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olegloshkin-blog · 6 years ago

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First experience developing a game.

Hey there!

I’m Oleg Loshkin, a Game Dev student currently studying Games Programming at the SAE Institute in Geneva. I’ve got a brief background in illustration and after finishing up my current training I intend on studying Entrepreneurship with the goal to become an Entrepreneur in the Swiss video games industry.

For this post I’m going to talk about a recent experience relating to game development which is my first experience in leading a game development team for a 3 months project during the first three weeks, until the stage of having a game prototype which is the stage our team is at during the making of this post.

To give you some context, the SAE Institute is a multimedia private school that offers training in Game Art and Game Programming. I am currently studying in the latter section.

By the end of the first year we are tasked with the creation of a full fledged game that is to be put on Steam and actually sold.

The process begins with people from different sections of the school being put in small teams of three people and two weeks later, the team pitches their idea for the game.

Based on that pitch, half the teams are eliminated and those without a project are to find a place in one of the remaining teams.

One week after that, all teams must showcase a prototype of their game and this is where the scope of this post ends.

Now, this is exactly the kind of experience I needed to acquire considering my aspirations, and so far, the project has taught me a LOT.

I am a pretty introverted person. I have only started to come out of my shell a few years ago, and having to lead a team, organizing people, making or sometimes enforcing decisions, ensuring that things get done on time is quite a deviation from my usual way or doing things.

So let’s start from the beginning: the game’s pitch.

Since I wanted to make the most of this experience, I’ve ended up being the one to take the leading role in our small initial team, and we ended up going with my suggestion for the game’s base idea: a platformer where you play a dinosaur heroine that chews chewing gum. That was the base idea.

From there on we started developing that basic idea and… we went waaaaay too far with it.

By the end of the first week we had “plans”, if you can call it that, to make a platformer meets an RPG that meets a brawler with waaaaaay too many features and gameplay mechanics that we would never have the time to implement in just three months. We were just excited to make a cool new game and just didn’t have the experience to realize that the ambition was set way too high.

Thankfully, we had access to some professional, heart blending yet true feedback in the shape of our Game Programming teacher who during our first meeting with him promptly destroyed all these exceedingly high expectations.

When you’re that invested in a project, even if you get ready for it, it always hurts to hear people point out the obvious flaws in your project, and the worst part is that when the feedback is true, you really don’t have the easy resort of just saying “That person’s doesn’t know what they’re talking about, I’m right, I’m gonna do things my way!”.

You’ve got no other choice other than suck it up and do what is necessary to address the issues even if it means abandoning aspects of the project you were really looking forwards to.

So by the end of the first two weeks, instead of a huge orgy of features of a game, we were left with a simple, yet doable project: a platformer where you play around with a chewing gum as a toy. No overly complicated story, no excessive amount of irrelevant characters and a simple and concise gameplay.

Then comes the pitching session. It might be an odd idea for players but for game developers, the pitch of a game is one of the most crucial elements of a game: this is the sole element that determines whether a game will exist or will disappear.

No Man’s Sky has demonstrated this idea perfectly: what has driven the project’s development wasn’t the mechanics or the gameplay footage nor was it the company working on the game.

The game gained it’s hype through it’s pitching, so much so that when the actual game came out, people were disappointed to discover the shortfalls of the project, having built up an amazing idea of the game in their mind only to discover that in reality, game development is much harder than just making promises.

Needless to say, keeping all that in mind put on me quite a pressure: whether the project lived or died relied on my performance in front of the jury. By the end of the pitching session, only half the projects would be kept alive, and considering the projects of other teams, there were quite a competition.

I had done writing the presentation the day before and just barely had my speech down. Leading up to our team’s turn I was on edge and the speech kept flying out of my mind.

Once it was our team’s turn, I walked out in front of the class with the mental state similar to getting ready to get hit by a truck. Yet once the presentation started, under the effect of the adrenaline (and Xanax I had taken earlier), everything just came back up whenever I needed it.

I went though the presentation smoothly, and while I didn’t perform the presentation with the eloquence of a Hollywood actor, I didn’t mess up the presentation by standing in front of the class like a deer on a highway in front of a car as I feared I would.

A few stressful hours later, the results were announced: we were not eliminated!

My reaction to these news was in hindsight quite funny:

“Oh sweet we’re not eliminated, wooahoo!”

”...”

”Wait. Oh no. We’re not eliminated, that means I’ll have to be the lead on this project for over two more months!”

As satisfying as the temporary victory was, the stress leading up to this moment had taken quite a toll on me.

But for now, I had no time to process any of it as everyone moved on to a session of brief interviews where the members of the eliminated teams had the occasion to talk with those that were left, suggest their candidature and get the team’s mails to later get into contact with them.

A brief note before I move on with the recruiting segment of the project’s timeline:

There were quite some talented artists that worked on the presentations of the other teams. There was a team for instance with gorgeous artistic direction showcased during the presentation, a team that has been eliminated to everyone’s surprise.

The team had by far the best visual presentation of their project, but they were nonetheless eliminated: The presentation wasn’t timed well.

While it was very clear, it was just way too long, and by the end of the five minutes they had to show off their project, there was still a lot of the presentation to be done with key elements like marketing. The team just didn’t have the time to say everything they wanted.

As a result, the jury just wasn’t able to attribute any consideration to various aspects of the project and therefore eliminated the team to everyone’s surprise.

This is a very good example of the importance of the pitch: if the team had the time to complete their presentation, they’d certainly be amongst the confirmed projects.

But back to recruiting. One thing that quickly became obvious to me over the recruitment period that lasted a few days is that you shouldn’t be asking for very specific roles when recruiting. We were looking for an Environment Artist, a Game Designer, a Games Programmer and a Technical Game Designer.

However, as people started joining the team, different configurations of roles would make more sense than others, so much so that an artist that initially proposed their candidature for the post Environment Artist ended up being a Character Artist.

Depending on the people you “hire”, the dynamics of the team changes and the roles of the different people in your team need to be switched around, so it is much better to just ask for “an artist” or “a programmer” rather than for a very specific role.

As we started to work together as a team of 8 people, things got much more difficult.

We have pretty much been accepting every candidature sent our way and in the end we’ve ended up with people of very different skills, very different schedules, very different work styles and different habits of communication.

As a result, in order to allow everyone to work as a team properly, as a manager I had to put a lot of effort into tracking everyone’s availabilities and progress, and I had to spend a lot of time just keeping everyone up to date with the project’s current state. In itself that isn’t particularly problematic.

In the end however, if working in a team with four people working at 25% yields a 100% total performance, producing the same effort in a team with two people working at 50% instead would yield more than 100% total performance.

A smaller team means that communication is much easier, there’s much less need to get everyone’s agreement to take a decision and you’re less likely to have to wait for a coworker you need to talk with to show up for work . All these factors mean that the same effort would produce more total progress since more of the effort is spent on the actual work and less on communication.

For these reasons, it is better to hire a few invested people rather than a lot of average people.

This situation, with way too many cooks cooking the broth has been worsened by an organization problem. Prior to having multiple Game Programmers in the team, I was the only one coding. Once the new teammates have arrived, I had been already concentrating on management rather than on code but the system I had laid down for the Game Programmers was way too complex and not documented enough for them to use it properly.

As a result, over the next week of the project the feature implementation followed the same bad pattern: I’d ask for a feature to be implemented. The feature would be done completely detached from the system that I had laid down. I would discard the work done by the programmers and redo the code myself integrated in the system.

This has led to a lot of frustration from both sides. The programmers were discouraged by constantly getting their efforts thrown into the bin and I was frustrated from feeling like I had to do the work my coworkers were supposed to be doing all the while exhausting myself and not leaving me any time to live a life.

This completely killed communication during a few days leading to the release of the prototype as I had no more time available to do my manager’s duties.

In the end however, we’ve successfully showcased our prototype, and whilst we have gotten a fair bit of negative feedback, we’ve also received some good ones.

From there on we’re currently rethinking the way our team is organized to remedy the problematic situation and so far things are going much better.

In conclusion, the start of this project has already taught me a whole lot and my general disposition as a project lead has changed. I have become more exigent, am going straight to the point and am much empathetic towards my teammates.

#gamedev

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lycorogue · 6 years ago

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Meet My OCs: Willow (Part 5 – Stories)

You still with me? You are friggen awesome!

Just two more to go! This post and the next one, which will be a post showcasing some fun wrestling entrances I created for my husband’s WWE13 game.

Before we really get into this post, though, how about a quick recap of this series thus far?

Part 1: Introduction to the series, as well as explanations of the real-world influences that helped me create my two story worlds of Gyateara and Glitches. Part 2: Explaining the inspirations that birthed each of my four main Gyateara characters. Part 3a: Same, but for my four main teenage Glitches characters. Part 3b: How I reworked 6 canonical X-Men characters into the Glitches main supportive cast of six adult characters.

Meet Willow mini-series:

Part 1: Willow’s background, personally overview, and powers. Part 2: Willow’s main relationships. Part 3: Willow’s history on the X-Future game, and how it will translate to Glitches Part 4: Willow visuals; fanart, commissioned art, and fashion design games

Now you get a bit more into Willow’s head via 5 writing samples. Two are adaptations of the play-by-post game itself, and three others are side-story narratives. Check below to read them.

The Set-up: An example of the Willow/Devon dynamic before Devon left to join The Brotherhood, leaving Willow feeling betrayed.

Word Count: 1174

- Mutual Teasing -

Labored breaths fell in rhythm with pounding footfalls. The humidity of the summer day settled on the thick lawn that was a few days past needing a mow. Broken blades of grass stuck to two sets of sneakers. Their path was already visible behind them with the wet greenery staying crushed under their tread.

"There!" Willow panted as her fingers brushed Devon's shoulder. "Finally caught your ass." She gargled some sticky saliva and spat it to her side. She braced herself with her hands on her knees as she took a long breath. Moving her hands to her waist, she exhaled and arched backwards before flopping onto the grass. The budding dew cooled her bare legs.

Devon allowed one foot to slide out on the grass and landed beside Willow. He thumbed his nose and coughed the burn out of his lungs.

"Worn out already?" he laughed. "I thought you do street running or fast running or Perk-ore or whatever."

Willow leaned back on her elbows, tossed her short silver hair out of her face, and focused on Devon out of the corners of her aquamarine eyes. She clicked her tongue against her teeth before huffing a sarcastic laugh.

"First: you're an ass. Second: how the hell did you grow up in Brooklyn and not know what Free-running is? Also, it's pronounced Parkour."

"Eh, whatever. You knew what I meant."

Willow let her arms give out beneath her and stretched across the grass. She closed her eyes and flicked Devon in the wrist as her fingers brushed his skin.

"Hey!" Devon pulled away before smirking and skirting around to her head. Kneeling at her shoulders, he pinned her arms. "How am I the ass when you're the athlete who can't handle a quick game of tag?"

The fifteen-year-old opened her eyes again, only to squint them as if she were trying to stare at the sun. It kept her a couple of seconds to adjust to Devon's exotic brown eyes only being a couple inches away. The flecks of color embedded in the cocoa of his irises flickered a rainbow of reds, golds, greens, and oranges as if Devon's eyes were kaleidoscopes.

Abruptly, Willow killed the silence by blowing on Devon's nose. Instinctively, the seventeen-year-old pulled a hand away to rub the itch she caused. With Devon distracted for a couple of seconds, Willow easily slid her other arm free, twisted into a sitting position, and flicked him in the forehead all as one fluid motion.

"You're an ass because your 'quick game' lasted over an hour with barely any breaks. Plus, your mild healing power increases your endurance. No lung or muscle burn means running is easier. Simple science confirms your assness. Boom." She motioned her hand like she was dropping something, and the image of a three-inch atomic bomb appeared, complete with a mushroom cloud explosion when the bomb disappeared into the grass.

"Bah, you're just a sore loser." Devon tilted to his side and rolled onto his back. "So, whaja wanna do now?"

"Sun's down. We should probably start heading back." Willow stood and brushed the moisture off herself.

"Sun's down," Willow's voice parroted back to her, "We should probably start heading back."

Willow turned to see herself lying in the grass, one leg hooked over a bent knee, kicking slightly.

"I hate when you do that." The real Willow tucked her hair back to make sure Devon saw her full glare.

Imitation Willow laughed in Devon's baritone. Her long, slender legs shimmered as they became quickly covered in heavy denim jeans. Her petite chest broadened and her pale skin darkened to an olive-tone. Finally, her heart-shaped face, framed by an asymmetrical bob, shifted into Devon's chiseled jaw with spiky brown locks; his nondescript features returned, again suggesting that he was somehow all races at once.

"Come on," Devon said once he was back to his normal form, "you secretly love having a twin."

Three Willows formed out of the air behind the original. In unison, all four replied, "I could be however many I want. All you do is simple mockery."

One of the false three walked over to Devon and knelt beside him. She rubbed his chest and stroked his jaw with a silky smile across her face. The original Willow stepped to the side of the other two in order to give Devon an unobscured view.

"I can do more than mimicry though," the real Willow cooed.

The two illusions that stayed behind turned to each other and moved in for an embrace and kiss. Before their lips met, they transformed into Devon sloppily making out with himself.

The seductive Willow illusion still stroking Devon's chest burst into laughter. The real Willow joined suit. With a flick of her wrist, the illusionary Devons were only in matching white boxers with hearts on them. One Devon grabbed the other's ass.

"There we go," Willow snorted, "much better. Don't you think? Oh, and a goosing too. You frisky devil."

Devon smirked. "I think I'm damn handsome actually, and would gladly make out with myself given the chance. I also think you secretly want to see me in those." He gestured towards the boxers and winked at the real Willow. He then tapped the illusion Willow on her nose to disperse her; breaking Willow's spell.

Willow huffed as she waved her hand as if erasing the illusion of the making-out Devons. They too vanished, leaving only the original Willow and Devon alone in the field.

"Well, I think you have too high of an opinion of yourself." Willow crossed her arms in front of her and pouted; her fun ruined. "Like I'd want anything to do with you and your boxers."

Devon stood up and chuckled. "Say what you want. Your illusion showed me all I needed to know."

"Shut up! I was trying to mess with you."

"Would have worked if you got some details right." Devon dramatically shrugged with his arms out to his sides. "For starters, you clearly don't know how make-out sessions work."

"Y-yes I do!" She blushed. "I was purposely making it bad to imply that you're a bad kisser."

Devon shoved his hands deep in his pockets before walking over to Willow and leaning in close. "Want me to show you how well I kiss?" He wagged his eyebrows at her.

Willow's face flushed. "No! Gross! I'd probably have to teach you anyway." She stepped back and hugged herself. Her face scrunched up like she smelled a used diaper.

"You also got the boxers wrong. I go commando. Makes the morphing easier with less clothing. In fact, who's to say if I'm wearing any actual clothing right now?"

"Ewww!" Willow shoved him further away from her and started running back to the dorms.

"But I would totally sport only those white boxers with the hearts if that's what you're into," Devon teased, chasing after her. "And when should I expect those make-out lessons?"

"Hate you, Devon!" She playfully called back.

"You love me," he laughed.

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The Set-up:

Devon returned to the X-Men after spending two years with The Brotherhood of Mutants. Until the X-Men can decide if they can trust him, Devon is in a holding cell hidden under the Xavier Institute. Willow, feeling conflicted on the return of her former best friend and crush, decided to visit Devon to get some answers of her own. The answer she got was that he wasn't part of the attack on the Xavier Institute; he didn't even know about it until months later, and he grieved the presumed loss of his friends. He had every intention of simply infiltrating The Brotherhood and coming back to the X-Men as a spy to prove his worth to the X-Men. This is a sample from the larger story “Please, Let Me Explain” co-authored by me and Devon's creator Ronoxym.

Word Count: 843

- Can't You Be The Bad Guy? -

She peeked over her shoulder and back at Devon before turning fully around. "I saw what you did in the Danger Room. I was so intrigued by the idea of your first DR run that I made sure to set up shop in the observation deck. I watched the whole thing: wandering the desert, saving Penny, getting knocked out, waking up in what you thought was the infirmary before being convinced that you were going on an actual mission, going up against The Brotherhood again, and taking out Lookout once Pyro offered you info on your parents. It was a mean trick, but it seemed to seal your coffin well enough."

"I really wish you hadn't seen that." He shied away, ashamed at his behavior, but also growing angry at the reminder of the cruel misdirection. That session had ruined his life.

"Yeah, well, I did. I was so mad. I hadn't known you for long, but I thought I knew you pretty well. Even after the thing with Marge in the DR, I tried to come up with an explanation. But then you flee before the place blows? You had betrayed us to The Brotherhood and clearly didn't care about us any longer. My life for the past two years was hating you to no end. Vowing that I'd avenge Hedge. That I'd get payback for the other three lives you took. So, tell me, Devon, if you are as innocent as you claim, how doesn't that make the last two years of my life worse?"

Devon looked bewildered by her question. He had figured that being innocent would always make things better, not worse. Willow didn't miss a beat in informing him otherwise.

"Don't you get it? I just spent the past two years of my life hating you! Despising you! Having nightmares about you! I had a sickening sense of betrayal whenever I thought about you - even the few good times we had. I had emotional breakdowns and loathed my best friend for the past two years over a misunderstanding? That's supposed to cheer me up? I blamed you for four deaths you had nothing to do with? That's supposed to lift my spirits? Do you realize how much I put myself through because I thought I was the one who drove you to it? I mean, I was the one who convinced you to try out the DR in the first place! If I hadn't suggested it to Wolverine then maybe you wouldn't have left. Now knowing that I just might be right about that fact is supposed to perk me up?"

She started screaming at him as she wept. "The amount of time I wasted hating my best friend. The amount of energy I dedicated to hardening my heart to you. The days of self-loathing because I thought I put you up to it, or because - to this day – I'm still pissed off at Cyclops for tricking you like that! You were the enemy! Cyclops was right about you, and he was justified in testing you in the DR instead of letting you betray us in the field. Yet I still hated him for such a horrible ploy. Then I felt guilty for siding with a foe instead of a professor."

She hung her head and her hair spilled from behind her ears, hiding her right eye. It was manic whenever Trish's hair fell into her face, but it was sweet and a bit heart-wrenching when Willow's silvery-white locks drifted into hers. Devon just wanted to brush them away from her eyes, and help dry her tears. It pained him to the core that he caused her such grief.

Her voice cracked as she breathed out the next sentence. "It's just easier on me if you really were the bad guy. So, just- can you just give me that?"

Devon had no clue how to respond. They stood in silence for a few minutes - Devon staring at Willow as she focused on her own feet - before she finally ran out of the room. Mirroring Devon when he left the institute two years prior, Willow didn't bother to look back or say goodbye.

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The Set-up: Nyssa, Devon, and Zeke just defected to the X-Men from The Brotherhood. Willow has not taken kindly to the trio, and is particularly harsh with Devon. Nyssa, Devon's unofficial girlfriend, decides to take it upon herself to get Willow to chill. This story is a companion piece to X-Future.

Word Count: 1613

- It Is So On! -

Willow sighed and flopped on to her bed. "What do ya want, Nys?"

The blonde slammed the door closed behind her. "We need to talk about Devon."

Willow squeezed her eyes closed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "No, we don't. We really, really don't."

"Yes, we do." Nys' voice was firm, like a scolding school teacher. "Or at the very least you're going to hear what I have to say."

Willow opened one eye to glance over at Nys. The girl had a stubborn determination. Willow could already tell that she was in a losing battle. She closed her eyes and waved Nys on.

"You need to lay off him," Nys demanded.

Willow loudly drew in a hissy breath. On the loud exhale she rebutted, "How about nope?" She then rolled off her bed and walked over to her desk. "Well, that was fun. Buh-bye now."

Nys bit the inside of her cheeks and folded her arms. "Are you this hostile to everyone?"

Willow swung out her leg as she pivoted on her opposite heel, and then gracefully landed in her chair. "Only potential threats," she said matter-of-factly. "Ya know, like former members of an organization that already blew up this school once."

Nys stormed over to the desk. "That's not fair! First of all, none of us had anything to do with that! We weren't even members back then. Secondly, The Brotherhood had lied to us and kept us in the dark the entire time we were with them. None of us are actually bad people."

Willow cocked an eyebrow. She carefully watched as Nys took a few steps back and sank on to the bed. The blonde's harshness melted as she slumped on the soft surface.

"Look." For the first time Nys' voice was soft and a bit defeated as she studied her woven fingers. "Zeke is a bit simple minded, but he's really just a huge teddy bear. He's devoted and loyal as long as you treat him well, and he really just wants to be a good person. He's actually pretty devastated that he was part of a terrorist group. Well, we all are, honestly. Anyway, Zeke doesn't deserve you or anyone else here harassing him about his past."

"Yeah, okay, don't pick on the humanoid St. Bernard. Whatever." Willow made a display of yawning before she checked her desk clock. "Weren't you invading my room in order to talk to me about the Traitor Supreme?"

Nys vaulted off Willow's bed and got up in the younger girl's face. "Never ever refer to him like that!" she snarled.

Willow leaned back and shot her finger up at Nys. "Ah, there we are. Full circle back to rage. Fascinating how that works." She crossed her legs, and again casually waved for Nys to continue. "Well, if I have to hear this, can you at least move it along?"

"Move it along? Move it along! Are you kidding me right now?" Nys slammed her hand on the desk beside Willow. "Listen up, bitch, and listen carefully. You want this short? I'll make it simple for you then. Leave. Us. Alone. Easy enough for you?"

Willow scoffed and pivoted her chair so she had space to stand up. Nys caught the armrest and swung the chair back to center Willow on her. Holding firmly to each side of the chair, Nys leaned in close. "Don't mess with me, skank."

"Excuse me?" Willow knitted her eyebrows in disbelief and shifted her weight to one side, ready to sweep kick Nys away from her if need be.

"Don't pick on Zeke," Nys continued completely undeterred. "And certainly do not harass Devon. Don't be mean to him. Don't treat him harshly. Don't call him names. And never call him a traitor again! You would be lucky to have a loyal friend like him!"

"Loyal?" Willow's voice cracked as it was torn between yelling and laughing. Her face hardened. In a quick movement she simultaneously shoved Nys away from her and stood up fast enough to kick the chair behind her. "Now listen up here, sweetheart." She spat out the last word as if it were a curse. "I already had Devon as a friend, and let me tell you, it was far from lucky. Plus, he was about as loyal as a pet tiger. So it's time for you to sit down and listen to Teacher."

Nys rolled her shoulders and took a step back so her nose wasn't practically brushing Willow's. The silver-haired girl clenched her jaw as she growled through her teeth. "That jerk caused nothing but chaos when he left. And I certainly didn't feel his loyalty, or feel lucky to have been his friend. You want to know what I did feel? I felt lost. Betrayed. Hatred. So, you can keep him as a friend. 'Cuz I certainly don't want it."

The blonde shifted, gently tilting her head and calculating. "You liked him," she finally guessed after a few heartbeats.

"What?" Willow stiffened her back and glowered.

Nys struggled to keep the smile from tugging on her lips. "You did, didn't you?" She scanned her adversary as she softened her stance. "That's why you're so hard on him. He broke your heart when he left."

The belly laugh filled the room. Hugging her stomach, Willow snorted before she was able to recompose herself. She held up her hand apologetically as she took deep breaths to calm the giggles. "I'm sorry, but Devon? Devon St. James? That punk kid? Break my heart?" She guffawed and quickly muffled it with a hand. "Yeah, alright, ya got me. He intrigued me a little, and I may have thought he was kinda cute. That's it." She fought against smiling and it was killing her cheeks. "Broke my heart. You're so cute. Look, I was with someone then, and I'm with someone now. I wouldn't want Devon St. James ever. Hate to break it to ya." Willow winked at Nys and giggled a bit more.

"Oh, right, dating someone." Nys stared at a patch of wall just past Willow's shoulder. Her voice was distant as she tried to grab at a passing memory. "That Chayse guy, right?"

Half of Willow's face pulled up in a smile as she cocked a hip. "Yeah. Chayse. Someone way better than that runaway douchebag. Yet another reason your little Don Juan scenario would never happen."

Nys' eyes bore down on Willow for yet again disrespecting Devon. Taking a couple long breaths, she calmed herself. Something about the younger girl seemed a bit off balance since it was suggested that she had a crush on Devon; maybe even loved him. Nys decided to take a stab in the dark: that the images Lia had seen during their battle were at least based on truth. "This oh-so-fantastic Chayse guy, he was with that Lia girl before, am I right?"

Willow's chuckles quickly died. She scowled and again stiffened her back. "Watch it."

"Yeah, I think I heard that the two of them were actually a cute couple for a while. Then you stole him away from her with your slutty feminine wiles." Nys smirked and her eyes twinkled.

"Listen here, Tinkerbell," Willow shot forward to get right in Nys' face. She poked the girl in the shoulder to accentuate her point. "Don't go around talking about shit you know nothing about."

Nys casually gave a sideways glance at Willow's poking. As if swatting a fly, she brushed the younger girl's hand away. "I also heard something about you creating unnecessary chaos between that Irish couple."

Willow gave Nys a shove. "I told you to stop."

Nys stumbled back and landed on Willow's bed. She quickly crossed her legs and leaned back as if she had intended to sit down anyway. "Seems to me you enjoy causing needless drama among happy couples."

The slap echoed throughout the room. Nys gripped the side of her face, knowing a handprint would show up in due time. Willow remained in the follow through of her swing. Her breaths were slow but heavy. "I said," Willow growled, "stop it."

Nys pushed Willow out of the way so she could stand up. The two stared each other down for a good minute. Nys was the one who finally broke the silence. "Listen, bitch, I don't care if you despise Devon or love him. He's mine and you're not going to cause drama between us. Try all you want, but keep in mind that I have my own way of getting into someone's head." Glaring, Nys released some of her pheromones and Willow became lightheaded.

After a little wobbling, Willow allowed herself to collapse on to her bed. Nys smirked and let up on her powers. "Just a little taste. You'll be fine in a minute or two. Open the window to help that along." She walked over to the door and stopped with it half open. "Trust me, mess with Devon anymore and I'll make it ten times worse for you."

Nys slammed the door behind her when she left. Right on cue, Willow's eyes refocused. She stared down her bedroom door and imagined the blonde that just left. Her fingers still tingled from slapping the girl. Willow studied them before clenching her hand in to a fist. "Challenge accepted, Nys. Challenge accepted."

------------------------------

The Set-Up: The villain Agony managed to force Willow onto a weird sub-set of the Astral Plane in order for the two of them to battle. After a few scuffles, Agony drops some blood onto the “ground” of their battle field, and “crew” three copies of herself. Willow, using her illusion ability, did the same: creating 3 copies of herself. During the four-on-four battle, Agony circled the Willows, who are grouped together with their backs to each other. The Agonies formed scythes in each of their hands, meanwhile, Willow had her and her copies form daggers and shields. This is an adaptation of an actual X-Future role play scene

Word Count: 1358

- I am a Badass -

Boy, did I screw myself over by not keeping one hand free. I couldn't vault myself like I normally would as Agony and her copies each swiped at us with their scythes. The best I could do was an aerial spin.

I jumped up, pulled in as tight as I could with the dagger and shield, and spun a bit so I was above the high blade. I came down just as Agony's clone's scythe finished it's swing. I managed to land on the blade and push it down to the ground. My illusionary selves mimicked me as we all land on the scythes and pin them to the ground. Unfortunately, I don't know if it was my clones or Agony's that were out of sync, but the duplicate behind me had her left shin badly sliced on her landing. Her balance off, she missed pinning the scythe of her Agony, and she nearly took out the Willow to my right.

My focus shifted for a half-second as I watched the girls tumble into each other. I made a mental note to watch my back for the free scythe. Lowering my weight to make sure the scythe I was standing on was pinned, I smirked at the Agony in front of me, my dagger out towards her throat.

“Your move, Kaiba.” I mocked.

Agony grinned and took a step forward, driving my dagger through her neck. Before I could register that she was obviously one of Agony's illusionary duplicates, blue “blood” sprayed out of the woman's neck; coating me. I guarded my face with the shield, and took an instinctive step back.

I wasn't pinning her scythe any longer, but it doesn't seem to matter as the injured Agony dropped to the ground and 'died.' The other two illusionary Agonys vanished as well, leaving my copies dazed as their fighting partners disappeared. Regaining our bearings, my illusionary clones and I all turn to the real Agony.

She didn't seem to care about her scythe any longer, dropping it to the ground, and letting the psy energy dissolve back into the atmosphere. Instead, Agony threw back her head and laughed.

Even with the shield, the spray had come at me too fast to block it all. I still had some of it on my face and shoulders. I kept my eyes on Agony as I tried to wipe the blood off me. The second I touched the blue goop it started to glow. Its pulsating felt like my own heartbeat pushing through my skin.

“What the hell!?” I chanced looking away from Agony for a moment as I inspected the damage. The pulsating blue blood glowed brighter. Startled, I tossed my shield to the side, and frantically attempted to brush the liquid off at all. I only managed to spread it onto my clean hand, and then down my unsoiled arms. No matter what, the blood won't clean off; like it was attached to me now. My hurried swipes became noticeably slower, and my head grew heavy, as if I were tranquilized. I dropped to my knees, and my head swayed and bobbled as I struggled to stay alert. My only thought was Seriously? This is how I'm going out?

“You. Bitch.” I coughed out; dropping onto my hands as well.

"Soon you will be fully paralyzed, then I'll have you at my mercy." Agony smirked as she folded her arms across her chest, waiting for the inevitable.

My three duplicates stared at me as I collapsed, completely baffled. Morons. That's when I figured that maybe them being dumbfounded was actually in my favor. Agony doesn't seem to be paying much attention to them anymore.

Go! I mentally whispered to them. Move! Help!

I was frozen; pinned to the floor. My body wouldn't move.

Agony took a step towards me, and held out her hand. The weird blue blood finally peeled off of me like liquid metal being pulled by a magnet in Agony's hand. As it pooled on her palm, it solidified into a crystalline dagger.

Help, I plead once more to my illusions. They had to be listening to me, right? Agony kneeled down in front of me, pulled her arm back, and as she swung her arm down to plunge the dagger into my back, my clones finally leapt at her.

“What the hell?” Agony bellowed as my illusionary duplicates pinned her in place, pulling back on the hand with the dagger. “How are your petty illusions moving on their own?” She struggled for a few seconds before smiling down at me. “No matter. This won't hold me for long.” She closed her eyes, relaxed her struggle slightly, and concentrated on her breathing.

Moving on their own? It didn't make sense to me that she'd be so confused by that fact. Oh, right! Her illusions moved completely in unison with her! They could only mirror. She can't create autonomous clones!

I made a mental note to use that fact against her, assuming I survived long enough for that knowledge to prove useful.

“They're not real!” Agony's voice squeaked with a twinge of pain as she started struggling harder against my duplicates again. “They are not real!” She screamed.

Oh, shit! That was it. Agony knew my weakness. Disbelieving in my illusions dispelled them. The only things literally holding her back from killing me would be gone any second now. I was doomed. I clenched my eyes closed and focused on getting my body to move.

Move! Move! Damn it, move your big toe! It worked for Uma Thurman in Kill Bill! Now do it!

“They are not real!” Agony yelled again. Her eyes flew open and stared down her attackers. “You are not real! What is going on? Why are you still here?”

Opening my eyes, I struggled to arch my neck to see. All three illusions truly were still fighting back against Agony as she frantically squirmed against them. I was clueless as to how that was possible. Was there some part of her brain that sincerely believed the clones were there? Was that why she couldn't dispel them?

That was when my eye caught the shin of the copy that was hit by the scythe earlier. Blood was trickling down her leg.

Holy shit! I couldn't believe what I was seeing. They're real? They're really real? Oh. Em. Gee! I'm so friggen hard core!

The blood trickling down my illusion's shin had a purple hint to it. Same as the shading of the actual Astral Plane. That's when I truly realized what happened. The damn things were more psi-weapons! Just in human form! You can't dispel psi-weapons!

I made another mental note: when I'm on the astral plane, any illusion I create is a friggen psi-weapon!

My humanoid psi-friggen-weapons pulled harder back on Agony.

“Get off me! You're not real! You're not supposed to be here anymore! How are you still here?” Agony twisted more against the clones, panic starting to draw onto her face.

The copy that had Agony's wrist yanked harder on her hand to make Agony's grip loosen. My copy leaned in close to Agony's ear.

“We're all still here-” the clone said.

“-because I am-” continued the clone yanking on Agony's shoulders to bend her arms back away from me.

“-a mother-effing badass!” the injured duplicate finished, then sucker-punched Agony in the gut.

------------------------------

The Set-Up: Willow unintentionally finds Lia hiding in the community bathroom. Lia blames herself for Annika/Judgment's possible death, as well as Devon's death (although technically, he's still alive), and Liam's. This is an adaptation of an actual X-Future role play scene.

Word Count: 1390

- Check the Ego -

“Oh, hun, no.” Willow dropped to her knees in front of Lia, who was curled up on the floor, hugging her legs. Willow placed her hands on Lia's to try to get her attention. “No, none of that is your fault. None of it! Do you hear me? You were fifteen when Annika left. What could you have possibly done? As for a last week? She was trying to kill you! You did what you had to in order to survive. If she is dead, it's her fault, not yours!” Willow moved her hands to Lia's face, and pulled her head up so Lia was looking in Willow's eyes.

“And both times Devon left were his own fault. He was the one that didn't want to include us. How could you possibly think you were responsible for that moron's actions? As for Liam? From what I gathered, you weren't anywhere near him. Know who was? That asshole Roscoe. Ya know, the guy who pretended to be Liam's BFF only to literally stab him in the back? Why? Why do you take all of this on? It's not your fault!”

Lia choked down tears in a sobbing hiccup. With the heel of her hand, she blotted away the few drops that pooled in her eyes. Despite Willow still holding her face, Lia refused to look in her friend's eyes, looking down to her arms instead.

“I-I dunno. I dunno why I feel guilty. Why do I feel guilty? What's wrong with me? I- I just can't help but feel like I failed, like I could have done something, like I could have done more. If only I could have gotten through to them. If I were better at understanding people. If I were better at my own powers. But I just keep failing. I keep proving to the world that it got left behind an inferior model. And-” Lia's eyes shoot up to meet Willow's. Her hands whipped to cover her mouth, a loud gasp attempting to suck up the next sentence back into her throat.

Willow's eyes slowly widened as realization washed over her. Abruptly, she ripped her hands away from Lia's face as Willow sprung up to tower over her.

“You're not your mom!” Willow shouted, wildly gesturing, uncaring that Lia's father was waiting for her just outside the bathroom door. He needed to hear this ridiculousness too. “Christ, girl, lower your ego a bit, huh? Is that really what this is all about?”

Lia gasped again at Willow's harsh words, glaring a little at her supposed friend. Willow didn't care, she hoped she was pissing Lia off; make up for how pissed off Lia just made her. “Seriously. Everyone looks at poor, little, emo Lia whining about how useless she is, and we all think 'Why does she have such low self esteem?' I should have known better. I should have known this whole thing was actually because your ego is way too big!”

Lia shifted awkwardly on the bathroom floor tiles, but Willow stepped closer so Lia had no room to rise; to move away from hearing this truth.

“Lia, you have no control over the world. You're not that powerful; you'll never be that powerful, so dial it down, 'kay? The world doesn't revolve around you. These bad things aren't some weird karma directed at you. The world isn't mad at you for not being your mom. Christ, not even your mom was that important to the world. So, come on, get over yourself. You are you. You are as good as you can be; you train hard for that. Learn from your downfalls and improve. Don't mope. Don't cry in your emo corner. No one else cares. No one else blames you. So stop inflating your ego thinking that everyone depends on you. You're not anyone's mom here, you're not even your own mom. So knock it off!”

Willow bent down to grab Lia's hand, and pulled her to her feet. Before Lia could catch her bearings, Willow had her in a tight embrace.

In a softer tone, Willow muttered one last thought in Lia's ear. “So, you gonna go back out in the world and learn? Or are you gonna stay in here and hide some more? Because I still need a shower, and Chayse is probably wondering were the hell I am.” Willow leaned away from Lia and gave her a gentle smile. Patting Lia on the cheek, Willow gathered up her supplies and headed towards the shower stalls.

Lia sniffled, her head hung. Tears spilled over this time, and she didn't bother attempting to wipe them away. “What's the point? You said it yourself, no one depends on me. Probably because they can't trust that I can do any good. What's the point of staying here to learn any more? I'm no hero. I can't help anyone here.”

The tiles squeaked as Willow skidded to a halt. Rage filled her face as she whipped around and stormed back over to Lia.

“Seriously?” Willow screamed in Lia's face, mere inches from her roommate's nose. She then leaned back and crossed her arms, her hip cocked as Willow stared Lia down. “Seriously. Alright. Fine. We're doing this then. Whatever. Sure. Sure, you're useless. You haven't saved anyone. Sure. Ignore the fact that it was because of you that Devon, Nyssa, and Zeke joined the team in the first place. But nope. You don't reach anyone.” Willow smacked her lips to resist smacking Lia. “Ignore the fact that, for the limited time Lincoln was here, he seemed the most calm and at peace whenever he was around you. Nope. You're useless. Right.” Willow took a step away from Lia, rolled her shoulders, and gave up trying to keep her voice low. “We'll also forget that we were able to capture Lighter in the first place because you stopped her single-handedly from turning all of us into fried chicken.” She was waving her arms wildly now, pacing in front of Lia like a lioness cutting off a gazelle's retreat. “Chayse tries to be better not because his parents berate him, but because you do. Ripley found an anchor here - excuse the pun - and rejoined society because of you.” Willow roughly poked Lia in the shoulder before throwing up her hands over her head. “But, nope. Nope. You are useless. No one needs you here. You're just wasting everyone's time. Sure. Sounds about right.”

Willow shook her head and stomped over to the bathroom door. She held it open and motioned to Lia's father standing guard in the hallway.

“Your dad's right here. Do you want to tell him that you want to move back to your old home, or should I? Because I sure would hate for my time to be further wasted by you,” she snapped out sarcastically.

Concerned, Jamie timidly poked his head through the community bathroom door, and glanced over at his daughter. “Lia? Baby, you okay? What's going on between you two?”

“Oh, nothing much, Mr. Madrox,” Willow spat out as she glared over her shoulder at Lia, “just your daughter whining again because she's not a 'hero,' which apparently everyone else in this school is. Cuz, ya know, I've stopped tons of arch villains myself. Same with Crystal, and Tyler, and Colette, and Alister, and Sasha, and dozens more. Yup. We're all big bad superheroes ready to join up with SHIELD and the Avengers; leaving her behind.” She fully turned and screamed back into the bathroom. “Right, Lia? So, what's the point in staying here? Lord, it's all or nothing with your ego, isn't it?” Willow shook her head, and shoved the bathroom door as open as it would go before storming out.

“Ya know what,” Willow muttered over her shoulder, “Screw the shower. It could never clean this grime off me anyway. Such bullshit.” A few stomps down the corridor, Willow pivoted and shouted back to the bathroom. “Just let me know where I'm shipping your shit!” Spinning on her heel, Willow stormed back to her bedroom.

------------------------------

WOW! There... was... a lot of Devon in there... >_> Hubby doesn’t really write anything terribly in-depth, so most of the Willow/Chayse role play is “off-screen”, things like “They go on a trip to Japan for a couple of weeks” or “They nurse each other back to health after a tough battle” or “He takes her to a secluded place for a picnic of Cajun food he made himself.”

Ronoxym, on the other hand, did a LOT of dialog-focused role play with Willow, and he was the one who came up with the concept for “Please, Let Me Explain” so I guess it makes sense that most of my Willow examples center around Devon....

Anyway, one last post to go! Who’s ready to see some fun wrestling entrance videos?

#writing #LycoRogue writing #OCs #Meet My OCs #Meet Willow #long post #Glitches #Willow Driver #Willow #narratives #stories #scenes #short stories #Devon St. James #series post #9 out of ?#updates every other Sunday #LycoRogue original

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runnning-outof-time · 2 years ago

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Lee!!!! Oh my goodness, this story!!!! You never fail to serve us such amazing and creative ideas!!! Thank you so much for writing this for my celebration. 🥰❤️ I’m sorry it took me a few days to get to it, but I wanted to take my time with reading it and give you a fair review. I love how you used the song subtly throughout the story. I caught into the lines that you took from the song, and I think you very cleverly showed how both John and Emma were ‘spinning out waiting’ for the other person at different points in the story.

I absolutely loved the world that you created with this story. It was so cool to see how you took canon and wove it into this very intriguing dynamic. I also love how you made the story span over time without making it feel like it dragged on. I didn’t really realize how much time had passed between the start and the finish because it all flowed so very well.

I love that you jumped right into the story, too. The argument that John and Martha had must’ve been brutal, and surely justified. No woman wanted to hear that their sweetheart had enlisted, and in turn, no man wanted to break that news to the person they loved. I love how you described it as essentially an argument that was just happening to happen...that John didn’t like/agree with the things he was saying as he said them, but he said them anyway. This part: While she was home embroidering her wedding veil, he had dashed her hopes for their future. broke my heart when I pictured it. This must’ve been the case for so many women back then and I just can’t imagine being told that.

The part after he went to Emma hurt my heart as well. This: He knew last night wasn’t the end of their engagement and he hoped Martha would wait for him until the fighting was done. made me mad at John...not gonna lie. I felt so bad for Emma, who from the second she was introduced, I knew she was a caring person, because she’d been used and then seemingly discarded just like that. She opened her door/house for him and he took what he wanted and left. I could imagine that happening under the circumstances he was in, but that thought that I included...wow. It seemed like Emma was out of his mind just like that 💔💔

I loved that you included Polly’s letter to him and that we got to see how it was announced to him. This: the shy girl with dark hair. is literally ME btw 🤣🤣 also this: Although I didn’t want to believe her, the child’s eyes are Shelby blue and can’t possibly be denied. was the most perfect way that she could have broke it to him. Those Shelby men and their eyes *sigh* 😌

It was interesting to see him go right to Tommy with this problem, and It didn’t surprise me to hear that Tommy was going to be the one to solve it. That seemed to be a running theme between Tommy and John in the show and I love that you showcased here.

And how he solved it...😳😳‼️‼️ Lee...when I tell you that I gasped when I read this: “Tommy’s daughter,” Polly clarified, looking at John pointedly. and then my eyes almost fell out of my head because I was like this 😳😳 after reading this: “Well, now I suppose everyone in the family knows….We were married last month.” OH MY GOODNESS, LEE!!!! The plot thickened immensely and so very quickly there!! Wow!!! It was so interesting to see it from John’s perspective, especially after finding out that he originally didn’t question it when Tommy first came back because he knew not to question Tommy.

But I’m glad that he did question him when he returned to France, because now I was ready for any scrap of info about the meeting that Tommy and Emma shared. And boy, did you deliver the tea, Lee!!! This: However, standing in her kitchen, staring into her hypnotizing eyes and listening to her soothing voice, he had a change of heart. made me giggle because I immediately thought: ‘Emma’s really good at capturing those Shelby boys, isn’t she??’ 🤣🤣 I could just imagine Tommy being awestruck by her after being stuck in the mud and the dark for so long.

I thought that this: He decided then to ask her to marry him, promising to raise his brother’s child as his own and to care for them both with all his heart. was very selfless and also selfish of him. It was selfless because he was stepping in for his brother so that he could have a chance at the life he was hoping for...but I also kind of find it selfish because he wasn’t quite giving Emma a say in it all...I guess she accepted his proposal, so there’s her say, but is it truly?? We see that she still has feelings for John, so this could have also just been a way to save face for her...whereas with Tommy he went right to marriage.

I did love this: Tommy’s blue eyes looked wild even in the dim light. Now that Emma was his wife he didn’t want there to be any gossip about her. though. It shows that even though he really hadn’t had much of a relationship built with her, he still cared a lot about Emma, and that makes my heart want to explode 🥺😩

This part: When Lucy stood next to her cot, the resemblance in the eyes was unmistakeable. broke my heart too, along with the pieces where we see that maybe John and Emma still want each other/want to be with each other...even if at this time Emma’s wanting it a little more because John’s too enamored with Martha. I love how you keep bringing the detail of the eyes back. It’s something that should seem so obvious because Tommy and John’s eyes are very different...I wonder if any of the other family members caught onto it 🤔🤔🤔

Another part where my heart broke for Emma was where you showed how her relationship with Tommy was after he came back. This: He’d promised her so much more the day he proposed. Had it been a lie, she wondered? hurt because it so clearly spells out her doubt in the decision that was made to save face...especially in the way that you contrasted it with the amount of love that John and Martha were showing each other.

Martha’s death also hurt my heart because John was so clearly heartbroken and spiraling there, especially with the two young children he had. I love that you included that Samuel wouldn’t have made it without Emma. It truly shows how selfless of a person she is that she’d be willing to do that despite the hurt that she still held in her heart about how everything went down been them.

And then it came down to the final scene. Lee...this scene was amazing!!! The dialogue and the mannerisms and the thoughts that you shared with us were utter perfection!! 😩😩😩 this part: ...she remembered the night like this one so many years ago when he’d come to her desperate and heartbroken. this part ruined me because it was an almost direct parallel to the first night they spent together, and I glad that she realized that even though he was finally showing her the attention that she craved from him.

This: “John, I’ve loved you since we were children and I think I always will. Lucy is the proof of that love, but it’s too late for us. I’m not the one who needs your loyalty now. Tommy needs you more.” this did me in 😩😩😩 again, it shows how selfless of a person Emma is in the sense that even though she still clearly has feelings for John, she’s willing to put them away and lock that door for the greater good of the family...because she knows that if they go through with what John seems to be hinting at, major waves will be caused throughout the family.

And there is no way more perfect or earth shattering that you could have ended it other than this: “It’s what’s best for the family, John.” ... “For the family.” 😶😶😶 I have no words...just that this was amazing!! Well done, Lee!!

It felt bittersweet to me almost at the end there...and I’m craving to know what happens next with them. Does John go on and marry Esme in the fashion that happens in season 1? If that does happen, how does Emma feel about that, knowing that Tommy also orchestrated that marriage to take place? Speaking of Emma and Tommy...does their relationship get mended over time as Tommy rises in the enterprises that he takes over? And what about Lucy?...how much does she know, does she learn, as she grows up? I didn’t mean to bombard you with these questions but I’m just very curious haha.

Thanks so much again for writing this amazing story for me, Lee!! Like I said before, your ability to create such unique and intriguing words and storylines never fails to amaze me!! I feel honored that you wrote this for me haha 💕💕

p.s...this wasn’t edited...I’m sorry if my ramblings don’t make sense

For the Family

John Shelby x Emma (OC) x Tommy Shelby

Summary: Emma has always loved John Shelby, but he’s oblivious to her existence until a one night stand changes everything. When he must choose between her or his fiancée Martha, he gets some help from Tommy in order rewrite Shelby family history.

Author’s Note: Written for the lovely @runnning-outof-time 1.5K celebration. Inspired by “Satellite” by Harry Styles and a request from @cokcola4112 who requested John having a daughter before the war only Polly knew about.

Warnings: drinking, language, mention of cheating, pregnancy, mention of death

1914

John trudged home in the dim evening light, swaying as he navigated the cobblestones. Tommy hadn’t gotten him drunk, but he had plied him with enough whiskey to make enlisting sound bearable. No newly engaged man wanted to leave his sweetheart behind, but if his older brothers were going off to fight, John knew he had to join them. Of course it was a matter of duty to his country, but it also had to do with family loyalty. The Shelby brothers had always looked out for one another and this would be no different. John couldn’t let his brothers face the enemy without him.

Now John was dreading the difficult task of telling his fiancee, Martha, knowing he was about to break her heart. The moment he appeared on her doorstep with his head hung low, she knew something was wrong. He spit out the words more quickly than he intended, sending her into a frenzy.

With little time to absorb the information, Martha found herself insisting he didn't have to enlist. She cried and pleaded, although this was a futile exercise as the papers had already been signed. Martha couldn’t understand why he hadn’t discussed it with her first. While she was home embroidering her wedding veil, he had dashed her hopes for their future.

John’s foggy brain prevented him from explaining his reasoning properly. The words he badly needed to comfort her were sticking in his throat, only the wrong ones making their way to his lips as they fought with one another bitterly. He made arguments that sounded ridiculous even to himself about being the head of their household one day and wanting her to accept his authority. He knew he sounded like a tyrant and a complete horse’s arse. At times he felt as though he were listening to another man’s words.

When Martha had heard enough, she pushed him back into the street with tears streaming down her cheeks telling him angrily that he could choose his brothers and the war over her if he so desired. As she screamed into the street, a few people stopped and stared. Even John was taken aback at her tone. Martha was never this emotional. The sight of her tears made his heart clench in his chest, knowing he had caused her distress.

The last thing Martha saw as she slammed the door was his face contorted in pain. Leaning against the rough wood and slumping to the floor, she sobbed uncontrollably. Of course, she hadn’t meant a word of what she said to John. She was hurt and confused, making irrational statements she didn’t mean, but the damage had been done.

Pulling his cap over his eyes, John flipped up the collar of his coat and faced the beating rain that had begun to pour from the sky. He was headed toward the pub when he heard a woman cry out to him from Watery Lane. “John Shelby, come in before you catch your death!” he heard a kind voice lilt over the gusting wind. It sounded so sweet after the turmoil of the day, he decided to take refuge there instead.

The voice belonged to Emma, a neighbor John had known since his school days. She had long dark hair and bright green eyes. She was always smiling at the Shelby brothers, but John in particular as they were closest in age. However, she was shy and often overlooked.

“Am I bothering you?” he asked.

“Of course not! Don’t be silly!” she replied, taking his soaked cap and coat, hanging them to dry by the roaring fire. Noticing the far off look in his eye she asked, “Do you wanna talk? I’m here for you, you know.” Emma had always been the kindest girl at school, willing to help others whenever she could.

Tonight her pleasant demeanor and gentle words drew John in and he found himself moving to sit next to her on the sofa to be closer to her. She listened as he finally found the words he had wanted to say to Martha. Emma couldn't help but be enchanted by his wit and charm. Sometime later whiskey and quiet words turned to something more and John found himself weathering the storm in Emma’s bed.

When he awoke early the next morning with a throbbing headache, he gathered his clothes quickly and wordlessly pressed a kiss to her cheek. He felt ashamed for taking advantage of their friendship. He felt even worse for betraying Martha. He knew last night wasn’t the end of their engagement and he hoped Martha would wait for him until the fighting was done.

Two weeks later as he prepared to leave, John said his goodbyes to everyone on the train platform. He had made amends with Martha and she agreed to wait for him as he hoped. He had never felt more grateful for a second chance. However, he was still apprehensive about the possibility he might not return home. With worry still clouding his mind, he hugged Polly, Ada and Finn. He searched the crowd for Emma wanting to say goodbye to her as well and apologize properly for the events that occurred while he was drunk and emotional, but she had kept herself hidden away, making that farewell impossible.

--------------------------------------

1915

John was glad to hear his name called as letters from home were distributed, hoping it was a love letter from Martha. He was a bit disappointed when he turned the envelope over to find Polly’s familiar handwriting instead. Tearing into it unceremoniously and unfolding the note between dirt caked fingers, his eyes grew wide as he skimmed its brief contents.

John,

I’m sorry I have to deliver this news in a letter, but I didn’t want to wait for your leave. It’s best for you to find out now before Martha does. I’ve had a visit from our old neighbour, Emma, the shy girl with dark hair. She came round yesterday with a baby girl. Although I didn’t want to believe her, the child’s eyes are Shelby blue and can’t possibly be denied. There’s no reason for her to lie as she hasn’t asked for money. She says she only wants a life with you when you return from the war.

I’ve put her off because of your engagement. It’s up to you now what decision to make. I’ve no part in any of this, but I would remind you of your responsibility to the child even if you don’t love Emma. I know this has probably come as a shock to you as it did for me. I trust you’ll do what is right for everyone.

All my love,

Polly

“Fuck…” John sighed, lowering the letter he held in his hands slowly.

“What’s wrong, John boy?” Arthur called from his side of the trench. Without answering his brother, John clutched the letter in his fist tightly, needing a walk to clear his head. Not looking where he was going, he bumped into Tommy.

“John, what’s happened?” Tommy asked, blue eyes searching his brother’s face. Any distraction now could cost them their lives and he needed the solider before him to regain his focus. With this task in mind, he grabbed John by the shoulders and looked at him intently. “Is it Polly?” John shook his head. “Martha?” Tommy ventured again.

He nodded his head. “I’ve fucked it all up, Tommy,” John said bringing the paper to his brother’s line of sight. Tommy grabbed the letter and skimmed it quickly, clenching his jaw as he read.

“You sure the baby’s yours?” he asked. John bit the inside of his cheek, turning away as he nodded.

“Fuckin’ hell, John,” he said running a hand over his face. He thought for a moment before looking his brother in the eye. “Look, I’ve got leave before you. I’ll sort it when I go home, eh?” Tommy reassured him with a pat to the shoulder.

———————————————————

Three months later…

Martha met John at the train station. He spotted her immediately on the train platform in her favorite green dress, waving to him excitedly. He hadn’t known what to expect when he arrived. Would she be there to greet him or would she have found out about Emma and the baby? She hadn’t mentioned anything in her last letter, but perhaps she was waiting to confront him in person. He wondered if Tommy had talked to her when he was home.

When Tommy had returned from his leave he only said the situation was handled. He hadn’t looked well despite his time at home. If anything he seemed even more exhausted than before, but John hadn’t questioned his brother. No one ever questioned Tommy.

John was ripped from his thoughts when Martha ran to him, throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. “Darling, I’ve missed you so much!” she cried into his shoulder, reaching up to stroke a hand through his hair. He crushed her body to him, feeling the softness of her under his touch. He couldn’t believe he was back with her again.

“Let’s get you home for a bath and a meal, hm?” she offered with a warm smile. He didn't sense anything odd about her demeanor so John decided there was nothing to worry about. He allowed her to lead him home and comfort him the way he’d been dreaming of for so long.

They passed a pleasant evening together eating the most delicious meal he’d had in a long time and discussing all the news in Small Heath. As he held her to him and felt the warmth radiate from her skin beneath the soft quilt, he forgot all about Emma.

On his second day of leave, John startled awake from a nightmare. Hovering somewhere between sleep and consciousness, he heard explosions and screams that turned to shrill cries. Sitting up in bed, he ran a hand over his face trying to wake himself, but the screaming continued and he quickly realized the cries of an infant were coming from downstairs. Donning a shirt and pants, he padded down the steps to see who was causing the commotion.

Stopping at the foot of the stairs, he blinked slowly at the sight in front of him. Polly was holding a little girl in her arms as Martha chatted with Emma by the fire.

“Welcome home, John,” Emma said. John’s heart jumped into his throat unable to respond. He watched Martha carefully to see her reaction, but she remained calm, standing to fetch a plate of food for him.

“Are you hungry, love?” she asked cheerfully.

Surely this was a dream or a nightmare conjured by his subconscious to torture him. When Martha approached to kiss him on the cheek, he knew it was real, but he couldn’t understand why everyone would be together like this. John gulped nervously, looking between the women before sitting at the table to eat.

No one spoke for a few moments until Ada came sauntering in. “John, have you met Emma’s baby?” she said picking up a piece of toast from the table and munching on it noisily.

“Hmmm?” John said feigning disinterest. He looked up from his plate for the first time to see his sister’s piercing stare. She grinned suddenly, wiping her hands on her dress and plucked the girl from Polly’s arms.

The baby gurgled sweetly as Ada carried her to John’s side. He stared at the child Ada bounced on her knee in front of him. She did have the bluest eyes he'd ever seen, an exact copy of his own. “Meet my niece, Lucy,” she said and he choked on his tea.

“Tommy’s daughter,” Polly clarified, looking at John pointedly as she crossed to the stove to retrieve the kettle.

“Tommy kept it a secret from us long enough, didn’t he?” Ada said, playing with the baby’s curls.

“Erm, yeah,” John answered pushing his plate away too tense to continue eating despite his hunger. The child leaned forward in Ada’s arms to squish her fat fingers into the food left on the plate and Emma rushed to her to wipe her clean. As she did, John noticed a wedding band on her finger. As she stood, she straightened her dress and twisted her ring slightly, fidgeting under his gaze.

“Tommy didn’t tell you, did he?” she said softly. She smiled meekly, looking at the floor. “Well, now I suppose everyone in the family knows….We were married last month.”

————————————————————————

When he arrived back in France, the first thing John did was seek out Tommy for an explanation. “Tom, why didn’t you say you were going to marry Emma?” John yelled at his brother.

“Because I knew you’d tell me not to,” Tommy said pushing past him to get to some supplies.

“But why did you do it?” John said shaking his head, not understanding Tommy’s motives.

Tommy rubbed the back of his neck as he surveyed the conditions around them. He’d already spent the better part of a year thinking of home and the horses, unsure how he would make it from one day to the next. When he arrived in Small Heath on leave, he carried the weight of the mud and the night terrors with him, along with as much money as he could gather to pay Emma to go away.

However, standing in her kitchen, staring into her hypnotizing eyes and listening to her soothing voice, he had a change of heart. Feeling her hand on his shoulder, he was comforted for the first time in months and that made him hopeful. She had given him something precious like a breath of pure oxygen he desperately needed before being sent back underground. He decided then to ask her to marry him, promising to raise his brother’s child as his own and to care for them both with all his heart.

Turning slowly, Tommy replied, “I did it for you and Martha so you could have a fresh start, brother.” Then he added quietly, “And for Emma. She deserves to be taken care of as well.” It wasn’t the full explanation, but Tommy couldn’t risk telling John how he truly felt. It was foolishly optimistic for one, but he also feared he would curse his marital happiness if he dared speak about it, much the same way a birthday wish wouldn’t come true if it was said aloud.

“Who knows the truth?” John said in a near whisper wondering if Tommy had even heard him.

Tommy’s blue eyes looked wild even in the dim light. Now that Emma was his wife he didn’t want there to be any gossip about her. “Just you, me and Pol.” He moved closer to John pointing a finger in his face threateningly, "Don’t ever bring this up again, John. It’s done,” he told his brother in a warning tone. True to his word, it was the last they spoke of it.

John returned home the following year to wed Martha during his leave and she’d fallen pregnant during their honeymoon. By 1917 he had another daughter, Clara. She was fair with tufts of ginger hair. When Lucy stood next to her cot, the resemblance in the eyes was unmistakeable. No one paid any mind to that, however. They were known as cousins after all.

Emma wanted to be happy for them and to show affection toward her niece, but it broke her a bit more each time she watched Lucy cradle the new baby, her half sister. On difficult days she would let her imagination wander to an alternate reality in which John had married her and given her another child. How different their lives would have been if she had been given the opportunity to speak with John herself and confess her love while she was pregnant with Lucy. Crashing back to reality, she would chide herself for coveting another woman’s husband, but there seemed to be nothing she could do to stop herself. The impulse to be near John was simply too strong. It had been there since childhood, keeping her in constant orbit around him.

—————————————————-

1919

“Tommy, why haven’t you come to bed?” Emma asked gently, wrapping her shawl around her shoulders.

“I’ve work to do before the Cheltenham Races,” he said not bothering to look up from his ledgers.

“It’s gone midnight. Can’t it wait?” she prodded, coming to sit at the edge of his desk and run a hand through his hair.

He captured her hand in his, placing a kiss to her knuckles before returning her hand to her side. He hadn’t given her much more than that since he’d returned, small slivers of affection without real meaning. Without Lucy as a constant distraction, she felt she’d go mad. He’d promised her so much more the day he proposed. Had it been a lie, she wondered?

Don’t you know that I’m right here? she often felt like screaming at him. She didn’t know where he disappeared to when he'd get lost inside his head. But despite his detachment, Emma tried to be a good wife to him. She wanted him to be proud of her and most importantly, not to spend a moment living in regret for the decision he had made to save her honor. For that alone she owed him a debt of gratitude. However, she longed for someone who returned her affection.

John and Martha seemed so devoted to one another. John had returned just as he had left, joyful and carefree. He was more in love with his wife than ever. In fact, Martha was due to give birth to their second child any day. Emma tried to set her jealousy aside as she helped Martha prepare for the birth, knowing Martha had been feeling ill recently. She had no way of knowing the sad turn of events that would befall them in a few short weeks.

—————————————-

One month later…

“God takes the best first, John,” Polly said placing her hand over her nephew’s gently. She hoped her touch would ground him in reality, but she suspected he hadn’t heard any of what she had said. Martha’s funeral had taken place that morning and he was still in a state of shock. He’d barely said two words since their return home. He'd only sat at the kitchen table, staring numbly at the last gift he’d ever given his wife. It was a hand carved rocking chair she’d wanted to lull the baby to sleep.

Martha had never gotten a chance to use it, dying hours after Samuel’s birth. If it hadn’t been for Emma, the child wouldn’t have survived either. Emma helped care for Samuel like her own, to ease John’s burden. The heartbreak of watching him so weak and fragile in the days after Martha’s death had crushed her. It had been Emma alone caring for all three children as Polly tended to the funeral arrangements and her regular duties in the betting shop. Today was no different, as Emma tended to the baby upstairs.

Without anyone to play with her, Clara became upset. “Mummy! Want mummy!” Clara cried toddling in circles next to her father, fists rubbing at her tired eyes. The two year old still didn't understand her mother wasn't returning to her. John pulled his daughter onto his lap as she pushed her face into his shirt, cries quickly escalating to loud wailing. He placed a large hand to the back of her head trying to comfort her, but he found himself weeping along with her.

“Here, let me take her upstairs for a rest,” Polly said extending her arms. “She’s just overtired.” John placed the fussy child in Polly's arms and pinched the bridge of his nose exhaling loudly. He needed to get hold of himself before he drifted further from reality.

Just then Emma descended the stairs, taking in the sight of John sat by himself in total despair.

“I can see you’re lonely,” Emma said sympathetically. “Would you like some company? I can put the kettle on,” she offered.

“I don’t want to talk to you,” John said coldly. “I don’t want to talk to anyone.”

“John, please, don’t be cruel. I wish I could be there for you. I only want to help,” Emma said feeling hurt by his harsh tone.

He softened, looking up at her with teary eyes, “Please just give me a day or two,” John begged.

She could do nothing but wait for him to pull her back in. She hoped he would anyhow. She wanted to be close with him again.

————————————————-

Six months later…

The wind had picked up outside, blowing gusts of rain against the house to rap against the windowpanes harshly. Emma was reading by the fire after tucking the children into bed, while Tommy was still in his office as usual. The front door rattled suddenly as John entered making far too much noise for the late hour. He left the door ajar, a puddle forming at his feet as he crossed the threshold.

“John, can you keep it down please!” Emma said to him in a loud whisper, abandoning her book on the sofa.

“Sorry, sorry!” he said a bit too loudly and insincerely, adopting the posture of an errant schoolboy. He removed his coat and attempted to throw it over a chair, but missed. That’s when Emma realized he’d come from the pub.

“John Shelby, are you drunk?” she asked, crossing her hands over her chest and raising an eyebrow at him.

“Maybe a little,” he said holding up two fingers to show a small gap as he swayed toward her.

“Woah, sit down and I’ll make you some tea,” she said, pushing him into a chair by his broad shoulders. He captured her wrist before she could walk away and pulled her back.

“Wait, stay,” he urged, looking into her eyes for a long moment. He gulped harshly as though he were trying to find the courage to tell her something. Then he murmured, “M sorry."

“What for?” she asked puzzled by his apology.

“For leaving you alone with a child. Letting my brother look after you... For hurting you,” he said, his inebriation making him surprisingly honest.

“Oh, John. What I wouldn’t have given to hear that five years ago,” she said inhaling deeply at the memory of all the nights she’d spent crying herself to sleep.

“Does Tommy make you happy?” John asked suddenly, knowing deep down that Emma probably wouldn’t tell him the truth even if she weren’t. She’d become a loyal member of the family.

“I’m happy enough,” she replied with a small smile, taking a seat at the table.

John reached over and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear tenderly. “Let’s go away with the children. We could have a good life in the country, you and me. I’ll be loyal to you, Em.” He cupped her cheek with his warm hand and she leaned into him, heart thrilling at the idea of her daydream finally becoming a reality.

Then her gaze fell upon the rocking chair in the corner and she remembered the night like this one so many years ago when he’d come to her desperate and heartbroken. He’d made his choice back then just as she had made hers. She’d chosen Tommy and despite their problems, she knew Tommy loved her. She was also aware how much Tommy needed her by his side when he struggled to wade through the mud and the whiskey that clogged his veins like poison. He had recently confided his plans to take on Billy Kimber and she knew it would take every ounce of his strength.

Taking John’s hand from her cheek, she held it between both of hers as she spoke. “John, I’ve loved you since we were children and I think I always will. Lucy is the proof of that love, but it’s too late for us. I’m not the one who needs your loyalty now. Tommy needs you more.” She watched as John struggled to comprehend her rejection. She knew he would accept it with time. He’d probably even come to regret his outburst, realizing his poor judgement had in fact been caused by the lingering effects of his grief.

He stood from the table slowly, steadying himself with one hand on the back of the chair as he took up his coat and hat. As she watched, she reassured him, “It’s what’s best for the family, John.”

“For the family,” he repeated her words to himself as he made his way to the door.

-----------------------------------

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#10/10 would recommend #k’s halfway to 2k celebration

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thebestintoronto · 5 years ago

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27 Toronto Tourist Attractions That You Shouldn’t Miss

These Are Some of the Top Toronto Tourist Attractions!

Intend to check out Toronto like a neighborhood? Toss TripAdvisor aside, you obtained a Canadian right here at Penguin and also Pia! Eric is from Ontario and grew up north of Toronto When it comes to us together, we lived in the city for the better part of a whole year and had fantastic adventures in Toronto. Allow's simply state that there is definitely no scarcity of special things to do in Toronto when you want to play visitor on your own!

We've already covered when the very best time to see Canada (and Toronto) is in an additional message. Basically, for Toronto May is great and also cooler, July is hot however there are outdoor patios, October is gorgeous with colours, as well as January is cool but there's skating. If you are searching for seasonal activities for the summer season for the winter months in Toronto, you'll see below which ones are which!

So, if you are looking for fun activities in Toronto for grownups, with the kids, or even today, we have actually obtained you covered. Allow's play Toronto vacationer! Oh, and also if you preparing a whole Toronto visit or you are seeking other places to go to in Ontario-- we've got lots much more about the city and also the district!

First Time in Canada? Vital Requirement to Know like Visas, Currency, and also Culture!

Wondering what to Load? Here's our Canada Packaging Checklist for all Seasons!

Here are 9 of our Favourite Coffee Shops in Toronto!

Find a Place to Stay with this Toronto Area and also Hotel Overview!

Discover Niagara on the Lake Wineries or Learn Just How to Lease a Cottage in Ontario!

Navigating Toronto.

Considering that there is a lot to see and also carry out in Toronto, doing it all will certainly take some planning. It's possible to see Toronto in a day-- but it would be a hectic one! While the city is essentially all flat as well as walkable-- the ranges between tourist attractions can be a little daunting.

You can hop on the TTC (Toronto Transportation) by utilizing the trams, buses, and also train lines to get around. You can take into consideration getting Presto card (the rechargeable card you just touch) as well as just loading it with cash at a device.

The TTC is actually relocating to Presto-only in the near future (early 2019?) so the infrastructure will ideally be caught up for site visitors to conveniently get their Presto and go. It wasn't very easy in years prior ... trust us.

Toronto Sightseeing And Tour City Tours

That being said, there are lots of excursions that are organized for you to discover one of the most without intending anything at all. You can take place the classic bus tour of Toronto and acquire a hop-on-hop-off bus Toronto trip ticket. These are good for various sizes of time to suit your trip.

Another prominent means to navigate Toronto in by bike-- and there are lots of great Toronto bike tours that will reveal you the way! Cycling is actually a terrific method to get around due to the fact that Toronto downtown core website traffic can be an absolute headache.

Obviously, bike tours just run in the warmer months yet absolutely something to think about. You can not beat a local guide, workout, and a quicker mode of transportation!

Lastly, if you just want to state screw it and also do it all-- you can do a supreme day trip that consists of a watercraft cruise ship on Lake Ontario. Being able to see the skyline from the beachfront is something that Eric hasn't also done!

Toronto Traveler Attractions

But that suffices excursion talk currently-- let's study the top destinations around Toronto! You'll see that they are in no certain geographical order. That stated, we did our best to offer you the general locations/directions.

CN Tower

The Canadian National Tower (additionally typically called the CN Tower) is like the crown jewel of the Toronto skyline. Constructed back in the 1970s, the CN Tower was the highest manufactured structure! Standing at 533 metres high, the views from the top are absolutely amazing. You can see for lots of miles and also right into the USA!

When you ride among the quick lifts to the major deck, there is lots to do up there! There is a renowned glass floor for those take on sufficient to walk on. The view to the ground is quite dizzying.

There is a restaurant up there-- 360 Restaurant-- that is known for serving high-class recipes with neighborhood ingredients. The coolest component? The restaurant makes a full rotation every hr so you really get sights of all over the city!

The CN Tower is understood for the Side Walk-- a thrill-seeker experience of hanging off the edge of the beyond the building. Finally, you can take the elevator to the Sky Shell-- one degree higher for views of the city. Comes at an entrance expense, though so plan accordingly! Here is the official website for the CN Tower.

Ripley's Aquarium of Canada

As a reasonably newer attraction to the city's line-up of awesome things to do, Ripley's Fish tank has actually certainly made a sprinkle in a short amount of time. See what we did there? Got ta love our fish tank word play heres!

The Fish tank is house to the lengthiest undersea glass tunnel in The United States and Canada-- it expands with "Hazardous Lagoon". This is where you come in person with some frightening killers like sharks and eels.

In all, there are 9 different galleries and also over 400 species to take a look at. You make certain to find something you enjoy! The area is so preferred-- they advise visiting before 10 am for after 3 pm to defeat the groups.

Pro Tip: If you are planning a visit to Ripley's Aquarium of Canada and recognize which day, think about a Ripley's Fish tank "After Hours" ticket that stands for a night see after 7:00 pm. Crowds can be smaller and admission is really minimized from the daily fare.

The Distillery District

Do you like beer, history, excellent food, as well as wonderful photo areas? Great-- it sounds like a browse through to the Distillery Area is for you! Situated to the eastern of midtown, this old enterprise zone was when the residence of many distilleries in the city-- for this reason the name!

These days, the weird distillery still exists and also is mixed in among the many shops, restaurants, coffee locations, and also breweries that have moved in! You can do a Distillery District walking trip to learn about the rich background of the red-bricked manufacturing facilities.

The Distillery District teems with intriguing art installations that draw crowds and make terrific photos. In the winter, the District is residence to amazing light screens and a winter heaven of Xmas Market stalls.

The District is likewise home to one of our favorite timeless breweries-- Mill Road. Recognized for their Signature Mill Street Organic Beer, you can also rest outside and also have a flight of beer for a fantastic price!

Pro Pointer: If beer is what you enjoy, Toronto has an insane dynamic beer scene. You can check it out on a Beer as well as Background Scenic tour of the city. The good news? You'll finish in the Distillery District!

Kensington Market

You might have become aware of this hip as well as alternative location that you have to go through? It's most likely Kensington Market-- and you must most definitely check it out.

Kensington is located to the west of Spadina Avenue, north of midtown, between College and Dundas Streets. It's close to Chinatown if you intend to see that too-- we state it listed below! This metropolitan forest of graffiti, awesome apparel shops, amazing restaurants, markets, probably has something for every person.

You do not even have to be trying to find anything-- simply a stray with to experience the area is enough. You can't miss points like the Yard Automobile-- you'll know it when you see it. Depend on us.

Pro Idea: Kensington is a distinctively old as well as modern neighbourhood with a remarkable immigrant history concerning it. So, it's fitting to read more regarding the history of Kensington Market with an impressive food scenic tour!

Bata Shoe Museum

Do you like footwear? Like, do you ACTUALLY like footwear? Would a museum loaded with shoes make you satisfied? If so, the BATA Footwear Gallery might be for you to look into!

Located on Bloor Street just north of midtown, the gallery has actually done a fantastic task of gathering and also showcasing shoes from all over the globe.

We have actually never been but strolled by several many times as well as constantly believed it looked very intriguing. If you want to check out, you can get a BATA Shoe entry ticket here.

Woodbine Beach

Ah, Woodbine Coastline-- what can we state? It's "home". The beach lies in the neighbourhood called "The Beaches". The Beaches remain in the city's east end-- as well as it's in fact specifically where we lived for the better part of 2017 when we stayed in Toronto!

Woodbine Coastline is a large (as well as massively preferred) sandy as well as rocky beach with accessibility to swim in Lake Ontario. There is a boardwalk that runs for kilometres through Ashbridge's Bay, various other walking tracks, parks, canine coastlines, and woody areas.

When it comes to things to do, the summertime is hectic with paddleboard renters, swimming, sunbathing, a couple of outdoor patios, and also beach volley ball. The fall is great for fall strolls along Lake Ontario.

The neighbourhood area along Queen Street East has plenty of restaurants, bars, and stores that you need to take a look at. It's amusing-- the Beaches is where we worked on Penguin as well as Pia in the early days! Just how times have transformed!

" The Toronto Indication" at Nathan Phillips Square

Travelling to Toronto and wishing to snap a picture for Instagram? Of course you do! Head north from Lake Ontario to Nathan Phillips Square. Located at Queen Road West simply west of Yonge, it's right here that you'll find Toronto Municipal government and the famous "Toronto Sign".

During the day, the indication of commonly themed for various festivals or celebrations. In the evening-- it's all lit up! Nathan Phillips Square is quite the gathering place in the city. At New Year's, the Square is loaded with performance stages and also party-goers-- Eric has actually even been a few times.

In the winter season, the fountain you see in front of the sign turns into an ice skating rink which is free to make use of (or costs a few bucks for a skate service). There are street food vehicles and also great deals of tourist buses park right here given that it's a wonderful location to begin any type of Toronto sightseeing experience.

Fort York

Are you right into finding out about Toronto's duty in military background? Intend to learn about just how we defeated the United States in the Battle of 1812? That's a true tale-- and you can find out all about it at Ft York.

The premises are located to the west of downtown-- squeezed between the Lake and also Liberty Town under the Gardiner Expressway. The historic site is in fact one of the biggest collection of 1812 Wartime structures.

They even have cannon shootings and also daily tours that run often. Several of the park ground are free to stroll with yet the displays as well as galleries are gotten in for a fee. To get more information regarding seeing Ft York and also the exhibits, go to the main Fort York web site.

St. Lawrence Market

The St. Lawrence Market is certainly a must-see if you are visiting the city. We visited the marketplace "playing vacationer" when Lisa was visiting prior to she transferred to Canada as well as it was a fantastic experience.

The present building where it lies was opened in 1902! Inside, there are 2 floors-- the major flooring extends the length of the main hall and the lower flooring is simply a part of the size. You'll locate a selection of fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh meats and seafoods, cheeses, prepared food, white wine, ornaments, you call it!

There are samples at different counters as well as areas to order lunch so you absolutely should not leave starving. If you are seeking very traveler Canadian mementos, there is additionally an area to purchase them here. You can learn more regarding the marketplace and also the area of Old Toronto on a historical food and also Market scenic tour of the area!

Pro Idea: -The marketplace lies just to the eastern of midtown on Front Street-- and you can have a look at The Gooderham Building for a wonderful photo. The Gooderham is that historic red-brick flatiron building at the crossway of Wellington Street and also Front Road!

Heavy Steam Whistle Brewery

All aboard the Vapor train ... to Steam Whistle Brewery! Situated very near to Ripley's Fish tank, the CN Tower, as well as the Rogers Centre, Heavy Steam Whistle has actually been a traveler magnet as well as popular brand in Toronto and also Canada for twenty years.

Started back in 1998, Heavy steam Whistle finds its home in the Roundhouse-- an old red-brick railway repair depot utilized in the past.

Nowadays, you can tour the brewery or simply belly up to bench for a pint of the timeless pilsner that has made them one of one of the most popular beers in Canada. To look into the Brewery or to reserve a tour, look into the official site of Heavy steam Whistle.

The Toronto Islands

Wanting to avoid the stress of midtown Toronto? Look into the Toronto Islands-- that could help! Found in Lake Ontario simply off the coast throughout from downtown, "the Islands" as they are known are popular for their coastlines, walking trails, as well as the historical Centreville Theme park.

The Islands themselves in fact have inhabitants-- and to reach them there is a ferry that leaves from the Ferryboat Incurable located on Queens Quay in between Yonge as well as Bay Streets. You can check out the Toronto Island ferryboat routine below.

Additionally, if you want a smaller sized trip of the harbour as well as bordering islands, have a look at this Toronto Harbour Boat Cruise Ship. You have to get off on the islands so the scenic tour functions as a water taxi-- as well as fantastic pictures of the skyline are essentially assured!

Casa Loma

It's a house? It's a castle? No, it's Casa Loma! Integrated in the early 1900s and situated in Toronto's midtown, Casa Loma is a leading visitor destination for a lot of factors.

This Gothic dream home was constructed by a wealthy Toronto entrepreneur-- Sir Henry Pellatt. After decades of history, the estate is now possessed by the city and admired for its numerous art pieces as well as abundant background.

As a result of the grand dimension of the estate as well as yards, Casa Loma is additionally the area for many events, festivals, and also even wedding events throughout the year.

If you are going to, you can get a ticket to go into and get on a directed excursion to discover all about among Toronto's most well-known tourist attractions! Below is the main Casa Loma site!

Hockey Hall of Fame

You can't most likely to Canada as well as not discover the abundant history of hockey! So, you ought to take a trip to the Hockey Hall of Fame! Located midtown on Front Street, the Hockey Hall of Fame is a terrific museum/exhibit with bunches to do and also lots to find out about.

The coolest part is that you will have the ability to see the Stanley Mug (the biggest prize in hockey and also among the oldest sports prizes in organized organizations around the world).

Eric went as a youngster several many times given that it was constantly a terrific place for a school to intend a day trip to. That stated, there is lots to do for adults also. Hockey is a massive part of Canadian culture and so a stop by is definitely worth your time! You can discover more at the official Hockey Hall of Fame internet site.

Dundas Square

If you are trying to find the "Times Square" however, for Toronto-- Dundas Square is it. From the street performers to the lights during the night, the corner near Yonge and also Dundas is a great area to experience Toronto industrious in the evening.

Besides malls and dining establishment, there isn't much to do there, however you would definitely travel through to break a few pictures in the evening! It's probably excellent to state that the southwest edge is where you get in the Eaton Centre-- a leading attraction however unsatisfactory for its own place on the list.

It's simply a really great mall that is rather big and features some preferred stores. There are fountains as well as at Xmas, they have a tree and also large reindeer!

Royal Ontario Gallery

The Royal Ontario Gallery (the ROM, for brief) lies at Bloor Street and Avenue Road as well as has a background of presenting simply a little bit of everything! Nevertheless, this makes good sense-- the ROM is the largest (and most checked out) gallery in Canada and one of the biggest in The United States and Canada.

With around 6 million items, the numerous galleries as well as shows function things from crawlers to art, society to dinosaurs, and also Rome!

Eric went as a youngster years back as well as remembers having a fantastic time at the ROM! If you are arriving by subway, you can get off at-- you thought it-- Museum Station!

Pro Suggestion: You can buy a ROM General Admission ticket in advance here if you pick!

Read more here

The post “ 27 Toronto Tourist Attractions That You Shouldn’t Miss “ was appeared first on Penguin and Pia

Dr. Amauri Caversan - Toronto Naturopathic Doctor

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cristalconnors · 8 years ago

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BEST OF 2016: TOP 10 ALBUMS

DISCLAIMER: While I thoroughly enjoy both A Moon Shaped Pool by Radiohead and We got it from Here…Thank You 4 Your service by A Tribe Called Quest, I’m not quite familiar enough with either of those landmark groups’ seminal discographies to engage with them in a critical way. I look forward to exploring their past works and revisiting these releases with a bit more context.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: (in descending order) The fact that Kendrick Lamar’s untitled unmastered. can be described as his most straightforward and least ambitious work is a testament to his genius. Angel Olsen’s My Woman feels simultaneously old fashioned and thrillingly new, seeing Olsen still struggling with cohesiveness, but excelling at songwriting and thoughtful composition. Even if 22, A Million sometimes feels like a caricature of what a Bon Iver album might sound like in 2016, it’s still gorgeous. Lemonade’s music sometimes struggles to keep up with its stellar visual and lyrical concepts but continues Beyoncé’s tradition of sophisticated experimentation. Xiu Xiu’s Plays the Music of Twin Peaks manages to recontextualize that landmark series, which is no small feat. Porches’ Pool is a sleek, cool collection of pop with folk influences that evokes melancholy masterfully and simply. Jenny Hval’s Blood Bitch is an avant garde, singularly expressive genre piece that asserts her status as one of music’s most thrillingly vital voices. Jessy Lanza deftly experiments with genre on her fabulous Oh No, and Rihanna finally delivers an album worth diving into with Anti, even if it is tremendously flawed.

10. THE LIFE OF PABLO- KANYE WEST

The Life of Pablo sees Kanye West on the precipice of…something. The ever changing track list and album title, even after its official release, the haphazardness of the composition and sequencing all speak to some kind of change in West. His output in the years since the death of his mother and the public backlash following the Taylor Swift incident has seen him slowly abandon any desire to maintain a “respectable” image, willfully removing himself from reality and elevating himself to a kind of deity. What’s special about The Life of Pablo is that it serves as a continuation of this trend, but also sees him speaking more lucidly about it and his past, reinforcing the idea that an artist’s output can never be a clear reflection of the artist’s life, and that perhaps this disconnect is very intentional. This, combined with the fact that Kanye West is incapable of producing bad music, make for a singular, messy master work.

9. TEENS OF DENIAL- CAR SEAT HEADREST

Will Toledo crafts a rollicking, ambitious meditation on depression, characterized by its inventive composition, post modern quotation of seminal pop classics, like Dido’s “White Flag” or the infamous use of The Cars’ “Just What I Needed,” and straightforward, subtly evocative lyrics (”Last Friday I took acid and mushrooms. I did not transcend, I felt like a walking piece of shit in a stupid looking jacket”) that speak to the intricacies and specific beats of day-to-day depression. Miraculously, the album remains quite buoyant in the face of such potentially punishing subject matter. Luminous, and promising.

8. FRONT ROW SEAT TO EARTH- WEYES BLOOD

A crisp and luscious ode to the sounds of late 60′s Los Angeles folk that transcends pastiche. Mering’s droning synth chords lift her material into an otherworldly realm, as if her music was beamed in from another dimension more mystical than our own. Front Row Seat to Earth is an observant, subtly succinct examination of this world, but also of herself. By the time she cooly sings “YOLO,” you’re too entrenched in the transporting orchestration to even register that that’s what she’s saying. Gorgeous, meticulous without feeling like it, and strangely fresh for something so referential.

7. ATROCITY EXHIBITION- DANNY BROWN

Brown boldly abandons commercial appeal and creates the most formally ambitious, self-reflective rap album of the year. What’s crazy is that this formula leads to some of Brown’s finest, most appealing tracks yet (”Really Doe” and “Pneumonia” among others.) Even when this experimentation with unconventional flow and production doesn’t resonate as much, (not a fan of “Rolling Stone”) Brown’s commitment to blistering self-examination propels the album forward, asserting himself once and for all as one of the genre’s most visionary talents, capable of pushing rap into thrilling, uncharted waters.

6. HOPELESSNESS- ANOHNI

Anohni reinvents herself and the protest song on Hopelessness, reimagining the pop anthem as pounding, visceral political treatise, elevating the genre in the process. She boldly takes a stand, risking her future as a commercially successful musician, committing herself wholly to biting observation and political action, inciting her listeners to do the same. Utilizing first person perspective to explore both her own thoughts, concerns, and guilt, and the mindset of the ignorant she so harshly criticizes. Astonishing in its directness and its subtle subversion of pop sounds, Hopelessness is a thrilling, wise, and timely expression of fear and rage.

5. VARMINTS- ANNA MEREDITH

Listening to Varmints, Anna Meredith’s history in classical composition is immediately evident. The playful and meticulous experimentation with meter, the luscious dynamic contrast and the tasteful implementation of concert instruments like trombone all speak to her prowess for composition. What’s remarkable about Varmints is the ways in which Meredith contrasts these ideas with digital distortion, harsh guitar and thin, poppy vocals to create something that sounds just at home in Carnegie Hall as it does on the festival grounds. Meredith asserts herself as a dynamic and flexible talent, capable of exploring a multitude of sonic landscapes and somehow unite them into one cohesive statement. A thrilling debut.

4. FREETOWN SOUND- BLOOD ORANGE

What’s remarkable about Dev Hynes’ music is the ways in which it makes the personal profoundly political. He isn’t interested in making broad statements on big ideas like institutional racism or queer identity as much as he is in conveying personal experiences and ideas that play like journal entries, sometimes obliquely referencing experiences he’s had without bothering to explain or contextualize them for his listener, or referencing and sampling interviews, or documentaries, or performance art pieces, like Paris is Burning or the work of Marlon Riggs, that don’t necessarily relate directly to the song’s central ideas but rather to the general mood and voice of the album as a whole. Beyond this, Hynes’ unparalleled skill at evoking melancholy through dance music remains prominently on display here, creating a jubilant patchwork of music and observations that call for celebration, reflection, and, sometimes, sadness.

3. A SEAT AT THE TABLE- SOLANGE

A Seat at the Table was a shock for a number of reasons. For a while, it seemed like Solange might never get around to releasing this album, which had presumably been cooking since shortly after her 2008 sophomore effort Sol-Angel and the Hadley St. Dreams. When it finally did arrive, accompanied by a gorgeous set of visuals, from the packaging to a pair of truly transporting music videos, its content was shocking in another way. For maybe the first time in her career, Solange had released something that felt truly singular. Until now, her work always felt a tad referential, suggesting she was a stronger curator of sonic ideas than songwriter. A Seat at the Table once again showcases her ability to embody different genres perfectly, from neo-soul to afro-futurism, but what’s different is that every meticulously (and perfectly) placed track feels entirely her own. Her delicate and intuitive orchestration is brilliantly complimented by thoughtful and honest lyrics that explore themes of black identity, exhaustion, and melancholy luminously. The tremendous amount of time Solange took between proper LPs is evident on A Seat at the Table, and it’s abundantly evident that the time was well spent, seeing Solange transcend into realm of the most invaluable, necessary voices in music.

2. BLACKSTAR- DAVID BOWIE

Blackstar is the most blisteringly honest reconciliation with an artist’s own impending death I’ve ever encountered in any art form. The fact that it was released by one of the most iconic, seminal talents in modern music history at the end of a startlingly singular, varied, and influential career is an added bonus. What’s most astonishing about it is that it’s perhaps Bowie’s most ambitious and admirably strange release, both thematically and musically, in a career marked by ambitious, strange releases. The most direct influence Bowie cited in the lead-up to Blackstar’s release was Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, which is kind of amazing and indicative of a master who was constantly learning and evolving, never content to make the same album twice, and willing to spend the last, precious months of his life creating something unexpected and worthwhile. What he ended up with ranks among his finest works.

1. BLONDE- FRANK OCEAN

Listening to Blonde, it’s easy to forget that this was maybe the most anticipated release of our time. Frank Ocean’s ubiquitous popularity seems counter intuitive to the thoughtful, personal work he produces. The fact that Ocean responded to this unprecedented anticipation with an album primarily characterized by its gentleness, delicate, meticulous orchestration, and perhaps most interestingly, its surrealism, is incredibly brave. The prominence of guitar against gorgeous, swooshing distortion and the sparse use of percussion evoke the album’s central theme; nostalgia. Ocean can’t quite seem to part with this notion that, even as he’s been afforded the opportunity that countless people dream of to make a generous living making art, maybe things would have been better if he never got famous. On the album’s showstopping finale, Ocean puts it quite simply; “Shit went 180 on me. Please run that back, though.” I can’t think of another mainstream release that’s felt quite so ambitious, or shown such vulnerability in unexpected ways. Yes, it’s a bit messy in its execution, but is ultimately a transcendent, bold, and strange meditation on the ephemeral nature of life.

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daniellethamasa · 6 years ago

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Hey all, Dani here.

This post is one I have been so totally anticipating and dreading at the same time! Writing up these posts twice a year has been so interesting, but I never struggled as much with figuring out my list as I did this year…and that’s because I have read so many great books so far in 2019. Normally by the time I reach the end of June I have 8 or 9 solid choices on my list and then I look through everything I’ve read to fill in the last 1 or 2 spots. Not this year. No, this year I had 15 books make my contender list. This means that I’ll be giving you all 5 honorable mention books, because yay, let’s talk about more books.

So the rules for my top ten lists are pretty simple. It has to be a book that I read during the six months I’m covering–so for today’s post that is January-June 2019. I cannot include re-reads on this list, because obviously if I’m reading it again then I really liked it. Also, I tend to read quite a few ARCs, so I can only include an ARC in the top ten if it has been released by the time the list goes up.

You can check out my past lists by going to these links: 2016-1, 2016-2, 2017-1, 2017-2, 2018-1, 2018-2.

Oh, and as always, if I’ve written up a review for the book, I will also include a link back to that post.

Haha, so I just paused in writing this post to look at all of my previous top ten posts and wow, I have really stepped up my reading game this year. In the 2017 and 2018 first half lists I complained about narrowing 50-60 books down to a top ten favorites list. I’ve read something like 111 books in the first six months of 2019. Clearly past Dani has no idea what kind of reading life she is destined to have.

Okay, I have a lot of books to talk about, so let’s get started with the honorable mentions.

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King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo This is a book featuring Nikolai, who is one of my favorite characters in the Grishaverse. And there’s more with Nina. I won’t say more because of potential spoilers for the previous two series, but I really enjoyed this book. While I wanted it to be in my top ten, I wanted to showcase other titles more.

Warrior of the Wild by Tricia Levenseller I enjoyed this book, which followed an awesome female warrior who gets exiled because of underhanded maneuvers by jealous boys. She grows, learns, and adapts, and I just found her warrior’s journey and her growth into a true leader to be very compelling.

Wundersmith: The Calling of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend This book is full of so much fun and whimsy and, while I loved the first book in the series, this one was better. Magic school setting–do I need to say more?

Once & Future by Amy Rose Capetta and Cori McCarthy Futuristic sci-fi King Arthur retelling, wherein Arthur is now Ari (yay, lady King). This book was so interesting to me, and I loved all the queerness in it. Plus I love Arthurian Legends as well. I am definitely counting down to the release of the concluding novel.

The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala Another great read. I was absorbed into this world and these characters pretty quickly, and I have to say that I loved the cat and mouse chase between the two characters, especially since who was cat and who was mouse depended on the situation and the perspective we were following at the time.

All right, and now for my top ten reads of 2019 so far. As with previous posts, these books are listed in chronological order of when I read them, not a least favorite to favorite ranking system or anything.

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Foundryside by Robert Jackson Bennett This was one of my first reads of the year, but it has stuck with me since then. I had purchased a couple other books by the author but hadn’t gotten around to them. But this book I kept hearing about, and it was blurbed by Brandon Sanderson. So I picked it up…and that was it. I didn’t want to put it down. The magic system was so intriguing to me, and I loved all the character dynamics and the politics of the city and world, and I found myself obsessed with this book. I’m excited about reading the sequel…and about reading my other Robert Jackson Bennett books soon-ish.

A Curse So Dark and Lonely by Brigid Kemmerer I love adaptations of Beauty and the Beast, and I love Brigid Kemmerer as an author. So I had high hopes and high expectations for this book, and I am so glad that it delivered. Yes, there were one or two twists and/or revelations that were fairly predictable, but that did not take away from the enjoyable reading experience. And there are people who are finishing reading ARCs of the sequel already, and I am so incredibly jealous. I want to read the sequel…but I guess I’m going to have to wait.

Again, But Better by Christine Riccio Unlike the previous book, this one I did not have high expectations for. I hoped it would be good, but I’ve read some books by internet celebrities and have been less than impressed with them. So I was pleased that instead of just reading a chapter or two and setting it aside, I was sucked into this book so quickly and so thoroughly that I finished it in like a day, or maybe two. I now own two copies of it (B&N Signed Special Edition and Target Exclusive Edition) so I can have all of the extras, and am feeling a need to re-read this book. It was wonderful, and I am looking forward to reading more by Riccio in the future.

The Philosopher’s Flight by Tom Miller This book surprised me with how much I enjoyed it. I had requested it on NetGalley because the cover was cool and the concept sounded interesting. And then I waited until over a year later to actually pick the book up. I read it so quickly. The alt-history of the story. The gender flipping. I was so completely invested in the life of Robert Canderelli Weekes, and I’ll be reading the sequel in the next couple of days, so that’s exciting.

Sky Without Stars by Joanne Rendell and Jessica Brody Of course, with every one of these posts, I seem to have at least one book that I haven’t yet reviewed, and this futuristic sci-fi adaptation of Les Miserables is the one I haven’t gotten around to. There were so many great little references to the original source material, and I found the characters and the world to be both different and similar at the same time. I should write up a proper review for this book, because it is great.

The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang There was so much hype around this book that I didn’t want to pick it up at first. And then B&N had a sale and I was able to get the hardcover for half-price. Best decision ever. I ended up thinking that this book is utterly amazing, and totally worth the hype, and I’ll be reading the sequel very very soon (thank you NetGalley), so I kind of can’t shut up about this book.

Seven Blades in Black by Sam Sykes Speaking of books I can’t shut up about, I feel like I’ve been talking about this one a lot over the last month. What can I say? This was definitely an amazing tome to pick up, and I will most certainly be picking up more books by Sam Sykes soon. This book had action, adventure, magic, romance, story-telling, and there was just so much awesomeness going on that I already want to read it again.

Crown of Feathers by Nicki Pau Preto This was supposed to be the first in a duology, but now it is the first in a trilogy, which is absolutely exciting…so long as we don’t end up with second book slump syndrome. I’m hoping that won’t be the case, because I really enjoyed the story of the animages and the Phoenix Riders, and I want to be glad that I’m getting more story set in this world.

Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson Magical libraries, wonderful descriptions, and some really interesting character dynamics and relationships made this book an utter delight. Okay, I was sold by the concept of a girl who literally grew up in a library. I know I’ve wished for that most of my life. But we were given an entertaining adventure with just the right amount of intrigue, action, magic, and just a few hints of romance. I definitely enjoyed this more than her first book, and I’m not going to lie, I wish this wasn’t a standalone. I think a duology would work for me, or at least a companion novel. Basically I want more, especially considering how this one ended.

Going Off Script by Jen Wilde Wow, only two contemporary novels on my list. Not bad, but I think Jen Wilde has hit my top ten posts with each of the three books she’s released so far. It’s safe to say that she has become one of my favorite authors. I love how main characters from her previous books make small appearances in her newest ones. And I especially love that most of the characters are geeks. I just adore a good geek story, and Jen Wilde’s releases definitely fit the bill.

That is all from me for today. I hope you enjoyed this look at my favorite reads so far this year. What have been some of your favorite reads so far this year? Let me know in the comments. I’m off to read now but I’ll be back soon with more bookish content.

Top Ten Reads of 2019 (So Far) Hey all, Dani here. This post is one I have been so totally anticipating and dreading at the same time!

#Books!#Reading #Recommendations

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veilder · 3 years ago

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Oh man, this was a lovely little read. I really enjoyed that. The idea of Daniel and Sixty being neighbors at Jericho is an interesting idea, it gives their relationship a very singular dynamic. The whole idea of this Second Chance Program is very cool, too, and I like the implied worldbuidling inherent in the premise. Because yeah, just what does the world do with androids who were decommissioned before their rights were even established? What do you do with those in stasis, those awaiting purchase in various stores, those in holding for criminal investigations? I like to think that a program like this did spring up for all those androids stuck in limbo like that. Very cool idea.

But the main draw is the relationship, obviously. XD For starters, I really love how they start out as strangers meeting up occasionally on the rooftop. That sort of tableau makes for a lovely mental image of Sixty and Daniel there at opposite ends of the building, looking up at what stars they can see through the light pollution of the city, subtly sneaking glance at each other from time to time. I love this sort of unacknowledged camaraderie they have going on where they seem to take comfort in each other without even meaning to? Especially considering they are the source of each other's nightmares. It's like Daniel says, it's a strange sort of coping mechanism but it strikes me as almost a sort of exposure therapy? And these restless moments obviously mean a lot to both of them, especially considering they start leaving each other gifts up there, lol. It's a really cool way to showcase both their desire to reach out as well as their continued wariness. Both of them are so haunted by their memories and both have this great desire to move past them. And, in some subconscious sort of way, I think they're trying to use each other to do so. Not maliciously of course, but in unintended therapy sessions, lol. It's very cool. Also love how these quiet moments seem to contrast with Daniel's actual therapy sessions? The way he describes them is so at odds with the tentative peace he achieves on the rooftop with Sixty, nothing but an unsettling anxiety and a low-grade jealousy for how well Simon has adjusted. I almost wonder if Sixty feels the same way about Connor? It would be yet another similarity these two share, being the resident screw-ups to their shining predecessors. Idk if you intended this as a little nod or not, but I liked the implication nonetheless. :D And then, of course, there's the nightmare. Okay, first off, I really love how Daniel starts this little ficlet off being so resistant to help Sixty because he fears it's just his programming making him care? Because yeah, I feel like that would be a huge struggle, especially for caretaker models like him? And he goes months listening to Sixty's nightly terrors, yearning but resisting. Until finally, he makes the decision to intervene. And it's not stated what he ultimately decided? If he determined that this desire to help another in need was his programming or not? And perhaps he still doesn't quite know either? But I think what he does decide on fully is that... it doesn't matter. Because he's come to care about his reclusive neighbor who spends his nights with. Who leaves him bottles of Thirium and doesn't break the comforting silence between them. Who keeps him company when the memories are too overwhelming. His impulses don't matter because his emotions do. And he can choose to care about the closest thing to a friend he has. And he does. And Sixty's reaction is heartbreaking, especially so fresh out of the nightmare as he is. The guilt is obviously overwhelming and burdensome, even though he himself was not the one to pull the trigger. I always imagined Connor's memories were this level of visceral for Sixty, too? That he is Connor to a degree, designed as just another backup body for him to retreat to if needed, that he was never supposed to exist as a separate entity. And the fact that memory sharing between RK800 models is so seamless and immediate must make it feel like he was really there for everything that happened, y'know? His date of activation doesn't matter because it still feels like he lived it. And the guilt he obviously feels must be overwhelming. But I think a small detail here that I feel was really poignant is that Daniel automatically tries to calm him down? Tries to help him? Even though, what with Sixty's delirious ramblings, Daniel now thinks he is he RK800 who shot him? For all that the mix-up must grate on Sixty for yet again being mistaken for Connor, I feel like that sort of automatic acceptance on Daniel's part must be at least some sort of balm for that heavy guilt. Subconsciously, I think it must go a long way towards

soothing Sixty in the moment and I think it's a nice touch? It really speaks towards Daniel's own progress, honestly. But I also like that it sort of acts as a bridge for Sixty to assert his own identity. Because yeah, he may feel the things Connor did, but he's not Connor. And, in the same way that I think Daniel must choose emotion over programming, Sixty must also choose. He has to choose himself, here and now in the present, over Connor's memories of who he might've been. Because Sixty, he would never shoot Daniel? The closest person he has to a friend, too? Connor in his memories would not have tried his best to soothe Daniel nor offered him gifts to calm him down. He wouldn't have reveled in their companionship because he was too busy prioritizing his mission instead of his feelings. And Sixty will not be like him. So in a way, they choose each other? Over and over again, they disregard their own debilitating hang-ups because the other is more important. Daniel and Sixty choose their friendship over their fears and that... Man, that's just lovely. It's such a good sentiment. This was just a great little story? I honestly didn't realize how much you'd packed into it until I started writing this but man, I love your take on things. And all that long-winded rambling up there is just a very long way of saying I loved this. XD So yeah, thank you for sharing! This was a great little read for a great little rarepair. Awesome work OP. ^_^

Deviations of Life

Chapter 3: There’s a Saying for This

There was always someone there when he would go up to the roof. Daniel had the feeling they were both up there for similar reasons, but he never asked. The one good look he got of the stranger showed that he was an RK800 unit. Probably not the same one that had killed, but he wasn’t all too keen on actually confirming that. He moved to the other end of the roof and decided that would be as close as he got for now. The android that lived across the hall from him suffered from nightmares. Some nights he debated crossing the hall to comfort them, but never committed to the idea. He didn’t want to try until he could distinguish if the need to soothe the android was one of his own, or one of his code. He’d been told dozens of times that the line wasn’t always going to be clear, if it was there at all, but he needed to know. Simon ran group therapy for the androids that had been brought back. Daniel attended them sometimes. They weren’t mandatory and Daniel usually left them feeling a little rattled and out of place. Most of them were in some way victims of the Deviant hunter. If not him, then it was their humans. More than that though, seeing his own reflection doing so well with having been brought back while he still struggled to come to terms with his death left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Keep reading

#dbh #fanfic #fic rec #daniel pl600 #sixty rk800-60 #Daniel60 #tl;dr this is good shit XD

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theinvinciblenoob · 7 years ago

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For over 50 years, Disneyland and its sister parks have been a showcase for increasingly technically proficient versions of its “animatronic” characters. First pneumatic and hydraulic and more recently fully electronic — these figures create a feeling of life and emotion inside rides and attractions, in shows and, increasingly, in interactive ways throughout the parks.

The machines they’re creating are becoming more active and mobile in order to better represent the wildly physical nature of the characters they portray within the expanding Disney universe. And a recent addition to the pantheon could change the way that characters move throughout the parks and influence how we think about mobile robots at large.

I wrote recently about the new tack Disney was taking with self-contained characters that felt more flexible, interactive and, well, alive than ‘static’, pre-programmed animatronics. That has done a lot to add to the convincing nature of what is essentially a very limited robot.

Traditionally, most animatronic figures cannot move from where they sit or stand, and are pre-built to exacting show specifications. The design and programming phases of the show are closely related, so that the hero characters are efficient and durable enough to run hundreds of times a day, every day, for years.

The Na’avi Shaman from Pandora: The World of Avatar, at Walt Disney World, represents the state of the art of this kind of figure.

However, with the expanded universe of Disney properties including more and more dynamic and heroic figures by the year, it makes sense that they’d want to explore ways of making the robots that represent those properties in the parks more believable and active.

That’s where the Stuntronics project comes in. Built out of a research experiment called Stickman, which we covered a few months ago, Stuntronics are autonomous, self-correcting aerial performers that make on-the-go corrections to nail high-flying stunts every time. Basically robotic stuntpeople, hence the name.

I spoke to Tony Dohi, Principle R&D Imagineer and Morgan Pope, Associate Research Scientist at Disney, about the project.

“So what this is about is the realization we came to after seeing where our characters are going on screen,” says Dohi, “whether they be Star Wars characters, or Pixar characters, or Marvel characters or our own animation characters, is that they’re doing all these things that are really, really active. And so that becomes the expectation our park guests have that our characters are doing all these things on screen — but when it comes to our attractions, what are our animatronic figures doing? We realized we have kind of a disconnect here.”

So they came up with the concept of a stunt double for the ‘hero’ animatronic figures that could take their place within a show or scene to perform more aggressive maneuvering, much in the same way a double replaces a valuable and delicate actor in a dangerous scene.

The Stuntronics robot features on-board accelerometer and gyroscope arrays supported by laser range finding. In its current form, it’s humanoid, taking on the size and shape of a performer that could easily be imagined clothed in the costume of, say, one of The Incredibles, or someone on the Marvel roster. The bot is able to be slung from the end of a wire to fly through the air, controlling its pose, rotation and center of mass to not only land aerial tricks correctly but to do them on target while holding heroic poses in midair.

One use of this could be mid-show in an attraction. For relatively static shots, hero animatronics like the Shaman or new figures Imagineering is constantly working on could provide nuanced performances of face and figure. Then, a transition to a scene that requires dramatic, un-fettered action and boom, a Stuntronics double could fly across the space on its own, calculating trajectories and striking poses with its on-board hardware, hitting a target dead on every time. Queue re-set for the next audience.

This focus on creating scenarios where animatronics feel more ‘real’ and dynamic is at work in other areas of Imagineering as well, with autonomous rolling robots and — some day — the holy grail of bipedal walking robots. But Stuntronics fills one specific gap in the repertoire of a standard Animatronic figure — the ability to convince you it can be a being of action and dynamism.

“So often our robots are in the uncanny valley where you got a lot of function, but it still doesn’t look quite right. And I think here the opposite is true,” says Pope. “When you’re flying through the air, you can have a little bit of function and you can produce a lot of stuff that looks pretty good, because of this really neat physics opportunity — you’ve got these beautiful kinds of parabolas and sine waves that just kind of fall out of rotating and spinning through the air in ways that are hard for people to predict, but that look fantastic.”

The original BRICK

Like many of the solutions Imagineering comes up with for its problems, Stuntronics started out as a research project without a real purpose. In this case, it was called BRICK (Binary Robotic Inertially Controlled bricK). Basically, a metal brick with sensors and the ability to change its center of mass to control its spin to hit a precise orientation at a precise height – to ‘stick the landing’ every time.

From the initial BRICK, Disney moved on to Stickman, an articulated version of the device that could now more aggressively control the rotation and orientation of the device. Combined with some laser rangefinders you had the bones of something that, if you squint, could emulate a ‘human’ acrobat.

“Morgan, I got together and said, maybe there’s something here, we’re not really be sure. But let’s poke at it in a bunch of different directions and see what comes out of it,” says Dohi.

But the Stickman didn’t stick for long.

“When we did the BRICK, I thought that was pretty cool,” says Pope. “And then by the time I was presenting the BRICK at a conference, Tony [Dohi] had helped us make stick man. And I was like, well, this isn’t cool anymore. The Stickman is what’s really cool. And then I was down in Australia presenting Stickman and I knew we were doing the full Stuntronic back at R&D. And I was like, well, this isn’t cool anymore,” he jokes.

“But it has been so much fun. Every step of the way I think oh, this is blowing my mind. but,they just keep pushing…so it’s nice to have that challenge.”

This process has always been one of the fascinating things to me about the way that Imagineering works as a whole. You have people that are enabled by management and internal structure to spool out the threads of a problem, even though you’re not really sure what’s going to come out of it. The biggest companies on the planet have similar R&D departments in place — though the ones that make a habit of disconnecting them from a balance sheet, like Apple, are few and far in between, in my experience. Typically, so much of R&D is tied to a profit/loss spreadsheet so tightly that it’s really, really difficult to sussurate something enough to see what comes of it.

The ability to kind of have vastly different specialities like math, physics, art and design to be able to put ideas on the table and sift through them and say hey, we have this storytelling problem on one hand and this research project on the other. If we drill down on this a bit more — would this serve the purpose? As long as the storytelling always remains the North Star then you end up having a a guiding light to serve drag you through the pile and you come out the other end, holding a couple of things that could be coupled to solve a problem.

“We’re set up to do the really high risk stuff that you don’t know is going to be successful or not, because you don’t know if there’s going to be a direct application of what you’re doing,” says Dohi. “But you just have a hunch that there might be something there, and they give us a long leash, and they let us explore the possibilities and the space around just an idea, which is really quite a privilege. It’s one of the reasons why I love this place.”

This process of play and iteration and pursuit of a goal of storytelling pops up again and again with Imagineering. It’s really a cluster of very smart people across a broad spectrum of disciplines that are governed by a central nervous system of leaders like Jon Snoddy, the head of R&D at the studios, who help to connect the dots between the research side and the other areas of Imagineering that deal with the Parks or interactive projects or the digital division.

There’s an economy and lack of ego to the organization that enables exploration without wastefulness and organically curtails the pursuit of things not in service to the story. In my time exploring the workings of Imagineering I’ve often found that there is a significant disconnect between how fascinating the process is and how well the organization communicates the cleverness of its solutions.

The Disney Research white papers are certainly infinitely fascinating to people interested in emerging tech, but the points of integration between the research and the practical applications in the parks often remain unexplored. Still, they’re getting better at understanding when they’ve really got something they feel is killer and thinking about better ways to communicate that to the world.

Indeed, near the end of our conversation, Dohi says he’s come up with a solid sound byte and I have him give me his best pitch.

“One of our goals of Stuntronics is to see if we can leap across the uncanny valley.”

Not bad.

via TechCrunch

#IFTTT #TechCrunch

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rockrevoltmagazine · 7 years ago

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EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE: Home Above, "Shouldn't Try"

If you’re not hip to Austin, Texas’s own Home Above, now is the time to change that. With their latest album, Indecision to Move, released last month, the genre-bending quartet are placing themselves alongside some of the current greats in pop rock (with a sweet dash of punk). They have shared the stage with favorites such as Hawthorne Heights and Turnover, and their star is on the rise.

We have the extreme honor to premiere the video for their latest single, out today, “Shouldn’t Try.” Void of anything flashy to take your attention off of their pure talent, this video showcases them doing what they do best – singing the songs that get the feels a’moving.

After you give the video a solid view (or two), feast your peepers on an exclusive interview with Cameron of Home Above below! Chatting with them about anything from writing process to pecan pie (yep, you read that right), we learned that this band is versatile in all kinds of fun ways we didn’t even expect! Check it out, and let us know what you think!

Without further fanfare, we present: Home Above, “Shouldn’t Try.”

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First of all, thanks for picking us for your premiere of “Shouldn’t Try.” I am absolutely hooked on this song, so I want to know what inspired it?? Where did the idea for the video come from? The energy is amazing, and I think people are really going to love it, too!

Thank you so much for the love! We are really excited as well. So, this song is a culmination of all of our issues in the band. I can honestly say I have indeed paid for ‘tattoos over paying the bills’ (sorry not sorry). I thought the idea of that line in the song stands out as the idea that we are young and dumb and just want to have some fun before we get old or whatever. “Shouldn’t Try” mainly stems from the “f*** it” attitude you’ll hear throughout the track. We are stressed and overwhelmed with life that we just want to break out and live a little! I believe I’m not the only one feeling that way, and maybe that’s why we’ve had such a great reaction to this single specifically.

You guys have quite the album with your release, Indecision to Move. It moves in a seamless way from start to finish, so I have to know, was that intentional or was the movement of it organic from track to track?

So, I’d like to start by saying this record is about 2-3 years in the making, and a lot of these songs were written while we were working on our previous album, If Anything Will. I believe the first song we wrote before we decided to put out this record was “Aurora” back in 2012-13; I can’t remember. But, it’s funny because when we wrote “Aurora,” we had the hardest time finishing it up. We went back and forth between different chorus ideas, key changes, different rhymes, etc. It wasnt until during the recording of the track that we came up with what you hear now. I say all this because we never intended for it to flow well as you mentioned. Everything just kinda fell into place as far as the movement from song to song goes. Well, with the exception of “The Start” being the first track on the album. That was intentional for maybe obvious reasons.

As a writer, I am always interested in knowing what other writers go through in terms of process. So, what’s your writing process like for Home Above? What’s it look like when you guys are creating? And, how in the world do you pick what stays and what goes in terms of content and lyrics?

Those are really great questions. I myself am not entirely sure how it all works. Writing music and all. It’s all a very complicated yet simple process. I find myself overthinking and getting frustrated more or less. I do find inspiration however, at my studio piano back home. When I’m sitting at that piano, I think about what’s been going on in my life and in my friends lives and what I can do to maybe put a metaphorical “stamp” on it in the form of a song. For example, I as well as a lot of people out there reading this, suffer from finding your place in life. Ya know, the “Where do I go? What do I do? Who am I?” questions screaming from the bleachers of my mind! These thoughts consume my train of thought quite often, and it tends to either oppress me or inspire me.

So, I write my thoughts on paper at the piano in my living room and let my mind write the words for me, if that makes sense. I then will oftentimes present the song idea or lyrics or cool guitar riff to the guys, and they generally take it from there. Cameron would come up with a groovy clean lead line, Gaven will hit back with a powerful-face-punching guitar riff, and Davis jams out a few beats/rhythm ideas on the drums. I’ll accommodate the song with my bass digs. After we have a completed rough idea for a song, we revisit it after some time away from it, add different lyrics that help the story of the song flow a bit better, change out a few words via the great Thesaurus, and wham-bam-thank-you-ma’am, a song is born. Sometimes we even ask outside sources for their input of ideas. This helps with making sure the song flows well within itself.

A lot of what you say is super relatable to what so many young people face today, and I am sure you hear it from your fans as well. Is that intentional, or is just the place you guys are in with your lives right now?

Absolutely. It’s like I mentioned before, our general audience I think tends to forget that they are not alone. I have problems just like you. Maybe in different ways. Maybe we have the same issues? The idea that we want to drive home here is you can find solace in knowing that you are not alone in this life. Whether you are getting bullied at school or are feeling alone. Whether you have a medical condition or are just different than the people around you, everyone has problems and issues. We all share a similar topic. And we can either let that hurt us and stay quiet, or inspire and make you want to inspire others. I think with all the bad, negative stuff that happens on this Earth, people could use a little more TLC from each other. A little more understanding of one another. Unity.

If I took a peek at your playlist, what would I see? Who do you turn to for creative (or escapist) inspiration? (I am still waiting for someone to ever say one of my favorite bands, so if it’s you guys, I’ll buy you all a Snickers bar!)

Oh boy! Lately I’ve been diving into a lot of classics to clear my head – Creedence Clearwater Revival, Queen, early Springsteen – it’s super refreshing to the ears after working on songs all day to tune in to the dynamic masterpieces of the past. While we were working on the record, however, I listened to a TON of Jimmy Eat World, Relient K, All Get Out, Manchester Orchestra, and Weezer. (Seriously, if you’re writing a song and you get stuck – just listen to some Weezer and ask yourself, “What would Rivers do?”)

You guys have shared the stage with some pretty solid names, so I want to know what is next? When is the tour? Who ya with? And please, for the love of god, tell me you’re coming to Cleveland!!

We’re planning a couple things for 2018 that we can’t share quiiiiiite yet, but there are a few friends we’d love to be on the road with, and Cleveland is certainly on the radar. 😉

Speaking of tour, if you could tour with anyone, who would it be? Who is on your dream tour ticket with you?

Forever Came Calling is a must. Not only would seeing a set by them every night be a dream, but they’re some of the nicest people we’ve met so far on our journey.

If we could bend the rules of common sense/reality a bit though, our dream tour ticket would be:

Oasis, Tenacious D, & Ed Helms And The Bluegrass Situation.

You call Texas home. How do you feel you guys fit into the music scene back home? Do you feel a responsibility to represent your home state well? And, how do your roots in Texas reflect on your work ethic? They say everything is bigger out there, so how do you take that mentality and translate it into your music?

Austin, Texas, has one of the best music scenes I’ve ever witnessed. Everybody involved has welcomed us with open arms and we couldn’t me more grateful. While I don’t classify us as a textbook “Pop Punk” band, the Pop Punk/Emo scene of the town is such a supportive family, and the support of people from the scene fuels us every day! It carries over, too. With the support of so many awesome folks, of course we feel a responsibility to represent Texas well! It would be terrible to give people the wrong impression of one of the greatest states, so we do our best!

Our roots don’t reflect in our work ethic as much as our work ethic is entirely a byproduct of living here. Texas is just so BIG. When we were starting out getting on cooler stuff & things like So What festival, we had to sell tickets. Selling tickets to a festival in Dallas when we’re three hours south demands hardwork & innovation, and that stuck with us in everything we do. Texas being so large drives us to see everything on a bigger scale, and motivates us to spread our music likewise!

Speaking of music, what do you do when you’re not making and playing music? Where can we find you if you’re not in the studio?

We all have our quirks and hobbies! Kevin is a great artist, and when time allows you’ll probably find him doodling on whatever piece of paper he can get his hands on, while Davis has recently become super passionate about riding his sportsbike for hours at a time! I (Cameron) love to cook – if I’m not working, I’m at home making whatever delicious idea I’ve had while daydreaming, and Gaven is most likely blowing people’s minds with his sorcery. (Witchcraft? Wizardry? Magic? Whatever it is magicians summon to do all those crazy card tricks)

In times like these when bad news seems to be on a constant loop, how do you feel music fits into the scope of the media? And as artists, do you feel a responsibility to your fans (both old and new) to bring something more positive to what seems like an endless shit show?

The beauty of art is that we own it. An artist can create whatever they want with no overhead, “Oh, you can’t talk about that.” And I think that the freedom we have as artists to express our personal opinions and thoughts and little known facts through a popular medium solidifies the idea that – yeah, artists owe it to themselves & to their fans to spread positivity and knowledge when other media might not necessarily get to exist in a similar genuine state.

What are four words you would use to describe Home Above? Also, random, but what are you hoping to receive as gifts this holiday season?

Fun, quirky, accessible, and open!

And, thanks for asking! I love talks about the holidays (and gifts!).

Every year since I was six, I’ve asked Santa for my very own water-park sized waterslide. Maybe this is the year! If not, I love getting snack boxes! I try not to spend a ton on junk food (and adversely do not eat a lot of junk), so receiving a box of goodies is always a nice surprise!

Any final words for the fans?!? We can’t wait to see where this crazy journey takes you!

Thanks so much for following us for this long! I’d love to end with sharing with you guys my favorite pecan pie recipe courtesy of the Karo syrup bottle:

1 cup Karo® Light OR Dark Corn Syrup 3 eggs 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons butter, melted 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups (6 ounces) pecans 1 (9-inch) unbaked OR frozen** deep-dish pie crust.

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix corn syrup, eggs, sugar, butter, and vanilla using a spoon. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into pie crust. Backe on center rack for 60 to 70 minutes. Cool for two hours on wire rack before serving.

Connect with Home Above. (click icons):

Interview by Devon Anderson, RockRevolt Magazine Managing Editor

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO PREMIERE: Home Above, “Shouldn’t Try” was originally published on RockRevolt Mag

#home above #Interview #pecan pie #RockRevolt #RockRevolt Magazine #shouldn't try #video exclusive #video Premiere #world premiere

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