pointed out that despite all the flaws he had, the narrative insisted on portraying him as an incredibly wise mentor. The same problem applies for Lila as well. We're supposed to see Lila as an expert manipulator and liar, but her lies are insultingly obvious. She always claims to be friends with celebrities and does all these awesome things, and in an age where we can have almost any question answered thanks to the internet, nobody ever stops to question her.

It's even more frustrating when you hear Lila talk about saving Jagged Stone's cat, when Jagged Stone is established to be very fond of Marinette (evidentially more than his own daughter), and nobody ever points that out. I think if Lila's lies were more stories about her travels around the world than outright lies about real people, it could have worked. It'd still be hard to believe, but it's something.

But this is a problem with writing shows aimed at children. As much as we hate writers who need to spell out things to kids, sometimes, they just don't understand some of the media they consume. Seriously, I never got this joke in SpongeBob as a kid, and I can't believe Nickelodeon actually approved this.

So the dilemma when writing a show with children in mind is finding that sweet spot between assuming your audience can figure it out, but not being too vague in your details. It's even harder when you need to find a way to convey the fact that someone is lying without being too obvious. Unfortunately, the show clearly fails to do that

Okay, this is going to sound like an incredibly weird thing to cite, and I only know about it because I used to know someone who was a huge fan of the franchise, but the movie Monster High: Friday Night Frights does a better job of subtly explaining to the audience that a character is lying. Please, just hear me out.

The movie follows the main characters competing in their high school's roller derby for the season after everyone on the usual team gets injured, and the championship match is against another school whose team tends to cheat to win matches. How they manage to do this without getting caught is anyone's guess. While the main characters are practicing, their coach, Clawd, notices a spy for the enemy team taking video of them to study their moves. In response, he calls over one of the athletes, Operetta, to chew her out for her showboating attitude. In reality, he's alerting her to the spy. Only using facial expressions, he clues her, and by extension, the audience, in on the fact that they know what the opposing team is trying to do.

This soon leads to Operetta pretending to tell the enemy team about their secret plan for the championship match, which was really an attempt to outsmart them to gain the advantage in the final stretch. The brilliance of this is how the audience is informed of this with no dialogue, and there's no scene afterwards spelling it out for those who don't get it. It manages to convey deception without being too obvious that Clawd and Operetta are being deceitful.

I think if there were more subtle hints to show the audience Lila was lying, she would be seen in a better light. As it is, Lila's lies are just pathetic, and it's ridiculous that everyone believes her. Which leads me to...

Lila, the Master Manipulator

I once read a Star Trek: Voyager fanfic that poked fun at the series by claiming that the reason a lot of the dumber episodes like “Threshold” and “Twisted” happened was because one of the crew members was an alien who unintentionally produced mood altering pheromones, with Captain Janeway actually realizing they were all high because of said pheromones, while two of the unaffected crew members were wondering what the hell they were doing before they found out the cause. Why do I bring this up? Sometimes, it feels like Lila is an unintentional parallel to the alien in that story.

Like so many characters, it's clear the show desperately wants the audience to view Lila in a certain way, but her actions do very little to actually back up that claim. When she's not using lies to tell stories about so many famous people she knows like her uncle who works for Nintendo, Lila is using strategies to manipulate everyone that are so obviously deceptive, the Thermians could pick up on them. Everyone and their mother knows how ridiculous a lot of what Lila does in episodes like “Chameleon” and “Ladybug” are, and I've talked about them before, so I'll try to be quick.

First off, as someone who had access to accommodations through high school and has had assistance in college so far, there is no way in hell that Ms. Bustier should take Lila's tinnitus at face value in “Chameleon”. If a student has a disability that could interfere with the education process, physical or developmental, not only does the school have to evaluate their performance, and determine if they're eligible for an Individualized Education Program, or IEP, but her teachers would have to be notified in the first place. As her primary educator, Ms. Bustier would be part of the team to oversee Lila's IEP and determine what accommodations she needs to help her learn better with her tinnitus and arthritis. But because the writers don't know what Google is, they just ignore it,  assume that Lila can just say she has a disability, and have everyone believe it. Even when Eric Cartman pretended to be disabled to compete in the Special Olympics, he put in more effort to look the part, even if he looked like a caricature.

Then there's the fact that that in “Chameleon”, everyone just believes Lila when she says Marinette stole her grandmother's necklace when not only is said necklace from the Agreste line of jewelry, but Alya, who is Rena Rouge, can't pick up on the fact that it's a fake. All she does to justify these lies is come up with a sob story about how nobody believes her, yet nobody ever tries to defend Marinette except Alya one time, and it was after she got expelled.

Or what about in “Oni-Chan”, where Lila thinks having Kagami kill Ladybug while claiming she'll back away from Adrien is a good idea? Let's say Oni-Chan does kill Ladybug or at least take away her Miraculous, what then? We know Lila wouldn't go through with this promise, and as soon as Kagami sees her harassing Adrien, she'll be ripe for akumatization again. Overall, not a great plan.

And yet somehow, this last example is what made her worthy enough to become one of Hawkmoth's most trusted agents. I'm just going to say it: Lila is not a good fit for the power of illusion. Whenever she's Volpina or Chameleon, she always goes out of her way to make a big show instead of being subtle with her deceptions. “Chameleon” is the worst offender, as even though Lila gets the power to shapeshift into someone else, instead of being discreet and cornering people into kissing them and gaining their appearance, she just runs around to get Ladybug's attention instead of being subtle. Even Felix had the bright idea to pretend to be Adrien to catch Ladybug off guard. How do you lose to something that happened in “Felix”?

Despite all of these screw-ups, we're still supposed to see her as this master of deception worthy of allying with Hawkmoth in both his supervillain and civilian form, when really, she's a terrible liar on the schoolyard and on the battlefield.

Why Lila is an Important Character

In the grand scheme of things, Lila just isn't as important of a character that the show loves to parade her around as. She's nothing more than a plot device used to raise the stakes in an episode, given how much reality seems to bend over just to accommodate for her lies. Even when the show alludes to her being part of bigger things, like her deal with Adrien, or her rivalry with Marinette, they don't even go anywhere.

She just feels pointless when you remember Astruc's brilliant idea to force Chloe into being the final Akuma for the season while Lila isn't even mentioned once. She only really makes appearances whenever the writers feel like it, which is why it’s hard to take her seriously. Why should I take this character seriously as a threat if the writers refuse to take her seriously as a threat? Why build Lila up as a big threat and not give her a major role in the finale? Why even include her in the show in the first place when you could show Chloe being more manipulative to fill in the plots Lila plays a big part in?

As of the time I am writing this analysis, four episodes of Season 4 have aired, three of them have been about lies or deception, and Lila hasn't been mentioned at all. It honestly seems like she won't appear unless the writers need a easy way to drive up the conflict, so they can justify it by saying that Lila's “superpower” of lying is more powerful than the common sense of everyone else.

I'm sorry this post was shorter than the last one, but compared to Master Fu, there's not that much to say about Lila that I haven't already said. Even the show barely gives her any attention, so it's hard for me to really find a lot to talk about.

Light My Way, Part 3

Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 the end

⚠️ WARNING! ⚠️

-It is a twisted story of Pokemon Sun and Moon, and a crossover of Pokemon SM and SWSH.  -It features Hau and Kabu as the main characters. -Extremely angsty. -Everything is headcanon. -It isn’t spoiler-free.

Kabu was an ambitious man when he first came to Galar.

As his father was a craftsman for katana, he naturally became close to Fire-type pokemon, and He was determined to reach the top with them. His parents were also supportive of him and gave any help necessary. True to his ardor to reach the top, he became Gym Leader of Motorstocke Gym. But his ambitious dream tumbled to pieces over time. Kabu thought with his youth, vigor, and passion, he can burn down all the enemies in his way, but with time, his loss count stacked.

Too much until he was weeded out of the Gym Leader position.

Kabu felt lost. The only dream that motivated him to come to another region away from the parents was to become strong. But now that he was thrown out, he was too embarrassed to see them again after all their support. He hid the fact that he was thrown out to his parents. To continue to lie to his parents that he is doing well, Kabu started working for any job that he can lay his hand on to stay in Galar, but a young man wore out quickly with his wings to reach his dream snapped.

He became severely depressed that he lost all the wills for pokemon battles. He was busy maintaining his life in a foreign region and handling people's backbiting, that he forgot the purpose of why he even has to go on living like he is doing. Despite his distressed economic situations, he got drunk day after day to escape from the sad reality, but nothing helped. He started to disbelieve in himself and his potentials.

That's when his father reached him. As usual, Kabu lied that he is doing well. But his father quietly told him.

"If you are having a hard time there, always remember that you have home to return to. And even if the whole world turns cold back on you, remember you have your mother and I believe in you."

those simple but honest words woke up Kabu by far. That little fact where he has somewhere to return to gave him so much relief and consolation. After he hung up, he wept alone in his room for a long time. He felt refreshed than ever. He immediately cut off his drinking habit and started training hard with his pokemons again. He shed his old habits and mind set of power and started working on his tactics too. His passion burnt further with the fantastic match against Leon. With his efforts, he became the Gym Leader once again, and he was praised as one of the top Gym Leaders of the Galar who turned over a new leaf.

After getting back on track, Kabu dreamed of visiting Hoenn again to see his parents as a proud son. But his Gym Leader work kept him occupied that he just couldn't find the right time. His fear of losing his position again restrained him from going back to Hoenn to relax. He stayed in Galar to train and keep himself on edge. Days turned to months, and months turned to years. He rarely visited Hoenn and kept postponing his visit to his parents.

...Until it was too late.

When many years of peaceful days passed, Kabu received a call saying his parents passed away. As they were devoted to each other, they left on the same day together. He left the Hoenn at last to bid a final farewell. Unbearable heartache from regret devoured Kabu as he faced two portraits. He tried to stay as a strong Gym Leader to be the proud son as well, but he ended up not doing the basic duty of the child: Sharing his life with parents. He felt as if his bones were shattering, but he didn't just lie there crying. The flame of love that his father and mother passed on kept him firm. And all those years of hardship he went through taught him weeping and sitting down doesn't help.

After the funeral for 7 weeks, Kabu thought carefully about what to do in the airplane back to Galar. All his life he's been working hard to pursue his dream of becoming a great pokemon trainer, but upon his parents' death, questions started to brim in his mind.

So what was I stacking all this power for?

What was I burning for?

Was it just to show off?

Was it just for an honor?

Was it to become a proud son? But considering that, I ended up not able to pay the love back.

Kabu felt so much guilt of only receiving love from his parents and not repaying them with the love they deserve. And with Gym Leader work and the turmoil during his youth kept him busy, he never started a family either. It felt as if when he looked back, he had nothing to turn to. As he kept thinking in the airplane back to Galar, one thought came up in his mind.

'That's right. The least I can do to make sure my parent's love doesn't go to waste is to pass it down. I can pass down the love to who needs it the most as a legacy.'

Kabu resolved that moment. But considering people around him, there wasn't an appropriate person for him to do that. Most Gym Leaders were young of course, but they were all so mature and had a loving family. He knew it would be a hard and rough way, but there was one more option: Fostering. He was determined to help the one who is in the most need, like when Kabu was going through a hard time.

A week after Kabu returned to Galar, a video call from his great friend came. It was the most welcoming call Kabu had since the friend didn't contact him for quite a long while.

"Nanu, glad to hear from you. How have you been?"

"So-so."

Nanu was Kahuna of Alola who Kabu befriended during Nanu's trip to Galar. Professor Kukui of the same region wanted to start a Pokemon League in their place, so he was traveling around different regions to get an idea of how to run one along with other Kahunas who will be the Elite Four. Nanu grumbled in annoyance but still followed Kukui as Kahuna. At least Nanu gained one thing in Galar: A good friend called Kabu. They were about the same age and had the same interest which was pokemon, so they came close through pokemon battles and a glass of beer. Even after Nanu went back to his region, they constantly got in touch to babble old man's chat. But since quite a while ago, there was no call from Nanu whatsoever, so Kabu got a little worried. Well, until now that is.

"I heard that your parents passed away. I deeply sympathize. Sorry to hear."

"Thank you for the worries, but I'm alright now. I had plenty of times to think it over, so I have calmed down. However, I was more worried about you, honestly. What happened over 8 months? Were you busy building the League?"

"Well..."

Nanu scratched the back of his head and wore an awkward expression. Kabu was puzzled, as it wasn't the kind of expression that Nanu would normally wear.

"The plan to build the League was... abolished. For good, I guess."

Kabu was caught so off guard that he was stunned for a few moments. He couldn't believe that such a passionate professor like Kukui would throw a towel at his ambitious plan so easily.

"I... Wh... Did something bad happen?"

"Yeah... Bad. Very... Bad."

Nanu inhaled looking frazzled.

"It's actually the reason why I couldn't call for that long. Something bad happened in Alola."

"...Is it alright for me to ask why?"

Nanu seemed as if he knew the question was coming, but he sighed deeply.

"Kahuna of Melemele Island passed away."

Kabu gasped. He was shocked, as Hala was the most energetic Kahunas of all.

"His grandson has gone missing and his daughter-in-law died in an accident... His heart just gave out. After losing his mentor, Kukui was devastated and discarded whatever he was doing. The League, his research... Everything."

The Fire-type Gym Leader was lost for words. He didn't know where to start consoling.

"I... I am sorry."

"Hey, you're the one to hear sorry at the moment, right? Don't sweat it. I wasn't damaged as much as Kukui... Or the grandson."

The last words just pricked up Kabu's ears.

"Did you find him?!"

"Yeah... But in the worst condition."

Nanu shook his head as he told Kabu an unbelievable story of how the grandson of Hala was discovered in cold sleep.

Kabu couldn't imagine how ravaged the little boy was when he found out he was left alone in the world. That's when his instinct screamed him to go see that boy.

"Nanu, if it isn't too much of trouble... Would it be alright if I meet the boy?"

"Umm... Not without a purpose. He isn't fond of strangers now, you know."

"I know. But I need to."

Kabu inhaled deeply.

"I would love to foster him."

Nanu kept shaking his head saying the boy would be tough to foster as he was abandoned by the foster family twice and he isn't in good health. But Kabu insisted and pleaded, saying he will take good care of him. Nanu signed and approved, as he knew Kabu was pretty stubborn when he made up his mind and he was someone trustworthy.

In an airplane to Alola, Kabu studied the psychology of an adopted child, how to care for them, and what to expect and do. The last thing he wanted to do was to hurt the poor boy yet again due to lack of preparation. Nanu took him to the hospital, and he had a fateful encounter.

The boy was sitting on the bed quietly. Kabu was surprised at his lovely olive green hair like Oddish leaves and two round eyes like Deerling. But it tore his heart to see such an enchanting boy wasting away in sorrow. When Nanu called the boy, he looked back, and Kabu's eyes met a pair of eyes that looked like the night sky.

As soon as Kabu saw the eyes that looked like 2 black pearls, Kabu made up his mind. He wouldn't temporarily foster him. He will raise him as his own. He said he would foster him because he had to be careful with these things, but his mind was already inclined onto adoption instead of fostering.

This is the boy.

Kabu thought.

This is the child to pass down the love I've got.

Cassie Profile

Format made by @hogwartsmysterystory​

Identity

Name: Cassandra Eliza Cresswood

Gender: Female

Birth Date: February 1973

Species: Human

Blood Status: Muggleborn

Sexuality: Lesbian

Alignment: Neutral Good

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Nationality: Scottish

Residence: Glasgow, Scotland

Myer Briggs Personality Type: Defender-ISFJ-T

The Mage

1st Wand: 10", Cedar, Phoenix tail feather

2nd Wand: 10″, Ebony Oak, Horned serpent horn (made by Bianca Firahel)

Animagus: Red Squirrel with a red heart marking on the chest

Misc Magical Abilities: Legillimens

Boggart Form: Lucia dying

Riddikulus Form: Lucia dressed as a clown

Amortentia: (What do they smell like?) Strawberries, watermelon, Lavender and roasted almonds

Amortentia: (What do they smell?)  sunflowers, honey, chocolates and mint

Patronus: Flame Skimmer Dragonfly

Patronus Memory: Getting married to Lucia(Was made up until they actually did)

Mirror of Erised: She and Lucia having a happy family together

Specialized/Favourite Spells:

Protego

Carpe Retractum

Depulso

Episkey

Incarcerous

Orchideous (She used this spell to help ask out Lucia)

Appearance

Faceclaim:

Height: 5′3

Weight: 138lbs

Physique: Muscled arms, quite curvaceous

Eye Colour: Brown

Hair Colour: Red

Skin Tone: Pale

Body Modifications: Tattoo of a sunflower with multiple sunflowers wrapped around her left arm, around her stomach she has six daffodils forming a heart, In her seventh year she dyed a part of her hair blonde

Scarring: Scar going vertically down left eye, X- shaped scar on the middle of her chest and a scar on her right side of her waist

Inventory: Wand, Dragonfly Brooch gifted by her sister, a charm bracelet that matches with Lucia’s, dragonfly species books, a locket with photos of Sierra and Lucia in it, multiple songbooks  

Allegiances

Hogwarts House: Slytherin 

Ilvermorny House:Horned Serpent

Affiliations/Organizations:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Slytherin

Prefects

Arcuri Family

Professions:

Wand Maker(Briefly)

Magizoologist(Formerly)

Baker

Hogwarts Information

Class Proficiencies:

Astronomy: 5/10 (A)

Charms:  9/10 (O)

DADA: 8/10 (O)

Flying: 7/10 (E)

Herbology: 6/10 (E)

History of Magic:  5/10 (A)

Potions: 4/10 (P)

Transfiguration:8/10 (O)

Electives:

CoMC 7/10 (E)

Music:  7/10 (E)

Ancient Runes:  8/10 (O)

Quidditch: Beater

Extra Curricular:

Frog Choir

Dueling Club

Slytherin Quidditch Team(Beater)

Favourite Professors:

Professor Snape: Despite her skills at potion making being subpar, Cassie trusts Snape and his teaching, she just believes she is not suited for potion making. Snape shared her distrust of Rakepick which Cassie was relieved as many of her friends did not and he helped train her legillimency after the vault, she was also thankful for him giving Lucia the garroting gas as it saved their lives from Rakepick

Professor Flitwick: Cassie took to charms like a duck to water which she attributes to Flitwick’s kind and understanding nature which always encouraged her when she attended his classes and she always looks forward to learning any new charms from him even if she intends on using them to break the rules

Least Favourite Professors:

Rakepick: Cassie never trusted Rakepick from the outset and made this known to all her friends in an effort to keep them safe. When her true nature was revealed in the portrait vault, Cassie was not surprised but she did not expect the things she would do to them.

Professor Trelawney: Cassie does not believe in her teaching Divination, does not believe in any of her prophecies and dismisses them as pure superstition. She believes that someone who is a proven seer should teach instead.

Relationships

Sister: Sierra Arcuri(Nee Cresswood)

Muggleborn

Gryffindor

Shoulder length red hair that fades to dirty blonde, brown eyes, lithe build

Duck animagus

She is a muggle veterinarian 

Cassie is closer to Sierra than to her parents especially so after year 3, Every time Sierra returned from Hogwarts, she would regale Cassie with everything she learnt and Cassie listened with great enthusiasm every time. Sierra was the first person Cassie told about her crush on Lucia

Father: Edward Cresswood

Muggle

Buzzcut red hair, brown eyes, pudgy build

He is a entomologist 

Edward was the one who got Cassie interested in dragonflies when she was young and is very caring to his kids to a certain extent, Before year 3 he supported his daughters in everything they did and worried about how Cassie’s introvertedness could affect her. Eventually he grew hatred towards Sierra and eventually Cassie aswell for their sexualities.

Mother: Joan Cresswood

Muggle

long red hair, brown eyes, svelte build

She is a published writer

She is the reason why Edward became homophobic in that she was able to convince him that LGBT+ people are wrong to exist and just like Edward she cared about Sierra and Cassie up until that point. She believes that the magic world corrupted her daughters and made them stray from what she saw as their path.

Love Interest: Lucia Firahel

Best Friends: 

Rowan Khanna

Talbott Winger

Chiara Lobosca

Rival: Rebecca Lord ( @cursed-ice-spirits​ ) in Quidditch

Enemies:

R

Rakepick

Death Eaters

Voldemort

Dormmates: (Who’s in your MC’s dorm with them?)

Merula Snyde

Ismelda Murk

Liz Tuttle

Pets:

A Elf Owl named Syl

When she moves out into her own house, she gets a samoyed named Mayhem and three ragdoll cats named Cassia, Yuki and Pixel

Closest Canon Friends:

Rowan Khanna

Talbott Winger

Chiara Lobosca

Closest MC Friends:

Lauren Shields

Rebecca Lord ( @cursed-ice-spirits​ )

Background/History

Cassie grew up in Glasgow, she was very much an inside child always reading books whenever she could, the times she was outside it was to hunt for dragonflies that she saw in her books

When Sierra got her Hogwarts letter, Cassie was incredibly interested in all things magical and begged Sierra when she returns to tell her everything she can.

Cassie learnt about Cirilo and the cursed vaults from Sierra and became determined to prove they exist if she gets accepted to Hogwarts.

A few years later, her wish came true and she was accepted to Hogwarts where she started reading everything she could to do with magic and chose to neglect to gain any friends 

This changed in Year 2 when Lucia Firahel searched the Library for anything pertaining to the Cursed Vaults which was also what Cassie was doing, Lucia’s cheery personality and persistence in talking to Cassie broke through her antisocial exterior and it was here that Cassie developed a crush on Lucia

Next year was one of the worst years of Cassie’s life when Sierra came out to her parents who were disgusted and disowned her. This event hurt Cassie mentally and emotionally to such an extent that she avoided Lucia for weeks until she was able to sit Cassie down with the help of all her friends and find out what the problem was. Lucia promised that if living with her parents ever got too bad then she has a place at her home which increased the intensity of Cassie’s crush on Lucia

In year four Lucia asked Cassie to the celestial ball which excited her a lot until Lucia intended it as just friends which caused Cassie to be less excited but still pretty excited. 

After the ball, Cassie with encouragement from Sierra asked out Lucia though they tried to keep it secret to the school

In year five her legillimency was used by Rakepick to enter the Portrait Vault along with Lucia, Merula, Bill and Ben. When Rakepick betrayed them to say she wasn’t shocked would be very apt, fortunately Lucia was able to make Rakepick go away through the garroting gas

The next year, Cassie was relieved beyond belief when Lucia revealed she will no longer be going after the cursed vaults which meant Cassie wouldn’t have to worry about Lucia’s safety anymore

However she was scared and angry when Ben and Merula made Lucia come with them to the Forbidden Forest, a fear which she was right to have as Rakepick did try to kill them there but thankfully she failed and Lucia survived

It was also during this year that her relationship with Lucia was revealed to the school when they were caught kissing before a quidditch match

In year 7 once she turned 18 Cassie got her arm tattoo so that even if they are apart she is always fighting alongside Lucia

In the final battle against R, Cassie singlehandedly kept any members of R from interfering with Lucia and Rakepick’s duel, killing any who kept trying to do so

After she graduates, she briefly becomes a wand maker under Lucia’s mother and a part-time magizoologist before finally becoming a baker with Lucia

Four years after she graduates, she has her first daughters, Selene and Alissa with Lucia

When Voldemort returned she was openly defiant of him and joined the Order of the Phoenix. She also sheltered Muggleborns where she could and commonly was found dueling Death Eaters sent after her and her family alongside Lucia

Three years after Selene and Alissa’s birth Lucia gave birth to Aurea

Cassie took part in the Battle of Hogwarts with Lucia staying behind to protect their family. When Cassie learnt of Tonks’ death it was as if Lucia’s anger that she would have flowed into her and when the battle recommenced after the armistice ended, every death eater and creature that faced her met a gruesome end, most of the death eaters were unrecognizable at the end of the battle due to the full extent of Cassie’s attacks. Cassie survived the battle and returned home to Lucia’s relief and the two were able to live their lives in peace

Personality

Cassie is highly ambitious to an almost extreme degree, before Hogwarts she willingly chose to not befriend anyone to focus on schoolwork instead, this backfired on her in that due to the lack of social skill development she was very shy and avoided people out of shyness rather than willingly when she started Hogwarts. She eventually overcame this shyness over the years with the help of Lucia and her friends.

 She also has an incredible competitive streak that comes out when she takes part in any competition and is always seen in Quidditch especially once Lucia started watching her matches.

She struggles with emotional situations and will always leave it to others to deal with that stuff, she hates this part of her as many of her friends deal with emotional breakdowns multiple times over the years and she never knows how to help.

Once she is befriended she will never let a single bad word be said about her friends without her shutting them up and will never give up on her friends no matter what. If you aren’t her friend and you wrong her and/or her friends then never expect her to forgive or forget ever.

Misc

The names of her five daughters are; Alissa Dawn, Selene Abigail, Aurea Amara, Roxanna Amber, Rebecca Ciana and Hannah Chiara Firahel

She is fluent in English, Scottish Gaelic and Italian which Lucia taught to her

Has a pretty strong Scottish accent which never goes away with age

She’s left handed

She got her scars from a magical accident involving a spell Lucia was working on

She has a fear of bees from an incident when she threw a rock at a beehive when she was young and the swarm chased her until she got inside safely

She only joined Quidditch at first because she wanted to experience Quidditch up close but her competitive streak soon took over and she started loving it but she  never wanted to be a professional quidditch player

She was taught to sing by her sister, Sierra and was a great singer out of the gates

She’s had two dragonfly brooches in her life, the first was from her parents but after they disowned Sierra she threw it into the Black Lake 

She is really only physically affectionate with Lucia, that is not to say she is touch scared or won’t reject hugs from her friends but she won’t be the one to initiate any hugs

She is very knowledgeable about everything related to dragonflies 

She can in theory cast all three unforgivable curses 

When she graduated, she packed her stuff and left home immediately kissing Lucia in front of her parents as a big fuck you to them for how they treated Sierra and her

My Top 40 Movies of the Decade

***just my opinion***this list is not set in stone either***

1. 12 Years A Slave (2013)

What Steve McQueen has managed to do with this movie in nothing short of the best thing art is capable of. He takes the horror of humanity and turns it into a heart shattering tale of the best of humanity. A film that could have sunk easily among the brutality it contains, instead soars with Solomon’s survival. It is one of the most life-affirming, uplifting works of art I’ve ever seen. It makes you cry, it makes you shout, it makes you cheer, it makes you breathless. In short, all the things movies are best at. Not just a definitive movie, but a definitive work of art.

2. The Act of Killing (2012)

This has my vote for the best documentary film of all time. What begins as a transfixing profile of the mass murders responsible for the 1965 Indonesian genocide quickly transforms into a Brechtian nightmare as director Joshua Oppenheimer somehow convinces these men to stage scenes for a fake movie reenacting their crimes. As the film progresses you can hardly believe what you’re witnessing. Horrifying, yet you can’t look away. Oppenheimer holds your attention for every second. What’s captured for film here is truly unique, ground-breaking, soul shaking. A statement about the banality of evil as profound as Ardent’s essays. 

3. The Tree of Life (2011)

Malick has reached his final form here. An organic art form, pure cinema, visual poetry, whatever you want to call it. Nothing but a movie could be this. The images he crafts here are as close to a religious experience as I’ve ever had watching a movie, and probably ever will. In exploring childhood memories, Malick’s style perfectly matches his subject manner. He use of ellipsis and fluidity mirrors the way memories flash through our heads. It is as if we are witnessing memory directly, unfiltered. This movie will move you in ways you didn’t know a movie could. 

4. The Social Network (2010)

That Facebook movie? Hell yeah that facebook movie. What Fincher and Sorkin have managed to do is take what could be a standard biopic, or dull tech movie, and made it into an epic tale of betrayal, greed, friendship, coming of age, and identity. Ross and Reznor’s score pulses, as does the dialogue. This movie starts the instant you press play and it doesn’t let you catch your breath for one second until the very end. Endlessly quotable, perfected acted. A masterclass.

5. The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014)

What can I say about this movie? Every shot is perfect. Every joke, beat, pan, zoom. Well, I guess I’ll say this. This movie disarms with its charm, its facade. But at its heart is a wrenching tale of loss, nostalgia, and the fleeting nature of everything, especially those we love. A jewel of a film. Anderson makes sure you’re cozy and then pulls the rug out from under you, and suddenly you’re crying. 

6. The Master (2012)

Career best performances from Joaquin Phoenix and Phillip Seymour Hoffman. Lushly shot. Greenwood delivers another ground breaking score. PTA has made an aimless film about aimless characters that nevertheless is riveting. At the end, you may not know exactly how far you’ve progressed, but you’re sure glad you went on the journey. 

7. Drive (2011)

This is not an action movie. It’s a love story. The now famous dream pop soundtrack. Ryan Gosling doing so much with so little. Refn’s breathtaking cinematography. Diluted dreams. Crushed hopes. Silent gazes, filled with more emotion than dialogue could ever render.

8. The Revenant (2015)

An achievement of pure cinematic insanity. I still have no idea how they got some of these shots. A brutal, thrilling story of survival among nature’s cruelty. Inarritu’s camera is like magic in this film, uncovering the previously thought not possible. 

9. La La Land (2016)

A reinvention of a genre that somehow manages to have its cake and eat it too: a nostalgia trip that also subverts expectations. Right up there next to Singin’ in the Rain, in my book at least. How on earth was that only Chazelle’s second ever movie? 

10. The Lighthouse (2019)

TELL ME YE FOND O ME LOBSTER! WHYD YA SPILL YOUR BEANS? IF I HAD A STEAK ID FUCK IT. That about sums it up.

11. Parasite (2019)

Bong Joon Ho has made a beautifully twisted psychological thriller that is also hilarious, touching, and a lasting commentary on class and social mobility. 

12. The Florida Project (2017)

Baker’s approach of setting this story from the viewpoint of children makes it a glorious romp through a world of innocence as well as tragedy, and also makes it all the more emotionally impactful.

13. Inside Llewyn Davis (2013)

It’s all about the cat. Alongside the Coen’s mastery of dialogue and the side character, as well as the beautiful folk music, this film acts as a deeply moving portrayal of depression, and how sometimes we are our own worst enemy. 

14. Moonlight (2016)

Expertly crafted. Expertly acted. Expertly shot. A gorgeously rendered coming of age story. I’m not really the person who should speak of its importance. I’ll just say: it is. Very. A movie that will stun you. 

15. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

Practical! Effects! Yeah, that really is Tom Hardy swinging fifty feet off the ground on a pole as explosions go off behind him. A feminist, post-apocalypse, road trip movie brought to you by the director of Happy Feet and Babe 2. What more could you want?

16. Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

A wonderful celebration of childhood and of fantasy. Anderson crafts a world you want to return to again and again. Anyone else get jump scared when they realized Lucas Hedges was in this??? 

17. Arrival (2016)

I love Denis Villeneuve’s films for so many reasons. The most important I think is that he balances entertainment and artistic depth so well. Like all great scifi Arrival is not really about aliens, it’s about us. 

18. Inception (2010)

A film that runs on all cyclinders. Smart, funny, jaw dropping, just plain fun. Nolan manages to build some surprisingly moving moments as well. 

19. Gone Girl (2014)

Ah Fincher and his twists. Rosemund Pike at the top of her game. Ross and Reznor return with another gripping score. Around the narrative, Fincher creates a fascinating portrayal of the media and marriage, one with endless twists and turns. You never quite know where it’s headed.

20. Sicario (2015)

A second thing I love about Dennis Villeneuve: he does point of view characters better than anyone else. 

21. Enemy (2014)

A third thing I love about Dennis Villeneuve: he plays with genre and narrative structure unlike anyone else working right now.

22. Incendies (2010)

A fourth thing I love about Denis Villeneuve: he’s given us some of the best female lead characters this decade.

23. Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

A fifth thing I love about Denis Villeneuve: he somehow managed make a Blade Runner sequel work. Here’s hoping for Dune. 

24. The Look of Silence (2014)

The companion film of The Act of Killing. Oppenheimer does it again, this time focusing more on the victims of the genocide. Groundbreaking cinema.

25. Shame (2011)

Slow clap for Michael Fassbender. Slow clap for Carey Mulligan. Slow clap for Steven Mcqueen.

26. Hereditary (2018)

Using horror to examine mental illness and family trauma. Aster has made a new classic of genre, taking it to new heights.

27. Under The Skin (2014)

How to make a movie about an alien descended onto earth in order to capture men and engulf them in her weird black room of goo? Make a very alienation movie. Chilling. Otherworldly. Haunting. 

28. Son of Saul (2015)

In making any holocaust film there’s always the risk of feeling exploitative. Nemes’s radical camera work, focusing almost entirely on the main character’s face in close up leaves this concern in the dust. The horrors enter only at the corners of the frame, while humanity is firmly centered the whole time. An important film everyone should see. 

29. Whiplash (2014)

As visceral and heart pounding as the solos performed, the film as a whole is a perfectly made portrait of a obsession. 

30. Amour (2012)

Haneke takes his unforgiving approach and lays bare a topic with incredible emotional depth. The result is deeply moving without ever being sentimental. I’m hard pressed to find another film about old age that is this poignant. 

31. Birdman (2014)

A whirlwind of a film. A high wire act. The long takes turn it into something more akin to a play. A pretty damn good one at that. 

32. Once Upon A Time In Anatolia (2011)

What’s Chekhov doing in the 21st Century? He’s in Turkey. He name is Nuri Ceylan. 

33. The Favourite (2018)

Lanthimos turns down his style and turns up his humor. The result is the best of both worlds: a dark, twisted tale of power and a hilarious parody of monarchy and British costume drama. 

34. Phantom Thread (2018)

PTA delivers again. What could easily have been another tired tale of the obsessive artist and the woman behind him is instead a fairy tale-ish ensnaring of two people’s ineffable pull towards each other. 

35. A Hidden Life (2019)

Still fresh in my mind. Malick’s late style is given the backbone it needed in the form of a relevant tale of resistance and struggle. A meditative, prayer-like film about the power of belief. 

36. Prisoners (2013)

A sixth thing I love about Denis Villeneuve: his movies have layers, but only if you look. Otherwise, the ride is pretty great as well. 

37. Manchester By The Sea (2016)

A masterclass in doing less with more. 

38. Foxcatcher (2014)

Bennett Miller does biopics unlike anyone else. That is to say, maybe better than anyone else working today. 

39. The Witch (2015)

Eggers’s first foray into historical New England horror. A chilling commentary on the evils of puritanism.

40. The Kid With A Bike (2011)

The Dardenne brothers managed to make a gut-wrenching tale of childhood, masculinity, abandonment, the power of empathy, belonging, and redemption in 84 minutes. Here’s a suggestion. Watch this movie. Then watch it again. A better use of the same amount of time it takes to sit through The Irishman. Oh wait, no you still have 30 minutes left over. 

Room 309

Pairing: pianist!Yoongi x Reader

Genre: fluff, college!AU, badboy!AU

Summary: Rumor has it, there’s one classroom reserved for making love during school hours. And somehow, you get yourself caught in the rumor along with the self-proclaimed bad boy, Min Yoongi.

Word Count: 2k

Warnings: swearing, mentions of sex

You walked extra slowly to your most dreaded class, biology. It wasn’t that you hated the subject itself, but rather, you just hated the people you were stuck with for two hours. The snobby know-it-all, Kim Namjoon. The petty gossipers, Park Jimin, Kim Seokjin, and Jung Hoseok. The annoying guy who asked the professor too many questions, Kim Taehyung. The gamer who sat at the back of the class playing Overwatch every day, Jeon Jungkook. And of course, the bad boy of the school, Min Yoongi, whose smug, yet oddly handsome face, made you regret ever stepping foot into that class.

As a way to delay your inevitable fate, you drifted away from your usual path to class, passing classrooms you had never seen or known of. The art side of campus was beautiful, you discovered. Bright and bold posters, murals, portraits were displayed all along the walls in the halls, but nothing was striking enough to stop you in your tracks. That is, until you reached the music section of the art wing.

A faint melody lured you towards the piano room at the very end of the hallway. Something about the piano composition was melancholy, yet calm and deeply touching at the same time. Whoever was playing such a beautiful piece must’ve had a beautiful soul as well, you thought. You tried to peek inside to get a glimpse of the mysterious pianist, but the door was locked.

Not willing to give up so easily, you decided to wait and see if someone would come out before the next period of classes began. But the piano continued to sound with a new piece, just as pretty as the last one had been.

Just as the slow and soft melody came to a stop, you clapped silently to yourself and checked your phone for the time. You were too busy admiring the piano that you hadn’t realized your class had already started without you. With a regretful sigh, you walked away from the piano room to your biology class.

When you arrived to class, you tried to sneak in quietly in an attempt to avoid the Gossip Squad from noticing. The professor would simply ignore your tardiness, probably because she knew you were a good student with a legit reason for being late.

You couldn’t say the same for the boy who walked in right after you, with his smug face and earbuds blasting a rap in which you were pretty sure mentioned STDs. The whole class froze and stared as the two of you took your seats. To make things worse, the only empty seats were right next to each other, and the Gossip Squad would definitely have something to say about that.

“Wow, did you like, see Y/N and Yoongi come in together?” Hoseok scoffed.

“Not only did they come together, but they came in late together because they were probably too busy doing something else,” Jimin giggled.

“Is this another scandal of the rumored Room 309?” Seokjin was filing his nails.

“Ooh! I didn’t think goody-goody Y/N was into fuck boys like Yoongi.”

That’s because you weren’t into him. You rolled your eyes at the comment, although it did bother you that you were now part of another Room 309 rumor with Yoongi of all people.

Room 309 was basically where people fucked during school hours, or at least that’s what the rumors said. You didn’t know where the classroom was, nor were you interested in taking a visit there, but apparently Yoongi had been caught in there a bunch of times. It only made sense.

And now you were another name on a long list of people he had allegedly slept with.

Halfway through class, you gave up on listening to the professor’s monotonous lecture. You couldn't focus on taking notes anyway, since the Gossip Squad refused to quit whispering about you as Yoongi’s “secret lover”. Every time one of them would glance over to you, you’d glare back with an audible huff.

Suddenly you noticed a small folded paper had slipped onto your desk, not quite sure where it came from. You turned to your left, where Jungkook was in the middle of a heated Overwatch match. Couldn’t be him, you shook your head. You turned to your right, where Yoongi was watching you curiously. When he caught your eyes on him as well, he pointed at the paper, gesturing for you to open it.

It was a phone number. Just before you were about to crumple it into a ball and chuck it at the back of Taehyung’s head, a hand caught your arm. You gave Yoongi a look and mouthed, “What?”

He only motioned with his thumbs for you to text him. So you did, and you regretted it immediately.

3:34PM unknown “what”

3:35PM min fucking yoongi “are you a virgin?”

3:35PM Y/N “wouldnt you like to fucking know👹”

3:36PM min fucking yoongi👹 “im not asking bc i wanna sleep with you lmao”

3:37PM min fucking yoongi👹 “im asking bc it looks like somethings bothering your little virgin heart”

3:37PM min fucking yoongi👹 “its bc of the rm 309 rumor right?”

3:38PM Y/N “im not necessarily bothered by the rumor itself”

3:39PM Y/N “im just mad people think i slept with someone like you -_-”

3:40PM min fucking yoongi👹 “ouch im so hurt”

3:40PM min fucking yoongi👹 “well just fyi the easiest way to get rid of a rumor is to make it true”

3:41PM Y/N “im not gonna sleep with you😂😂😒”

3:42PM min fucking yoongi👹 “no one said you had to sweetheart”

3:42PM min fucking yoongi👹 “but if you ever change your mind, you know where to find me”

You seriously questioned why you had even bothered to text the boy in the first place. It was clear he only wanted one thing anyway.

As the lecture finally came to an end, you walked out of the class feeling so drained until a cute idea popped into your head. Since your classes were done for the day, you’d stop by the piano room again to see if the mysterious pianist was still there. Because you knew their music would certainly lift your spirit after a long day.

After grabbing your favorite Americano from the campus coffee shop, you headed over to the piano room where, sure enough, someone was playing a pretty ballad. You sat your ass down on the floor and rested your head against the wall separating you from the pianist.

It was a strange feeling. Even though you didn’t know the person behind the piano or what they even looked like, it was like love at first sound. And the romantic side of you knew that when you finally did see the pianist, it would be like meeting a lover, or at least a soulmate.

When the melody turned into a slow and soothing lullaby, you promised yourself to close your eyes only until the pianist switched to a new piece. But you were out a moment later.

-

“Y/N.” You felt someone shake your shoulder gently. Was it your soulmate?

Nope. As soon as you opened your eyes, you wanted to shut them because you certainly didn’t want Min Yoongi to be the first thing you saw when you woke up. Horrified, you almost knocked over your Americano.

“You’re actually here?” he was a mixed of confused and amused. “I was just joking about finding me here if you changed your mind, you know.”

You had no idea what he was talking about, but you suddenly noticed the piano playing had stopped. “Did you see someone leave from this room?”

“Why?”

“There was someone in there playing the piano,” you yawned. “And I really liked it… so I wanted to find out who was in there.”

“You mean you’re not here because it’s Room 309?”

Your eyes widened. Room 309? The piano room was the Room 309? You looked at the sign on the door that you had failed to previously take note of, and just as Yoongi had said, it was indeed Room 309.

“Wait, you have sex in there?” you asked with genuine innocence.

“According to the rumors, yes.”

“Are the rumors true?”

Yoongi paused before responding. He pulled out a set of keys and dangled them in front of you. “Wanna find out?”

“I’m not going in there with you,” you took an angry sip of your Americano.

“Didn’t you say you wanted to find out who was playing the piano in there?”

“Yeah, but…” you stopped yourself. Maybe this was your only chance to figure out who this mysterious pianist was. “Okay fine.” You picked up your Americano and stood up into a stretch as Yoongi unlocked the door to the piano room.

It was a lot tinier and cozier than you were expecting a piano room designated for sex to be. In fact, as soon as you stepped into the room, you forgot about the sex rumor.

At the sight of the baby grand, you gaped. It took up about a third of the room, but it was as beautiful as you had seen them on TV. Still in awe, you watched as Yoongi took a seat on the bench and offered you a hand to sit next to him.

“Do you play?” you asked in a soft tone, forgetting you were speaking with your worst enemy.

“A little,” his voice was soft as well. You had never noticed how soothing his raspy voice could be.

“Prove it,” you waited as the boy hesitantly lifted his fingers to the keys. For as confident of a fuck boy as he was, you wondered what was taking him so long.

Once he finally played the first bar of notes, however, you couldn't believe it. It was the same melody with the same intonation you had heard earlier that day. It was the same piece that you had admired and fallen in love with.

Min Yoongi. He was the mysterious pianist you had been waiting for all along. And that revelation simultaneously grossed you out and made your cheeks rosy.

“Why does everyone think you have sex in here?” you asked rather than showering the boy with compliments after he finished playing.

“Because they don’t need to know the truth.”

“You don’t want people to know you play the piano?”

Yoongi shook his head. “Not until I’m capable of reaching my goal.”

“World domination?”

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “When my music can make some kind of a difference in the world, I’ll let them know.”

A difference in the world, huh.

“You know, I used to think you were just a fuck boy who listens to songs about STDs.”

“Thanks, I get that a lot.” He also mumbled something about A to the G to the U to the STD but you ignored it.

“But, it turns out you’re a fuck boy who wants to use his music for the good of the world,” you said. “And for people to find joy and happiness when they listen to your piano.”

“That’s me.”

“Yoongi.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I come here again?” you blushed. “Just to listen to you play?”

“You like my music that much?”

You nodded.

“Of course.” You only caught a glimpse of Yoongi’s cute gummy smile before it turned into the smug face you hated. “But on one condition.”

“For the last time, I’m not sleeping with you,” you rolled your eyes.

“Not that,” he laughed. “I want you to give me feedback on my music, or shower me with compliments. Also, can I have your Americano?”

“Oh… okay,” you half-lied, handing him your drink. Sure, you didn’t mind giving feedback on his music, but there was no way in hell you’d compliment Yoongi himself. At least not for now. But if the time ever came when he needed someone to really lift his spirit, you’d be there to heal him just as his music had done for you.

“Thanks, Y/N,” he took a long sip of your Americano. “And don’t worry about the rumor. I’m sure it’ll be true some day.”

“But not today~!” You swiped your drink out of Yoongi’s veiny piano fingers and ran out of Room 309 with a giggle.

Arranged/forced marriage AU prompts

Disclaimer: These are all mine, free for grabs. All I want is for you to let me know if you write any, so that I could read it. Enjoy!

1: My father caught us having sex and he ordered me to marry you because he wouldn’t have me destroying anyone’s honor, well, that’s awkward, I don’t even know your name.

2: Your father has conquered my father’s land and I can either marry you or die, well, I’d like to keep my head where it is, thank you, but don’t think I’ll ever love you.

3: I’m a prince and you are a barbarian, they say I have to marry you for peace, god, you don’t even speak my language, go away, you animal.

4: The computer says we are a perfect match, there has to be a glitch, you’ve been my worst enemy since we were three years old.

5: I spent my life in a convent/made a promise of chastity, now the political situation of my country changed and I have to marry you, now the prospect of spending my life with you doesn’t terrify me as much as our wedding night, is there no way to consummate a marriage other than sex?

6: We’re both royalty, we’ve just been married and now we are to consummate our marriage, I’m not sure I can do it in front of six witnesses, god have mercy.

7: Well, marrying an alien was totally my life goal… NOT.

8: We have to marry for political reasons, but the whole ceremony you’ve been sobbing next to me, please stop, it’s breaking my heart.

9: Our marriage was arranged and we’ve never seen each other, now we’re meeting for the first time and damn, you are hot.

10: Our marriage was arranged and we’ve never seen each other, now we’re meeting for the first time and damn, you look nothing like the portrait, who do I kill for that?

11: I have to marry you, but I know you’ve been already married like ten times and nobody knows what’s happened to your previous spouses, sorry if it makes me a bit nervous.

12: We’ve been promised to each other since we were children and we’ve been corresponding for years, you’ve fallen in love with me, but in reality, I had my friend write the letters for me, so in fact you love him, right? This is so embarrassing.

13: Marrying each other was our dream, but now they are marrying us ritually with the intention to kill us so that we would be married in the other world, this is not how we imagined it.

14: You are a painter painting my portrait for my potential suitor and I suspect you are making me super ugly on that portrait on purpose, hey!

15: I’m the proxy groom for my lord, but I fell in love with you as soon as I saw you, I’m fucked.

16: I’m the youngest of three princes and you were supposed to ask for my oldest brother’s hand, but you asked for mine, what the fuck, also my brothers now hate me, thanks.

17: When you said you wanted to marry me, I didn’t imagine I’d become a part of a harem, but it’s fine, I’m still determined to become your one and only, no matter what I have to do.

18: My father organized a tourney and said whoever wins it wins my hand, you entered it just to annoy me but the rest of the knights were shit and you won it all, now we are both fucked.

19: I knew you didn’t want to marry me because we stole your lands and my dad killed your dad and enslaved your people and all, but when they dragged you to the altar in chains, sheesh, that’s a bit too much, isn’t it?

20: I’m marrying you after conquering your land and my subjects thought it fitting to talk about me killing enemies, and how ruthless I am, and now you’re terrified of me, but I’ve never actually killed anyone and I love tea and biscuits, how do I convince you?

21: I was supposed to marry your brother but he thought I was ugly, and you volunteered to marry me instead, do you really like me or do you just pity me?

Title Timespinner Developer Lunar Ray Games Publisher Chucklefish Release Date September 25th, 2018 Genre Metroidvania Platform PC, PS4, Vita Age Rating E for Everyone – Fantasy Violence, Sexual Themes, Mild Language Official Website

Editor’s Note: The author backed this project for $20

Ever since Symphony of the Night lit a fire under my ass, I’ve been a huge fan of the Metroidvania genre. For years I could sate my craving with several of the portable Castlevania games, but then those dried up. Since then, I have devoted a lot of time to searching for any up and coming Metroidvanias that reared their heads. So when I saw a Kickstarter inspired by such games called Timespinner, which featured a time travel hook, I had to back it. Since then I’ve patiently awaited a release date after it was successfully funded in 2014, and as of this September a release date was finally announced. Which always brings fans to a critical juncture – was the end result worth the wait for the project? I aim to answer that question today for Timespinner.

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The story starts as Lunais is undergoing a ritual to become the Messenger for her clan. It’s a very special group of people who use an ancient artifact called the Timespinner to travel through time, with the primary purpose of protecting their clan from harm. As you might expect, the outside world covets the power to control time itself, so Lunais’ clan is constantly altering time via their Messengers to stay safe. The twist is that whenever someone becomes a Messenger, they are essentially erased from history, so they can never truly return to their families. They are still welcomed back by their community at large, however. Things start to go wrong when soldiers arrive to take the Timespinner, and Lunais and her mother move to activate the Timespinner. Events escalate, and Lunais’ mother is murdered trying to protect her daughter from the cruel Emperor. Vowing vengeance, Lunais jumps back in time, violently shattering the ancient artifact in the process.

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One of the most unusual and pleasantly surprising elements of the plot is that Lunais is not your average hero. In fact, I would question whether she’s technically a hero at all. If anything, she’s a time travelling vigilante, dead set on murdering the man who killed her mother, and to hell with the consequences to the continuity of the timeline. That might sound bad, but it’s very easy to sympathize with her. After all, not only did she lose her mother, she also was erased from history, and thus is a wandering traveler bereft of friends or family. At least, that’s how she is at first. But as the story progresses, Lunais finds ways to travel between the past and the present, and in so doing comes across allies whose trust she can earn. You’re given the option to help these people by doing a variety of side quests, ranging from item fetch quests to escort missions to much more exotic tasks.

Back at your home base in the past, you can take on quests to help a band of soldiers.

Another unique aspect of Timespinner’s plot, and one that was well implemented, was the topic of gender. While Lunais’ gender is not really explored in her quest, the gender of those you help are put directly into the spotlight. There’s a pattern that many who you help are homosexual in the game, but rather than forcing the issue in a way that’s offensive and divisive, it’s done rather tactfully here. You don’t have to care about their gender, but it’s there in such a way that it won’t distract you, only inform their personalities. Hell, there’s even a duo of a dastardly succubus and incubus in the game, and they are ready for loving no matter who their caller is. Outside of this, there’s also a lot to like about the plot. While aspects of the story can be hard to follow at times, the lore of the planet Corandar is thoroughly explored, from the mysterious Bleakness which afflicts non-magical people to the divisive War of the Sisters to the tyrannical rule of Emperor Nuvius. Some of the recurring themes are the dangers of magic and technology, and how those intermingle in the game itself. There’s a lot to enjoy in the various journal entries, downloadable tablets and memories you find in the game, and it all does a great job of painting the world of Timespinner in a way that makes it stand out from other Metroidvanias.

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None of this would matter if the gameplay wasn’t fun, but thankfully Timespinner delivers on that front as well. You can tell early on that this was developed by a fan who knows what it takes to make a worthy Metroidvania. It’s very streamlined and easy to get into, but a bit trickier to master. Though the world of the game isn’t enormous, it’s large enough to get lost in, especially when you alternate between different environments in the past and present. I generally didn’t get too lost as I played, though there were a couple of times I was at wits end about how to progress. Both times involved somewhat obvious yet well hidden clues. Once I was trapped by stone-like tree roots in the present, and didn’t realize I had to travel to the same area in the past in order to burn them. Another time, I needed a keycard to proceed past locked gates, and totally missed the glimmering blink on a skeleton that held the item to it’s chest. Other than these, I mostly got through the game at a reasonable clip, managing to beat it in 7 hours.

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Besides the exploration, I need to spend some time talking about the combat in Timespinner. Though I’m sure you can play the game with mouse and keyboard, the best way to play on PC is with an XBox controller. The way Lunais fights is with various Orbs she can equip to either hand. There’s a wide variety, from up close and personal attacks to long distance and slower, more powerful Orb attacks. Once equipped, you can attack using the X button. Pressing it once fires your first Orb, and pressing it again fires your second. I generally equipped the same Orb on both hands, since that let me attack twice in a row in quick succession, or as I like to call it, machine-gunning attacks. You do have the option to equip two different Orbs at once, but I found this negatively impacted the rhythm of attacking, besides finding that there are apparently no benefits to mixing and matching. Besides her Orb attacks, Lunais can also utilize equipped necklaces to unleash powerful spell attacks. These require a bit of charging, and once charged, can be unleashed. The spells range a wide gamut, from field clearing colossal blades to raging infernos and much more. The only catch is each spell uses a bit of your magic meter, and once depleted you have to wait, as it refills pretty slowly. Jumping is handled with the A (and yes, you eventually get a double jump), and the LB is used to backdash, while RB is eventually used to dash forwards. Especially cool is that Lunais can use a fragment of the Timespinner itself, the Wheel, to temporarily freeze time! While time is stopped, you can jump on enemies like platforms, which is actually used many times to progress through the game. To keep this mechanic from being overpowered, you can’t harm enemies at all while they’re frozen. Additionally, the longer you have time frozen, the more grains of sand fall from your hourglass, and once it’s empty, you have to destroy enemies to refill it once more. It’s a smart system, and much like the rest of the game, feels well balanced. Finally, you will eventually find a relic that allows you to switch between up to 3 sets of Orbs using the LT and RT buttons, which makes combat even more dynamic.

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Further adding to the variety of combat, you can also equip a variety of stat changing armors, as well as spell necklaces. You can even craft enchanted rings that can truly change things up, providing benefits such as increased damage for consecutive hits or blades which rotate around your equipped Orbs. On top of all this, you can also gather food to heal yourself, as well as removing dangerous status ailments. By far the worst in the game is the Chaos ailment, which makes your time controlling sand drain at a precipitous rate. And finally, you will find many relics that will provide new abilities, as well as items that increase your maximum health and sand. All of these elements provide a lot of reason to keep exploring the world of Timespinner, as well as allowing the player to progress at their own speed.

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All that’s good and well, but it wouldn’t much matter if the combat wasn’t fun. Thankfully, as you may have surmised, the combat in Timespinner is great. It’s fluid and challenging, and the variety of monsters keeps you on your toes. That goes double for the massive boss fights, which are all very entertaining as well as being distinct from each other. Best of all, Timespinner avoids the trap many Metroidvanias fall into, which is emulating SOTN so much that many of the bosses and foes come across as rehash. Not so here. The bosses all have a lot of flair, and my favorites were those which verged on the truly demonic side, such as the powerful Golden Idol, the unholy Maw of Asmodeus, or perhaps best of all, the hideous avian corpse, Xarion. While it’s true I got through most of the fights without dying once, there’s still enough challenge to keep you from getting complacent, and there are at least a handful of truly challenging boss fights that I died against multiple times.

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It wouldn’t be fair not to touch on the visual style of the game, which would be right at home on the SNES or the PS1 or PS2. The sprites in the game are all bursting with life, especially the 2D portraits used for conversations. I especially found myself admiring the art for the various creatures in the game, which start out comical and get more and more creepy as it progresses. The crawling Flesh Arachnids are a standout, though I also enjoyed the wide array of avian Cheveur species. On the musical front, there’s a strong somber note that pervades the game, which is fitting considering the backstory for our heroine, Lunais. Each area in the game is given life by a beautiful soundtrack, and they range the gamut from energetic to eerie. Put together, the visual elements of the game do a great job of giving nuance to a beautiful yet bleak world.

You’ll also find a variety of familiars in your quest, but few as cute as Meyef the dragon.

While it’s true so far I’ve only had glowing praise for Timespinner, I do need to mention some small complaints. While it’s true this is a well made Metroidvania by someone who knows how to do them justice, there are some issues. One is that, despite traveling back and forth between maps in two different timelines, the game is relatively short. I only took 7 hours because I got lost for a couple of them. You could easily beat Timespinner on Normal in around 4-5 hours. That’s short, even for this genre, where most of them take 8-12 hours. Another issue is that, while you have a ton of customization options for combat, many of them feel irrelevant. Leveling up your Orbs doesn’t seem to increase their attack power very much, and leveling up Lunais herself only really seems to boost her health and sand meters. Furthermore, many of the slower Orbs just feel irrelevant when you can equip rapid fire ones for attacking. While it’s true you can reference the bestiary for the weaknesses of enemies, it’s easier just to go with speed and power and not worry overmuch about specific foes. Other than these, though, I had no major complaints.

One of the things Lunais struggles with is whether or not to alter history to serve her own ends.

Though I only spent 7 hours with Timespinner, there are features to keep players coming back for more. One is that there are 4 different endings in the game. Towards the climax you can make a choice, and depending on it, you will unlock different paths towards the final battle. The catch is that doing so locks you out of the other choices in the same save file, which provides good incentive to try out the New Game+. Another reason to keep playing is that there’s a super dungeon called the Temporal Gyre. It’s totally optional to tackle, but after beating the game once, I am very tempted to play again. If you truly want to challenge yourself, there’s also the unlockable Nightmare Mode, which is sure to make those less difficult boss fights much more of a struggle. This is one of those Metroidvanias that does many things right, and it inspired me enough that I’ll keep on playing til I get 100%. I really want to get all those achievements as well, since after beating it I only had about half of them. Overall, I was quite pleased with Timespinner. It’s hard to go wrong for $19.99, especially if you’re a fan of the genre. It wasn’t perfect, but it satisfied this longtime Metroidvania fan. I find myself eagerly looking forward to what else Lunar Ray Games has up their sleeves with future projects.

No matter what Metroidvania, there’s a cardinal rule – don’t trust sexy demons.

[easyreview cat1title=”Overall” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″]

Author Received Review Copy for Backing the Project

REVIEW: Timespinner Title Timespinner

Persona 4 Remains An All-Time Great RPG 10 Years Later; A Celebration Of Its Legacy

http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=6760 Persona 4 Remains An All-Time Great RPG 10 Years Later; A Celebration Of Its Legacy - http://www.internetunleashed.co.uk/?p=6760 It may not have been known at the time, but in July 2008, Japan received what would be remembered as one of the greatest role-playing games of all time. Over the course of a decade, Persona 4 has become more than just an incredibly fun RPG with a refined battle system and quirky characters, though. A story about Japanese high school students confronting their worst fears, fighting for what's right, and becoming the best of friends spawned a lasting legacy that has empowered the people who played it and continually inspired new games. Our love for Persona 4 has kept it alive for so long with several fighting games, two anime adaptations, an adorable (and difficult) spin-off RPG, and even a rhythm game. And after 10 years, we're still seeing our good friends from Inaba in a new light.For the uninitiated, Persona 4's foundation closely resembles that of its predecessor, Persona 3. You're a transfer student new to a school surrounded by unusual circumstances; supernatural phenomena that endanger your new hometown is the crux to the overarching mystery. On a typical day, you go to class, do extracurricular activities, and try to grow closer to those around town and at school. Better yourself through hobbies or take on a part-time job, it's up to you how to pass the time. In particular, Persona 4 takes you to a fictional rural town of Inaba where the biggest thing to happen before your arrival was the opening of a Junes department store (think Super Walmart, but with an infectious jingle). Even your little cousin Nanako is utterly convinced that every day's great at your Junes, and begs you and her dad to take her there like it's the greatest place on earth.Sure sounds like all fun and games until you and your new friends become the centerpiece for a dark murder mystery and an absolutely perplexing world that lives behind TV screens. At first, it's not quite clear why outlandish versions of certain townsfolk inexplicably pop up on TV sets and go missing on rainy midnights. The one way to get to the bottom of this, to actually jump into a TV screen to enter the shadow world where the other half of Persona 4 comes into play.Aha! Is this our chance? It's time for an All-Out Attack!While dungeon crawling and sneaking up on shadows through randomly generated floors make up the exploration, an intricate turn-based combat system is where you'll find excellence in gameplay. Most enemies have elemental weaknesses which factor into how you construct your party and devise a tactical approach. Sounds par for the course in an RPG, but the unique press-turn system that Shin Megami Tensei is known for shines brighter than it had previously by giving you full control to pull off flashy, effective attacks. Receiving a bonus attack after targeting a weakness before enemies get a turn is endlessly satisfying, especially as dungeons become inhabited by trickier, stronger shadows.A story about Japanese high school students confronting their worst fears, fighting for what's right, and becoming the best of friends spawned a lasting legacy that has empowered the people who played it and continually inspired new games.However, nothing in battle matches the joy of seeing your crew team up for the most adorable, yet devastating All-Out Attacks, a franchise staple. Everyone in the party piles on heavy damage that usually puts an end to the fight, and you sense their ferocity in character portraits that pop up just before everyone jumps in. A cloud of dust erupts as they whale on enemies, sometimes popping out of the chaos only to jump back in for another hit, and all you need to do is watch as they take care of business. If you're lucky, someone will offer a follow-up attack turn-free; and it should be taken as fact that nothing is as absurdly cute as Chie's galactic punt where she literally kicks an enemy into outer space (her kung fu DVDs really paid off). Even in battle, everyone's distinct personality isn't lost or put off to the side, which highlights Persona 4’s greatest accomplishment: its commitment to a relentless charm embodied by this cast of misfits.So effortlessly does Persona 4 merge the two pillars of a social simulation and traditional RPG; nothing feels disconnected, how days are spent matters. These two realities feed into each other, and Igor--the series-long, omniscient owner of the ethereal Velvet Room--alludes to this up front: true strength is born from the bonds you form. The power of friendship is a prevalent trope in similar stories, but to have that power manifest as a tangible benefit in combat gives us further reason to invest in relationships. I call back to how Rise came in clutch to buff the party or cast healing during tough boss fights, or when Yukiko dealt the final blow casting Agidyne using her final-form persona with the last bit of SP: moments like these solidify the feeling that my companions really do have my back in times of need.Gas up your scooter 'cause we're going on a road trip!From the mother who wishes for acceptance from her stepson to your basketball teammate who finds it impossible to live up to his adopted family's legacy, these vignettes serve to tell very human stories. We help Nanako open up to her dad about his lack of presence and break through Uncle Dojima's hard-boiled temperament to reveal an empathetic father who constantly struggles with his wife's death and his job as a detective. In the end, a heartwarming father-daughter scene results in a newfound commitment to family. Other social links struck a more personal nerve.This cast harbors the painful secrets that so many teenagers and young adults repress, and it carries the perceptions and labels society puts upon them. These are the burdens everyone bears throughout Persona 4, but burdens that no one has to bear alone.When Yosuke overlooks Inaba, the town he once hated, and realizes that what makes him happy is the people he's surrounded by rather than big city glamour, I felt that. Even though Kanji maintains the tough guy attitude, he eventually embraces his sewing skills and love for cute plushies--as he began to handcraft toys for kids around town, I sensed a big, cathartic middle finger to societal expectations for masculinity. Naoto's strive for justice, as the genius detective, makes a firm statement against workplace gender discrimination. Life as an idol sure sounds great, until Rise decides she needs to walk away from stardom for her own sanity. As endearing as Chie's and Yukiko's friendship, their dynamic evolved and reached new heights after confronting their shadow-selves, leading to more open and honest relationship.This cast harbors the painful secrets that so many teenagers and young adults repress, and it carries the perceptions and labels society puts upon them. These are the burdens everyone bears throughout Persona 4, but burdens that no one has to bear alone. The TV world and Midnight Channel work not just as metaphors for the fear of what you think everyone sees in you, but to illustrate the sense of imprisonment and helplessness that's born from it. And by navigating the maze-like dungeons and crushing enemies, the crew breaks through obstacles to finally support each other in overcoming their monumental insecurities. Many of the game's pieces sound silly on paper, but they all come together to inspire you before you know it.When spread across 100+ hours of play-time, spanning an in-game calendar year, you're given room to breathe and let events, big and small, sink in. Moments of levity work alongside the more heartfelt revelations, which creates an ingenious balancing act. To its benefit, the game never takes itself too serious. Persona 4's greatness lies in its execution and presentation; story, gameplay, visual style, and its soundtrack all complement each other to elevate beyond the sum of its parts.Persona 4 wouldn't be the same game without the masterful composition of series composer Shoji Meguro. A collection of J-pop, J-rock, and catchy instrumentals make for incredible tracks on their own, but the right song at the right time elevates the emotional impact. As soon as I hear the brass horns start up for the track that plays during social links, I can't help but smile and sense the fun being had between characters. The boss battle theme of "I'll Face Myself" instills a feeling of danger, but also the determination to defeat your worst enemies. And the emblematic battle theme "Reach Out To The Truth" is such an uplifting song that brings back all my memories of this game. Sometimes I look outside my own house and "Heartbeat, Heartbreak" pops into my head on cloudy days and "Your Affection" when the sun shines. Music isn't relegated to just the background, and it cannot be overstated how evocative its soundtrack has been throughout the years.For all Persona 4's inspirational moments and pushes for social progressivism, we can't turn a blind eye to where it gets things wrong; to truly love something is to also recognize its flaws. By no means is it perfect when it comes to the portrayal of certain social groups and character conduct. Teddie himself exhibits unscrupulous behavior that can easily be interpreted as harassment, and it's never really confronted. Despite the personally uplifting story of Kanji, his sexual ambiguity is occasionally used as a punchline, and his shadow self can be seen as too over-the-top. Certain insensitive decisions can be made in relation to Naoto's struggle with gender identity; the interpretation of her character continues to be a point of contention to this day. And as time has gone on, the less amusing the cross-dressing pageant scene has become. To its credit, a Japanese game from 2008 was willing to explore subjects often seen as taboo; it misses the mark in critical moments, but there's value in its earnest effort. Regardless, some jokes weren't necessary to be humorous and it would've been much better without them.Despite all its absurdity, Persona 4 is grounded with thoughts and feelings that so accurately resemble our own; it's a human experience, one that many games aim for, but rarely come close to capturing.The sheer number of games that spawned afterward speaks to the love we've shared for this game. A PS Vita exclusive remaster, Persona 4 Golden, launched in 2012 as the definitive version; it refines core mechanics and includes a slew of meaningful additions. Along with new songs that perfectly fit the original soundtrack, Chie's new voice actress (Erin Fitzgerald) brought a whole new life into an already-beloved character and truly captured the spirit of Persona 4's best girl. A whole extra dungeon, an important new character, additional social link events, and new tag-team attacks round out Golden as the definitive version.An anime adaptation premiered in 2011, and another based on the remastered game released in 2014. Although it's difficult to capture an RPG in a condensed format, the anime offered a new way to experience the journey. Persona Q: Shadow of the Labyrinth brought along our buddies from Persona 3 into the mix in a wonderfully executed dungeon crawler RPG on 3DS--it bursts with charm as chibi versions of these two beloved casts band together to fight evil and have a good time. I'd also say Q features the best introductory theme and video in all the franchise. If the fan service wasn't already good enough, Persona 4: Dancing All Night leveraged the beautiful soundtrack for a delightful (and admittedly ridiculous) rhythm game--hearing my favorite songs remastered and remixed is a real treat.BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle brings back our friends at Yasogami High to meet the casts of BlazBlue, Under Night, and RWBY.Persona lends itself so well to fighting games that Arc System Works took up creating a 2D fighter in Persona 4 Arena, which remained true to both the developer's fighting game philosophy and the spirit of the source material. Persona 4 Arena Ultimax built on that foundation even further. And just this year, ArcSys circled back on Persona 4 by crossing worlds with BlazBlue, Under Night In-Birth, and RWBY in BlazBlue Cross Tag Battle. Each of these fighters introduced new characters and storylines, and were included in the fighting game community's biggest stages. Rarely, if ever, does a single entry in a larger franchise spin off in so many different directions, but thankfully, it's helped keep our Persona 4 love alive all these years later.After becoming personally invested in their journey that started it all and pouring all that time into seeing them grow, it was genuinely hard to say goodbye as the credits rolled and the ending theme "Never More" began to play. In the decade since the original game, we were fortunate to see the charming group of knuckleheads time and time again in so many different games. It's almost silly to think that a group of fictional Japanese high school students could empower us to be better, but Persona 4 has given me, and countless others, boundless joy and also an opportunity for self-reflection. Yes, I played an incredible RPG, but what I saw was a group of best friends pulling for each other to become stronger people and make the world a better place. Despite all its absurdity, Persona 4 is grounded with thoughts and feelings that so accurately resemble our own; it's a human experience, one that many games aim for, but rarely come close to capturing. Source link

5 Professional Product Photography Tips

As the digital marketplace grows, the demand for good content and eye catching media increases with it. More and more brands and entrepreneurs are taking the photography in-house to keep up with demand, while keeping production costs down.

As a product photographer recognizing the need for assistance, I wanted take the time to share 5 key thoughts and tips that could be useful.

1. Product photography tells a story, but are you telling the right story?

Every detail in the frame communicates something to the audience, and makes them feel a certain way (i.e, the light, the tonality, the point of focus, the composition, etc.) So be aware and be intentional.

Understand color theory, and use it to your advantage

Color alone can be a great tool to create a sense of harmony, trust, craftsmanship or luxury… or in the same way, it can create a sense of high stimulation, fast paced energy and tension.

Color is also a great way to re-enforce the brand. Color is an amazingly sensitive visual tool for communication. The same tones can communicate very different emotions when paired with another color. The 2 images below are an example of emotional difference between red against white, and red against black. The image on the left should make you feel happy, safe, fresh, and clean… while the image on the right should make you feel a little seduced, mysterious, and a little more risky.

It’s just light

This is another one of nature’s incredible gifts that is so simple, yet so complicated for a lot of us to understand (let alone master). It can be our best friend, or our worst enemy. However, one of the beautiful things about product photography is the fact that usually products are shot in studio, and we are in control of it. So, DON’T over think it.

I often start with one light, then build from there. It’s easy to get caught up using our brain to imagine/predict how the light will fall on a subject rather than simply use our eyes. Working with one light source at a time allows you to see what each light is doing, and often saves a lot of time problem solving (i.e., detecting unwanted reflections, shadows, etc.).

See light with your eyes, and not with your mind… but stay “artistical!”

Product Photography is much less artistic than it is technical, especially with catalog photography. However, when shooting “conceptual,” you can get “artistical.” Either way, when it comes to light, be sure and study what it’s doing, and look at your product and consider the following:

Does the lighting bring the focus to the branding, and provide clear visibility to the logo?

Does the light accentuate the shapes and design materials used and or does it mask them?

Does it convey the mood you are going for? Below is an example of how light will dictate the overall feel.

2. Natural Light vs. Artificial: There is no right or wrong, there is simply whats best for the job at hand.

Natural Light

Advantages:

A natural window scene can be a simple and inexpensive solution for beautifully lit product shots, especially if your going for a more natural & organic look and feel. Just style and shoot! (great for social media, e-commerce, and many other media outputs).

Disadvantages:

Less control of the light- Natural light changes constantly, therefore everything changes constantly (i.e, color, mood, camera settings, etc.).

Natural Light can lead to longer exposure times or higher iso settings (creating unwanted noise/grain).

can create problems with unwanted ambient light (reflections, mixing color sources, etc.)

If you are planning on shooting a whole catalog of product images, you will likely be facing an uphill battle when it comes to consistency and color matching.

An example of the final point: if you photograph a lovely woman’s purse in a warm morning window light setting, it will most likely look great! However, if you are photographing a whole line of purses in the same setting, the look will dramatically change throughout the day… and then the sun starts to go down just when you’re on a roll… and then you need to add ambient light, and then everything goes down hill, and then the retoucher no longer likes the photographer. Just saying.

Here is an example of how lighting can vary the overall feel. The natural like feels very familiar and approachable, while the studio lighting is used to make all of the textures and tones pop… you can almost taste each cocktail!

Artificial Light

Advantages:

Output consistency – Consistent lighting in product photography is key for many reasons.

When your shooting catalog product photography, it is very important that the color balance is accurate throughout, and this can only be achieved with a constant light source. Also, if you ever need to re-create your set for either a repeat client or look you loved and want to match, you can record your lighting/camera settings and pick up right where you left off.

In a more styled or conceptual setting, lighting consistency matters greatly, as is common to work on one shot for many hours… and if your light keep changing on you as you work, you will find yourself working in circles. Not fun or productive.

Control – When it comes to artificial light, there are tons and tons of tools, modifiers and techniques to shape light. This will allow much more flexibility to either get creative or to find the most flattering and ideal light that suites your subject and look.

Disadvantage:

Cost – Some of the lower end lighting gear is pretty affordable, however even then it all adds up. The higher end gear can get very expensive. The reality is, your needs may not require a bunch of studio lighting, and there are ways to save costs and get inventive with the natural light around you. At the end of the day, light is light.

Space – When it comes to lighting a set, you often find yourselves in a space that is too small with ceilings that are just never high enough. Artificial lighting requires light stands, boom arms, and plenty of other grip equipment. This can take up a ton of space, and quit often, space that you may not have to give up.

Learning – Depending on the size of your team or experience with the equipment, it can be a bit overwhelming learning all of the gear. I recommend getting to know your needs, and trying before buying.

The image on the left is an example of splash being used to speak to the cleansing nature of the product. The image on the right is an example of someone using splash techniques just because they can. 3. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.

Trendy filter effects

Often times, when we see cool lighting or a splash technique, film filter, or other trendy effects, we naturally feel the urge to use it, but does it fit the brand’s identity or the product’s purpose? If so, go for it, if not, just be true to the brand and you will stand out that way.

Also, these filters tend to disregard all of the hard work that went into color balancing and brand consistency.

Product and Prop Styling

Styling a set is a challenge, a real craft, and it requires a skilled eye and a good amount of patience. It is something that gets over looked by many, but here are a few things to keep in mind:

Less is more. Respect the negative space- it can create a nice simple backdrop for copy or other design elements.

Props, they have a purpose, but they are not the hero. Keep an eye on what goes into the frame, and be careful not to over-clutter or take away from the product.

Mind your surfaces. Surfaces can be a nice and simple way to place a product in a scene that queues a sense of place, and speaks to the brand’s target audience. On the flip-side, a roll of a solid colored seamless paper can be a great “go-to” for clean & simple silo shots.

Be mindful of the legibility of product labels and brand logos.

Bringing in a local prop stylist that understands the brand can relieve so much stress, save time, and can dramatically improve the shot.

4. Tell the story, visually.

I always approach my subjects with the brand in mind, then the designer, then the messaging. I like capture the details and the story or a product, just as a portrait photographer would with their model.

In every line, every curve, every movement and every bit of texture of a well-designed product has character and purpose, and it should be captured. When I look at a good product photograph, I get a sense of how it feels, how it smells, and in some cases how it sounds (i.e, fizz from a fresh carbonated beverage or the soft ticking of a wrist watch).

5. Shoot, edit, print, edit, print.

I think the process of printing work, living with it for a day or two, revisiting it, tweaking it, then re-printing it tends to be more and more of an impractical task in our fast past world; however, I think it is a practice that you will find very rewarding in the end, even if the end goal is never to print.

Viewing a print is a much different experience than viewing a digital display. I find that pinning a work print up on a wall and stepping back and reviewing it reveals things that all to often get missed when viewing only on screen. This process is invaluable when working on a large catalog!

Last but not least, seeing all of your previous and current projects up on a wall as a whole allows you to easily see the brand’s uniformity, and quickly detect when something feels off.

About the author: David Butler is a commercial product & still life photographer and digital artist specializing in high-end luxury products and other forms of natural still life. To see more of his work, head over to his website, check out his blog, or follow him on Instagram. This post was also published here.

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