#The 2 pages of possible character designs literal just gave up on being paper
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mothman-productions · 5 months ago
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I don't think I've ever had an oc fight me so hard to not be created as much as my lost boys oc. The lengths the universe is going to stop me is almost comical, like I'm ready for the laugh track to start playing
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ASM Annual 2018 rant
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There will be spoilers for this and I’m going to presume you’ve already read it so I’m not going to give you a synopsis.
 In short it was at best mediocre and at worst a waste of your money.
 First of all maybe this is just me but the art was not that great. Overly sketchy, under detailed and it failed to capture the time period. If you wanna see a throwback story with art that at worst nods towards the style of the time, check out Untold Tales of Spider-Man or even better ASM Annual 1996, with art work by Ron Frenz and Romita Senior himself!
 I already complained about how Black Cat was written out of character in regards to her attitude to the black costume and how her costume was inaccurate too.
 But miraculously both things come off as WORSE in the full context of the story.
 Going back to the art, Garry Brown directly references Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #8 where Spidey first got the black costume. So...he is CLEARLY checking the old artwork and using it as reference and yet...he screw up Felicia’s costume.
 And despite what I’ve seen some people say, that it was just an art flub on like one panel of one page no, he draws Felicia multiple times and the costume design is the same, Brown genuinely believed her outfit looked that way or else DGAF and drew it how he wanted. He wasn’t even entirely consistent with his own error because he draws her with white books in one panel of the comic.
 Then we get to the story itself.
 First of all in terms of judging this  story purely in isolation (which you shouldn’t do in general, but ESPECIALLY when it bills itself as an untold tale meaning it’s entire premise rests upon how it fits into the history) it’s at best okay.
 Honestly my biggest take away was like...what was the point of this story?
 Okay, I grant you a story set in the Alien Costume Saga from the symbiote’s point of view diving into its head could maybe be interesting. But you’d have to have something really interesting involved because the symbiote itself was a simplistic animalistic creature back then, it wasn’t the more evolved and twisted entity we saw in the 2000s or in more modern stories. It learned emotions FROM Spider-Man himself.
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Like what was there really worth exploring from the symbiote’s POV. It didn’t change by the end of the story beyond the ways we already knew about because again, this is a flashback story.
 So basically we got an extra length story where we learn that the symbiote briefly befriended some kid.
  Wow. That was worth over $4.
 Looking at this story in the context of the time it was raising a million questions for me in terms of how the hell it fit.
 In the story Peter visits Aunt May, but it was in literally the second issue during the ACS that Aunt May and Peter had a huge falling out over his dropping out of grad school, something not resolved until AFTER the ACS wrapped up.
 The impression given by the overall story heavily implies Peter has had the costume for a little while and that the symbiote’s night time joyrides have been draining his energy by the time we get the Aunt May scene. This doesn’t add up because there wouldn’t have been time for that.
  Another arguable problem was Felicia referencing Peter taking the costume to Reed Richards. Peter does do this but much later on and I don’t think Reed’s name ever cropped up between Peter and Felicia back then. Granted, I double checked and Reed had offered Peter the chance to check out the suit from the beginning of the ACS, meaning it’s possible for that he mentioned it to her off panel. But again her attitude doesn’t add up.
 There are a few other Felicia problems too.
  Peter says he was unaware that he and Felicia were on a date, which is weird because they spent MOST of their time together fighting crime and it was made explicit that that was to them what going out to the movies or for dinner was for a normal couple.
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This is literally one of Peter’ problems with their relationship, they spent so much time doing that and not just being a normal couple. Hence he broke up with her!
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Later Felicia reprimands Peter for being 2 hours late and tells him he’d have to put in more of an effort if he wanted her to stick around.
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There is no single moment that explicitely calls this out as OOC for her, but in context this is BS. Felicia was so devoted to her relationship with Spider-Man that she not only gave up her criminal ways (twice) and risked her life but went behind his back to get powers from the Kingpin and lied about it afterwards. She is very obviously not going to say something like that unless she was ribbing him and that was not the impression given off by the scene.
 Finally there is a scene where she enters  Peter’s bedroom via his window to just...watch him in his sleep I guess? Then Peter is slightly weirded out but otherwise chill.
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Putting this stalkerish moment aside, it doesn’t jive with either of their characters back then.
On Felicia’s part she had a problem with Peter’s civilian side and preferred to minimize time spent in Peter’s company rather than Spider-Man’s.
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On Peter’s part he had a major problem with Felicia coming into his apartment like this because she was being cavalier with his secret identity. A good example can be found in ASM #258 which just so happens to be the conclusion of THE ACTUAL ALIEN COSTUME SAGA FFS!
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Then we have the main story itself, the symbiote’s night time activities.
This is a tiny thing but the story explains that the symbiote itself is inducing sleep and controlling what Peter feels during it’s joyrides. This makes sense and is fair enough, up until the point where Peter’s body is being physically injured.
Now, as a lover of the Spectacular Spider-Man cartoon, I will admit my second favourite episode is where the symbiote hijacks Spider-Man’s body and defeats the Sinister Six, only for Peter to wake up with some bumps and bruises he was unaware of. So I feel somewhat hypocritical criticising the story from that angle.
I do not however feel bad at all about asking how the Hell did the symbiote manage to keep Peter asleep when it was literally being put through immense pain and partially slivering off Peter’s body!
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Isn’t the whole POINT of symbiosis  that two organisms are one so if the symbiote feels pain shouldn’t Peter as well?
If the symbiote is feeling pain and literally losing it’s grip on Peter’s body, how is it still so in control of what he feels that it’s keeping him asleep?
How does that even make sense from a pure instinctive survival POV?
Moving on the symbiote gets overly aggressive with the criminals it fights to the point where only by taking advice from a kid in it’s immediate company does it help rescue people sans any form of gbh.
I dunno what the point of this was beyond I guess making it more explicit that the symbiote wasn’t JUST swinging around but also fighting crime. Maybe to foreshadow the symbiote when it and Brock went full lethal protector?
Anyway one aspect of the story which is inconsistent is whether anybody even recognizes Spider-Man. Now yeah in the ACS people DIDN’T recognize Spider-Man in his new black costume at first so this lack of recognition could be excused depending upon how early in the timeline this story is supposed to take place. Problem is the story doesn’t occur over like one or two days it’s obviously unfolding across various nights in which the black costume has been joyriding Peter. Peter himself is feeling the fatigue which if this was one or two nights wouldn’t add up.
In the first scene of the costume going out crime fighting a woman recognizes Spider-Man immediately, implying that there HAVE been at least some photos in the papers showing the new suit and confirming this as the same guy.
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However later when we meet the kid the suit befriends in that scene the kid is seemingly unaware this guy even is Spider-Man referring to him as a new hero.
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That same night the kid gets abducted by Hammerhead who explicitly calls him Spider-Man. But when the suit rescues the kid he says he doesn’t know who he is but that he could be a good hero someday.
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I honestly tried to consider that the kid was referring to Spidey’s civilian identity. But the fact that in their first and last meeting he is talking about how the symbiote could be a good hero someday and told it to be less aggressive and more caring for civilians, implies that the intention was for the kid to STILL not realize this was Spider-Man.
This gets even dumber in the context of Marvel’s timeline. However you slice it if modern Spider-Man stories happen in 2018, then the ASC should’ve happened at the biggest of pushes like 10-12 years ago in 2006, probably even more recently.
How in the Hell does anyone, let alone a kid who’s likely consuming more media than older people, in like 2006 or later NOT hear about how this new dude in black is Spider-Man?
Even if he doesn’t follow the news that’s one of those things you’d pick up via osmosis.
Especially since the media doesn’t shut up about fashion and celebrities and in this case a celebrity bigger than any real life ones has massively changed his costume (and now more closely resembles notorious vigilante the Punisher).
Now let’s talk about the symbiote’s violence.
The story implies the symbiote is trying to help Peter by fighting crime for him as he sleeps. Except the symbiote is violent in a way Spider-Man never is, maiming and killing people.
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This makes sense...for Venom. But the symbiote itself is not inherently violent beyond bestial instincts. It committed immense violence in the company of Brock because Brock himself was a violent disturbed individual.
If the symbiote wants to serve it’s host, it’s ‘friend’, by doing what he routinely does why does it go so much further than he does?
In fact if it’s bonded to him and knows his inner thoughts enough to induce images of Uncle Ben and Gwen Stacy then surely it is aware that Peter doesn’t act like that?
A far bigger problem is the general public’s reaction to all this.
Again, people obviously know that black costume Spider-Man is the same guy as the dude with the red and blue suit.
So...why is NO ONE reporting that Spider-Man is maiming and killing criminals?
Spider-Man had been demonized for YEARS by Jameson and framed/blamed for various crimes including the murders of George Stacy, Norman Osborn and IIRC Gwen Stacy too!
If Spider-Man was now acting this way it’d be MAJOR news!
In fairness I guess the implication is that the symbiote did this stealthily enough that not too many people found out about it. And every witness that did either forgot about or shut up about it.
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Which seems...kind of difficult to believe. It’s difficult to believe, especially if this story took place in the CCTV laden 2000s, that NO ONE saw this happen or else forgot or else kept it quiet. In Hammerhead’s case I do not understand WHY he never spoke about it and why he never ever brought it up to Spider-Man ever again.
 Then we get the biggest ‘You really didn’t put much effort into this at all did you’ moment of the story right towards the end.
 Okay so the implication is that this whole adventure with Hammerhead and the kid might’ve happened during ASM #258 itself when the symbiote took control of Peter’s body in the middle of that issue. I say this because the page immediately after the symbiote tucks peter back into bed is Peter taking the costume to Reed Richards.
 I do not know why but for some reason the idea that the climax of this annual transpired specifically during ASM #258 just bothers me for some reason even though I can’t seem to find any explicit contradiction or problem with it doing so.
 The same cannot be said of the actual scene involving Reed.
 The scene plays out differently in various small but noticeable ways and one big egregious ‘This is the laziest lack of editing and research ever’ kind of way.
I’ll list them out in a second but it’s easier to just to a side by side comparison of ASM #258 and this annual.
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·         The ‘choreography’ (for lack of a better term) of the scene is different.  In the annual Reed and Spidey are sitting down and in the middle of examining Spider-Man’s suit when Reed delivers the news that it is alive. In the original story Reed had already conducted all his tests and Spidey was waiting around to hear the news which Reed delivered to him and Johnny whilst all three of them were standing upright.
·         Reed’s dialogue explaining the symbiote is alive is totally different and far more blasé, whereas originally it was longer and ended with the reveal as a shock, Peter reacting accordingly
·         Peter is casual about learning his suit is alive and about removing it only getting distressed when it starts clinging to him.
·         Reed wasn’t wearing a lab coat in the original annual
·         Reed was accompanied by Johnny
·         The Sonic Blaster is totally different, resembling a gun you could hold in one hand whereas in the original issue it was shaped more like a rifle
·         The annual implies Reed busted out the Sonic Blaster almost immediately after the symbiote tightened it’s grip on Peter when there was several panels depicting Peter’s struggle and Johnny and Reed’s attempts to help him and retrieving the Sonic Blaster
·         Oh yeah and there is the teeny weeny fact that in the original story, unlike this annual, PETER DIDN’T HAVE HIS MASK OFF!
 I’m sure there are some who will be like “Oh get over it it’s a tiny little mistake from a comic over 30 years old”.
 NO!
 This is not a tiny mistake.
 When your series is about a superhero with a secret identity who knows that identity and when is a HUGE deal innate to the narrative.
 But what makes this mistake so transcendentally lazy on the part of the writer and/or artist and definitely the editor(s) is that Reed NOT knowing Spider-Man’s identity is  a plot point for the rest of the story!
You ever see a video game, info book or collage of Spider-Man’s costumes and see that one funny looking outfit where he was wearing what looked like a lame blue Fantastic Four outfit and a paper bag over his head?
Yeah, this is where that came from!
Spider-Man didn’t want Reed or Johnny to know who he was so he covered up his face, necessitating Johnny provided him with an old suit and lieu of a mask gave him a paper bag.
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Spider-Man is the Amazing Bag-Man for 6/22 pages of the conclusion to the story this annual is directly referencing!
It’s a fairly well known piece of Spider-Man history, being one of the more famously funny moments of Spider-Man lore and one of the great examples of the Parker Luck.
And it was all part of a historically VITAL story. Not just for Spider-Man but think how much of Marvel history has involved one symbiote or another, there were three EVENTS built around them  across the last few years alone FFS!
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And the people behind this comic book blatantly didn’t bother to re-read the damn issue, let alone the over all arc!
And the most ironic part about that?
The very last page of the annual includes a message from the editor talking about how interested he was in this era of Spider-Man, how it was one of his favourites and he even recommends trades collecting the story arc!
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Like fucking take your own advice maybe?
Two final points to end this rant on.
The impression given by the editor’s message and the over all story was that they seemed to think that they were the first or only people to do a flashback tale about what the symbiote was doing whilst joyriding Peter’s body.
They were not.
In fact it seems like every damn decade someone decides to tell that story.
In 1995 as part of the ‘Planet of the Symbiotes’ Super Specials Dan Slott, in his very first canon Spider-Man story ever, used that idea. And whilst it didn’t shit on the ACS in general it did shit on the character of Jean DeWolff by pretending she never had romantic feelings for Spider-Man.
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Because even in his formative days as a young intern cheating his way through Marvel’s door Slott had to fuck up characterization I guess.
In the 2007 as part of ‘Back in Black’ Sean McKeever (he of ‘Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane’ fame) did another storyset during the ACS. It wasn’t wholly about the symbiote’s night time activities but it did more subtly with just a few moments get into the symbiote’s head, depicting it’s loneliness and homesickness. Whilst that story also screwed up Black Cat’s costume there were no other egregious continuity errors, the story fits pretty neatly into the histories of Spider-Man and also the Sandman.
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It was infinitely better than this story which I don’t think anyone should ever regard as canon going forward.
P.S. How poorly produced was this annual?
So poorly produced that no one considered that despite it going against the literal meaning of the word this comic is the second  Amazing Spider-Man annual     for 2018!
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formerprincess · 7 years ago
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A tale written with fangs and claws || Chapter 2
Chapters: 2/? Fandom: Teen Wolf (TV) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Liam Dunbar/Theo Raeken Characters: Liam Dunbar, Theo Raeken Additional Tags: Alpha Liam Dunbar, Slow Build, Friends to Lovers, Dunbar Pack, Bisexual Liam Dunbar, Werewolf Theo Raeken, Alpha Theo Raeken Series: Part 1 of Morning Dew Pack
Theo and Liam go on a weekend trip to relax and just recharge their batteries after a stressful year at Seattle. And that's how it all started in the end.
Liam leaned back in the passenger seat and watched the street in front of them. It was a bright sunny day without a cloud in the blue sky and incredibly warm. Perfect weather for a weekend trip, they were really lucky.  After settling into their apartment and making themselves a home in Seattle, life had been busy. University was demanding and even though Liam and Theo liked it, it was different than high school and took more time to get used to. And then they both got jobs aside from college to have some money for themselves and not have Liam’s parents pay literally everything. Liam also became part of the lacrosse team, only to realize how bad they were. They didn’t have a coach, to begin with, and most members could be good at the sports but since they lost every match they clearly lacked motivation. Shortly after starting lacrosse, they voted Liam as captain since he clearly had the most passion for it, and now it was Liam’s task to coordinate his team members and manage training and games. Plus they also kept in touch with the other pack members and even managed to visit Corey and Mason once. Liam missed his pack but after almost a year of living in Seattle, the pain had dulled and he became better at coping with it. 
Now he and Theo were on their way to a small cabin near a lake. It wasn’t far from Seattle but they both needed some time to just relax and catch their breath. Both of their classes were only starting on Wednesday next week, giving them four full days off.
“What’s the first you’re going to do when we’re there?” Liam asked and Theo shrugged, eyes never leaving the road. “I don’t know yet. Settle in a bit and see what goes from there. Why? Do you have a plan? That would be a first.” He teased Liam and Liam swatted his leg. “Don’t hit the driver!” Theo scolded playfully, making Liam laugh.  “Instead of complaining, you should make sure you don’t miss the road to the park, Mr. Driver.” He mocked and Theo simply snorted. “I know what I’m doing, little Beta!” “Keep telling yourself that!”
Liam grinned and looked out of the window again, enjoying to see the trees flew by. They reached their goal after a while and Theo pulled from the main road into a smaller one leading right towards the lake you could already see in the distance. The cabin they were heading to belonged to a small park with various cabins scattered around the lake.
“First step?” Theo asked and Liam pulled out his phone to check his mails. Theo usually was the planner out of the two of them but he had been swamped with assignments and work and so Liam decided to plan their trip after Theo had suggested it.  “We have to gather the keys from the park manager at the reception. The office should be right at the beginning of the park.” Liam looked up from his phone and pointed ahead. “Over there!” Theo followed his direction and soon parked in front of the cabin. A sign claiming this was indeed the office was affixed right next to the entrance door. The door was open to get in some fresh air and you could see a reception desk inside. Liam unbuckled and open the passenger door. “I’ll go and get the keys.”
With that, he got out of the car and walked into the office. Behind the reception desk were two desks littered with papers and various other office items as well as a computer on each desk. On the right side of the wall behind the reception was a board with various hooks, some with keys on them, some without and each hook with its own number above. Behind the desks were two offices Liam could also see desks in.  “Hello?” He called out and soon a woman emerged from one of the offices in the back. “Welcome.” She said with a warm smile. She had her black hair tied back with a bandana and wore beige jeans as well as a red shirt and white sneakers. It matched perfectly with her tanned skin. Her brown eyes were awake and sharp but also very warm and welcoming. “Mrs. Fairclay? I’m Liam Dunbar, my friend and I rented a cabin for the long weekend.” Liam politely introduced himself and her smile turned even warmer. Now that she was close Liam could see she was an elderly woman with a few wrinkles on her face and some gray strands in her hair but at the same time she was full of energy and gave off the impression that she seriously could kick your ass. She was like Mrs. McCall, just older. 
“Ah right, I remember. You rented cabin number seven.” She chirped and then grabbed a folder from underneath the reception desk before grabbing a key from the board. “I just need you to sig here. You already paid in advance, so just sign to confirm you read and accept the park rules.” She put some documents in front of Liam and he grabbed a pen, eyes fitting over the pages and then signed it. The rules were simple and common. No wildfires, no disturbing other guests, respecting the nature and keep an eye on your things. There were some wild animals around, Liam knew, but he doubted they would come close to the cabins.  After handing the documents over again he received the keys and Mrs. Fairclay told him how to get to their cabin. “If you need anything, the number of the reception is right next to the phone in your cabin. Don’t hesitate to call.” She smiled once more and Liam felt himself returning the smile. “I wish you and your friend a nice stay, Mr. Dunbar.” “Please, call me Liam. I’m only nineteen-years-old, I’m too young to be Mr. Dunbar.”
She laughed and then held out her hand for him to shake. “Okay, Liam, in that case, I’m Lana.” She replied and Liam laughed before shaking her hand. “Nice to meet you.” He looked around after that. “So, any tips for being around? Things we need to check off our list?” He inquired and Lana shrugged. “Just relax, find some peace, do whatever your heart desires. It’s a very calm surrounding and yet so full of life and possibilities. You will find more than enough to enjoy your time here. Especially our kind enjoys being here.”
Liam frowned. “Our kind?” He asked and narrowed his eyes slightly. All the things he had been through made him suspicious if someone said something like that. But Lana kept her comforting smile and then her eyes flashed gold. “I know who you are. Liam Dunbar, first bitten beta of the True Alpha Scott McCall. The story of your pack traveled far and even reached us here. Besides, I smell you being a wolf.” Liam’s shoulders relaxed, he had instantly moved into some kind of defensive stance when she started talking but when she explained she didn’t seem hostile. And he knew many had heard about Scott McCall and to the extent, they also heard about Liam. “So you’re part of the pack living around here?” He inquired, curious about the other werewolf. Lana smiled with a fond look on her face. “I am. My husband’s the Alpha. Though our pack is very different from yours, that much I admit. You surely will meet some members of the pack during your stay here. Don’t worry, they are all peaceful and open.” “Amazing.” Liam liked meeting other werewolves and as long as they were nice towards him and his pack, he had no problem with exchanging stories. It would be nice to meet a whole new pack, he had to admit.
“I should better get going, Theo’s waiting. See you around. And thank you.” He then said and Lana nodded. Liam left the office and walked back to Theo’s truck. Theo was playing on his phone and merely glanced up when Liam opened the door and got into the car again.  “The receptionist is a werewolf and her husband is the Alpha.” Liam announced cheerfully and dangled the keys. “We have cabin number seven, this way.”
Theo stared at him. “You just wanted to get the keys. How do you go from getting them to realizing she’s a werewolf and her husband’s the Alpha?” Liam shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. “She told me. We talked. Her name is Lana. She’s nice.” Theo laughed and started the car engine. “You make friends everywhere, huh? You’re like a puppy, everybody just loves you.” “I’m not a puppy!” Liam protested, causing Theo to scoff. “You are, trust me. A little human puppy.” Liam growled playfully and Theo laughed again. “if you do that, you sound even more like a puppy.” “I hate you.” “No, you don’t.” Theo said cheerfully. “Now, show me the way, puppy.”
Liam pointed him into the directions and soon they arrived at their designated cabin. It was a nice building with light wood and a red roof. Liam instantly liked it. He could see the lake behind the cabin and when he climbed out of the car, he took a sniff off the fresh air. Traces of pine and cedar mingled with the sweet smell of flowers and well...summer. Those were going to be four amazing days. “Unpack and then walk to the lake? Maybe go for a swim?” He suggested while Theo grabbed their bags from the truck bed and handed Liam his own. Liam took it and since he had the keys he was the first to walk to the front door and unlock it. 
Upon entering the cabin, the young Beta whistled, impressed by what he saw. The whole interior was kept in bright and warm colors and the sun was shining through the big windows. There were two floors, the ground floor completely covered by the open kitchen and living room with a big table to sit and eat or play some board games or whatever and three couches arranged so they were pointing at the tv. A door led to a small porch with a barbecue area and some chairs as well a rounded table. The lake was even closer now and you had a perfect view over the lake and the surrounding woods. Across the entrance, stairs were leading up to what Liam assumed were the bedrooms and bathroom. 
“That was the best idea you ever had, T.” Liam breathed out and beamed at his friend. Theo had looked around as well and now faced Liam, also smiling brightly. The open and honest smile Liam loved so much. It made Theo’s eyes sparkle and Liam had to suppress a sigh. Theo smiling like that made him look even more gorgeous than usually and it always made Liam’s heart skip a beat. Theo had never noticed which Liam was really grateful about. 
Theo now stepped closer to one of the big windows and looked outside. “Love the view.” He muttered and Liam had to agree. It was spectacular. Making his way up the stairs, the younger of the two of them already felt himself relaxing. Being surrounded by this beautiful and calm place and the sun shining brightly made him feel happy and carefree. Exactly what he needed after the last few months.
Upstairs were two bedrooms and bathrooms, just like Liam had expected. One master bedroom with a kingsize bed and another one with two separate smaller beds. Liam raised a challenging eyebrow at Theo who had followed him upstairs and Theo rolled his eyes but smirked and threw his bag on one of the two beds. “Liam tsked. “Always so chaotic.” He teased. Theo gave him a once over. “I live with you, sweetheart. You’re worse than me.” “Aw, the pet names are coming again. Love you too, sweetie.” They both needed this banter, it was an essential part of their friendship. Bicker all the time like an old married couple (according to Corey) but during a fight, they were completely in sync and lethal. They trusted each other completely and blindly, because they both knew, despite them both claiming otherwise once, they would die for each other.  Theo now sighed. “Why do I keep you around?” “Because you love me!” Liam stated and winked at the chimera before throwing his bag on the second bed. “Come on, I want to go to the lake.” “What happened to unpack?” Theo asked but Liam was already halfway down the stairs. Theo soon followed suit. 
They took the small path over the porch and then towards the lake and soon reached a small jetty reaching into the water. The lake had looked smaller from the distance but now that they were there, Liam noticed it was quite large. He could see some other cabins around, heard some children play in the distance and he inhaled the fresh air deeply.  “I love Seattle but this fresh air is amazing.” Theo next to him made an agreeing sound and then kneeled down to dip his hand in the water.  “Nice temperature, not too hot or too cold.” he stated and glanced up at Liam. The young Beta also kneeled down next to him.  “Perfect to swim, huh?” He inquired, eyes fixed on the water and only when he glanced at Theo he noticed how close him and Theo really were. It made his heart jump in his chest. Theo didn’t make any attempt to pull away and they just looked into each other’s eyed for a while. How did a simple walk to the lake turn into sparks flying all of sudden?
A howl coming from the woods startled them and their heads snapped into the direction of the sound. “Was that...?” Liam started. “A wolf? Yeah. It was a happy howl though.” Theo confirmed. Curiously Liam looked at the older man.  “How do you know that?” “It has something with the sound colors. A happy howl is higher than a pained or angry growl. I learned it during my time with the Dread Doctors.” Theo explained and Liam remembered Theo could shift. He probably learned more from actual wolves than Liam had known.  “It’s cool you know such things.” He admired Theo’s wide range of knowledge. Mason was eager to learn and he did know a lot already but Theo was also incredibly smart and Liam really, really liked that about his friend. Knowledge was kind of sexy and Liam knew how that sounded but it was true. Theo now smiled at him, a happy smile again. Hearing Liam liking what he had to say and adored his knowledge was always making him happy and proud.
“Was it a real wolf? Can you hear that too?” But Theo shook his head. “Sometimes. Not right now. If a werewolf has experience with howling and shifting, doesn’ even has to be a full shift, it’s hard to tell.” Liam nodded, he understood that. It was still pretty cool.
Theo let his hand still glide through the water and Liam decided to take off his shoes and dip his feet into the water. It was really refreshing; Theo soon followed his example and the two friends sat next to each other on the jetty, watching their surroundings.
“I always liked the woods. They were mysterious and cool and as a child, I thought this was where the fairies lived. Then I grew older and liked to run in them but then I got bitten and suddenly the woods became scary and full of danger.” Liam suddenly said while surveying the woods around them. He saw Theo turning his head towards Liam from the corner of his eyes but he kept looking ahead. “But this here? I really like it. This is peaceful.” “Because you get older, And suddenly the monsters you see everywhere turn out to be just trees. Don’t get me wrong, there are still enough monsters lurking in the shadows, but as you get older you diversify between real danger and what your mind makes up. It’s still amazing that you can see the beauty. That’s what makes you Liam. You always have this optimistic streak.”
“And you can’t see the beauty?” Liam asked and barked out a laugh. “I certainly do not have an optimistic streak, not always at least.” “I can see the beauty too, yeah.” Theo said and Liam was too focused on the woods in front of him to notice that Theo was looking at him instead at the woods. Then he gave Liam a look that clearly said he wasn’t buying it.  “Uh uh, but you have...puppy!” “Theodore!” Liam yelled in fake anger but then started laughing. Goofing and joking around with Theo was what he loved.  “Don’t call me that, puppy!” Theo teased back with a laugh on his own. Liam grinned. “But I like calling you that” He mocked the older and instantly regretted it when Theo lunged at him and and started to tickle him. Liam yelped and then struggled to free himself from this vicious attack.  “Theo, no! Theo, stop! Stop! Stop it! Please!” He begged while laughing so hard tears were streaming down his face. He was ticklish and Theo the fucker knew it. 
Theo let go of him after a while and Liam scrambled away from him. “I hate you so much.” He panted and Theo just smirked, proudly at that. Liam rolled his eyes and then shoved Theo’s shoulder. The chimera had obviously not expected that, lost his balance and toppled over the jetty and into the water. Liam was shocked for all of five seconds, then he burst out laughing, rolling on the jitty and held his stomach. It took him some time to actually move to the edge and check on his friend. Theo had surfaced again and was sputtering right now, apparently needing a moment to overcome the shock of being pushed into the water. 
When he finally did, however, he glared at Liam. “You are aware that means war, right?” He asked, eyes narrowing, but Liam could not help and chuckle. The threat held a lot less venom when it was uttered by someone who looked like a drowned rat. Theo growled and then splashed water at Liam, effectively hitting him in the face and laughing at this. Liam squeaked in surprise and thus the water fight started. 
****** They were lounging on the porch of their cabin, watching the sun slowly setting over the lake. After their childish and entertaining water fight that ended with Theo pulling Liam into the water as well, they had returned to the cabin, soaking wet but laughing all the time, and had taken a shower and changed into dry clothes before finally unpacking and then checking the kitchen, finding it fully stocked. They really cared about their guests here.
They had just fixed themselves two sandwiches and ate on the porch, sitting at the round table and enjoying the view. The sky was tinting pink and Liam had never felt more eat peace than now. He could have stayed here forever if he was being honest. “I really like it here.” Theo muttered in this very moment, toying with the strings of his hoodie and Liam smiled.  “Me too.” He agreed with his friend. And there was no one else he would rather be there with than Theo. His presence did a lot to Liam feeling so calm and collected. Just like an anchor should.
A knock on the front door made the friends turn their heads and Theo frowned before Liam shrugged. The chimera got up from his seat and shuffled into the cabin to answer the door. When he opened it, he was greeted with Lana smiling at him. She had shed her bandana and now her hair was in a loose side ponytail. She was still wearing her clothes from earlier but now she had added a black jeans jacket.  “You must be Theo. Hello, I’m Lana.” She introduced herself to him and held out her hand for him to shake. Theo took the hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you, Lana.” Liam had gotten up too and closed the door to the porch behind him when he walked into the cabin and over to them. “Are you checking on us to see if the cabin is still standing?” He joked and Lana laughed.  “No, we trust you with that. My husband would have already shown up otherwise.” “Liam said he’s the Alpha of the local pack.” Theo remembered and again Lana got a fond look on her face when she nodded.  “He is. Speaking of, we would like you to invite you over to our cabin for a small BBQ. I tend to prepare way too much food for just two people and we thought it would be nice to chat with you. Don’t feel pressured to say yes, it’s just an invitation.”
Liam and Theo looked at each other when she ended. They had eaten just a few sandwiches and Liam would lie if he said the thought of a BBQ didn’t make his mouth water. Theo seemed to think the same way because he nodded softly. “We would love to, Lana. Thank you so much.” Liam accepted on behalf of both of them and smiled gratefully at Lana. She rejoiced. “Perfect. Just follow me.” Liam grabbed the keys and then the followed Lana, locking the door in the progress. 
Their way to the cabin of Lana and her husband was quick and Liam realized it was the first one he had noticed upon arriving. It was bigger than theirs but looked just as cozy from the outside, lamps illuminating the path to the front door but Lana led them around the cabin.  Behind the cabin was a bigger barbecue area illuminated by Chinese lanterns in between the trees. A big table was right in the middle of the area, near a big grill which was already fired up but sans food. Right when they arrived a tall man with dark hair and broad shoulders stepped out of the cabin and when he saw Lana, his face lit up with a loving smile. Liam could not help but smile too when he saw the couple embracing and him nuzzling his wife’s cheek. When he looked over at Theo he also saw the small smile playing around the corner of his mouth. Even after all those years, the chimera was open about his feeling to Liam but when it came to other people, he still was distant.
Lana’s husband now stepped closer to the two young men and extended his hand. “Welcome, I’m very happy you decided to accept our invitation. My name is Byron.” His voice was soft and there were laughter lines in the corner of his eyes. His dark hair had some gray streaks too Liam noticed now and his grey eyes were watching their every move without making it look hostile. Even without him greeting Lana like that, Liam would have known he was the Alpha. There was something about the way he held himself and despite his words being spoken softly, Liam was sure the guy, just like his wife, could kick ass. he just had this quiet authority that told you, you were a fool if going against him. He shook Byron’s calloused hand. The man must be working a lot with his hands and Liam figured working at the park brought that with it. It was probably also the reason Byron was so tanned.  
“Sit down, sit down, want something to drink? I would offer you a beer but I know Liam’s nineteen. How old are you?” Lana asked Theo. “I’m twenty-one.” He replied and then shrugged. “A coke is fine, right, Lee?” Liam nodded. “Totally fine.” He agreed wand moved towards the table to sit down next to Theo when Byron indicated for them to do so. Byron was putting some meat on the grill, then he joined them. Lana came out of the house, carrying their drinks and then finally settled next to her husband. Instantly his hand moved to hers and they laced their fingers together. Liam had to smile, he loved small gestures like that.
“Thank you for inviting us.” Theo now said and Liam nodded along. “Yeah, it’s really nice.” “You’re welcome. Lana told me how nice you were when you picked up the keys and so I wanted to meet you too.” Byron chuckled. “I was also curious to meet two members of the McCall Pack.” Theo moved a bit in his seat. “Liam’s a member of the pack, I’m just an ally.” He stated softly and Liam’s head snapped around to look at him. “What?” Theo said with a shrug. “That’s a fact. I’m always an ally but not an actual member of Scott’s pack.” “Yeah, but...” Liam bit his lip and thought about it. “You’re part of my pack, the puppy pack.” “Yeah, okay.” Theo agreed and sipped his coke. “We’ll discuss the name later.” He then added and winked at Liam who huffed. “That’s what I put up with every day!” He acted like it was the biggest chore to do so when he now complained to Lana and Byron. He and Theo were so used to their banter, they often involved others as well because they saw no problem with joking and teasing around. Lana and Byron laughed, hinting they got the joke. 
“You have your own pack?” Lana now asked Liam and he actually blushed.  “No. I mean yeah...kind of...not really. I took over when Scott graduated and left town for a while. Basically as Substitute Alpha if you want to call it that. Me and my friends, we’re the younger members and so we had to stay and graduate.” “Fight off hunters and the Anuk-ite.” Theo added and Liam had to agree with that. Byron scratched his chin. “We heard what your pack did, all of it. We heard about the whole town hunting you for what you are. It’s astonishing you all made it out alive.” He told them and Liam and Theo hunched their shoulders. “Would have been even better if a few more people survived.” Theo finally muttered. Brett, Lori, the deputy, even Gabe. Liam looked over to Theo and offered a soft compassionate smile. Theo returned it and reached over to squeeze Liam’s arm. They were so focused on each other, they missed the knowing look Lana and Byron shared. 
“The sad truth is, loss is an essential part of life. The question is what you learn from it.” Byron shared his insight, making Theo and Liam snap out of their little bubble and look at him again. “And sometimes loss creates something better, something that wouldn’t have been possible before.”
Liam smiled and glanced at Theo again. Without Gabe dying the rest of the pack would have never seen how much Theo had changed. They would have never realized he wasn’t the bad guy anymore. 
“Yeah, sometimes it creates something even better. A friendship, for example.” Liam agreed and Theo looked at him with a soft smile. A smile that was only reserved for Liam, that much Liam knew. Byron chuckled. “That’s what I’m talking about. Loss, even though it always hurts, isn’t always just bad. It just takes time for someone to realize that.”
Liam knew he was right. It was part of growing up, he had learned this very early in his life. Hurt and pain and loss belonged to life, especially to their life. But he tried to focus more on the positive aspects and look ahead instead of dwelling on what they have lost. 
Taking a sip from his drink, Liam leaned back in his chair. “Anyway, after it got quieter and calmer, we were able to finish school and be somewhat normal teenagers while the older pack members were trying to live their life outside of Beacon Hills. My best friend Mason started to refer to us as pack and me as Alpha. But I’m not. An Alpha I mean.” “Because you don’t have red eyes?” Lana guessed and Liam shrugged. Byron got up to tend to the meat on the grill and made a doubtful sound.  “There is so much more to an Alpha than just the color of his eyes, Liam. The way they act, the way they talk, the way they treat their Betas. The way they treat others.” He summed it up. “And just like every pack, every Alpha is different. Our pack, for example, is so different than yours too.” He said thoughtfully and flipped the burgers and the steaks. 
“Yeah, you said that too earlier, Lana.” Liam remembered. “What do you mean by that? Isn’t every pack determined by hierarchy?”  Lana shook her head. “You are right and you are wrong. Right because yes, there are Alphas and Betas. But even an Alpha can be a beta to some extent.” She started to explain. “See the Alpha pack.” Theo supplied helpfully and Lana nodded her head and pointed at him. “Exactly. They all were Alphas and yet Deucalion was their Alpha. So, you see, even the hierarchy can change and be not as outlined as it is in theory. And like Byron said, it all depends on the Alpha. How they treat their pack is how the pack acts and how they treat them in the end.” ”And what kind of Alpha are you?“ Theo asked Byron and the Alpha chuckled while sitting down at the table again.
“A respectful one, at least I hope so.” He said amusedly and Lana looked at her husband with a look full of love. “You are.” She confirmed and leaned in to kiss him softly. Byron smiled at that and Liam admitted it was cute how in love they still were.  “See, I believe that even though I’m the Alpha, my Betas have their own lives and I have no right to just interfere, not completely at least. I protect them, I give them advice, but in the end, I let them do whatever feels right for them. I don’t barge into their houses like it’s my right to do so. I saw other Alphas do it and I never liked it. I respect their boundaries and it’s my opinion that an Alpha needs to do just that in order to be a good Alpha. I try to give my Betas the feeling we see eye to eye and it’s rare I use my Alpha authority to reign them in. Sometimes it’s needed but I intend not to do it if I have a choice. Other Alphas choose a more rough approach to make their Betas know who calls the shots. That’s up to every Alpha to decide. In some ways, it’s like being a parent. There are many ways to raise your children and you need to figure out what’s the best way for you.”
When Byron ended, Lana spoke up. “I can only say this much: I’ve never been an Alpha myself but I’m an Alpha’s mate and so I know a thing or two. And I learned that if an Alpha respects their Betas, the Betas are loyal, no matter what. I’m not saying they don’t speak their mind and cower but I’m saying that even if another Alpha demands their obedience, they will stay true to their Alpha. And that’s one of the strongest bonds an Alpha and a Beta can have.” Liam considered that. What they said was true and he especially liked the image of the Alpha being a parent. He always had considered Scott more like a big brother and he had tried to be like the older one. The thing was, Scott was a True Alpha, and no matter what he did Liam never felt like he was righteous and as ethical as Scott. It had put a bummer on Liam’s mood whenever something happened.
Registering what Lana had said in the beginning, Liam now scrunched his nose in confusion. “What’s an Alpha’s mate?” He asked. The term was unfamiliar to him; he couldn’t remember ever hearing Scott mention those words. Byron and Lana shared a look. “They’re probably too young.” She said to her husband and Byron shrugged. “Too young to be mated probably but not to know about mates.” He turned his attention back to Liam and Theo. “Mates are an actual thing for werewolves. It’s a connection between a couple far deeper than anything you ever felt or saw. It runs deep into your bones and it ties you to another person forever. You belong to this person and they belong to you. You claim them and if you do, they become a part of your soul.” “I remember coming across this one.” Theo suddenly said. “I thought it was just a lore.” “It’s not, it’s real and the most powerful bond ever.” Lana squeezed Byron’s hand and he raised it to his lips and kissed her hand. “The decision to become mates was huge for us but I never regretted it. He’s mine as much as I am his and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I am proud to carry his mating bite.” “And I am proud to call this beautiful and strong woman my mate.”
Liam could not help but adore this. Seeing something like this really made his heart melt. He never experienced a love that deep and pure and devoted. They were basically glowing and it was obvious these two would tear the world apart for each other if needed to. Peaceful or not, this love was stronger than anything.
He glanced at Theo and this time Theo’s smile wasn’t faint but real as he watched the mated couple. Maybe he wished for the same thing as Liam, to find a love that strong and pure for himself. Liam really hoped one day Theo would find the person to see how amazing he really was and loved him like he deserved it. 
“Being mated sounds like a very deep and meaningful thing.” The chimera now stated and Byron nodded.  “It’s a big responsibility because if your mate dies, a part of your soul dies too. So you protect them at all cost. It’s definitively worth it.”
He got up again and finally served the meat to his guests. Soon they all had a plate in front of them with either burgers or steaks. Liam tasted the steak and moaned. “God, this is delicious, Lana.” He muttered and she beamed at him. Theo next to him made a sound of agreement. “It’s really delicious.” And Lana beamed at him too. Byron looked exceptional proud of his mate and ate happily. They all fell into an easy conversation while eating; it was nice to talk with two other werewolves. Liam knew their pack was unusual, they were still so young, so talking with two born werewolves with lots of experience gave him the possibility to learn from them. 
“Mind telling us something about your pack?” He asked after a while and grabbed his coke to drink from it while waiting for an answer from Lana or Byron.  “Well, I don’t know if you ever heard the name before, but we are referred as the Morning Dew Pack, because of the way nature around looks every morning. You will see tomorrow. We are very involved with nature around, part of our strength comes from being in the woods and our strong ties with nature. We are peaceful, never actively searching out the fight but defending ourselves if we have to. We believe that everyone can be part of the pack if they want to and we believe in protecting and cherishing. It served us well all this time. Our young wolves are being taught the harmony between the inner wolf and the human side. Only if you find the balance you can reach your full potential. I don’t know if that makes us different than any other pack. What makes us different for sure is how we choose our Alphas.” “You choose your Alphas? How does that work?” Theo asked surprised, voicing Liam’s exact thoughts.
Byron rumbled out an amused chuckle. “You heard about the different way to become an Alpha, right? One by birthright when the Alpha dies and you are next in line. Then you can become an Alpha by killing one. Alpha by conquest is another way. The pack treats you like an Alpha, you act like an Alpha, so one day the Alpha spark lights up inside you. And then there’s our way. See, we are peaceful, we don’t believe you should become a leader by simply being stronger than the current Alpha or just being born into the right family. We believe that an Alpha needs certain traits and values to be a suitable leader. And that’s why the Alpha pays close attention to every member of the pack. They watch how the pack develops, how each member develops. And when it’s finally time the Alpha gets too old and too weak, they decide on a successor. It doesn't matter if the successor is the Alpha’s child or somebody else, maybe the successor wasn’t even part of the pack from the beginning but the Alpha sees the values in them. If the Alpha deems them worthy, they ask the successor to accept the Alpha power and if they do accept, a ritual is held and the Alpha spark gets transferred from the old Alpha to the new one.”
“I distinctly remember Stiles saying something about Derek giving up his Alpha spark to save his sister. That’s basically the same thing, right?” Liam asked and Byron nodded. “Transferring power, yeah. It’s just a different ritual.” That made sense and Liam sipped his coke, pending on what he had learned. There were still so many things he didn’t know about being a werewolf. Next to being a True Alpha, this seemed like one of the most honorable ways to gain Alpha status.  “Is there a special time when the successor gets chosen?” Theo inquired after a few moments of silence. He was obviously just as eager as Liam to learn about this uncommon way to become an Alpha.  “Whenever the current Alpha feels like they are too old or don’t do the pack justice anymore. I, for example, am looking for a successor right now.”
“What? You’re not that old!” Leave it to Liam to blurt out such a statement. Theo looked highly amused when he looked at Liam and couldn’t suppress his chuckle before drinking from his coke. Liam hunched his shoulder in embarrassment. “Sorry.” But Byron threw his head back and laughed loudly. “You say what’s on your mind, I like that.” He said after a while of just laughing. “It’s a good trait to have. But I am too old to be the best Alpha this pack deserves.” He sighed. “It’s just not really easy finding somebody to take my place.” “But if it’s common in your pack to chose the next Alpha, shouldn’t the successors lining up and trying to give off their best impressions?” Theo questioned and it was Lana who took over from her husband when she replied. “Yes, that was the case for many years. But nowadays the younger wolves moved away to find work in the cities. They mostly leave forever. Jobs around here are rare and I understand young people want to see the world. They start their own packs or join others and so the ones we have here are either too old themselves or just children. The few pack members in the right age don’t want to take over and we accept that. We never force anybody; we ask and if they say No, that’s okay. But since we don’t have children ourselves finding a successor is difficult.” “As long as I don’t find anybody, I’ll stay the Alpha, but I would like to retreat and live the rest of my life as Beta if I have the choice.” Byron confessed and Liam understood that. Being a Beta was far less demanding than being an Alpha. He was aware Scott had a lot on his shoulders too. Being an Alpha wasn’t something Liam pictured as easy. He had struggled as well when Scott had been out of town so he could relate on some level. “I hope you find the right successor to keep your legacy.” He said with an honest smile. Byron returned the smile. “Thank you, Liam.”
****** Liam softly pulled the front door shut behind him to not wake Theo up. He had woken up really early, still in his rhythm from college, and had not been able to sleep again. Theo still slept peacefully in the bed across the room and Liam had gotten up after a while, changed into basketball shorts and a tank top, put on his running shoes and decided to go for a run before preparing breakfast them. 
Now outside he inhaled the fresh air again, closing his eyes for a second, and then opening them again to start jogging towards the lake. He had just passed the cabin of Byron and Lana, when Byron appeared next to him, also in running gear.  “A morning jog is always a good way to start the day. Good thing you young people see it like that too.” He greeted Liam with a smile and Liam returned it. “Best running course?” He inquired and Byron made a motion with his hand before jogging into a direction, so Liam followed him.
They jogged away from the lake and up a hill, leading directly into the woods. Liam was fit, he had a good condition, but it was commonly known Alphas had the better stamina. So after a while of keeping up with Byron, he felt himself falling back and finally he came to a halt. “You’re really good at keeping up.” Byron praised when he had stopped too and walked back to Liam. Liam grimaced. “I still fell back.” “Because you don’t use your full potential. You are strong, stronger than most Betas, and yet you still hold yourself back.” Byron said matter-of-factly.
Liam sighed deeply. “I have to hold myself back. I have anger issues. If I let my IED run freely, my wolf would probably kill someone.” There was something about Byron that made it impossible for Liam to lie. He trusted the elderly Alpha.   “Now you’re focusing on one aspect of the wolf. The force, the strength. But there is so much more.”
He made a few steps until he reached a small clearing and then waved Liam over. Liam followed, even though he had o idea what was going to happen next.  “Kneel and put the palm of your hand on the ground.” Byron instructed and kneeled down himself. Liam did the same and extended his hand, putting it on the ground, “Good. Now close your eyes and tell me what you hear.”
Scott had tried to make Liam do exercises like this often but Liam always grew impatient after a while and failed them. “I’m not good at this, Byron. I’m too impatient for this.” He warned in advance. “Just do it, Liam. And stop selling yourself short. You can do more than you may know.” Liam sighed again but then he decided to go with it for once. So he closed his eyes.
“I hear birds. The wind in the tree crowns.” He announced after a while.  “That’s what you know you hear but it’s not what you hear.” Byron replied cryptically and Liam frowned, opening his blue eyes again. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
The Alpha chuckled and took a small rock from the ground. “This rock for example. You know rocks are grey so you will tell me the rock is grey. And you are right but if you take a closer look and just really go for what you see, you will realize the rock’s not just grey. See? It’s green where the moss is growing on the side. And those little brown dots here? They even appear yellow in the direct sunlight.” He turned the rock in his hands to show Liam what he was talking about. “You see the way the sun falls on the rock and creates patterns of shadow and light. How it looks slightly blue in the right light.” Liam had to agree, there was far more than just grey.  “It’s the same with the hearing. What your brain knows you hear and what you really hear are two different things. So I want you to try again and tell me what you really hear.”
Liam took a deep breath. He still wasn’t convinced it would work but he would try once more. Closing his eyes again, he tried to just listen. Really just listening and not let his brain tell him what he was listening to. “I hear the wind playing in the tree crowns. And I hear birds.” He took a breath again and tried to focus harder. Something inside him urged him on to hear more. 
And suddenly it felt like someone had removed headphones from his ears and he could hear what he had not heard before. “I hear the heartbeat of a smaller animal. Their tiny paws on the ground.” “Which direction?” Byron guided him and Liam tilted his head, trying to figure it out.  “From the left...I think. Don’t know full well but I’d say left.” “Correct.” Byron confirmed. “What else, Liam?” He tried to listen to more sounds but aside from their two heartbeats, he could not hear more. “That’s all.” He muttered, somewhat disappointed in himself. When he was about to open his eyes, Byron stopped him.
“No, keep your eyes closed. And now tell me what you feel. Start with your hand on the ground.” He instructed and Liam tried to follow his words. He inhaled again, loving the smell of the woods around them, and just focused on what he felt. 
“The ground’s warming up. It’s soft underneath my palm. I can almost squeeze it with my fingers.” His fingers twitched when he said that, feeling the soft ground. “Amazing, Liam, keep going. What else?” “Uhm, I feel the sun on my skin. It’s also getting warmer and I feel the breeze.” Again he tried to sense more. He felt how the breeze ghosted over his naked arms and legs and the sun getting warmer by the minute. Today was going to be another warm summer day. He uttered his impression to Byron and the Alpha squeezed his shoulder.
“Okay, Liam, focus on all the impressions you currently get. The sounds and the feelings.”  Liam had to admit that he never took his time to experience things like this before. It was unfamiliar but he also felt his inner wolf liking the new way of taking things in, realizing how surrounded by nature he really was. “And now I want you to run. Run until you reach the boulder on top of the hill, okay? Go!”
Liam’s eyes snapped open, glowing bright gold, and he leaped to his feet, immediately starting to run up the hill. His wolf howled happily inside him, happy to just run and enjoy the little exercise. He was so caught up it took a while to notice he was running faster than usual and due to that reached the boulder faster than expected. Stopping right there he put his hand against the boulder, trying to grasp what just happened.
“I was never that fast. Fast yes, but never like that.” He told Byron when the Alpha followed him. “How did I do that?”
“That’s what I was talking about when I referred to the harmony between wolf and human. We all, real wolves and werewolves, have the animal side and the animal is part of nature. If you manage to channel your wolf’s powers through nature, you will be faster, stronger, in some regards. It’s like paying tribute to the animal side of your soul and you get the full power of the wolf in exchange. It takes some time to learn how to really use the power to its full extent but you did well for your first try.”
Liam beamed at Byron, happy and proud that he managed to tap into that part of his power as a werewolf. He was still figuring his way out, the older he got, the more he learned, the more options he had to stay in control and using his werewolf abilities like he wanted to. He still had never thought about nature as a positive trigger. He could not wait to tell Theo about what he just learned and so he happily jogged along with Byron when the Alpha continued his run, leading them back to the cabin Liam shared with Theo. 
The chimera was in the kitchen when Liam stormed in, sipping on a mug of steaming coffee, and glanced at Liam, one eyebrow raised.
“You won’t believe what just happened. Byron and I went for a run and there was this rock and then he told me to listen to everything...because you see more than you know and then I ran and I was faster and....” Liam blurted out, words spilling out in one single breath and Theo put his mug down before stepping closer to Liam and putting his hands on Liam’s shoulders. “Breathe, Liam! I don’t understand a single thing.” He said with an amused smile. “Take a deep breath and then tell me again what happened.  Because what you just said made no sense at all.” 
His fingers squeezed Liam’s shoulders slightly and Liam followed Theo’s suggestion to take a few breaths, calming himself down enough so he could talk in a more calmer manner. And then he told Theo everything that happened on his morning run. 
The first chapter, I am excited. I know not that much happened but stuff is about to happen very soon. Hope you liked the philosophy of the new pack. Share your thoughts with me, guys. I'm curious what you have to say.
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dontbethatshank · 7 years ago
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Teach Me How To Listen
Imagine: High School AU short-series - Newt pairing 
A/N: This series will make the main character multi-lingual. Also, this first part is a bit of a slow start. It introduces the storyline basically and that’s about it. The next part will have more character interactions though, so stay tuned~
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Wednesday, December 3rd. It’s third period and good God you couldn’t wait for the day to be over with. It was block schedule at your school so you only had three classes every day; 1-3 on odd days and 4-6 on even days. So it was now nearing 3:15 in the afternoon and you were ready to leave, but as the bell rang and your school work found its way into your bag, a hand stopped on your shoulder and a mumbled phrase of “please stay behind, will you” came with it.
So, with a reluctant sigh, you sank back down into your chair, pulling out your phone from your jacket pocket and sending a text to your group chat, letting your friends know that their ride for the day would be a few minutes late. Once it sent, you slide it back into its designated pocket and instead fiddled with the keys in your hand, toying with the small trinkets you had on your keychain. Soon the class was empty, the last student leaving once they slid in some late work into the teacher’s outbox. You remained in your seat in the middle of the room, your book bag on the table next to you.
“Ms. Y/L/N, how are you this fine afternoon?” your teacher, Mr. Blackburn, asked, taking a seat on a table top in front of you, his hands in his pockets and his glasses now in his shirt pocket. With a quirk of the eyebrow, you leaned forward, arms on the table, giving your teacher a questioning look. “No offense, Mr. Black, but why did you keep me...? I’m a straight A, AP student who has over  95% attendance. I’m pulling an almost perfect grade in your class... Did I do something to upset another student or teacher, or...?” you asked, cutting right to the chase, not wanting to mess around or beat around the bush. Along with being one of the school’s highest achieving students, you were also one of the bluntest.
With a sigh, Mr. Blackburn stood up, walking to his desk and grabbing a small notebook, handing it to you before returning to his previous seat. “Well, Ms. Y/L/N, this has nothing to do with you per say... but a peer of yours. I have a boy in my first period who is barely passing this class and with how his test is looking, won’t be passing for much longer. This student is also one of our school’s star athletes and has a possibility of a full ride scholarship. This is one of his only weak classes and his parents contacted me asking for the best tutoring centers. I suggest instead a fellow student... you. His parents are willing to pay you up to 17 an hour for the tutoring; three hours every Friday before his game and an hour every Tuesday and Saturday afternoon. I wanted to give you a chance to make some quick money... you are one of the only students in this school to know more than two languages fluently, which this boy needs desperately,” Mr. Blackburn explained. With a bewildered look, you looked down at the book in your hands, flipping open to the first page.
Newton Issaics Junior - 1st Period French Level 2
“So... this is the guy?” you asked slowly, flipping through the first few pages, seeing simple verbs, pronouns, simple dialect and conversation skills written on the page, a small lesson plan written for you, highlighting weak and strong points. “Newton Issaics?” you clarified, a small amused smirk on your lips. “Yes, that’s him. You are already fluent in French, and you only took French 4 as an easy course as well as to get your certificate at your graduation next year... Ms. Y/N, you know English, Russian, French, and your father tells me you know most German and are working on Spanish at home. That is four languages and counting. If anyone can teach this poor lad a thing or two about French it’s you - and you can make quick and easy money! So, what do you say?” your teacher asks, looking at you with an almost pleading glint in his eyes. With a sigh you nod, agreeing. You knew he wouldn’t leave you alone until you agreed. Everyone knows the only tutoring center in your small town honestly sucked. They taught Spanish, French, and English - all of which new learners who aren’t necessarily literate in it. So yes, this boy’s best bet was you. He was pulling a 60.2% in the class and that was only because of his spotless attendance record and the fact that Mr. Blackburn gave a 50% as the lowest test score possible as long as every question had a legitimate attempt at an answer. Besides those facts, the boy would have had a 30% at best, honestly.
“Oh thank you! This boy’s father is a family friend of mine and a business partner of my wife’s. I truly do appreciate it, Y/N, I can even talk to the principal and probably get it written off as community service so you can add it to your college applications as well,” Mr. Blackburn smiled brightly, a hum in his tone. “Oh! And here is his address,” he said, handing you a piece of paper from his pocket, “this Friday will be your first meeting with him. I’ll see you on that day so I can give you some papers to use with him before you leave.” With a nod you took the paper, tucking it into the notebook. You smiled politely at your teacher, quickly saying you had friends waiting for their ride, aka you, and you had to leave. You rushed from the classroom, a deep sigh leaving your lips as you stuffed some books and folders into your locker before you left the building, making your way to your car that had three people leaning against it.
“Ah! There she is,” Minho grinned, clapping as he straightened up to give you a wide, toothy grin. “FInally,” Teresa groaned, sliding off of the hood of the car, pushing Gally on the shoulder to get him to stop falling asleep on the other side of the car. With a laugh, you unlocked your car, Teresa climbing in front and the two boys int he back. “So, what did Mr. B want with you? Become a naughty little rule breaker overnight, did ya?” Minho teased, winking at you through the rearview mirror as you all buckled up. You rolled your eyes and shook your head, backing out and heading out of the school parking lot. “No, he just wanted to ask me to help tutor another student in French or whatever. Nothing really. But, moving on from anything school related, who wants to grab some burgers and shakes at Ferrel’s before we head home?” you replied, already putting your blinker on to head towards the old fashioned themed ice cream and burger joint down the block.
“Fuck yes, I love you,” Gally sighed, his arms lazily encircling your neck from behind you as he began to fall back asleep, “I’m starved.” Teresa snorted, turning in her seat. “You ate an entire bag of chips and half my sandwich from lunch while we waited for Y/N, fatass. But whatever, I’m totally down for one of their mint chip shakes and their cheese fries,” Teresa agreed after teasing your friend. Everyone chuckled at her and your rolled your eyes, laughing at your friends. God you lot were a mess. 
When you got to Ferrel’s, you all climbed out of the car and made your way inside. Chatting and laughing as you went, you all made your way to a small booth, plucking out some menus on the way as a waitress instructed you to seat yourselves. You and Gally sat on one side and Minho and Teresa on the other. You all began to chat aimlessly, briefly looking over the menu - as if you didn’t all get the exact same fucking thing every time.
“Hey, I gotta go tot he bathroom real quick, don’t order without me,” you stated, slipping from the booth. “Here, I’ll join you. I think Minho got some candy of something in my hair after he threw all that crap at me in your car,” Teresa grumbled, putting her phone back into her back pocket. She had been grumbling about it for the past five minutes, staring at her front camera and raking her fingers through her hair as the Asian boy beside her smirked triumphantly at his handiwork. “Girls. Always have to go in packs,” Gally muttered, flipping lazily through a menu. “Maybe they’re all just trying to get away from you, shuckface,” Teresa muttered back, earning a grumpy ‘hey!’ as she scuttered away with you in tow, both laughing like school children at Gally.
As you both walked towards the bathroom, talking about random things, mostly about how Minho “finally got the balls” to ask Teresa out a couple weeks ago, you both ran into someone. Well... more so something. As Teresa was talking about her date with Minho to the country fair in immense detail, you didn’t see the distracted boy walking to your right and you both collided. Unluckily for both you and Teresa, said boy was carrying a large to-go cup full of a caramel brownie shake in his hand. As you both stumbled into each other, his cup went flying from his hand, the top coming off in the process, and both you and Teresa got a... sticky make-over to say the least.
“Hey! Watch it you- oh fucking shit,” came the mumbled voice, accent thickening as he began to curse, sliding his phone into his back pocket as he came to look at both of you fully. “Jesus Christ!” Teresa groaned, looking down at her shirt and pants, both covered in the cold, sweet drink that once belonged to the stranger. With a sigh, you wiped the whip cream and caramel off your cheek, only making yourself stickier in the process. “Thanks,” you deadpanned, glaring at the guy in front of you. “Hey, I wasn’t the only one not watching where I was going,” he frowned. “Here,” he mumbled, sliding a backpack off his shoulder and offering a gray sweater to Teresa. She grumbled and snatched it, walking off to the bathroom. You stood there, still getting bits of whip cream and brownie off your face and tossing them in the trashcan near you, as the mystery boy watched.
“Enjoying the show?” you rolled your eyes, throwing the last bit of brownie bits for your shirt into the trash can. “What? Oh- no- oh well... here,” the boy stuttered, sliding off a varsity jacket from his shoulders. It had your school colors and mascot on it, and you’re sure if you looked on the back you would find a team number. The football, soccer, basketball, and hockey teams all had the same jackets. The only difference was the small badges on the left shoulder, each one representing the individual sports. You didn’t have time to look at the sport’s badge, but you hesitantly took it. “You sure...?” you asked, raising an eyebrow. With a shrug, the boy just nodded. “I’ll give you my number, you can give it back to me tomorrow or something.”
With a mumbled thanks, you walked off to the bathroom to get changed. You found Teresa, head half way in the sink and a soaking wet t-shirt hung over the side of said sink. She had managed to get most of the shake out of her hair and off her chest, the small remains left on the thigh’s of her pants were now wet patches. “At least he gave up clean tops,” Teresa grumbled, slipping on the gray sweater that was barely too big for her but way too long for her height. With a laugh, you continued washing out your hair, your shirt discarded to the side and the jacket hanging over a stall door. “Yeah, I guess. Driving home like that would have been terrible,” you agreed. You both continued the conversation of Teresa’s date, you scrubbing your chest and neck as you listened. Once you were as clean as you were going to get, you took some paper towels and dried yourself off, ringing out your hair and tying it in a high, messy bun. You looked like a trainwreck, but you at least weren’t covered in milkshake anymore.
“Let’s go. We have to get that guy’s number to give him his clothes back later this week,” you muttered, pulling on the varsity jacket and buttoning it up. But, upon exiting, you saw the mysterious, clumsy athlete nowhere in sight. With a shrug, Teresa led you both back to the table. “Well, it looks like he at least goes to Heights High, so we can find him tomorrow or something,” Teresa said, sliding back into the booth. Both of you immediately began the story of the milkshake and the jackets before either of the boys could ask.
But, God damn, were those burgers and fries worth that sticky situation.
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whale-shark-queen · 7 years ago
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You mentioned fucked up weird AUs in your one post? I'm interested. Tell me about your favourite one(s)!!
AAAaaaah thank you so much!!
Uhhhhhhh heck most of them involve N turning into some horrible Thing because he’s the Estranged Outsider with a Connection to the Bad Guys Even If It’s Not Willingly (yknow like how Eren from snk is a titan shifter or Rin from blue exorcist is part demon) and all of them involve vuvuzelashipping (Nxall the Nuvema lot) I don’t really have a single favourite but I’ll summarize the ones I like most (also note that some of them are good dad Ghetsis/Dadsis aus because u gotta balance out the angst somehow plus dadsis aus are Cool)
Under the cut because I literally can’t summarise for shit and I’m sure no one wants to scroll past 3 pages worth of this (mobile users I apologise since the app is SHIT and refuses to even acknowledge these) 
Also here’s a bit of an index so u can skip to ones that sound interesting instead of going through them all but first u should ask nationalharmonica about her aus bc I love all of hers and they’re awesome and need more love and she also helped with alot of these aus too!! ESPECIALLY the Dragonflower au which I won’t include here because I think she has it on her blog somewhere already.  If ur wondering why I haven’t posted any of these it’s because a) i have neither the skill, time or patience to draw up proper references for all of the characters involved and b) I’m always worried theyll seem too Out There for some people but here we go au masterpost i guess, if anyone reading would like more info feel free to ask!!!
Bacterial Contamination inspired au aka bacterial pestileNce
BotW au
Ib au
PMMM au (the longest one)
Plasma/Aether swapover, N wins+UB monochromeshipping au
Simple fNaf dadsis au
sister locatioN dicksis au (yes I have two for that because I only found out about the secret springtrap cutscene at the end of SL that changes everything the other day)
Nombie (dadsis) au
isolatioN au- Au based on the song Bacterial Contamination.  N goes to the snobbiest most pretentious school you can imagine only because his ex mafia boss dad wants the best for him.  N hides the fact he’s being relentlessly bullied until a teacher phones Ghetsis up asking why N is in such a state whenever he comes into school (BC bruises and cuts and looking roughed up in general).  N goes to therapy and gets meds but surprise they’re an experimental drug and he’s a bug boy now
- BotW au where Touya is Link, Cheren as Revali, Bianca is Mipha and Touko is Zelda.  Ghetsis (who is kinda like Demise if he hung around to make sure his curse worked) is the king of a neighboring region who’s a bit of a warmongering asshole but his son N is friends with princess Touko and her…ahem, associates, which is the only reason Touko’s dad stays civil with him at all.  He uses this to his advantage and infects N with the Malice and reveals his plan to take over Unova, knowing fine well that N would run away to Touko for help.  The truth is he’d set up N to be a ticking time bomb and eventually he becomes the Calamity.  After the whole ~100 year coma and releasing the divine beasts~ thing Touya only remembers who N is after killing him but dw there’s a blood moon just as Touko is sealing the Malice away and N’s freed spirit is brought back to become a friendly giant fluffy spider boy just because I said so
- Ib au with N as Mary (obv Ghetsis is Guertena) except instead of going crazy and trying to kill everyone and being burned up and dying himself the toutous make him sit in the frame while they drag it out of the portal to the real world: problem solved.  I have all this stuff about the others being able to step into his frame but he can’t leave unless someone else draws him so he can possess the drawing but I won’t go into it here BC this post is gonna be long enough already
-Okay I have two madoka aus because possibilities for N are Ndless but I’ve only really developed the dicksis version whereas I only have a witch design for a possible dadsis version so here’s the dicksis one.  The first: Ghetsis is kinda like Walpurgisnacht and N was originally a familiar that represented Ghetsis’ interest being only in things that directly oppose him who was becoming powerful enough to become a witch of his own.  Not wanting him to have even a fraction of power himself Ghetsis transformed him into a human shape, gave him sentience and intelligence and as close to a pure heart as possible so he would be easier to manipulate and led him to believe that magical girls/boys hunt down innocent witches for fun and have witches trapped in their soul gems and tasks N with stealing people’s soul gems to ‘free the witch inside’.  The problem is that the alteration gave N the mindset of ‘innocents who aren’t involved must be protected at all costs’ rather than Ghetsis’ mindset of ‘don’t give a fuck about anyone unless they’re a problem’.  N is also sent to integrate into human society so that he can find magical peepos easier so he ends up coincidentally going to school with the Nuvema kiddos.  He ends up becoming friends with them until he finds out Cheren and Bianca are magicas (I’m just gonna call them that for simplicity) but even though the toutous arent magicas they still support them which is all very upsetting and conflicting for N but he tries his best to protect the witches and steal more soul gems until the others eventually call him out on it and prove to him that the shit Ghetsis told him is bull.  When he goes to confront him about it it’s too late, Ghetsis has absorbed enough witches to become a Walpurgisnacht-like entity, and finally allows N to become a witch.  I’ll link the drawings I’ve done of him but basically his labyrinth would be like a puppet theater and even tho hes the witch he’d have this fuckin giant messed up ghetsis-lookin puppet master familiar who pulls at his strings and coordinates his attacks.  There’d be an audience of masked figures that look like all the magicas he’s caused the deaths of, tiny animals with scissors to represent his wish for freedom and also his fear of his ‘father’ since they never actually get to cut the strings holding him up, and figures that look a heck of a lot like the nuvema kiddos watching in a balcony.  This is all tied into a theory I came up with that almost all the witches are able to be saved since yknow how Homura had that figure of Madoka locked away and Madoka was able to bring her back, and how Sayaka had the violin guy and Charlotte had that doll that probably represents her dead mother? My guess is that if the people those figures represent are brought to the witch and reach out to them the magical girl inside would be able to be freed.  But yeah since N was never really a human the Nuvema kiddos can only really save a fraction of his conscious and he ends up like Bebe.  They all beat the shit out of Ghetsis and everyone lives happily ever after with their pocket witch bf
- the au where 1) plasma and aether are sort of swapped around and 2) N beats the toutous in the final battle.  This is actually based on nationalharmonica’s courtesaN au which is awesome BTW (but it doesn’t involve actual courtesans or N being a courtesan at all but its Sarah’s au so if you’re interested you should totally ask her about it).  Ghetsis keeps Touko and Touya prisoner and just to rub it in their faces blackmails Cheren and Bianca into joining and doing sciency experiment shit which ends up with Touko and Touya becoming UB fusions/hybrids themselves; Touya with Kartana and Touko with Celesteela.  Ofc in the later stages they are able to destroy their place of confinement and escape with Cheren and Bianca to find N who becomes understandably fucked off and upset that his friends have been put through all this shit but begs them not  to kill Ghetsis so he can ask what’s going on.  When he does Ghetsis stabs him with a syringe full of UB fusion shit because he knows fine well hes gonna die he just wanted a final ‘fuck you’ before he is killed by both fire and paper cuts.  Surprise! It’s a Guzzlord.  N becomes a big squishy boy. I’ve done drawings of N in human Guzzlord fusion/hybrid form but I’ve been afraid of posting it but uh if anyones interested i will
- Simplified fNaf dadsis au - basically N and the Nuvema kiddos are the ones that were killed and stuffed in the animatronics, Ghetsis owns the place but risks going bankrupt pouring money into helping find the culprit and also his son and his friends when they’ve been stuck in the one restaurant he kept open to stay afloat.  Nate is the new nightguard and they decide to fuck with him to get rid of some of the boredom of being alone together in the one building for like…30 years or so.  In the end they fess up and make Nate pizza as an apology and they’re chill again
- sister locatioN dicksis au - I already summarised a thing i wrote of it in response to an anon but I’ll include here too.  Once again Ghetsis owns all the shit with the animatronics.  Anthea and Concordia get killed by one of them when they were young so years later Ghetsis sends N down to ‘free’ them (surprise he only wanted to get rid of N) but since their spirits have been fused into one hideous amalgamation of animatronics they’ve gone a bit loopy and want to leave.  The whole scooping room thing ensues and they accidentally turn their brother into a zombie
- Nombie au bc Z is a sideways N heheh I ahven’t thought up much of the background for it but it involves Plasma being a pharmaceutical company that is sort of accidentally being the cause of it.  N gets separated from his dad who ends up being the leader of a large group of people in a little town sort of thing they were able to reclaim but is Sad bc he thinks his son is dead which ends up being half true bc surprise N is half immune and ends up being a conscious zombie boy who wears a curtain as a cloak so he doesnt immediately frighten people bc he got his eye shot out by hillbilies, his face scratched up, his throat bitten out and his heart impaled on a pole (hes a freak without a human heart geddit) zombie apocalypse stuff happens
- isolatioN au - basically spawned from the thought of ’what if N was kept even more hidden away/locked up/never even left at all’.  Plasma is instead secretly in the Pokemon poaching/hunting/selling business but are disguised as…well you already know about Plasma.  The nuvema kiddos had varying levels of rough childhood and were desperate for money so they all joined up; the toutous as night guards and the dualrival s as researchers.  Hidden deep in the facility is a certain tree haired manchild who has been kept in a cage for pretty much his entire life.  Ghetsis does a mother gothel and makes out its to keep him safe and brings him Pokemon to ask about where they live and what other kinds of Pokemon live there so that Ghetsis can release them safely back into the wild go hunt for more Pokemon in the area if there’s anything good there
There’s a few more that I have but I won’t include them because im worried it’d be a waste of time if no one takes interest in any of these but uh thanks for asking and reading if you did!!!
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ollybenson · 6 years ago
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‘Lost and Found: Part 1’ - Objects as type.
Aim:
For this workshop, the brief says we have been tasked to create typography from chosen objects and materials. This includes the 26 letters of the alphabet as well as the main punctuation; ? ! . , “” ( ) & @ #. We decided as a class we would only do the letters in capitals as this will make it a lot easier for us to be able to complete the task in the time frame given.
The typefaces we were creating are something called a display type.
What is a display type?
A display time is a form of typography where the characters shows are not functional for every day use. Its main purpose is to look good as a display. It is used for things such as posters, logos and titles. The other type of typography is text type; this is used for things as blogs, documents, books.
We also discussed important parts of creating a type face. It is important to ensure the characters are consistent throughout each and every character. This includes the style of the letters (how they are angled, are they curved or straight? ect.) as well as the size and scale of each letter. We have to carefully consider this when creating out type. 
When considering the height of the character, It helps to give yourself a guideline to go by for each one. You must thing about something called the X height/ Cap height.
What is cap height?
Definition:  cap height is the height of a capital letter above the baseline for a particular typeface. 
So I decided for mine, I would draw a light, small line on the piece of paper to mark the top and the bottom of each of my characters.
Along with this, it is important that I consider the width or each character. However, I don't think this is as important as having a consistent height as some letters are inevitably going to be wider than others, for example; W is always going to be wider than V as it is literally 2 Vs next to each other.
When creating our type, we must also consider the readability vs legibility.
What is readability and legibility?
Legibility definition: Legibility is the ease with which a reader can recognize individual characters in text.
So it is important to make each character distinguishable enough so that it is easily to identify which character they are.
Readability definition: Readability is the ease with which a reader can recognize words, sentences, and paragraphs. Legibility is a component of readability. 
So this is how the characters look together as words, sentences and paragraphs. Is it easy to read as a whole? Do the characters look right together/in a group?
Other things can affect the readability of a typeface. Things like: Line spacing, colour of text, colour of background, line length and the type size as a whole. If you’re using a small phone it is inevitable that some types are going to be harder to read than others compared to when you are looking at it on a large monitor or TV. 
Task:
Initially, Dave put us into pairs and then gave us specific objects/materials that we would use to create a type face. 
At first I had paired with Louis and we were given engine oil. We found this very challenging and time consuming as we attempted not to over spill and of the oil while we were also trying to make each letter. Our first couple of goes had failed completely as the letters were either not recognisable or we had spilled too much onto the page. Because of this, we had decided that Louis would carry on with the engine oil and I would go on to use little toy soldiers to create mine, just so we knew we would definitely have at least one type face by the end of it. 
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At first, I was a bit disappointed to be using toy soldiers as a type face as I thought I would be very restricted the style I would have to use. However whilst creating each character, I started to begin to like my outcomes. 
Along with this it was quite easy to create the type as if I had misplaced one of them I could easily just adjust it. Where as with the engine oil, if you make a mistake you cant really correct it as it makes a permanent mark on the page. 
Here is the collection of characters together: PHOTO
When taking these photos I had to consider the angle I was taking them from. I also took 2 pictures of each letter, one with flash and one without. In my opinion I think it is more successful with the flash on as it saturated the colours of the soldiers more and created a bolder text. Without the flash, you can see the shadows behind the soldiers and if I was to eventually go on and digitally manipulate this type so I could have it on a screen, these shadow would be a pain to get rid of. 
However, someone else may prefer the type with the flash off so it is all down to personal preference.
Due to having to do a second typeface, I ran out of time and wasn't able to create any of the punctuation. This is something I could look to do when I have more time so that I have a complete typeface that I could put into my production file and portfolio and even attempt to use on something like packaging or clothing.
What went well:
I think every character goes by the same style, they are all very uniform and basic. By using quite a lot of soldiers for each letter, I was successfully able to make each character recognisable by incorporating the curves and angles of each one. If I was going to use less soldiers, it would be a lot harder to achieve this.
Ideas from this:
As I said before, I could attempt to incorporate this type on something like packaging or clothing. I could do this digitally by downloading a pre made asset on photoshop and simply place the file of said text onto the asset.
I think it is an interesting concept using a toy to create a type. It gives it a friendly feel and I think it would work well on some type of packing for toys for young children.
I will consider what other toys I could use for a type face, maybe teddy bears? Or nerf guns?
Poundland Object Type Face:
After this, we were then informed by Dave that we would each be given £1 to spend on an object/s or a material at Poundland that we would then go on to use to create another typeface.
I bought a set or thick wire balls that’s main purpose is to use them when cleaning pots and pans to scrub all the grime off. 
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As I like to work 3D I thought this would be a really interesting material to use as I could rip and stretch the wire to form whatever characters I want.
I really enjoyed using this material as I think the typeface gives off a manic, wiry effect. 
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PHOTOS
I think while the style isn't as consistent as my toy solider typeface, I still think there is a high level of consistency throughout all the letters and punctuation. This is because I marked on the paper 2 lines to help me keep the same cap height throughout. 
Overall I think this type face was quite successful and with some digital editing it could be easily used on products. In my opinion I think it would be most effective on industrial products as it would math the theme, however it could be used for things like a mechanics/electricians logo, cleaning products.
From here, I went on to take pictures of each individual character, once again doing one with and one without flash. Again I thought it looked better with flash as the colours were more reflective and bright.
I then air dropped the images of the type onto a mac and digitally edited the characters. Using the ‘levels’ tool, I brought down the dark colours in the images and slightly brought up grey colours. This got rid of all the dark white or the paper around the characters and made it a clear white, I done this so It would look cleaner and I was able to manipulate them easier.
What went well: 
I think I successfully was able to create a whole typeface that is easy to read yet is quite complex. I think it is hard to realise what it is made out of until you look closely. But the metallic effect it gives makes it viable to use as on packaging for a relevant product or on a logo.
Ideas: 
I could explore type in this project in various ways. I would look at different types in depth analysing the effect they give the viewer and how changing it can alter the effect. 
I could spend more time modelling each character to create a unique style for the whole typeface and then experiment with different products and packaging to see how effective it is.
I could also think of a way that I could present this type face artistically. I could create a poster? a zine? Or I could create a variety of examples of this type being used in the real world.
Review:
In all, I quite enjoyed doing this workshop especially when considering typography isn't really something I enjoy doing that much. I think this is because I was able to use 3D objects instead of just using a computer screen. It required a high level of initiative and problem solving to be able to create a good-looking and consistent type. 
Typography isn't something I was initially considering to explore in this project, however this workshop has given me a variety of ideas involving type that I could look to explore for my FMP.
Potentials:
I think typography is a huge part of graphic design that is possibly a bit over looked by most people. I may look at famous typographers and look at different techniques they have used to think of and create different type faces. I could also look at different and interesting ways that they have presented these type faces. Have they shown you examples of it being used? Have they jjst created a poster?
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cynthiabryanuk · 7 years ago
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Is Britain's Hyperloop a pipeline dream? Satisfy the individuals behind the UK's futuristic transport effort
ondon to Edinburgh in half an hour. Manchester to London in 18 minutes. London to Stoke in 14 minutes. This is the pledge of the Hyperloop, a futuristic mode of transport that was very first developed by billionaire Elon Musk.As the story goes, Musk was late for a speaking appearance back in 2012 when the concept for a "5th mode of transport" struck him. A year later, he released a 57-page plan describing a transportation system made up of levitating pods that can take a trip at speeds of as much as 700mph in a vacuum. Rather than establishing his own business and moneying the moon shot concept, Musk proposed a competition and required entrants to begin working on the project. The relocation ran out character for Musk, whose other extreme ideas have led him to discovered SpaceX and Tesla however he gave up the germ of an idea to a host of scholastic and private researchers.
The competitors has actually spawned thousands of start-ups and research groups worldwide. From the Silicon Valley venture-backed Hyperloop One, which has actually raised $160m to this day, to the internet group rLoop, engineers who satisfied on Reddit and have actually developed a model with $100,000 and a membership to the messaging service Slack.
bout 60 organisations have actually been welcomed to check their models on the SpaceX test track, and the UK has two rivals in the race to develop a working prototype.anchester-based Ilyas Vali was among the
charter member of rLoop, which Musk has invited to show on the SpaceX test track this weekend. The University of Edinburgh has backed a trainee group called HypEd, which is taking part in a 2nd round competition on Sunday following the rLoop presentation. Vali's interest in the Hyperloop started in 2013 when he checked out the white paper
on a train from Manchester to London. It was 2013 and he made the two and a half hour journey two times a week as part of his function as director of energy firm Touch Solar. Ilyas Vali working
on rLoop's prototype pod Credit: rLoop"The idea for a quick train was remarkable but the completion time for the HS2 path I
desired to take was 2035 and the journey time would have been cut by just about 40 minutes, "states Vali."I read Elon Musk's white paper and believed 'If you're going to invest billions of pounds and years developing a much faster and possibly less expensive transport service, you might also utilize new innovation'."fter struggling to form a UK-based team, Vali ended up being one of the founding members of rLoop, a group of engineers, designers and innovation professionals from 59 countries who have established their prototype over Slack. The neighborhood has drawn in hundreds of individuals since it was established in 2015 out of a Reddit thread about Musk's proposition. "As we acquired traction more people became aware of rLoop and wanted to sign up with,"states Vali."Today we are a global organisation from 59 countries
with more than 2,000 engineers. "T he members work on the project as volunteers in their extra time. In addition to his full-time task at Sustainable Equity, the 37-year-old Vali invests up to 60
hours a week on rLoop."It's a full-time job," he says. However he does not mind." It resembles Elon Musk: he separated from his better half since he was just working a lot of hours, which is great.
" rLoop employee working on the pod Credit: rLoop r Loop has actually raised about $100,000 through
its sponsors and a crowdfunding project, which has actuallybeen put to building its prototype.
Its model pod is the first to levitate exterior of the SpaceX tube in a standing position. Vali states rLoop has actually formed a collaboration with a leading UK producer to establish a Hyperloop tube." We are wishing to develop a test track in the UK to demonstrate the prototype as well as to lead future research and development from here,"he says.The University of Edinburgh's HypEd team is also hoping the UK can play a huge function in the advancement of the Hyperloop. Adam Anyszewski was just 19 when Musk published his proposal. However the engineering student, now 23, declares he and his daddy had talked about the principle a years in the past."At the age of 10 or 12 my daddy and I discussed super-fast travel in tubes, "states Anyszewski.< span itemprop=image itemscope itemtype =https://schema.org/ImageObject >< meta itemprop =url material= http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/video_previews/x/2/x2nxc1yze6sdupuismtwgbymvmzcyjd--xlarge.jpg >< img width=320 height=179 alt="Hyperloop pod takes a trip 192mph in maiden journey"data-frz-ratio=1.78 src=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/content/dam/video_previews/x/2/x2nxc1yze6sdupuismtwgbymvmzcyjd--small.jpg data-frz-src-array="[ x, x, content, x, 2, x] > Hyperloop pod takes a trip 192mph in maiden journey W hen Musk required competitors entries in 2015, Anyszewski, who is from a small village in central Poland, remained in his 2nd year of an electrical and mechanical
engineering degree at Edinburgh. He signed up with a group of seven students and began HypEd. W ith Anyszewski as president, HypEd swiftly became a 60-person group of style and engineering students from Edinburgh College of Arts and the university.
About 25 work on HypEd full-time. Like Vali, Anyszewski works on the job alongside his research studies, typically investing a minimum of 20 hours a week and in some cases up to 60 hours on it. "
It's busy as hell,"he says."My sweetheart loves me however she dislikes the project."The University of Edinburgh has actually funnelled ₤ 30,000 into HypEd, matched by a more ₤ 30,000 from other supporters. HypEd is intending to double this financial investment next year as it establishes its prototype."Our pod begins on tiny wheels and then it takes off. As long as it's moving the levitation system will never ever fail. In case of a power cut or some failure it will continue moving,"says Anyszewski." We have magnets that are literally efficient in crushing skulls."< div itemscope itemtype =https://schema.org/ImageObject data-frz-ancestor > Adam Anyszewski, president of HypEd Credit: HypEd T he scaled-down prototype is designed to reach speeds of as much as 360kmph, but Anyszewski is
n't planning to strike that this weekend."If we get it to autonomously
start, levitate and brake securely with grace and self-respect, without crashing or blowing up, I believe I may cry,"he states. Earlier this month, Musk stated he had federal government approval to construct a tube network in between Washington DC and New York City for a Hyperloop that will take a trip at 600mph. R eclaiming Musk's stake in the venture, his tunnelling firm, the Boring Business, then devoted to building a tunnel between the 2 US cities. It was recently offered approval for a test tunnel 44ft under Los
Angeles.It is still unclear if it is the future of transport. However the organisations completing for Musk's approval are devoted to making it work.< span itemprop= image itemscope itemtype=https://schema.org/ImageObject >
Elon Musk's rise to popularity in 90 seconds yperloop groups are infamously competitive. Vali and Anyszewski concur on two things: the end goal and how to react to sceptics. Neither is that concerned by the idea that the Hyperloop will never materialise, and both state they are working on it out of enthusiasm instead of for loan. And they both have the same action to doubters."Imagine we're having a conversation 100 years earlier and me stating 'we're attempting to establish something that will fly like a bird and review oceans in hours rather of months'," states Vali. "You would have been baffled."
Source
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/08/26/britains-hyperloop-pipe-dream-meet-people-behind-uks-futuristic/
from http://taxi.nearme.host/is-britains-hyperloop-a-pipeline-dream-satisfy-the-individuals-behind-the-uks-futuristic-transport-effort/
from NOVACAB - Blog http://novacabtaxi.weebly.com/blog/is-britains-hyperloop-a-pipeline-dream-satisfy-the-individuals-behind-the-uks-futuristic-transport-effort
0 notes
kevingbakeruk · 7 years ago
Text
Is Britain's Hyperloop a pipeline dream? Satisfy the individuals behind the UK's futuristic transport effort
ondon to Edinburgh in half an hour. Manchester to London in 18 minutes. London to Stoke in 14 minutes. This is the pledge of the Hyperloop, a futuristic mode of transport that was very first developed by billionaire Elon Musk.As the story goes, Musk was late for a speaking appearance back in 2012 when the concept for a “5th mode of transport” struck him. A year later, he released a 57-page plan describing a transportation system made up of levitating pods that can take a trip at speeds of as much as 700mph in a vacuum. Rather than establishing his own business and moneying the moon shot concept, Musk proposed a competition and required entrants to begin working on the project. The relocation ran out character for Musk, whose other extreme ideas have led him to discovered SpaceX and Tesla however he gave up the germ of an idea to a host of scholastic and private researchers.
The competitors has actually spawned thousands of start-ups and research groups worldwide. From the Silicon Valley venture-backed Hyperloop One, which has actually raised $160m to this day, to the internet group rLoop, engineers who satisfied on Reddit and have actually developed a model with $100,000 and a membership to the messaging service Slack.
bout 60 organisations have actually been welcomed to check their models on the SpaceX test track, and the UK has two rivals in the race to develop a working prototype.anchester-based Ilyas Vali was among the
charter member of rLoop, which Musk has invited to show on the SpaceX test track this weekend. The University of Edinburgh has backed a trainee group called HypEd, which is taking part in a 2nd round competition on Sunday following the rLoop presentation. Vali’s interest in the Hyperloop started in 2013 when he checked out the white paper
on a train from Manchester to London. It was 2013 and he made the two and a half hour journey two times a week as part of his function as director of energy firm Touch Solar. Ilyas Vali working
on rLoop’s prototype pod Credit: rLoop"The idea for a quick train was remarkable but the completion time for the HS2 path I
desired to take was 2035 and the journey time would have been cut by just about 40 minutes, “states Vali."I read Elon Musk’s white paper and believed ‘If you’re going to invest billions of pounds and years developing a much faster and possibly less expensive transport service, you might also utilize new innovation’."fter struggling to form a UK-based team, Vali ended up being one of the founding members of rLoop, a group of engineers, designers and innovation professionals from 59 countries who have established their prototype over Slack. The neighborhood has drawn in hundreds of individuals since it was established in 2015 out of a Reddit thread about Musk’s proposition. "As we acquired traction more people became aware of rLoop and wanted to sign up with,"states Vali."Today we are a global organisation from 59 countries
with more than 2,000 engineers. "T he members work on the project as volunteers in their extra time. In addition to his full-time task at Sustainable Equity, the 37-year-old Vali invests up to 60
hours a week on rLoop."It’s a full-time job,” he says. However he does not mind.“ It resembles Elon Musk: he separated from his better half since he was just working a lot of hours, which is great.
” rLoop employee working on the pod Credit: rLoop r Loop has actually raised about $100,000 through
its sponsors and a crowdfunding project, which has actuallybeen put to building its prototype.
Its model pod is the first to levitate exterior of the SpaceX tube in a standing position. Vali states rLoop has actually formed a collaboration with a leading UK producer to establish a Hyperloop tube.“ We are wishing to develop a test track in the UK to demonstrate the prototype as well as to lead future research and development from here,"he says.The University of Edinburgh’s HypEd team is also hoping the UK can play a huge function in the advancement of the Hyperloop. Adam Anyszewski was just 19 when Musk published his proposal. However the engineering student, now 23, declares he and his daddy had talked about the principle a years in the past."At the age of 10 or 12 my daddy and I discussed super-fast travel in tubes, "states Anyszewski. Hyperloop pod takes a trip 192mph in maiden journey W hen Musk required competitors entries in 2015, Anyszewski, who is from a small village in central Poland, remained in his 2nd year of an electrical and mechanical
engineering degree at Edinburgh. He signed up with a group of seven students and began HypEd. W ith Anyszewski as president, HypEd swiftly became a 60-person group of style and engineering students from Edinburgh College of Arts and the university.
About 25 work on HypEd full-time. Like Vali, Anyszewski works on the job alongside his research studies, typically investing a minimum of 20 hours a week and in some cases up to 60 hours on it. ”
It’s busy as hell,“he says."My sweetheart loves me however she dislikes the project."The University of Edinburgh has actually funnelled ₤ 30,000 into HypEd, matched by a more ₤ 30,000 from other supporters. HypEd is intending to double this financial investment next year as it establishes its prototype."Our pod begins on tiny wheels and then it takes off. As long as it’s moving the levitation system will never ever fail. In case of a power cut or some failure it will continue moving,"says Anyszewski.” We have magnets that are literally efficient in crushing skulls.“ Adam Anyszewski, president of HypEd Credit: HypEd T he scaled-down prototype is designed to reach speeds of as much as 360kmph, but Anyszewski is
n’t planning to strike that this weekend."If we get it to autonomously
start, levitate and brake securely with grace and self-respect, without crashing or blowing up, I believe I may cry,"he states. Earlier this month, Musk stated he had federal government approval to construct a tube network in between Washington DC and New York City for a Hyperloop that will take a trip at 600mph. R eclaiming Musk’s stake in the venture, his tunnelling firm, the Boring Business, then devoted to building a tunnel between the 2 US cities. It was recently offered approval for a test tunnel 44ft under Los
Angeles.It is still unclear if it is the future of transport. However the organisations completing for Musk’s approval are devoted to making it work.
Elon Musk’s rise to popularity in 90 seconds yperloop groups are infamously competitive. Vali and Anyszewski concur on two things: the end goal and how to react to sceptics. Neither is that concerned by the idea that the Hyperloop will never materialise, and both state they are working on it out of enthusiasm instead of for loan. And they both have the same action to doubters."Imagine we’re having a conversation 100 years earlier and me stating 'we’re attempting to establish something that will fly like a bird and review oceans in hours rather of months’,” states Vali. “You would have been baffled.”
Source
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/08/26/britains-hyperloop-pipe-dream-meet-people-behind-uks-futuristic/
from TAXI NEAR ME http://taxi.nearme.host/is-britains-hyperloop-a-pipeline-dream-satisfy-the-individuals-behind-the-uks-futuristic-transport-effort/
from NOVACAB https://novacabtaxi.tumblr.com/post/173817656701
0 notes
novacabtaxi · 7 years ago
Text
Is Britain's Hyperloop a pipeline dream? Satisfy the individuals behind the UK's futuristic transport effort
ondon to Edinburgh in half an hour. Manchester to London in 18 minutes. London to Stoke in 14 minutes. This is the pledge of the Hyperloop, a futuristic mode of transport that was very first developed by billionaire Elon Musk.As the story goes, Musk was late for a speaking appearance back in 2012 when the concept for a "5th mode of transport" struck him. A year later, he released a 57-page plan describing a transportation system made up of levitating pods that can take a trip at speeds of as much as 700mph in a vacuum. Rather than establishing his own business and moneying the moon shot concept, Musk proposed a competition and required entrants to begin working on the project. The relocation ran out character for Musk, whose other extreme ideas have led him to discovered SpaceX and Tesla however he gave up the germ of an idea to a host of scholastic and private researchers.
The competitors has actually spawned thousands of start-ups and research groups worldwide. From the Silicon Valley venture-backed Hyperloop One, which has actually raised $160m to this day, to the internet group rLoop, engineers who satisfied on Reddit and have actually developed a model with $100,000 and a membership to the messaging service Slack.
bout 60 organisations have actually been welcomed to check their models on the SpaceX test track, and the UK has two rivals in the race to develop a working prototype.anchester-based Ilyas Vali was among the
charter member of rLoop, which Musk has invited to show on the SpaceX test track this weekend. The University of Edinburgh has backed a trainee group called HypEd, which is taking part in a 2nd round competition on Sunday following the rLoop presentation. Vali's interest in the Hyperloop started in 2013 when he checked out the white paper
on a train from Manchester to London. It was 2013 and he made the two and a half hour journey two times a week as part of his function as director of energy firm Touch Solar. Ilyas Vali working
on rLoop's prototype pod Credit: rLoop"The idea for a quick train was remarkable but the completion time for the HS2 path I
desired to take was 2035 and the journey time would have been cut by just about 40 minutes, "states Vali."I read Elon Musk's white paper and believed 'If you're going to invest billions of pounds and years developing a much faster and possibly less expensive transport service, you might also utilize new innovation'."fter struggling to form a UK-based team, Vali ended up being one of the founding members of rLoop, a group of engineers, designers and innovation professionals from 59 countries who have established their prototype over Slack. The neighborhood has drawn in hundreds of individuals since it was established in 2015 out of a Reddit thread about Musk's proposition. "As we acquired traction more people became aware of rLoop and wanted to sign up with,"states Vali."Today we are a global organisation from 59 countries
with more than 2,000 engineers. "T he members work on the project as volunteers in their extra time. In addition to his full-time task at Sustainable Equity, the 37-year-old Vali invests up to 60
hours a week on rLoop."It's a full-time job," he says. However he does not mind." It resembles Elon Musk: he separated from his better half since he was just working a lot of hours, which is great.
" rLoop employee working on the pod Credit: rLoop r Loop has actually raised about $100,000 through
its sponsors and a crowdfunding project, which has actuallybeen put to building its prototype.
Its model pod is the first to levitate exterior of the SpaceX tube in a standing position. Vali states rLoop has actually formed a collaboration with a leading UK producer to establish a Hyperloop tube." We are wishing to develop a test track in the UK to demonstrate the prototype as well as to lead future research and development from here,"he says.The University of Edinburgh's HypEd team is also hoping the UK can play a huge function in the advancement of the Hyperloop. Adam Anyszewski was just 19 when Musk published his proposal. However the engineering student, now 23, declares he and his daddy had talked about the principle a years in the past."At the age of 10 or 12 my daddy and I discussed super-fast travel in tubes, "states Anyszewski. Hyperloop pod takes a trip 192mph in maiden journey W hen Musk required competitors entries in 2015, Anyszewski, who is from a small village in central Poland, remained in his 2nd year of an electrical and mechanical
engineering degree at Edinburgh. He signed up with a group of seven students and began HypEd. W ith Anyszewski as president, HypEd swiftly became a 60-person group of style and engineering students from Edinburgh College of Arts and the university.
About 25 work on HypEd full-time. Like Vali, Anyszewski works on the job alongside his research studies, typically investing a minimum of 20 hours a week and in some cases up to 60 hours on it. "
It's busy as hell,"he says."My sweetheart loves me however she dislikes the project."The University of Edinburgh has actually funnelled ₤ 30,000 into HypEd, matched by a more ₤ 30,000 from other supporters. HypEd is intending to double this financial investment next year as it establishes its prototype."Our pod begins on tiny wheels and then it takes off. As long as it's moving the levitation system will never ever fail. In case of a power cut or some failure it will continue moving,"says Anyszewski." We have magnets that are literally efficient in crushing skulls." Adam Anyszewski, president of HypEd Credit: HypEd T he scaled-down prototype is designed to reach speeds of as much as 360kmph, but Anyszewski is
n't planning to strike that this weekend."If we get it to autonomously
start, levitate and brake securely with grace and self-respect, without crashing or blowing up, I believe I may cry,"he states. Earlier this month, Musk stated he had federal government approval to construct a tube network in between Washington DC and New York City for a Hyperloop that will take a trip at 600mph. R eclaiming Musk's stake in the venture, his tunnelling firm, the Boring Business, then devoted to building a tunnel between the 2 US cities. It was recently offered approval for a test tunnel 44ft under Los
Angeles.It is still unclear if it is the future of transport. However the organisations completing for Musk's approval are devoted to making it work.
Elon Musk's rise to popularity in 90 seconds yperloop groups are infamously competitive. Vali and Anyszewski concur on two things: the end goal and how to react to sceptics. Neither is that concerned by the idea that the Hyperloop will never materialise, and both state they are working on it out of enthusiasm instead of for loan. And they both have the same action to doubters."Imagine we're having a conversation 100 years earlier and me stating 'we're attempting to establish something that will fly like a bird and review oceans in hours rather of months'," states Vali. "You would have been baffled."
Source
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/2017/08/26/britains-hyperloop-pipe-dream-meet-people-behind-uks-futuristic/
from TAXI NEAR ME http://taxi.nearme.host/is-britains-hyperloop-a-pipeline-dream-satisfy-the-individuals-behind-the-uks-futuristic-transport-effort/
0 notes
lovelyparanormalbooks · 7 years ago
Text
Book Blitz: Grand Finale: The Alaskan Catch by Beth Carpenter (Giveaway)
On Tour with Prism Book Tours
Book Tour Grand Finale for
The Alaskan Catch
By Beth Carpenter
We hope you enjoyed the tour and getting a taste of Alaska! If you missed any
of the stops you can see snippets, as well as the link to each full post, below:
Launch - Author Interview
What inspired you to write THE ALASKAN CATCH? One thing I hear over and over in Alaska is, “I came for the summer and never left.” I wanted my heroine, Dana, to feel that connection, to recognize that Alaska is a place where she can become the person she wants to be. What do you hope readers take with them after they’ve read it? As Sam tells Dana, “You can paddle your own boat or you can throw up your hands and let the current carry you wherever it will.” Find your river and keep on paddling.
Brooke Blogs - Excerpt
“I don’t feel sorry for you.” Dana gave a wry smile. Maybe she did feel bad for that boy whose mother deserted him, but not for the man he’d grown into. “In fact, if I’m honest, this weekend when I saw you and Ursula hug, I was a little jealous. I’d love to have someone in my life who was that glad to see me show up.”
Nicole's Book Musings - Ten Reasons to Fall in Love with Alaska
1. The Views Need I say more?
2. Summer Daylight In Anchorage on June 20th, the sun rises at 4:19am and sets at 11:40pm. In between it never gets completely dark.
Becky on Books - Review
"The Alaskan Catch is a sweet story about family, finding your own path (“paddling your own boat” as it’s put one more than once here–both figuratively and literally), and learning to put your trust in unexpected love even when it seems contrary to the plans you thought you had. Besides finding each other, Dana and Sam also find out some hard truths about their families’ histories during the course of the story, which each has to deal with in their own way. Neither is exactly on the path they thought they’d be by the end of the book, but since they’re on that new path together, it makes all the difference."
It's All About the Romance - Excerpt
“Hold it right there.” Sam blinked. He knew he was tired, but was he hallucinating? A woman wearing flowery shorts and a pink tank top stood in his living room, near the hallway. She couldn’t have been more than five-two or three, but the red gun in her hands more than made up for her petite size. Especially since the hands seemed to be shaking.
Heidi Reads... - Review
"What an adventure! I loved all the details of Dana's adventure in Alaska. There was a mystery of old family secrets, a friendship-to-romance relationship, exciting excursions, and descriptions of amazing landscapes and wildlife."
Hearts & Scribbles - Character Interview
Today, we’re talking with Dana Raynott, the heroine from THE ALASKAN CATCH. Dana, what brought you to Alaska? I came looking for my brother. When I was sixteen, he and my father argued and Chris left home. My father would never tell me what they fought about. Recently my father died, and left Chris some money in his will. I thought it was the perfect time to track him down, get a few answers, and hopefully reunite our family.
Getting Your Read On - Review
"I really enjoyed this new Harlequin Heartwarming book by Beth Carpenter! It had a bit of everything in it- adventure, mystery and romance. I loved the Alaskan setting with so much of the story taking place outdoors with the beauties of nature on full display."
underneath the covers - Even Shopping is Different
My first ever Harlequin, THE ALASKAN CATCH, takes place in my hometown of Anchorage, Alaska. Anchorage is a typical American city in a lot of ways, but with its own personal style. For example, we have an international airport, a small plane airport, and a float plane airport. A wayward moose can throw a real wrench into rush-hour traffic. Many of the pedestrian overpasses are specifically designed to accommodate sled dog teams. And then there’s shopping...
Rockin' Book Reviews - Review
"This book has a great story-line of friendship, mystery, forgiveness and love. I would recommend this to anyone. The kissing scenes are very modestly done. You cannot help but to fall in love with Alaska and the characters."
Lynn's Romance Enthusiasm - Review
"I’ve been a Harlequin fan since high school and I think this is a great addition to my collection. By the time you finish, you will understand why Harlequin has added to their Heartwarming series. . . . Toward the very end, Dana says something to Sam that sums things up nicely – this book was a great adventure. It also left me looking forward to reading more of this series. "
Books to Read Next - Excerpt
He frowned. Dana wasn’t helpless. In fact, two days ago, she’d threatened to shoot him. It was highly unlikely she’d come to any harm on a nice day downtown, surrounded by people. And yet here he was, worrying about her. Maybe Chris was right—Sam hadn’t been out with a woman for too long. He needed to get a grip.
Reading Is My SuperPower - Review
"The Alaskan Catch kept me grinning throughout each chapter. Sam and Dana are so sweet together, and you’ll find yourself rooting for them all along the way. Their backstories are poignant and compelling, and the more they (and we) discover the more compelling it becomes. An awesome dog, vivid supporting characters, and breathtaking kisses scenery (ok… that first kiss is pretty breathtaking too) round out the mix and may have you booking your next vacation in Alaska!"
The Bookworm Chronicles - Alaska Man
So, you want to date an Alaskan. Who wouldn’t? You’ve seen the pictures of hunky wilderness firefighters and fishermen. In Alaska, there are around a hundred and seven men for every hundred women. But women in Alaska have a saying. The odds are good, but the goods are odd.
Janice's Book Reviews - Review
"The book has some suspense and mystery to it and also adventure. Once you start the book it is hard to put down. . . . I really loved all the characters but I think Sam and Dana were my favorite. I definitely recommend this book. I have found another great author."
Thoughts of a Blonde - Review
"Beth Carpenter has earned herself a solid spot in the heart of the Harlequin Heartwarming author line-up with her debut novel in the line! It brings us secrets and despair, gorgeous countryside and the hearts of good, solid people to overcome the turmoil brought forth when lives are turned upside down with shocking revelations. The characters are down to earth, real and well developed and the plot takes us along for the ride of a sweet love story that stands the test of time and tribulation. Looking forward to seeing more from her!"
Harlie's Books - Excerpt & Review
Sam had purposely chosen not to reveal Dana’s last name yet. He wanted Ursula’s unbiased evaluation of her character first. And while he hadn’t talked to Ursula alone, it was obvious the two women clicked. It may have been when Dana offered to make the cornbread, or possibly when she complimented one of Tommy’s whirligigs, but at some point today, Dana had won Ursula over. He wondered if it would stay that way once Ursula knew her last name. "I loved how Chris, Dana and Sam’s past were intertwined. I’m not going to say anything else because it’s the crust of the book. Hats off to Ms. Carpenter for her originality. Brilliant, actually. And also, that not everything was done in Alaska. Dana still had some things to take care off back home with her new found strength. Oh yes, Dana had some growing to do in the book. It was subtle but in the end, it was well worth it."
Paulette's Papers - Six Ways to Test Your Courage in Alaska
Dana Raynott, the heroine in THE ALASKA CATCH, plays it safe. She’s always done exactly what her father asked her to do, even if it wasn’t what she wanted. But after her father’s death, she travels to Alaska to find her long-lost brother and spends time with his best friend, Sam. In this new place, with Sam by her side, she discovers reserves of courage she never knew she had. Want a challenge? Here are six ways to test your courage in Alaska...
Inside The Mind of an Avid Reader - Review
"A heartwarming novel about creating your own future and not living in the crux your family has left for you. This novel has a lot to learn about appearances not always being what they seem and just possibly our parents have learnt from something in their own past to guide them in the directions they try and push us into following. Everything in life is not as you expect it to be."
Christian Suspense Author Mary Alford - Review
"This is my first story by Beth Carpenter, but it won’t be my last. I loved the way the author wove an enticing story of romance and suspense, set in the beautiful backdrop of breathtaking Alaska. The characters were realistic and engaging. They had me cheering for them all the way to the end. I would highly recommend, The Alaskan Catch to anyone looking for a great romance."
And don't forget to enter the giveaway below, if you haven't already...
The Alaskan Catch (Northern Lights #1) by Beth Carpenter Adult Contemporary Romance
Mass Market Paperback & ebook, 368 pages
August 1st 2017 by Harlequin Heartwarming
Where life's currents take you… Dana Raynott just traveled 3,600 miles to reunite with the brother who changed his name and fled to Alaska nineteen years ago. It's impossible not to be moved by this wild, breathtaking state, even if Dana's no closer to finding the answers she came here for. Her brother's best friend, Anchorage engineer Sam MacKettrick, might be able to help her. He's strong and kind—a six-foot, irresistible blend of diverse cultures. He's also haunted by a tragic family history with a startling connection to Dana's past…
Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Harlequin│Kobo│Google Play│iTunes
About the Author
Once upon a time ... when Beth Carpenter was a little girl, she read everything she could get her hands on, and entertained herself on the school bus by making up stories in her head. Not a lot has changed. She's still consuming books like M&Ms, and spends her days creating happily-ever-afters for her imaginary friends. She lives in Alaska and Arizona with her husband and an aggressively affectionate fifty-pound lap dog. She loves to hear from readers.
Website│Goodreads│Facebook│Twitter│Pinterest│The Alaskan Catch Pinterest Board
Tour Giveaway
Taste of Alaska Prize Pack (US only), which includes:
Alaska cross-body bag
Wild Smoked Alaska Salmon for Dip
Alaska Wild Berry Company Bering Sea Salt Caramels
Gold Nugget Chocolate Chunks
Raspberry Herbal Tea
Salmon Jerky – Teriyaki and Original
Three Bears Postcard
Alaska Sourdough Starter
Moose Notecards by Alaskan Artist Vonnie Gaither
$25 Amazon Gift Card (open internationally)
Ends August 22nd
a Rafflecopter giveaway
0 notes
kickstarter-promotion · 8 years ago
Photo
Tumblr media
Another Amazing Kickstarter (TREJUR – a Stop Motion Animated Short Film by Thomas Kim —Kickstarter) has been published on http://crowdmonsters.com/new-kickstarters/trejur-a-stop-motion-animated-short-film-by-thomas-kim-kickstarter/
A NEW KICKSTARTER IS LAUNCHED:
Tumblr media
                                                        1 SENTENCE OVERVIEW:
  This crowdfunding campaign will let me finish my film until it can be seen by you. Thank you.
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THE FILM: Trejur (pronounced “treasure”) is a hand-made, fantasy, stop motion animated short film by the filmmaker, Thomas Kim. The story questions how desperation can transform us into something we never thought ourselves to be. We see this though a real life woman mourning the death of her grandmother. Transitioning through the medium of stop motion, she shows us the time when her grandmother gave her a toy in hopes of making her happier after their loved grandfather had passed. Her grandmother, with no means of support for her grandchild, had begun to leave the house every day and return with more and more toys to make her happy. Of course, this “over-accretion” made her resent what her grandmother brought, but it was too late; her grandmother had fallen into obsession. She now collected lost toys because it made herself happy, and soon their house was quite literally buried under a mountain of toys… 
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SO… Backing me on Kickstarter will provide for costly things like a 3D printer to quickly mass produce miniature toys, an amazing film composer to accompany the emotional performance of the puppets, festival fees to launch my career, and MANY MANY MORE. (The full budget outline can be found later in the page.)
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HISTORY: The medium of Stop Motion is incredibly labor intensive. Every prop, every color, every decision needs to be made by my hand. Everything in the visuals need to reinforce and drive the story because nothing is “free” as it is in live action. The puppets are moved frame by frame, 15-30 frames a second. For around ten minutes of footage, you’re looking at a few thousand hours. And all of this I have done myself so far. 2 hours a school day, 8 hours a weekend, for over 400 days now. 
WHY: This life-consuming project was initiated well over a year ago when I decided to take out $2000 from my pockets to tell this story. I do what I do because to me, storytelling is an instrument I use to explore the human condition. Film is my canvas, and a story is my paintbrush. Yes it might sound somewhat cliche, but this idea is something we all have wrestled with no matter the kind of career. It is universal. And so, your pledges will provide me with the opportunity to continue that exploration of psychology of emotions and the different perspectives of truth. (that, and it’ll help kickstart my career) 🙂
Below are SOME of the behind-the-scene documentations over the past year.
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The blanket has wires inside so that it can hold its position and be animatable.
I had to get creative! Those colored pencils are actually cut toothpicks, and the wooden plank floor are popsicle sticks with their ends sawed off. Due to the lack of money, I am held back by what I can’t do. I even made my slider out of Ikea door handles and a few dishwasher cart wheels! 
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1/6th scale miniature toys
The story calls for thousands of these toys. I’ve made about a hundred so far, but due to time constrains I’ve decided to 3D print the rest. HOWEVER, they’ll be hand-painted to match closer to the raw aesthetic of the film. Part of the budget is for a 3D printer + supplies to mass produce these miniature props.
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Above is the progression from concept designs to wood-carved stop motion puppets.
THE EYES: THE EYES ARE JUST TRACKING POINTS. You may have seen in the video above freaky, Coraline-esque eyes and mouths. They’re just tracking points to be REPLACED INTO REAL HUMAN eyes and mouths. Eyes are the windows to the soul! Not only will this add a more “emotional” quality to the puppets, it’ll allow for a coherent transition from live action real actors to stop motion puppets since they are supposed to be the same individual. The other short film, “Madame Tutli-Putli” is a fantastic example of what it’ll look like (Go on, I’ll give you permission you to leave this page and look up “Madame Tutli-Putli images” if you promise to come back). The eyes will be pinpoint seamless. All the while, they’ll have that slightly unsettling eerie feeling from being so cussing realistic!
THE RIGS: All the little metal arms holding the puppets in the video will be cleaned up and removed. They are used to support the puppets when they cannot support their weight such as when they jump.
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All the walls and floors can be broken down by quadrants so I can pop up inside and animate.
STORY STYLE: The film is combination of some live action but mostly stop motion animation in a ~12 minute runtime. Imagine a combination of Miyazaki’s elements of mysterious fantasy blended with the more dark, heavy, and human themes of modern live action films. Interesting!
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Most of the film takes place inside this old house. The walls are built from insulation foam, the staircase from foam board, and the door hinges from hot wheel toy car axles. Everything will be shot in camera to achieve the most realistic and “texturized” environment.
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These few set pieces are ready to be primed, painted, and weathered!
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   TIME VS MONEY (AN EXPLANATION): In the film industry, there is a direct correlation between time and money. Time IS money. The more money, the less time it’ll take to complete a film and vice versa. That’s why huge blockbuster movies are able to finish within a year; their budget is insurmountable. However on the other hand, the more time you have, the less money you need. I’ve been spending the past year working to make this film look expensive, but with almost no budget. At this rate, without funding, I expect to finish by the time I graduate school in 3 years. But if this campaign is successful, if the level of money increases, then the level of time needed will decrease exponentially.
WHERE THE MONEY WILL GO:
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 You might’ve noticed in the video that my lights are on top of stacked boxes… I have only one borrowed light stand so I have to carefully balance things like lights, reflectors, or bounce cards on boxes, chairs, and books. All the “sliding” shots in the video were made by ikea door handles and dishwasher cart wheels. Having the budget to acquire “luxuries” like light stands or sliders would save massive amounts of time.
I’m asking for $4000 to finish the film with a bang, and every dollar will have its purpose. The money will be specifically dedicated to this film only; none of it will fund my morning coffee. The completion of this project is my sole objective, and whatever you can give will be appreciatively used to breathe life into that ambition.
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  Final storyboards and set layouts and designs
STORYBOARDS: Last Summer, I spent 8 hours a day everyday for a month at a storyboarding class. (Storyboarding is pre-visualizing a film by drawing out every shot) It’s impossible to “master” the craft of storyboarding in that little time, but those classes did help me “free up” my hand. They taught me how to swiftly transfer my thoughts to paper without the barrier of a “slow” hand. From there, I locked myself up in my room for another month. I storyboarded and sto-RE-boarded over 30 times until I landed on my final boards as you see in the first picture above. Because there is no dialogue in the short film, I opted to build the story without a script and only a set of storyboards on flashcards. Each flashcard on my wall has a description on the back explaining the emotional performance needed in the puppet characters so that I can bring that into my animation.
Second takes are rare in stop motion because each second of footage takes days if you account pre-production. Therefore, all the shots need to be timed and locked down through storyboards before production begins.
PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE SCHEDULE:
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Above is the proposed schedule. There’s one common mistake in filmmaking; we always seem to underestimate the time it’ll take to produce something. With so many possibilities for accidents, reaching a perfect deadline is madness. Despite the risks, I’m willing to put in the extra hours and the extra money from my own pocket if it means finishing this project by the projected schedule. Have no fear!
The film will be complete nearing the end of this year IF this campaign is successful from YOUR help. I can’t wait to share this film with you: check out the rewards, ask any questions, and back the project on Kickstarter!
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  INFORMATION PROVIDED BY Kickstarter.com and Kicktraq.com VISIT PAGE SOURCE
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