#while I have my manga collage wall in the living room | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

xoxohaikyuu · 5 years

Text

In light of the holiday and my need to Pretend Everything is Fine™ after the latest manga chapters... Have some Halloween crack for one of my fave volley duos (if you don’t mind a few f-bombs and college shenanigans; no other warnings):

A Super Saiyan Halloween 🎃

Screeeeech! Screech! Screeeech!

“Shit!” Kuroo’s steepled legs fell flat to the rug as his heart jumped out of his damn skin. He had been sitting at the foot of his bed, studiously looming over the chemistry textbook he’d propped up on his knees. Now, however, he was scrambling to his feet, whirling toward the source of the unearthly noises coming somewhere behind him.

Screech! Screech!

The banshee shrieks were apparently emanating from…his pillow? Then he saw it: his phone, the screen alight with…an image of a horned owl. “Fucking. Bokuto.” Sometimes he hated his roommate almost as much as he loved him.

Kuroo snatched up his phone to silence the mournful warbles blasting through his room. “A squawking owl—really?!” He ran a hand through the overhang of his bangs.

“Broooo, c’mon!” Bokuto’s voice boomed through his phone’s speaker, somehow just as earsplitting as the owl cries that Bo had, apparently, personalized as his ringtone. “First of all, it’s a Screech Owl. Second of all, it’s festive! All spooooky and shit, right?” He let out a thunderous laugh.

Kuroo scrubbed a hand down his face as his heart rate slowly leveled off, fighting to keep the grin off his lips. “Alright, asshole. Now that you’ve successfully gotten me to dropkick my chem book into the wall…” His dark eyes jumped to the point of impact, glaring at the dent that would’ve definitely cost him his safety deposit...

...If, ya know, Bokuto hadn’t already seen to that by ricocheting a spike off Kuroo’s ass into the damned ceiling the actual, literal, for-real first week of classes! Kuroo had been sound asleep, simply enjoying a face-down catnap on the too-small couch in the living/dining space of their ‘student athlete’ dorm. But apparently Kuroo’s fine ass had proven too sweet a target for Bokuto to resist....

Kuroo bit down a laugh, he’d add the latest dent to Bokuto’s ever-growing damages tab.

Then again… Kuroo might have retaliated to the ass-spiking incident by creeping into their shared bathroom while Bokuto was showering…and dumping several tray’s worth of ice cubes onto Bo’s stupid owl head. Which, in turn, may have resulted in Bokuto’s flailing himself into a tangle with the shower curtain...and wrenching the entire damned curtain rod from the drywall…. Then Bo—soaking wet, still-sudsy, a towel barely clinging to his hips—might have torn after a cackling Kuroo, pelting him with an arsenal of toiletry bottle projectiles...until they’d turn their dorm into veritable a slip-n-slide with all the spilt shampoo and shower gel....

Their dorm still smelled faintly of Old Spice, and duct tape was still the only thing keeping their shower curtain up—their first week of college had been a bit of a shitshow.

Kuroo might have snorted if he hadn’t slapped his knuckles to his lips. “What do you want, Bo?” he snickered.

“Bro, bro, bro!!” Bokuto began anew, his voice going quieter, more conspiratorial, with each ‘bro,’ “I know what we’re doing for Halloween.”

Now Kuroo let his grin spread unrestrained. He’d been waiting for this. They had the team’s unofficially-official annual Halloween party next weekend, and, per tradition, everyone on the team but the seniors was required to participate in the costume contest, either alone or in pairs. Naturally, being the dream team that they were, he and Bo were entering together. And they were going to win.

“Oya?”

“Oya, oya!” Bokuto shouted. “Check your texts!”

The photos arrived a moment later; Kuroo’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh-ho-ho!”

Oh, this was going to be good….

—

So I was totally gonna write this thing—I mean, check my sweet-ass collages! Instead, I scratched this out, uh, just now...after my neighbors plied me with their amazing autumn sangria while we passed out candy. Shhh, don’t judge me. 😂 Obvs not really edited or finished, but I wanted to post something festive. 🎃 Here’s where dis shit was supposed to go (and might still one day):

Bokuto booming out “KAKAROOOOT” at Kuroo every chance he gets (even though Bo’s Gohan, not Vegeta).

Kuroo calling Bokuto “Son” all damn night.

Bokuto painting a volleyball blue…for the sole purpose of shouting “KAAAMEEEHAAAMEEEHAAAAAA!!” while spiking it at people throughout the evening. What could possibly go wrong??

Bokuto roping the next 🦉 captain into it as well: “You can be Vegeta, Akaashi, I’ll gel your hair up like mine and—! ” “Bokuto-San, I don’t even go to your college, I can’t participate in your team’s costu—” “Just come! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE—!” “Fine, Bokuto-san! …Fine… But no spandex.”

(More of my 🍷 bullshit beneath the cut, ft. Kenma and Tsukki.)

Bo and Kuroo harassing Tsukki into coming with Akaashi because “TSUKKI YOU’RE BLONDE—YOU’RE PRACTICALLY A SUPER SAIYAN ALREADY!” Tsukki’s deadpan: “Not a chance.” “…But you’re still coming, right?” “…Only to see the campus and the team.”

Kuroo halfheartedly lamenting the fact that Kenma isn’t a party animal since he could have been an awesome Trunks if he’d dyed his hair purple—his roots need a touch-up anyways—and slapped a Capsule Corp logo to his phone.

Bo aiming that Kamehameha ball at multiple asses throughout the night (mostly Kuroo’s, Tsukki’s, and Akaashi’s ofc). Akaashi, gesturing vaguely at his chest after Bokuto just made him spill half his drink down his shirt: “Bokuto-san, you really ruined a perfectly good volleyball for this…?”

Bo getting “philosophical” several drinks in like: “AKAASHI!! What do you think would happen if I spiked a Dragon Ball, like, for real??” Akaashi stares into his Solo cup for a long moment, wondering if this is really what his life has come to, then downs half his drink. It’s not strong enough.

Alright. That’s it. This concludes my tipsy Halloween bullshit. Highfives to anyone who made it this far (🙌🏻), and here’s the panel that got me on this bullshit, colored Super Saiyan on my iPhone. 😹 Happy Halloween, ya’ll.

29 notes · View notes

horrorbutgay · 7 years

Text

NDRV3 Demo Analysis w/ Full Game Spoilers!

(My friend Elfi/Apri made this and jesus fuck shes a fucking genius please love her)

First off, let me mention that I immediately went into sleuthing mode while I was playing the demo for about 4h (both English and Japanese), because I'm aware that even DR demos have a decent difficulty level to its case writing (judging by suspicion not necessarily incriminating Hifumi The Harmless in the demo until the manga came into the picture with the full story) and this demo seemed too easy if you don't give it some proper thought like most of the unspoiled fandom is still not used to doing. From what I managed to piece together with the clues shattered throughout the demo and based on the knowledge of the full game's content, I'm convinced Naegi is the correct culprit vote like we all thought, BUT (huge but) paying attention and giving it some thought grant you the speculation that he could've actually had an accomplice outside of the protagonist room. And that accomplice is no less than the scheming mastermind of the game: Shirogane Shirogane Tsumukweeeen. (Yes, that Despair Arc dub meme never gets old) Let me start my explanation with the clarification that this demo is clearly another in-universe promotional method for V3 like the Maki, Kaito and Ki-Bo poster. It's like a popular show treating its fanbase with the kind of sneak peek preview to let them know what to expect. I also want to clarify that people were indeed able to enter the protagonist room before the gym announcement, because how else would you explain Tojo being able to clean the whole dormitory? This leads me to the conclusion that Tojo likely got her hands onto a master key from Monokuma with Tsumugi's aid and she locked the doors of all the rooms after cleaning them. Yes, Hoshi was there too, but so was Yumeno for a bit and that still doesn't mean they entered the dormitory later. Considering how Ultimate Dedication Kirumi is able to afford wasting time on introducing herself if she was supposedly in the middle of cleaning when you just arrive at the dorm, it's quite safe to assume the job was already done at that point and that is why the protag room is already locked if you do try to open it before going to the gym. In fact, all the rooms are locked. Kaede clearly was the last student to wake up, and Tsumugi being the only one with the ability to confirm Kirumi's alibi - despite Hoshi and Yumeno presumably being at the dorm as well - is a major hint that the clean-up was pretty much done waaay before you awoke, got past all the other students from the AV Room onwards to the dorm, and finally listened to the introduction of those three. I say three because I honestly think Yumeno was in the kitchen at first and only appeared in the dorms once the body discovery announcement was made. Anyway, Kirumi obviously locked the doors for safety and privacy measures once the clean-up was done. I believe Hagakure's "corpse" was already in Kaede's bathroom at this point, and here's why Tojo probably neglected to inspect and clean ALL of the bathrooms: As someone who comes off on the surface as a trustworthy and supportive person, not to mention that she acts as a huge fan of a maid's work, Kirumi is inclined to believe her if Tsumugi simply insists for example that Monokuma told her that all the bathrooms were taken extra care of to be spotless. As I've established, there is no breathing room for the player after the gym announcement, so Tsumugi had to be the only character present while Kirumi was cleaning the dormitory. Because she simply admires Kirumi's work as a maid due to how much of a geek she is, so she had to keep watching and this doesn't seem suspicious to you at all without fullgame spoilers because they always made Tsumugi out to be a bland motherly "heart on her sleeve" nerd type of girl. It is entirely understandable that Tsumugi - as the MM getting her lifetime dream of a writer debut on TDR come true - wants the killing game to start as fast as possible, and this is emphasized in the full game by how she gives them a two days time limit right off the bat to commit a murder or else they'll all be mass murdered. In the full game, this doesn't work out so well and she doesn't like how Kaede gets so well along with Amami in that bonus scene (explaining why Kaede believes in his innocence to be the MM in Case 1) without even knowing about his impressive SHSL Survivor status as the only survivor of V2. And Rantarou also turns out to be better at nail painting than the Ultimate Cosplayer thanks to living with twelve sisters at home, making her outraged with jealousy. To push her over the edge, time is running out and a mass execution would be a boring and way too quick end for the season, which would affect the ratings. She can't allow that, so she goes with the two characters she passionately dislikes so far to get them out of the picture and continue the show. Arguably, she would've even been fine with any vote that wasn't her because the MM being executed would also end the show too early. Kaede and Saihara were the prime suspects, so even though she framed Kaede for also trying her hardest to expose her due to the same reasoning and she conveniently set a death trap with a similar method to how she decided to kill Rantarou (remember, the heavy iron balls were in the warehouse available for anyone to grab), Saihara would have been fine too. Kaede works better though, because she is legitimately convinced of her guilt. Shadowing her as the demo first culprit is a nice nod to the full version and it makes perfect sense in context, and I'll explain why right now. No, sadly enough, there are no chances of that but that info is (preferably?) not spread through the fandom and only on the wiki. Turns out that when you enter Amami's research faculty, you discover a recording of himself before the memory manipulation process (there's a vast difference with that and brainwashing :')) in which he reveals that he is from the previous killing game and he was the only survivor there. That likely makes him more worthy of the SHSL Survivor status in the fanbase's eyes. Especially Tsumugi lmao She's a full-on critic Anyway, I liked clearing that up for the people here, but now onwards. I'm almost 100% sure that Kirumi would vaguely hint towards this exchange of words happening between her and Tsumugi if the player voluntarily approaches her after she decides to stay behind with Hajime, but that's something I'd have to check with a replay. Hajime and Makoto actually being in the demo/in-universe preview episode is also a great treat to hardcore fan Tsumugi. Especially Makoto, the protagonist of her favorite cast. We already established before that Tsumugi is going back to the original and she wanted to recreate the DR1 cast & killing game whilst simultaneously criticizing the flaws of her favorite game/season (the reality tv killing game started with reboots of the original fictional material with real actors, as evidenced by the collage sequence if you manage to read through all of them.)(edited) I initially thought of them possibly being Tsumugi's cosplays, but that ended up being too far-fetched for my taste and some of the 53 seasons do involve aforementioned reboots of originally fictional source material. It's just a little too fastly skipped on in the collage for the most part after the first ten entries.(edited) And just who from the cast do you think even Tsumugi would detest despite being a DR1 stan? That's right: Yasuhiro Hagakure. This passionate hatred is even further emphasized by there not being a Hagakure parallel in her fanfiction. She likes her casts well-rounded. But that doesn't explain the revealed fake death at the end, so let me continue my theory. Tsumugi invited Hajime, Makoto and Hagakure along to the live preview of her writing and acting debut on Team Danganronpa. Because she arranged the perfect protagonist who's like no other and ideal to keep milking the series, on top of that that person is also female, the actors for the OC leads (who obviously also survived in their portion of a reality tv killing game to stay faithful to the omnipresent motto of keeping the MCs alive, despite the vast differences in the rest of the survivor sets for DR1 and 2 which I'll tackle in a bit) are brought back to their roles to guide Kaede and introduce the nostalgia Tsumugi is going to include in the upcoming season. Ah, and before anyone comes up with a "Rantarou" rebuttal for the sake of completing the DR1 parallel, keep in mind that his personality mainly stems from the previous season and there are some characters (like Gonta) that even Kodaka admitted he has never written before because Tsumugi managed to give a sense of uniqueness to the cast.(edited) And the remaining students also managed to drift apart from the character arcs she so thoroughly planned for them, but that's meta for another day. Remember the "fake" AU leaks that I eventually explained to be V3's version of the (either tv or game) outcome for the events for 1 and 2 in their universe? Well, Hagakure dies in that. Probably also the first victim, explaining Monokuma's fourth wall breaking comment that this is actually his second time dying. It's a double-sided statement that you won't catch up on if you haven't practically finished the game. His character was basically recycled with a look-alike actor in order to fool the audience with that pretense of Danganronpa just being a cool TV show (more on that in that ending meta I plan to discuss here some time) - I assume they do this with all previews of new seasons once the audience started doing some digging on the real people behind their beloved characters or perhaps the real names were initially not even included in the credits (like when they did the reboots) until they started with new storylines to not run out of ideas, keep profiting and take the thrill a step further) - and because he therefore wouldn't have experience with acting like Hagakure, Tsumugi left him out of the preview until it was time for his body discovery. Being the comic relief character he is supposed to be, Hagakure's actor was fortunate to be able to be used as a fake death with the plot convenience of Ultimate Detective not entering the crime scene in the demo. All this clearly explains the black screen ending scenario where the returning characters all wonder if their acting was good, and Hagakure suddenly rushing in to reveal it was a fake death. TDR is teasing and deceiving you, the unspoiled viewer anticipating their announced renewal for another season, because deception is what it's all about with V3's Truth vs Lies theme. A neat manner to let the world know what to expect. TDR probably also uses these previews to test the results of the memory manipulation used on the cast and the audience's reaction on seeing this cast in action. The company wants to know if Tsumugi's adjustments are sufficient or if there's anything left to mold their personalities for in order to appeal the whole cast to the audience, explaining the pleasant surprises like Tenko initially being hyped up as the discourse character yet actually being the most morally good female of the cast. Seriously, the best part about V3 is that it all (even the promotion) comes full-circle if you give it some proper thought. The entry is filled with a never-ending cycle of full-circle moments which are able to blow your mind when you finally connect that cycle. Spoiling, fourth-wall-breaking game promotion before the game is even out. It's incredible how far they planned ahead, honestly Anyway, let's continue. There's some necessary details left to make the full picture. So basically, Tsumugi arranged this whole scenario with the three of them, and considering how safe it is to assume how passionately Tsumugi despises Hagakure, they might as well have even had to resort to a compromise to give Hagakure's nobody actor a planned fake death as long as Tsumugi makes sure nobody enters the protagonist room. The fake crime scene they set up must not be exposed. There's obviously frozen blood bags in TDR's various morgues from all the reality tv killing games, so they used the dead Hagakure's blood to shroud the new actor in. This is all done to make the timing so fresh and in case they cannot prevent the Ultimate Detective from investigating the crime scene. Saihara would definitely catch up on fake blood, after all. You can supply blood in a fresh manner by sustaining them in frozen blood bags. Common scientific knowledge. And it makes sense to supply their blood because TDR started these behind-the-scenes kidnappings and schemes up with running out of ideas and the reality TV reboots of their original source material. No way would the ratings - which are so important to them because they're making a good living off of this show and it can't end in their eyes - stay unaffected by a simple reboot, hence the new survivor sets that I will headcanon as being part of the TV reboot from now on. This indicates that they kept the strengths of the original entries, but they twisted the story of the games like we already were informed of by Tsumugi. They're greedy and huge perfectionists, so those previously fictional characters really had to be brought to life. That's where the development of the futuristic technology comes in. More on TDR specifically in my ending meta though! :P Well then, let's further detail how this off-screen plan worked so well in case the realization is not hitting someone yet. The knife is actually just twisted in a gaping hole from his shirt being stabbed in his abdomen non-fatally, so I suppose it makes sense that it looks so real once he plays dead and they add real blood on him. Implying that the fandom or the in-universe audience will spend that much doubt to it with how legit it looks, but Saihara definitely would inspect the corpse more as it's his duty. It's a huge plot convenience that Saihara does not bother to do so, likely because he's already made up his mind on who the culprit is like all of us did from the start: Naegi Makoto. And while he is not exactly wrong, he's dense to the major foreshadowing of an accomplice due to a lack of evidence. A nice mirror to the real first case. Tsumugi truly is a master puppeteer, and I still view her as a controlfreak because the term means that she is obsessed with maintaining her control of something. And that is emphasized in the game multiple times once Monodam, Angie and Korekiyo turn the planned pattern for the killing game around in chapter 3 and so onwards. Back to the demo: after the preparation process is done, Hagakure is left alone in the bathroom waiting for his scene to act like a corpse, not allowed to make a noise.(edited) Tsumugi and Makoto split up; former approaches Kirumi to start cleaning as soon as possible (probably convincing Monokuma to give the SHSL Maid a master key) in order to avoid anyone meeting Hagakure; the latter goes to check on Kaede in the AV Room in order to continue the plan "smoothly" as he mentions later in the class trial. Wanna know why he had to part ways with Kaede when all the students are demanded to go to the gym? It's simple when you've gotten this far. Since Tsumugi cannot possibly ignore this order from Monokuma and come out of the shadows with her real personality, Makoto is the one who needs to proceed with the last phase of the plan: splashing the actor playing dead in freshly kept blood from the frozen blood bag for his original predecessor. Hagakura is the one who got the kitchen knife and might as well have been the one to non-fatally stab himself, but that's just a small detail and it makes sense that the cast without the detective (thus inexperienced with murder cases) would legitimately assume his death to be for real just upon the sight of a drenched murder weapon and the excessive amount of fresh blood.(edited) And this is exactly why the blood confirms the time of death being a few minutes ago when they were all at the gym. Lastly, this also explains Makoto's hair dropping at the crime scene. Stuff like that commonly happens, especially when you're in a rush and they probably had to fake a convincing struggle in the short period of time they had. He was obviously able to access the room because he was the first one to receive the keys due to likely being the only person not to be infected with sleeping gas alongside Hagakure.(edited) I can't connect where Hajime's part comes in though, so maybe he wasn't involved - which I can understand cuz a fangirl prefers cooperating and interacting with her favorites - or perhaps his only contribution was (unknowingly of Tsumugi's elaborate scheme) aiding Tsumugi and Kirumi with his confidence and experience in order to convince Monokuma to hand over that master key for the maid to do her job. I really believe Hajime's actor was kept in the dark because unlike a personified Naegi, the personified Hajime wouldn't be lured to a route as corrupt as the former took by being willing to do anything to keep living off of TDR's unquestionably high salary if you survive AND return to the show. No, this actor only thought he was hired again for nostalgia's sake, because that's what we all assumed as well. And Hajime was the most intended as a returning lead to guide Kaede on the road of leading her group and passing the leadership onto her, despite not being her instructor like Naegi but that's all according to plan, of course. This is my demo headcanon. This is my conclusive interpretation of the demo

#ndrv3 spoilers #drv3

4 notes · View notes

shonarollo-blog · 5 years

Photo

panning Kensington Market is not just a market, but a vibrant, living community, home to numerous waves of immigrants over the years.When visiting, I was struck by how many different people from all walks of life gather here to work, eat, live and play. With so many cultures and generations all layered on top of each other, the whole place has a DIY feel you don’t really find anywhere else.

As a destination for art, global street food and community events, there is so much life tucked into every corner of this bustling neighbourhood. It’s nearly impossible to take it all in at once… so, where to start?

Make the Most of Kensington Market

Golden Patty

Eat your way through a world of food

Although Kensington Market has some finer dining establishments such as Grey Gardens, more casual spots that only specialize in one or two items are really where it’s at. True to the market’s immigrant roots, you’ll find mom and pop restaurants serving quick street food and authentically cooked meals that bring a taste of their home countries to you.

Seven Lives is a neighbourhood favourite for getting Baja-style tacos, and they’re in demand. This cash only counter has mouthwatering tacos loaded with all the right toppings, and lots of hot sauce options to pick from. Another popular street food, empanadas, are perfect for a quick and affordable snack. At Jumbo Empanada, you can get a taste of Chile for as little as $1.75 for one of their mini pastries.

Fish and Chips from Fresco’s

As a Montrealer I also have to mention NU Bügel. They serve classic Montreal bagels wood fired to perfection and topped with the works, if you wish. Fresco’s Fish and Chips has meanwhile mastered and upgraded a British classic with an optional extra crispy batter made from Miss Vickie’s “crisps.” Then, Golden Patty will deliver on all your flaky, spicy, delicious, beefy needs.

Kensington Market also has a lot of options for vegetarian and vegan eats. Options like Urban Herbivore, Hibiscus and King’s Cafe are sure to make your little plant-based hearts sing.

Kensington Market & Chinatown Toronto Food Tour exploring the back alleys

Take the Kensington Market and Chinatown Toronto Food Tour

If you’re new in the area or want to get to know it from a different perspective, taking a tour can be the perfect way to connect with the place. You’ll get to know the stories and the history that helped make Kensington Market the way it is today, and get a taste of what a community like this really means. Plus, it’s clear there’s a lot to taste in this high density foodie destination.

Food samples on the Kensington Market & Chinatown Toronto Food Tour

On the Kensington Market & Chinatown Toronto Food Tour, you’ll have the chance to visit 7+ different food stops to taste delicacies that are inspired by global cuisines, and yet take root at a small local business, each with its own story. No single restaurant could bring you a seven course meal this diverse! You’ll definitely get plenty to eat, but you’ll also be enriched by the guide’s insider knowledge as they take you to explore off the main streets and into the real heart of Kensington Market. Have a look at Local Toronto Food Tours.

Outside FIKA

Take it easy at a local cafe

You might need some extra energy to soak in as much as you can of Kensington Market, so why not treat yourself to a delicious cup of coffee, and maybe a scone?

My favourite place to refresh as I explore the market is Moonbean. The locally owned coffee shop and roastery brings the streets’ energy inside with a sprawling chalkboard menu, loose leaf teas lining the walls, and a cozy art-filled room in the back. They also have two patios, front and back, plentiful baked goods, and just about every drink you can think of, even smoothies. Plus, if you need to make another kind of rest stop, you’ll find kind messages from strangers scrawled all over the bathroom walls.

Another great coffee shop is FIKA, a bright and stylish Sweden-inspired spot that’s a favourite for studying, reading a book, or simply taking it easy. They serve specialty drinks such as a spiced cardamom latte, lavender white hot chocolate, and a mean iced coffee, too – perfect for enjoying on their airy patio in the summer.

Other local favourites include famed Toronto chain Jimmy’s Coffee as well as i deal coffee, Cafe Pamenar and Livelihood Cafe.

Exploring the alleyways of Kensington Pl.

See where creativity spills onto the streets

Music, street performances, murals and more fill the streets of Kensington Market with endless inspiration and photo opportunities. With so many artists around, you’ll be pressed to find wall space that doesn’t boast even a speck of paint. They’ve truly made Kensington their own.

Some of my favourite murals are a photo collage on Kensington Ave off St Andrew and a huge Alphonse Mucha inspired mural at Augusta and Oxford. Parked in front the latter, you’ll also find Yvonne Bambrick’s infamous Garden Car, a teeny tiny city park/community art project which has been sprouting in the same spot each summer since ’07. Make sure you keep your eyes up as you explore hidden corners and back alleys, you never know what else you’ll find!

Street performers

While street performers and pop-up concerts may be a little harder to track, if the sun is out you’re sure to stumble upon some talented buskers at Bellevue Square Park. To increase your odds, come by for Pedestrian Sundays. The whole market is blocked off from traffic on the last Sunday of every summer month, opening it up for people and their experimentations. Support artists directly, too, by checking out the Kensington Market Art Fair.

The Winter Solstice Festival also takes over the market annually on December 21st, lighting up the longest night of the year with creativity and passion.

Lanterns on display at Dancing Days

Shop around for locally made goods

Naturally, the storefronts in Kensington Market sell products by people just as diverse as its residents. Creativity is concentrated at a few charming stores offering handmade and locally produced goods that range from artwork to accessories to home decor, and more.

First off, Kid Icarus is a sweet, stylish screen printing studio and gift shop all in one. They focus on paper products like greeting cards and stationary, but you’ll find pins, soap and other creative crafts, too. Everything in store is made by Canadian artists and artisans, and it’s irresistibly cute.

Painted house

Outside of Dancing Days

Another good place to pick up Canadian-made gifts is The Blue Banana Market. The giant store is practically a warehouse for locally made goods and novelty items from around the globe. Then, for comic book lovers, manga fans, and graphic novel enthusiasts, there’s The Beguiling. You’ll find the famed comic book store just a couple steps from the market on College Ave. Even if you weren’t looking for any of those, there’s something about it that just draws you in.

Finally, if you’re looking for some unique jewellery, you’re in luck. One Love is one man’s tiny storefront selling handcrafted goods and jewellery, with a smile. You can also find other similarly handmade pieces displayed on tabletops around the market. Follow your instinct as you stroll the streets and see what speaks to you!

One of Kensington Market’s many fruit stands

Pick up some specialty ingredients

Grocery shopping might be an underrated form of entertainment, but one of the big draw-ins of Kensington Market is its high density of specialty grocers. There’s nothing better than treating yourself to some of the freshest ingredients you can get. Whether you’re cooking up a special meal or just having a snack, you’ll see the difference that freshness makes.

Even if you don’t have a kitchen at your disposal, these spots can help you feel right at home. There’s nothing better than fresh bread from Toronto’s favourite Blackbird Baking Co. topped with your favourite creamy delight from the Global Cheese Shoppe just around the corner.

Global Cheese

For carnivores, Sanagan’s Meat Locker is your local go-to. They emphasize building relationships with farmers, meaning you can trace everything in store back to its source. All that’s left to do is let the helpful staff guide you to picking the perfect cut. Next, you’ll find fruit and vegetable stands all around the market to add a little colour to your meal, while House of Spice will help bring the flavour. You’re sure to discover something new while you’re in there, too.

If you’re looking for place to shop that’s a little better rounded, 4 Life Natural Foods has it all when it comes to organic goods. With spacious aisles, wooden shelves and so many ethically sourced food options, the whole experience of being there is simply a pleasure.

Kensington Mall

Discover the wonder of thrift shops

Kensington Market is truly a haven for lovers of vintage. With shops selling unique finds around every corner, its no wonder the area’s residents all look so cool. Plus, buying secondhand clothes is a simple way to take it easy on Mother Earth.

Perhaps the most well-known vintage shop in the area is Courage My Love, a cozy and colourful store perfect for finding cashmere pieces, theatrical accessories, beads, buttons and other DIY necessities, as well as the perfect pair of cowboy boots. Another favourite is Sub Rosa Vintage just next door, which boasts a hand picked selection of clothes more in line with today’s fashion trends. Meanwhile, Vintage Depot has top tier threads in just about any shape or colour, including some designer finds, Exile delivers on the costume department and Bungalow mixes the old with the new making it a one-stop shop for any lover of retro style.

If you’re in the mood for a little shopping spree, you’ll find the highest concentration of other vintage shops on Kensington Ave around Courage My Love and Sub Rosa.

CN Tower seen from Chinatown

Explore neighbouring Chinatown

A mere block away from the heart of Kensington Market is another bustling urban community. Chinatown is full of family-owned business of all sorts, but the main attraction is definitely the food. While the number of restaurants serving different variations on the same cuisine was a little overwhelming at first, after a little exploring I’ve narrowed down my favourite spots, depending on what you’re looking for.

Chefs working at Mother’s Dumplings

Dumplings? Try Mother’s Dumplings, and watch the little bundles of flavour be made right in front of your eyes. Noodles? Despite the name, Chinese Traditional Buns serves some awesome Dan Dan Noodles, without the frills. Soup? Phở Hưng has all you could want, and more. Sandwich? Banh Mi Nguyen Huong serves Banh Mi that’s quick, cheap and most of all delicious. Buns? Now, those are top-tier at Mashion Bakery.

The post What to Do and See in Toronto’s Kensington Market appeared first on To Europe And Beyond.

#f4f5f7;

0 notes

arriyire · 7 years

Text

Learn to Fly - A Fairy Tail Fic Ch. 11

Summary: The world is split into two realms - the mortal and the spirit. In this world, demons attack humans and the winged protect them. When Levy gets shoved headfirst into the spirit realm, she will have to adjust her whole way of living and learn to deal with a moody dragon winged Gajeel. AU vaguely based on the manga plot.

Rated: T

Chapter 11

This was becoming too regular an occurrence. Her head pounded, her body ached, lethargy clinged to her mind like a bad taste in your mouth. Seriously how many times in the last two days had she woken feeling like death itself? Speaking of which…

She would say it all came rushing back, except it came it came in broken fragments, like a puzzle waiting to be put together. Except with her head swimming in a pool of incomprehensibility, solving such a puzzle was the last thing she wanted to do. No, today all she wanted was to sleep the day away. However the fragments spoke loudly; not wanting to be ignored, they spoke of flying, of being attacked, running and running still. She was going to die, she remembered; there was a man standing over her and then Gajeel… Gajeel had saved her! She focused forcing the memory forward, yes; he had come to her rescue at the last second! Then they had escaped, Gajeel flew them through the air away from the demons…

Her memories faded there as her headache became too much to handle. Wearily she opened her eyes, the light might as have been lava at that time for the way it stung her pupils. Blinking the moisture back into her eyes the scene before her became clearer, she was in a bed in a room she didn’t recognise. Yep, this was definitely getting old. Looking around, it was clear it wasn’t her local hospital; the walls were cobblestone and wooden beams stretched across the ceiling. Under better circumstances she would have admired the architecture a bit more – as it stood Levy become more and more worried about the predicament she was in. The only solace lay in a black exceed sat in a nearby chair, slightly slumped as he snoozed. Lilly being here must mean she was safe. She was right they had escaped.

Smiling to herself she moved forward to nudge her fierce guardian awake, has she leant forward though an uncanny weight pressed against her back. Startled Levy flung herself forward, afraid of an attack from behind, but the weight followed her glued to her back following her movements as if part of her body. Now completely out of bed and standing surprisingly sturdy for how she had felt mere moment before, Levy realised just what the weight was. From the corner of her eyes she saw the corners of paper coated in words, words she recognised from one of her many books. She followed the trail of letters to see them overlapping with other pages from other books; a page from her favourite chapter of her dearest fairy tale, the paragraph of a poem she held close, the famous lines her beloved characters spoke when they had won the fight and saved the damsel. All of them present in a collage of her reading life that reached behind her shoulders and connected to her back. The feeling was both unreal and completely natural as she read along her new wingspan she found she could move the wings to bring the pages into view, no easier that bending her arm or flexing her toes. It was a marvel to say the least, the fogginess of her brain cleared as she lost herself in memories of the past with the stories that defined her very nature.

It was about the time that she was trying to read the pages hidden behind her shoulder did it dawn on her that she had wings. Wings! Levy turned this way and that, only confirming that they were in fact wings. Wings! On her back! What was curiosity and wonder soon became unreasonable panic, and just like another sane person in her situation all Levy could think to do was, well, scream.

The noise echoed throughout the guildhall, the two resident dragons winced at the vibrations in their sensitive ears while others glanced curiously towards their infirmary where an ever keen Mira quickly flew to. As she entered the room she witnessed Lilly trying desperately to calm down the young woman Gajeel had carefully dumped here days prior. She said dumped as he literally flew through the infirmary window, tucked her in before telling Mira to ‘take care of the shrimp’, grabbing a job and taking off again. ‘The shrimp’ was currently in hysterics, slumped on the ground talking to herself about ‘waking up’ and it ‘all being a just dream’. Lilly had coaxed her back onto the bed just as Mira grabbed a glass of water and placed it in the woman’s hands.

Slowly Levy drained the water in the cup, all while holding onto the glass like it was her lifesaver in the vast ocean. If she had wings, then that meant… The conversation through her flat window played through her mind. You got wings when you died. She died. She was dead. Dead. Dead. Dead. The word repeated again and again until it had no meaning, it was just a sound, a movement of her tongue and a vibration in her throat. It didn’t stop the sting though, the thought of her life being over. All those things she wanted to do! Things she never saw. Books she never read. People she never spoke to. Levy never considered her life to be filled with regret but now it was over, the things she regretted doing/not doing was all she could think about. She was fortunate that her family had long since passed; orphaned when she was young she had been taken in by her grandmother who had passed a year ago. Least there was few people who would miss her – even so it was a weak comfort.

Mira and Lilly looked at each other nervously; this wasn’t uncommon for new winged. It sometimes took years for them to come to terms with their deaths, some never truly got over it. Those winged tended to go mad, which led to darker paths towards life as a demon as they lashed out at others. Right now this girl needed support, a family – and nothing said family like Fairy Tail. Mira put a comforting hand on the woman’s knee as she knelt in front of her. “My name is Mira-Jane; it’s a pleasure to meet you.” A soft smile welcomed Levy back to reality, to her beating heart and her breathing lungs. Swallowing hard, her throat still dry despite the water she had just had Levy found her voice to reply.

“I’m Levy McGarden.” The reply was unsure, like she didn’t know who she was anymore. She was trying to piece together how she had died; she remembered escaping with Gajeel and then when he was pulled from the sky. Magnets; she remembered Gajeel fighting a demon who used magnet magic to pull him around. The memory fogged there again, Levy tried to hold onto the thought by speaking to Lilly. “There was a demon; he used magnet magic to fight Gajeel.” Saying the words out loud kept the memory in place while she fought to remember what happened next.

Lilly looked at the blue-haired woman worriedly, he knew what she was trying to do and he didn’t know how she might react when she found the answers she looked for. Furthermore he didn’t know how the guild might react if they found out what had happened. Nervously glancing at Mira who was understanding enough, she would probably give Gajeel a chance to defend himself before tearing him limb from limb. The same could be said for Natsu and Wendy; the three were dragon slayers and had some kind of sibling understanding about them; the kind that would result in a fistfight between the men as Wendy stood by to heal the injuries. As for everyone else though; trust was thin as is, this just served to be another noose from which they could hang the iron dragon slayer.

“Lilly, I died… Gajeel was there.” Levy spoke again. “It was an accident, he told me to run… I didn’t. H-He tried to save me again.” Levy was sobbing now, words spilled from her mouth but through the gasps and coughs they couldn’t understand what she said.

Mira did what her elder sister instincts told her too, taking the young woman in her arms she stroked her head, softly shushing her cries and reminding her that it was all okay. Lilly watched on as Mira gave into her element, caring and comforting with unrelenting protectiveness that rivalled the dragons of the guild. The perfect woman for the job. Levy gradually calmed down and pulled away from Mira who let her do so but stayed close offering reassurance still, rubbing her eyes red with the heel of her palm Levy looked at Lilly. The two softly smiled at each other, and Lilly said the only thing he could.

“I’m sorry, we failed you.” He bowed his head low, he didn’t ask for forgiveness. Gajeel had sworn before he left that he didn’t deserve such kindness and Lilly held his fate with his partners. They were both to blame for the woman before him, they had promised to protect and failed. Back in Edolas such incompetence lead to banishment. Instead small arms scooped him up and held him close, if they were in public he might have protested but here in the quite comfort of the infirmary he allowed it; graciously accepting the kindness he had been shown.

No words were exchanged for several minutes; the wounds were too raw to speak about yet. The silence offered Levy the chance to come to terms with her new arrangements, sadly this only came with more questions than answers. Before Levy could ask about what was to happen next, a busty blonde girl entered the room. “Mira? People are wonderin- Oh!” Lucy stopped at the sight of Levy, sat in the protective space of Mira and Lilly. Sensing the woman was still in need of comfort; Lucy moved to join the group, extending a hand to Levy she gently shook with her. “I’m Lucy, welcome to Fairy Tail!” Just like the stars on her wings, Lucy brightened the darkest night, bringing light to situation and making Levy feeling just a tad more at ease.

“Why don’t we get you down stairs, and get you something to eat?” Mira added, looking to Lucy asking silently if she would help ease Levy into the controlled chaos below.

Understanding completely Lucy quickly jumped in to help ease the bluenette further. “Don’t worry we’ll look after you, you can ask us all the questions you want when you’ve got your strength back!”

With those words, the weakness in her body became apparent once again. Levy nodded in agreement flashing her bravest smile as she found her footing again. Walking slowly, the trio plus one Exceed made their way to the guild hall. Levy was taken aback from the sheer noise; the infirmary had been almost silent, here, what could only be a million conversations/arguments were existing all at once. It was quite intimidating truth be told, hadn’t it been for the two women escorting her Levy would of fled back to the infirmary without a second thought. As it stood however, she was seated at quiet table in the corner with Lucy while Mira went behind the bar to deal with her myriad of customers who knew better than to complain about her absence.

Across the room two men stood in awe, eyes only for what could only be described as an angel who walked into the guild hall and was now seated at the far end of the room. A pair of bird-like wings (falcon-like for the keen eyed) had taken off before their owner was even aware he was moving; in less than a second he was at the table of the angel with his mouth agape. Lucy looked at Jet confused as to his sudden arrival, and doubled in confusion as Droy rolled up behind him. While Jet had bird wings, Droy had wings that appeared to be two giant leaves sprouting form his back draped in thick vines. The two truly looked like that belonged in a nature special. Surprisingly Levy spoke first of the group.

“Um, Hi.” Unsure what to do in the situation and why two guys had basically run over to gawk at them; she had suspected they were here because of Lucy (the girl was drop-dead gorgeous for heaven’s sake) but when they had only stared at her, her suspicions grew. Suddenly aware of how rude they were being the men slapped themselves out their stupor.

“Hi there, I’m Jet!” A cheesy grin accompanied the ginger man as he thumb-pointed to himself

Not to be outdone the second man quickly jumped in. “And I’m Droy!” A brief look of annoyance wasn’t lost on Levy as she became confused by the two men further.

“We are team Shadow speed!”

“No team plant gear!” Droy quickly interrupted

Lucy and Levy watched as the two men continued to bicker about their team name. Lucy was used to the interaction, the two may be best friends but they fought like an old married couple and hardly ever agreed. Said couple were now locking heads and pushing against one another arguing about what their team name was. While Lucy looked exasperated with the debate Levy looked at the boys fondly, clearly the two cared for each other like brothers, it’s no wonder they fought like this.

“Why don’t you compromise and be called Shadow Gear?” Levy offered in a chipper tone, her smile had the two boys dumbstruck once again, before erupting into two praising cheerleaders

“Levy that’s amazing!”

“You’re so smart Levy!”

The continuous babble came from the two boys as Levy giggled to herself at how easy the fight was to solve.

“You should lead our team!” To this day Levy still wasn’t sure which one suggested it first (ask either one and they will claim it was them), but both were so eager to invite her into their group she found it hard to say no. Despite the fact that she had absolutely no idea what this ‘team’ did!

Fortunately Lucy stepped back in to save Levy from her adoring fans; “Back up guys, she only just got here!” watching as the excitement visibly drop in their faces Levy offered another smile promising she would ‘think about it when she was settled’. Waving cheerily as they moved on, Lucy noted how the bluenette had visibly relaxed after meeting Jet and Droy ad was now tucking into pancakes courtesy of Mira.

Sitting in comfortable silence as she ate; Levy continued to think about, well, everything. Here she was breathing, eating, living when by all rights she should be in the ground – depressing herself she sunk into the seat. The motion wasn’t lost on Lucy who tried to distract her form the darkening mood.

“Do you read?” The three words which were a bookworms dream in any social situation; Levy almost jumped out of her seat with anticipation to talk about her favourite stories but forced herself to rein it in – she had scared plenty of people with her literature enthusiasm.

“Yes, I love to read! I had a huge collection back home!” At the word home, Levy felt a slight pang of despair. All of her books, gone. She almost cried at the thought, it was a lifetime’s worth of collecting, so many rare and treasured books – Levy hoped they would be cared for now she was gone.

Lucy panicked again watching Levy’s moods oscillate violently over the subject and tried again to coax her out of her homesick thoughts. “Would you like to see the guild’s library?” Without waiting for an answer, Lucy stood up and encouraged her new friend to do the same. Together they entered an upstairs room which contained bookshelves as far as the eye can see – each one packed with a collection of tomes varying in size and colour. The excitement in Levy’s eyes was barely contained by her brown irises as she took tentative steps closer to the books. Her outstretched hand fingered the binders grazing over each letter which clued her to the contents within.

So lost in her exploration she didn’t notice the fond look Lucy gave her, nor how the blonde followed behind her. “I think this book might be useful for you – it’s a history of this world” In her outstretched hands she held the book Lucy and Natsu recovered from the old building basement. Levy slowly took it again studying the cover, this would definitely be useful, and hopefully by understanding this world she would feel more comfortable.

“Thank you!” Levy couldn’t contain it anymore; she launched her arms round the blonde hugging her tightly.

Lucy could only laugh in response “Your one of us now! We all look after each other.” Her soft smile gave the bluenette the reassurance that she was going to be just fine here.

Full fic here - I own nothing except a vague plot, feel free to review/ask/be inspired and share with me anything you find :)

#Chapter 11 #fairy tail #Gajeel Redfox #Levy McGarden #Learn to Fly #gajevy #winged!au #arryire #gale

3 notes · View notes

daniellethamasa · 4 years

Text

Hey all, Dani here.

Sorry that I haven’t posted as much this week. Honestly my schedule was thrown all out of whack by being moved temporarily to night shift. I’m actually going to be on this shift for another two weeks before going back to days, so I hope that I’ll be able to pick up my schedule again, but no promises. Also, I’ve been feeling this need to do some adulting and such, and actually get the house more cleaned and organized. There’s some ideas that Damian and I have had for the house for months and we just keep putting it off. I’m tired of the random boxes and clutter building up, and we’ve finally started taking steps to get it all taken care of.

But, baby steps. We cleaned up a bunch of cardboard boxes that we’ve had set aside for awhile, and then we tried to organize our laundry a bit more, since we pretty much live out of the laundry baskets instead of using the closet racks and hangers that we have. By cleaning up where we’ve been keeping our laundry, I’ve actually been able to finally get myself an “office area” in the house.

And that means that it is time to get to work with the writing.

I’m currently re-reading the books in the Colorworld series, and Damian and I are also watching shows like “Fairy Tail,” “Black Clover,” and “My Hero Academia,” and all of that is basically giving me that kick in the butt, telling me that I need to find that fire in my belly, and that I need to surpass my limits right here and right now, and go plus ultra! If I want to realize my dreams then I need to work on them. I need to stop telling myself that I’m too tired or that I’m just not feeling it, or that I’m too caught up in my uncertain feelings and doubt. I’ve written books before. I wrote so much back in school. I worked two jobs on campus and a summer job, had a full course load, spent time with my friends, and still managed to churn out chapter after chapter. So I can definitely handle finding time to write while working a full-time job, and reading/book blogging.

I think my office writing space looks pretty nice overall. Our master bedroom is huge. It is like 25 feet by 17 feet, or something like that. So behind the desk/chair area is a few open feet and then the TV stand and then our bed and all that. I would show you the picture of that area but it is a little bit of a cluttered mess at the moment. Maybe some other time.

But this office/library area is where I’ll be doing my creative writing, and perhaps some of my blogging–though I also do some blogging while hanging out on the couch in the living room. Oh, and this space will also be somewhere that I utilize for filming videos if I ever work up the courage to start up our geeky YouTube channel.

I have a bunch of cool geeky art to look at around my room as well.

Obviously all of my metal art is from Colorworld Books, and I’m probably going to be adding more to the Colorworld collage there by my bookshelves soon. Then I have sort of my TV/movie display thanks to free posters received at movie showings and by picking up manga during sales at B&N. Oh, and that Erza in her Titania armor art piece is signed by Colleen Clinkenbeard–it was a Christmas present from Damian in 2018. Finally there’s my random geeky art wall in the corner by my side of the bed. I have some more sticker art to hang up there, but I like being able to look at all of these books and characters as an inspirational focus.

So now I’m going to actually get focused and get back to my creative writing. I’ve missed working on my novels, and I’d really like to get my stories out there. I can’t do anything if I don’t first get the words on the page…or the screen, whatever. I’m sort of hoping to do 30 minutes to an hour of writing every day. I’ll blog only after I’ve hit my creative writing goals each day, so we’ll see how I do with this.

Thanks for understanding, and I’ll be back soon with more bookish content.

Checking In Hey all, Dani here. Sorry that I haven't posted as much this week. Honestly my schedule was thrown all out of whack by being moved temporarily to night shift.

#Anime #Books!#Reading #Writing

0 notes

topfygad · 5 years

Text

17+ Brilliant Issues to do in Kensington Marketplace Toronto [Full guide]

panning Kensington Marketplace is not just a current market, but a lively, dwelling neighborhood, dwelling to several waves of immigrants around the years.When going to, I was struck by how a lot of distinct men and women from all walks of life get below to work, take in, dwell and perform. With so quite a few cultures and generations all layered on prime of each other, the whole put has a Do it yourself truly feel you never actually obtain anyplace else.

As a desired destination for art, world avenue food stuff and group activities, there is so a great deal everyday living tucked into just about every corner of this bustling neighbourhood. It is nearly not possible to acquire it all in at once… so, in which to start off?

Golden Patty

Even though Kensington Current market has some finer dining establishments this kind of as Grey Gardens, additional relaxed spots that only focus in one or two things are truly wherever it’s at. Accurate to the market’s immigrant roots, you are going to discover mother and pop eating places serving quick road meals and authentically cooked foods that convey a flavor of their dwelling international locations to you.

7 Lives is a neighbourhood favorite for having Baja-fashion tacos, and they are in demand from customers. This income only counter has mouthwatering tacos loaded with all the ideal toppings, and lots of sizzling sauce possibilities to decide on from. One more well-known street food items, empanadas, are great for a speedy and affordable snack. At Jumbo Empanada, you can get a style of Chile for as very little as $1.75 for one particular of their mini pastries.

Fish and Chips from Fresco’s

As a Montrealer I also have to mention NU Bügel. They serve basic Montreal bagels wooden fired to perfection and topped with the operates, if you desire. Fresco’s Fish and Chips has meanwhile mastered and upgraded a British classic with an optional excess crispy batter made from Pass up Vickie’s “crisps.” Then, Golden Patty will deliver on all your flaky, spicy, delightful, beefy demands.

Kensington Market place also has a lot of choices for vegetarian and vegan eats. Possibilities like City Herbivore, Hibiscus and King’s Cafe are absolutely sure to make your little plant-dependent hearts sing.

Kensington Industry & Chinatown Toronto Food items Tour checking out the back alleys

If you are new in the place or want to get to know it from a various perspective, using a tour can be the perfect way to link with the position. You will get to know the stories and the historical past that served make Kensington Industry the way it is nowadays, and get a flavor of what a local community like this genuinely suggests. Furthermore, it is clear there’s a good deal to flavor in this substantial density foodie place.

Foods samples on the Kensington Market place & Chinatown Toronto Food Tour

On the Kensington Marketplace & Chinatown Toronto Meals Tour, you are going to have the chance to go to 7+ various foods stops to taste delicacies that are inspired by world cuisines, and however consider root at a compact community enterprise, just about every with its individual tale. No solitary cafe could deliver you a seven program food this diverse! You are going to surely get lots to consume, but you are going to also be enriched by the guide’s insider know-how as they acquire you to check out off the main streets and into the genuine coronary heart of Kensington Sector. Have a seem at Regional Toronto Food items Excursions.

Outside FIKA

You could possibly will need some excess power to soak in as a lot as you can of Kensington Industry, so why not handle your self to a delightful cup of coffee, and possibly a scone?

My favourite place to refresh as I take a look at the industry is Moonbean. The domestically owned coffee shop and roastery brings the streets’ power inside with a sprawling chalkboard menu, free leaf teas lining the walls, and a cozy art-loaded space in the back. They also have two patios, front and again, abundant baked items, and just about every consume you can think of, even smoothies. Plus, if you need to make yet another kind of rest quit, you will obtain form messages from strangers scrawled all more than the lavatory walls.

Another wonderful coffee shop is FIKA, a vivid and stylish Sweden-influenced place that’s a favorite for finding out, examining a guide, or only taking it quick. They serve specialty beverages this sort of as a spiced cardamom latte, lavender white hot chocolate, and a suggest iced coffee, as well – best for experiencing on their airy patio in the summertime.

Other nearby favourites involve famed Toronto chain Jimmy’s Espresso as nicely as i deal coffee, Cafe Pamenar and Livelihood Cafe.

Exploring the alleyways of Kensington Pl.

Tunes, street performances, murals and far more fill the streets of Kensington Current market with countless inspiration and photo chances. With so several artists all-around, you’ll be pressed to discover wall room that doesn’t boast even a speck of paint. They’ve certainly made Kensington their personal.

Some of my favorite murals are a photo collage on Kensington Ave off St Andrew and a substantial Alphonse Mucha influenced mural at Augusta and Oxford. Parked in front the latter, you will also obtain Yvonne Bambrick’s notorious Back garden Car, a teeny very small town park/local community artwork task which has been sprouting in the exact spot every summer season since ’07. Make absolutely sure you continue to keep your eyes up as you examine concealed corners and back again alleys, you under no circumstances know what else you are going to discover!

Road performers

Though road performers and pop-up concert events may perhaps be a little more durable to monitor, if the sunshine is out you’re certain to stumble upon some talented buskers at Bellevue Square Park. To maximize your odds, arrive by for Pedestrian Sundays. The whole market place is blocked off from targeted traffic on the very last Sunday of just about every summer month, opening it up for folks and their experimentations. Support artists instantly, as well, by examining out the Kensington Sector Art Fair.

The Winter Solstice Competition also normally takes above the market yearly on December 21st, lights up the longest night of the year with creativity and enthusiasm.

Lanterns on display screen at Dancing Days

Obviously, the storefronts in Kensington Sector market products and solutions by individuals just as assorted as its inhabitants. Creativeness is concentrated at a number of charming retailers providing handmade and domestically manufactured goods that variety from artwork to components to dwelling decor, and extra.

To start with off, Child Icarus is a sweet, trendy display printing studio and reward shop all in just one. They target on paper products and solutions like greeting cards and stationary, but you’ll come across pins, soap and other creative crafts, far too. Anything in retail store is manufactured by Canadian artists and artisans, and it’s irresistibly adorable.

Painted house

Outside the house of Dancing Days

A different superior area to pick up Canadian-manufactured gifts is The Blue Banana Sector. The giant store is practically a warehouse for domestically designed merchandise and novelty goods from about the globe. Then, for comic reserve lovers, manga supporters, and graphic novel fanatics, there is The Beguiling. You’ll obtain the famed comedian book retail outlet just a couple methods from the current market on College Ave. Even if you weren’t hunting for any of those, there is anything about it that just draws you in.

Lastly, if you’re looking for some unique jewelry, you are in luck. One Appreciate is one man’s very small storefront marketing handcrafted merchandise and jewellery, with a smile. You can also come across other likewise handmade pieces shown on tabletops close to the market place. Adhere to your intuition as you stroll the streets and see what speaks to you!

1 of Kensington Market’s numerous fruit stands

Grocery browsing may possibly be an underrated sort of amusement, but just one of the large attract-ins of Kensington Marketplace is its high density of specialty grocers. There’s almost nothing far better than managing oneself to some of the freshest ingredients you can get. No matter if you’re cooking up a distinctive meal or just having a snack, you’ll see the difference that freshness makes.

Even if you never have a kitchen at your disposal, these places can support you really feel appropriate at dwelling. There is practically nothing better than contemporary bread from Toronto’s favourite Blackbird Baking Co. topped with your favorite creamy delight from the World wide Cheese Shoppe just all over the corner.

Global Cheese

For carnivores, Sanagan’s Meat Locker is your local go-to. They emphasize developing relationships with farmers, this means you can trace almost everything in shop back to its source. All which is remaining to do is enable the practical workers guideline you to picking the ideal slash. Next, you are going to find fruit and vegetable stands all close to the marketplace to incorporate a minimal color to your meal, whilst Residence of Spice will assistance bring the flavour. You are guaranteed to uncover a thing new while you’re in there, as well.

If you’re seeking for place to shop which is a tiny superior rounded, 4 Life Purely natural Foods has it all when it arrives to organic and natural items. With roomy aisles, picket shelves and so several ethically sourced foodstuff options, the complete experience of currently being there is just a satisfaction.

Kensington Shopping mall

Kensington Current market is genuinely a haven for lovers of classic. With retailers marketing distinctive finds all around each corner, its no ponder the area’s residents all glimpse so amazing. As well as, buying secondhand clothing is a straightforward way to get it easy on Mom Earth.

Potentially the most perfectly-known vintage shop in the spot is Bravery My Love, a cozy and colourful store best for finding cashmere parts, theatrical components, beads, buttons and other Do-it-yourself requirements, as perfectly as the great pair of cowboy boots. Yet another favourite is Sub Rosa Vintage just up coming doorway, which boasts a hand picked choice of apparel much more in line with today’s style trends. Meanwhile, Vintage Depot has leading tier threads in just about any condition or color, which includes some designer finds, Exile delivers on the costume office and Bungalow mixes the outdated with the new generating it a a person-halt shop for any lover of retro type.

If you are in the temper for a little buying spree, you will discover the best concentration of other classic shops on Kensington Ave close to Bravery My Enjoy and Sub Rosa.

CN Tower witnessed from Chinatown

A mere block absent from the coronary heart of Kensington Market place is an additional bustling city community. Chinatown is entire of household-owned small business of all sorts, but the major attraction is undoubtedly the food items. When the number of restaurants serving diverse versions on the same cuisine was a tiny overwhelming at 1st, immediately after a minimal discovering I’ve narrowed down my favorite spots, relying on what you are hunting for.

Chefs functioning at Mother’s Dumplings

Dumplings? Test Mother’s Dumplings, and enjoy the small bundles of flavour be created right in front of your eyes. Noodles? Inspite of the name, Chinese Common Buns serves some awesome Dan Dan Noodles, with out the frills. Soup? Phở Hưng has all you could want, and additional. Sandwich? Banh Mi Nguyen Huong serves Banh Mi that’s speedy, affordable and most of all mouth watering. Buns? Now, people are major-tier at Mashion Bakery.

from Cheapr Travels https://ift.tt/31yXmF9 via IFTTT

#IFTTT #Cheapr Travels

0 notes

recentanimenews · 5 years

Text

Diving into the Mind of Takeshi Obata at the “Never Complete” Exhibition

Death Note manga illustrator Takeshi Obata is currently holding an exhibition of his works at 3331 Arts Chiyoda until August 12. We sent our Japan Correspondent, Daryl Harding, to have a look at the exhibition and paint a picture of what he saw.

On an unusually hot summer’s day in Tokyo, I trekked over to "Artist Activity 30th Anniversary Takeshi Obata Exhibition NEVER COMPLETE" near Akihabara and Ueno. I’ve loved Obata’s work ever since I first picked up a volume of Death Note after watching the anime series on TV in Australia. His and his creative partner’s work on Bakuman is what first got me interested in the “behind-the-scenes” aspect of anime and manga production; it was also the first manga I read to completion, and the first anime series I reviewed when the first episode aired.

My love for Obata directly connects to my passion for anime, manga and overall Japanese pop culture, so being able to see his original works up close and personal was a real treat. Though, I didn’t realise how much of a treat it would be. Note that photography wasn't allowed in the actual exhibition, but the exlusive book available at the shop was and has all the pieces that were on display as well as an exclusive interview with Obata himself.

As reported, the exhibition is split into three parts: Manga, Illustrations, and Never Complete. These three parts took up all of the bottom floor of the creative arts centre and took at least two hours to get through.

MANGA

Manga was the biggest section of the exhibition. Original manga pages from Hikaru no Go, Death Note and Bakuman were on display, showcasing the first chapters of the series’ and key moments that resonated with fans.

What made these original pages interesting were that they were the actual original versions that were hand-drawn, not a scanned copy. This meant you were able to see any of the imperfections in the pages, like when white out was used to fix kanji mistakes in Death Note or how Obata uses a light touch of yellow as an accent, even though the pages would be scanned into Shonen Jump as black and white.

It was great being able to see the layered version of chapters I’ve loved so much, as well as high quality versions of colour pages and covers. The best part of the Manga section was the pages being held in a glass frame where you could see the front—the “finished” side—and the back of a page. This was really interesting because Obata sketched out panels on the back of the paper, and by using a light board—much like how anime is made—he traced over his draft version. Being able to see both sides really drew you into Obata’s frame of mind while he was drawing these decade old series.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Compared to the Manga area, the last two parts of the exhibition are sizably smaller in scale, but still as interesting. The Illustrations area was just a room showcasing finished art that Obata has done throughout his career. These ranged from art from series Obata has worked on, like All You Need Is Kill, Cyborg Jii-chan G and Blue Dragon Ral Grad, to images from his artbook titled Blanc et Noir, to even collaborations with other series, like Blue Exorcist.

What I found interesting was seeing how Obata’s style has progressed through the years. You can see a clear shift in how he draws his characters after Death Note and Bakuman. This was most prominent in artwork from Hikaru no Go; where the room had art from when the series was serialised, than some special art from between when Death Note and Bakuman were being serialised, and then finally some art that was drawn in late 2018. While you could clearly understand that the art was supposed to represent Hikaru no Go, it felt more like fan art from another artist rather than being drawn by the original manga illustrator.

NEVER COMPLETE

The Never Complete area was the most intriguing part of the exhibition and by far the smallest area. On one wall was a collage of sketches, doodles, and rough ideas from Platinum End that slowly transitioned into more concrete concept art for the series, into finally morphing into panels from the manga. It was an interesting concept, but was completely overshadowed by the other area of this section.

＼#小畑健展開催中／本日も10時より開場！リクエストをもとに先生から頂いたメッセージはこちら！本日は20時まで開場延長しています(最終入場は、閉場の30分前まで)。皆さまのご来場をお待ちしております！#小畑健展　#ヒカルの碁 pic.twitter.com/tCqp6dGtbC

— 小畑健展 NEVER COMPLETE (@obata_ten) August 3, 2019

I saw that Obata did a live drawing session on the first day of the exhibition, which was streamed on the Jump SQ YouTube channel. What I didn’t realise was that he was doing multiple drawing sessions over the exhibition, including the day I was there.

In front of me was Obata, set up in a tiny workspace behind a barricade, just drawing away. It was uncomfortably intimate, like I was looking upon someone's life. I was entranced by him pencilling in lines and using his G-pen, but felt wrong just watching him work in complete silence. It was Obata, the man, the myth, the legend, just drawing another page of Platinum End in front of my eyes. It was amazing. I couldn’t understand how he was able to work like that, I hate it when I have someone over my shoulder looking at me work, let alone 50 admirers shuffling about trying to get as close a look as possible.

＼#小畑健先生が本展会場にてライブドローイング／現在、小畑先生が会場で執筆中です。この様子はYoutubeで配信されていますのでぜひご覧ください！#小畑健展https://t.co/gz6V88Oy2h

— 小畑健展 NEVER COMPLETE (@obata_ten) July 16, 2019

All round, if you’re a fan of Obata’s works, or a fan of at least one of the major works on display, you’ll be able to get something out of the exhibition. For me, being able to dive into the mind of my favourite manga creator was something else, and seeing him draw in front of me, that’s an experience I’ll hold close to my heart for a long time.

The Artist Activity 30th Anniversary Takeshi Obata Exhibition NEVER COMPLETE is currently running until August 12 at 3331 Arts Chiyoda in Tokyo, from there it’ll be at Niigata Anime Manga Museum from September 14 to November 10 and finally finish up at Daimaru Museum in Osaka in spring of 2020.

Are you a fan of Takeshi Obata's works? Which ones are your favorites? Let us know in the comments!

----

Daryl Harding is a Japan Correspondent for Crunchyroll News. He also runs the YouTube channel about Japan stuff called TheDoctorDazza, tweets at @DoctorDazza and posts photo of his travels on Instagram.

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

0 notes

topfygad · 5 years

Text

17+ Brilliant Issues to do in Kensington Marketplace Toronto [Full guide]

Golden Patty

Fish and Chips from Fresco’s

Kensington Industry & Chinatown Toronto Food items Tour checking out the back alleys

Foods samples on the Kensington Market place & Chinatown Toronto Food Tour

Outside FIKA

You could possibly will need some excess power to soak in as a lot as you can of Kensington Industry, so why not handle your self to a delightful cup of coffee, and possibly a scone?

Other nearby favourites involve famed Toronto chain Jimmy’s Espresso as nicely as i deal coffee, Cafe Pamenar and Livelihood Cafe.

Exploring the alleyways of Kensington Pl.

Road performers

The Winter Solstice Competition also normally takes above the market yearly on December 21st, lights up the longest night of the year with creativity and enthusiasm.

Lanterns on display screen at Dancing Days

Painted house

Outside the house of Dancing Days

1 of Kensington Market’s numerous fruit stands

Global Cheese

Kensington Shopping mall

If you are in the temper for a little buying spree, you will discover the best concentration of other classic shops on Kensington Ave close to Bravery My Enjoy and Sub Rosa.

CN Tower witnessed from Chinatown

Chefs functioning at Mother’s Dumplings

from Cheapr Travels https://ift.tt/31yXmF9 via https://ift.tt/2NIqXKN

0 notes

topfygad · 5 years

Text

17+ Brilliant Issues to do in Kensington Marketplace Toronto [Full guide]

Golden Patty

Fish and Chips from Fresco’s

Kensington Industry & Chinatown Toronto Food items Tour checking out the back alleys

Foods samples on the Kensington Market place & Chinatown Toronto Food Tour

Outside FIKA

You could possibly will need some excess power to soak in as a lot as you can of Kensington Industry, so why not handle your self to a delightful cup of coffee, and possibly a scone?

Other nearby favourites involve famed Toronto chain Jimmy’s Espresso as nicely as i deal coffee, Cafe Pamenar and Livelihood Cafe.

Exploring the alleyways of Kensington Pl.

Road performers

The Winter Solstice Competition also normally takes above the market yearly on December 21st, lights up the longest night of the year with creativity and enthusiasm.

Lanterns on display screen at Dancing Days

Painted house

Outside the house of Dancing Days

1 of Kensington Market’s numerous fruit stands

Global Cheese

Kensington Shopping mall

If you are in the temper for a little buying spree, you will discover the best concentration of other classic shops on Kensington Ave close to Bravery My Enjoy and Sub Rosa.

CN Tower witnessed from Chinatown

Chefs functioning at Mother’s Dumplings

source http://cheaprtravels.com/17-brilliant-issues-to-do-in-kensington-marketplace-toronto-full-guide/

0 notes