#Tycoon has made this a reality and I AM SO THANKFUL FOR IT

[royallyprincesslilly]

Title: The Confession {5}**

Chris Evans x Best Friend Reader

Warning: Cursing, Angst, PLENTY OF WORDS, Moderate NSFW, Moderate SMUT, DO NOT READ AT WORK

Words: 6.3k

Summary: Not this time.

Note: Thank you for reading lovelies! 😘😘

Thank you guys so much for reading! If you enjoyed this, LIKE, COMMENT, REBLOG.  ❤️❤️

***Loosely Edited/Proofread***

***Mildly Interactive***

Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 

-Chris-

  “You did what!”

 Scott gaped at him as he sat on the couch in the backyard.

 “You’re shitting me. You did not,” Scott continued. His shock was evident. He looked at him as if he’d said something even more surprising. Scott gulped down his beer and slammed it to the wood top of the table between them. Then he slid to the edge of the seat to gape at him some more.

 “My God, stop it already!”

 ���Excuse me for being astounded that you actually told her.”

 Crinkling his nose, he looked at Scott with his brow raised. “Actually told her? what does that mean?”

“Oh come on. Did you think I didn’t know that you’ve been in love with her for most of your life? Come on, Chris,” Scott finished fanning him off before he walked to the cooler to retrieve another beer.

 “Wait, wait, hold the fuck up. you knew?”

 “Yes, I knew. I knew, mom knew, Carly, Shanna—brother, this has been the worst kept secret.”

 He groaned and dropped his head back, staring into the blue sky. It was a beautiful day. He heard Scott’s “humph” and looked to see him holding out a beer for him.

 “Thanks,” he said as he took it, opened it, and drank half down.

 “Wow. Why didn’t anyone say anything?”

 “We all thought you would get it together eventually. We thought you’d both have this “duh” moment, and that would be it,” Scott explained.

 He couldn’t believe his ears. His entire family knew how he felt; all these years, they knew and never let on. He could have laughed, but he was too on edge after everything. It had been two weeks since your talk, two weeks since he sat in your living room and told you everything—well, mostly everything. One week and you hadn’t called, stopped by, or texted. Nothing.

 “I don’t know if I should have told her. I think I fucked up—bad.”

 Scoot took a deep breath and sighed out before he took another swig of beer. When he lowered it, he didn’t speak. That made his panic and fears increase.

 “What if I’ve ruined everything?” He grabbed his head and scraped his scalp.

 “Why the hell did you wait so long?”

 Springing to his feet, he paced around the couch. “I was scared. Have you seen the guys she’s dated? Jesus Christ, business tycoons that have billions of dollars and corporations, athletes that are built like no one’s business. All these guys are just—not me.” Voicing one of his fears felt more difficult than any of the stunts he’d done in his career. This was something he’d thought about for years, and it always gave him anxiety and stress.

 “Are you serious right now?” Scott scoffed and shook his head. “You’re a world-famous movie star. You’re Captain fucking America! Even then, you know none of that matters to her. It never has. What’s the real reason.”

 Dropping back into the couch with a loud groan, he finished his beer in one raise. Sitting with the words in his head, he was reluctant to voice them. If he said them out loud, then they’d be facts, irrefutable facts.

 “Spit it out!”

 “She deserves better,” he blurted out before he brought his face to his palms and continued. “She’s seen everything Scott, all my--.”

 “Whoring ways?” He could hear the amusement in Scott’s voice.

“Not funny.” His voice was impassive.

 “It is—from the outside looking in, hilarious.”

 He sprang to his feet again and paced back and forth. “She’s seen the women. She knows how I’ve treated them. She knows my Dorian Grey, and you know my Dorian Grey is seriously ugly.” As he spoke, every dirty thing he’d done over the years flashed through his head, the women, the experiences, the cheating, everything.

 “Ah, I see. You’re afraid she knows too much and knows you too well to see you any other way than a complete male gigolo out for sex.”

 Turning around to give Scott another warning look, he rolled his eyes. “You’re still not funny.”

Scott chuckled and leaned back. “I totally am.”

 “She deserves the world, Scott,” he began rubbing the back of his neck as he sat at the edge of the couch. “I’m sure I fall short,” he finished in a crestfallen tone. There it was.

 A few moments of silence passed before Scott spoke again. “Wow. Wait, you’re being serious? You really think this?” When he didn’t answer, Scott continued. “Chris, we want the person we end up with to know everything about us. We want them to understand we’re not perfect, that we’re human and want to be better with them, for them.”

 When he didn’t look up, he heard Scott’s footsteps before he dropped on the couch beside him. “Listen to me. You want her to have seen your ugly so she can weigh it with your good. Look, I’m your brother, and yeah, your ugly is ugly, but you’re a good guy. Shit, you’re the best man I know, next to dad. Y/N has seen it since we were kids.”

 He knew he should have known this, but when it came to you, it was a different case.

 “I was always afraid to hurt her. I was scared I’d fuck it up somehow, and because of it, fuck us up,” he confessed.

 “So you just kept quiet about it. I’ve always known you were in love with her. I just knew one day it would come out naturally, and the two of you would fall together like natural clockwork. You weren’t supposed to wait until she had a fiancé, you jackass!”

 Groaning again, he nodded. “I know, fuck, I know.”

 “What were you expecting?”

 What was he expecting? He’d asked himself this question since that ill-fated night he texted you the words. He hadn’t come up with an adequate response.

 “I don’t know. I was drunk when I did it, drunk and wallowing,” he began. He thought back to the night in your living room then straightened up. “When I looked in her eyes as I said it, Scott, there was something there. I saw it.”

 “What’d you see?”

 The words teased his tongue as they’d teased his mind the entire week. He hadn’t said them out loud because what if he was wrong. The more he thought back to the look in your eyes, the more he knew that he couldn’t have been wrong.

 “She has to love me too. Right?” Looking at Scott for confirmation, he was met with an unsure look.

 “Let’s say she did. What do you expect to happen?”

 Crinkling his nose again, he gave Scott a crazy look. “What? Obviously, call off the wedding so we can be together for real,” he plainly declared.

 “Have you thought that through? What if right now, with the idea of her being married off to someone not you is playing with you, making you feel like you want this relationship? What if this is the draw of what you can’t have?” He’d thought about this long ago but dismissed it before it came up again. He didn’t feel like that was it.

 “I’m not like that,” he professed.

 “How do you know? This is the first time you’re in this situation,” Scott countered.

 “Scott. It’s Y/N.” That was all he felt he had to say.

 “Exactly. I know another reason why you held on to this for so long was because you were afraid of this. You were afraid that once you got what you thought you wanted, you wouldn’t want it anymore, and then it would have been too late. How do you know?”

 Bringing himself back to the night it all became clear for him he clued Scott in. “I was sitting there thinking about her, and I knew Scott. I knew.”

 Scott nodded and took his words in.

 “Okay.”

 “I don’t want her because I can’t have her now. It’s not because I’m scared of losing her to someone else. I’m not nearly as self-centered and narcissistic enough for that. I want her because—because I love her,” he responded with certitude. He felt this in his bones.

 “Okay.”

 “We used to talk every day, several times a day, all day even. I haven’t spoken to her since that night at her place. She won’t answer my calls or messages.” It hurt to say. It hurt a hell of a lot more than he ever imagined it would. It felt like rejection, a rejection he had no experience with that was made worse because it was you.

 “She needs time, Chris. You just dropped the mother of all bombs on her for crying out loud. It’s not just any bomb; it’s an atomic bomb that complicates her life. She has a fiancé. She planned a wedding, one that is happening in six weeks,” Scott reasoned.

 He knew all of this, and he’d even tried to drill it into his own head, but it never stuck.

 “Give her some time to get her thoughts and feelings in order,” Scott finished.

 He looked down at his entwined fingers and sighed. “I feel like I’m losing my shit just waiting around. I feel like I’m waiting on a judge to decide the rest of my life,” he spoke. The silence stretched between them, and his anxiety reached its peak.

  “I don’t know what I’ll do if I fucked everything up, Scott.”

~~~~~~~~~

-Y/N-

 “I love you, Y/N. I love everything about you.”

 Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump.

 “I love how you are my family.”

 Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump.

 “You’re my home, always have been. I’m in love with you.”

 Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump.

 “The sight of you together kills me.”

 Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump.

 “I want you, Y/N. I always have. That hasn’t changed since we were sixteen, and it will never change. I love you.”

 Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump.

 “I can’t lose you.”

 Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump.

 “I love you, Y/N.”

 Thump-Thump-Thump-Thump.

 “Y/N!”

 The scent of roses, lilies, and cedar filled your nostrils and bringing with it your current reality. You took a deep breath, but one wasn’t enough. You took several more. It had been a hard week. You should have still been floating on could nine, and part of you was, but it was an exceedingly small part. The rest of you was in suspended animation tangled with stress, anxiety, and confusion. When you got like that, the only thing that seemed to help was work.

 However, no matter how much work you did, you didn’t forget. You didn’t forget the words he said to you, didn’t forget the look in his eyes as he crowded you in the kitchen. Didn’t forget the way his fingers on you felt exponentially different than they had before. You couldn’t forget how your skin tingled, or how you didn’t move right away. When you got there, you blamed it on shock and nothing else.

 “Y/N. Do you need help?”

 Pressing your forehead on the cold glass, you took your final breathes and plastered a smile on your face before you walked out of the dressing room. As soon as you did, everyone gasped and fawned all over you. After stepping onto the pedestal, you looked at your reflection in the floor to ceiling mirror and nearly toppled over. You wore the wedding dress you’d picked out two months ago that was now half altered. The A-line ballgown was massive but gorgeous. You loved how it made you look as if you had no waist and plenty of hips, and not to mention the bustline did wonders for your breasts.

“My god, Y/N, you look incredible,” your mother sighed out as she clasped your hand. You could see the unshed tears in her eyes. She’d dreamed of this day probably since the day you were born. Every mother plans her daughter’s wedding in her head the moment she takes her first steps. She’d been with you through this entire process lending you strength and guidance.

 “Thank you, mama.” You looked at yourself again and took another deep breath to let it out in a rush.

 “Don’t like it anymore?” The question belonged to Jaxon’s mother, Anita. Smiling, you looked at her.

 “No, I still like it.”

 “Jaxon said when he came in the other day, he was tempted to look at it before he paid for it,” Anita informed.

 Turning to her fully, you cocked your head to the right. “I’m sorry, what?”

 “Calm down, Y/N. He didn’t look. The superstition is intact,” Anita remarked.

 “No, no. Not about him seeing it. He did what?”

 Anita stopped smiling and gave you a confused look before she continued. “He paid for it,” she said matter of factly like it was no big deal. The bubble of anger you felt raise within you rose so quickly smoke nearly shot through your ears.

 “What’s the problem? My son makes a lot of money. He has influence and the means to do what he pleases. You know that is one of the reasons you agreed to this—expedited wedding,” Anita slid in.

 “Excuse me?” You took a step forward, forgetting you were on a pedestal.”

 “Y/N,” your mother cautioned making you stop in your tracks and bite back the insult you were going to return back to her.

 “Jaxon has assured me it’s not because you’re pregnant, so it leaves this. No?”

 You had the sudden image of leaping off the pedestal right on top of her and wrapping your hands around her neck.

 “Anita,” your mother began stepping toward her. “I know we don’t know each other well, but you will soon come to realize that I go to bat for my baby with anyone who dares disrespect her. Listen here, your son asked her to marry him, not the other way around. You’ll do well to remember that when you speak to her and remember that it’s a good thing when a man finds a wife—that is if they don’t cheat and find another younger one.”

 Your jaw dropped. She took - it - there. Your mother didn’t shrink back or cower; she held her head high and puffed out her chest. You pressed your lips together, pleased at the reminder that you were her daughter. Anita had a high and mighty look on her face before she slinked away to the seats. Once there, she sat.

 “Let’s also remember that love is why we’re all here, Jaxon’s and Y/N’s for each other,” your mother finished. When Anita didn’t speak again, your mother turned back to you and gave you a nod.

 “Let’s carry on.”

 Soon after, your sister Sharice arrived with your niece Adella along with your aunts Florence and SherryAnne. Once they arrived, the tone of the parlor drastically changed. They laughed, joked and chatted as if they didn’t care where they were. You didn’t mind; it distracted you. For the remainder of the appointment, the seamstress worked her magic pinning, measuring, and altering according to your specifications. You always had a glass of champagne in one hand and your phone in the other. Just because the majority of the day was dedicated to this didn’t mean you wouldn’t work.

 Halfway through, Anita made an excuse to leave. Before she left, she pulled you in to a hug and kiss while making you promise to make it to the mayor’s mansion for dinner one night during the week. Reluctantly you agreed, and she pranced out of the parlor as if she hadn’t disrespected you in a significant way.

 Once she’d left, you dropped onto the couch with all the flounce of the dress around you.

 “Ignore her. She’s just mad her precious only son puts you above her. She’s jealous,” Sharice said.

 “Jealous or not she should get the fuck over it. she purposely told me about Jaxon buying the dress. He’s told her about how I act about him doing things like this.”

 You were angry and had every intention of ripping him a new asshole for doing what he did plus telling his mother something that was between the two of you.

 “Your man is well off, enjoy it. You’re going to be married, what’s his will be yours,” your aunt SherryAnne explained.

 “I understand that Aunt Sherry, I get it. That does not mean he can throw his money at me. I’ve worked hard for everything I have, and yeah, I don’t have millions or a mother who is a Mayor that comes with connections and pomp, but I sure as hell have my own. We talked about the dress. I said I was going to pay for it. He undermined me and did it behind my back. He didn’t even tell me,” you ranted.

 “Maybe he doesn’t know how serious you are about it,” your mother hypothesized.

 Rolling your eyes, you knocked back the remainder of the champagne and held out your hands, a silent plea for them to help you up. As they did, you all giggled.

 “Are you sure you want this dress?”

 “Yes. Don’t worry; I’ve already eyed the reception dress,” you announced as you walked back to the dressing room to change back into your clothes.

 Ten minutes later, you reemerged dressed and ready to go. The group of you walked out to the sidewalk and said your goodbyes. When they all walked away, your mother turned to you and studied your face before she gently caressed your cheek.

 “Are you alright, baby girl?”

 Sighing you thought if you should unburden yourself, but the second you thought to, you decided against it. What was the purpose?

 “Yeah, I’m fine, just tired.”

 She nodded and pulled you in for a hug. “Maybe go hang out with Chris for a few hours. He always works magic with ironing you out.”

 The sound of his name filled you with so many conflicting emotions that you knew he was the last person you needed to see. When she pulled back, she kissed your forehead and tapped your cheek before she walked to her car. Waving goodbye, you watched her car drive off. Checking your watch, you saw you had fifteen minutes to meet Jaxon at the market as you’d promised. After the events at the parlor, that was the last thing you wanted to do. Part of you didn’t trust yourself well enough not to blow up at him in the middle of the produce department. Resigning yourself to your fate, you hailed a taxi and got on your way.

Thanks to traffic, by the time you got to Whole Foods, you were running a little late. As you got out of the taxi, you saw Jaxon standing outside talking on your phone. You took a deep breath and approached him. When he saw you coming, his smile widened as he held his hand out for you. Deciding against taking it, you held onto your purse with the hand he reached for instead. Not picking up your cue, he leaned in to kiss you, but you turned your cheek and continued walking into the store.

 Jaxon tried to wrap up his conversation, but after a few minutes, you could tell he was being roped into an even longer dialogue. Pushing the cart through the aisles, you placed items in while he trailed behind you. When he put his hand on your hip, you pushed forward, breaking the contact. Every time he tried to stop you from moving, you didn’t allow it.

 After almost ten minutes of this, Jaxon abruptly ended his call. “Okay I’m done, they’re gone. It’s just you now. Tell me how was the dress fitting,” he began wrapping his arms around you, making you face him.

 “Call them back. I’m fine. I don’t need your attention,” you said, pulling from him and walking ahead.

 “You don’t—what?” His hurried footsteps echoed behind you before he was pulling you back to him.

 “What’s wrong?”

 “Nothing,” you lied.

“Bullshit. I’ve known you long enough to know when something’s wrong. What did I do?”

 “Interesting you know you did something,” you slid in before walking away again.

 “Come on, Y/N, don’t play games. If I fucked up tell me what I did so I can make it right.”

 “How? By throwing your money around some more?”

 The way he looked at you said he knew what this was about. When he opened his mouth to no doubt explain it away and brush it under the rug, you walked away yet again. Turning down another aisle, you looked at the products as you passed them, trying to remember just what you had on your list. When you got halfway down the aisle, Jaxon fell into step with you.

 “Let me explain,” he began before you cut him off.

 “Explain how you undermined me and went behind my back to do something you knew I wouldn’t want? Explain that?” The impatient look on your face only grew to one of annoyance.

 “Baby, it wasn’t like that.”

 “This is not the place to talk about this. Let’s just get this over with and get out of here,” you suggested while putting products into the cart.

 Before Jaxon could speak again, you heard a familiar voice call your name. Your back stiffened.

 “Chris, my man,” Jaxon began.

 “How you doing?”

 “Good, me and the soon to be Mrs just getting some groceries for dinner,” Jaxon informed. Slowly you turned to face him. He wore a low tipped baseball hat, his signature incognito look. It was stupid. You’d told him before that it was his beard that got him recognized.

 “Hey, DeeDee,” Chris said. You nearly snorted out loud hearing your nickname.

“Hi.” Again it was barely above a whisper.

 “How are you?”

 “Great--I mean good--fine,” you stuttered.

 Silence fell between the three of you, an awkward silence.

 “So come over for dinner tonight, Chris,” Jaxon petitioned. Your head snapped to him, confused how he’d deduced that you being angry at him meant to invite a third party to dinner so you couldn’t talk. The man was nuts.

 “Uh—are you sure? I don’t want to impose,” Chris began before Jaxon cut him off.

 “Nah, no imposition, right babe. Any best friend of my other half is a best friend of mine. Plus, I’m sure you guys would love the time together. I know the planning of the wedding is keeping this one busy, so yeah, we’re sure,” Jaxon monologued.

 Another thing you hated was him talking for you. He’d toned it down over the months, but every now and then, it would spark up. Chris was looking at you as if he was waiting for your final word. He knew how you hated being spoken for. While you wanted to tell him that tonight wasn’t the night the puppy dog look in his eyes broke your heart. Sighing, you nodded.

 “Come to dinner. You gotta eat right.”

 “Okay. Dinner. Your place?”

 “No, we’re at mine tonight,” Jaxon corrected. “Don’t worry, in a few weeks we’ll have it together in the new house,” Jaxon finished.

 “Uh, we should go if there is any hope of actually having dinner ready,” you voiced, turning away from both men and walking away toward the checkout. This was going to be a long night, you thought to yourself.

 When you got back to Jaxon’s place, the argument that was had went on for nearly an hour. It was really one-sided. He listened to your gripes, apologized, and promised to check himself when he felt the urge to spoil you. The way he didn’t even put up a fight made you feel like he wasn’t listening to what you said or considering it in a real way. He said all the right things, but he’d done that before only to flip and do the offense again.

 You went your way to the bedroom, and he went his to the kitchen, and that was where you remained for the next forty or so minutes. You needed the time to cool down. You knew you’d grown up differently and knew you two had different ideas of gender roles, but you didn’t think it was a major discrepancy or too much that you couldn’t work through it. This recent move had you wondering if maybe it was something that couldn’t be worked on.

As you stared at yourself in the walk-in closet, you closed your eyes and pinched the bridge of your nose. You could feel your migraine and wanted to do nothing but sink into a hot bath with a cup of lavender tea. One man was giving you a headache from his lack of care about what mattered to you and the other from his overabundance of caring at the wrong time.

 You felt arms wrap around your midsection, which jarred your eyes open. For some reason, you expected to see Chris.

 “I’m sorry, really, really sorry. You can’t be mad at me anymore. I can’t take it. You know how I feel about leaving things unspoken and holding on to slights. Things like that can seriously hurt a relationship.”

 You knew he was reminiscing on his parents. Their fairytale marriage fell apart because of one too many unspoken things and slights that created caters between them that turned into separate bedrooms and his father’s affairs. Sighing, you dropped your head back onto his chest, allowing him to kiss your bare shoulder.

 “Forgive me?”

 You remained silent and just stared at him through the mirror. His hand moved from your belly to your pelvis, where he raked up your skirt.

 “What’re you doing?”

 “Sssh,” Jaxon softly lulled, continuing what he was doing until his fingers were softly scratching a path on your inner thigh in an upward motion. “Let me make it up to you.”

 “How?”

 “By taking that migraine,” Jaxon answered before his fingers slid underneath the material of your underwear to rub against your sex. Groaning, you attempted to move, but he kept you where you were by pinching your clit. Sucking in a breath, you locked eyes with him.

 “Let me do all the work, darlin’.”

 Once the words were spoken, Jaxon wasted no time with teasing. He intently circled your clit in tight, quick motions. You leaned against him, sighing out, quickly getting used to how good it felt. Every few seconds, he changed the direction he swirled his finger and the speed of which he did it. After only a few minutes, you were close. With your eyes closed, your moans and pants echoed in the closet as Jaxon’s free hand held you tightly at your hip. You felt his finger leave you, which made your eyes flutter open to see him sucking it clean. In the same breath, Jaxon stepped before you then dropped to his knees.

 “I’m sorry,” he repeated before he lifted one of your legs and draped it over his shoulder and kissed your bud.

 You groaned and dropped your head back and focused on the pleasure he was giving. Once your eyes closed, the face you saw was not that of your fiancé, the man on his knees before you giving you pleasure. It was Chris’s. You saw him as if he stood right before you. He was watching you, his eyes boring into you, looking deeper into you than anyone had ever seen—just him. You gasped and held onto Jaxon’s head feeling your orgasm get closer and closer. Still, Chris in your mind, stared. It was as if he was taunting you, silently asking if this was what you wanted if Jaxon was doing it for you.

 Feeling the pressure of Jaxon’s suck increase, you whimpered and began bucking your hips riding his face. The slurps echoed in the closet, and Chris’s stare intensified. The blue in his eyes beckoned to you, spoke to you, told you that you were making a mistake and that you should stop pretending. When you felt your orgasm whip through you, you felt an urge stronger than any you’d ever felt before to scream his name—Chris’s name. Biting your tongue, you rode the wave until you shook, and your knees buckled. As you fell to the floor, Jaxon’s arms caught you.

 “I got you, sweetheart.”

 When you opened your eyes, you saw Chris’s face and not Jaxon’s, and that was what fueled your actions.

 “Make love to me,” you whined while trying to remove his pants.

 Jaxon didn’t protest, he obliged and quickly undid his pants to free himself from his undid zipper. When he slid into your slickened heat, neither of you went slowly. There was a time to take your time, and this wasn’t it. Jaxon moved your body with the strength he possesed and fucked you with frenzied thrusts. It was what you needed to unsee Chris's face, to push aside the unrecognizable desire you felt for your best friend. The desire wasn’t only for him, though.

 Feeling the power of Jaxon inside of you, you knew it was him you were making love to, you knew it was him your body was reacting to, but you also knew Chris was also causing some reaction. Planting your feet onto the floor, you sped your movements, not wanting the ability to think properly for the next however long. You’d worry about what this all meant later—much later.

  ~~~~~~

 -Chris-

He hated it here. At your place, he saw pieces of your life with him, but here he saw the other pieces that put together the full picture. There were framed photos everywhere, along with boxes that Jaxon explained away, stating you were in the process of moving into your new house—together. It was a painful thought, one he tried to push to the back of his mind. This was the first time he’d been here. He was always able to get himself out of coming by, but tonight it seemed like his luck had run out.

 When they made it to Jaxon’s mancave, he saw accolades, accomplishments, pictures galore of all the influential people he knew, and even awards. It all presented like he was a good guy. It only made him want to hate Jaxon even more, but he hadn’t mistreated you in the time you’d been together. He couldn’t remember a time you came to him crying about something he’d done or how he’d hurt you. There was no representation of his bad character. He had no reason to hate him, none but one—you. This man had you.

 When he first walked in, he could smell him on you. You didn’t smell like your usual self, and that told him all he didn’t need to know. From then he had to pretend that the sound of his voice didn’t make him sick, that the pictures of how happy you were together didn’t boil his blood and the thought of you in his kitchen cooking for him night after night didn’t give him the strongest bout of jealousy he’d ever felt. He was an actor, but he doubted he was playing his part well tonight.

 “Dinner!”

 The two of them made their way back to the dining room to see you’d filled the table with the food.

 “Smells amazing, baby.” Jaxon wrapped his arm around your waist and kissed your cheek.

 “Let’s eat,” you rushed out, breaking contact with Jaxon to get to your seat, a seat he pulled out. He nearly vomited in his mouth.

 Dinner was awkward and painful. He expected it to be, but it was increasingly so. Jaxon kept a hand on you at all times; he could see his grip on your bare thigh through the glass dining table. As he spoke about everything under the sun, he noticed you looked distracted. Every now and then, your eyes met and lingered before you looked away with a guilty look in yours. He wondered what you were thinking, what you were feeling. Every time he tried to read your body language, it told him nothing, but you were tense. Was it the dinner, or was it something else besides what he’d told you?

 Like clockwork, every few minutes, Jaxon found a way to make even more contact with you than his hand placed on your thigh. He’d either lean into you to kiss your forehead or an exposed shoulder or even pull you in for a kiss. He could see the tension in you increase every time Jaxon attempted affection. All the while he sat there watching the two of you, he knew what he felt and why he felt it, but it didn’t make it any easier to handle. It broke him.  

 “So you know we’re moving, the move is happening in a little while. Can we count you in to help?”

 “Jax, god, we have the moving people for that,” you began.

 “Yeah, but you even said you didn’t want them moving everything. I’m talking about those things,” Jaxon clarified.

 “No, Chris is busy. He’s not here to be at our beck and call. He has a family to spend time with.”

 “I thought as your man of honor; he’d want to help out,” Jaxon continued.

 “Man of honor?”

 You slapped your forehead and closed your eyes.

 “You hadn’t told him? She didn’t tell you?”

 “Tell me what?” He looked at you and waited for you to explain.

 “I was—it’s nothing.”

 “No, it’s something. What?”

 You sighed and finished your glass of wine before continuing. “I was going to ask you to be my man of honor the next time you were in town. Then—things—yeah,” you trailed off.

 His heart sank. You wanted him to stand beside you over your sister or even all your friends.

 “It was stupid,” you continued.

 “You don’t want it anymore?”

 “What?”

 “Would you rather someone else do it?”

 Your eyes locked, and he was able to read you clearly for the first time in weeks.

 “No, I want you. Only you,” you whispered. It felt like you meant something else.

 “So whaddya say?” Jaxon’s voice broke the moment.

 “Uh, let me check some things, and I’ll get back to you,” he said, barely above a whisper as he avoided your eyes. This night had just gotten one hundred times worse.

 Once dinner was finished, Jaxon retreated to his office to take an urgent call, which left him to help you with the dishes. When he walked into the kitchen with the last of the dishes, you were finishing loading the dishwasher.

“Dinner was great,” he professed.

 “Thanks, you whispered.

 He stood beside you in silence for a few moments. “You’ve been avoiding me,” he began.

 “Not avoiding. Busy.”

 He scoffed. “We’ve both been busy before and still managed to talk all day. You’ve been avoiding me. Why?”

 “Chris, I have a lot going on with work and this wedding.”

“So cancel the wedding.”

 Your head snapped to him so fast he nearly laughed out loud.

 “What?!”

 “You heard me. Cancel the wedding,” he repeated.

 “Why the hell would I do that?

 “Because I love you and you love me.”

 You rolled your eyes and looked back to the dishes. “Of course, I love you. you’re my best friend.”

 “You’re in love with me,” he flat out said, not caring if anyone heard.

 “Chris. Stop. I love Jaxon. We’re getting married in six weeks.

 “Are you in love with him? You and I both know there is a difference. I don’t think you are,” he cockily said though he didn’t feel so confidant in his declaration.

 “Yes, I am,” you answered. Again, his heart sank.

 “And me?”

 You looked at him again, and he saw the conflict in your eyes. There should be no conflict where resolution resides, he thought before he took a step to you, closing the distance between you.

 “Y/N, come on,” he pleaded before you took a baby step back.

 “This is not the place or time. Jaxon is in the other room.”

 “I don’t care like at all. How do you feel, Y/N?”

 “Fuck, I don’t know how I feel. I don’t know what I feel,” you blurted out in an urgent fiery whisper.

 “Yes, you do. Okay yeah, it was a shock, but that was two week ago. You know how you feel, how you’ve always felt I’m suspecting.”

 You rubbed your forehead and sighed out. “Jesus, okay. Let’s say I did know. What does it matter? I’m engaged to be married to a great guy.”

 “Why would you marry someone you don’t love in the right way? Why would you resign to live the rest of your life with someone you don’t profoundly desire on every single level? Why would you want that especially knowing there is a better choice, the one who loves you as fiercely as you love him?”

 He could have just pulled you to him, something said you wouldn’t have stopped him, but he didn’t know if he had that level of asshole in him—not right now.

 “I’m sorry about that,” Jaxon said as he walked into the kitchen, breaking the bubble, making you move away from him to approach Jaxon. Once at his side, he watched on as Jaxon kissed you. It hurt to see, especially when his hand gripped your hip in a possessive manner. While it hurt, it also showed him what he wanted. He knew, without a doubt, his reasons weren’t for anything other than you were the woman of his dreams.

 It was clear what he had to do now. He had to prove it to you. He had to up the ante and prove to you that he really felt what he felt. He also had the double task of showing you that you loved him as much as he loved you. He had to prove to you that he was the better choice for you, not Jaxon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ***If you want to be tagged please SEND AN ASK SO IT WILL BE EASIER FOR ME TO KEEP TRACK OF. Thank you for reading!!! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

TagList:

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***There are a few that are bold that I tried to tag but your @ wasn’t coming up. I’m not sure why. I’m sorry.

[anotherbeingsworld]

Cheerleader

Pairing: Bryce Lahela x F!MC (Casey Valentine)

Book: Open Heart

Word Count: 1142

Disclaimer: I don’t own the characters. Characters belong to Pixelberry. 

Warnings: None. 

Tags: @maria-soederberg ; @choicessa ; @bitchloveskcbaseball ; @storyofmychoices ; @n-wahz ; @mrsbhandari ; @annekebbphotography ; @princess-geek

LINK TO MY MASTERLIST 

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Bryce feels himself stare at the figure in front of him, as they sat quietly having a Hawaii dinner courtesy of Bryce himself. The way her eyes shine, her smile often makes his heart flutter and the beautiful heart she had causing a smile to appear on his face out of nowhere. Casey raised her eyebrows at him, as a small smile curled on her face.

“Penny for your thoughts, Bryce?” She asked as she took a bite from her dish.

Bryce went quiet, all of those moments with her starts to play in his mind. Through all of it, she had stood by him.

‘I can’t do it Cas, I am not good enough to do this. What if I killed him, what if…” Bryce was cut off as Casey pulled him into her embrace.

Bryce felt tears started to fall as he leans towards her embrace, letting all the pain flow down his back in her arms.

“Bryce Lahela, you are an amazing surgeon. You can do this, you had single-handedly led a cataract surgery without Dr. Tanaka. You saved a life that day Bryce. You saved a kid who is living healthy in this world because of you. He hugs you after he was discharged, to show you that you are amazing at what you do. You are made for this Bryce; I believe in you.” Casey finishes as she places her hand over his heart.

The memory faded once more as another emerge, it was the one from Keiki’s arrival at his apartment. The first time he opened up to her, about his past. His family, his background, and his sister.

“You can tell me anything.” Casey's voice rang as both of them took a seat on his couch after he suddenly went off from the music festival.

“My family, they did bad stuff in the past. My parents were property tycoons who became white-collar criminals…”

Before he could continue, Casey felt her eyes went wide...

“Your family are The Lahela’s… I have read about them in high school.”

Bryce nodded slowly, as he hides his face into his hands.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What is it to tell, my life has been hell at home. People hated me for what my parents did, and if you know… it would change the way you see me. Most people do, as they heard the name ‘Lahela’, most people decide to head for the hills.” Bryce lets out a sigh after.

It was silence before Casey decides to speak up, as she turns herself facing him. Her hands are cupping his cheek, as his eyes soften from the sudden movement.

“Bryce, I would love you even if you are a janitor. You are not your parents, you are the Bryce that I fell in love with. The Bryce Lahela, that would always pull me into deep hugs, gives me flirtatious winks in the hallway and the person with a huge heart. I am still here am I, and this is where I plan to be for the rest of my life. With you.” He smiles as soon as she is done.

“How the heck did I get so lucky?”

His consciousness decides to play one more memory. It was the day where Bryce is making his first appearance for a medical talk show along with Dr. Harper Emery and Dr. Ramsey himself.

Bryce is adjusting his tie for what it feels like the million times, as a way to ease his nerves.

‘It’s just an appearance buddy, you can do this.’ Bryce thought to himself as his tie finally decides to give up on him. He lets out a groan in frustration as a figure walks towards him.

Casey lets out a laugh, as she saw the hopeless look on his face.

“You really need some help there,” Casey said as she took the tie from him. She faces him, as she started to tie it for him.

“How did you know how to do this?” His eyebrow raised at her with a questionable look on his face that makes her laugh.

“I have a brother Bryce, I used to be the one who ties his ties. Either that or I love to play dress-up when I was little.” She said as she straightens the tie over his collar.

Bryce nods in understanding as she finally is done tying it.

“Done, it looks good as new.” Casey took a step back admiring her own handiwork, as Bryce posed in front of the mirror. He turns to her and places his arms around her waist. The look on his face displayed an amount of fear, as he tried to hide it with his signature smirk which ended up failing.

“Your eyes are saying something different Bryce, you okay?”

“I guess, I am just nervous. I will be speaking on national television Cas, this is nothing compared to all the surgeries I had done. And, with Dr. Ramsey there. It gets much scarier.” Bryce explains as they stood in each other's arms.

“Where is the confident Bryce? Come out will ya!” Casey yells as a couple of workers look at her weirdly.

“Ha ha ha, I don’t want to embarrass myself in front of the whole world Cas.”

“You are going to do great Bryce if Ethan’s gonna bark at you. He will have to go through me first!” Casey said as he lets out a laugh.

“I am serious Bryce, you are going to knock it out of the park. You were born to shine as you said, don’t cover up your greatness. Today is your chance to show the world; your greatness. I will be sitting in front seat cheering for you. Just be yourself, and it will be okay. Trust me.” Casey ends with a kiss on his lips.

“I trust you.” He replies as they part their ways as the interview is starting. And, he ended up being amazing as always whilst stealing all the hearts that he can.

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He was brought back to reality as the memory around him fades, his brown eyes meeting hers. She looked at him with a worried expression,

“You okay Bryce? You seem to be spacing out for the past 5 minutes.”

Bryce smiles as he takes her hands into his, and kissed both of them.

“I just love you so much.”

Casey smiled at his words,

“I love you too, now c’mon let us finish this before the movie starts!”

Bryce nods as he started to clear his plate, his eyes fall at her. Somehow, at this moment he felt very lucky to have someone like her in his life. She was his cheerleader, cheering for him from the sides during his dark days and all the victories as well. He wouldn’t have it any other way.

THE END

A/N: Hi!! I am back with a new fic, and its a fluffy one! I have another one coming tomorrow, so get ready! And, this piece is kinda inspired by the little moments that I kinda find it adorable, and its shows how great that someone is always there to support you through it all and i can somehow envision that in Bryce and MC’s relationship! I hope all of you liked it and enjoy it as much as I enjoy writing it! Heads up to my cheerleader @bitchloveskcbaseball, i adore you! And, a shoutout to @maria-soederberg for all your help! Check out their stories too!!  ❤ Don’t forget to like and reblog and comment if you want to be added to my tag list!! Thank you so much for reading it! I hope you all have a wonderful day ahead of you. 💖💖

[rayo1-productions]

Cartoon Network Universe: Earth One - A Tour of California

*REPOSTED FROM FANFICTION.NET

DEVELOPER'S JOURNAL - SUPPLEMENTARY

Unfortunately, no this isn't Chapter 7. But it is something worth reading.

So if you've been following this story for a while, you've probably noticed that there are a few anachronisms in the world of the Cartoon Network Universe. I do have an explanation in mind, but for now, let's just keep it at me having to make certain calls when it comes to merging the worlds of so many Cartoon Network shows, as the majority of them were produced independently from one another.

But I also realized it wasn't entirely fair to you guys, who might not be able to keep track of worldbuilding and expository content.

So, I've come to a decision that I am probably going to regret in the future, specifically in terms of the style and genre. I am going to have, between each 6 chapters, a little cutaway bumper that informs you on the map of this world. This will give me the chance to clarify all things that you might be confused by when it comes to my writing (Honestly I don't blame you. My English isn't the best...which is ironic since it's my first language.)

The reason why I was so apprehensive of this idea at first was because of the tone it might cast over the rest of the story. Informational bumpers like this are a staple of certain anime like Attack on Titan and My Hero Academia, but with this story's subject matter leaning closer to AOT, I feared that these bumpers would create a "history-book" vibe to it. Y'know, like these alternate history stories people write where they go in-depth into the layout and politics of the war.

What's problematic about that approach for me is that it can be a very adult motif, one that can strip the story of any fantastical elements by grounding everything into hard square reality. Furthermore, most fellow FusionFall stories implement a personal touch into their work. Granted, by focusing on the entire cast of NPCs and the larger CNU, I haven't made this job easy for myself. But come future chapters and the personal touch will be essential, just as it was essential with Volume 1.

But I guess that's a bunch of superstition. Right now, enjoy reading the layout of the setting of my story. Be ready for even more creative liberties than seen in the OG Game, because the Map I created here is vastly different compared to that of the original or remakes. This map also comes with nice little exposition blurbs, all of which are set One Month before the Time Travel Experiment and thus two months before the invasion begins. I will be listing heroes that claim these areas or districts within each city. As the story moves forward from this bumper, heroes covered by a [SPOILER] tag will be revealed as they claim positions throughout the war and beyond. For future stories outside of FusionFall, it's also very possible that you'll be seeing this bumper more than once and with updates.

MAP OF TURFS

The Sister Cities - California

SIYENN: The largest of the three Sister Cities situated in the Western state of California, Siyenn City is a melting pot of countless businesses, families, and liveliness, all enhanced by the ever-growing pursuit of innovation. With a multitude of heroes, technological corporations, child geniuses, and casual life, this city is not only fortified, but ensured of a brighter tomorrow!

TECH SQUARE - Dexter McPherson, Simon Astronomonov; Once Siyenn Square, it was rechristened as Tech Square in honor of the astounding technological achievements transpiring there. Home to partnering and competing companies, Dexlabs and Mandark Industries, Tech Square has become the center of innovation and impossibility, inspiring countless geniuses by any standard to look sharp for a fine day for science!

-- Dexter McPherson, founder, CEO, and Chief Scientific Developer of Dexlabs, has announced a private time travel experiment to the public! Seeking to send volunteers or a volunteer approximately one hour into the future! The seclusive but famous scientist reportedly received supplies from various suppliers, such as Goat's Junkyard, Maxwell's Plumbing Services (oddly enough), an unnamed investor rumored to be in Quahog, Rhode Island, as well as MIT and the CERN research project! For any brave and daring volunteers, answer the call, for the time is now! And the test subject can be YOU!

GALAXY GARDENS - N/A; This emporium of greenhouse greatness was marked as a sign of good faith and will towards the ecological salvation of the planet. Galaxy Gardens is a thriving plant and animal sanctuary for all to enjoy, and though some might denote it as a simple zoo, Dexlabs has announced its intentions to study plant-based solutions to climate change and other potential problems facing the planet.

STEAM ALLEY - [SPOILER]; Though the most economically staggered of the city, this district, nicknamed "Steam Alley", held an astounding position as home to leaders of the automotive and energy industries, such as that of the Rainbow Factory and WERK Co. Though with the rise of tech giants like Dexlabs and M-Industries, it's not in that great shape anymore. But before its time, Steam Alley saw rise to oil trade tycoons such as Boss Franklin Fullbright, and even renowned bio-engineers like the late Rafael and Violeta Salazar.

-- Homeland Security agency Providence have been spotted in the area, more than likely in the hopes of opening a city-based installation. Though many people are feeling safer already, some have objected for opposite reasons, as well as the plans not offering any economic resurgence to Steam Alley.

MOREBUCKS TOWERS - [SPOILER]; As part of a housing initiative with the Morebucks Corporation, namely on the behest of Jennifer Morebucks, the city looks to open more housing options for those in the middle class or lower. Using the latest advancements in technology from Mandark Industries, the construction of these houses will be sped up to a considerable rate. The future looks bright for what used to be a normal everyday district.

-- Ms. Morebucks, a former supervillain, made a clear and distinct threat to her markets and shareholders that if they did not invest in the project, she would have them evicted from their houses and would use them for menial purposes. The shareholders were almost immediately confused by the nature of this act, wondering how a threat such as that could be fueled by a genuinely noble and thoughtful initiative. They all chalked it up to an ulterior motive on her part. Nevertheless, they all decided to fund her project.

CITY STATION - [SPOILER]; The heart of Siyenn City is also the best way to get around town; the City Station district is the public transportation staple of the entire city, and even more as its Slider Buses can carry you all the way to Townsville and Bellwood. Its transportation-focused industry has made it the centerpiece for a cultural metropolis, with bright lights lining the skyscrapers, joints and hangouts for people of all ages to enjoy. City Station's refurbished place in Siyenn City was a part of Dexlabs and Mandark Industries' massive technological initiative, building the massive Station Tower to serve not only as a hub for all passengers, but to also provide extra connection services to the entire district. City Station continues to thrive thanks to Dexlabs and Mandark's continued efforts.

-- City Station High School would like to publicly recognize one of its own students, Vana Thunderwarp, for her bravery and heroic saving of Dr. Gale Spacebyte, a government scientist who would have been killed by a malfunctioning slider. But that's not all. The young anthro-wolf student immediately contacted Dexlabs and helped identify the issue that caused the malfunction. We at City Station High School value dedicated study and civic duty within our students, and open our arms to those like Ms. Thunderwarp willing to make a difference in this vast world. (even if our moron Principal is the literal opposite - Noah V., friend of Vana)

GENIUS GROVE - [SPOILER]; The innovation does not stop at the city, as the suburbs of Genius Grove are home to some of the most impossible things the world has yet to see. The birthplace and home of both Dexter McPherson and Simon Astronomonov, they both grew up with like-minded intentions concerning technology, actively working together to see their dreams come to fruition. It is here in Genius Grove where great minds not only think alike, but aspire to be greater.

-- Shady businessman Benedict Uno and his delightful wards recently attempted to close a deal with Alderman Jeff McPherson, father of Dexlabs CEO Dexter McPherson, to open their delightful developments project. McPherson declined, much to the chagrin of Uno. There's been no official word on his next steps, though some say he may attempt to try again in Bellwood's Peach Creek Estates.

ENDSVILLE - Billy, Mandy, The Grim Reaper; Endsville may seem like the most haunted place on Earth, probably because it is. But behind a gloomy and shocking exterior is a community that thrives on liveliness and prosperity. No matter how many people try to escape our beloved town, Endsville is your last stop...to not die, but to...just come here, please. Please?

ORDINAL HEIGHTS - [N/A]; A calmer neighborhood for a calmer time, Ordinal Heights is a place to keep away from the various calamities of the universe and relax. Once you rent a house, you'll never want to leave. So come visit our little town!

-- Due to unexplained bursts of gravitational fluxes and massive surges of radiation emerging from a [REDACTED], Dexlabs and Providence have advised that this neighborhood be quarantined and cordoned off until further notice. For your own safety, DO NOT VISIT.

CRYSTAL COVE - [Formerly] Mystery Inc.; Before Endsville was dubbed the most haunted place on the West Coast, Crystal Cove held that title, famous for being the final place of activity from Mystery Incorporated, and infamous for giving the Ohio-born detective group genuine supernatural threats to investigate before they all vanished and (presumably) disbanded.

MASSACHUSETTS PARK - Mordecai & Rigby; Founded by Curtis Montgomery and his lollilander pupil Stick Maellard in the late 1800s, Massachusetts Park has stood the test of time in blazing through history and struggle. In the center of the park lies the Maellard Residence, providing the area with a feeling of home and safety. Despite reports of the zany, unpredictable, the surreal, and worst of all, various reports of employee misconduct, the Park and its staff stand ready to preserve this historic foundation.

-- Last week was the 2-year anniversary for the death of Pops Maellard, the son of Mr. Stick Maellard and the then-groundskeeper of Massachusetts Park. In what could only be described as launching an entire acre of land into space, the Park was reported to have been caught in a battle between the forces of good and evil in the cosmos, to which Pops sacrificed himself. There has been no comment from the Government-sponsored Galactic Guardian Group (G3), or the Department of Metahuman Affairs and Abnormalities, who specialize in investigation of the cosmically supernatural. All the latter group had to say was that classified intergalactic contacts were looking into the aftermath. The Special Extraterrestrial Containment Team arrived shortly after to debrief all members trapped aboard the Park in launch. In this anniversary, many of the Park's staff were there to pay respects to their dear friend.

- Goat's Junkyard, West Coast Division - Megas (Coop); Originally founded in New Jersey, proprietor and former tattoo artist Scot 'Goat' Rienecker expanded his junkyard operations to the other side of the United States. In Jersey, his junkyard gained a notable reputation for housing a vast array of salvaged technology, with many complaining simply because the city would be destroyed by robots and aliens before they could visit. Goat's Junkyard is the place to go if you're looking for off-hand items and re-engineered technology, no matter how illegal it might be!

TOWNSVILLE: - Powerpuff Girls; The City of Townsville! A safe haven for all, a flourishing and lively populace, a loyal and brave community, and home to the world's youngest and greatest trio of superheroines! This fine city has been under their protection for 10 prosperous years, and the skies have never been brighter since. This fine city is a place to go to see hope before your very eyes. Ignore the high insurance rates and outrageous crime waves, because the Powerpuff Girls will always be there to save you in the City of Townsville!

-- People are still worried for the middle Powerpuff, Buttercup Utonium, who suffered a major blow during a battle with the evil Mojo Jojo. The Powerpuff was smacked far off into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared into the waters. The green Powerpuff returned to her family a week after her disappearance, but has refused to offer any knowledge or word on what happened to her during her absence. We wish our toughest fighter the best in health and spirit as she continues to keep the city safe!

- Townsville Square - Jenny Morebucks; A bustling shopping industry incarnate, this plaza is at the heart of the city and maintains its great variety of malls, studios, and more, with the trademark location of the Sunken Super-Mall, this is a center for consumerism, and we invite YOU to find everything you'll need and want.

-- With the retirement of her father, Oliver Morebucks, young heiress Jennifer Grace Morebucks has since taken over his place as head chairwoman and CFO. Having been in this position for about 4 years now, Morebucks has brought the company into several disputes over acts of corporate greed, villainy, and subversion of ethical...anything, things that were mostly avoided by her lack of ownership in the company when she started her career in villainy. Morebucks has yet to recuperate from the low financial position and brand image the "Princess" has put them in, though Jennifer herself has ceased most villainous activity in recent times.

- Townsville City Hall - The Mayor of Townsville; The headquarters of Townsville's government is a dedication to triumph and might in the face of hardship. Here lies the Mayor's office, and the Mayor himself as he guides Townsville through times of despair, thanks in part to our terrific triplets that the Mayor dispatches to handle situations. It's because of this landmark that this fine city has stood tall and never backed down, even when a giant monster knocks it down.

-- Just today, the Mayor announced the undoing of his latest decree: that all pickle jars be made with paper lids. Buyers of pickles found their food to have been spoilt due to the poor standards of containment imposed by the Mayor.

TOWNSVILLE PARK; This local and public park is the perfect spot for peace and quiet, especially when the city life can be so overwhelming. Townsville hosts many of its local events and celebrations here, as even this peace would not dare be disturbed by villainy.

- Mojo's Volcano - Mojo Jojo; Before even the crime wave, Townsville has always seemed in danger, thanks to the massively slim volcano located near the Park. Nowadays the inactive volcano is under new management: The primate supervillain Mojo Jojo, who lives in his Observatory Lair planning and scheming his maniacal and destructive ideas for destroying the Powerpuff Girls and other villainous acts. However, the city of Townsville is lucky to see Mojo exercise an honor code when it comes to engaging our beloved metropolis, and how fortunate we are that it not occur to him.

-- Following an incident that occurred in 2009, many citizens of Townsville have speculated Mojo's connection to the sudden appearance of green gooey aliens that manifested from glowing plant-like eggs. Speculation also arose from the East Coast, with many citizens of New Jersey identifying the spores to be Gynok, a plant-based lifeform from Saturn that once invaded on a Thanksgiving Parade. However, multiple reports indicated that Gynok was capable of speech, and could mimic objects living and non-living, abilities that were not displayed by these spores, which instead spawned blobby creatures that terrorized various cities instead. Many are wondering what this has to do with Mojo, but have not been able to get a word in due to the primate's limited parole.

MARQUEE ROW - Gangreen Gang; This small but vibrant district holds a special place in the hearts of Townsville's greatest musicians. Currently the focus of the Gangreen Gang's album tour, Marquee Row's impressive auditorium famously held the debut performance of Sunny Bridges, the Atlanta-born jazz-rap musician that currently teaches at Atlanta's Westley School for the Arts; he has since gone down as a legend in contemporary music. It also was notable for holding one of the highest ticket-sales rates for concerts of the West Coast in 2005, thanks to a spectacular performance from J-Pop/Rock duo Puffy AmiYumi. Marquee Row is full of legacy and variety as it has quickly become the hot-spot for Townsville's musicians and many more.

-- The Gangreen Gang are set to perform in the Sunny Bridges Auditorium this July, where they are also set to reveal a new member of their band. Speculation has arisen as to who this member might be, and some rumors report that it's a female backup player. Some have denounced this as pandering, while others have embraced the band's sense of diversity. Others less trusting of the band wonder if this is a ploy to pull off a heist, given their criminal record.

- Harada-Bridges Records; The Harada-Bridges Record Company is a Townsville-based label founded through a joint partnership between former musician/performer Sunny Bridges and Kazuo Harada, former band manager and possible kleptomaniac. Harada-Bridges Records distributes music from many such talents as the TrendBenders, Pizza Party, the Gangreen Gang, Hair to the Throne, Scream-O, and Puffy AmiYumi among others; it even allows for one-time titles, such as "Love makes the World Go Round", or a rather catchy cover of "Surfin' Bird". It also sells redistributions and collections of older albums, including the famous 70s group Shag Carpeting, Fist Pump from the 80s, and smaller names like Mr. Universe.  Their building is furnished with a high-end recording studio, in which much of the music they distribute is recorded. Due to Bridges' teaching obligations, the company is partly run by JoJo Melodytour, former manager for the TrendBenders.

-- Famous rappers 'the CrewCrew' were recently excommunicated by the record company for their foul attitude and slanderous speech, and their apparent disrespect towards the memoriam services for Pops Maellard. They have since gone to social media to voice their frustration, only to lose several followers on all relative channels, Instagram in particular.

WILSON WAY;

- Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends; Venture into our quiet and socially vibrant suburban areas to get away from the action, and find a place where the community is tight, trustworthy, and lasts forever. For example? This grand estate that has been a staple of the community since the 1930s. Originally the grand mansion of eccentric heiress Martha Foster, her home has seen a repurposing like no other over the last 60 years. Founded in 1954, the mansion was reimagined as Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, a place for runaway or outgrown imaginary friends to spend their time and look for new human friends. We in the Wilson Suburbs are proud to see such progressive community work continue for so long, and to maintain a lasting legacy across the country. Regardless of the nanite-related problems that have plagued the imaginary community, Foster's Home keeps its doors open to all real and unreal for refuge and safety.

POKEY OAKS SUBURBS (North & South) - Powerpuff Girls, Professor Utonium; Named after the county Townsville is located in, the Pokey Oaks suburbs are home to many of the denizens of the larger metropolis, appreciating the quieter life contrasting the busy city ahead. In the Northern suburbs, you will find Poakey Oaks' High School, the Morebucks Mansion, the precinct for Townsville PD, and the abandoned home of former supervillain Fuzzy Lumpkins. In the Southern suburbs, you will find the Utonium residence, home to the Powerpuff Girls, Poakey Oaks Kindergarten and Lower School, and the Pokey Oaks highway leading into the larger Townsville city.

-- Not to be confused with the Pokey Oaks county in Los Angeles, California.

HABITAT HOMES - N/A; A thriving suburban community defined for its rising anthro population, Habitat Homes is recognized as a place for...well, whatever it is normal districts do, because this area seems to be set on selling "we have anthropomorphic animals" as their only highlight, which is pretty exploitative. This suburb is home to the Charles Darwin Middle School, notable for having an overwhelmingly anthro-based student body.

BELLWOOD: - Ben 10; This is no ordinary city. Enter a world beaming with possibilities, wrapped up in one of the most popular cities on Earth. Located within Delmarva County and founded in 1638, the city of Bellwood started out as a small town notable as "the most ordinary town on Earth". That has been proven wrong many times over. Since Ben 10 started his super-heroic career at the ripe age of 10, Bellwood has seen a massive amount of attention for sightings of alien life and activity on Earth, and allowed this small town to grow and expand into a bustling city in the same leagues as sister cities Townsville and Siyenn.

- Bellwood Square; The heart of the city and the home to many of Bellwood's landmarks, such as Bellwood Zoo, City Park, a museum, a mall, Madison Elementary, even a Brain Bank!

- City Point; Whoever could forget this small district, host of the annual Summer fair for 20 years in a row, several of which have showcased the Dizzy World Circus hailing from Townsville. City Point also houses the largest amount of alien activity in the entire city, with many wondering how so many aliens appear in and out. But no matter that, City Point is hailed as a place for diversity and acceptance of all lifeforms, no matter how secret.

-- The Dizzy World Circus is set to open business in City Point this summer after a performance in Gateway City, Virginia; this will be the first time they have returned to Bellwood in ten years. However, brand image is being considered as a risk, due to the supervillain Zombozo welding his Ferris Wheel to the ground five years ago and making it near impossible to remove. Architects and engineers are still trying to determine how to bring the Wheel down, as the structure itself appears to be made of Promethium, one of the strongest and most durable metals on Earth.

OFFWORLD PLAZA - Grandpa Max; Seeing humanity's future in the stars, Offworld Plaza was setup in a partnership between Dexlabs, NASA, and Providence whilst being overseen by the Department of Metahuman Affairs and Abnormalities. Offworld Plaza is meant to be the world's first spaceport, with a Dexlabs-modified STS shuttle meant to be the world's first form of public space travel. The project has seen backing from several Bellwood residents, including Ben 10 himself and partners included, and several alien citizens amongst the population. This is being seen as the foremost attempt to fully engage Earth with the larger galactic community.

BELLWOOD SUBURBS/URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS;

- Madison Valley - Ben 10; This mostly quiet neighborhood is close to the Peach Creek community, and is notable for being the birthplace of Ben 10 himself. The neighborhood has received a lot of attention since his public debut last year.

-- Residents of this neighborhood continue to search for Gwen Tennyson, cousin of Ben 10 and former partner in crimefighting. Gwen had reportedly manifested something akin to alien powers, due to alien heritage in the family, and disappeared soon after a conflict involving the Ship-It Corporation and an invasive race of microchips. The search has been continuing for 4 months, and we send the Tennyson family our best wishes.

- Gallagher Commons/Sector V - KND; Home to Benedict Uno, this proud neighborhood prides itself of the progress brought about by its educational system, confident in the molding and shaping of young minds for the larger world. To that, Gallagher Commons also takes pride in its large park statue dedicated to the various superheroes of the world (though due to the lack of heroes in these suburbs, it has yet to be adorned with any holograms or statues). This monument, christened as "Hero's Square", has been the sight of attraction to many, though children seem displeased with the amount of attention it receives, but who cares about them, right?

- Bellwood Sheriff's Department received more reports of angry parents complaining about their kids' whereabouts after school; reports include children whispering secret codes and messages, sneaking out at night, raiding closets of random neighbors of varying ages, and mention of weapons storage in a treehouse. These reports have been dismissed as a case of kids being kids, and parents being parents. Though the mention of a treehouse caught their eye, as there are no reported treehouses in the entire Gallagher neighborhood.

- Peach Creek Estates - The Eds, Rolf, the Urban Rangers; Peach Creek Estates has been a foundation of the Bellwood suburbs for as long as it could remember, founded shortly after the city was built, Peach Creek retains its reputation as the most normal suburb in the entire country, even as the larger city stepped into the larger and more unexpected world. The center of our neighborhood lies in the Peach Creek Commons, a Cul-De-Sac with a loving community that never expect anything out of the ordinary.

-- The Bellwood educational board was happy and elated to give a $100,000 research grant to 16-year old Eddward Zimintator, affectionately known as "Double-D" by his neighbors and friends, for outstanding scientific papers on the applications of nanites towards the reduction of cancer cells, and the correlation between nuclear energy and dark matter. Dexlabs and Mandark Industries, tech companies from Siyenn City, helped pay for the grant, and Mr. Zimintator was excited to have received the honor as opposed to the money. Double-D expressed worry that the large sum of money would be taken advantage of by his friends.

- Bravo Beach City - (formerly) Steven Universe, the Crystal Gems; Bravo Beach City, rechristened after philanthropist and entrepreneur Bunny Bravo, has a history spanning 2 whole centuries, beginning in 1814 with Captain William Dewey founding the city. The city has been under the protection of an alien team dubbed the Crystal Gems, who protected this sub-city of Bellwood for over 200 years since they arrived on Earth. This town has seen alien invasions of lovecraftian/angelic varieties and universe-ending catastrophes unlike any other, and yet it pulled through without the presence of Ben 10. That's worth a look-(#KeepBeachCityWeird - Ronaldo F.)

- Grover Mill - The Amalgam Kids; [REDACTED]

ASTORIA GROUNDS - The Saturdays; Located on the edge of the Pacific Coast, Astoria Grounds was once home to reputable cryptozoologist Doctor Solomon Saturday and his family. After their mansion here was destroyed, the Saturdays maintained operations here by means of their blimp. Astoria has since seen a level of peace unheard of. We have great TV too, renowned for various movie production studios located right here, such as Sumo Slammers: Legends, Weird World (formerly), Tiny'Mon: The Live Adventure, and other great content!

BELLWOOD MOUNTAINS - Camp Kidney, Acorn Flats; Bordering the state of Oregon, the Bellwood Mountains offer citizens a fantastic night-sky view, and a lovely day for campers. The site was recently chosen as the new location for several Midwest-based Summer Camps, such as Camp Kidney and the Acorn Flats Scouts. Originally located in Northern Wisconsin, the Camps were relocated to the West after dangerous reports of robots and monsters were coming in from the nearby state of Illinois, as well as various surreal reports from the nearby city of Elmore. Amongst the Bellwood mountains are the Pimpleback Mountains, Mount Blackhead, and a forest noted for various amounts of exposure to unstable nanites; said site is also reported to be a major hotspot for cryptid activity. Be wary of entering this Twisted Forest.

SHARED LOCATIONS:

- CITY SQUARE (Currently under construction); As part of the Movement Ink Initiative, the Three Sister Cities of California are coming together under a united cause: to open new avenues of business and provide a safe and healthy environment for all. Meant to be the most technologically advanced area between all three cities. The Movement Ink Initiative will also see construction of a center studio to foster all creative and health-related activities.

OTHER LOCATIONS OF INTEREST: (INFORMATION TO BE UPDATED BY DHAWAR AIRLINES)

NOWHERE, LAS VEGAS - Agents Black and White; [REDACTED]

- Area [REDACTED]

PORKBELLY CITY, ALBERTA - Johnny Test; Alberta's least notable city, built upon the morally dubious legs of the meat-grinding industry, has seen a surprising rise in the extraordinary over the last five years, with various mutations and technologically influenced threats appearing over time. More often than not, a kid from our suburbs has to save the day, but it also happens to be his fault. For Porkbelly, things just seem to balance out.

-- Congratulations to local scientists Susan and Mary Test for getting jobs in the states with Dexlabs! We'll miss you while you're away very much! Just don't blow anyone up and don't cause a massive chemical accident!

SOUTHEAST UTAH - Rex, Providence; [REDACTED]

ORCHID BAY, SAN FRANCISCO - [SPOILER]; Arguably the second largest district of the city, this beach-side town is big enough to call itself a city on its own. Renowned for its beach city theme and harbor history, Orchid Bay has been a cultural diaspora, giving children a welcome touch of life from all areas and ethnicities. Admittedly, there have been supernatural occurrences here and there, but it's not like an ice castle is going to rise out of the water.

MARZIPAN CITY, VLATAVA- N/A; This small European city in the Romanian Province of Vlatava is well-known for being home to Mung Daal's Catering Company, one of the world's tastiest European cuisine menus. With their food and this city, you can never go wrong with your vacation.

-- Mung Daal has reportedly taken up a search for a potential apprentice. More details are to follow.

LANGLEY FALLS - CIA, Department of Metahuman Affairs and Abnormalities; [REDACTED]

If you've noticed any inaccuracies or liberties taken with these settings, then I apologize for the liberties taken to make all of this work. When I started my story, my aim was to tell the most grounded FusionFall story I possibly could, which meant that to realistically illustrate the various shows of CN in the same setting and together, I had to change various tiny details (such as the location of Camp Kidney) or massive details (such as moving Steven Universe from the East Coast to the West Coast). Really sorry about that. I wasn't intent on simply transposing the map from FusionFall, which would have simply been mashing all the locations together. Each show has its own unique setting, some of which are integral to the shows' aesthetic. I wanted to honor that as much as possible, and every major change made hurt to make, especially since it fits into the grander plan.

Now obviously, scenic descriptions aren't going to be much help, but since I can't really draw out a map of the CNU’s California here, I'd like to direct you to my associated Deviantart page: https://www.deviantart.com/noahvilgaxsane. I might be able to draw out the map and post it there.

If you've already clicked, you might notice that I've created a non-spoiler wallpaper for this wonderful project! Not just for FusionFall, but for the series I have planned as a whole.

Thank you all for letting me give you the layout of the Cartoon Network World so far, and I'll see you guys in Chapter 7, written on Fanfiction.net. Make sure to leave a review and follow the story if you’re interested!

[bethesdaglitch]

1-70 do em all! 😁💙

I’m seriously so sorry this took so long, but it was so much fun!! thank you!!! Also it’s super long so I’m gonna put it under a readmore!

1. First game you played obsessively?

Jak & Daxter! 2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc.Lmao I’m not exactly a creative person, but when I was little I tried coming up with and drawing my own pokemon. They were… bad3. Who did you play with as a kid?My brother! At first I stole his Gameboy Color whenever he wasn’t using it, but then he saved up and bought a PS2 so we could play games together4. Who do you play with now?No one really lol. I kinda prefer to play single-player games now? But I’ll play with various friends when we hang out.5. Ever use cheat codes?When I was little, yeah! Especially in the Sly Raccoon games 6. Ever buy strategy guides?Before the age of unlimited free online strategy guides I did, now I just use said online ones7. Any games you have multiple copies of?Yep, I’ve “lost” games only to find them again after replacing them like… four times? It happened with Oblivion, Fable 3, DA: Origins, and, weirdly enough, that one obscure (but fun imo!) wii game, Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection?This one was hard! After a teeny bit of research, I narrowed it down to either Rule of Rose, LoZ Collector’s Edition on Gamecube, and pokemon red and yellow9. Most regrettable purchase?Hhhhhhhh I bought the video game for the 2006 Dreamworks movie Over the Hedge. I was only 12, but I still should’ve known better :(10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours?I’ve gone to a few midnight releases, but none that have lasted for hours, luckily. I only started going to them in the last few years, so the only ones I’ve been to so far are Fallout 4, DA:I and uh… ME:A (I KNOW)11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games?Nah not really, I don’t play online games, so. I have friends who play video games, but I’ve never met someone BECAUSE of video games12. Ever get picked on for liking games?Lol no?13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has?Overwatch14. Favorite game music?NIER, hands down. 15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick?Probably something cute and harmless like the leaf from Animal Crossing lol16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL?Lately we’ve been really into Towerfall: Ascension and Screencheat17. Ever lose a friend over a game?Wh—no????18. Would you date someone that hates gaming?So long as they didn’t try to “forbid” me from playing and so long as we had other interests to bond over, then sure. It’d be kind of a bummer though lol19. Favorite handheld console?Idk that I have one! Maybe the Switch, since that’s the most recent and popular?20. Game that you know like the back of your hand?Silent Hill 3 and DA:I21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now?The Civilization games22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories?Sometimes, yeah. Nothing too embarrassing, though. 23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into?What, like… ever?? Geez, I dunno… probably Oblivion?24. First Pokemon game?Yellow!25. Were you ever an arcade game player?I actually wasn’t really :/26. Ever form any gaming rivalries?Oh yeah, with my brother. He’s 6 years older than me, which pretty much guaranteed I got my ass kicked in every game we played when I was younger27. Game that makes you rage?Bloodborne and Dark Souls!!!!!! I swear I try to go back and play them at least once a year, and I can never get past the first hour :(28. Ever play in a tournament?Not like an official one, but ones with friends, yep29. What is your gaming set up?Imma be real with you chief I don’t know nearly enough about computers to answer this question with anything other than “a computer”30. How many consoles do you own?Ohohoho far too many31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches?I’ve never had the 3D slider up long enough to tell, but that probably means yes lol32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic?BOY when I was in first grade I played Spongebob: Supersponge on Gameboy advance so much I STILL remember the password that lets you skip to the final stage (it’s WMBT) 33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games?nah 34. Do either of your parents play video games?PFFF GOD NO. Although my mom does love Animal Crossing. Not playing it, but just like it’s whole deal. 35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop?No and no, tbh36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game?I… don’t think so? Maybe I’ve cried over a game, but blood?? Put the controller down, y’all37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination?NO NO NO OVER THE HEDGE (2006) FOR THE PS2 IS THE SINGLE WORST GAME EVER MADE FIGHT ME ON THIS38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like?Oh lord… idk if anyone’s ever played any of Ambition’s dating sims (Dream Girlfriend, Dream Boyfriend, Animal Boyfriend, and Moe Can Change) but I’ve literally been playing them for about… 5-ish years now? They’re seriously the worst, I fucking love them 39. A sequel that you would die for them to make?Hmm… Maybe a new Kingdoms of Amalur game would be cool? 40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls?I love VR but the last time I tried it at a friend’s place I fucking faceplanted after leaning on a counter I forgot was also virtual and the first thing my friend asked was whether the headset was ok, so that stung. As for motion controls, they’re fun but they can be a real pain41. A genre that you just can’t get into?Sports games 42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness?The path to what43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else?Oh yeah, who hasn’t?44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters?Idk if this counts but I am a MASTER at the claw machine and that stacker game. My closet is full of useless shit I’ve won from those things45. How are you at Mario Kart?OH SO FUCKING GOOD YOU HAVE NO IDEA46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon?yesssss I love them47. Do you like competitive games?I mean like I said, I mostly prefer single-player games, but I do enjoy the occasional co-op game48. How long does it take your to customize your player character?about an hour49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character?I actually don’t! If it’s a game I’m not confident I’ll be good at, I pick whichever class is recommended for beginners, and that changes from game to game. Alternatively, I just go through phases where I prefer a specific class above others 50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create?Christ I have no idea. Maybe a first-person escape game? idk51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep?NO?? DAMN ARE Y’ALL OK????52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid?Literally any M game; my parents were strictly “No M games until you’re old enough!” I just got my brother to buy them most of the time though lol53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days?Most DLC is fine, it’s microtransactions in “pay-to-win” games that I fucking hate. 54. Do you give in to Steam sales?HAHAHAHAHA yeah absolutely 55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them?N-No??? 56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests?Ok yeah I did do that 57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements?Ew no58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick?Ooooh… ok, Oblivion, My Time in Portia, and Divinity 259. Do you play any cell phone games?I do! I play a lot of escape games, and uh… the Ambition games mentioned previously60. Do you know the Konami Code?Is that the up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-B-A? Huh, I never knew it had a name!61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever?I used to trade them in occasionally, but mostly I keep them 62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game?Yeah the Switch for BotW. Not proud of it, but it was worth it63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? nah64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming?Yep! 65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file?OHHHH MY GOD YEAH, I’M STILL FUCKING PISSED ABOUT IT. I had GameShark for Gameboy and PS2, but that one was fine, it didn’t cause any problems. It was ACTION FUCKING REPLAY that fucked me over. I used it for KH2 and it worked the whole time until literally THE VERY LAST XEMNAS FIGHT, when my HP bar suddenly dropped to 1??? Not my HP, mind you, the HP BAR. Meaning 1 HP was the most I could have. Literally fuck action replay >:( 66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it?nope67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share?I do! The very first thing I ever saved up money for to buy myself was Pokemon Crystal version. Until then I’d just been borrowing (re:stealing) my brother’s, but when I was 5 and Crystal was about to come out, my parents made me a deal that if I saved up $15, they’d pay the other $15 and I could get it! It was the first time I was working towards a fun goal, so it was all pretty exciting for 5-year-old me lol. It’s dumb, I know, but it’s something I look back on fondly68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool?Lol nah, I think the best thing I ever got with tickets was a cheap snowglobe 69. In your opinion, best game ever made? UHHHH GOD. That’s… super tough. I’m genuinely not sure I have an answer tbh. I’m really into Divinity 2 right now but best game ever made?? Idk! that’s a hard one!!!! 70. Very first game you ever beat? I won’t lie, it was Spongebob: Supersponge on GBA

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[day0one]

How Trump's billionaire business tycoon image was tarnished by the New York Times report.

A bombshell New York Times investigation has offered the most conclusive proof yet that US President Donald Trump's business empire is nowhere near as successful as he claims.

Trump has for years cited his business acumen as a defining trait, and one that gave him an advantage over others seeking the presidency.

"I did a lot of great deals, and I did them early and young. And now I'm building all over the world, and I love what I'm doing," he said when he announced his presidential bid in June 2015. "I'm really proud of my success. I really am."

But that picture has been complicated in the years since the former host of "The Apprentice" was catapulted into the political spotlight. News reports have drawn attention to Trump's history of corporate bankruptcy and the outsized role his father played in his financial success.

On Sunday, the New York Times published the deepest dive ever into the US president's finances, citing detailed tax records that the newspaper says "portray a businessman who takes in hundreds of millions of dollars a year yet racks up chronic losses."

"The tax returns for Mr. Trump and hundreds of his businesses reveal the hollowness, but also the wizardry, of the self-made-billionaire image honed through 'The Apprentice,'" the Times concluded. "They demonstrate that he was far more successful playing a business mogul than being one in real life."

Trump on Sunday denied the New York Times story and claimed that he pays "a lot" in federal income taxes. "I pay a lot, and I pay a lot in state income taxes," he said. A lawyer for the Trump Organization, which manages the president's family businesses, told the Times that "most, if not all, of the facts appear to be inaccurate."

Here's a look at what the Times investigation revealed:

Trump paid no or little federal income taxes for years According to the Times, he paid no federal income taxes in 11 out of 18 years the newspaper examined. He also managed to pay federal income taxes of just $750 in each of the first two years of his presidency, 2016 and 2017. The report shed some light on how this was able to happen, namely by the way his businesses reported their earnings.

"Throughout his career, Mr. Trump's business losses have often accumulated in sums larger than could be used to reduce taxes on other income in a single year," the Times reported. "But the tax code offers a workaround: With some restrictions, business owners can carry forward leftover losses to reduce taxes in future years."

Many of his businesses are burning huge piles of cash According to the investigation, some of Trump's companies are doing well and profitable; others, not so much. Some of his best-known ventures "report losing millions, if not tens of millions, of dollars year after year," according to the Times. That includes his famous golf courses — which have reportedly racked up at least $315 million in losses over the past two decades.

Trump Tower in New York is a major moneymaker The storied skyscraper, which sits on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, has "reliably delivered more than $20 million a year in profits, a total of $336.3 million since 2000," according to the Times. Trump's stake in two office towers in New York and San Francisco has also worked out well, delivering $176.5 million as of the end of 2018, the publication reported.

Trump's D.C. hotel is not The Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C., which reportedly asked for relief on rent payments earlier this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, has lost more than $55 million since opening four years ago, the Times reported. The property has come under intense scrutiny in recent years amid allegations that Trump was unfairly profiting from his presidency.

Selling his name has paid off enormously Trump is known as a master of branding and licensing — his merchandise has famously included Trump steaks and water bottles, among other items. The Times found his personal brand strategy to be "the most successful part of the Trump business," earning $427.4 million in aggregate between 2004 and 2018.

That's in large part thanks to 'The Apprentice' A significant chunk of that money came from "The Apprentice." Before entering politics, Trump hosted 14 seasons of the hit NBC reality show, where contestants duked it out for a position working for Trump. The series boosted Trump's profile, while also bolstering his net income by $197.3 million, according to the Times.

He made money from foreign deals after becoming president "When he took office, Mr. Trump said he would pursue no new foreign deals as president," the Times reported. "Even so, in his first two years in the White House, his revenue from abroad totaled $73 million."

Trump had extensive foreign business interests before he became president, leading to questions about potential conflicts of interest. As of 2016, for example, his financial disclosures listed more than 140 companies that had dealings in at least 25 countries around the world, according to a CNN review.

Part of his income stems from ambiguous 'consulting fees' The Times' examination of financial records revealed a pattern of how the president was paid on various projects. "Between 2010 and 2018, Mr. Trump wrote off some $26 million in unexplained 'consulting fees' as a business expense across nearly all of his projects," according to the outlet. It said that the president's eldest daughter, Ivanka Trump, had also previously appeared to "have received" fees under this designation, despite working as an employee of the Trump Organization.

"Ms. Trump had been an executive officer of the Trump companies that received profits from and paid the consulting fees for both projects — meaning she appears to have been treated as a consultant on the same hotel deals that she helped manage as part of her job at her father's business," the Times reported.

The Trump Organization spans 'more than 500 entities' The investigation revealed the scope of the family business, which includes hundreds of ventures that are reportedly nearly entirely controlled by the president. Although some of these businesses weren't lucrative, they "still served a financial purpose: reducing his tax bill," according to the Times. For example, "the reported losses from the operating businesses were so large that they often fully erased the licensing income, leaving the organization to claim that it earns no money and thus owes no taxes," the newspaper reported.

[holytheoristtastemaker]

 We all are more or less familiar with the term IoT, but what is WoT and how does IoT relate with WoT? How much is WoT required in our society? What are the possible applications of WoT? Are there any applications enabling WoT actually in the market? In this article, we will try to explore the answers to these questions.

Interoperability is one of the essential attributes of any internet-facing appliance.

Web of Things is a web standard of the Internet of Things to enable communication between smart things and web-based applications.

Mozilla WebThing gateway is a smart IoT gateway that can be used to integrate smart devices in a vendor-neutral way and to provide a web interface to monitor and control devices over the web.

The Mozilla IoT project provides lots of add-ons to integrate with different smart appliances, third-party APIs, cloud etc. Being an open source project, anybody can add new plugins into this project.

The Mozilla IoT project provides REST API adhering to the Web of Things standard to communicate with smart devices. 

My mom is a diabetic patient with high blood pressure and spends most of her time alone at home. One day, while I was working at the office, my mobile phone started buzzing on my desk. In my Continuous Glucose Monitor (e.g. https://www.dexcom.com/apps) dashboard I noticed that my mom’s sugar level was getting significantly low, maybe due to an excessive insulin intake or due to insulin intake without food. I immediately made a call to my neighbor and asked her to give my mother some sugary drink. I unlocked my home’s front door for her to enter the house, and switched on my car AC. I decided to return home early and for the rest of the day I worked from there.

I carried through all the actions described above from my office desk, remotely, using my smartphone. My phone is indeed smart and all of that was possible, thanks to the Internet of Things (IoT).

IoT is another bit of technical jargon in the same line as Artificial Intelligence, Virtual Reality, and Machine Learning. Actually, we are rather moving towards the Internet of Everything. Beyond physical things, technology is focusing on all-round connectivity, intelligence, and cognition between people, data, as well as processes. See the schematic representation of everything in https://schema.org/. It seems the future is coming with tons of IoT devices, Pebibyte of data, and insights extracted from those data using analytics, machine learning, deep learning etc.

What is Internet of Things (IoT)

The Internet of Things is the network of physical objects or "things" embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and connectivity to enable objects to exchange data with the manufacturer, operator and/or other connected devices.

- IETF

The definition given above is quite straightforward. Conceptualizing IoT is not so difficult. Now just think — Smart Home, Smart City, Smart Transportation, Smart Farming etc. everything can go smart, easily acceptable and expandable if it is accessible and affordable to everyone irrespective of their socio-economic position — starting from business tycoons, world leaders, technologists like you, up to individual farmers. So it is not only a technological revolution but also a social “coup”.

There are lots of discussions going on about the social impact of this technology. Will it free up or collapse human potential and/or mind? Some agree about the inevitability of these technologies but at the same time they are recommending to slow down these transformation processes. However, at the end of the day, this process is inescapable. Every discovery brings benefits on the one hand and adverse effects on the other. At the present crossroad, many people like me believe this technology should be easily and affordably available in every corner of the society.

Why WoT

If you go back to the introductory example for a moment, you will see that. to monitor blood sugar levels, I needed an IoT-enabled Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) device; to open the front door remotely, I needed an IoT-enabled smart door lock; to switch on my car AC, I needed an IoT-enabled Car AC device. I could also need an IoT gateway to integrate all my home IoT appliances.

All these devices are manufactured by different vendors, adhering to different low-level network protocols and standards. As a consequence of that, all these devices have separate apps, or some of them are grouped based on vendor partnerships.  In the end, I have to open each of those apps one by one to perform each task to complete the workflow. Also I cannot have any common dashboard from where I can monitor all my appliances, since my IoT devices are not able to communicate with each other in a vendor neutral manner over the internet. It turns out my smartphone is not smart enough, hah!

Internet connectivity is a minor concern for low-level sensors or hardware devices. Low level sensors such as temperature sensor, and motion sensor, usually transfer data using low level protocols like Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, 6LoWPAN, etc., which are not Internet compatible. Since IoT Gateways understand those low level protocols, they basically play the role of adapters between the internet and those sensors. Protocol transformation would also take place here. IoT gateways are installed inside smart homes, smart factories etc., i.e., inside Local Area Network where no unified communication standard is available, thus, those gateways can be used to communicate using proprietary data format over the internet. Additionally, there are multiple cloud vendors that are providing IoT services in different shapes and textures. Once again there is a lack of standardization. AWS Alexa is tied with Philips Hue so AWS and Hue can understand their data format but no one else can. This is gravitating towards the vendor lock-in black hole. To get rid of this problem, IoT needs vendor neutral standards for the internet.

The Web of Things groups, namely the Web of Things Interest Group and the Web of Things Working group, are trying to standardize communication protocols between different IoT smart devices and between smart devices and cloud platforms over the internet. The two groups created two popular specifications known as Web of Things Architecture and Web of Things Descriptions to address compatibility, scalability, interoperability, discoverability, security etc., which we are going to review in the following sections.

Web of Things (WoT)

The major portion of the WoT specification is the Thing Description. Thing is an abstract representation of a physical or virtual entity. A Thing Description includes  the metadata and interfaces of a Thing in a standardized way, with the aim to make the Thing able to communicate with other Things  in a heterogeneous world.

According to the WoT standard, the behavior of a Thing can be expressed by describing the interaction between the consumer and the Thing. This is known as Interaction Affordances, which is a property of objects that can show users what actions they can  carry through.

When affordances are taken advantage of, the user knows what to do just by looking: no picture, label, or instruction needed.— Don Norman, Grand Old Man of User Experience

Things have four types of interaction affordances: Properties, Actions, Events, and Navigation affordance (i.e. Web links).

Other important features to describe Things’ behavior are Data Schema, which is a payload structure that is exchanged across Consumers and Things during interactions; Public and Private Security Configuration, which help to secure the data at rest and in transit; and the mapping between interaction affordances and concrete messages for specific protocols using Protocol Bindings. Please refer W3.org for more detail.

Figure 1

Real world WoT applications

Everything given above is just theory. Are there any real implementations? Eclipse and Mozilla did some good work on this aspect. As of now, I mainly explored the Mozilla WebThings project, which has two parts: 

WebThings Gateway - A smart IoT gateway focused on interoperability and security, which is also an integral part of the gateway.

WebThings Framework - A collection of reusable software components to help developers to build their own web things, which directly expose the Web Thing API.

Let us move out from the boring theory. In the next section we are going to go deeper with a hands-on session with the Mozilla WebThings Gateway. Let’s get our hands dirty and try to set up the WebThings Gateway and access it over the internet using Web Thing API.

Background

Sometime near the end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018, the Mozilla IoT team initiated the two open source projects mentioned above keeping interoperability and the open nature of the internet in mind. Of these two projects I am currently checking out the gateway project. Below are the steps to set up an MWT gateway to access things over the internet using WoT compatible REST API.

Steps

I have installed Mozilla WebThings (MWT) gateway in my old Raspberry Pi and you can do the same following the step by step installation guide here.

After successful installation and connection over Wi-Fi or Ethernet (I used shared Ethernet), I was able to find my Pi local IP address by executing the following Address Resolution Protocol (ARP) command:

arp -a

Once I entered my Pi IP in the browser, the MWT gateway redirected me to the initial login/registration page. After registration, it brought me to the local and remote domain setting page. You can set up a remote domain, which enables remote access to your MWT gateway across the internet. The remote domain name is managed through a Mozilla-owned AWS server.

Figure 2

Note: If you skip setting the remote domain at install time, you will not be prompted again and you will lose the opportunity to set it. As a consequence, the MWT gateway will not be accessible from  the internet.

Mozilla allows us to provide the hostname which we want to use. The  fully qualified domain name is <hostname>.mozilla-iot.org.

Below, you can see the web interface of the Mozilla WebThing Gateway dashboard. The dashboard displays connected smart devices and active add-ons along with their current state. Users can monitor and control their smart devices from the dashboard, for example they can monitor current room temperature, room light status, wind speed etc. Users can interact with connected smart devices like switch on/off the smart light, change the color of the light, increase or decrease light brightness, open smart lock, start AC etc.

Figure 3

The Mozilla WebThings Gateway provides a list of its main options as shown in Figure 4. Here, you can see all available features of the MWT gateway.

Figure 4

Things: Open Things dashboard to monitor and control Things.

Rules: Set rules (e.g if temperature is above than the threshold value then switch on  the AC).

Logs: View logs.

Floorplan: It allows users to arrange devices on a floor pan of the home. It is easy to monitor and control devices floor and/or room wise.

Settings: It helps users to configure the gateway.

To configure the gateway as per your requirements, for example, to create new users, to install new add-ons, configure your location, etc. you have to navigate to the Settings menu option shown in Figure 5. In the next few paragraphs, we are going to review a few of the options to configure add-ons and custom things so they can be accessed through MWT REST API.

Figure 5

Figure 6

From the Developer menu you can navigate to the developer setting options. This has three sub menus, 1) Enable SSH: Here you can enable SSH support to access the gateway using putty or other SSH client over port 22, 2) View Internal Logs: You can view internal logs from this menu, and 3) Create local authorization: You can create local authorization to generate JWT token to authorize external REST calls.

After enabling SSH, I can access my Pi using putty or any other SSH client.

Figure 7

The Users menu provides you the option to add and remove additional users and to enable or revoke access to this gateway.

Figure 8

The most interesting part of the gateway is that it has lots of Add-ons. You can navigate to the Add-ons page from the Settings->Add-ons menu.

You can integrate the gateway with the General Purpose Input Output (GPIO) slot of the Pi using a GPIO adapter. You can also add the Azure IoT bridge add-on with the MWT gateway to connect devices to an Azure IoT Hub.

There are lots of other interesting adapters for different systems, like Chromecast; Kafka, which can be used to expose the devices as topics on a kafka broker; Philips Hue; Z-Wave; Zigbee etc.

Figure 9

I integrated the MWT gateway with external API providers using weather-adapter. Here, I configure the weather adapter with the OpenWeatherMap API provider. Other available providers are DarkSky and AccuWeather.

Figure 10

Using the virtual-things-adapter adds-on, you can create custom Virtual Things with custom properties adhering to the WoT Capability Schemas. The schema context defines the WoT capability schemas along with its Properties, Actions, Events. During virtual thing creation, the add-on automatically generates an unique ID of the thing which is required to access the thing using the  API.

Figure 11

Figure 12

If there is any pre-installed Thing, for example if you developed any custom thing using WebThings Framework and deployed it on your Pi, then you need to pass that Thing’s URL here to make it accessible via MWT gateway.

Figure 13

Local authorization is another important setting, if you are going to use the REST API, MWT is generating an access token to authorize incoming requests. To this aim, from the Developer menu you can navigate to the local token service to generate a Json Web Token (JWT).

Figure 14

You can allow/deny to authorize Things based on your choice.

Figure 15

The token service generates a Json Web Token which you can use to access Things over REST.

Figure 16

Using the Developer menu, you can navigate to the internal log view. In the example below, I can view different transactions I carried through on my Pi, such as opening a database, loading an add-on, invoking an API for certain properties, etc. These logs are helpful to debug and fix any issue inside the Pi.

Figure 17

Below are some sample internal logs.

2020-07-26 07:40:34.108 INFO   : Opening database: /home/pi/.mozilla-iot/log/logs.sqlite3

2020-07-26 07:40:43.779 INFO   : DNS config is: gateway

2020-07-26 07:40:43.796 INFO   : Service Discovery: changing profile - local domain is now: gateway

2020-07-26 07:40:59.310 INFO   : Service Discovery: state changed to: true

2020-07-26 07:40:59.645 INFO   : HTTPS server listening on port 4443

2020-07-26 07:40:59.656 INFO   : Redirector listening on port 8080

2020-07-26 07:41:06.271 INFO   : Loading add-on: gpio-adapter

2020-07-26 07:41:06.336 INFO   : Loading add-on: thing-url-adapter

2020-07-26 07:41:06.366 INFO   : Loading add-on: weather-adapter

2020-07-26 07:41:15.114 INFO   : Checking for add-on updates...

.

.

.

2020-07-26 07:44:30.600 INFO   : getValue for property temperature for: Weather (Nayabad) returning 86

2020-07-26 07:44:30.612 INFO   : getValue for property feelsLike for: Weather (Nayabad) returning 97

2020-07-26 07:44:30.623 INFO   : getValue for property humidity for: Weather (Nayabad) returning 89

Now, after having made the Pi available through the gateway, let's invoke the REST API to list all available Things using Postman:

Figure 18

This is a rundown of Postman input and output:

API description: Retrieve the list of Things

URL: http://xxxxxx.mozilla-iot.org/things

Authorization: Authorization token (JWT) in the request header. Token generated using the Local Token Service mentioned above.

Method: GET

Success response code: 200

The response content is a list of Things. Each JSON response has following main parts:

title:  The title member is a human-friendly string which describes the device.

@context: It is an optional annotation which can be used to provide a URI for a schema repository which defines standard schemas for common "types" of device capabilities.

@type: It is an optional annotation which can be used to provide the names of schemas for types of capabilities a device supports, from a schema repository referred to in the @context member.

properties: A map of Property objects which describe the attributes of the device.

actions: A map of Action objects which describe functions that can be carried out on a device.

events: A map of Event objects which define the types of events which may be emitted by a device.

links: An array of Link Objects which link to other resources of a thing.

id: An identifier of the device in the form of a URI [RFC3986] (e.g. a URL or a URN).

securityDefinitions: It provides an authorization protocol (e.g. oauth 2.0), scopes and other security related attributes.

I was able to fetch the details about the custom virtual thing by using its unique id (virtual-things-custom-f7c9e797-6d79-4d71-9245-f3b69a104c5e) and accessing the following URL:

http://xxxxxx.mozilla-iot.org/things/virtual-things-custom-f7c9e797-6d79-4d71-9245-f3b69a104c5e        

There are lots of other REST and WebSocket APIs to access and manipulate Things. You can get the API details from the latest Web Thing API documentation.

Conclusion

In this article I have briefly discussed the Web of Things standard and its usefulness in the IoT landscape. We also discussed the Mozilla IoT project, which is an open source project adhering to the WoT specifications, namely, the WebThings Gateway project and some basic steps to configure MWT gateway.

I will conclude by saying that to build a smart device we need a language using which every IoT device can speak with each other over the internet. This is possible if and only if a global standard can amalgamate this cutting edge technology within the society in a true sense. Using such open standard API along with device and/or cloud specific adapters, developers can easily build their own custom heterogeneous solutions, for example, a single app which can monitor GCM dashboard and can control my home smart door lock and car AC.

[shintorikhazumi]

A Ginger Romeo x Tsundere Juliet: Chapter 1

Prologue Start-

“Are you my Juliet?”

“If only you’d be my Romeo.”

 The flames engulfed the small country cottage as a crimson-haired female remained locked in the Captain of the Royal Guard’s embrace, screaming at the soldiers to stop this cruel act. Her lover, she prayed, must’ve escaped before the flames worsened, right? She hoped so. She wished he would not be burned to a crisp, baked like his famous breads and cakes.

Tears of joy and relief flowed down her face as she saw auburn locks emerge from the falling house. But as soon as those tears of happiness came, they turned into tears of fright, horror and dread as he was immediately apprehended and made to kneel before the girl’s father. The King of Canzone, the place of song.

She saw the monarch’s gaze burn with rage hotter than the physical fire just beside them. He stared at the lean body, feeling his anger boil even more at this lad who had almost violated a valuable asset to his success. He didn’t really care about the girl herself, he cared about the benefits he gained from her. He merely needed her as his little ‘support’. He could marry her off to some rich tycoon for all he cared, someday, but this boy was getting in the way of such plans.

Love. Ha! A petty, irrelevant thing. His own brother fell ill to its charms and see what it got him. It brought him six feet below the ground.

The Ruler kicked the baker in the chest, nice and firm. The brunette offered him a frightful glare in return. He struck the boy again, hoping to lighten his rage, yet it only seemed to heighten his negativity even further.

“YOU RAT! I should throw you in the dungeon! Maybe send you to some jungle to die! How dare you touch what’s mine!” He carried on with the assault, halting only to let the boy catch his breath, catch a glimmer of hope before he was destroyed.

“Please, stop!” The weakening princess cried.

“Oh?” Her father turned his attention to the crying lass before returning to the fairly battered teen. “You hear that? She cries for you! She never did that for any of the suitors I set up for her before… So why does she… for some lowly mutt.” He spat at the infamous thorn in his side. “What have you done to her? You’ve bewitched her!” He delivered a resounding slap across the handsome face. “Should I send you to an island? Maybe you could die alone? That would make me soooo happy!”

“Stop! Please stop this! Don’t hurt him! Don’t take him away from me!! Please father, don’t… don’t!”

“Maki!” Although he had been beaten black and blue, the strength and ferocity in the young man’s voice shook the earth on which the King stood. The lovers gazed at each other, Romance blooming through those stares.

The adult looked on the exchange in silence. Maki actually felt a strong fear from noticing it. It never meant peace if it was silence from the harsh ruler. That man’s greed knew no bounds. And all this desperate struggling was getting to him. He finally broke the peace, addressing his ‘daughter’. She felt a chill run down her spine. Something was definitely going to happen.

“I beg of you, my king.” Her voice turned small. “Don’t take him away from me.”

“Hmmm?” His attention focused on her, “Don’t worry.”  He laughed, it sounded like death itself. “Don’t worry~” He sang. “I won’t be the one taking him from you.” Her father’s steel-cold voice resounded.

“Huh?”

“The gods will. I will only be the one sending him there. To a place he can be happy. Happy and alive. Alive yet… dead.” He spoke the last word with so much hate, you could have seen it float in the air. “Say Goodbye, Maki.” It sounded like a command that she was supposed to obey. As her father raised his sword up over his head, men held the boy’s head down, revealing his pale neck, marred with a few burns.

The fact that the boy neither cried nor screamed for mercy, urked the King to no end. It was as if the boy refused to admit he was at fault. It even seemed as if he, the mighty king of Canzone was the one in the wrong. He growled at the lad’s figure.

“Romeo is no more of a prince than you are a Juliet.”

“Honoka!”

“If he were, pray you’ll meet in the next world.”

“Farewell… Montague.”

End

~0~0~0~0~

“Romeo, oi… Kousaka Romeo. Where the heck are you at?”

“For the last time, Umi, my name is Honoka! Weren’t you supposed to be smart or something? Or do you just have some kind of short-term memory loss, Dory?” Honoka popped out of a bunch of leaves and at the sight that greeted him, tried his best to hide his amusement at the face Umi was making, but to no avail.

“I am, for a fact, smart, and for your information, that’s what everyone calls you anyway!” Umi huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “And can you get down from there? Why are you even hiding in a tree in the first place?” He reprimanded the other teen, as he did almost every day.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’m looking to catch a glimpse of the lovely flower known as the female.” Honoka smirked, continuing his search from up high. “And I think I’ve caught a glimpse of the lovely daughter of the Minami’s.

“O-oi!”

“I know, I know. Calm down. I won’t touch her… a lot.”

“Honoka!” Umi began to climb after his childhood friend as the latter climbed even higher up the old oak tree in the center of the village. It was their secret base after all. The place they always played at from their days in elementary and training school.

“I’m just joking. Don’t you worry your handsome little face one bit, Sonoda-sama. Sir Horatio would take back your knighthood if he saw you like that.” Honoka poked at the wrinkles between the bluenette’s forehead, continuing to laugh at his compadre’s expense.

“And you should try harder to gain your knighthood! If only they knew how talented you were with a sword, moreso than I am-“

“Umi, I am but a humble baker. Baking is my life, the bakery keeps food on my table and water in my tub, clothes to drape over this frail form and lights to keep away the ghouls and any and all creatures of darkness.” Honoka stated dramatically as he jumped down from the high branch he was on, landing with such grace as if were just stepping down from a short stool, of course, winking at the ladies who passed by at the same time as they blushed and gushed, and giggled.

“And yet you still wonder as to why people call you Romeo.” Umi sighed, running a hand through silky locks. “If they knew of our secret-“

“Shhh… we promised to never speak of that till my next birthday.” Honoka’s back was turned to Umi, but the prodigious knight knew that his friend was anxious of his coming of age and the revealing of their well-kept secret. He tried to approach the strong figure, placing a hand on his shoulder for moral support.

“Don’t worry. You’ve been living like this for sixteen years already. And I’ve been sent to protect you, I live for you. When the time comes, your seventeenth birthday, everyone will know. Even that horrid King of Canzone.” Umi squeezed the well-toned shoulder of the baker. “I swear I will keep you from harm.”

Honoka’s laugh was the most beautiful song you could’ve heard, well maybe second only to the boy’s actual voice… and maybe Kotori’s, but… it was a tone with so much charisma and it was utterly contagious that Umi found himself laughing along. Something he had not been able to do in a while. If not for his master, he would never have laughed or even chuckled in his life.

“Thank you, friend. I will be on my way and so should you. The bakery needs tending to and I know you don’t have as loose a schedule as you portray it to be. Knights’ jobs aren’t so easy, you know.” Honoka gave Umi a slap to the shoulder as he stuck his hands in his pockets. The male waved goodbye to his friend, not once looking back to the soldier.

“Hah… you are most welcome.” With a sigh and scratch to the head, the Knight left to attend to his duties for the day.

~0~0~0~0~

 The auburn-haired baker took a leisurely calming stroll through the familiar town of Adagio, in the kingdom of Suono, kingdom of Sound. The kingdom he was born in. Due to problems in the past, such as the former kind King and Queen of Suono dying, the cause hidden from almost everyone, and their heir missing, the prime minister, The Grand Duke, Minami-sama, and Sir Horatio, Captain of the Royal Guard had been assigned to provide guidance and protection for the Kingdom.

The neighboring Kingdom, Canzone, was ruled by the Capulet lineage, but the once warm and friendly country turned hostile as they tried to overthrow and subject Suono to their rule, led by a new King, King Cattivo, who was rumored to have killed his own half-brother for the throne, the Kind man from the Nishikino branch of the Capulet family. He took the man’s wife and daughter and claimed them as his own, even though he thoroughly abused his queen because she refused his advances.

Honoka shook his head in disgust. That man was as fit to be King as an elephant was fit to be a mouse. He raised the taxes in Canzone and the money that didn’t go into his pocket, which was around five to a mere ten percent, went to deadly weapons, illegal magic research, and military reinforcement. The baker hadn’t noticed how hard he was gritting his pearly whites till he felt pain. He couldn’t help it. Just the thought of all the imprisoned citizens of Canzone made him want to cry blood.

“Romeo!” A playful tap on his shoulder roused him out of his complex thoughts about repulsive political matters and brought him back to reality, a gesture he was most grateful for.

“Yes?” Standing before him was Eli Ayase, the only female Knight who had made it into the Royal Guard despite all the rigorous training. She said she owed a great debt to the former King and Queen and wanted to repay it by protecting them, but it seemed impossible now, with how they had passed on and all. Instead, she requested to be assigned to protect the baker, something that other Royal Guards found utterly ridiculous. Why would a Royal Guard, an extremely talented one at that, ask to protect the town’s baker?

“How are you doing Honoka?” She asked the sixteen-year old cook, as she joined in on his stroll towards his bakery. It was obcious she cared a great deal for him. She was extra protective too. When the blonde had time, she’d take Honoka out to eat or spend her days off right at the ginger’s side. Sometimes, Honoka found that he didn’t quite understand her actions himself, but being the sweet gentleman he was, discarded unneeded thoughts.

“I am doing just fine, Madam Eli. If I may be so bold as to question a Knight, why are you here… with me… again?” Honoka flashed another one of his flirty smiles towards the Guard who was unfazed.

“You know why I am here. I would spend every second of my life by your side if I had to.” Was the reply that the blonde always gave without fail. Her eyes shining with sheer sincerity and determination.

“And I told you already that it’s alright even if you didn’t. You need not dedicate your life to someone so lowly as myself. Meister Ayase would be displeased by your great disservice to the country.” Honoka spoke in a formal manner for once, something he seldom did. The conversation was going in a bad direction, and both could feel the shift.

“My father would be proud of the path I’ve chosen, and that is to keep you from harm’s way.” The other responded with a religious fervor that matched the intensity of the ginger’s stare.

“I already have Umi for that. I don’t need two of you Knights. In fact, I could well defend myself from danger.” Honoka spoke in a factual tone, and Eli knew that the man’s words were nothing short of the truth and nothing came to mind that could oppose the solid statement. His mood was starting to sour and he disagreed with that side to himself, the side that could easily get hurt and hurt.

“I know that, and yet I still worry, just as Sir Sonoda does. That is the reason-“ Without letting the girl finish, Honoka spun on his heel to walk away from the annoyance. Eli’s presence in itself wasn’t annoying, but the way both she and Umi would dote on him unnerved Honoka to no end.

“Wait! Don’t just leave, hey we were-“ It wasn’t as though he hated her company, it was more that he knew that another one of their debates was taking place. It didn’t worry him if it was concerning him himself since they’d forgive on another eventually, but that didn’t change the fact that he strongly disliked hurting the older girl. The guilt would always stick around like a pest.

“Eli.” For the first time since this morning began, the baker’s voice turned hostile and chilly. Threatening. It was so unlike his usual cheery, playful character. But there was one more emotion that coated his next words. “Don’t you trust me?”

Of course she did. Of course Ayase Eli trusted her master. More than anything else, actually. More than anyone. Moreso than her seniors and the people who raised and took care of her, even.

But somehow, it was quite the challenge to put those feelings into words.

Honoka, deeply wounded from the lack of response from the blonde, readied himself to sprint away, unable to bear the thought of his blonde friend seeing him break into tears. As he began turning to the opposite direction, arms around his midsection kept him firmly planted in his spot and encased in a warm embrace.

“I do.” The breath next to his ear was ticklish, and the words poked at his heart strings. “But, I still worry despite my deep belief in you.” The golden-haired knight sighed as she felt the boy turn to return the embrace. “I’m sorry.” She whispered. She tightened her hold, forgetting for once that they were in the middle of town, well into the morning.

“I understand. I just wished you could let me go a bit. Or at least loosen the leash you and Umi have tied around me.” Not a single sound escaped their mouths during the next few moments, as they continued in that very suggestive situation that could have meant anything with how close they were. Eli secretly admitted it felt wonderful. Locked in this person’s embrace, she felt safest here.

Honoka began to laugh awkwardly as he cleared his suddenly hoarse throat, seeing as too many people had begun staring. None of those gazes welcome.

“Ehem. Anyway, if both of you wish to not tarnish your reputations, I suggest you… ehem... disentangle yourselves from one another.

“Umi!” They both released the other and jumped a safe distance from each other as they hid their embarrassed faces from the blue-haired knight.

“And here I thought we had rounds to do together Eli.” Umi ran a hand through his locks. The day had just started and he was already exhausted.

“Ah… Yeah! That’s right. Well then, excuse me… Kousaka-san.” Eli, along with Umi bowed to their secret master, running off to god knows where for their tasks for the day.

“Yeah, take care.” Honoka waved and stretched his arms above his head, ready to open up shop for the day. At least his baked goods would always make him happy, and at least they trusted him with their deliciously crisp lives.

“Fight dayo!”

~0~0~0~0~

“One baguette, maybe a dozen baker’s choice doughnuts, and some of your freshly made lemon jam.” A female customer told the man behind the counter as he gave a curt nod and went to gather the order.

“Oi, boss… here’s the request.”

Honoka smiled at his helper. He was quite mature in years, with a large build, most thought he was some bouncer or soldier, but he surprisingly loved sweets and pastries. This job was a perfect fit for him and Honoka laughed as only he knew of this secret side of his partner.

“Here you go Benvolio. Make sure you hand the pretty lady a flower for service.” The brunette winked at the lady on the opposite side of the counter as heat rose to her face. Benvolio smirked, accepting the customly made basket of goods.

“Flirt.”

“Sweets-lover.”

Honoka couldn’t contain his laughter as the older man tried to hit him with a piece of French bread but missed significantly.

“You are much too naïve. As if a piece of bread coupled with your slow movements could have an effect on me.” Before the angered Benvolio could deal a second swing, the daughter of the duke entered.

“Oh! Miss Minami!” Honoka greeted with a grin. “Here for another creampuff? Oh! I just remembered, we had them made in a form you’d be most pleased with. Just a moment.” The baker went further into his spacious kitchen to retrieve the mentioned sweet as Minami Kotori all but giggled. She had not spoken a word, and yet her childhood friend knew her so well. But he seemed to always forgot one thing.

“Honoka! I’ve told you a dozen times-“

“Here, Kotori!” Her unspoken demand had already been granted in the form of being addressed by her given name, and a delightful present that was an alpaca-shaped creampuff was handed to her. “Free of charge. Customer service.” The male blushed as he was rewarded with a kiss to the cheek.

“Just make sure your ‘Customer Services’ don’t put you out of business, my sweet baker.” Kotori liked how Honoka was the only person who would treat her as normal. Not like how others would. People who were afraid of her social status and standing.

“Out of business?” Honoka gloated, raising a challenging brow. “As if.” His chest puffed out in pride, he took her other orders and served the other customers too with brilliant hospitality.

~0~0~0~0~

“So are you done for the day?” Kotori was seated in one of the shop’s comfortable chairs, placed for customers who wanted to drink tea and chat in the homely atmosphere the bakery presented.

The sun looked like it was just about to set, and Honoka was shocked as she finally noticed how long the ash-gray brunette had waited for him.

“So you actually have some business with me?” Honoka sighed, ashamed that he had left his friend waiting too long. She usually didn’t stay in the bakery this long if it wasn’t for something important. “I’ll go get changed quickly madam, don’t fret.” He flashed his business smile and ran to the changing room to get dressed.

Stepping out in casual wear, he offered his arm for the lady to take, being the gentleman he was, and after ensuring his place was well locked up and secure, they took a stroll to any place their feet would take them.

~0~0~0~0~

The peaceful atmosphere between the two best friends was one of the reasons Honoka loved spending time with her. Kotori was a very beautiful young lady, and the boy couldn’t help but appreciate her during times like this. Times when they would just silently understand each other, no words needed. In turn, Kotori also appreciated the kind and accepting, and very romantic and loving nature of the auburn-haired Knight in training.

Their walks usually happened when something was troubling either teen, and Honoka would usually be the comforter, at times taking sweets along for a late-afternoon picnic or from time-to-time, a secret midnight snack-slash-rendezvous.

Of course the two were strictly best friends. Of course.

Reaching the river, Honoka spoke up as they had been quiet for quite a while already, the purpling skies telling them that they had actually been walking for a fair amount of time. “Is this about Umi again?” He winced as he received a blow to the arm. Women were quite strong nowadays.

“No. It’s a proper business proposal this time. Not that I would not like to get to that, but…” Pink dusted her pale cheeks.

“Ahaha… I understand. So what job?”

Kotori led Honoka beside the riverbank where they usually played (even at their age neither believed they were too old for games), and took seat. She remained silent and Honoka felt the pangs of worry tug at his heart. “Ko-“

“I don’t want you hurt.” She whispered.

“What was that?” Honoka didn’t quite catch that statement. Prying never sat well with the sword wielder, not that he always took one along, but he actually was quite the fighter. He was even skilled with a bow. “Kotori, is everything alri-“

“Actually, I have a friend.” The male frowned, getting cut off twice wasn’t exactly his idea of fun, but He did want to hear what his precious counterpart had to say. “She… she doesn’t get along well with her family and I was wondering… well… if you could…”

Kotori trailed off once more, mumbling words and letting out random phrases, making Honoka picture out some broken record. “Could you just tell me what’s going on?”  No response came. “Kotori?” He attempted to put a hand on the noble’s shoulder.

“Gah! This is bad… I can’t put you through this!” The sudden yell made Honoka jump in surprise. He felt his heart pumping so strongly, it sould have well leapt out of his tight chest. The female placed her hands on her head: she seemed to be deeply troubled. She knew the other teen would accept, even if it meant facing ghosts of the past that would surely be there to haunt him for much, much longer. She needed to consider all the results, all the effects it would have, pleasant or horrid. She didn’t want to put him through any of it, knowing a fraction of his past. “Never mind I’ll just ask someone else-“

“What is it?! What do you need?” Honoka could no longer take this tenseness, this anxiety to know what was running in Kotori’s mind, the suspense was killing him. Not only that, all those close to him were making him feel as though if he were untrustworthy. Like their problems were something he could never hope to help with, let alone fix, and yet they all meddled in his affairs!

“Honoka…?”

“Please…” The warm hand embracing hers made the tears that were threatening to spill, stop their insistent pushing. “Trust me with this. Let me help you.” Honoka truly was a smooth talker. His expressive eyes telling you all you needed to know and understand. He was a very open person, keeping no secrets. Ok not exactly, but… you just couldn’t bear to fail a person such as him.

“Maki needs help, you see.” Kotori finally told her friend, not noticing the close proximity between their faces. Honoka, however, did and did his best to pull away, and hoping he hadn’t been too obvious.

“Ok… ehem-so some girl needs time away from her family. I’m guessing you want me to help her escape?” Honoka spilled Kotori’s plan for her. He knew if he let her lay it out in full, they’d reach the dawn of the following day just discussing a simple matter like how to tie a rope to a tree. Don’t ask, Honoka would say. It happened.

“Yes… it’s just…”

“Just?

“You might have some trouble and it’s more dangerous than the usual.” Kotori looked at Honoka’s baby blue orbs filled with excitement and thirst for adventure. She didn’t want to put out that spark, but… “Also you need to know this. I don’t want you surprised, or caught off guard to the point of having little mishaps, okay? You have to be safe coming back. God knows Eli would have my head.”

“Oh come on, what could happen? No accident will just ‘happen’. And why would I be shocked? Is your friend an extremely noble person?” Honoka laughed and Kotori wished she could too. It just wasn’t the right situation for it. She knew Honoka remembered most of his past, despite it happening when he was at such a young age. It meant Trauma to be reminded of this. It meant a bad kind of shock.

Kotori took a deep breath, preparing herself for the worst. “The truth is…” The eager anticipation seen through Honoka’s body language was evident as he waited for a new adventure. “She’s the princess of Canzone. Nishikino Maki, from the Capulet branch.”

Honoka’s sparkling eyes dulled as his jaw hung slack. The fire in him doused with a bucket of water. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Kotori found she hated awkward silences like this. They felt nothing like the tranquil moments she spent with Honoka, those without words. She felt the dire need for her friend to say something, anything to ease the fear that was beginning to grow in the young maiden’s heart.

“Are you still… up for it? I mean- you don’t have to force yourself or anything, okay?!” Kotori was beginning to think it was a bad idea to present this task to Honoka and panicked. The smile sent her way, vanquished those fears.

“If you trust me enough to ask this of me, how could I ever refuse?”

“You know if you keep that up, I might just fall for you.” Kotori giggled, feeling relief flood her entire being.

“I’d rather you not. Please don’t. I’m too young to be in heaven.”

“I didn’t know there was an age qualification for death.”

“Well now you do.” The jabs and jokes lightened the atmosphere of the lovely chilly evening.

~0~0~0~0~

A few wrestling matches later, Honoka decided to take heed to the warnings of the swift dropping of the temperature and proposed to take the girl home, despite her refusal, and against his better judgment. Why? Because a certain female Knight would be searching for him.

“Let’s get you home before Eli finds me and drags me home.”

“Alright.” The Ash-brunette gave in, not wanting to further impose on her friend’s kindness. “Kyaa!”

“And up you go!” Kotori swore her the whole town- no kingdom could hear her thumping heart. Honoka had carried her, bridal style, as he laughed at her shaking form. “Hold on tight! The Honoka express is bound for the Minami Residence! Fight dayo!” And with the speed of light, he sprinted towards the aforementioned location, taking small detours where they could see the beautiful stars, and probably take shortcuts.

“Idiot.” She sighed, feeling light as a feather as she was carried safely home. She knew she was safe. With this person, who wouldn’t be?

 “Why are you two with me?! I wanted to go alone!”

“And we said you can’t.” Umi replied flatly, swatting a branch away from his path and pointedly ignoring his auburn-haired master as they continued their trek through the deep forests.

“What the heck? And here I was thinking that I was the master.”

“You went against our ground rules. Think about it as getting grounded.” Eli told Honoka, recalling last night’s events after the latter came home.

~0~0~0~0~

“To any power or celestial being out there, I pray that my guards are asleep. Thanks.” Honoka clasped his hands together in front of his humble abode.

“I hope they answer your pleas, yeah?”

“Crap.” Turning to address the owner of the smooth voice, Honoka chuckled fearfully. “Hi… I’m sorry, Eli.” He gave up on forming an excuse, seeing how tired the knight seemed to be. “Sometimes I wish you’d sleep without me. I know how tired you actually are.” In futile attempts to turn away the wrath of his guardian, Honoka smiled the smile he knew she was weak against.

“You know we can’t do that. And yet you still are so selfish.” Umi’s voice joined in the conversation as he leaned on one of the posts by the stairs. Honoka glared at the male.

“Kotori had a request for me.” He explained. The blonde felt a sudden rush, as she panicked, her eyes widening in shock and slight anger.

“Honoka! We agreed on no more jobs like that!” Eli shook the boy by the shoulders. “You promised!” Kotori’s jobs always had a hint of danger laced in. Eli didn’t like the sound of an endangered Honoka. Sometimes, she even disapproved of their meetings because they seemed to always lead to these little missions Honoka loved.

The two knew of their friend’s joy in taking part of an adventure and helping others, but if it was at the risk of his own soul, they would go so far as to ban the baker from meeting up with the Duke’s daughter.

“Then what am I to do?!” He felt ticked off, raising his voice as he unintentionally banged a fist in the middle of their shared dining table. “Be a baker my entire life? You both agree that I have my fair share of skills. I can protect my own being.” Honoka found himself questioning his friend’s trust in him again.

“I need action every now and then! And it’s a simple task! I just need to grab some girl and take her away from her house for a while.”

“You’re kidnapping a girl from her home?!” Eli looked as she if she would faint any moment at the revealing of the actual thing.

“Correction, it’s no home. It is simply a shelter. That’s why she needs to get away from it. And I am not ‘kidnapping’ her, I am helping her out.” Honoka frowned at the thought. What a sad life that child led.

“So? Who is this person?” Umi seemed to grasp the situation and with how he said it, his services were available for Honoka’s use.

“It’s the princess of Canzone.” He admitted. The pair saw the seriousness and conviction burning in their charge’s eyes, yet they still feared for worse. The fact that another kingdom was involved, even so because it was Canzone, especially because it involved Royal blood, it could already be labeled as worse enough.

“No.”

“Ugh!” Honoka prepared to march off and lock himself in his quarters till daybreak. He didn’t care about their opinions anymore. He’d go anyway, he thought. With a mindset to sneak out, he guessed he would have to rest up to have the strength he needed for the journey. His was about to slam his door shut, but their statement stopped him in his tracks.

“Not unless you take us with you.” They smiled. They knew he would have to agree. They’d stalk him even if he didn’t. They were confident he’d say yes.

“No.”

Well, whatever. It didn’t change the fact that they’d be on a journey tomorrow. They were accompanying him, no buts allowed.

~0~0~0~0~

 “Eeeellliiiii!!!” Honoka whined. “Just why couldn’t we have taken Berto?”

Honoka had woken before the crack of dawn to pick up the map and instructions from the Minami’s, but the formerly sleeping knights had awoken at the sound of running footsteps outside. He hoped that if Eli did come along, she would have at least brought Berto.

Bertomoligio was Eli’s pet dragon. She used him for hunts and travels and such.

“We’re trying to secretly take that princess out, right? What good would it be if we attracted soldiers and patrollers and scout’s attention? We’d be dead before we got to her. And there goes your plan to save a soul.”

“At least I tried.” Honoka sighed, draggin along his tired feet. He hadn’t slept much last night, plus he was slightly out of shape, always being confined at home by the two guardians. Spotting a flowing creek, his spirits were lifted and he took a dash for it, discarding his sandals to the side as he cooled the bruised skin in the flowing water.

“Child.” Umi retorted.

“That, I am.” Honoka laughed as he splashed along everywhere. “How ‘bout we take a rest? I brought bread!”

The three planned their approach during that break. They were about five kilometers from the kingdom walls and the guards could well likely spot them from a kilometer’s distance. They needed to get in, but that was impossible if they couldn’t even go near the barricades.

“So Kotori’s map tells of a moat encircling the walls and a drawbridge by the south entrance. The North has a brick walkway-bridge and most watchers are stationed by these two entrances.” Umi drew out the first plans on the dirt with a stick.

“A fourth of a kilometer east from the walls, there is a well. It’s a dried up one that is, in truth, a secret passage. If we could make it there, and fortunately we can due to the east being a fairly wooded area, we’ll have a sure gate pass in.” Honoka explained, the two nodding their agreement. “We execute our approach when we are the least visible. Nightfall.”

~0~0~0~0~

Night came speedily as the three, fully charged, ran as silently as they could to the targeted location. They found the well quite easily, their eyes having already adjusted to the darkness. They could see the lights from torches and could hear a few voices from the walls.

“I think there is some kind of celebration?” Eli asked.

“That’s a good opportunity for us. Let’s move while we are yet to be noticed.” Honoka told his companions as they jumped into the well, lighting a torch as they were well into the passage.

“I wonder why they are so… loud. I thought this place was unhappy… for the citizens.” Honoka stated his opinion of the country.

“Aren’t those just the rich ones? Maybe they decided to celebrate how foolishly rich they are?” Eli responded with disinterest. “We should be near enough-“

“Who goes there!” A voice bellowed. “See I told you there was a chance someone would sneak in through here!”

“Shut up Matthias. Who’s there?” A pair of city lookouts approached the corner where the trio had stuck their backs to.

“They seem like an easy win.” Honoka told his partners in crime.

“I agree.” Umi whispered back, smiling as if he read his master’s thoughts. Nodding to Eli, they began the count.

“3,2…1”

~0~0~0~0~

“So… where should we place their unconscious bodies?”

“Wait, we may be able to use their uniforms.”

“Good idea, Honoka.” Umi began disrobing the pair, Eli scrunching up her nose in disgust.

“You two go do that. Who knows where those have been.” She turned around to allow the males some privacy as they changed into their ‘disguise’.

“Infiltration has no room for hygiene.” The boys laughed as they shared a high-five. “Though we do admit it’s quite gross.”

“See?”

The disguises worked surprisingly well, well supposing most of the guards were pretty much intoxicated and incapacitated. It was a simple sneaking in for the spies.

“This place is prone to conquest if they keep this up.” Umi sighed in discontent and disappointment. “And here I was afraid of their defenses.”

“I don’t think we should underestimate them.” Honoka spoke under his breath, only for the knights to hear as he nodded a greeting to a passerby as they were able to approach the center, the castle.

“How do we get in now?” Umi asked Eli, the one who held the map at the moment.

“There is a small manhole nearby that is connected to the aqueducts of the castle baths.” She stated as the two understood immediately what she meant, and took off the stinky armor and were left in normal clothing. “We’ll go through there.”

Crawling their way in, the three emerged in the dead center of a large bath. Wet and soaked to their boots, they headed off to any spare room in search of fitting garments that would also help in hiding them in the royal palace.

“Are we good on time?” Honoka asked Umi who pulled out a silver pocket watch and saw that it was about two in the morning as they followed the map in search of the princess’ quarters.

The three had realized that the place was even larger than the drawn out map had suggested, and working their way through was quite confusing. Along with the additional knock-out here and there, the three made sure that they weren’t noticeable in the slightest. The background of the partying only supported their cause.

When they reached what seemed to be the corridor that lead up to all the royal housing and bedrooms, Eli had almost stepped in to a hallway when she felt restriction of movement.

“Hey, isn’t it this one he-“ A hand covered Eli’s mouth unexpectedly, she would’ve fought back and nearly screamed had Honoka’s voice not soothed her, informing her that it was only he who had held her.

“Shhh… Look.” He pointed at the room Eli mentioned. Two maids were knocking at the door. They seemed desperate.

“Maki-ojousama, your father calls for you to join in the party!” The silver-haired one spoke meekly.

“I refuse to be his plaything. He’ll just make me an entertainment for his guests and for those stuuuppiiid suitors.” A voice responded from behind closed doors.

“Maki-sama!”

“Leave.” The weight of the word was so heavy because she meant it.

“Yes.”

Honoka felt a pain in his chest. That one spoken word held anger and bitterness, but also loneliness and hurt. He felt the sudden urge to protect whoever it was behind those wooden separators. To embrace the crying soul. If only he could he-

“Honoka? Let’s go!” Umi tugged at his shirt as they approached the room, making sure to look out for patrolling officers. Honoka briskly tapped on the door, hearing sniffles from the inside. He felt his own soul fall to pieces as the speed of his knocks increased significantly.

“GO away! I told you I don’t want to!”

“Ummm, no. That’s not it. Ummm…. Ahh… how should I say this.” The blue-eyed gentleman was at a loss for words for the first time and he didn’t know how to deal with that. “Actually-“

“So you must be another suitor my father sent.” The voice was coated with venom, and Honoka winced at how painful it was. “You should already know I’m not interested. I will never be interested.”

“Really now?” Honoka smelled a challenge, and grinned. He loved it. “We’re going in.” He instructed to his co-conspirators as they helped him pick the lock. As soon as the door clicked and swung open, a pillow met Honoka’s dashing smile.

“Are you some kind of pervert? I said I’m not interested!” Honoka took the object that was in the way of his line of vision. Before he could lash out a reply, gorgeous lilac greeted him with the most vivid rosy red he’d seen in a lifetime.

“Hello.” Was all that fell from his lips as the one opposite from him, pillow clutched tightly in front of her form stared at the being in front of her.

“Hello.” He was in no means, bad looking. He was rather charming. Maki thought, but immediately shook her head to rid them of those thoughts. Any suitor, no matter how handsome, as long as it was from her father, would be a horrible man. “Please leave. You are not supposed to be here.” She told him. She didn’t want to deal with any men at the moment.

“No wait! The truth is-“

“You there! What are you doing with the princess… wait why are you even he- Intruders!” The loud interruption prompted them to turn to the sound of the voice. A Royal Guard, Honoka assumed, had spotted them. Well, the door was wide open.

“Umi, Eli.” That’s when the princess noticed that there were actually other people there, besides her handsome intruder.

“Who are you people-“

“Do you trust us?” Honoka suddenly asked, her hand offered to be taken by the beautiful woman in front of him. Maki looked behind the boy, his two companions fighting off the most elite forces, hand-picked by the king and top generals themselves, with such ease that she was beginning to really question these people’s identities.

“Honestly, no.” She spoke earnestly, locking Violet with blue.

“Good. I don’t either,” She looked at the male incredulously. How could he say such a statement? How was she supposed to feel assured? “- but… we were sent by Minami Kotori-sama to help you.”

“Kotori did?” She felt joy and sincere gratitude well up at the mention of her friend’s name. Maybe she could place herself in the hands of these strangers, if they, indeed, were sent by her dear friend.

“You can thank her later, but for now- woah!” The ginger dodged the stray spear that had hit the large glass window behind them, creating the perfect escape route for the culprits. “That was close, right princess?” He had subconsciously pulled her close in an act of defense, but she seemed to find it repulsive. “Oh, forgive my rudeness.” The male, noticing this, apologized.

“I-it’s fine.”

“Honoka! We need to leave, so if you could just!” Umi was starting to back away from the door as he approached their window of opportunity… literal window of opportunity, Eli following suit. It wasn’t as though they find it hard, but they were beginning to attract too much attention and they wanted to escape unidentified, after all.

“Got it.” He turned once more to the still processing noble. “Well then, excuse me and forgive my rudeness once more but…” She, at first, couldn’t comprehend the meaning behind those words till she felt him hoist her up, gently into his arms as Eli dug around under the bed in search of something.

“Found it!” She held up a small bag with the princess’ escape belongings. Kotori had told them about it. That she had instructed the Nishikino heir to prepare for escape any time.

“Let’s go!” Umi jumped out first, followed by Eli, the sounds of sirens ringing throughout the kingdom, replacing the previous noises of merrymaking.

“Shall we? Wait, do you trust me?” Honoka teased, dodging another arrow. It baffled the girl in her arms that this weird man still found the time to be pulling jokes. Honoka had turned to the unwelcome guests. “Tsk, it’s not good shooting at your own princess.” He scolded, as he mumbled a few incoherent phrases. “So princess… your verdict?” He chuckled at the frustrated expression she wore. He knew what she wanted now.

“I do for now… so just-!”

“I understand.” Honoka faced the crowd of soldiers. “I enjoyed the game gentleman, but I must bid thee farewell. Arrivederci!” He grinned and fell off the window “I understand.” Honoka faced the crowd of soldiers. “I enjoyed the game gentleman, but I must bid thee farewell. Arrivederci!” He grinned and fell off the window sill, his back facing the ground, with the princess cradled tightly in his hold, the screams erupting from the lovely lady not fazing him in the slightest.

Landing perfectly on his feet, he shot a lazy grin to the one wrapped in his arms. “Now wasn’t that fun.” He received a red cheek in return and an angry red-head walking away from him and opting to walk beside his blonde protector.

“Never again.”

Landing perfectly on his feet, he shot a lazy grin to the one wrapped in his arms. “Now wasn’t that fun.” He received a red cheek in return and an angry red-head walking away from him and opting to walk beside his blonde protector.

“Never again.”

“I take that as a solid yes.” He shared a fist bump with his usually stoic faced friend. They watched that two ladies hit it off naturally as they spoke of their common dislikes, particularly, Honoka’s care-free and, truthfully, aloof personality. The man in question found a large Cheshire cat-like grin plastered onto his face as he focused on the maiden in her night gown, the one who he might just have the pleasure of knowing these next few days.

Stretching his arms and raising his fist in the air, he felt the muscles relax after all that running. He knew that he was looking forward to this new chapter of his story. Looking up to the mix of orange and sky blue tints, just like the rising sun, a new day, a new option, a path was opening up to him. “Fight dayo.” He encouraged himself.

“This is gonna be a blast!”

[hyaluroliftpills]

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[sunshineweb]

51 Ideas from 2019

Dear Tribe Member,

Trust 2019 treated you well. It certainly was good for Safal Niveshak. The tribe crossed 60,000 members.

Anyways, right before the year ends, I thought I’d share a handful of ideas I’ve learned, re-learned, and wrote about in the past twelve months. Here are 51 of them categorized under the subjects of investing, learning, and life. I hope you find these useful, as much as I did.

I. INVESTING 1. Don’t Be Blind to Alternative Histories Nassim Taleb writes in Fooled by Randomness –

…one cannot judge a performance in any given field (war, politics, medicine, investments) by the results, but by the costs of the alternative (i.e., if history played out in a different way). Such substitute courses of events are called alternative histories. Clearly, the quality of a decision cannot be solely judged based on its outcome, but such a point seems to be voiced only by people who fail (those who succeed attribute their success to the quality of their decision).

We are blind to alternative histories – those silent events that could have happened but didn’t. In the language of behavioural finance this irrationality is known as Survivorship Bias. The outcome which is visible, ‘survived’ and the ones which didn’t survive are hidden. As Taleb writes –

Imagine an eccentric (and bored) tycoon offering you $10 million to play Russian roulette, i.e., to put a revolver containing one bullet in the six available chambers to your head and pull the trigger. Each realization would count as one history, for a total of six possible histories of equal probabilities. Five out of these six histories would lead to enrichment; one would lead to a statistic, that is, an obituary with an embarrassing (but certainly original) cause of death.

The problem is that only one of the histories is observed in reality; and the winner of $10 million would elicit the admiration and praise of some fatuous journalist (the very same ones who unconditionally admire the Forbes 500 billionaires).

Like almost every executive I have encountered during an eighteen-year career on Wall Street (the role of such executives in my view being no more than a judge of results delivered in a random manner), the public observes the external signs of wealth without even having a glimpse at the source. Consider the possibility that the Russian roulette winner would be used as a role model by his family, friends, and neighbors.

In effect, the general belief is that if the outcome is good, the process and decisions made to arrive at that outcome must have been sound. Alas, life doesn’t follow such straight patterns. The randomness and ‘external factors’ play a defining role in life and investing.

2. Give Due Credit to Luck The world of investing, like most things in life, produces success stories and failures. It’s human nature to wish to copy success. However, the ironic truth is this: To accept success at face value without acknowledging the role of luck is a strategy for failure.

But it’s also important to note that luck, like love, is a verb. It requires dedication and effort and the conviction and courage to act. Like the father of value investing, Ben Graham, wrote –

…behind the luck, or the crucial decision, there must usually exist a background of preparation and disciplines capacity.

3. Avoid Ruin You or me are not the market. Earning the long-term returns of the market, of the past or the future, is not in our control. Managing our risks and avoiding ruin, mostly is.

“Rationality is avoidance of systemic ruin,” Nassim Taleb writes.

Trying to avoid the ruin the stock market system enforces upon people who disregard its workings is rational. Believing that you can beat the system at it, by playing the game mindlessly, isn’t.

Peter Bernstein writes in his brilliant book Against the Gods –

Survival is the only road to riches. Let me say that again: Survival is the only road to riches.

4. Obsession with Outcomes is Damaging Most investment experts selling their services always highlight the outcome – so much return in so many months or years – and never the process they used to get this outcome. This is simply because, while the outcome is there for everyone to see (availability bias), investors rarely ask the question whether that outcome was due to the skill of the expert (a proper investment process) or merely luck.

This is not to say that results don’t matter; obviously they are extremely important in measuring success. But if the results have been largely thanks to luck, they may not come in as expected in the future.

What is more, if you focus only on the outcome, you are less likely to achieve it. Instead, if you focus on the process, the outcome will take care of itself.

But then, as published in here –

Despite the problems of using results as a barometer of decision quality, it remains endemic in investment. We use outcomes as a simple indicator and then weave narratives around these views. We take a difficult problem, simplify it (are results good or bad?) and then create a story to justify the outcome. This pattern of behaviour is evident in a range of poor investment decisions, such as: susceptibility to financial frauds, participation in investment bubbles, performance chasing and excessive short-term trading.

5. Seek Wealth, Not Money or Status Here’s an excerpt from an insightful discussion that Naval Ravikant had with Babak Nivi –

Nivi: What’s the difference between wealth, money, and status?

Naval: Wealth is the thing that you really want. Wealth is assets that earn while you sleep. Wealth is the factory, the robots that’s cranking out things. Wealth is the computer program that’s running at night, that’s serving other customer. Wealth is… even money in the bank that is being reinvested into other assets, and into other businesses. Even a house can be a form of wealth because you can rent it out, although that’s probably a lower use of productivity of land than actually doing some commercial enterprise. So, my definition of wealth is much more businesses and assets that can earn while you sleep. But really the reason you want wealth is because it buys you your freedom.

So, you don’t have to wear a tie like a collar around your neck. So, you don’t have to wake up at 7:00 AM, and rush to work, and sit in commute traffic. So, you don’t have to waste away your entire life grinding all the productive hours away into a soulless job that doesn’t fulfill you.

6. Warren Buffett’s Checklist I recently came across a video of Warren Buffett talking to a few B-School students on his trip to India in 2011.

The host asked him this question – What exactly goes through your mind when you’re actually making an investment?

Buffett’s reply to this question was brilliant for it contained the crux of everything he has said over the years about how to evaluate a certain business and it’s future economic potential (text in bold and brackets are mine) –

Well, if I drive by a McDonald’s stand or a Kentucky Fried Chicken stand I will automatically think to myself “What is this business worth?”

You know, how many customers can walk in the door (demand, scalability, growth potential)? What kind of gross margins (profitability, pricing power) can they have? How many people do they need (scalability)? How likely is it that another chicken stand opens across the street (competition, entry barriers, moat)?

I mean, all of those things. And that’s true of the chicken stand and it’s true of Google or you name the business. I mean, it’s all about evaluating the economic potential, the economic future of a given business. And most of them you don’t know the answer on (say no to most businesses, because you really don’t understand them).

But every now and then you run into one where you know the answer (simple businesses). But that’s all business is.

It’s what Aesop said a long time ago: “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” (well, that’s the definition of discounted cash flow) You know, that was said in 600 BC and that’s now what’s called discounted cash flow and all that sort of thing. But he saw that and figured it out, you know, twenty-six hundred years ago. And all I’m trying to figure out is if I could take that dollar in my hand: When do I get the two dollars out of the bush (timing of future cash flows)? How sure am I of getting it out of the bush (certainty of future cash flows)? Is there some other bush where I can get three dollars out of it instead (opportunity costs, better alternatives)?

I mean, it’s very basic stuff (investing is simple, you see, but only if you keep it simple). And a lot of times you look at it and you say “I don’t know how many birds there will be in the bush.” (complex businesses, or those that undergo a lot of changes due to nature of industry, competition, etc.) So you go in to the next one until you find the answer (you just need a few good ideas in a lifetime).

Buffett, once more, makes it clear that rather than obsessing with the bewildering fusion of news and noise, you should concentrate on a few key elements in stock selection.

7. Know Thyself Taleb again from Fooled by Randomness –

It certainly takes bravery to remain skeptical; it takes inordinate courage to introspect, to confront oneself, to accept one’s limitations – scientists are seeing more and more evidence that we are specifically designed by mother nature to fool ourselves.

One of the most underrated but among the most valuable skills required to succeed in stock market investing is resilience i.e., the ability to properly adapt to stress and adversity – either in the market or in the businesses one is owning.

How easily can you bounce back from a market crash? What would be your reaction to a sharp decline in your stocks’ prices? How many ‘surprises’ can you withstand in quick succession? How safe are your overall finances in light of extreme stress on the equity component of your portfolio?

As Taleb says, we are anyways designed by mother nature to fool ourselves. But don’t forget what the noted financial writer George J.W. Goodman – who used the pen name of Adam Smith – wrote in his wonderful book, The Money Game –

If you don’t know who you are, this is an expensive place to find out.

8. Keep It Simple, Please In stock investing, often we focus so much on trying too hard that either we never start working on the process of picking up great businesses (seeing the enormity of the task), or we start believing that our immense hard work and knowledge gives us great control over the future of stocks we own.

The reality is that, no matter how hard we try to analyze the intricacies of business, we may not be as important to the results as we’d like to think we are.

Like Seth Klarman wrote in Margin of Safety –

Investors frequently benefit from making investment decisions with less than perfect knowledge and are well rewarded for bearing the risk of uncertainty.

The time other investors spend delving into the last unanswered detail may cost them the chance to buy in at prices so low that they offer a margin of safety despite the incomplete information.

9. Investing’s False Positives The field of medicine has a term called “false positive.” It is an erroneous result that indicates that a given condition is present when it is not. An example of a false positive would be if a medical test designed to detect cancer returns a positive result (that the person has cancer) when, in reality, the person does not have cancer.

While medicine’s false positives often create panic about things that turn out to be nothing to worry about, investing’s false positives create euphoria about things that should have been worrisome in the first place.

And the underlying reason is that most people out there in the stock market judge the quality of their investment decisions by one single factor – the short-term price movement of the underlying security. And that’s exactly what they are looking forward to while making the investment, even while talking about the virtues of long-term investing and the need to ignore short-term price movements.

Noted French writer and philosopher Voltaire said –

It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong.

10. Doing Nothing is Hard The idea of buying and holding high-quality businesses over a long period of time is simple. Everyone knows that, and even those who don’t practice it appreciate that this works with most high-quality businesses as history has proven time and again.

But then, it’s important to understand that the action of not doing anything over such a long period of time involves hundreds of decisions over months and years that lead to such inaction.

Of course, one way is to buy stocks and forget for 20 years and hope to end up with a fortune. There are quite a few such fairy tales you may have heard of. But the other side of the picture is that countless people have also ended with duds in their portfolios, or vanished companies, when they realized their father or grandfather had bought some stocks and forgot about them for 20 or more years.

11. Being Prepared In one of his lectures published in Poor Charlie’s Almanack, Charlie Munger said this –

Our experience tends to confirm a long-held notion that being prepared, on a few occasions in a lifetime, to act promptly in scale, in doing some simple and logical thing, will often dramatically improve the financial results of the lifetime.

A few major opportunities, clearly recognizable as such, will usually come to one who continuously searches and waits, with a curious mind, loving diagnosis involving multiple variables.

And then all that is required is a willingness to bet heavily when the odds are extremely favourable, using resources available as a result of prudence and patience in the past.

What Charlie says here is that it pays to be prepared in your investing life – prepared not just for the risks that may be lurking around the corner, but also for opportunities that may appear anytime.

Ironically, we are often prepared for none, and that is what causes us grief during the market’s ups (when we keep sitting on the sidelines) and downs (when we are enjoying the madness of the party).

Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote in Letters from a Stoic –

Everyone faces up more bravely to a thing for which he has long prepared himself, sufferings, even, being withstood if they have been trained for in advance. Those who are unprepared, on the other hand, are panic-stricken by the most insignificant happenings.

12. Seek Uncertainty Mohnish Pabrai wrote in his brilliant book The Dhandho Investor –

Wall Street sometimes gets confused between risk and uncertainty, and you can profit handsomely from that confusion. The Street just hates uncertainty, and it demonstrates that hate by collapsing the quoted stock price of the underlying business. Here are a few scenarios that are likely to lead to a depressed stock price:

High risk, low uncertainty High risk, high uncertainty Low risk, high uncertainty

The fourth logical combination, low risk and low uncertainty, is loved by Wall Street, and stock prices of these securities sport some of the highest trading multiples. Avoid investing in these businesses. Of the three, the only one of interest to us connoisseurs of the fine art of Dhandho is the low-risk, high-uncertainty combination, which gives us our most sought after coin-toss odds. Heads, I win; tails, I don’t lose much!

While value investors are typically averse to taking high risks, that’s more a reflection of the price they’re willing to pay for any given investment than the types of situations they most often pursue, which are often fraught with uncertainty.

As businesses constantly evolve and change in response to challenges and opportunities, the lack of clarity around those changes. And the risks inherent in the potential outcomes can cause share prices to diverge widely from underlying business values.

The ability to recognize and capitalize upon that dynamic, and understand whether it’s temporary or permanent, is a key element of what sets the best investors apart.

13. Why Most People Will Never Be Good at Investing …because most people in the stock market, most of the time, don’t do investing, which is…

Thinking how markets work,

Understanding how people behave,

Studying businesses,

Sticking only with what is simple and what they understand, and

Buying stocks at appropriate valuations.

Instead, they are busy…

Envying (others making money fast or losing money slow),

Cloning (others’ stock ideas mindlessly),

Predicting (future of markets, stock prices, and economy),

Fearing (missing out on future gains),

Regretting (past mistakes),

Avoiding (accepting current mistakes),

Denying (reality, especially when it’s harsh), and

Indulging (in useless information and noise)

And if that’s not all, these often lead us to –

Trading (frequently, which adds to our costs),

Averaging down (on bad businesses),

Boasting (about our lucky short-term gains), and sometimes

Trolling (other investors on social media, who have not performed as well as us in the recent past).

With such a busy schedule, where is the time to practice investing?

14. Pay Attention In the story The Adventure of Silver Blaze, Sherlock Holmes asked Inspector Gregory to consider a curious incident involving a dog. Gregory replied that nothing happened, and Holmes proclaimed, “That was the curious incident.” This clue enabled Holmes to deduce that the culprit must have been someone familiar to the victim’s dog. Most people would miss this important clue because most people, like Gregory, pay little attention to nonevents.

Now, some information is always available, but some is always silent – and it will remain silent unless we actively stir it up. In investing, such information that remains silent – or that you fail to notice – can be dangerous to your capital.

To pay attention means to pay attention to it all, to engage actively, to take everything around us, including those things that don’t appear when they rightly should. It means asking important questions and making sure we get answers.

Even when you do this, you may not be able to emerge with the entire situation in hand, and you may end up making a choice that, upon further reflection, is not the right one after all. But it won’t be for the lack of trying.

15. Be a Curator of Stocks, Not Warehouse Manager We spend the first half of our lives adding things, and the second half subtracting most of them.

Investing follows life, and this is also what a lot of investors end up doing. They create crowded warehouses of portfolios in the initial years of their investment careers, realize most of their choices were mistakes, and then they start subtracting vigorously.

Lest you lose out on the positive compounding timeframe, you will do yourself a world of good by respecting and practicing this lesson – of saying no to most things, of not adding a lot of unwanted stocks to your portfolios – early.

In other words, be a curator of stocks, not a warehouse manager.

16. Bharat Shah on Investing Successfully One of the best theories I have read on the importance of investing in high-quality businesses in the Indian context comes from Bharat Shah of ASK Group, who has written a book (sad, it’s not available publicly) titled “Of Long Term Value and Wealth Creation from Equity Investing.”

I recently came across his old interview where he shared his insights on value investing and how he formed his investment process and principles. A passage from the interview reads thus (emphasis mine) –

…successful long-term investing calls for two vital technical capabilities or craft and two personality traits. While craft can be honed and refined by observing and absorbing, character traits have to come from within and be developed.

The two essential skills are: ability to comprehend and grasp the true character and the innards of diverse businesses as well as the ability to value them. Till these abilities are developed, one cannot become a good investor.

The two vital character traits are: discipline (or temperament) and wisdom. Discipline lies in investing only into quality businesses and the temperament of not getting carried away by the fads of the markets and buying such quality businesses only at a meaningful margin of safety.

17. Biggest Financial Regrets One of my favourite financial writers, Barry Ritholtz, wrote about the biggest financial regrets people have. This was based on a survey of over 2000 people by American life insurer giant New York Life, and found these as the biggest financial regrets –

Image Source: Biggest Financial Regrets – Barry Ritholtz Barry concluded thus, and I completely agree with this –

The sooner you begin to accept mistakes are inevitable, stop beating yourself up over them, and just fix what is not working, the faster the compounding can start.

18. No Stock is Safe The bulls may want you to believe this, but no stock is safe.

There are businesses that may remain good (earning return on capital greater than cost of capital) for some time, maybe a long time, but you must not attach infinite values to them.

This is because high returns attract competition, generally causing return on capital to move towards the cost of capital. While such companies may still earn excess returns, but the return trajectory is down.

Everything in this world, after all, is momentary. So, your best bet is to just stick with quality (even that is momentary, just for longer moments that allows time for compounding to work its magic).

The good thing about high-quality stocks is that you can pay up for them (never overpay), expensive looking prices, and still do well till the underlying businesses remain good.

With poor quality, most probably, you have no hope.

19. Businesses will Die Death will happen to all of us and to all of our businesses, and that must not worry you. It’s the stagnation and gradual decline that diseases (bad management, capital misallocation, etc.) bring along, that you must watch out for (and try working backward now so as to avoid them, except for bad luck).

20. Equanimity and Investing When it comes to investing, making money in stocks when everyone is making money in stocks isn’t a big deal. Rather, it’s the ability to handle good and bad times with equanimity, combined with courage and decisiveness, that really matters in the long run.

Of course, most of us simply aren’t wired to be equanimous at most of the times, and it’s terribly difficult to rid ourself of the emotions of ecstasy (when things are looking up) and misery (when things are looking down).

And that’s why ensuring that we avoid all of those ways that can cause us wealth destruction – trading, timing, high fee, inadequate diversification, and leverage – is paramount.

Everything, including our triumphs and disasters, anyways shall pass. But the equanimity with which we allow them to pass will keep us sane always.

As Lord Krishna taught Arjuna, as we wade through the ocean of life, it throws up all kinds of waves that are beyond our control. If we keep struggling to eliminate negative situations, we will be unable to avoid unhappiness. But if we can learn to accept everything that comes our way, with equanimity and without sacrificing our best efforts, that will be true Yog.

So, give equanimity a shot, and see what happens.

21. Five Ways We Destroy Our Wealth It’s common if you are wealthy to worry about losing your fortune due to forces beyond your control. Like market meltdowns or economic stagnation.

But what many of us don’t realize is that our own behavior may be the root of significant losses.

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” goes a proverb. The road to investing hell is paved with bad behaviors, and here are the five roads which initially look like paved with gold, but which often take us towards wealth destruction.

Daniel Kahneman was right when he said this –

A human being is a dark and veiled thing…and whereas the hare has seven skins, the human being can shed seven times seventy skins and still not be able to say: This is really you, this is no longer outer shell. So said Nietzsche, and Freud agreed: we are ignorant of ourselves.

We certainly are.

22. Avoid Stress I recently read this passage from Nassim Taleb’s Fooled by Randomness that tells something about why we must avoid stress –

…people who look too closely at randomness burn out, their emotions drained by the series of pangs they experience. Regardless of what people claim, a negative pang is not offset by a positive one (some psychologists estimate the negative effect for an average loss to be up to 2.5 the magnitude of a positive one); it will lead to an emotional deficit.

…people in lab coats have examined some scary properties of this type of negative pangs on the neural system (the usual expected effect: high blood pressure; the less expected: chronic stress leads to memory loss, lessening of brain plasticity, and brain damage). To my knowledge, there are no studies investigating the exact properties of trader’s burnout, but a daily exposure to such high degrees of randomness without much control will have physiological effects on humans (nobody studied the effect of such exposure on the risk of cancer).

…wealth does not count so much into one’s well-being as the route one uses to get to it.

23. Why Value Investing Works Jack Schwager, the author of Market Wizards series, when answering a question on whether value investing works, turned to the wisdom of Joel Greenblatt, one of the foremost experts on the subject.

Schwager quoted this from his interview with Greenblatt –

Value investing doesn’t always work. The market doesn’t always agree with you. Over time, value is roughly the way the market prices stocks, but over the short term, which sometimes can be as long as two or three years, there are periods when it doesn’t work. And that is a very good thing.

The fact that the value approach doesn’t work over periods of time is precisely the reason why it continues to work over the long term.

24. Patience Wins Most people participating in the stock market don’t really understand what they are doing. This is especially when making money gets quick and easy, and they are doing great at it.

Like Aesop’s wolf in sheep’s clothing, they play a role contrary to their real character, which often leads them to the slaughterhouse.

However, the lack of patience of such people to invest with a long-term horizon creates the opportunity for the few committed to long-term holding periods.

In the battle between impatience and patience, the latter wins.

25. Eternity and Investing The Heilbrunn Center for Graham and Dodd Investing created a wonderful video in 2013 titled ‘Legacy of Ben Graham,’ which contains bytes from some of his students on how Graham’s teachings changed their lives.

Marshall Weinberg, one of the students from Graham’s class said that the biggest lesson he drew out of that class was on long-term thinking. Here’s what he said –

One sentence changed my life…Ben Graham opened the course by saying: ‘If you want to make money in Wall Street you must have the proper psychological attitude. No one expresses it better than Spinoza the philosopher.’

When he said that, I nearly jumped out of my course. What? I suddenly look up, and he said, and I remember exactly what he said: ‘Spinoza said you must look at things in the aspect of eternity.’ And that’s what suddenly hooked me on Ben Graham.

Spinoza actually said, “Sub specie aeternitatis,” which translates to “under the aspect of eternity,” or “from the perspective of the eternal.”

Critics of this idea may believe that with such thinking, there is no reason to believe that anything matters. But where Spinoza may be coming from is the idea that, in the larger scheme of things, nothing matters, which leads us to put our pains and struggles – including, as investors – into perspective.

26. Types of Managements People come in different shades, and managers are people.

Here are three different types of management (there may be more, but let’s go with these three for now), and my thoughts on how you may want to deal with them when it comes to investing in the businesses they manage.

Most of us overlook the human aspect of operating a business, yet, in most cases, the future success of a business is directly tied to the quality of the people managing its affairs.

27. Skin in the Game Having skin in the game means being exposed (equally as other stakeholders) to both positive and negative consequences of an outcome which was made possible by your decisions/actions/approval.

Superficially, the concept of ‘skin in the game’ may look like a case for morality in human transactions but if you go deeper, you will find that it’s a wonderful trick for improving our own decisions.

When you own 50 stocks and one goes to zero, your portfolio isn’t going to move down by more than 2 percent (assuming you had equal allocation for each stock). Which means you’re not really bothered about a couple of bad decisions for it’s not going to create meaningful damage to your net worth. However, when you run a relatively concentrated portfolio of 10 stocks, you’d be more careful about choosing those stocks. Won’t you?

28. It’s Not Supposed to Be Fair Warren Buffett had high regards for David Sokol. Over the years Sokol established a reputation inside Berkshire Hathaway as Mr. Fixit. Buffett often referred to Sokol as a terrific manager, a brilliant dealmaker and a huge asset to Berkshire.

In 2011, Sokol abruptly resigned. It was speculated that his resignation was because of insider trading allegations. For a second put yourself in Buffett’s shoes and imagine how you would feel when one of your most trusted business partners who has worked with you closely for decades behaves in a totally unexpected and undesired way? Like Sokol did.

When asked in one interview if he had felt betrayed by Sokol’s behaviour, Munger replied —

It’s not my nature … when you get little surprises as a result of human nature … to spend much time feeling betrayed. I always want to put my head down and adjust. I don’t allow myself to spend much time ever with any feelings of betrayal. If some flickering idea like that came to me, I’d get rid of it quickly. I don’t like any feeling of being victimized. I think that’s a counterproductive way to think as a human being. I am not a victim. I am a survivor.

The world around us is largely a soup of random events loosely connected by a few broad patterns. And one of those patterns is that the universe doesn’t care for any individual’s personal agenda.

If your investment journey has thrown a few bad apples your way, if you feel that the world is not fair then be reminded that the world is not supposed to be fair. It’s not supposed to be fair in your favour or in anyone’s favour.

29. Avoid Multiplying by Zero Two academicians were debating on the superiority of their respective fields of study.

“What would you do if I brought Alexander The Great’s army in front of you?” The history professor challenged.

The mathematician rolled his eyes and replied, “I’ll enclose the army in a bracket and multiply by zero.”

In an additive system, each component adds on to one another to create the final outcome. Such systems are unaffected when they encounter a zero. Multiplicative systems, on the other hand, are non-linear because anything times zero must still be zero, no matter how large the string of numbers preceding it. A zero can wreak havoc on multiplicative systems. Like it did to Alexander’s army.

Shane Parrish, on his excellent blog, explains the functional equivalent of multiplicative system in the world of business –

Most businesses, for example, operate in a multiplicative system. But they too often think they’re operating in additive ones: Ever notice how some businesses will add one feature on top of another to their products but fail at basic customer service, so you leave, never to return? That’s a business that thinks it’s in an additive system when they really need to be resolving the big fat zero in the middle of the equation instead of adding more stuff… General Motors, founded in 1908 by William Durant and C.S. Mott, came to dominate the American car market to the tune of 50% market share through a series of brilliant innovations and management practices, and was for many years the dominant and most admirable corporation in America. Even today, after more than a century of competition, no American carmaker produces more automobiles than General Motors. And yet, the original shareholders of GM ended up with a zero in 2008 as the company went into bankruptcy due to years of financial mismanagement. It didn’t matter than they had several generations of leadership: All of that becomes naught in a multiplicative system.

Benefit of looking at the downside or what can go wrong is efficiency, writes Peter Bevelin, “Take investments as an example – If you first eliminate what doesn’t work or what won’t achieve what you want, you don’t have to spend a lot of time and attention of analyzing the company. If there is a huge downside – for example a catastrophe risk of the key factors that are needed for success aren’t there or any other disqualifying factors like no sustainable advantage, bad and untrustworthy management of something else – just say ‘no thank you.’”

II. LEARNING 30. Being Average in the Age of Alpha Our society and culture values high achievement in every area of our lives. We want to become alpha men and women, have the brightest careers, accomplished children, ideal bodies, investment performances that beat everyone, and financial prosperity that leads us to possess more stuff than others.

Amidst this, being satisfied with having “enough” is considered shameful. Being unambitious is considered lazy. Thinking “I have enough” is a sin. “Average” is a dirty word.

I recently read an article written by one Krista O’Reilly, which echoed exactly what I have felt about being average all my life –

The world is such a noisy place. Loud, haranguing voices lecturing me to hustle, to improve, build, strive, yearn, acquire, compete, and grasp for more. For bigger and better. Sacrifice sleep for productivity. Strive for excellence. Go big or go home. Have a huge impact in the world. Make your life count.

But what if I just don’t have it in me? What if all the striving for excellence leaves me sad, worn out, depleted? Drained of joy. Am I simply not enough?

31. Two Big Lessons from History I believe there are two things that have stood the test of time, and that apply to everything we do in life, investing, work, everywhere –

We have much less control over the future than we hope, and that it will always surprise us (surprisingly!). We can’t control what would happen to us or our investment portfolios, we can’t control what people around us would say or do, and we can’t even fully control our own bodies, which would get damaged and sick and ultimately die without regard for our preferences. In fact, much of our unhappiness is caused by thinking that we can control things like these that, in fact, we can’t.

We have far more ability to make an impact than we expect. And this ability is more important than we can imagine. All it requires for us is to be learning and adapting machines, be sensible in our decision making, keep things simple, and trust the role of sincere hard work. Some people are aware of it; most are not. Frankly, it is easier to sit on the sidelines and whine about the stuff we can’t control (like stock prices) than to own up to what we do control (like our process of investing).

In short, while we can’t control the future, we can be courageous enough to jump into life with both feet and take responsibility for how we would like to mold it (without trying to control it), and how we would react to what happens to us on the way.

No success guarantees here, but history proves that’s how the world has always worked.

32. A More Beautiful Question Since early childhood, most of us learned that our parents did not like us asking many questions and that only authority figures – most grown-ups – had the right to ask them. The result was that we stopped questioning things and accepted what we saw, heard, and were told with meek acceptance.

Sadly, this approach worked well in the industrial era, but proves futile in the knowledge era, because it compromises our ability to think and understand deeply.

In his book, A More Beautiful Question, which I glanced through recently at a bookstore, Warren Berger led me to the importance of asking thoughtful, ambitious “beautiful questions” — the kind that can help us grow into happier and more useful human beings. An insightful passage from the book reads thus –

We’ve transitioned into always transitioning…In such times, the ability to ask big, meaningful, beautiful questions – and just as important, to know what to do with those questions once they’ve been raised – can be the first step in moving beyond old habits and behaviors as we embrace the new.

In the modern era, we must use unfamiliar tools in our attempt to take on new challenges without clear instructions, and with the clock ticking. In such times, Berger writes –

…questioning…will be even more important in helping us figure out what matters, where opportunities lie, and how to get there.

“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers,” said Voltaire. Now, more than ever, the quality of our lives depends on the quality of our questions.

33. How Not to Bet 90-year-old Jeanne Louise Calment struck a deal with a forty-seven-year-old lawyer named André-François Raffray. Raffray agreed to pay a low monthly subsistence payment of 2,500 francs to Jeanne in exchange for the right to own Jeanne house when she dies. The ninety-year-old French woman had already exceeded the French life expectancy by more than ten years. She could die any day.

Ms. Calment turned out to be the biggest outlier in human history. When she died aged 122, her age at death exceeded the lawyer’s age at this death by forty-five years. He ended up paying Calment the equivalent of €140,000. That was more than double the apartment’s value.

Where did Raffray go wrong? His blunder was in taking the statistics and applying it to a sample size of one.

Legendary investor, Howard Marks relates a funny story his father told him about a gambler who bet everything on a race with only one horse in it. How could he lose? “Halfway around the track, the horse jumped over the fence and ran away. Invariably things can get worse than people expect.”

Jeanne and Raffray’s story has a valuable lesson for investors. Never bet the farm on a single stock no matter how certain you are about the outcome. You never know when the luck hands you the equivalent of a crazy horse or a supercentenarian.

34. Possessing Vs Pursuing I believe our lives are not defined by what we possess, but by what we pursue. History has ample proof that it is not what people (like Alexander and Hitler) have tried to possess, but what people (like Einstein and Gandhi) pursued that brought meaning to their lives and to those around them.

“I enjoy life,” Seneca said, “because I am ready to leave it.”

In his book On the Shortness of Life, Seneca wrote this –

As far as I am concerned, I know that I have lost not wealth but distractions. The body’s needs are few: it wants to be free from cold, to banish hunger and thirst with nourishment; if we long for anything more we are exerting ourselves to serve our vices, not our needs.

Imagine if we can unburden ourselves of 90% of our worldly goods, it should not be difficult to leave the remaining 10% behind?

35. What Stories Do You Believe? A story is a very effective tool to package any message or an abstract idea. Stories themselves are unimportant. What’s more important is the idea the construct of a story is enclosing inside it. An idea doesn’t stick well if it’s not packaged in the form of a story.

Our experience of the world is almost completely derived from the stories we have told ourselves.

Celebrated historian Yuval Noah Harari writes —

Over the years, people have woven an incredibly complex network of stories. The kinds of things that people create through this network of stories are known in academic circles as ‘fictions’, ‘social constructs’ or ‘imagined realities’. An imagined reality is not a lie. Unlike lying, an imagined reality is something that everyone believes in, and as long as this communal belief persists, the imagined reality exerts force in the world. Most millionaires sincerely believe in the existence of money and limited liability companies. Most human-rights activists sincerely believe in the existence of human rights.

Ever since the Cognitive Revolution, Sapiens have thus been living in a dual reality. On the one hand, the objective reality of rivers, trees and lions; and on the other hand, the imagined reality of gods, nations and corporations. As time went by, the imagined reality became ever more powerful, so that today the very survival of rivers, trees and lions depends on the grace of imagined entities such as the United States and Google.

Take a pause and question yourself, “What stories do I believe in about the reality and have they served me well?”

36. Writing is a Thinking Tool Writing, apart from being a communication tool, is a thinking tool too. Famous author, Dan Pink, recommends – “write things to figure out your thoughts”.

Writing is a powerful weapon for focusing thoughts. The more you write, the more precision of thought you build. It allows you to take fuzzy thinking and distill it into precise line of thought. If you want to think better you have to start writing your thoughts.

When Michael Mauboussin posed the question to Daniel Kahneman, what is a single thing an investor can do to improve his or her performance, he said –

…go down to a local drugstore and buy a very cheap notebook and start keeping track of your decisions. And the specific idea is whenever you’re making a consequential decision, something going in or out of the portfolio, just take a moment to think, write down what you expect to happen, why you expect it to happen and then actually, and this is optional, but probably a great idea, is write down how you feel about the situation, both physically and even emotionally. Just, how do you feel? I feel tired. I feel good, or this stock is really draining me. Whatever you think…When you’ve got a decision-making journal, it gives you accurate and honest feedback of what you were thinking at that time.

Writing is a thinking exercise and it acts as a shield against the mental rust.

37. Opposite of a Good Idea Both Amazon and Apple are technology companies with close to trillion-dollar market cap each. Amazon sells products as cheap as possible. Apple prices its devices as expensive as possible.

In marketing, there are two equally potent, but completely contradictory, ways to sell a product. Luxury goods offer the promise of owning something which can’t be owned by everybody, i.e., a scarcity bias informs the worth of the product. And we also find comfort in buying stuff which has been rated high by millions of others, i.e., we look for social proof in making our decision.

Similarly, two opposite points of view can both be rational without violating any laws of logic or physics.

Remember, situations where we get two accounts of the same event, but the versions are dramatically different, it’s because they’re informed by different facts and perspectives.

In other words, understanding the context is very important before announcing your verdict on what’s right or wrong.

38. Curiosity Kills the Cat, but You’re not a Cat Sometimes, when you’ve figured out the answer to a question, you realize that the path between the question and its answer was more interesting than the two endpoints.

Which means the journey that your curiosity takes you through becomes more rewarding than the end result. And the great thing about following your curiosity is that no one can stop you and you can keep going.

Follow the process. And the process is — keep scratching the itch of a probing mind and never letting the fire of inquisitiveness to die down.

Put simply, it doesn’t matter what question you begin with. What matters is —

How rigorously you chase the clues,

What assumptions you make to simplify a complex problem and transform it into a more useful one, and

How long you’re willing to remain discontent with your discoveries.

To expect to begin your quest with only intelligent questions could be overwhelming and you may never get started.

So, start small, start stupid and let your curiosity take you places.

39. Risk of Avoiding the Non-Risk In 2014, an AirAsia flight crashed into Java Sea killing all 162 people on board. Investigations revealed that it was caused by a pilot error because he performed a non-standard reset of the onboard flight control computers. Why did he do that? Because he wanted to get rid of a non-critical warning light that was flashing on his panel.

The gap between what’s risky and what feels risky is significant. The perception of risk is often misplaced in most people’s head.

Nick Maggiulli writes —

…you can hold 100% bonds and experience little short term volatility (i.e. low risk right?), but you now risk not having enough principal in the future after your portfolio battles against the scourge of inflation for multiple decades…remember that you are always taking risks. The key is understanding what risks you are taking and when you are taking them.

Risk and the perception of risk are two different beasts. What doesn’t seem to hurt in the short run lulls people into complacency and just when they feel the safest the storm of accumulated risk arrives with no advance notice and causes the blow-up.

III. LIFE 40. Weathering Life’s Storms In Kafka On The Shore, Murakami wrote –

Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn’t something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside of you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn’t get in, and walk through it, step by step. There’s no sun there, no moon, no direction, no sense of time. Just fine white sand swirling up into the sky like pulverized bones. That’s the kind of sandstorm you need to imagine.

And you really will have to make it through that violent, metaphysical, symbolic storm. No matter how metaphysical or symbolic it might be, make no mistake about it: it will cut through flesh like a thousand razor blades. People will bleed there, and you will bleed too. Hot, red blood. You’ll catch that blood in your hands, your own blood and the blood of others.

And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.

41. Dealing with the Scary World In Aaron Thier’s wonderful new novel, The World Is A Narrow Bridge, there is a scene where Eva and Murphy, the two young prophets of the god Yahweh, are sent on a mission that terrifies them. As they begin the mission, Eva and Murphy are approached by Satan, who has been sent by Yahweh, to give them their final instructions. After Satan gives the instructions, he begins to leave for his next mission:

“You have to go so soon?” says Eva. “Right away?”

She looks devastated. Murphy, too, is unhappy. Satan frowns and chews on his lip. He doesn’t like to leave them like this.

“I’ll teach you a trick,” he says. “I’ll teach you an incantation that will protect against despair. If things are dark, and I’m not around to help, you can repeat it a few times and it’ll help.

It would go something like this: ‘The world is a narrow bridge, and the most important thing is not to be afraid.’”

Murphy and Eva both repeat this very slowly. Eva says, “That’s lovely.”

Satan nods. “Just repeat it to yourself when things are bad. You could try different translations too. ‘Do not make yourself afraid, the whole world is a narrow bridge.’

The point is this life we’re living—this world we inhabit—is a scary place. If you peer over the side of a narrow bridge, you can lose your heart to continue. You freeze up. You sit down. So too with life. If we think too much about the journey we have to make, the one that begins with the trauma of birth and ends with the tragedy of death, the one that is so perilous and unpredictable, we’ll never make it.

The important thing is that we are not afraid. That we don’t overthink things. That we don’t give way to fear, as the Stoics tell us over and over again. Just repeat it to yourself—The world is a narrow bridge and I will not be afraid—and keep going. Like the thousands of generations who have come before you.

42. Life’s Purpose and Meaning Tuesdays with Morrie was one of the best books I read in 2019. In one passage, the author wrote something that resonated well with me –

So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.

43. Hope and Fear Seneca wrote –

Limiting one’s desires actually helps to cure one of fear. ‘Cease to hope … and you will cease to fear.’ … Widely different [as fear and hope] are, the two of them march in unison like a prisoner and the escort he is handcuffed to. Fear keeps pace with hope … both belong to a mind in suspense, to a mind in a state of anxiety through looking into the future. Both are mainly due to projecting our thoughts far ahead of us instead of adapting ourselves to the present.

44. Power of Meditation Yuval Harari, the author of Sapiens, wrote this beautiful passage in his book –

According to Buddhism, the root of suffering is neither the feeling of pain nor of sadness nor even of meaninglessness. Rather, the real root of suffering is this never-ending and pointless pursuit of ephemeral feelings, which causes us to be in a constant state of tension, restlessness and dissatisfaction. Due to this pursuit, the mind is never satisfied. Even when experiencing pleasure, it is not content, because it fears this feeling might soon disappear, and craves that this feeling should stay and intensify.

People are liberated from suffering not when they experience this or that fleeting pleasure, but rather when they understand the impermanent nature of all their feelings, and stop craving them. This is the aim of Buddhist meditation practices. In meditation, you are supposed to closely observe your mind and body, witness the ceaseless arising and passing of all your feelings, and realise how pointless it is to pursue them. When the pursuit stops, the mind becomes very relaxed, clear and satisfied. All kinds of feelings go on arising and passing – joy, anger, boredom, lust – but once you stop craving particular feelings, you can just accept them for what they are. You live in the present moment instead of fantasising about what might have been. The resulting serenity is so profound that those who spend their lives in the frenzied pursuit of pleasant feelings can hardly imagine it. It is like a man standing for decades on the seashore, embracing certain ‘good’ waves and trying to prevent them from disintegrating, while simultaneously pushing back ‘bad’ waves to prevent them from getting near him. Day in, day out, the man stands on the beach, driving himself crazy with this fruitless exercise. Eventually, he sits down on the sand and just allows the waves to come and go as they please. How peaceful!

45. Karma One of the best books I read this year was No Shortcuts to the Top. This is an autobiography of Edmund Viesturs, wherein he documents his 16-year journey summitting all 14 of the world’s eight-thousander mountain peaks (more than 8,000 meters above sea level), and his strategies to manage risk in extreme environments.

In one beautiful passage from the book, Viesturs wrote –

Although I remain uncertain about God or any particular religion, I believe in karma. What goes around, comes around. How you live your life, the respect that you give others and the mountain, and how you treat people in general will come back to you in kindred fashion. I like to talk about what I call the Karma National Bank. If you give up the summit to help rescue someone who’s in trouble, you’ve put a deposit in that bank. And sometime down the road, you may need to make a big withdrawal.

46. Widening our Circles of Compassion Long before Carl Sagan wrote of compassion as our only mechanism for moving beyond “us vs. them,” Einstein wrote in 1950 –

A human being is part of a whole, called by us the “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

47. Humility In The Apology, the Greek philosopher Plato wrote that the oracle at Delphi had pronounced Socrates the wisest man in Athens.

No one was more astonished and disbelieving than Socrates himself. So, he immediately set out to disprove the oracle by finding a wiser man. Here is what Socrates found as he met a few supposedly wise men –

I went to one who had the reputation of wisdom, and observed to him – his name I need not mention; he was a politician whom I selected for examination – and the result was as follows: When I began to talk with him, I could not help thinking that he was not really wise, although he was thought wise by many, and wiser still by himself; and I went and tried to explain to him that he thought himself wise, but was not really wise; and the consequence was that he hated me, and his enmity was shared by several who were present and heard me.

So I left him, saying to myself, as I went away: Well, although I do not suppose that either of us knows anything really beautiful and good, I am better off than he is – for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows. I neither know nor think that I know. In this latter particular, then, I seem to have slightly the advantage of him.

Then I went to another, who had still higher philosophical pretensions, and my conclusion was exactly the same. I made another enemy of him, and of many others besides him.

In the end, Socrates discovered he was indeed the wisest man in Athens. Not because of how much he knew, but because he was the only one who understood how much he did not know.

Knowing that you don’t know is the dawning of wisdom.

Knowing that you don’t know, accepting it and not being ashamed about it is the start of a continuing journey of wisdom.

Recognizing the darkness is the prerequisite for bringing on the light. Only when the darkness is brought out of hiding does the light have the opportunity to illuminate it.

48. Meaning of Life One of the best books I have read on the pursuit of the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, is George Mallory’s Climbing Everest. George was possibly the first man to summit Everest (nobody knows whether he did it), almost 30 years before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay began their ascent. It was during his third expedition to the Everest that he lost his life, last seen about 800 feet from the summit.

Anyways, all his writings on climbing are collected in Climbing Everest, which started out as letters to his wife Ruth. One of my favourite parts from the book is when George shared his response to one question asked by a journalist about why he would risk his life to attempt to reach the Everest.

His profound response outlines an undeniably powerful way to perceive life –

People ask me, ‘What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?’ and my answer must at once be, ‘It is of no use.’ There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behaviour of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron…

If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go.

What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to live. That is what life means and what life is for.

What a beautiful, inspirational thought!

Life is never perfect. And as George wrote, living is not just about eating and making money.

Facing adversities and challenges head on, and stepping away from what is comfortable and familiar to us and into the unknown, is what often brings us real joy.

That’s what gets us life’s real worth.

49. Triumph and Disaster One of the most life-changing books I have ever read is Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. The book is a chronicle by Frankl of his experiences as a German Nazi concentration camp inmate during World War II.

In this book, Frankl describes his psychotherapeutic method, which involved identifying a purpose in life to feel positively about, and then immersively imagining that outcome.

The central theme of Frankl’s book is ‘survival.’ Although he witnessed and experienced horror, the book focuses less on the details of his own experience and more on how his time under Nazi rule showed him the human ability to survive and endure against all odds.

As Frankl wrote, he saw the lowest parts of humanity while in the camps. He saw fellow prisoners promoted to be in-camp guards turning on their fellow prisoners. He watched as they beat their lifeless, malnourished campmates. He watched sadistic guards treating them as if they were lower than animals. But he also saw individuals rising up like saints above it all.

The part that impacted me the most from the book was this –

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves…Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

Life (investing included) isn’t easy. And unlike, what we imagine in both scenarios of triumphs and disasters, life isn’t supposed to move in a straight line of happiness and smiles, or sadness and pain. It’s not supposed to stay the same, just like you’re not supposed to stay the same.

Life is evolving and changing. It is a constant surge of ups and downs, twists and turns, and as Rudyard Kipling said, “…triumphs and disasters.” Like you have your happy and blissful moments, you are supposed to feel pain, get hurt, and experience losses occasionally. And some of them can be really bad!

Now, that does not mean that you deserve every bit of the sadness, defeats, and tragedies that life hands over to you. It’s just part of the journey that we are walking through. It’s just part of what makes us human.

50. Meditating on Mortality Meditation on mortality (that we are going to die one day) is one of the oldest practices in all Buddhist traditions. In the words of the Buddha, “…of all the footprints, that of the elephant is supreme. Similarly, of all mindfulness meditation, that on death is supreme.”

But why should we contemplate our own death while we are still alive?

“It cures you,” the Bhutanese say. Not just the Hindu and Buddhist scriptures, even Stoicism talks about Memento Mori that is the practice of reflection on mortality, especially as a means of considering the vanity of earthly life and the transient nature of all earthly goods and pursuits.

Now, the thing about meditating on your own mortality is that it doesn’t make life pointless. Instead, knowing that you will die one day creates priority and thinking about it helps you live with a more positive perspective. So you can focus on what’s important.

Death is, however, a subject mostly shunned by our cultures and societies. Nothing explains this resistance better than what the American actor and comedian Woody Allen said in one of his movies, “It’s not that I’m afraid of dying; it’s just that I don’t want to be there when it happens.”

51. What Papa Taught Me I lost my father late this year. Papa was a genuinely good man – good in a pure, innocent, unfailing way. He wanted, more than anything, to do good in the world, to always do the right thing. That is one attribute I picked up from him, and I thank God I did that.

Another thing I learned from Papa was that the best life one could live was not one in which a person did big, great things that influenced the lives of millions, but one in which you made a difference in the part of the world you touched, no matter how small.

He said that a life in which you helped only one person because that was the only opportunity you had to help someone else was just as great a life as that of someone who changed the lives of millions.

Perhaps the best way I can celebrate Papa’s life is to try as hard as I can to walk in the world with the same compassion, humility, love, and joy that he carried with him so that the light of his life will not extinguish even after the passing of his mortal body.

“Your parents, they give you your life, but then they try to give you their life,” said Chuck Palahniuk, the noted American fiction novelist.

Papa, I realize now, gave me his life. I hope I stand up to it.

Thank You Before I close, let me share with you the Serenity Prayer that has helped me a lot in facing my personal, professional, and investing turmoils. I am sure if you keep this prayer close to your mind and heart, it will help you face your own turmoils well, including those related to your investing.

The Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.

~ Reinhold Niebuhr

I wish you a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2020.

With respect, Vishal

The post 51 Ideas from 2019 appeared first on Safal Niveshak.

51 Ideas from 2019 published first on https://mbploans.tumblr.com/

[ecotone99]

[MS] Vacation

"Welcome aboard sir" a ship officer says with a friendly voice when I step off the ramp onto the stunningly white deck of the Queen of the Ocean. Smiling faces everywhere I look. Happiness, the anticipation of living in paradise for the next six weeks, the desperate desire of getting away from the maddening crowd of the cities, of angry, demanding bosses, of tight schedules and, in some cases, of the prying eyes of their own spouse.

"May I help you with your luggage sir?" asks a melodic voice pulling me back to reality. A bellman. "Yes. Please do." and he accompanies me to my cabin carrying my suitcase. "Here we are Mr...." "Swanson. Dennis Swanson" "Oh yes, Mr. Swanson, cabin 305." He unlocks the door and puts my suitcase beside my bed. I thank him, pull a 10 Dollar bill from my wallet and when I turn to him, he's gone as if he vanished into thin air. After recovering from the initial shock, I attribute this occurrence to the fact that I can be so absentminded at times that I wouldn't notice a rogue wave hitting the Queen of the Ocean and sending her to the depths of the seas.

A few minutes later I hear a knock on the door. I peer outside and am greeted by an attractive blonde woman in her mid twenties who. judging by her uniform, must be a stewardess. I let her in and she shows me the amenities and instructs me how to wear a life jacket and what to do in case of emergency. I pity her. How many times does she have to repeat the same damn thing to snobbish fools who take her words for granted and want nothing more than for her to leave, only for them to panic in an emergency when they have no clue how to put a life jacket on. I thank her and she leaves.

My eyes slowly open as I wake up from a short nap, and decide to take a stroll on the uppermost deck to enjoy the view. I've never been on a cruise ship before and it is exhilarating. It's like a floating hotel. The top deck is packed with travelers enjoying the mid afternoon sun. The harbor from which we set off is now but a thin line on the horizon. I stroll to the bar by the pool and order a Bacardi on the rocks. Sipping my drink, I silently observe the people on the deck. Quite a few young people in their mid to late twenties frolick by the pool, elderly couples sunbathing in deck chairs, others leaning on the railing chatting with their friends. No one's on their phone or their computer. Now that's a change from everyday life. I wonder how many passengers this behemoth carries.

The sun is setting and the deck lights slowly increased in brightness. I finish my drink, thank the barman and make my way back to my cabin. Someone knocks on the door about half an hour later. I open it and peer through the gap. A stewardess greets me outside with a friendly smile and hands me a note. It is the same woman from earlier. "Megan" reads her name tag. Just now did I notice the tiny mole on her left cheek right above her dimple.

"Good evening sir, you're invited for captain's dinner tonight at 7:00."

"Oh, thank you. I'll be there"

"See you sir. Have a nice evening".

I am beginning to like her. If there is a tragedy, I don't want her to be hurt. She still has her life ahead of her.

After taking a shower and dressing to the occasion, I go on my way to look for the ship's restaurant. "Excuse me sir but you are not authorized to be here" someone says behind me. I turn around and no one is there. Wait. This cannot be the way to the restaurant though. It's noisy and the heat is unbearable. My clothes adhere to my body that's how much I'm sweating. Wait. Why am I wearing black overalls? Didn't I dress formally with a suit and tie? Absentmindedness. What am I doing here? I turn around and walk back finally managing to find the exit. I need therapy once I'm back home.

I pass by some security personnel talking and hide behind a corner, eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Have you seen John?"

"No"

"He hasn't reported to the reception desk since we departed this afternoon. He isn't answering calls either" "Did he leave the ship before departure?"

"No. I saw him helping a passenger carry a suitcase after departure"

"Alright let's inform the captain about the situation. Make sure not to tell the passengers. We don't need mass hysteria"

The group dissolves and I feel a bit apprehensive. They are right. No one deserves to have their fun spoiled. I walk briskly to my cabin, take another shower and this time I'll put the right attire on.

I realize for the first time that captain's dinner is not just a formal dinner evening with the ship's captain where you can throw nautical questions at him and beg him for stories of his seafaring adventures. Well, at least that's what I thought of it as a kid. Instead of the captain, an attractive young woman dressed to the nines. Jewelry glistening on her ears, neck and hands, joins me. Expensive. Must be the daughter of a mega rich business tycoon. Her name is Rebecca. I engage in small talk with her feeling empty like a chatbot while my thoughts are wandering to Megan, her sweet dimpled smile and green eyes that can illuminate even the deepest corner of your soul. And the mole on her cheek makes her look even prettier.

"Are you listening?"

"Sorry but their performance is really mesmerizing. I think I should look at you more often"

She laughs in a controlled formal way. Personally I'm not much into uber rich stuck up princesses but I keep that to myself. As we get progressively more intoxicated, she makes a move on me. I find myself back in my cabin with her on top of me. I wake up and let my hand wander to her side of the bed and not feel her there. Oh man, she probably realized her blunder when she was drunk and left. I'm sure she wouldn't say a thing to me when we bump into each other again. I just hope I won't get into trouble with her dad. Disappointed, I close my eyes to sleep away my drunken stupor.

A knock on the door. Megan? It's 10 in the morning and I have a terrible headache. I stumble to the door and open it. No, not Megan but a security detail.

"Sorry for the disturbance sir but we advise you to stay in your cabin until this afternoon at 3. Lunch and anything else you need will be served to your cabin. A passenger has contracted the flu and we are trying to contain it and need your cooperation."

"Who?"

"A young lady. I apologize, sir, but we can't tell you more for privacy reasons. "

"I understand"

"Ship's hosting a pool party this evening on the uppermost deck sir complete with buffet and games. It's best to take your mind off of the situation."

"Thanks. I'll be there"

"Thank you sir. Have a nice day"

After sleeping throughout most of the day, I get up at dusk, shower and proceed to the top deck to observe the festivities. When the sun finally disappears from the horizon, a dinner buffet formally commences the event and it seems every passenger on the ship is in attendance. Suddenly I hear a loud bang followed shortly by a sudden jolt that made me and everyone else lose their balance. Screaming everywhere. Megan? No! Megan! I have to find her. I sprint past the panicking crowd down the hallway between cabins. I can't find her. I grab two life jackets from a shelf while the rest of the passengers are fighting for them. I make my way to a lifeboat when I hear a second explosion. The ship begins to tilt. More screaming. I can't let Megan die here. I hear someone shout something unintelligible behind me and spin around. A deafening crack causes my ears to ring and I feel something striking my chest. I have been kicked by a horse before and it feels awfully similar. It's the same security guy who knocked on my door earlier this morning. He is letting Megan die and is probably responsible for this disaster, too. I feel a surge of rage boiling up like lava and screaming like a banshee lunge at him before a second bullet plunges everything into darkness.

​

January 12, 2175. Neurovision Research Laboratories.

Subject No. 24

Name: Dennis Swanson

Report: Subject stable since awakening from stasis. Brain activity stable until end of memory. Wild fluctuations at the end. Increased heart rate and blood pressure. Increased motor activity.

"He's having a seizure. Disconnect the computer now!"

"Heart rate stabilizing. Prepare to move him back to stasis"

"Who's this one?"

"Some eco terrorist. Son of a bitch almost sank a cruise ship in 2019. Set off two charges, got shot in the head by a security guard while trying to set off a third and survived. Killed three people before that."

"Jesus Christ"

"I cut out the memories where he committed a crime but he isn't stable enough for reintegration into society."

" May I take a look?"

"Sure"

"May I help you with your luggage sir?" "Yes, please do" His name tag read "John" (fast forward} His eyes widened when the suitcase opens and my equipment fell out. That damn lock! He went for the door but I was quicker. With a swift movement, I pulled my garrote around his neck and twisted it shut. He laid on the ground jerking like a fish out of the water. After a few minutes he stopped moving. If someone came in I'd be screwed. I grabbed him under his armpits and shoved him into my closet. Good they didn't have security cameras in here.(fast forward}

"Excuse me sir, but you are not authorized to be here."

Security. Last thing I need.

"I'm sorry but I'm lost. Could you show me to the restaurant?"

" Yeah, go along this corridor and..."

When he turned to point in the direction I drew my 45 caliber pistol and pumped two rounds into his chest. He slid down the wall and was dead even before he reached the floor. The silencer and the engine's noise made sure no one heard a thing. I tore off the guards' shirt, grabbed him under the armpits and dragged him to a large box containing life jackets. I emptied the box, stuffed his body inside and covered it with the life jackets. With his shirt I wiped down the blood and stuffed the soaked garment into the same box with his body. Proceeding deeper into the bowels of the ship, I attached three C4 charges along the starboard side of the hull. Thankfully no one saw me due to my dark overalls.(fast forward} Sex with Rebecca was awesome. She really knew what she's doing.

"Would you mind lending me one of your shirts?"

"No! Don't open that!"

"Whatcha got in there honey, your wife?"

"Just don't open it"

Rolling her eyes Rebecca pulled the closet door open and stumbled back covering her mouth. My hands were around her neck before she could let out a scream. I threw her onto the bed and knelt on her chest while squeezing her throat as hard as I could. She probably worked out everyday and fought back vehemently. "Shhh. Be quiet. Shhh" I tried to soothe her. I didn't want to kill her but she left me no choice. Her resistance slowly faded until she stopped moving. I kept my hands on her throat for another minute before letting go. I looked at her dead body, her dead eyes still reflecting the shock. I just wanted to blow my head off at that moment. (fast forward}

"Drop your weapon!:"

"You're gonna drown like everyone else."

What a nuisance. Holding two life jackets in my hand for me and my partner Jason who is waiting for me at the extraction point, i froze. With a grin on my face, I spun around aiming my pistol at him. BANG! I looked down on my chest and saw a perfect red dot that was dripping blood. I drop my weapon, life jackets and cellphone in shock. A surge of rage boiled up in me like lava and I lunged at him. BANG!

"How's he doing?" A blonde woman in a lab coat strode into the ward.

"Pretty badly. We'll move him back to stasis. He's been conscious most of the time but unaware of his situation."

"Yeah, his gaze has been following me whenever I check on him. I guess he likes me." the woman joked. "By the way this is Dr. Julian Green, the new guy on the team. Dr. Green, this is Dr. Megan Cole, our team leader." Dr. Green shook the hand stretched out to him looking into Dr. Cole's face. Those green eyes illuminating the deepest corner of your soul. And her dimpled smile made even prettier by the mole on her left cheek.

submitted by /u/NeuroticMartian [link] [comments] via Blogger http://bit.ly/2wG4B0W

[the-giant-made-of-stone]

you as well have to do all the numbers, todd coward ass binch

First of all, I’m no todd you muppet.1. First game you played obsessively?Modern Warfare 3. Get all the things, do all the challenges, get the good guns, every now and then remember to actually try to do well.2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc.I’ve never really written or drawn much but I think aesthetically speaking Star Fox 64 got me down the path of Sci-FI and star ships and such. I never actually owned it which just furthered my intrigue whenever I could get my hands on it.3. Who did you play with as a kid?I didn’t play with anyone really. I’d occasionally play against my brother but he would only ever want to play Sport Game 2kYear.

4. Who do you play with now?@thisisbud Tanner who deleted his tumblr @delicontessa @charizardon5. Ever use cheat codes?Usually only the funny ones. Or costumes. And unlimited webbing in Spider-man the game cause it made it actually playable.6. Ever buy strategy guides?I distinctly remember having two strategy guides. One was the official Donkey Kong 64 strategy guide, and the other was this strange off brand Mario 64 strategy guide that had, like, how-to draw-anime-characters looking dudes telling you tips.7. Any games you have multiple copies of?Bioshock and Bioshock 2 thanks to the purchase of the full remaster collection.8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection?The Metroid Prime Trilogy Collector’s Edition for Wii. Bought it on a whim when it came out and never looked back.9. Most regrettable purchase?Either Mirror’s Edge Catalyst or Star Wars Battlefront. I wanted both of them to be so good and they just absolutely did not execute. At least I got Mirror’s Edge Catalyst once it got cheaper though.10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours?The Smash 4 Wii U/Pokemon Alpha Omega midnight release. Just a bunch of people standing in the cold playing other Pokemon games. I was there exclusively for Smash though.11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games?I probably owe it to Smash for having my best friends.12. Ever get picked on for liking games?In general? Not recently. Occasional crap from a family member. As for specific games I don’t really have any guilty pleasures besides Brink but I absolutely stand by it.13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has?Any Final Fantasy game, Pokemans Red Blue Yellow, basically anything that only went to a Sony system like Spyro or Crash or Uncharted.14. Favorite game music?Splatoon. All day every day. If I have to be specific Splatoon 2 has passed it’s predecessor.15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick?Probably something Metroid related. Like the screw attack emblem.16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL?Smash Bros every time. Fun skill game that can be made lighthearted with a few item switches.17. Ever lose a friend over a game?Not for more than a few hours. Yes in Smash.18. Would you date someone that hates gaming?I would date @delicontessa19. Favorite handheld console?You can just say favorite portable Nintendo console. DS. I have no nostalgia for the Game Boy (and Switch doesn’t count)20. Game that you know like the back of your hand?Mario 64. I don’t know any glitches or anything but I can 100% that with relative ease.21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now?I didn’t get Tetris at all cause nobody told me you were supposed to clear lines by filling them. Now that I have that information I like to indulge in some Tetris every now and then.22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories?A frankly ridiculous amount.23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into?Modern Warfare 3. I really. REALLY. like clearing challenges.24. First Pokemon game?Diamond. I am like little baby. 25. Were you ever an arcade game player?Physically am not old enough to have been to arcades that aren’t located in a pizza based restaurant26. Ever form any gaming rivalries?That’s pretty much what Smash was for my friends when it came out. A lot of these are Smash based.27. Game that makes you rage?League of Legends. Other than that I tend to avoid anything I know makes me mad.28. Ever play in a tournament?Smash Doubles for a club in college. Think we won? We didn’t go back.29. What is your gaming set up?A TV, four consoles, one HDMI port, and a Macbook that has served it’s purpose in getting me through school.30. How many consoles do you own?5 counting a 3DS I probably should use more. 6 counting a Wii that was made obsolete due to the power of backwards compatibility.31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches?Can’t speak on Virtual Boy but 3DS only happens after like several hours.32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic?I absolutely did. Who hasn’t? Movie tie-ins are pretty much always bad. Show tie-ins are usually the same way. The comic games tend to be fun though. Like Ultimate Spider-man or the Arkham series.33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games?I had some of the Namco plug n plays that did like Galaga and Pac-Man and Pole Position. They were pretty solid.34. Do either of your parents play video games?My dad used to play our NES and sports games with my brother. My ma recently picked up a Disney themed candy crush clone for her phone.35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop?Nope. As for favorite game shop, if you can call it being the only game store for miles being my favorite, GameStop36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game?Sweat, a lot. Palms sweaty when stressed. Definitely no blood. I have cried when I was younger but that’s cause I would get kicked off the games I was playing via force from my brother.Oh. And bile. I used to get headaches if I played games too much. These would make me vomit.I would get headaches a lot.37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination?I have not. I have seen the footage. This is fair.38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like?I don’t really have game shame so here’s a hot take: Nintendo Land is one of the most criminally underrated party games ever and should get a sequel.39. A sequel that you would die for them to make?Dying is a weird kickstarter donation tier. That said, Jet Set Radio Future. I need it. And Sega knows it exists cause it’s in that damn racing game so WHERES THE GAME SEGA?40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls?HTC Vive looks lit. So much so it makes everything else look inferior. That said I also think augmented reality headsets are crazy cool.41. A genre that you just can’t get into?Sony as a whole due to shored up bitterness that I’m trying to tone down. Also sport games besides WWE.42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness?Probably either Mario 64 or Donkey Kong 64. Both were the first ones that really game me clear cut objectives in a game that I paid attention to.43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else?Most of the time I’m playing games I should be doing something else. Especially sleeping.44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters?Tron. Good game. Fun game. A E S T H E T I C.45. How are you at Mario Kart?I can usually podium if I try. 46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon?I used to like Animal Crossing more but it’s such a hassle to move from entire real life to entire fake life these days.47. Do you like competitive games?I like competitive games with friends and the occasional shooter.48. How long does it take your to customize your player character?Usually a decent chunk of time. The simpler the customizer, the more time I’ll spend making adjustments as well. Back when I played Halo if I saw anyone using the same armor or same color scheme I had to immediately change.49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character?Nah I like to mix it up. I constantly rotate on wanting to be an immovable object of strength, a stealthy sneaky boy, or some ridiculous meme. Fallout 3′s Rock-It Launcher is the best weapon in the game and I’ll argue about this.50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create?Jet Set Radio Future sequel. It needs it. It deserves it. In glorious 4k cartoon rendering.51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep?Yes. Enough that it isn’t worth mentioning all of them.52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid?Guitar Hero World Tour. No regrets. Quality game with a banging soundtrack. That said I always had to be on drums at parties and stuff cause everyone else sucked at them.53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days?Most of the time it sucks. Seems kind of shitty that you can tell me the contents of the season pass several months before the game releases. Maybe just add that content in? Hmmmmm? Octo Expansion for Splatoon 2 is a treasure though.54. Do you give in to Steam sales?I have a Mac so most Steam games won’t run for me. That said I expect to fall victim to them soon.55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them?I literally never played the Sims before. So no.56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests?Did not play Roller Coaster Tycoon. Maybe I should add these to the “never played but everyone else has” list.57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements?Any game I like that has a mildly realistic 100% is one that I will 100%. I’ll even do it for games I don’t like that much.58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick?League of Legends, Overwatch, Smash Bros. Ultimate. If I can only play them for the rest of my life, I want to make sure that they’ll at least keep getting updated and let the servers keep running.59. Do you play any cell phone games?I am not a fan. I don’t like the way the kill my battery and most of them seem pretty shallow.60. Do you know the Konami Code?Up Up Down Down Left Right Left Right B A Start Slide to the Left Slide to the Right Right Foot Lets Stomp Left Foot Lets Stomp FREEEEEEZE.EVERYBODY CLAP YOUR HANDS61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever?I used to do trade-ins but I realized that months later I would want to play them again. So now I keep them forever.62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game?Nope. I got several games for every console.63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? I don’t think Comic Con counts but Immah count Comic Con.64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming?I have not. I’m not too picky graphically.65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file?Nope and nope.

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it?My grandma did. I did play it a lot.67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share?I mean they’re pretty much all happy.68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool?I’ve saved up a bunch of tickets and got something so shitty I can’t remember what it was.69. In your opinion, best game ever made? Hey how about fuck this question. I’d probably have to say Breath of the Wild. In terms of games, it was absolute top quality, excellent writing, and a very unique experience.70. Very first game you ever beat? I actually don’t know. It very likely was on the Xbox though. It’s possible it’s The Godfather but that might just be the one I remember clearing most earliest.

[sunshineweb]

51 Ideas from 2019

Dear Tribe Member,

Trust 2019 treated you well. It certainly was good for Safal Niveshak. The tribe crossed 60,000 members.

Anyways, right before the year ends, I thought I’d share a handful of ideas I’ve learned, re-learned, and wrote about in the past twelve months. Here are 51 of them categorized under the subjects of investing, learning, and life. I hope you find these useful, as much as I did.

I. INVESTING 1. Don’t Be Blind to Alternative Histories Nassim Taleb writes in Fooled by Randomness –

…one cannot judge a performance in any given field (war, politics, medicine, investments) by the results, but by the costs of the alternative (i.e., if history played out in a different way). Such substitute courses of events are called alternative histories. Clearly, the quality of a decision cannot be solely judged based on its outcome, but such a point seems to be voiced only by people who fail (those who succeed attribute their success to the quality of their decision).

We are blind to alternative histories – those silent events that could have happened but didn’t. In the language of behavioural finance this irrationality is known as Survivorship Bias. The outcome which is visible, ‘survived’ and the ones which didn’t survive are hidden. As Taleb writes –

Imagine an eccentric (and bored) tycoon offering you $10 million to play Russian roulette, i.e., to put a revolver containing one bullet in the six available chambers to your head and pull the trigger. Each realization would count as one history, for a total of six possible histories of equal probabilities. Five out of these six histories would lead to enrichment; one would lead to a statistic, that is, an obituary with an embarrassing (but certainly original) cause of death.

The problem is that only one of the histories is observed in reality; and the winner of $10 million would elicit the admiration and praise of some fatuous journalist (the very same ones who unconditionally admire the Forbes 500 billionaires).

Like almost every executive I have encountered during an eighteen-year career on Wall Street (the role of such executives in my view being no more than a judge of results delivered in a random manner), the public observes the external signs of wealth without even having a glimpse at the source. Consider the possibility that the Russian roulette winner would be used as a role model by his family, friends, and neighbors.

In effect, the general belief is that if the outcome is good, the process and decisions made to arrive at that outcome must have been sound. Alas, life doesn’t follow such straight patterns. The randomness and ‘external factors’ play a defining role in life and investing.

2. Give Due Credit to Luck The world of investing, like most things in life, produces success stories and failures. It’s human nature to wish to copy success. However, the ironic truth is this: To accept success at face value without acknowledging the role of luck is a strategy for failure.

But it’s also important to note that luck, like love, is a verb. It requires dedication and effort and the conviction and courage to act. Like the father of value investing, Ben Graham, wrote –

…behind the luck, or the crucial decision, there must usually exist a background of preparation and disciplines capacity.

3. Avoid Ruin You or me are not the market. Earning the long-term returns of the market, of the past or the future, is not in our control. Managing our risks and avoiding ruin, mostly is.

“Rationality is avoidance of systemic ruin,” Nassim Taleb writes.

Trying to avoid the ruin the stock market system enforces upon people who disregard its workings is rational. Believing that you can beat the system at it, by playing the game mindlessly, isn’t.

Peter Bernstein writes in his brilliant book Against the Gods –

Survival is the only road to riches. Let me say that again: Survival is the only road to riches.

4. Obsession with Outcomes is Damaging Most investment experts selling their services always highlight the outcome – so much return in so many months or years – and never the process they used to get this outcome. This is simply because, while the outcome is there for everyone to see (availability bias), investors rarely ask the question whether that outcome was due to the skill of the expert (a proper investment process) or merely luck.

This is not to say that results don’t matter; obviously they are extremely important in measuring success. But if the results have been largely thanks to luck, they may not come in as expected in the future.

What is more, if you focus only on the outcome, you are less likely to achieve it. Instead, if you focus on the process, the outcome will take care of itself.

But then, as published in here –

Despite the problems of using results as a barometer of decision quality, it remains endemic in investment. We use outcomes as a simple indicator and then weave narratives around these views. We take a difficult problem, simplify it (are results good or bad?) and then create a story to justify the outcome. This pattern of behaviour is evident in a range of poor investment decisions, such as: susceptibility to financial frauds, participation in investment bubbles, performance chasing and excessive short-term trading.

5. Seek Wealth, Not Money or Status Here’s an excerpt from an insightful discussion that Naval Ravikant had with Babak Nivi –

Nivi: What’s the difference between wealth, money, and status?

Naval: Wealth is the thing that you really want. Wealth is assets that earn while you sleep. Wealth is the factory, the robots that’s cranking out things. Wealth is the computer program that’s running at night, that’s serving other customer. Wealth is… even money in the bank that is being reinvested into other assets, and into other businesses. Even a house can be a form of wealth because you can rent it out, although that’s probably a lower use of productivity of land than actually doing some commercial enterprise. So, my definition of wealth is much more businesses and assets that can earn while you sleep. But really the reason you want wealth is because it buys you your freedom.

So, you don’t have to wear a tie like a collar around your neck. So, you don’t have to wake up at 7:00 AM, and rush to work, and sit in commute traffic. So, you don’t have to waste away your entire life grinding all the productive hours away into a soulless job that doesn’t fulfill you.

6. Warren Buffett’s Checklist I recently came across a video of Warren Buffett talking to a few B-School students on his trip to India in 2011.

The host asked him this question – What exactly goes through your mind when you’re actually making an investment?

Buffett’s reply to this question was brilliant for it contained the crux of everything he has said over the years about how to evaluate a certain business and it’s future economic potential (text in bold and brackets are mine) –

Well, if I drive by a McDonald’s stand or a Kentucky Fried Chicken stand I will automatically think to myself “What is this business worth?”

You know, how many customers can walk in the door (demand, scalability, growth potential)? What kind of gross margins (profitability, pricing power) can they have? How many people do they need (scalability)? How likely is it that another chicken stand opens across the street (competition, entry barriers, moat)?

I mean, all of those things. And that’s true of the chicken stand and it’s true of Google or you name the business. I mean, it’s all about evaluating the economic potential, the economic future of a given business. And most of them you don’t know the answer on (say no to most businesses, because you really don’t understand them).

But every now and then you run into one where you know the answer (simple businesses). But that’s all business is.

It’s what Aesop said a long time ago: “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” (well, that’s the definition of discounted cash flow) You know, that was said in 600 BC and that’s now what’s called discounted cash flow and all that sort of thing. But he saw that and figured it out, you know, twenty-six hundred years ago. And all I’m trying to figure out is if I could take that dollar in my hand: When do I get the two dollars out of the bush (timing of future cash flows)? How sure am I of getting it out of the bush (certainty of future cash flows)? Is there some other bush where I can get three dollars out of it instead (opportunity costs, better alternatives)?

I mean, it’s very basic stuff (investing is simple, you see, but only if you keep it simple). And a lot of times you look at it and you say “I don’t know how many birds there will be in the bush.” (complex businesses, or those that undergo a lot of changes due to nature of industry, competition, etc.) So you go in to the next one until you find the answer (you just need a few good ideas in a lifetime).

Buffett, once more, makes it clear that rather than obsessing with the bewildering fusion of news and noise, you should concentrate on a few key elements in stock selection.

7. Know Thyself Taleb again from Fooled by Randomness –

It certainly takes bravery to remain skeptical; it takes inordinate courage to introspect, to confront oneself, to accept one’s limitations – scientists are seeing more and more evidence that we are specifically designed by mother nature to fool ourselves.

One of the most underrated but among the most valuable skills required to succeed in stock market investing is resilience i.e., the ability to properly adapt to stress and adversity – either in the market or in the businesses one is owning.

How easily can you bounce back from a market crash? What would be your reaction to a sharp decline in your stocks’ prices? How many ‘surprises’ can you withstand in quick succession? How safe are your overall finances in light of extreme stress on the equity component of your portfolio?

As Taleb says, we are anyways designed by mother nature to fool ourselves. But don’t forget what the noted financial writer George J.W. Goodman – who used the pen name of Adam Smith – wrote in his wonderful book, The Money Game –

If you don’t know who you are, this is an expensive place to find out.

8. Keep It Simple, Please In stock investing, often we focus so much on trying too hard that either we never start working on the process of picking up great businesses (seeing the enormity of the task), or we start believing that our immense hard work and knowledge gives us great control over the future of stocks we own.

The reality is that, no matter how hard we try to analyze the intricacies of business, we may not be as important to the results as we’d like to think we are.

Like Seth Klarman wrote in Margin of Safety –

Investors frequently benefit from making investment decisions with less than perfect knowledge and are well rewarded for bearing the risk of uncertainty.

The time other investors spend delving into the last unanswered detail may cost them the chance to buy in at prices so low that they offer a margin of safety despite the incomplete information.

9. Investing’s False Positives The field of medicine has a term called “false positive.” It is an erroneous result that indicates that a given condition is present when it is not. An example of a false positive would be if a medical test designed to detect cancer returns a positive result (that the person has cancer) when, in reality, the person does not have cancer.

While medicine’s false positives often create panic about things that turn out to be nothing to worry about, investing’s false positives create euphoria about things that should have been worrisome in the first place.

And the underlying reason is that most people out there in the stock market judge the quality of their investment decisions by one single factor – the short-term price movement of the underlying security. And that’s exactly what they are looking forward to while making the investment, even while talking about the virtues of long-term investing and the need to ignore short-term price movements.

Noted French writer and philosopher Voltaire said –

It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong.

10. Doing Nothing is Hard The idea of buying and holding high-quality businesses over a long period of time is simple. Everyone knows that, and even those who don’t practice it appreciate that this works with most high-quality businesses as history has proven time and again.

But then, it’s important to understand that the action of not doing anything over such a long period of time involves hundreds of decisions over months and years that lead to such inaction.

Of course, one way is to buy stocks and forget for 20 years and hope to end up with a fortune. There are quite a few such fairy tales you may have heard of. But the other side of the picture is that countless people have also ended with duds in their portfolios, or vanished companies, when they realized their father or grandfather had bought some stocks and forgot about them for 20 or more years.

11. Being Prepared In one of his lectures published in Poor Charlie’s Almanack, Charlie Munger said this –

Our experience tends to confirm a long-held notion that being prepared, on a few occasions in a lifetime, to act promptly in scale, in doing some simple and logical thing, will often dramatically improve the financial results of the lifetime.

A few major opportunities, clearly recognizable as such, will usually come to one who continuously searches and waits, with a curious mind, loving diagnosis involving multiple variables.

And then all that is required is a willingness to bet heavily when the odds are extremely favourable, using resources available as a result of prudence and patience in the past.

What Charlie says here is that it pays to be prepared in your investing life – prepared not just for the risks that may be lurking around the corner, but also for opportunities that may appear anytime.

Ironically, we are often prepared for none, and that is what causes us grief during the market’s ups (when we keep sitting on the sidelines) and downs (when we are enjoying the madness of the party).

Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote in Letters from a Stoic –

Everyone faces up more bravely to a thing for which he has long prepared himself, sufferings, even, being withstood if they have been trained for in advance. Those who are unprepared, on the other hand, are panic-stricken by the most insignificant happenings.

12. Seek Uncertainty Mohnish Pabrai wrote in his brilliant book The Dhandho Investor –

Wall Street sometimes gets confused between risk and uncertainty, and you can profit handsomely from that confusion. The Street just hates uncertainty, and it demonstrates that hate by collapsing the quoted stock price of the underlying business. Here are a few scenarios that are likely to lead to a depressed stock price:

High risk, low uncertainty High risk, high uncertainty Low risk, high uncertainty

The fourth logical combination, low risk and low uncertainty, is loved by Wall Street, and stock prices of these securities sport some of the highest trading multiples. Avoid investing in these businesses. Of the three, the only one of interest to us connoisseurs of the fine art of Dhandho is the low-risk, high-uncertainty combination, which gives us our most sought after coin-toss odds. Heads, I win; tails, I don’t lose much!

While value investors are typically averse to taking high risks, that’s more a reflection of the price they’re willing to pay for any given investment than the types of situations they most often pursue, which are often fraught with uncertainty.

As businesses constantly evolve and change in response to challenges and opportunities, the lack of clarity around those changes. And the risks inherent in the potential outcomes can cause share prices to diverge widely from underlying business values.

The ability to recognize and capitalize upon that dynamic, and understand whether it’s temporary or permanent, is a key element of what sets the best investors apart.

13. Why Most People Will Never Be Good at Investing …because most people in the stock market, most of the time, don’t do investing, which is…

Thinking how markets work,

Understanding how people behave,

Studying businesses,

Sticking only with what is simple and what they understand, and

Buying stocks at appropriate valuations.

Instead, they are busy…

Envying (others making money fast or losing money slow),

Cloning (others’ stock ideas mindlessly),

Predicting (future of markets, stock prices, and economy),

Fearing (missing out on future gains),

Regretting (past mistakes),

Avoiding (accepting current mistakes),

Denying (reality, especially when it’s harsh), and

Indulging (in useless information and noise)

And if that’s not all, these often lead us to –

Trading (frequently, which adds to our costs),

Averaging down (on bad businesses),

Boasting (about our lucky short-term gains), and sometimes

Trolling (other investors on social media, who have not performed as well as us in the recent past).

With such a busy schedule, where is the time to practice investing?

14. Pay Attention In the story The Adventure of Silver Blaze, Sherlock Holmes asked Inspector Gregory to consider a curious incident involving a dog. Gregory replied that nothing happened, and Holmes proclaimed, “That was the curious incident.” This clue enabled Holmes to deduce that the culprit must have been someone familiar to the victim’s dog. Most people would miss this important clue because most people, like Gregory, pay little attention to nonevents.

Now, some information is always available, but some is always silent – and it will remain silent unless we actively stir it up. In investing, such information that remains silent – or that you fail to notice – can be dangerous to your capital.

To pay attention means to pay attention to it all, to engage actively, to take everything around us, including those things that don’t appear when they rightly should. It means asking important questions and making sure we get answers.

Even when you do this, you may not be able to emerge with the entire situation in hand, and you may end up making a choice that, upon further reflection, is not the right one after all. But it won’t be for the lack of trying.

15. Be a Curator of Stocks, Not Warehouse Manager We spend the first half of our lives adding things, and the second half subtracting most of them.

Investing follows life, and this is also what a lot of investors end up doing. They create crowded warehouses of portfolios in the initial years of their investment careers, realize most of their choices were mistakes, and then they start subtracting vigorously.

Lest you lose out on the positive compounding timeframe, you will do yourself a world of good by respecting and practicing this lesson – of saying no to most things, of not adding a lot of unwanted stocks to your portfolios – early.

In other words, be a curator of stocks, not a warehouse manager.

16. Bharat Shah on Investing Successfully One of the best theories I have read on the importance of investing in high-quality businesses in the Indian context comes from Bharat Shah of ASK Group, who has written a book (sad, it’s not available publicly) titled “Of Long Term Value and Wealth Creation from Equity Investing.”

I recently came across his old interview where he shared his insights on value investing and how he formed his investment process and principles. A passage from the interview reads thus (emphasis mine) –

…successful long-term investing calls for two vital technical capabilities or craft and two personality traits. While craft can be honed and refined by observing and absorbing, character traits have to come from within and be developed.

The two essential skills are: ability to comprehend and grasp the true character and the innards of diverse businesses as well as the ability to value them. Till these abilities are developed, one cannot become a good investor.

The two vital character traits are: discipline (or temperament) and wisdom. Discipline lies in investing only into quality businesses and the temperament of not getting carried away by the fads of the markets and buying such quality businesses only at a meaningful margin of safety.

17. Biggest Financial Regrets One of my favourite financial writers, Barry Ritholtz, wrote about the biggest financial regrets people have. This was based on a survey of over 2000 people by American life insurer giant New York Life, and found these as the biggest financial regrets –

Image Source: Biggest Financial Regrets – Barry Ritholtz Barry concluded thus, and I completely agree with this –

The sooner you begin to accept mistakes are inevitable, stop beating yourself up over them, and just fix what is not working, the faster the compounding can start.

18. No Stock is Safe The bulls may want you to believe this, but no stock is safe.

There are businesses that may remain good (earning return on capital greater than cost of capital) for some time, maybe a long time, but you must not attach infinite values to them.

This is because high returns attract competition, generally causing return on capital to move towards the cost of capital. While such companies may still earn excess returns, but the return trajectory is down.

Everything in this world, after all, is momentary. So, your best bet is to just stick with quality (even that is momentary, just for longer moments that allows time for compounding to work its magic).

The good thing about high-quality stocks is that you can pay up for them (never overpay), expensive looking prices, and still do well till the underlying businesses remain good.

With poor quality, most probably, you have no hope.

19. Businesses will Die Death will happen to all of us and to all of our businesses, and that must not worry you. It’s the stagnation and gradual decline that diseases (bad management, capital misallocation, etc.) bring along, that you must watch out for (and try working backward now so as to avoid them, except for bad luck).

20. Equanimity and Investing When it comes to investing, making money in stocks when everyone is making money in stocks isn’t a big deal. Rather, it’s the ability to handle good and bad times with equanimity, combined with courage and decisiveness, that really matters in the long run.

Of course, most of us simply aren’t wired to be equanimous at most of the times, and it’s terribly difficult to rid ourself of the emotions of ecstasy (when things are looking up) and misery (when things are looking down).

And that’s why ensuring that we avoid all of those ways that can cause us wealth destruction – trading, timing, high fee, inadequate diversification, and leverage – is paramount.

Everything, including our triumphs and disasters, anyways shall pass. But the equanimity with which we allow them to pass will keep us sane always.

As Lord Krishna taught Arjuna, as we wade through the ocean of life, it throws up all kinds of waves that are beyond our control. If we keep struggling to eliminate negative situations, we will be unable to avoid unhappiness. But if we can learn to accept everything that comes our way, with equanimity and without sacrificing our best efforts, that will be true Yog.

So, give equanimity a shot, and see what happens.

21. Five Ways We Destroy Our Wealth It’s common if you are wealthy to worry about losing your fortune due to forces beyond your control. Like market meltdowns or economic stagnation.

But what many of us don’t realize is that our own behavior may be the root of significant losses.

“The road to hell is paved with good intentions,” goes a proverb. The road to investing hell is paved with bad behaviors, and here are the five roads which initially look like paved with gold, but which often take us towards wealth destruction.

Daniel Kahneman was right when he said this –

A human being is a dark and veiled thing…and whereas the hare has seven skins, the human being can shed seven times seventy skins and still not be able to say: This is really you, this is no longer outer shell. So said Nietzsche, and Freud agreed: we are ignorant of ourselves.

We certainly are.

22. Avoid Stress I recently read this passage from Nassim Taleb’s Fooled by Randomness that tells something about why we must avoid stress –

…people who look too closely at randomness burn out, their emotions drained by the series of pangs they experience. Regardless of what people claim, a negative pang is not offset by a positive one (some psychologists estimate the negative effect for an average loss to be up to 2.5 the magnitude of a positive one); it will lead to an emotional deficit.

…people in lab coats have examined some scary properties of this type of negative pangs on the neural system (the usual expected effect: high blood pressure; the less expected: chronic stress leads to memory loss, lessening of brain plasticity, and brain damage). To my knowledge, there are no studies investigating the exact properties of trader’s burnout, but a daily exposure to such high degrees of randomness without much control will have physiological effects on humans (nobody studied the effect of such exposure on the risk of cancer).

…wealth does not count so much into one’s well-being as the route one uses to get to it.

23. Why Value Investing Works Jack Schwager, the author of Market Wizards series, when answering a question on whether value investing works, turned to the wisdom of Joel Greenblatt, one of the foremost experts on the subject.

Schwager quoted this from his interview with Greenblatt –

Value investing doesn’t always work. The market doesn’t always agree with you. Over time, value is roughly the way the market prices stocks, but over the short term, which sometimes can be as long as two or three years, there are periods when it doesn’t work. And that is a very good thing.

The fact that the value approach doesn’t work over periods of time is precisely the reason why it continues to work over the long term.

24. Patience Wins Most people participating in the stock market don’t really understand what they are doing. This is especially when making money gets quick and easy, and they are doing great at it.

Like Aesop’s wolf in sheep’s clothing, they play a role contrary to their real character, which often leads them to the slaughterhouse.

However, the lack of patience of such people to invest with a long-term horizon creates the opportunity for the few committed to long-term holding periods.

In the battle between impatience and patience, the latter wins.

25. Eternity and Investing The Heilbrunn Center for Graham and Dodd Investing created a wonderful video in 2013 titled ‘Legacy of Ben Graham,’ which contains bytes from some of his students on how Graham’s teachings changed their lives.

Marshall Weinberg, one of the students from Graham’s class said that the biggest lesson he drew out of that class was on long-term thinking. Here’s what he said –

One sentence changed my life…Ben Graham opened the course by saying: ‘If you want to make money in Wall Street you must have the proper psychological attitude. No one expresses it better than Spinoza the philosopher.’

When he said that, I nearly jumped out of my course. What? I suddenly look up, and he said, and I remember exactly what he said: ‘Spinoza said you must look at things in the aspect of eternity.’ And that’s what suddenly hooked me on Ben Graham.

Spinoza actually said, “Sub specie aeternitatis,” which translates to “under the aspect of eternity,” or “from the perspective of the eternal.”

Critics of this idea may believe that with such thinking, there is no reason to believe that anything matters. But where Spinoza may be coming from is the idea that, in the larger scheme of things, nothing matters, which leads us to put our pains and struggles – including, as investors – into perspective.

26. Types of Managements People come in different shades, and managers are people.

Here are three different types of management (there may be more, but let’s go with these three for now), and my thoughts on how you may want to deal with them when it comes to investing in the businesses they manage.

Most of us overlook the human aspect of operating a business, yet, in most cases, the future success of a business is directly tied to the quality of the people managing its affairs.

27. Skin in the Game Having skin in the game means being exposed (equally as other stakeholders) to both positive and negative consequences of an outcome which was made possible by your decisions/actions/approval.

Superficially, the concept of ‘skin in the game’ may look like a case for morality in human transactions but if you go deeper, you will find that it’s a wonderful trick for improving our own decisions.

When you own 50 stocks and one goes to zero, your portfolio isn’t going to move down by more than 2 percent (assuming you had equal allocation for each stock). Which means you’re not really bothered about a couple of bad decisions for it’s not going to create meaningful damage to your net worth. However, when you run a relatively concentrated portfolio of 10 stocks, you’d be more careful about choosing those stocks. Won’t you?

28. It’s Not Supposed to Be Fair Warren Buffett had high regards for David Sokol. Over the years Sokol established a reputation inside Berkshire Hathaway as Mr. Fixit. Buffett often referred to Sokol as a terrific manager, a brilliant dealmaker and a huge asset to Berkshire.

In 2011, Sokol abruptly resigned. It was speculated that his resignation was because of insider trading allegations. For a second put yourself in Buffett’s shoes and imagine how you would feel when one of your most trusted business partners who has worked with you closely for decades behaves in a totally unexpected and undesired way? Like Sokol did.

When asked in one interview if he had felt betrayed by Sokol’s behaviour, Munger replied —

It’s not my nature … when you get little surprises as a result of human nature … to spend much time feeling betrayed. I always want to put my head down and adjust. I don’t allow myself to spend much time ever with any feelings of betrayal. If some flickering idea like that came to me, I’d get rid of it quickly. I don’t like any feeling of being victimized. I think that’s a counterproductive way to think as a human being. I am not a victim. I am a survivor.

The world around us is largely a soup of random events loosely connected by a few broad patterns. And one of those patterns is that the universe doesn’t care for any individual’s personal agenda.

If your investment journey has thrown a few bad apples your way, if you feel that the world is not fair then be reminded that the world is not supposed to be fair. It’s not supposed to be fair in your favour or in anyone’s favour.

29. Avoid Multiplying by Zero Two academicians were debating on the superiority of their respective fields of study.

“What would you do if I brought Alexander The Great’s army in front of you?” The history professor challenged.

The mathematician rolled his eyes and replied, “I’ll enclose the army in a bracket and multiply by zero.”

In an additive system, each component adds on to one another to create the final outcome. Such systems are unaffected when they encounter a zero. Multiplicative systems, on the other hand, are non-linear because anything times zero must still be zero, no matter how large the string of numbers preceding it. A zero can wreak havoc on multiplicative systems. Like it did to Alexander’s army.

Shane Parrish, on his excellent blog, explains the functional equivalent of multiplicative system in the world of business –

Most businesses, for example, operate in a multiplicative system. But they too often think they’re operating in additive ones: Ever notice how some businesses will add one feature on top of another to their products but fail at basic customer service, so you leave, never to return? That’s a business that thinks it’s in an additive system when they really need to be resolving the big fat zero in the middle of the equation instead of adding more stuff… General Motors, founded in 1908 by William Durant and C.S. Mott, came to dominate the American car market to the tune of 50% market share through a series of brilliant innovations and management practices, and was for many years the dominant and most admirable corporation in America. Even today, after more than a century of competition, no American carmaker produces more automobiles than General Motors. And yet, the original shareholders of GM ended up with a zero in 2008 as the company went into bankruptcy due to years of financial mismanagement. It didn’t matter than they had several generations of leadership: All of that becomes naught in a multiplicative system.

Benefit of looking at the downside or what can go wrong is efficiency, writes Peter Bevelin, “Take investments as an example – If you first eliminate what doesn’t work or what won’t achieve what you want, you don’t have to spend a lot of time and attention of analyzing the company. If there is a huge downside – for example a catastrophe risk of the key factors that are needed for success aren’t there or any other disqualifying factors like no sustainable advantage, bad and untrustworthy management of something else – just say ‘no thank you.’”

II. LEARNING 30. Being Average in the Age of Alpha Our society and culture values high achievement in every area of our lives. We want to become alpha men and women, have the brightest careers, accomplished children, ideal bodies, investment performances that beat everyone, and financial prosperity that leads us to possess more stuff than others.

Amidst this, being satisfied with having “enough” is considered shameful. Being unambitious is considered lazy. Thinking “I have enough” is a sin. “Average” is a dirty word.

I recently read an article written by one Krista O’Reilly, which echoed exactly what I have felt about being average all my life –

The world is such a noisy place. Loud, haranguing voices lecturing me to hustle, to improve, build, strive, yearn, acquire, compete, and grasp for more. For bigger and better. Sacrifice sleep for productivity. Strive for excellence. Go big or go home. Have a huge impact in the world. Make your life count.

But what if I just don’t have it in me? What if all the striving for excellence leaves me sad, worn out, depleted? Drained of joy. Am I simply not enough?

31. Two Big Lessons from History I believe there are two things that have stood the test of time, and that apply to everything we do in life, investing, work, everywhere –

We have much less control over the future than we hope, and that it will always surprise us (surprisingly!). We can’t control what would happen to us or our investment portfolios, we can’t control what people around us would say or do, and we can’t even fully control our own bodies, which would get damaged and sick and ultimately die without regard for our preferences. In fact, much of our unhappiness is caused by thinking that we can control things like these that, in fact, we can’t.

We have far more ability to make an impact than we expect. And this ability is more important than we can imagine. All it requires for us is to be learning and adapting machines, be sensible in our decision making, keep things simple, and trust the role of sincere hard work. Some people are aware of it; most are not. Frankly, it is easier to sit on the sidelines and whine about the stuff we can’t control (like stock prices) than to own up to what we do control (like our process of investing).

In short, while we can’t control the future, we can be courageous enough to jump into life with both feet and take responsibility for how we would like to mold it (without trying to control it), and how we would react to what happens to us on the way.

No success guarantees here, but history proves that’s how the world has always worked.

32. A More Beautiful Question Since early childhood, most of us learned that our parents did not like us asking many questions and that only authority figures – most grown-ups – had the right to ask them. The result was that we stopped questioning things and accepted what we saw, heard, and were told with meek acceptance.

Sadly, this approach worked well in the industrial era, but proves futile in the knowledge era, because it compromises our ability to think and understand deeply.

In his book, A More Beautiful Question, which I glanced through recently at a bookstore, Warren Berger led me to the importance of asking thoughtful, ambitious “beautiful questions” — the kind that can help us grow into happier and more useful human beings. An insightful passage from the book reads thus –

We’ve transitioned into always transitioning…In such times, the ability to ask big, meaningful, beautiful questions – and just as important, to know what to do with those questions once they’ve been raised – can be the first step in moving beyond old habits and behaviors as we embrace the new.

In the modern era, we must use unfamiliar tools in our attempt to take on new challenges without clear instructions, and with the clock ticking. In such times, Berger writes –

…questioning…will be even more important in helping us figure out what matters, where opportunities lie, and how to get there.

“Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers,” said Voltaire. Now, more than ever, the quality of our lives depends on the quality of our questions.

33. How Not to Bet 90-year-old Jeanne Louise Calment struck a deal with a forty-seven-year-old lawyer named André-François Raffray. Raffray agreed to pay a low monthly subsistence payment of 2,500 francs to Jeanne in exchange for the right to own Jeanne house when she dies. The ninety-year-old French woman had already exceeded the French life expectancy by more than ten years. She could die any day.

Ms. Calment turned out to be the biggest outlier in human history. When she died aged 122, her age at death exceeded the lawyer’s age at this death by forty-five years. He ended up paying Calment the equivalent of €140,000. That was more than double the apartment’s value.

Where did Raffray go wrong? His blunder was in taking the statistics and applying it to a sample size of one.

Legendary investor, Howard Marks relates a funny story his father told him about a gambler who bet everything on a race with only one horse in it. How could he lose? “Halfway around the track, the horse jumped over the fence and ran away. Invariably things can get worse than people expect.”

Jeanne and Raffray’s story has a valuable lesson for investors. Never bet the farm on a single stock no matter how certain you are about the outcome. You never know when the luck hands you the equivalent of a crazy horse or a supercentenarian.

34. Possessing Vs Pursuing I believe our lives are not defined by what we possess, but by what we pursue. History has ample proof that it is not what people (like Alexander and Hitler) have tried to possess, but what people (like Einstein and Gandhi) pursued that brought meaning to their lives and to those around them.

“I enjoy life,” Seneca said, “because I am ready to leave it.”

In his book On the Shortness of Life, Seneca wrote this –

As far as I am concerned, I know that I have lost not wealth but distractions. The body’s needs are few: it wants to be free from cold, to banish hunger and thirst with nourishment; if we long for anything more we are exerting ourselves to serve our vices, not our needs.

Imagine if we can unburden ourselves of 90% of our worldly goods, it should not be difficult to leave the remaining 10% behind?

35. What Stories Do You Believe? A story is a very effective tool to package any message or an abstract idea. Stories themselves are unimportant. What’s more important is the idea the construct of a story is enclosing inside it. An idea doesn’t stick well if it’s not packaged in the form of a story.

Our experience of the world is almost completely derived from the stories we have told ourselves.

Celebrated historian Yuval Noah Harari writes —

Over the years, people have woven an incredibly complex network of stories. The kinds of things that people create through this network of stories are known in academic circles as ‘fictions’, ‘social constructs’ or ‘imagined realities’. An imagined reality is not a lie. Unlike lying, an imagined reality is something that everyone believes in, and as long as this communal belief persists, the imagined reality exerts force in the world. Most millionaires sincerely believe in the existence of money and limited liability companies. Most human-rights activists sincerely believe in the existence of human rights.

Ever since the Cognitive Revolution, Sapiens have thus been living in a dual reality. On the one hand, the objective reality of rivers, trees and lions; and on the other hand, the imagined reality of gods, nations and corporations. As time went by, the imagined reality became ever more powerful, so that today the very survival of rivers, trees and lions depends on the grace of imagined entities such as the United States and Google.

Take a pause and question yourself, “What stories do I believe in about the reality and have they served me well?”

36. Writing is a Thinking Tool Writing, apart from being a communication tool, is a thinking tool too. Famous author, Dan Pink, recommends – “write things to figure out your thoughts”.

Writing is a powerful weapon for focusing thoughts. The more you write, the more precision of thought you build. It allows you to take fuzzy thinking and distill it into precise line of thought. If you want to think better you have to start writing your thoughts.

When Michael Mauboussin posed the question to Daniel Kahneman, what is a single thing an investor can do to improve his or her performance, he said –

…go down to a local drugstore and buy a very cheap notebook and start keeping track of your decisions. And the specific idea is whenever you’re making a consequential decision, something going in or out of the portfolio, just take a moment to think, write down what you expect to happen, why you expect it to happen and then actually, and this is optional, but probably a great idea, is write down how you feel about the situation, both physically and even emotionally. Just, how do you feel? I feel tired. I feel good, or this stock is really draining me. Whatever you think…When you’ve got a decision-making journal, it gives you accurate and honest feedback of what you were thinking at that time.

Writing is a thinking exercise and it acts as a shield against the mental rust.

37. Opposite of a Good Idea Both Amazon and Apple are technology companies with close to trillion-dollar market cap each. Amazon sells products as cheap as possible. Apple prices its devices as expensive as possible.

In marketing, there are two equally potent, but completely contradictory, ways to sell a product. Luxury goods offer the promise of owning something which can’t be owned by everybody, i.e., a scarcity bias informs the worth of the product. And we also find comfort in buying stuff which has been rated high by millions of others, i.e., we look for social proof in making our decision.

Similarly, two opposite points of view can both be rational without violating any laws of logic or physics.

Remember, situations where we get two accounts of the same event, but the versions are dramatically different, it’s because they’re informed by different facts and perspectives.

In other words, understanding the context is very important before announcing your verdict on what’s right or wrong.

38. Curiosity Kills the Cat, but You’re not a Cat Sometimes, when you’ve figured out the answer to a question, you realize that the path between the question and its answer was more interesting than the two endpoints.

Which means the journey that your curiosity takes you through becomes more rewarding than the end result. And the great thing about following your curiosity is that no one can stop you and you can keep going.

Follow the process. And the process is — keep scratching the itch of a probing mind and never letting the fire of inquisitiveness to die down.

Put simply, it doesn’t matter what question you begin with. What matters is —

How rigorously you chase the clues,

What assumptions you make to simplify a complex problem and transform it into a more useful one, and

How long you’re willing to remain discontent with your discoveries.

To expect to begin your quest with only intelligent questions could be overwhelming and you may never get started.

So, start small, start stupid and let your curiosity take you places.

39. Risk of Avoiding the Non-Risk In 2014, an AirAsia flight crashed into Java Sea killing all 162 people on board. Investigations revealed that it was caused by a pilot error because he performed a non-standard reset of the onboard flight control computers. Why did he do that? Because he wanted to get rid of a non-critical warning light that was flashing on his panel.

The gap between what’s risky and what feels risky is significant. The perception of risk is often misplaced in most people’s head.

Nick Maggiulli writes —

…you can hold 100% bonds and experience little short term volatility (i.e. low risk right?), but you now risk not having enough principal in the future after your portfolio battles against the scourge of inflation for multiple decades…remember that you are always taking risks. The key is understanding what risks you are taking and when you are taking them.

Risk and the perception of risk are two different beasts. What doesn’t seem to hurt in the short run lulls people into complacency and just when they feel the safest the storm of accumulated risk arrives with no advance notice and causes the blow-up.

III. LIFE 40. Weathering Life’s Storms In Kafka On The Shore, Murakami wrote –

Sometimes fate is like a small sandstorm that keeps changing directions. You change direction but the sandstorm chases you. You turn again, but the storm adjusts. Over and over you play this out, like some ominous dance with death just before dawn. Why? Because this storm isn’t something that blew in from far away, something that has nothing to do with you. This storm is you. Something inside of you. So all you can do is give in to it, step right inside the storm, closing your eyes and plugging up your ears so the sand doesn’t get in, and walk through it, step by step. There’s no sun there, no moon, no direction, no sense of time. Just fine white sand swirling up into the sky like pulverized bones. That’s the kind of sandstorm you need to imagine.

And you really will have to make it through that violent, metaphysical, symbolic storm. No matter how metaphysical or symbolic it might be, make no mistake about it: it will cut through flesh like a thousand razor blades. People will bleed there, and you will bleed too. Hot, red blood. You’ll catch that blood in your hands, your own blood and the blood of others.

And once the storm is over you won’t remember how you made it through, how you managed to survive. You won’t even be sure, in fact, whether the storm is really over. But one thing is certain. When you come out of the storm you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.

41. Dealing with the Scary World In Aaron Thier’s wonderful new novel, The World Is A Narrow Bridge, there is a scene where Eva and Murphy, the two young prophets of the god Yahweh, are sent on a mission that terrifies them. As they begin the mission, Eva and Murphy are approached by Satan, who has been sent by Yahweh, to give them their final instructions. After Satan gives the instructions, he begins to leave for his next mission:

“You have to go so soon?” says Eva. “Right away?”

She looks devastated. Murphy, too, is unhappy. Satan frowns and chews on his lip. He doesn’t like to leave them like this.

“I’ll teach you a trick,” he says. “I’ll teach you an incantation that will protect against despair. If things are dark, and I’m not around to help, you can repeat it a few times and it’ll help.

It would go something like this: ‘The world is a narrow bridge, and the most important thing is not to be afraid.’”

Murphy and Eva both repeat this very slowly. Eva says, “That’s lovely.”

Satan nods. “Just repeat it to yourself when things are bad. You could try different translations too. ‘Do not make yourself afraid, the whole world is a narrow bridge.’

The point is this life we’re living—this world we inhabit—is a scary place. If you peer over the side of a narrow bridge, you can lose your heart to continue. You freeze up. You sit down. So too with life. If we think too much about the journey we have to make, the one that begins with the trauma of birth and ends with the tragedy of death, the one that is so perilous and unpredictable, we’ll never make it.

The important thing is that we are not afraid. That we don’t overthink things. That we don’t give way to fear, as the Stoics tell us over and over again. Just repeat it to yourself—The world is a narrow bridge and I will not be afraid—and keep going. Like the thousands of generations who have come before you.

42. Life’s Purpose and Meaning Tuesdays with Morrie was one of the best books I read in 2019. In one passage, the author wrote something that resonated well with me –

So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they’re busy doing things they think are important. This is because they’re chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning.

43. Hope and Fear Seneca wrote –

Limiting one’s desires actually helps to cure one of fear. ‘Cease to hope … and you will cease to fear.’ … Widely different [as fear and hope] are, the two of them march in unison like a prisoner and the escort he is handcuffed to. Fear keeps pace with hope … both belong to a mind in suspense, to a mind in a state of anxiety through looking into the future. Both are mainly due to projecting our thoughts far ahead of us instead of adapting ourselves to the present.

44. Power of Meditation Yuval Harari, the author of Sapiens, wrote this beautiful passage in his book –

According to Buddhism, the root of suffering is neither the feeling of pain nor of sadness nor even of meaninglessness. Rather, the real root of suffering is this never-ending and pointless pursuit of ephemeral feelings, which causes us to be in a constant state of tension, restlessness and dissatisfaction. Due to this pursuit, the mind is never satisfied. Even when experiencing pleasure, it is not content, because it fears this feeling might soon disappear, and craves that this feeling should stay and intensify.

People are liberated from suffering not when they experience this or that fleeting pleasure, but rather when they understand the impermanent nature of all their feelings, and stop craving them. This is the aim of Buddhist meditation practices. In meditation, you are supposed to closely observe your mind and body, witness the ceaseless arising and passing of all your feelings, and realise how pointless it is to pursue them. When the pursuit stops, the mind becomes very relaxed, clear and satisfied. All kinds of feelings go on arising and passing – joy, anger, boredom, lust – but once you stop craving particular feelings, you can just accept them for what they are. You live in the present moment instead of fantasising about what might have been. The resulting serenity is so profound that those who spend their lives in the frenzied pursuit of pleasant feelings can hardly imagine it. It is like a man standing for decades on the seashore, embracing certain ‘good’ waves and trying to prevent them from disintegrating, while simultaneously pushing back ‘bad’ waves to prevent them from getting near him. Day in, day out, the man stands on the beach, driving himself crazy with this fruitless exercise. Eventually, he sits down on the sand and just allows the waves to come and go as they please. How peaceful!

45. Karma One of the best books I read this year was No Shortcuts to the Top. This is an autobiography of Edmund Viesturs, wherein he documents his 16-year journey summitting all 14 of the world’s eight-thousander mountain peaks (more than 8,000 meters above sea level), and his strategies to manage risk in extreme environments.

In one beautiful passage from the book, Viesturs wrote –

Although I remain uncertain about God or any particular religion, I believe in karma. What goes around, comes around. How you live your life, the respect that you give others and the mountain, and how you treat people in general will come back to you in kindred fashion. I like to talk about what I call the Karma National Bank. If you give up the summit to help rescue someone who’s in trouble, you’ve put a deposit in that bank. And sometime down the road, you may need to make a big withdrawal.

46. Widening our Circles of Compassion Long before Carl Sagan wrote of compassion as our only mechanism for moving beyond “us vs. them,” Einstein wrote in 1950 –

A human being is part of a whole, called by us the “Universe,” a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest — a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest us. Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circles of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.

47. Humility In The Apology, the Greek philosopher Plato wrote that the oracle at Delphi had pronounced Socrates the wisest man in Athens.

No one was more astonished and disbelieving than Socrates himself. So, he immediately set out to disprove the oracle by finding a wiser man. Here is what Socrates found as he met a few supposedly wise men –

I went to one who had the reputation of wisdom, and observed to him – his name I need not mention; he was a politician whom I selected for examination – and the result was as follows: When I began to talk with him, I could not help thinking that he was not really wise, although he was thought wise by many, and wiser still by himself; and I went and tried to explain to him that he thought himself wise, but was not really wise; and the consequence was that he hated me, and his enmity was shared by several who were present and heard me.

So I left him, saying to myself, as I went away: Well, although I do not suppose that either of us knows anything really beautiful and good, I am better off than he is – for he knows nothing, and thinks that he knows. I neither know nor think that I know. In this latter particular, then, I seem to have slightly the advantage of him.

Then I went to another, who had still higher philosophical pretensions, and my conclusion was exactly the same. I made another enemy of him, and of many others besides him.

In the end, Socrates discovered he was indeed the wisest man in Athens. Not because of how much he knew, but because he was the only one who understood how much he did not know.

Knowing that you don’t know is the dawning of wisdom.

Knowing that you don’t know, accepting it and not being ashamed about it is the start of a continuing journey of wisdom.

Recognizing the darkness is the prerequisite for bringing on the light. Only when the darkness is brought out of hiding does the light have the opportunity to illuminate it.

48. Meaning of Life One of the best books I have read on the pursuit of the world’s highest peak, Mount Everest, is George Mallory’s Climbing Everest. George was possibly the first man to summit Everest (nobody knows whether he did it), almost 30 years before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay began their ascent. It was during his third expedition to the Everest that he lost his life, last seen about 800 feet from the summit.

Anyways, all his writings on climbing are collected in Climbing Everest, which started out as letters to his wife Ruth. One of my favourite parts from the book is when George shared his response to one question asked by a journalist about why he would risk his life to attempt to reach the Everest.

His profound response outlines an undeniably powerful way to perceive life –

People ask me, ‘What is the use of climbing Mount Everest?’ and my answer must at once be, ‘It is of no use.’ There is not the slightest prospect of any gain whatsoever. Oh, we may learn a little about the behaviour of the human body at high altitudes, and possibly medical men may turn our observation to some account for the purposes of aviation. But otherwise nothing will come of it. We shall not bring back a single bit of gold or silver, not a gem, nor any coal or iron…

If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go.

What we get from this adventure is just sheer joy. And joy is, after all, the end of life. We do not live to eat and make money. We eat and make money to be able to live. That is what life means and what life is for.

What a beautiful, inspirational thought!

Life is never perfect. And as George wrote, living is not just about eating and making money.

Facing adversities and challenges head on, and stepping away from what is comfortable and familiar to us and into the unknown, is what often brings us real joy.

That’s what gets us life’s real worth.

49. Triumph and Disaster One of the most life-changing books I have ever read is Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning. The book is a chronicle by Frankl of his experiences as a German Nazi concentration camp inmate during World War II.

In this book, Frankl describes his psychotherapeutic method, which involved identifying a purpose in life to feel positively about, and then immersively imagining that outcome.

The central theme of Frankl’s book is ‘survival.’ Although he witnessed and experienced horror, the book focuses less on the details of his own experience and more on how his time under Nazi rule showed him the human ability to survive and endure against all odds.

As Frankl wrote, he saw the lowest parts of humanity while in the camps. He saw fellow prisoners promoted to be in-camp guards turning on their fellow prisoners. He watched as they beat their lifeless, malnourished campmates. He watched sadistic guards treating them as if they were lower than animals. But he also saw individuals rising up like saints above it all.

The part that impacted me the most from the book was this –

When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves…Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms — to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

Life (investing included) isn’t easy. And unlike, what we imagine in both scenarios of triumphs and disasters, life isn’t supposed to move in a straight line of happiness and smiles, or sadness and pain. It’s not supposed to stay the same, just like you’re not supposed to stay the same.

Life is evolving and changing. It is a constant surge of ups and downs, twists and turns, and as Rudyard Kipling said, “…triumphs and disasters.” Like you have your happy and blissful moments, you are supposed to feel pain, get hurt, and experience losses occasionally. And some of them can be really bad!

Now, that does not mean that you deserve every bit of the sadness, defeats, and tragedies that life hands over to you. It’s just part of the journey that we are walking through. It’s just part of what makes us human.

50. Meditating on Mortality Meditation on mortality (that we are going to die one day) is one of the oldest practices in all Buddhist traditions. In the words of the Buddha, “…of all the footprints, that of the elephant is supreme. Similarly, of all mindfulness meditation, that on death is supreme.”

But why should we contemplate our own death while we are still alive?

“It cures you,” the Bhutanese say. Not just the Hindu and Buddhist scriptures, even Stoicism talks about Memento Mori that is the practice of reflection on mortality, especially as a means of considering the vanity of earthly life and the transient nature of all earthly goods and pursuits.

Now, the thing about meditating on your own mortality is that it doesn’t make life pointless. Instead, knowing that you will die one day creates priority and thinking about it helps you live with a more positive perspective. So you can focus on what’s important.

Death is, however, a subject mostly shunned by our cultures and societies. Nothing explains this resistance better than what the American actor and comedian Woody Allen said in one of his movies, “It’s not that I’m afraid of dying; it’s just that I don’t want to be there when it happens.”

51. What Papa Taught Me I lost my father late this year. Papa was a genuinely good man – good in a pure, innocent, unfailing way. He wanted, more than anything, to do good in the world, to always do the right thing. That is one attribute I picked up from him, and I thank God I did that.

Another thing I learned from Papa was that the best life one could live was not one in which a person did big, great things that influenced the lives of millions, but one in which you made a difference in the part of the world you touched, no matter how small.

He said that a life in which you helped only one person because that was the only opportunity you had to help someone else was just as great a life as that of someone who changed the lives of millions.

Perhaps the best way I can celebrate Papa’s life is to try as hard as I can to walk in the world with the same compassion, humility, love, and joy that he carried with him so that the light of his life will not extinguish even after the passing of his mortal body.

“Your parents, they give you your life, but then they try to give you their life,” said Chuck Palahniuk, the noted American fiction novelist.

Papa, I realize now, gave me his life. I hope I stand up to it.

Thank You Before I close, let me share with you the Serenity Prayer that has helped me a lot in facing my personal, professional, and investing turmoils. I am sure if you keep this prayer close to your mind and heart, it will help you face your own turmoils well, including those related to your investing.

The Serenity Prayer

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.

~ Reinhold Niebuhr

I wish you a happy, healthy, and peaceful 2020.

With respect, Vishal

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