#its a lot more bread textured— ok ok hold on. what do you think a donut is

[inkedmyths]

I love having online friends who live in foreign countries. I'm trying to explain what a bagel is to a Brazillian

[writefightandflightclub]

First light, last love

Summary: a lazy, fluffy morning in bed with your love, Santiago Garcia.

Author’s note: Very quick blurb in response to an ask- not my best but hope you like it! You can decide whether he means literal breakfast or “breakfast” *wink wink* at the end, depending on how you wanna be woken up.

Warnings: language, it’s Santi.

Word count: short and sweet. 

Tagging: @phoenixhalliwell​ @lostgirlheather​ @justrunamok​ @aellynera​ @damerondjarin​ @blushingwueen​ @iamthe-shadow-on-the-wall​ @holybatflapexpert​ @himbopoes​ @arabellathorne​ @yourbucky084​ @mandoplease​ @mylifeliterally​ @arkofblake​ @multifandomlife22​ @yougottakeeponkeepinon​ @aisling-beatha​ @stardust-galaxies​ 

GIF by @twillight

The morning sun is the first caress on your skin, gently easing you awake. Santi’s hands are the second, pulling you from the warm embrace of slumber and into the warm embrace of him.

As you stir, you feel the sturdiness and familiar shape of Santi’s body pressed firmly to your back as he forms a big spoon around you. You absorb the texture of bare skin on skin as his nose nuzzles into the back of your neck, and his hand languidly wanders over your belly and your thighs. His fingertips trace symbols on to your flesh, which only those fluent in the language of love might hope to ever decipher, easing your consciousness into the waking world and to a place where you feel completely safe and content and held; in his arms.

You hum softly to signal to him you’re awake, and a blissed out smile eases over your lips, the joy that comes from waking up next to your love and enjoying this closeness spilling visibly out of you.

“Morning, Princesa,” he breathes, hot air and the deep rumble of his voice fanning over your neck. Santi presses a gentle kiss to your neck, propping himself up onto his elbow to allow his kisses to journey along your jawline, and you turn your head to greet his lips with yours, giggling into the kiss.

Every time you kiss him it feels like arriving home. Each moment with him holding you feels like breaking dawn. Warm, fresh yet familiar, and an inconceivable blessing.

You peel your eyelids open, failing to quell the happy smile which beams out of you as soon as your gaze greets his, those warm, coffee eyes the only wake-up call you need.

You love waking up slow with him like this. No alarms; no place to be, except beside each other.

“Morning, handsome,” you say softly, as his broad hand comes to gently cup your cheek.

Those hands of his. You love them so. Those hands which were trained to be lethal, but which felt like they were made to love you. When they feel so good against you, what other purpose could they possibly have?

Instead of craning your neck, you swivel until you are flat on your back, Santi’s prone body still tesselated neatly into your side. He smiles back at you, his eyes skimming over your face and hair as if he is seeing you afresh with the start of the new day; even though he has looked at you so often, you sometimes question how he could possibly still wonder at the sight of you. Even when you’re like this, still shaking off the dregs of sleep, face and hair still fresh from the pillow, Santi’s eyes are glowing with adoration.

Santi runs his hand over your contours, fingertips guiding his gaze and sweeping languidly over your chest and stomach and legs. The callouses of him rub against the smoothness of your skin as he cups handfuls of your soft parts in his palms as if you are his daily bread. As if he might bring you to his lips to sustain him. After all, how could he live without you?

As you enjoy his touch, light filters intermittently through the curtains, hazy and half-cocked, ocassionally finding its aim on your face or throwing bars of gold daybreak over Santi’s chest, sun glinting off his dog tags. 

“Holy shit, baby,” Santi breathes as he studies you. “Once again you’re even more beautiful to me than yesterday, and less beautiful to me than you will be tomorrow.” Santi’s lips quirk up playfully, as his fingertips continue to wander the planes of you. He’s never lost when he’s touching you. He’s never lost, like he has been so often in dense jungle, tunred around and scared for his life. His fingers always know their path. His lips always know thier route to your lips, even in the dark. And yet, although he knows you so well, he never tires of you.

“Fuck, Santi,” you say, rubbing your eyes and adjusting to the light, feeling out your limbs and emerging gradually from the heaviness of sleep. “Just when I think you’ve run out of ways to charm me, you come out with something like that. Before you’ve even had coffee.”

You turn your body towards him and Santi lowers himself back to the pillow. You shuffle until you lie nose to nose with each other, shimmying the blankets down until they rest across your hips and tangling your thighs with the meat of his.

“I fuckin’ hope I never run out of ways to charm you, preciosa,” Santi says in earnest.

A lazy grin inches over his face, and you enjoy the creases which form around his eyes and mouth. Then, muffling his confession, Santi dips his head forward to nuzzle kisses into your neck. “Plus... alright, I confess to raiding the greeting card aisle yesterday while I was waiting for ‘Fish to checkout the beers.”

Your fingers filter into his grizzled curls as a soft chuckle shakes your chest up against him, and you absorb all the textures of him possible as his stubble grazes pleasantly along your collarbone and your breasts, soothed by lazy caresses of his lips and tongue. “That one made me think of you, cariño,” he whispers, his voice entirely earnest again as he tips his chin to look up at you from beneath his lashes and heavy brows with sincere eyes. 

You snicker softly as you nose into his curls, planting a loving kiss to the top of his head and lingering there to inhale the unique scent of him. Wrapping your arms around him more tightly, you tug him into your chest, and Santi hums contentedly, thoroughly dissolving into your embrace as you bring him closer and tangle limbs with him.

You feel so happy you might float to the ceiling, if you weren’t tethered by the blankets and by his embrace.

You both tug in a deep, steadying breath and exhale it together, enjoying nothing but the silence and the presence of each other for a few, extended moments.

“How is it-” Santi eventually begins to wonder idly as your arms encase him “-that I spend most of my time surrounded by a trained squad of killers, but I never feel safer than when you hold me like this?”

“Hmm. You didn’t get that from a Hallmark card, did you?” you tease, deflecting some of the raw emotion in his tone with humour, as it almost feels too overwhelming to handle, sometimes, Santi’s love. “That one was all you, you charmer?”

His words have a happiness blooming right from the core of you, and, you hope, suffusing back into him as you share this moment of loving each other, transmitting love back and forth through every touch and brush of lips and fingers and skin.

It is moments and mornings like this which you love the most. Not the grand gestures of love. Not the greeting card moments or the surprises or the special ocassions. The mundaness of love is everything to you. The simple, small joys with Santi are the ones you treasure the most.

“Yeah,” he jokes. “The rest said: everyone knows not to fuck with you, mi Reina, because they saw you tear Will a new one when he was a dick at our housewarming, and now cartels and drug lords cower in fear. Happy Thanksgiving.”

You laugh, a lilting sound which draws Santi’s eyes back to your lips, and you flop back on to the mattress, your arms raised above you on the pillow. Santi takes the opportunity to roll on top of you, craving even more contact. He boxes you in securely with his arms, and nudges your knees apart so he can lie in between your legs, hips pressing up against you. The weight of him against you, the feel of the solid mass of him on top of you is such a comfort, grounding you entirely when only moments ago you were lost to your dreams; still, moments like this with your love seem beyond your wildest dreams.

The chain of Santi’s dog tags jangle and pool on to your chest as he settles over you, the cool metal a pleasing contrast against your warm skin and the body heat emanating off of him. You regard them warily, ever since that time they chipped your tooth during a particularly vigorous embrace, but you have grown to love the familiar extension of him, and the reminder that although he is lethal, he is nothing but soft for you.

You follow the bobbles of the chain up and over his smooth chest, corded neck. To his face. God, he’s handsome. All over and at all times, but especially in the mornings like this, when he’s in nothing but his boxers and his watch and that chain. When his skin is bare and warm against you except for these shocks of cool metal. When he is still slightly grogged and unguarded, fresh from sleep. You love seeing his mussed mop of curls and the overnight sprouting of his stubble. Love having him all to yourself.

Santi swoops his soft lips down to kiss you again, and as he pulls back up you admire the happy glow in his heavy-lidded eyes. Admire the flexed muscles in his shoulders as he holds himself above you, and the soft curve of his belly pressing against yours. You drink him in, and you know he’s doing the same with you. 

While enjoying this moment, the like of which seems so rare these days, it suddenly strikes you how long you have gone uninterrupted.

“Santi, the house is quiet. What did you do to the boys?”

Santi grins down at you like the handsome devil he is and greedily kisses almost every inch of your face, bit by bit. “Sent the boys off to lake. Wanted you all to myself today.”

You smile broadly and gratefully at your thoughtful, adoring man. You were really enjoying the week out at the lake with the squad, but the boys could be a lot, and you did agree; you wanted Santi all to yourself for a little bit too. Ok, a lot.

“Thought we could have a lazy morning then take a picnic up to the coast? Found a good place you can do some reading while I lie in your lap and gaze longingly at you?”

You look at him adoringly and Santi takes the opportunity to swipe his tongue languidly along your lower lip, humming into the cave of your mouth as you grant him access and slowly mingle your lips and tongue with his like you have all the time in the world. 

You wind your arms lovingly around his neck, and pucker your lips to plant a delicate kiss to the tip of his strong, perfect nose. “You’re a genius, Santi. In fact, you know what? I love you more than I did yesterday, and less than I will tomorrow.”

Santi doesn’t smile at your words, despite the playful grin on your own face. He simply looks at you in wonderment again.  As if he’s seeing you fresh. Like every moment with you is a breaking dawn. “Fuck, Princesa. Who’s the charmer now?” Santi looks at you as though he’s the luckiest man in the world, and that never fails to floor you.

Yes, these were without doubt your favourite kind of mornings. You treasure these small moments together, where you have all the time in the world to adore each other. And you did; you do. You adore each other more and more every single day.

Sometimes, perhaps, waking is a sweeter dream than slumber, when your love makes every moment like a new day. Makes each feeling cheesy enough to write in a greeting card.

You smile conspiratorially, fluttering your eyelashes at Santi. Pushing your luck, even though you’re already the luckiest woman in the world. “Have I charmed you enough for you to make breakfast, my love?”

“Breakfast, mi Reina?” Santi purrs, pumping his eyebrows. “You just lie back and I’ll take care of breakfast. I’ll take care of you, ‘cause, fuck, do I love you too.”

Yes, this is it. This is definitely what dreams are made of.

[dangerouslyclosetothesurface]

Saturday

Yesterday I was looking at the map and I decided I wanted to bike to Pescadero. Two reasons for this: I wanted bread. Also, I wanted to test my gearing and setup.

Before COVID blew up, I was planning to bikecamp to LA this year for bike anniversary (mid-May; it’s flex.), and get ice cream (bike anniversary always calls for an ice cream ride) at McConnell’s in Santa Barbara on the way, and visit my OG bicycle mentor Muneeb. SF to LA is a mandatory ride that many people I know, some of whom are not even that into cycling, have done. Also I was inspired by Matt Reyes doing the ride in 6 days on 47x17 and 47x19. (I know my strength and I would do it on a lower gear.) But now that dream is dead.

Gear setup: - gangster with 47x19, wide bars - I put a patch kit and CO2 kit in a tiny seatpost bag. - I used my Tunitas bum bag to hold my water bottle, a battery pack with iPhone cable, wallet, an old tube for bungee in case I needed to tie something to my bike, a strap from Box Dog Bikes (similar purpose), a sharpie (to deface things), and my phone while I was riding. - I wore some Rapha bib shorts that Ariel gave me (thank you forever Ariel) plus a Montiel sports bra, and my Underarmour hoodie. I don’t bother with jersey anymore. Fuck it. I want the all-over tan. Also wore some Spoke Easy socks which I really like, Heavy Pedal gloves, and my Adidas running shoes which I got many years ago from the boys youth section.

Pre-ride: - Moisturizer, sunscreen, kale salad with meal-prepped beans and corn and bell pepper and three flour tortillas I fried lightly and melted horseradish cheese (yo I love this horseradish cheese) on. - Light stretching in my lobby, then roll out at 7:57 according to Strava

didn’t take many photos

Ride: Strava - By now I know the deal to get onto Highway 1. Slightly difficult Skyline bit that is between Fort Funston and Olympic Club, and then slightly more difficult two block stretch that goes from Valero gas station to the water tower thing. Then the terrifying (I hate descents, ok) descent on which I have to make a left on Crenshaw and get on Palmetto, which I always overshoot because I’m busy being terrified. This time I paid attention. I wasn’t terrified. Because I got my skids back and spinny ratio makes me feel invincible. - After this I went through Pacifica, then fixiecoasted down into Pacifica State Beach, then up that narrow winding bit to Devil’s Slide. - During the tunnel my music cut out so I just turned off my headphones and talked to myself the rest of the way. Flats are good for unwinding. - Then Half Moon Bay, then those three climbs that I did with not too much difficulty. Did some more fixiecoasting down the backs of those climbs. Passed by a fair number of cyclists going the other way and waved at them. - Got to Pescadero an hour ahead of schedule and thus bread was not open. Did not want to wait around so I just refilled my water bottle (ugh the water tasted like metal) and turned back around. - Climbs going back were not so bad. One in particular was a bit long, and the ground texture was bumpy. Descents were nice because I fixiecoasted them, plus I reveled.in the fact that I had climbed that same stretch just hours prior. Good job, self. Pat on the back for you. Got really comfortable with fixiecoasting (footbrake at the ready but rarely used). (Not a super useful skill but it is fun.) - I read that people don’t recommend LA to SF because it isn’t as enjoyable to ride on the inside of Highway 1. I would just like to say I disagree with this. I thought it was equally enjoyable. I liked looking at the plants. HAHAHAH. I didn’t take any photos (duh, I was busy riding) but there was a fabulous display of different lupines and Erigeron glaucus and I even saw a Sisrynchium bellum! I have never seen that in the wild. Also some Sambucus, some Eriophyllum, and some Castilleja. And a lot of poison oak. LOL. Thickets of it. Damn. Be careful y’all. - Seeing as I didn’t get any bread, I instead stopped at Dunkin Donuts in Half Moon Bay and picked up a few of my favorites. Then I ate 3.5 of the 4 donuts after realizing that I had no carrying capacity. I saved the remaining .5 for... - The last climb (and in my opinion, the only major climb), Skyline (the reverse of the descent that terrifies me). I misremembered it as four blocks. I think it is more. I lost count because I was focusing on 1) keeping my shoulders relaxed and 2) believing in myself. HAHAHAHA. Also I forgot to stop and eat the last half donut because I was so relieved the climb was over that I just kept going. - Made it the rest of the way home; super easy. Google Maps says it is like 47.5 miles each way, so I was trying to add some distance to make it an even 100 but my GPS messed up so I didn’t know how many miles I had gone. I think I only hit 98, but that’s fine. It was really annoying to try to add miles in the city because everyone was everywhere.

Post-ride: - Got home, showered, ate the same kale with beans and whatnot (that is all I eat these days), and the last .5 donut. Also drank a bunch of non-metallic water.

What I thought about on this ride: - This was a test ride, but it was also useful in being a means of catharsis for my life and the past week. I thought a lot about what I want out of my life, and who I want to be. I think that in life, my main objective is to feel capable. I know what I can do and what my limits are, and now I’m gonna try and push those limits a bit. Widen my comfort zone, little by little. It’s not about being comfortable with everything, so much as it is about knowing that I could reach a level of comfort with anything. So this ride is about me getting comfortable with the fact that I can do it. (...by doing it. HAHAHA) I’ve already done this ride, with Conrad last September, on Emily’s Bianchi. But I’ve not done it brakeless (btw first century on the gangster! yay little gangster), and I wanted to test my mental fortitude for if i were to ride to LA on this setup. Now i know the gearing is right (at least for this stretch), and I’ve also gained confidence, so that’s good. - During the three nontrivial climbs, I thought about 1) relaxing my shoulders, 2) all the people who love and support me and would be cheering me on at that moment, and 3) all the people (the same people) who inspire me to do this. Not just to ride, but to live life, and take advantage of that opportunity. I hope that I can return the favor and inspire them in the same way. I often source my motivation and power from anger, or self-flagellation, or other negative emotions. It’s not ineffective, but I am trying to make the shift towards more positive and self-empowering thinking. Also I made a mental list of powerful women that have influenced me and that I hold in high regard. Thank you for being my role models. (There are also powerful influential inspirational men in my life; thank you also, but I did not make a mental list of y’all during this ride.) - I biked past a lot of beauty (California, and Highway 1 especially, is known for that) and I thought about edges. In ecology, edges are the most productive in biodiversity and growth and resources. I think in life that is also true. When you have a collaboration between people, or a fusion between genres, that’s kinda like an edge. You get the best of both worlds, and something magical can thrive in that intersection. The result is greater than the sum of its parts. I look forward to one day being part of some sort of collab, once I have better defined myself and determined what I bring to the table. - What else did I think about: ummm. Mostly just loose/disorganized thoughts about life and people around me and work and how I can be more focused, and how things do get easier if you put in the work and the time, and how when I am biking I carry with me the people who support me, always. I hold you in my heart. lol.

[abiteofnat]

2019 COME AT THE BUTTON ON MY HIGH-WAISTED JEANS

Because by the end of this week, I had eaten enough to question the strength of the stitches holding my pants together. 

This year has started off with some of the best meals a grandma shark could hope for, from steakhouses to creative cocktails, it’s all been wonderful. I still have not mastered the art of breakfast, or bringing lunch to work, or how to avoid being hangry all eight hours of work due to not fixing either of those aspects... but maybe 2020 can be the year I figure that out! The good thing about forgetting to eat the entire length of a workday is that by the time it ends, I’m ravenous and ready to CHOW DOWN on some GOOD SNACKS. And by snack I mean a three course meal. 

So, without further ado, here are the meals I’ve eaten so far in 2019. 1 week, lots of empty plates, no shortage of flavors. It’s been grand. 

(Sort Of Meal 1, Actually Last Meal Of 2018): RPM Steak

For NYE Eric and I wanted to paint the town red with the blood of a well-cooked steak for him and a bottle of Merlot for me, so we went to RPM Steak for JUST THAT! I’m pretty sure we’ve been to every steakhouse in Chicago in the past year which is pretty incredible/terrifying on its own, however we hadn’t been to RPM and when’s a better time to blow some coin on five pounds of potatoes than NYE? I had mild expectations but they were all blown out of the water, as each course got better and better. We started with the camembert fondue, which was fucking dazzling to see, smell, and taste. From the piles of toasted bread coated in melted butter, to the cast-iron skillet holding a whole wheel of camembert topped with shaved truffles, it was a sight to behold. While truffle and melted soft cheese can be an overwhelming combo, it worked beautifully together and made for a decadent yet not too filling appetizer, and left me wanting much more (while not feeling ripped off for the price). 

Next up, I got a caesar salad for my main and it came complete with a deviled egg on the side, which was a wonderful surprise and as far as such a simple salad can go it was quite delicious. Eric got a bison steak, no comment on that since I did NOT try it, and then we also got blue cheese whipped potatoes and the “Millionaire Potato.” OOOOO BOY. THOSE POTATOES. The blue cheese whipped potatoes were easily my favorite thing we ate, because they had the perfect texture, right amount of blue cheese, a sprinkle of fresh pepper, and add some steak salt? Goodbye, you just died of joy. The Millionaire Potato was a twice-baked potato that had more black truffle, butter, and fontina cheese. It was heaven, and I wish I had another right now. The best bang for our buck was the side of onion rings for $8, and it was truly a huge bowl of onion rings and some dipping sauces that provided a nice crunch to break up the soft, rich foods. 

To finish off, Eric told the waiter it was our one-year anniversary (which is true one month from now, yeehaw!) and so we were treated with a rich dark-chocolate cake topped with flakes of gold and ganache. It was so incredibly dense and chocolatey and with a sip of red wine after each bite, 10/10 dessert. I would go back for a glass of wine and that cake after a long day in the future. 

Overall, it was an absolutely perfect last meal of 2018 and I got to spend three hours enjoying dinner with my love. Good stuff, good year, GOOD CAKE. 

Meal 1: Tweet

I’ve blogged about this brunch hotspot before, but it deserves another spot for being my first meal of a new year THREE YEARS IN A ROW. YEP. I order the same thing every time, and it never ever gets old- the vegan chorizo tacos, with a side of hash browns, and a side of hollandaise sauce (for the hash browns, OF COURSE). Can’t miss out on the spice cake appetizer that they bring without a minute to waste, and their iced coffee that includes one full glass and a whole carafe to keep on fillin’ up! Go to Tweet, plan on waiting a hot minute for a table, and enjoy the wild hot mess of perfection that it is. 

Note: It’s cash only, so get cash or be sad! And it’s incredibly gluten free/vegetarian/vegan friendly, hooray! 

Meal 2: Flight Club Darts USA

Skipping a few days ahead now, but no one cares about pizza and Whole Foods sushi, which is what I ate. So now we’re at Friday, the first Friday night of the new year! Hot stuff! Somehow I lucked out and was offered a full dining + playing experience at Flight Club Darts USA in Chicago, so after work Eric and I met in the charismatic yet impossibly “cool” dining area on the first floor and took a cozy table in the corner by the window, letting us watch the full bar and dart oches fill up with happy hour kids blowing off some steam like us. With a scotch on the rocks for him and The Butterfly cocktail for me, we ordered almost one of everything on the menu and ended up with quite the spread. I got the Spaghetti with lump crab, breadcrumbs, butter and citrus, and for sides we got the fries, green bean fries with a sweet & sour dipping sauce, and the mini tuna poke tacos. The green bean fries are for sure my favorite pick from the whole menu, as they’re perfectly crisp on the outside but still juicy on their green bean inside, and the fries are a close second with their cheese and seasonings. The spaghetti was rich and cooked a lovely al dente, and with a cocktail made of vodka & grapefruit juice I was in tastebud paradise! MY DRINK LOOKED EXACTLY LIKE THE COCKTAIL EMOJI! 

After dinner, we headed upstairs to where it’s darts central and where there’s a second bar much more populated with dates, groups of friends, families enjoying a game night, and every other group you can think of. When they say it’s “social darts,” they’re not kidding!! We got our own dart board and played nearly every single game available, and it was very relaxing to hurt real metal darts at a cork board after one heck of a day at work. Eric was scared, I was empowered, he won anyway but I had a GREAT TIME. 

This place is an awesome pick if you’re looking to meet friends for drinks after work, have dinner with work friends, or bring family to entertain them for an night when they’re in town. And you get great views of the city! 

Thank you again to Flight Club for letting us enjoy for the night, we had a great time and I will certainly be back for more dart therapy. 

Meal 3: Eataly

Ok I know this one isn’t revolutionary, because who hasn’t eaten at Eataly? I frequent this place and every time it’s just so freakin’ good. Their thing is authentic Italian food, and they really nail it with their homemade pasta, fresh sauces, expansive wine list, and sea salt ciabatta to dip into multi-dimensional olive oil. But, this meal had to do with my last post of 2018- about truly being in the moment and enjoying time with loved ones. Since my sister is home from college for break, she’s been going to all her favorite spots and this was one yet to be crossed off. We’re both bananas for the Cacio e Pepe- al dente spaghetti tossed with cheese, salt, and pepper. It’s perfect. So I told my family to meet me downtown on Saturday night and have a family dinner at Eataly, to cross the pasta off Elise’s group and family time off my life. We had wine, talked about our week, and I felt so happy to get to do that with them. Eataly is somewhere we’ve gone a lot as a family, and it always just feels like home when we’re there. With a gelato sundae to finish off, we left very full and ready for a sleep! 

Pictured: Cacio e Pepe, the squid ink pasta, truffle pizza, chocolate and hazelnut gelato. 

Meal 4: Replay Andersonville

Brunch. Nachos. Lemon Raspberry Ricotta Pancakes. Mimosas for $5.50. Skillets. Free arcade games. Lots of TVs for football. That’s all you need to know; this place is IDEAL for brunch and is my new go-to. Even on football Sunday it wasn’t that busy but still full and the food blew me away for being a bar. Eat, drink, play some old school arcade games, leave feeling revived and young again. I LOVE BRUNCH. 

Anyway, that’s pretty much it for this week! 2019 has not been kind to my wallet but I’ve already eaten so much good food and I can’t wait to keep the ball rolling! Fork in hand, I am ready. 

Until next time, Happy Eating!

-Natalie

[iyarpage]

Unreal Engine 4 Animation Tutorial

You will rarely see a modern game without animation. This is because animation is key in conveying motion. Without animation, a character would just look like they’re sliding instead of running.

Luckily, Unreal makes it easy to get your characters animated in no time!

In this tutorial, you will learn how to:

Import a mesh with a skeleton

Import animations

Create an Animation Blueprint to transition to different animations

Blend between animations

Please note, you will be using Blueprints in this tutorial. If you need a refresher, check out our Blueprints tutorial.

Note: This tutorial is part of a 6-part tutorial series on Unreal Engine:

Part 1: Getting Started

Part 2: Blueprints

Part 3: Materials

Part 4: UI

Part 5: How To Create a Simple Game

Part 6: Animation (you are here!)

Getting Started

Download the starter project and unzip it. In the root directory, you will see a folder named Animation Assets. This folder contains the character and animations that you will be importing.

Open the project by navigating to the project folder and opening SkywardMuffin.uproject.

Note: If you get a message saying that the project was created with an earlier version of the Unreal editor, that’s OK (the engine is updated frequently). You can either choose the option to open a copy, or the option to convert in place.

Press Play to start the game. The goal of the game is to touch as many clouds as possible without falling. Click the left-mouse button to jump up to the first cloud.

Instead of a plain red circle, let’s control this cute little muffin instead:

This muffin contains a skeleton which allows you to animate it.

What is a Skeleton?

In 3D applications, a skeleton is a set of interconnected points called joints. In the image below, each sphere is a joint.

Note: Unreal uses the terms joint and bone interchangeably.

By manipulating these joints, you can create different poses for your character.

When you go from one pose to another, you are creating an animation.

If you create more poses between the previous poses, you can get something like this:

In Unreal, any mesh with a skeleton is a Skeletal Mesh. Let’s begin by importing the Skeletal Mesh for the muffin.

Importing a Skeletal Mesh

Go to the Content Browser and navigate to Characters\Muffin. Click Import and then go to SkywardMuffinStarter\Animation Assets. Select SK_Muffin.fbx and then click Open.

In the import window, go to the Mesh section and uncheck the Create Physics Asset option. The Physics Asset helps create a ragdoll effect. Since this tutorial does not cover that, you do not need one.

The project already includes the muffin material and texture so you don’t need to import them. Uncheck the Import Materials and Import Textures options.

Leave everything else at their default settings and then click Import. This will create the following assets:

SK_Muffin: The Skeletal Mesh asset. This is basically just a mesh with a link to a Skeleton asset.

SK_Muffin_Skeleton: The Skeleton asset. This holds a list of joints and other information such as their hierarchy.

Now that you have the muffin imported, it’s time to use it.

Using a Skeletal Mesh

Before you use your new Skeletal Mesh, you should give it a material so it’s not just a grey blob. Double-click on SK_Muffin to open it.

Go to the Asset Details panel and locate the Material Slots section. Assign the M_Muffin material and then close SK_Muffin.

Now, let’s use SK_Muffin as the player character. Go back to the Content Browser and double-click on BP_Muffin to open it.

Go to the Components panel and select the Mesh (Inherited) component. Navigate to the Details panel and locate the Mesh section. Set the Skeletal Mesh property to SK_Muffin.

Click Compile and then go back to the main editor. Press Play to play the game as a muffin!

The game is already looking a lot better! Your next step is to import some animations that will add life to the muffin.

Importing Animations

Go to the Content Browser and click Import. Make sure you are in SkywardMuffinStarter\Animation Assets. Select the following files:

SK_Muffin_Death.fbx

SK_Muffin_Fall.fbx

SK_Muffin_Idle.fbx

SK_Muffin_Jump.fbx

SK_Muffin_Walk.fbx

Once you have done that, click Open.

In the import window, go to the Mesh section and uncheck the Import Mesh option. This will make sure the Skeletal Mesh is not imported again.

Next, make sure the Skeleton property is set to SK_Muffin_Skeleton. This specifies which skeleton the animation will use.

Finally, click Import All. This will import all the animations with the settings you just specified.

Now that you have all your animations, you need a way to play them. You can use an Animation Blueprint to do this.

Creating an Animation Blueprint

An Animation Blueprint is like a regular Blueprint. However, it also features a graph dedicated to animation tasks.

To create one, go to the Content Browser and click the Add New button. Select Animation\Animation Blueprint.

In the pop-up window, locate the Target Skeleton property and select SK_Muffin_Skeleton. Next, click the OK button to create the Animation Blueprint.

Rename the asset to ABP_Muffin. Afterwards, double-click on it to open it in the Animation Blueprint editor.

The Animation Blueprint Editor

The Animation Blueprint editor is like the Blueprint editor but with four extra panels:

Anim Graph: This graph is dedicated to animation. This is where you will play your animations.

Preview Scene Settings: This panel allows you to tweak the preview scene in the Viewport

Anim Preview Editor: Variables you create will also show up here. Use this panel to preview the effect your variables have on the final animation.

Asset Browser: This panel contains a list of animations the current skeleton can use

To define when each animation should play, you can use a State Machine.

What is a State Machine?

A State Machine is a set of states and rules. For the purposes of this tutorial, you can think of a state as an animation.

State Machines can only be in one state at a time. To transition to a different state, certain conditions—defined by rules—must be met.

Below is an example of a simple State Machine. It shows the states of a jump and the rules for transitioning to each state.

States can also have a two-way relationship. In the example below, the Jump and Fall states can transition to each other.

Without this two-way relationship, a character wouldn’t be able to perform a double jump. This is because the character would only be able to enter the Jump state from the Idle state.

That’s enough about State Machines. Let’s go ahead and create a new State Machine.

Creating a State Machine

Make sure you are in the Anim Graph and then right-click an empty area. From the menu, select Add New State Machine.

This will add a State Machine node to your graph. Rename the State Machine to Locomotion. Afterwards, connect the Locomotion State Machine to the Final Animation Pose node.

Now, the Locomotion State Machine will determine the muffin’s final animation.

Next, double-click on the Locomotion State Machine to open it. Inside, you will see an Entry node.

The state connected to this node is the default state. For this tutorial, the default state will be the idle animation. Create this state by right-clicking an empty area on the graph. From the menu, select Add State and rename it to Idle.

Now, you need to connect the Entry node to the Idle state. Drag-click the Entry pin to the gray area of the Idle state. Release left-click to connect them.

When you create a state using the context menu, it won’t have an animation linked to it. Let’s fix that.

Linking an Animation to a State

Double-click on the Idle state to open it.

To link an animation, go to the Asset Browser and then drag-click the SK_Muffin_Idle animation. Release left-click on an empty area in the graph to add it.

Next, connect the Play SK_Muffin_Idle node to the Final Animation Pose node.

To use the Animation Blueprint, you need to update BP_Muffin.

Using an Animation Blueprint

Click Compile and then switch to BP_Muffin.

Go to the Components panel and then select the Mesh (Inherited) component. Go to the Details panel and then locate the Animation section.

Set the Animation Mode to Use Animation Blueprint. Next, set Anim Class to ABP_Muffin.

Now, the Skeletal Mesh will use ABP_Muffin as its Animation Blueprint.

Click Compile and then close BP_Muffin. Go to the main editor and press Play to test the Animation Blueprint. Since Idle is the default state, the muffin will automatically use the idle animation.

In the next section, you will create states for jumping and falling.

Creating the Jumping and Falling States

Go back to ABP_Muffin and then switch back to the graph for the Locomotion State Machine. You can do this by clicking the Locomotion bread crumb located at the top of the graph.

Instead of creating a state and then linking an animation, you can create one with an animation already linked. Let’s do that for the jumping state.

Go to the Asset Browser and then drag-click the SK_Muffin_Jump animation. Release left-click on an empty area in the graph. This will create a state with the animation already linked.

Rename the state to Jump.

Repeat the process using the SK_Muffin_Fall animation and rename the state to Fall.

You will now have three states: Idle, Jump and Fall.

Next, you will link the states to each other. You can do this by drag-clicking the gray area of the state you want to transition from. Release left-click on the gray area of the target state to create a transition.

Create the following transitions:

Idle to Jump

Jump to Fall

Fall to Jump

Fall to Idle

Now that you have transitions, you need to define when a transition can occur. You do this by using Transition Rules.

Transition Rules

This icon represents a Transition Rule:

Every Transition Rule contains a Result node with a single boolean input.

If this input is true, a transition can occur.

Next, you will create variables that inform you if the player is jumping or falling. You will then use these variables in the Transition Rules.

Checking if the Player is Jumping or Falling

Create two boolean variables named IsJumping and IsFalling.

First, you will set the value of IsJumping. Switch to the Event Graph and locate the Event Blueprint Update Animation node. This node functions like the Event Tick node.

To check if the player is jumping, create the following setup:

This will check if the player’s velocity on the Z-axis is greater than 0. If it is, the player is jumping and IsJumping will be set to true.

Note: Make sure to cast to the class that will use the Animation Blueprint. This is crucial in being able to preview your variables using the Anim Preview Editor.

To check if the player is falling, you just need to perform the opposite check. Add the highlighted nodes:

Now, IsFalling will be set to true if the player’s Z-Velocity is less than 0.

It’s time to use these variables to define the Transition Rules.

Defining the Transition Rules

First, you will define the Idle to Jump Transition Rule. Switch back to the Locomotion State Machine. Double-click on the Idle to Jump Transition Rule to open it.

Create an IsJumping node and connect it to the Result node.

Now, the Idle state can transition to the Jump state when IsJumping is true.

Repeat the process for the Jump to Fall and Fall to Jump Transition Rules. Use the following variables:

Jump to Fall: IsFalling

Fall to Jump: IsJumping

Now, the Jump and Fall states can transition to each other.

There is still one Transition Rule left to define. Go ahead and open the Fall to Idle Transition Rule.

To transition to the Idle state, the player cannot be jumping or falling. To perform this check, you can use the NOR node. This node will only return true if both of its inputs are false.

Create a NOR node and connect an IsJumping and IsFalling node to it. Afterwards, connect the NOR node to the Result node.

Now, the Fall state can transition to the Idle state when IsJumping and IsFalling are false.

Click Compile and then go back to the main editor. Press Play to test the transitions.

Note: You can also test transitions by editing variables in the Anim Preview Editor.

Right now, the muffin just slides when moving along the ground. This is because you haven’t used the walk animation yet!

Instead of creating a new state for walking, you can blend it with the idle animation using a Blend Space.

What is a Blend Space?

A Blend Space is a type of animation asset. It interpolates between different animations based on input values. In this tutorial, you will use the player’s speed as the input.

Blend Spaces can also help simplify your State Machines. Here’s what the Locomotion State Machine would look like if you didn’t use a Blend Space for the walk:

Using a Blend Space, all you have to do is replace the idle animation.

Now that you know of the magic of Blend Spaces, let’s create one.

Creating a Blend Space

Go to the Content Browser and click Add New. Select Animation\Blend Space 1D.

Note: The difference between a Blend Space and Blend Space 1D is that the former can have two inputs. The latter can only have one.

From the pop-up window, select SK_Muffin_Skeleton.

Rename the asset to BS_IdleWalk and then double-click on it to open it in the Animation editor.

When you open a Blend Space, you will see a panel at the bottom. This is the Blend Space editor and this is where you will add your animations.

Let’s add some animations to the Blend Space.

Adding Animations to a Blend Space

First, you will change the name of the axis value (the input). Go to the Asset Details panel and locate the Axis Settings section. Change the Horizontal Axis\Name property to Speed.

Now, you will add the animations. Go to the Asset Browser and drag-click the SK_Muffin_Idle animation. Move it to the left side of the Blend Space grid so that it snaps to the 0.0 value. Release left-click to add the animation.

Note: To display the animation names, press the label icon at the top-left of the Blend Space grid.

Afterwards, add the SK_Muffin_Walk animation at the 100.0 value.

Now, the Blend Space will blend the idle and walk animations depending on the input value. If the input is 0, only the idle animation will play. If the input is 100, only the walk animation will play. Anything inbetween will be a blend.

Note: These values are arbitrary. For example, you could change the maximum value to 500. This would result in the walk animation only playing at higher speeds.

You can change the values under the Axis Settings section in the Asset Details panel.

It’s time to use the Blend Space.

Using Blend Spaces

Close BS_IdleWalk and then open ABP_Muffin. Switch to the Locomotion State Machine and then open the Idle state.

First, delete the Play SK_Muffin_Idle node.

Next, add the BS_IdleWalk Blend Space using the drag and drop method. Afterwards, connect the BS_IdleWalk node to the Final Animation Pose node.

Now, BS_IdleWalk will automatically play because it is the default state. However, it will only show the idle animation. This is because its Speed input stays at 0.

To fix this, you need to supply it with the player’s speed.

Getting the Player’s Speed

Create a new float variable named Speed. Afterwards, switch to the Event Graph.

Add a new pin to the Sequence node and then add the highlighted nodes to it:

This setup will constantly set the Speed variable to the player’s speed.

Switch back to the Idle state’s graph. Connect the Speed variable to the Speed input of the BS_IdleWalk node.

Now, BS_IdleWalk will be able to blend between the idle and walk animations.

Click Compile and then go back to the main editor. Press Play to test out the Blend Space.

There’s one more animation you still need to use: the death animation!

Using the Death Animation

In this game, you can only die while in the Idle state (on the ground). However, let’s imagine you could die from any state. Your first thought might be to create a Death state and connect every state to it. While this is an option, it can quickly lead to a messy graph.

A solution to this is to use a Blend Poses by bool node. This node can switch between two animations depending on the value of the input boolean.

Before you create one, you need a variable that holds the player’s death status.

Checking if the Player is Dead

Go back to ABP_Muffin and create a boolean variable named IsDead. Afterwards, switch to the Event Graph.

Add a new pin to the Sequence node and then add the highlighted nodes to it:

This will set the IsDead variable depending on the player’s death status.

Next, you will use the Blend Poses by bool node.

Using the Blend Poses by Bool Node

Switch to the Anim Graph and add the SK_Muffin_Death animation. With it selected, go to Details panel and uncheck the Loop Animation property.

This will make sure the death animation only plays once.

Next, create a Blend Poses by bool node.

With the Blend Poses by bool node selected, go to the Details panel. Under the Option section, check the Reset Child on Activation property.

Since the death animation only plays once, this option will make sure the animation resets before playback.

Finally, add the IsDead variable and connect everything like so:

Now, if IsDead is true, the death animation will play. If IsDead is false, the current animation of the Locomotion State Machine will play.

Click Compile and then close ABP_Muffin. Press Play and test out the new death animation!

Where to Go From Here?

You can download the completed project here.

The game looks a lot more polished now, doesn’t it? Although you can do a lot with what you’ve learned so far, there’s still more! Check out the Skeletal Mesh Animation System page in the Unreal Engine documentation. Here, you can read about the other types of animation assets and how you can use them.

If there’s a topic you’d like me to cover, let me know in the comments below!

The post Unreal Engine 4 Animation Tutorial appeared first on Ray Wenderlich.

Unreal Engine 4 Animation Tutorial published first on http://ift.tt/2fA8nUr

[janelawsonfood]

It had reached the point of embarrassment. The business of ‘not yet’ having visited the ‘art island’ of Naoshima.

Many of my clients had made the trip and raved, or were seeking my advice on a regular basis… ‘what’s it like?’ ‘when’s the best time to go?’ ‘where should we stay?’ ‘what’s the food like?’  I could only share what I’d heard reported from friends so I had no choice but to do some first hand investigation.

Of course it had been on my Japan-travel bucket list for some years. While I’ve travelled from the head to the tootsies of Japan there is much amazingness yet to discover and only so much you can fit in between hosting tours, researching and writing,  scouring the country for products for our upcoming online store (zenbuhome.com opening soon! nudge nudge, wink wink) and catching up with good friends in our second home.

Finally, last December (2016) we made it. Freshly hitched – it was a good excuse to taste a bit of island life.

I wasn’t prepared for the truly laid back vibe, the lushness of the trees, the rugged coastline, the strange sadness in parts nor the outgoing friendliness of the local obaachan (grandmothers/older ladies) in others.

Or the sunsets. Oh my. The glorious background to wine-o-clock.

It was an all too brief two nights however I learnt so very much during our short stay that I thought it would be rude not to share it! I hope it helps you to make the most of your own  Naoshima travel.  Please note that there are a couple of different approaches and entry points to the island but I’ll only refer to the journey from Kyoto – from where Naoshima and the Seto inland sea are popular sidesteps.

1.Getting there. Although, as the crow flies, Naoshima is not too far from Kyoto –  it ends up being about a 5 hour trip door to door so if you are only there for a weekend  – go very early on the day you are due to arrive and don’t underestimate how much there is to see !

The train trip from Kyoto to Uno Port is pretty damn lovely.  Especially when you pass through the farming area closer to the inland sea end of your journey, seated in old fashioned carriages, after a train swap or two, filled with character and the rhythm of the tracks is a special kind of relaxing fun.

Note that you need to switch trains a couple of times before arriving but it isn’t too complicated – on the final change you arrive on a small platform and may immediately decide to follow everyone else down the stairs. But don’t!  Because you’ll just have to lug your bags back up again!  All you have to do is hold fast at said platform for the connecting train – just a few steps away from where you sprang out of your carriage with intention to run to find the next platform in case you missed your next train ..  Of course it pays to double check��with a local if unsure (someone is bound to understand you if you look panicked enough)  –  you simply never know when they might change platforms on you.

From Uno Port. There are in fact a couple of choices of transport across the waters to Naoshima  (which we didn’t find out about until after the first boat trip) .

The cheaper option, used by locals, and for transporting cars and ‘bulky stuff’ over is somewhat rustic and the smoking indoors thing has not yet been banned  – consequently a stale musty stench is embedded in the soft furnishings. But for a short trip, even on a frosty day, sitting rugged up on the deck in the sunshine  – it’s perfectly fine.

However, next time I’ll try the fancier ‘visitor’ carrier version which is likely to be a little better set up for lugging bags onto and I’m guessing has a sweeter smelling cabin. I will be going back as some stage so I’ll update this at that time ( but don’t hold your breath or anything… well not unless you choose to sit indoors on the local ferry).

2. Accommodation. Being that we were attempting a mini honeymoon (ie research disguised as such due to perfectly convenient timing) we decided to opt for the justifiably luxurious accommodations of Benesse House.

We chose the ‘Museum’ rooms instead of the Oval, Park or Beach accommodations – based mainly on cost but also because the view was spectacular as they are at the top of a hill (as are the Oval rooms).

Each room offered large (for Japan) decks and as you don’t see a lot of deck action in  Japan it was a novelty for us. Especially as we were so very keen on the outlook of wide blue skies and the sea.

  The rooms presented very well on the website but we did find them to be showing a little age, and the bathrooms were very small (common in Japan but we were anticipating something a little newer and more spacious here for some reason),  however it was only 2 days and everything was very comfortable and clean.

The service was minimalist but friendly. A small bottle of wine (not yet chilled…hence ice) was waiting for our arrival with a message of marital congratulations .  All was well with the world. And that view… nothing else really mattered to us – even the somewhat unromantic twin (ie 2 x single ) beds  couldn’t ruin our excitement.

 An aside, staying at the Museum is actually pretty cool because you get to wander around the relatively people-free installation space until 11pm. Bonus!

3. Sunsets.  The Inland Sea sunsets were the most spectacular I’ve encountered – their potency has been forever etched in my mind.  I’d return for the sunsets alone. Warning – potential sunset overload…

4. Days of closing. Next time I’ll be sure not to visit the islands on a Monday or Tuesday -unless we’re staying a whole week  -because it turns out that many of Naoshima’s sites are closed on a Monday. On Tuesday’s the neighbouring art island of Teshima has its day of rest too – so pop that in your travel planner now ! Needless to say we were rather disappointed to discover, after arriving around 11am on a Monday (after a 5am start)  that we’d just missed the last boat to Teshima and most of Naoshima’s sites were shut.  As I said – we need to go back. It really pays to do your research.

5. The Food. OK – settle in now because this might ramble on for a bit…

The Museum has 2 spots to eat – the cafe (which is only open until about 5pm) and the restaurant which serves a Japanese or Western breakfast and then opens again for dinner – Japanese – offering a choice of several different Kaiseki style courses, including one vegetarian version. But I’ll come back to that in a moment.

We slurped up pasta for lunch one day at the cafe and, although the space itself is lacking in any real personality, the view was very relaxing and the grub surprisingly good.

We sampled the western breakfast at the Museum and felt, for the money, that it wasn’t overly exciting, and the service was almost uncomfortably formal. Next time I’d choose their Japanese breakfast.

The dinners were not bad.. that’s probably unfair, they were in fact well presented and technically pretty spot on –  but if I was to have just one Kaiseki meal in Japan it would be elsewhere…. I’d be guessing this is the only restaurant on the island serving Kaiseki style cuisine  – and most other restaurants are quite a trek from the museum so it is certainly convenient.

If you haven’t experienced Kaiseki before I’d say this was a good entry level place. I chose the vegetarian Kaiseki and the husband’s course included meat and seafood – I was excited to see what they would come up with in the veggie option as I love good shojin ryori (buddhist vegan cuisine) but, sadly,  I ended up with total food envy. My meal was fine but his sashimi looked pretty amazing and listening to him devour it as I flapped my konnyaku (devil’s tongue root jelly)  ‘sashimi’  about was a little soul destroying… however my Nasu dengaku (fried eggplant was sweet miso sauce) was superb! In fact I could have eaten several of them and left the rest of my meal – except the tempura perhaps…  but then his had fat, juicy prawns… oh stop it!

  Right !  now we also had the buffet breakfast at the Terrace restaurant which is in the Park/Beach accommodations complex, right down by the water.   Splendid – surprisingly high quality house made breads, pastries and jams, both Japanese and western specialities – think a very simple chawan mushi (steamed savoury custard),  perfect omelettes made to order, a range of Japanese vegetable dishes, quality yoghurt, fruit,  soup etc.

It ranks high on my personal hotel breakfast buffet scale.  The outlook certainly doesn’t hurt either!

It isn’t the cheapest place for breakfast on Naoshima but as the museum and terrace restaurants are pretty much your only choice in this part of the island – I know where I’d be dining every morning.

We also enjoyed a degustation dinner in the same restaurant – French/Japanese. It was very good, a teensy bit old fashioned if I was being picky, but well executed with great flavours and textures using local ingredients. Fresh, flavoursome and a little bit of magic.

It didn’t hurt that they poured us champagne on arrival, sent out a plate with some strawberries and congratulatory message handwritten in chocolate and handed us a small carry bag when we left, inside was a gorgeous mini stollen (as it was just before Xmas).  A lovely touch. The hand-luggage squished Stollen was repurposed as a gift to a friend so I can’t vouch for the flavour but it looked authentic!

We heard that there are a couple of decent places to eat near Honmura art house village (where the hotel shuttle bus stops FYI) -an Italian place, a burger joint and a ramen shop – we didn’t get to any of them. So do ask the hotel concierge what they recommend if you are staying longer and wish to try elsewhere.

The only thing is… that the evening hotel shuttle stops running rather early in the scheme of things but if the hotel knows you are eating at one of the Benesse house restaurants they seem to be able to arrange a car to pick you up. Saying that, even if you go with the dego – it is timed well enough for you to make it to final shuttle bus of the day – should your fork not dawdle over the pretty plates.  If you eat in Honmura or down near the port you will need to arrange a taxi to get you home unless you eat early. Get your hotel to book that for you as I suspect there are not many on the island.

6.Miyanoura Port Area.  I was a tad reluctant to add this next bit, and please allow me to state that this is only an observation based on our couple of days on the island so I’m hoping the vibe was simply because we were travelling in winter and the place was a bit flat being off-season…

Despite Yayoi Kusama’s cheery red pumpkin by the water’s edge, Naoshima’s Miyanoura port area ( where you’ll arrive when coming from the mainland’s Uno port)  has a rather sorrowful energy.

Perhaps due in part to the skeletal remains of the ‘industry that was’? As can happen in any place over time. It’s as though the community around the port area has been quietly fading away over the years and everyone under 90 has relocated to the mainland for work or something ‘more’ than island life.

The only youthful looking residents we did spot seemed to own or work in one of the handful of tourism relevant businesses – small eatery, bicycle rental etc. The staff in the largish gift shop/cafe area at the ferry terminal seemed a little resentful to have to deal  with foreigners.  To be fair – their demeanor could have been due to  shyness or a perceived language barrier…. They did seem very surprised, perhaps a little scared, when, during our transaction and attempted conversation,  they realised we could speak Japanese .  However they did not follow our cue.

 It felt so very far away from the Japan we know and love. Even though tourism is clearly injecting cash into certain areas on the island I guess it could feel like they had no real choice in their community being inundated at times? And as we know some tourists are not very good it treating locals with the respect they deserve.

We have to wonder whether the reason for the permanent art project and the, ‘wonderful’ by all accounts, annual Trienale Art Festival was as a way to attract much needed life into the island. And indeed it has but I have to wonder if it’s what the locals were expecting.

Of course our discomfort with this is so minor in comparison with the joy experienced on the island but it did make me wonder how it has truly impacted the locals.  Has anyone else had a shared experience in the port area?

10. The Art. As you would anticipate –  is spectacular.

The outdoor sculpture installed around the island, sometimes in  distant or almost hidden spaces against a canvass of raw nature.

The wide spectrum of artworks and artists both Japanese and foreign.

The fascinating purpose built architecture which plays a part in the art itself.

The practical-use installations – like the bubbly construction used as both a bicycle parking station and rain cover for those waiting for island transport.

The surprise of finding a little bit of something gorgeous  around the next corner..  keep an eye out for the pictures in string that pop up now and again on the side of a house or in an alleyway.

The deep cultural significance in many of the works in the living art house village of Honmura. All of it. Just took our breath away.

On that note. In direct opposition to the personal interactions experienced in the port area was the joyous experience of Honmura.  It totally rocks!

Traditional architecture, laneways and temple areas interspersed with installations and friendly older folk who were more than happy to start a conversation (in Japanese) as they performed their daily shuffle from their homes to the grocery store.

The local community centre up the road looks like THE place for meet ups and neighbourhood activities but the architecture and design alone makes it worth a visit as an ‘outsider’ and they have very clean public toilets too!

  11. Size. Naoshima is bigger than you think. We spent 1.5 days excitedly wandering and didn’t see it all. Ideally try to stay a minimum of 3 or 4 days if you want to take in as much as possible, visiting the other islands in the vicinity too (eg Teshima, Inujima, Shodoshima etc) . And a week or more if you have time up your sleeve and like a bit of relaxation in with your art –  you can always hop across to Shikoku too.  There are some houses available to hire, yurts and minshoku around the islands so do your research if you fancy a more affordable , longer stay. Did I mention the sunsets?

12. What are you waiting for? Just go!

  If reading about Naoshima sparked an interested in joining us on one of our luxurious Japanese Cuisine and Culture Tours then please take a look at our line up for 2018 – but hurry – they are filling up quickly –  the Spring Tour is almost at capacity!

Do make sure you take advantage of the earlybird special  if you can – it runs out in early July! We apologise that that they’ve all been snapped up for our Zenbu Haru spring tour. 

Naoshima It had reached the point of embarrassment. The business of 'not yet' having visited the 'art island' of Naoshima.

[asianbourdain]

Beijing: All the Random Shit I Ate in Beijing 2016

4/24/16

Traditional Beijing Breakfast at some local spot

We arrived in Beijing early Sunday Morning and we got into a taxi as fast as we possibly could because we were starving.  My girlfriend directed the driver to take us where the locals go for breakfast and we were off.

Upon walking into the place, two emotions immediately took over my body: 1. This place is real local 2. What the fuck are we supposed to do?

A complete sensory overload.

Individual stalls with lines in front of it like this:

But everyone is holding a ticket? Ah OK, you’re supposed to pay up front first, then take the tickets and get in line individually to collect your order.

Each window also has a specific set of condiments, so now it’s getting real serious.

After about 5 minutes of messing around and me ruining our breakfast this is what the result is.  A bean gelatin of some sort, two kinds of fry bread, a tea egg, a dumpling, savory soy milk (that I ruined with some chili oil), a red bean-sesame-sticky rice napoleon, and this super popular pasty porridge called Miancha.  It’s a wheaty porridge topped with a sesame syrup of sorts.  Apparently you’re supposed to sip it around the rim until the syrup is gone, then get another ladle of syrup.  We really fucked that up too.  Regardless of the correctness of our process, the meal was interesting, eye-opening, and really really cheap.  I really want to give this another shot and not suck at it.

Nan Luo Gu Xiang Zha Jiang Mian from this hole-in-the-wall shop

We also ordered some preserved egg soaking in black vinegar and topped with ginger.  The dish to the left was another popular noodle style that’s a lot wetter, more pasta-like variant.  The preserved egg in this style is always a hit.  Both noodles dishes were special in their own sense.  One was heavier and more complex with a stew-like meat sauce slopped in.  The Zha Jiang Mian was not what I expected.  I thought it would be something closer to a DDM, but this was fresher.  A lot of snap and crisp from the julienned veggies.  A must whilst in Beijing.

Grilled Lamb and Sausage from this Hawker Stand

I always love Uyghur-influenced grilled things on skewers.  I just wish I had some beers.

Hot Pot at Hai Di Lao

Some cucumbers and tomatoes to diffuse the fire in between bites

Yin and yang.  Fire and corn? Both broths were INSANELY flavorful.  Dimensions, depth, and crazy development in both soups.  Some serious stuff.

The crazy sauce bar

I also ordered a Harbin Beer, but they threw cucumbers in it?

The spread, pretty standard but everything was just on point.

We also added the infamous dancing noodle at the end.  A ridiculous deal for 2 bucks.  A guy comes to your table in all white and hand pulls a noodle while dancing to the music of your choice, absolutely sick.  What a ridiculously great meal. Everything was on point.  After this meal, I come to find out there’s one in the 626!  It probably isn’t as good, but I must try.

4/25/16

This spread at a work lunch

The supplier wanted to put us to sleep at lunch because this spread was real serious. Steamed fish, Gai Lan, Green Onion Pancakes, Sweet Fried Pork (probably a dish ordered to appease us soft Americans), bamboo shoots, stir fried lamb in scallions, stir fried chicken in scallions, soup, house made soft tofu, pan fried green onion cakes, fried and steamed shrimp, and the weirdest thing of all: No rice!?  How does a restaurant run like this?  Proper execution on EVERY dish?  Amazing.  The food culture here is starting to grow on me...

“Beijing Barbecue” at this local spot

The concept is simple. The front of the restaurant is a full-fledged meat market.  You pick out what you want, a host takes it down and it gets grilled and brought to your table

Scallops, oysters, grubs, and shrimp.

All the regular meats

The shroom station

The veg

The local craft beer!

The fucking hand-pulled noodle station, half chubs.

Mouthwatering Chicken

Absolutely killer.  It’ll also light your mouth on fire if you’re not careful.  Cold chicken, chilis, scallion whites, Szechuan Peppercorns, and more.  It requires some elbow grease to dig out a piece of chicken, but when you finally find one and harvest the 2 threads of meat and/or skin, it’ll be totally worth it.

Beef Noodle

Not a typical dish ordered at this meal apparently, but I don’t care.  This shit was good.  The noodle texture was on point, the thickness was consistent, beef was still tender, and the soup had me going back for more after every spoonful.  Great touch on the seasoning.

Baked Scallop with Noodles

Small apps of scallops stir-fried with some cellophane noodles and dropped back on the half-shell. 

Ong Choy and Enoki Mushrooms

I think they ordered this because I requested some veg, but these light and dry stir-fried preparations were clutch.

Grilled Squid

1 huge cuttlefish chopped up, skewered, seasoned, and lightly scorched on the grill.  A bit chewy, but still tasty.

Chicken Wings

Butterflied Fish, Lamb, Chicken, Chicken Gizzards, Chicken Hearts

A lot of classics, can’t-go-wrongs at the top of this picture.  The fish was presented beautifully.  Butterflied down the back, flattened out, then grilled.  The seasoning was salty and spicy, great with beer.

4/27/16 Chaoyang This Sweet and Sour Szechuan Fish Thing from Some Big Company Banquet Dinner

Besides the fact that the species of the fish was a complete mystery to me, everything about this dish was perfection.  The presentation was crazy.  The prep must take forever for every one of these they need to pump out.  Debone, skin, butterfly, and then crosshatch each fillet into bite-sized morsels before you bread, fry, and sauce.  The fry was impossibly crispy, even after a healthy drenching of a thick pineapple-based sauce.  What a great American Palate-friendly dish, yea that’s probably why I love it.  

4/28/16

Gui Jie Fried Whole Squid at some Kiosk

These were found everywhere that was even remotely touristy and I resisted a few times already, but I had to do it this time.  It came out really nice, but it was essentially the same profile as most other fried Chinese drinking snacks.  A heavy dose of sweet potato flour, a hard fry, and then dusted with five-spice salt.  Chilli powder is optional.  The squid itself was still a bit chewy since it was so large, but this is very similar to the small squid tentacles found at any milk tea cafe.

Donkey Burger

The place only had a few words of English, but they all pointed to the words “Donkey Burger”.  What was the actual protein stuffed inside this crispy bun?  Shit I don’t know but it tasted real funky.  Not sure if it was the seasoning or the protein itself but it was quite strange.  Funk and gaminess that my tongue was just completely confused by.  But was it good?  Hell yea, the bun had a crunch that resembled a scallion pancake.  The meat was tender and well seasoned through a stew. I just wish there was a nice pickle to cut it.

 Fried Intestines from this kiosk

After some research, I found out the words on the stand said fried intestines, but this was by far the shadiest thing I’ve ever attempted to eat.  Walking up to the stand, the guy pulled the pieces of meat(?) out of a pot from the hidden shadows, then threw them on a large flat wok heated by a small propane burner.  He collected money, fried, collected orders, and served all by himself.  The biggest attraction for me was the large group that gravitated towards this guy.  After I put in my order, I realize he’s backed up at least 6 covers (more than his wok can produce in 1 batch).  So I waited patiently.  When It was finally my turn, I watched him throw them onto a plastic clamshell, then dress it with a garlic vinegar.  I can’t say it was worth the wait, nor was it the best thing I’ve eaten on this trip but it was undeniably tasty.  A bit heavy, a touch chewy, a little greasy, and a lot of crunchy.  No way I would say no if it was next to an ice cold beer.

4/29/16

Lunch at a random mall cafe

Another Chinese Burger

The bun wasn’t as crispy and light on this one, but the filling tasted more like a protein that I'm familiar with.  Something that doesn’t smell like it got scraped off the side of the road.

Zha Jiang Mian with handpulled noodles

Holy shit this was fantastic.  This might have been my favorite thing all trip.  Thick chewy noodles.  Light stewy broth.  Perfectly stewed pork.  Fiery chili oil cut with some pickles and cucumbers.  Beautiful balance of flavors and textures.

Crazy mess of a delicious soup

This soup had everything: handpulled noodles, tofu skin, cellophane noodles, cilantro, cabbage, pork, leafy tripe, chili oil, and a deep numbing broth brewed for hours.  Great stuff.

Chili Dumplings

Oh man, this is the stuff.  One of my favorite things ever.  Huge boulders of ground pork wrapped in a blanket of chewy dumpling skin bathed in a hot lava of soy, scallions, dried and fresh chilis.  I ate all but one of these suckers.

A mind-blowing meal from a random cafe at the mall?  Either this was a jackpot or the food standards in Beijing are in the right place.

Sanlitung Jian Bing from this cart

Stumbling around Sanlitung drunk, I was looking for a clear spot to call my Uber to head home, but then I saw this aura radiating from a woman and a tiny food cart. A drunk’s oasis.

 Holy fuck, it’s a Jian Bing cart! I threw up a prayer to the drunk gods and they answered with this mainland special.

First a layer of batter for the base.  Then goes an egg spread evenly around the entire base.  The filling began with green lettuce, cilantro, onions, scallions, pickles, seasonings, hoisin? and a crispy bread cracker thing.  Wrapped and thrown in a bag

I have crossed over into a new realm of drunk eats.  This is on a stage of its own.  The complexity of flavors combined with the layers of different textures justifies any drunken tongue burn.  There are a few guys trying to do this in the states, but nothing beats spontaneously running into this cart after a thorough inebriation caused by 12 beers.  Severely underrated.